At this time we reflect on the past and look to the future. Year 2008 promises to be busy and exciting and maybe a little scary, too.

I have five out-of-state trips planned for the first four months—four business and one pleasure. Tabor College will celebrate its centennial in 2008. The Hillsboro High School annual all-class reunion is set for May 24. The Free Press will complete 10 years in August. I have a grandson who will be 10 years old. I am eligible to retire and collect Social Security, but won’t. A county-wide vote is planned to determine if the citizenry want to make our county a high-tax zone for the purpose of building a jail. Tabor football will surely be on the way back up again.

• I have a new job at the Free Press, at least until John Knaak Jr. returns from his seasonal sales activities after the holidays. Early Tuesday I go to Valley Center and pick up our newspapers and try to get them back here by 5:00 a.m. for mailing and inserting.

  This past week we had big area of ice where we unload the papers, so I put down some cardboard to lessen the slickness.

  Next thing I knew I was on my back looking up at the bottom of the endgate.

  I’m amazed I didn’t get hurt. It makes me wonder if my football experience has helped me when falling down.

• Christmas on a Tuesday is the most difficult date to deal with in the weekly newspaper business. Our advertisers have date specific ads, so we have to figure out how to get the papers out by Wednesday.

  Since we drop-ship our papers to post offices in 10 destinations, it can get tricky when many of them chose to close at different times.

  Our inserting crew is more than willing to come in at 5 a.m. to make it possible to deliver the paper sooner than normal. Our printer was willing to cooperate, too. Now we hope the weather won’t get in the way.

• I ran into former Free Press sportswriter Tom Stoppel recently and learned he now is one of the guys on the Kansas Department of Transportation highway snowplow.

  He said it can get pretty hairy at times with limited visibility, long hours and watching out for mailboxes along the side of the road. These guys have my utmost respect.

• My mom was really nice and made scrapbooks for all of her children probably 10 to 15 years ago. She filled them with cards and lots of pictures at all ages.

  I was looking through mine the other day and found a photo of our Christmas presents from about 1951. In it was a jigsaw I received. Believe it or not, I still have it and it still works.

• I couldn’t believe all of the folks who ventured out to the recycling center this past Thursday night. Glad I wore old shoes.

  Found a guy near the magazine bin mumbling about trying to find certain kinds of magazines to take home.

• In a video chat with the Camelis the other night, we had the privilege of watching Louie stand on his head. He’s really into gymnastics these days.

  His mother said she could stand on her head when she was younger. The kids weren’t believing it, so they made her do it to show that she could.

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