My youngest son poked his finger, and my sister-in-law bled for some inexplicable reason, but no one required stitches or even a Band-Aid. It was a good night in all.
Pumpkin-carving time is a big day at the in-laws. My wife’s father grows a blue million pumpkins, the big, soft, fleshy kind perfect for sinking a knife into, her mother cooks a pot of stew and bakes apple pies, the big, sweet kind perfect for sinking a fork into, and my kids get so jacked up on sugar that I have to threaten painful removal of their eyeballs and tongues if they don’t knock off that hollering in my ear and beating on my head and kicking of my seat on the ride home.

Socrates gave me a skull for Halloween. My very own memento mori!
“Why thank you so much!” I said with amazement to my toga-draped, laurel-wreathed philosophy student. “Nobody’s ever given me a skull before!”

The press release says a “quiet decision by five officials in Washington, D.C., could silence millions of cell phones in rural America.”
All we can say is “Hallelujah.”

The State Board of Elections wants you to know that it did not print up fliers outlining that Republicans should vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5. The good folks working for that agency want you to know that everyone, Republicans, Democrats, even Green Party members and Libertarians, vote Nov. 4 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. They so much want you to know they sent out a press release “busting” the aforementioned myth of segregated voting days.

Several weeks ago, a Giles County 100-foot-long board and cable pedestrian bridge collapsed dropping 10 children and adults into waist-deep Walkers Creek 30 feet below. What had begun as an enjoyable family reunion ended with nine of the 10 being taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Years ago, an organization mailed me a Christian phonebook. All of the venders were Christians. I am not sure how the publishers knew that. I guess they just took their word for it. When my house developed a plumbing problem, I decided to call a Christian plumber from the phonebook. I am not sure why I did it except someone convinced me that the work would be better and it would keep the money “in the family.”

At the Wytheville Community College Fall Esprit on October 8th, it was a pleasure to see my favorite local band, Lucky 65, whose concert served as the event’s main attraction.  With the departure of bassist Mindy Jackson, the band is still in search of a full-time replacement.  Filling in for this particular show was their good friend, Drivn bass player, Ben Caudill.  This electrifying performance was their last for the year and it is safe to say that they have ended 2008 on an extremely high note.  First of all, the release of their debut self-titled CD was highly successful.  Secondly, the band their first music video for their original song, “Lights Out.”  After making the video at VPS Studios in Roanoke, they were approached by station producers about shooting a local promotional ad for the popular sitcom, “Two and a Half Men,” starring Charlie Sheen.  They readily agreed and the ad is expected to be airing on FOX by the time this column is published. 

The job is complicated, but the choice is simple.
John McCain should be the next president of the United States.

Worry is a common denominator in our world today with the ever tightening global financial crisis, concerns about the forthcoming presidential election, and assorted personal issues and illnesses. We know that worry results in increased anxiety and uneasiness, which can affect our health, our sleep patterns and our overall outlook on life.

Thank you; thank you; thank you.
While this forum has sometimes been used to point out what’s wrong with Bland County, we’re using it today to point out what’s right with our fantastic community and to offer our sincere appreciation to those who make it so.