Today's Opinions

A killer once stalked me, almost snuffing out my young life. The deadly force didn't lurk around corners, sneaking quick peeks or huddle outside the shrubs in front of my house – watching, waiting.

This frightening phantom was hiding inside my chest, little by little, growing over many years.

It was coronary heart disease. The dreaded slayer takes more lives than any other disease in the U.S. and it had my number.

Natural calamities, fortunately, don’t come Perry County’s way too often. But last week’s big ice storm shows once again why it’s so important for all of us to have a plan in place when emergencies occur, no matter the season.

As we all know, the big storm closed roads and cut power to thousands of people. We know of many who moved in with friends or neighbors or hunkered down in homes heated with wood stoves or gas fireplaces. However, several took advantage of a Red Cross shelter established at the Schergens Center in Tell City.

The older I get the longer winter seems to linger. This winter in particular has seemed to be a real bear. Sadly, it's only late January and there may be plenty more cold and snow coming our way. With any luck, however, the worst may be over. Maybe the groundhog will prove it next week.  

I'm not sure why this winter has seemed so brutal. Moving from one house to another didn't help, a little post-relocation depression, perhaps. I've always been one to  rise early, and I still do, but lugging my bones from bed some mornings has been a chore.