Chris Hardie

I was outside at dawn recently getting some chores done when I was hit with one of the smells of the country – a malodorous whiff left by a mammal in the mephitidae family.

As hurried and busy as life seems these days, we still spend plenty of time waiting. Estimates are that we can spend an average of six months of our life waiting.

A long, long time ago when I worked in newsrooms far, far away, I liked to tell aspiring journalists my definition of news: it’s what people are talking about.

One constant I’ve noticed in myself as I’ve grown older is that I’ve become more reflective. Perhaps that comes with age, but there are times when I see or hear something and it makes me physically stop and reflect.

As we settle into winter and the appearance of that four-letter word that is both cherished and hated, I’d like to take a moment to thank J.W. Elliot.

All journeys begin with a step. I thought about that as I ventured outside for the first time since my left hip was replaced eight days ago.

The topic of aging has been on my mind a lot more lately, and with good reason. I recently crossed an aging Rubicon when I celebrated my 60th birthday.

Back in the days when I ran newsrooms, I was fond of telling folks that the simplest definition of news is “what people are talking about.”

Regular and faithful readers of my meanderings will recall that my name does not come up with the mention of fashion icons.

The big combines of today make short work of combining corn, moving up and down the fields, harvesting several rows of stalks at a time.