IDEAS FOR 2024

 * Source:  Column by Diane Becker in Norfolk Daily News, 1/4

> Make it a goal to call someone instead of emailing them or texting them. Not to brag, but I Facetimed with my brother Mark today. Does that count?

> Read more. I recently finished reading "The Promise of the Grand Canyon," by John Ross, "A timely, thrilling account of the explorer [John Wesley Powell] who dared to lead the first successful expedition down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon." Now I'm plodding--& I do mean plodding--through "Modern Times:  The World from the Twenties to the Eighties," by Paul Johnson. The chapter I'm on now is about the rise of Hitler. Hint:  He was not a nice man. Oh, I almost forgot. While we were in Foley, AL, last month, I browsed a used-book store & found a book about the most surprising battles of the Civil War. Sadly, I don't remember the title, but it was a fun read.

> Eat more vegetables. For almost 50 years of marriage, Lois has never made my favorite vegetable. That would be onion rings. Thank goodness for Runza.

> Try new restaurants. Not many new restaurants to try in Norfolk. But we'll be visiting my brother Mark in Ventura, IA, soon, & he's clued us in to a cafe in downtown Clear Lake--which is adjacent to Ventura--that serves gyros, one of our favorite ethnic foods.

> Concentrate more. MON is the 1-yr anniversary of my auto accident. Had I been concentrating more, it's likely that I wouldn't have run a stop sign & hit a fire truck. [I think I'll reminisce about this on MON.]

> Laugh more. SEE shameless jokes below.

> Encourage people. I've been making it a point to tell people, like my health-care providers, that I think God has blessed them to be a blessing to others.

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE NORFOLK

"If last year's weather in Norfolk seemed a little extra, it's only because it was--but only a little. Norfolk wrapped up 2023 slightly wetter & a little bit warmer than normal, according to the annual climate report from the National Weather Service office in Omaha. The year ended 2.7 degrees above normal for average temperature . . . After finishing 2022 more than 13" below normal for precipitation, Norfolk wrapped up 2023 a little more than a half inch above normal, a feat that would not have occurred had it not been for the Christmas Eve rain & Christmas Day snowstorm that moved across the state." (NDN, 1/5) As I've often stated, I have no problem accepting global climate changed. (SEE Noah's flood.) I DO question our ability to change the climate. That, in my humble opinion, is hubris.

CRIMINAL MINDS

"An Omaha man has been charged with two felonies after he allegedly pulled a gun on a man who was delivering pizza to a Norfolk apartment last week . . . According to an arrest affidavit, a 22-yr-old pizza delivery driver notified police on Dec. 29 that a gun was pointed at him while he was delivering an order to an apartment . . . The delivery man alleged that the person holding the gun said something to the effect of, 'Oh, sorry man. I was expecting somebody else . . . ' The delivery driver said he hoped the weapon was a BB gun, to which the man allegedly replied, 'Sure, let's go with that.'" (NDN, 1/5) Just wanted to let my readers know that Norfolk, Nebraska, is not immune to the outbreak of crime sweeping the country.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

We started watching the most reason season of "Chosen," which is streaming on the Angel Network. It's the story of Jesus. While not always completely faithful to the scriptural accounts, much of it rings true, & we find it compelling. Although I haven't checked with my pastors, I think it's okay for LCMS Lutherans to watch it.

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING

Although I think I'm already laughing plenty [SEE "Ideas for 2024" above.], my ongoing quest is to keep you, my faithful readers, at least mildly amused.

"I saw that McDonald's is bringing back Adult Happy Meals. And you can get it with a small, medium or large look of pity." (Jimmy Fallon)

"Tomorrow [Dec. 6], Time magazine is going to name the person of the year . . . and I really hope for their sake they make the right choice, 'cause if the don't, Time headquarters tomorrow is about to get stormed by an angry group of Swifties, who will be physically & psychologically unable to shake this off." (Jimmy Kimmel)

"The genetic testing company 23andMe confirmed yesterday [Dec. 4] that hackers recently stole personal data belonging to 7 million customers. Users of the site are reported to be feeling 88% violated & 12% Irish." (Seth Meyers) DISCLAIMER:  I do NOT waste my time watching these pitifully woke late-night hosts, but I do appreciate some of their jokes, which I read in the Entertainment Spotlight, published weekly by the Norfolk Daily News.

Dad Jokes *

* You may find this hard to believe, but I belong to a "Dad Jokes" Facebook group. Lois breathlessly waits for me to share these jokes with her (almost) every day.

"I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised."

"Of all the inventions of the last 100 years, the dry erase board has been the most remarkable."

"I was going to give up all my bad habits for the new year, but then I remembered, no one likes a quitter."

"I saw an ad for a coffin & thought, 'That's the last thing I need.'"

"My friend's stutter is so bad, by the time he told us that his nanna had died, we were all singing, 'Hey Jude.'"