Opinion

My cupboards are packed with peanut butter and jelly, mushroom soup and a few tins of sardines. My freezer holds  boxes of fish sticks and a sack of shrimp for some special pre-Easter occasion.

Lent is here and that means, at least for me this year, abstaining from meat and amending unhealthy behaviors.

In a quest to bolster my usual ho-hum approach to Lent, I'm trying to avoid meat through Easter. Yep, 40 days without steak, hamburger and pork chops. Call it an effort at self-denial and penance for years of eating poorly.

Throughout the current legislative session, our state's elected officials are working to pass bills on varying issues, including state funding of schools, property taxes and economic development.

Though it covers a topic not many Hoosiers think about on a daily basis, we feel Senate Bill 232 is one of the important bills introduced in the Statehouse. It enforces public officials' adherence to the state's Open Door laws.

According to information provided tous by the Hoosier State Press Association, which is recommending the bill's passage, the legislation would:

Tri Kappa members across the state of Indiana are celebrating Tri Kappa Week, Feb. 22-29. The Tell City Epsilon Omega Chapter of Kappa Kappa Kappa Inc. would like to thank the community for its kind support of the chapter's projects this past year.

Our biggest fundraising projects were Kaffee Klatch held during Tell City's sesquicentennial and 50th Schweizer Fest, its poinsettia sale in December and the community art-prints project. Sketches of well known landmarks throughout Perry County, part of an ongoing project, are still available for sale.

We'd like to offer a tip of our hat to the Perry County commissioners for backing off from a $100,000 purchase two of them voted in early January to make.

Commissioners Gary Dauby and Jody Fortwendel pressed for a Street and Road Management System offered by David Goffinet, now working for the Bernardin, Lochmueller and Associates engineering firm of Evansville.

Editor's Note: Eric Harris of Cannelton is a movie buff and blogger who posts reviews of recent films at http://middleofnowheremoviereviews.blogspot.com. At the newspaper's request, he previews Sunday's Academy Awards.

The Oscars are this Sunday, but does anyone care? You might disagree with the nominations; I certainly do. "The Wrestler" should have been nominated for best picture, Bruce Springsteen should have been up for best song, Clint Eastwood for best actor, Darren Aronofsky for best director, etc.

It's not often I use this space as a soapbox for pending legislation – or ask readers to contact their legislators to give it their support. Here's an exception.

First, the issue.

Many Perry Countians belong to nonprofit or religious organizations – churches, fire departments, civic clubs – that sponsor one or more festivals each year to raise money. Churches have summer picnics and shooting matches. Fire departments have similar events and other groups host charity nights, bingos, etc.

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.