I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve been about as entertained by winter as I care to be. These last few days of warmer weather have provided a nice respite, but I fear it’s like half-time in a lopsided ballgame….. some serious ass-kicking still awaits us in the second half.

I’ve had a particularly difficult time with Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD) this year as evidenced by the fact that I haven’t posted anything in almost two months. SAD is sometimes referred to as the “winter blues”. I suppose if I had been able to write about it, I might have felt a little better, but metaphorically speaking, it’s difficult to type from the fetal position with one’s thumb in one’s mouth. The news doesn’t help either. Five minutes of listening to CNN is enough to make you want to drive south until your hat floats.

As our economy continues to deteriorate, we need to give serious consideration as to how we spend our money. LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES NEED OUR SUPPORT. Even during the best of times, these businesses have a difficult time competing with the national chains. Nowhere is this more evident than the restaurant business. Restaurants operate on very thin margins, and often four or five customers a day determine whether a place stays open or not. Instead of having lunch at Subway, go to Fran’s Deli. The sandwiches at Fran’s are not only twice as good, they’re cheaper.

You want a burger and shake? Screw McDonald’s, go to Burger Express. A chilidog from New River General or Skeeter’s beats the dickens out of Hardee’s. The next time you take the family out to dinner, take them to Virginia Heights instead of KFC. These folks are our neighbors, and as times continue to worsen, we’re going to need our neighbors to make it through.

Speaking of neighbors, there is one other thing that has been on my mind lately. I’d like to thank all the booger-eating inbreds around here for continuing to trash our roadsides with their litter. I’m just thrilled that more of our tax dollars have to be spent to pick up your crap. I hope the next time you go home, your momma runs out from beneath the front porch and bites you on the leg. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin Engler, a state senator from Missouri, introduced a bill to make littering a capital offense. Said Engler, “I think that if we kill just a couple of people that we catch, the rest will catch on.” Engler later withdrew the bill saying he was just joking to make a point. I’m not so sure he shouldn’t have left it for a vote.