Pay the piper

  By Joe Rector By now, millions of Americans have filed their tax returns; usually those folks are anticipating a refund. Citizens who might owe more taxes are a bit slower to file, and some request extensions to push back the dates that they must make the final...

House arrest

  By Joe Rector I hope that everyone has survived another soggy February. It was only a year ago that the rains inundated the area and left us struggling to dodge standing water puddles and pray that roof leaks didn’t suddenly appear. I, for one, have never done...

Not perfect

By Joe Rector We hear that things are “perfect” all the time. Of late, that perfection has centered around a telephone call, but over the course of our lives, many claims of perfection are proclaimed. In truth, we all know nothing is perfect. Amy and I discovered soon...

Valve Oil

  By Joe Rector As soon as I unzipped the bag, that familiar smell wafted out. It was as strong now as back in the 1960s. I’m not sure what’s in the backpack that I carry to school, Gallatin, and any other traveling destination that created the same odor. Perhaps...

Memories out with the floor

By Joe Rector The week before Christmas and the one during the holiday, workers completed laying new flooring in our house. They tore up the first-generation laminate stuff and replaced it with much sturdier, prettier flooring. I watched Matthew, Randy, Tyler, and...

I can only get better

By Joe Rector On more than one occasion, I’ve stated my dislike for resolutions. We all make them after much reflection and deliberation but break them with blinding speed. Most of the things we vow to change about ourselves deal with personal growth: read more, eat...