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 Holabird AdvocateProviding all the news we see fit to print since 2002!Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Tomorrow is Catch-up Day. The day when our human calendar catches up to Gods time. The days and the years don't always match up. Adding an extra day to February every 4 years or so helps out. Sometimes we all feel like we need more time to do things. Time is so precious, and to waste it would be a shame. We have an extra day this year. So what are we going to do with it?
As for me, the news piles up! A lot of it, I can leave well enough, since I'm giving up talking about politics for Lent. I still read and listen to it, but I keep it to myself, even is someone asks my thoughts, I just digress. Instead I try to find more uplifting things to talk about. It isn't always easy, but if one looks for something good to say, one will find it. Case in point, my niece, Shelby, is qualified for the State Geography Bee in Brookings on March 30. It's a good, and rare thing to do that. I hope she does well.
I see that It's passed the 1st anniversary of my Grandma Agnes's death. Her family still misses her, and I among them. It seems easy enough to say that she is better off now, or she's in heaven looking down on us and all that. And it's all true. But over the course of this year, I've discovered more. We who got to know Grandma were indeed blessed. We were given plenty of time to be with her. The fact that she was by herself when the end came was a little hard to take. I wish that I could have been with her, for even as much as just her last 5 minutes. I didn't have that luxury, none of us did. It really doesn't matter because the end result was the same. She was given nearly 93 years of life, and I dare say she wasted precious little of her time. She made the most of her life, and always let us know how much we meant to her. She didn't need any extra time, because she was never late for anything. And yet there isn't one of us who knew her that wishes they couldn't have an extra day with her.
I hope you, the Reader, can use the extra day you have tomorrow to see, do, and reflect on all of the important things in your life. Make sure that you get things done while you're able. You never know when time catches up to you. I was at a Crackerbarrel in Mitchell at the time Grandma was dying. At the time i thought I was where I needed to be. How wrong I was! And yet, I knew that she loved me in spite of that, maybe even because of it! I knew that she loved me too. I hope I can say that about the person who's funeral I attend, or if need be that those of you so inclined should attend my funeral can say the same thing about me. Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Today is Valentine's Day according to the calendar. According to some other folks, it is also Single Awareness Day. Both holidays are fun for me. I must admit that without Grandma around, Valentine's day is not as much fun at it used to be. But tomorrow I'm hoping to find all kinds of chocolate at half price. Single Awareness Day, as some call it, is indeed a cause to celebrate. This morning I had ice cream for breakfast! Whenever I want to watch something on TV, I watch it! Can any married man say the same? I doubt it! Over the years, I've come to realize that if I was meant to do all of that "happily ever after crap", I'd have found someone to do that with. When I was younger, I was always looking for excitement, adventure, and romance. Now, I'm just looking for peace, quiet, and comfort. It's a real win-win situation. It's better for me to be single. There is nobody to argue with, or listen to. It is kinda nice, the way things worked out. Before I close, I'd like to mention that I saw this mega viral video on YouTube concerning a father who shot his daughter's laptop computer 9 times with a pistol. I had heard so much about it, that I had to see it for myself. I must say that while the father's action seem extreme, I don't really know what he was going through, so I can't judge him to harshly. I've never been a parent, but I was a child once. My parents were not perfect, and shockingly enough, I was not a perfect son. Both of my parents had a difficult time raising my brothers and me, but they never felt the need to shoot anything because of it.
I didn't have Facebook to vent on back then. If I did, I'd have never used it, because I'd have been afraid of getting caught. I have from time to time said things about my parents here, but nothing out of hate. Fact is my parents did a pretty good job all things considered. None of us boys became axe murders or Occupy Wall Steet protesters, so I'd say they did a heck of a job. The thing that impresses me is that they did it on a budget. We did without luxuries, but we all learned the value of hard work, and being a good neighbor. At the end of the day we were safe warm and fed. Like I said earlier, they were not perfect. but things could have been worse! So Happy Valentine's Day to all of you imperfect parents and children out there! All 4 of you! Monday, February 13, 2012 I see in the latest ratings that only 4 people are reading the website. To all 4 of you, I say "Thank you very much"! It is time I rewarded you with a new episode! So here it is To start out, South Dakota's flag is not changing, for now. I thought that with 80 legislators behind it, the old flag's doom as fated. The State Affairs committee killed the new flag proposal last week. For me it is a bittersweet victory. As much as I love out current flag, I hated to see all the grief that it caused. Some people went so far as to call it Satanic. Others called for a boycott of South Dakota Magazine.I must admit that I may have been a little overzealous. But I could never go that far. Then again unless you 4 people who read what I wrote were on the State Affairs committee, I really had nothing to do with it anyhow. While gathering a consensus on the issue, some told me that a new flag may be in order, but the familiar yellow sun on blue background should be retained in any future design. I have also noticed that whenever the flag is displayed, the words on it are hard to read. This issue may be gone for now, but I'll bet it's coming back! Yesterday, I found out that my brother, Doug Hinkle, was appointed Deputy State Fire Marshall, effective March 1. I have no idea what the scope of his responsibilities are, but I know that he will execute those duties with all that he has, because that's the way my brothers were raised. I'm sure he will do the job with all due honesty. He'd better, or I'll make him change his last name! Along with the rest of the world, I also found out over the weekend that Whitney Houston died. As of this writing, the exact cause of death is unknown, but they has been much speculation that it was drug related. even if this is reported not to be the case it will not stop that same speculation. I was never quite a fan of Houston or her music, but one can't deny she had a following. I'd go so far as to say she had more talent than a lot of the so called "stars" of the present day, non of which are worthy of mention on the same page as her. Ms. Houston had 7 hit singles on her debut album. this was back when to get her music, one had to physically go to the record store and buy it. To make that kind of effort an artist had to be worth it. Some people must have thought she was! How many of today's "artists" are worth more than point and double click? Of course, as with any death, people have to make it about them. I've read tributes about what she meant to them, and the void that has been created in their life now that she is gone, never mind that none of these people gave her a second thought for years before she passed. As for me I enjoyed her insanity. Sad to say, but I did. I loved when she angered people by saying she was "Bigger than the Beatles" or when she threw a fit when Dolly Pardon sang "her song" from "the Bodyguard", or when she went to Israel and declared "This is MY land! This is my LAND". But now she is gone. The tributes flow, as do the jokes at her expense. She leaves behind a daughter, and a mother who will miss her, and they really will miss her. In a few weeks time, someone else will die and the cycle will start all over. But for Bobbi and Cissy, this loss is gonna stick. They are the ones I feel bad for. I pray God is with them long after the rest of the world forgets! 
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