Friday, December 16, 2005

WHERE IS MY PAPER?

Ever since moving up here to the Cold, White, Frozen, Tundra of the North (new horror today, treacherous blowing snow) I made double certain that our little old local weekly paper would follow us. It arrives in our mail box around Tuesday, four days behind the issue date of the previous Thursday. (but, you can purchase it Wednesday evening after 7pm at Krogers....if I were home).

I really look forward to it.

It is a cornucopia of vital information for those of us living away from our beloved small town and hungry for news of home. On the second page, known as the editorial page, under the letters to the Editor is a step back in time with the "From Our Files" section. Terse news clips from 10 years ago, 25 years ago and my new favorite, 40 years ago. I can now relive  who attended the 12th birthday party of Tabby D., or who attended cotilion during holidays, which family is on a trip to Florida to visit an Aunt, who made deans list this fall semester at Transy U., and who is most recently admitted to the Elks Lodge. All this happened in 1965.

I love it.

I usually just get right to the meat of the matter and start at the back of the issue and find the police report. This is where all the action and dirt is to be found. Who was speeding, who was drinking and driving, who was threatening someone, who did not pay their child support and who was smoking pot driving through town. It is so delicious!!! So small town!

Just as interesting as who is doing what and getting caught is the crime report. The criminality usually revolves around throwing rocks at cars, or egging them, purses stolen out of cars at the Kroger parking lot, tractors stolen from barns and ditched, theft of fishing rods, passing funny money, and leaving the gas pump without paying.

A long list of who is suing who, who is divorcing who, who is marrying who, who is buying, who is selling and, how much they paid for it, and who is turning 50. The 50 information is usually accompanied with a photo of the birthday boy or gal as a young child and some sentimental poem....

                    Life is Iffy
                    Mike sure is Spiffy
                    By, Golly he is turning fifty!!

                         Love, Lorraine, Mama and Papa, Bubba and Irene, 
                         Bufford and Little Bufford.

 

I realize it is very corny. And I am realizing it is Friday and I have not received my copy of last weeks "Woof-it Sun". Dang it!!

This is the issue with all the 2005 Christmas babies in it!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

small town news....it's what's really happenin"
Marti

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, know the fun, intrigue and pride well!
Tess
http://journals.ao.com/tc01hm/firstdigitalphotos/

Anonymous said...

Gee, I don't remember anything like that in the Pennysaver. - Karen

Anonymous said...

I don't think it's corny. I love it. It's so "Mayberry" and I love "Mayberry." : )
Angela


Anonymous said...

I hear Mellencamp singing "Small Town" softly in the background. Gee, Mary, I couldn't help noticing how many times you used the word "home", and you were talking about Kentucky. I hope you eventually come to feel that Indiana is a second home.

Anonymous said...

You just have to love small town newspapers.  My favorite section here is the community news from the rural areas just outside of town that have people living close enough together to warrant having a name separate from the town's.  They're too small to be villages in their own right, but still have a separate identity.  The community news might be  "Mrs. Jones hosted a dinner honoring her grand-daughter, Ms. Jones, an engineer now living in Atlanta."  The reality is that the grandkids came home for weekend and ate lunch with Granny. You've got to love it.  Here's hoping that homesickness wanes just enough.

Anonymous said...

I know just how you feel about receiving your paper - I look forward to our Village Mag....full of gossip and bits and pieces, wouldn't miss it for anything.....If I ever move it would the one thing I would miss more than anything...Ally

Anonymous said...

That`s great! I`m goin` to have to get a copy of the "Tioga News".
Hugs,
V

Anonymous said...

Try digging down a foot or so in the snow around your mailbox. You might find several things, including any missing newspapers. I am way north of you, this is old hat to me, lol.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

We have something like that here and it's free delivered once a week on our driveway. Often it's wet and they don't bother putting it in plastic. You just never know what you're going to find. Click your heels together three times and say
There's no place like home." :) Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way about my old weekly home-town paper!
Lori

Anonymous said...

I know just how you feel.  We are agble to read our hometown paper on  line.
I had a little laugh about "Life is Iffy".  We had a camp in Maine and the weekly paper there did that sort of announcements as ads.   Loved that paper.
Dawn                

Anonymous said...

My hometown paper used to have columns like that  -- I loved them, too!  "Mrs. Robert Brown hosted a bridal shower tea for her niece, Miss Joyce Bradley.  Among the guests were Miss Bradley's sister and future matron-of-honor, Mrs. Glenn Ward.  Miss Bradley wore a lovely pink eyelit dress and was presented with a complete set of Corning bakeware."

http://searchthesea.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I remember several years of passing papers on paper routes.   Selling Christmas calenders which was up to the customer what to tip since they could have one for free I guess.   Going through the snow and rain to get the daily papers out.  Taking my collection bag to the newspaper office and getting paid.   mark

Anonymous said...

my old time home time paper was the new york daily news. murder, rape, drugs, nothing ever good. i love living in a small town now, just shoplifting and small accidents, bad traffic etc.  it's o.k.   roberta