South & Southwest Fort Wayne Indiana News
The name of this month, of course, is October. It comes from the Latin, “octo,” for “eight,” because in the Roman Calendar this was the eighth month. But in the Gregorian Calendar, which we use, this is the tenth month.
When we discover something curious of this nature – statements, facts,
Every once in a while, a gem comes along via e-mail that is worth keeping and repeating. Here’s such a jewel titled: “A mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.”
A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large,
Who’s the most famous person you’ve met?
Maybe it was a Hollywood celebrity, movie star or Broadway headliner. Perhaps it was a recording artist, television entertainer or sports star. Whoever it was, we’ll wager you were thrilled with the opportunity to shake the person’s hand, get an autograph,
If you have ever had a dog as a pet that you loved, then you know that life is better with a dog.
My wife, Marty, and I love dogs, almost as much as dogs love people. We have our own beloved, 40-pound Golden Retriever/Briard mix named Taffy. We adopted her from Animal Care & Control. And, we have
The month of April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains. The proverb, “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers,” was first recorded in 1886. The shorter version in the headline above is part
Welcome to the third month of the year already. The name comes from Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named after Mars, the Roman god of war, who also was regarded as a guardian of agriculture. The Old Saxon name for this month was Hreth-monath, which meant “rough month”
Or should we say, “Happy ‘Land Beaver,’ ‘Ground Squirrel,’ ‘Whistler,’ ‘Ground Pig,’ ‘Canada Marmot,’ ‘Moonak,’ ‘Red Monk,’ ‘Thickwood Badger,’ ‘Prairie Badger,’ ‘Monax,’ ‘Digger,’ ‘Woodchuck’ or — ‘Groundhog’ Day!”
All of the above names
I’ve finally come up with the ultimate New Year’s resolution!
Unlike previous resolutions over many, many years, it cannot be broken. I don’t have to worry about getting enough exercise, eating healthier, losing weight, getting more sleep, being friendlier, exhibiting more patience and self-control,
Every Christmas season brings back a flood of memories for most of us. Some recollections make us smile while others are tinged with sadness, especially after parents, relatives and close friends no longer are with us.
Some of our favorite remembrances involve our less than enthusiastic young children
This story concerns a 92-year-old, petite, proud man who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and face shaved clean, even though he is legally blind.
Since his wife of 70 years recently passed away, it was necessary for him to move into a nursing home.
Have you ever been called a loser? In our culture, the will to win and succeed as it seems to be all that matters. No one is given much credit for being second best. Today, winning has morphed into beating countless, faceless others in anything – even if it’s just getting to the next traffic light
I’d like to propose a saying for our current times: “Rudeness walks with the devil.”
It seems we experience rudeness a hundred times a day and often may be guilty of it ourselves. Something happens to many people when they get behind the wheel of their vehicle. Both men and women often take on
My wife, Marty, has served as a volunteer at Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control for more than 17 years. She’s come home with dozens of stories of animals – mostly about dogs and cats – some with happy endings and a few with sad outcomes.
Baxter was a two-year-old male turned into the shelter
Many consider June as the wedding month. And every time it comes along I’m reminded of a wedding I was a part of but in no way thought to be the “best” man, especially by the bride’s mother.
Carl was my roommate our senior year in college. Following graduation, he asked me and Tim, another
This Memorial Day all of us should be encouraged to remember and appreciate the people who died while serving in our country’s armed forces. Though I never saw action, I am both proud and privileged to have served in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Memorial Day is both a solemn occasion, often involving
April Fools’ Day is one of the most light-hearted — and “dangerous” — days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new Gregorian Calendar in 1582 by Pope Gregory
Vince LaBarbera is a Fort Wayne native. He attended Cathedral Grade School, Central Catholic High School and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts. He also earned a master of science degree in journalism and advertising from Northwestern University’s
On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone. It’s a wonderful invention, but with the relatively recent proliferation of cellular phones worldwide, the use of the instrument is fast getting “out of hand.” Or should we say, “it’s not getting out of hand;”
Offering a toast at holiday gatherings of family and friends is said to have begun with the Greeks. However, our Greek ancestors considered the toast a precautionary step before drinking to avoid being poisoned, a longtime favorite way to dispose of an enemy. To ensure that those drinking the wine
Are you into genealogy? If not, you probably don’t often think about your ancestors. We’re not just talking about grandparents, but those who came from “the old country,” literally blazing a trail in the wilderness to build a cabin, raise a family and struggle to earn a living, usually off
Lately, I think of Halloween as “Holloween” because it’s not the event it used to be!
In North America, trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s. But a just few years ago, it seems, parents began to accompany their youngsters from house to house or follow along in
Ever witness someone do something extraordinarily well, like during the recent Rio Olympics for example? You might think, “He or she is so talented. I wish I could do something half as well!”
I’ve played the trumpet since fifth grade. I took lessons, performed in contests, participated in marching,
In the mid-9th century in our country, anyone who had occasion to “eat his words” by humiliatingly recanting something would be said to “eat crow.” In the United Kingdom they “eat humble pie.” The “unpalatability” of crow seems clear so we’ll stick with pie!
“It’s Hard to Be Humble,”
As a youngster, I remember our one-car, cement-block garage as a very special place. It was cool, and smelled of a mixture of oil, gasoline and grease. Real boy stuff! Best of all, the garage housed “a secret place” – a dried-up cistern, where I could hide the things little boys consider “valuable:”
He was a year-old shelter dog. But even an animal deserves a second chance in life, so we adopted this shaggy, skinny mutt along with his behavior baggage from possible abuse and neglect. For more than 13 years he brought calamity, chaos, character and charm into our lives.
Finding an appropriate name