We have a dedicated and talented group of folks who know what they are doing and who throw themselves into their work as if they owned the place.

-- While on one of my walks last week-under house arrest-I thought it would be good to see some things I haven't seen before.

So I went over and toured the Hillsboro Police Department headquarters. It's quite an impressive facility when compared with the small office our officers used to have downtown.

-- A few of my Free Press family dropped by last week to wish me well. Among other things, I now have my very own SpongeBob SquarePants watch. I think it is quite spiffy.

Also included were some chocolate-chip cookies, which I couldn't resist. So I ate three right off the bat.

If you wait four days and then eat another one, it's still only one per day.

-- I think it was a mistake for car-makers to move the dimmer switch from the floor to the turn-signal lever. Your left foot really has nothing to do when you drive. Why not put it to work?

-- We now have an oatmeal container the size of a water tower.

-- I'll bet you would never guess in a million years what I am about to tell you.

I have Mr. Clean's autograph. That's right. I have a plastic jug of Mr. Clean autographed by the guy who was the model for the character that appears on all the company packaging. The model is from Norman, Okla.

The autographed jug was given to me by a swell woman who was a bookseller and well-known Oklahoma author by the name of Molly (Levite) Griffis. She was good pals with Billie Letts, who authored "Where the Heart Is," which was later made into a movie. You may have seen it.

-- With winter weather just around the corner, I want to share a bonehead move I made about 13 years ago on the Kansas Turnpike in the hope that no one else get into a situation like it.

We were taking daughter Amy to Kansas City International, where she was to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, to study abroad. It happened to be snowing quite a lot that morning, but we figured we needed to get her to KC.

We were on the turnpike near Topeka when we got behind a snow plow. I thought he was going too slow, so I decided to pass. Bad decision.

When we got along side, we literally had a foot of snow on the car. Our tiny wipers were no match. I rolled down the window to see and then stopped as soon as possible. I won't do that again.

-- Wish I could have seen Jerry Seinfeld when he was in Wichita recently. His comment that "a 4-year-old is like a blender without a lid" struck me as so true.

Can't wait until my grandsons and the rest of our entire family are here at Christmas. It will be the best one ever.