Time to spring?

Most people make resolutions at the start of the new year.
Somehow I never seem to get around to doing that. Or, if I do, they don’t last very long.
I figure I probably have plenty of people to keep me company in this regard.
Show of hands, please.
How many of you vowed at the beginning of the year to lose weight, exercise more, keep in better touch with faraway friends, eat more healthfully and keep you house sparkling clean?
OK, maybe you didn’t include everything on your list, but at least one or two, right?
Depending on your lifestyle, maybe you also threw in a promise to stop smoking or lessen the imbibing.
Hey, I’m not here to judge; I’m just guessing those might have been on some people’s “to do” lists.
Now, how many of us have kept all of our new year’s resolutions?
Show of hands, please.
What, no hands showing?
OK, how many of us have kept at least one resolution?
Probably a much better showing, but it’s a safe bet to say no one earned a perfect score.
The same sometimes crops up when Lent begins. Since Easter is still a few weeks away, that means those who decided to give something up for Lent may be battling each day to keep that promise as well.
We do this a lot to ourselves, don’t we? We carry around a “should” list that weighs more than the pounds we want to lose.
And now that spring has sprung, many of us may be doing it all over again.
You know the drill:
This year I really am going to do a thorough job of spring cleaning. No dust bunny will live to tell the tale and all those closets will be pared down and organized.
This year I will go for a long walk every day in the spring, summer and autumn. I will not only be in great shape, but I will get to know all of my neighbors along the way.
This year I will plant a huge garden, tend it every day, eat the fresh fruits (and veggies) of my labors, and learn how to can and freeze the rest so we can eat great all winter.
And, with the fresh spring season unfolding in front of me, I will be more optimistic, worry less about money and concentrate on what truly matters in life.
Whew, this is going to be one busy season.
Maybe I’d better start by taking a lesson from my cats: Everything is easier after a long nap.

in this economy???

I'm sorry, but there certainly must be better ways to spend money, in this tanking economy (excuse the pun), than to fork over tons of money to teach liquor store clerks better manners.
Trust me, I know plenty of store clerks who could use more than a refresher course in this area -- basically, every kind of store out there. But it's just not prudent to be spending state money this way.
Here's a thought: If you are employed in customer service and you don't measure up, you should no longer have a job in customer service....

But just consider this lovely little item from the Associated Press:
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The state's Liquor Control Board is spending more than $173,000 to try to make workers friendlier and more well-mannered at the nearly 650 stores it operates. The board says it wants to make sure clerks are saying "hello," ''thank you" and "come again" to customers shopping for wine and spirits.

It has hired Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Solutions 21 to help coach store managers so they can instruct their 4,000 clerks on issues such as how to greet customers and where to stand. Training begins this month.

Harrisburg good-government activist Eric Epstein calls the idea "a demented interpretation of happy hour." He says it's "a sad state of affairs when you have to train people to be kind and courteous."

beautiful aftermath

We may complain about the snow, but this photo by Reporter Chief Photographer Geoff Patton shows just how beautiful the storm can make the world.
This tiny image doesn't do it justice; be sure to check it out in Tuesday's Reporter...
This is truly fine artwork!

SNOW .... FALL.....

Online editor Chris Stanley snapped this photo today...

What better way to start March than gripped with the fear of the impending snowstorm? And what better way to greet the first Monday in March than snow, snow, snow... schools closed, accidents scattered everywhere, traffic snarled...
gotta love it, right?
Just as visions of spring began to dance in my head last week, this comes as a slap-in-the-face reminder that winter is NOT over just because March starts...
Hmmm... in like a lion... can the month please be a lamb now?
Although I love the "Snowfall" song in December, it's starting to sound a little sour.........