I saw the Harlem Globetrotters perform in person for the first time Wednesday night.
They put on a great show.

A lot of the tricks were predictable especially to those of us old enough to remember watching Meadowlark Lemon, Fred Curly Neal, Bobby Joe Mason and Reece Goose Tatum decades ago.

I mean who hasn’t seen the old water in the bucket trick? And who hasn’t seen the debate between the Globetrotters’ clown prince and the coach of the Generals about who was going to win the game?
The Generals, however, haven’t beat the Globetrotters in 38 years and everyone knew it wasn’t going to happen at Lloyd Barney Scott Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

But the Globetrotters have been entertaining fans for more than 80 years, and it’s easy to see why. If nothing else, the younger children seem to get a kick out of the amazing ball handling skills shown by the players and the tricks they pull on each other, the coaches and the fans.

And every once in a while even those of us who have been around for a while see something new.
Although aren’t new tricks, I enjoyed the radio-controlled basketball and the Plexiglas placed over the Globetrotters basket.

And Globie the team mascot brings a home other level of entertainment to the experience of watching the Globetrotters perform.

I have to admit some of his antics had me almost in tears from laughing so much.

It’s easy to see why people like spending a relaxing winter night watching the Magicians of Basketball perform. They are truly timeless.

The Globetrotters are more than just a basketball team to many. They’re an experience and a positive one at that. It was a show worth remembering.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing about the never-ending Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
I’ve been listening to it for my entire life, and I’m over it.
It seems to me there’s plenty of blame to go around over there. It also seems to me that plenty of what’s been going on there for decades has to do with myths perpetuated by both sides and others around the world including some of our country’s leaders.
What it really boils down to is something called “face saving.”
That means to me that you can do what you want to me as long as I come out looking good as well.
There’s nothing wrong with that because that’s how most of tend to operate anyway.
Let the chips fall where they may as long as I come out smelling like a rose as well. Want an example of that; take a look at that now famous or infamous governor who lives next door to us. One of his early tactics has been to try to divert attention away from himself by appointing a senator for his state when everyone else justs wants him to go away.
But every once in a while, it would be good for someone to step up and plainly say, “I made a mistake.”
It sure would save a lot of time, money and grief for everyone else involved and even those watching from the sidelines.
I once had a boss who would say, “Help me understand” whenever a mistake was made. I hated to hear that so I always tried to give him the short, honest answer “I screwed up.” It generally didn’t work because he was looking for ways to make sure it didn’t happen again, but it sure made me feel better because I told the truth.
I’m not trying to say I’m perfect or anything because God knows I should be using that strategy at home a little more. But it’s human nature to try to put the best face on everything.
Maybe it’s time for the Palestinians and the Israelis to be a lot more honest about what’s going on there and set about trying to fix some of the problems.
I’m betting that will never happen.

I’ve attended a bunch of commissioners meetings over the years, but Tuesday morning’s was special.
Why, because for the first time in many years, Gary Darlage and Steve Gill, weren’t sitting behind the table.
Both those men dedicated years of their lives to public service.
Did they do a perfect job? No, in fact, there were times when I thought they both made mistakes.
Public service, however, is never an easy job for a lot of reasons. In fact, it’s generally a thankless job, and the pay isn’t that great either. Both generally tried to look out for the interests of every Jackson County resident and not just themselves or some special interest group.
So I want to thank both Darlage and Gill for their public service.
I think the next four years will be interesting.
The new members, Republican Jerrry Hounshel and Democrat John Schafstall, are no strangers to politics or public service for that matter so I expect the work of the board will continue as normal. And yes, they will make mistakes and decisions that are not always the most popular.
Hounshel, who replaces Darlage, served the county for years as a police officer and as sheriff. Schafstall, who replaced Gill, also served a stint as commissioner back in the 1990s.
I think both tend to speak their minds, just in different ways. Hounshel, who lived in Virginia before moving to Vallonia as a child, is soft-spoken and rarely gets rile. He does, however, has his views on how government should work.
Schafstall is not as soft spoken as Hounshel, but he gets his point across as well.
In the middle of those two will sit Republican Monte Striegel who seems to be strong when it comes to supporting the people who put him into office and expect him to do his job.
It looks like it could be a good four years.
P.S. By the way, I also think the commissioners’ decision to hold one of their two monthly meetings at night is a good one. Sure it will mess with my schedule, but I think that our public officials need to be more accessible to the people they serve. I hope this experiment works out.

I’ve always tried to operate under a motto I learned back when I was a Boy Scout. Anyone who has ever been a scout knows what “Be Prepared” means.
Unfortunately over the years I’ve never really been prepared for anything.
This year, however, I found myself with some money left over from a home remodeling project and decided to invest in a BOGO deal for two snow shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - at a local home products store.
I thought it was just a good idea to replace our old handleless, beat up shovel we’ve been using for years with two new shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - just in case we get another 29 inches of snow dumped upon us.
But guess what?
It’s not snowed one time since I purchased those two shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - about a month ago.
Right now, I’m taking credit for the lack of snow this winter. If I hadn’t bought those shovels - one for my wife and another for my son - we would have had several measurable snowfalls.
Every day it doesn’t snow is one day closer to spring. I can’t wait.
PS: By the way, if it does snow and you drive by my house, don’t expect to see me with one of those shovels. Those were Christmas presents to my wife and son. Merry Christmas.