Ring the Bells, blow the horns, and drop the ball in Times Square. Behind us, another year is disappearing into the sunset. Ahead of us a new one is peeking over the horizon.
The New Year always reminds me of driving down a country road. Our eyes are on the road and scenery ahead of us. We never know what might be around the next corner or over the next hill. Life is Like that. We never know what we may encounter in the new year.
Have you ever been cruising down a country road and glanced in the rearview mirror? Through the windshield you see a dark stormy sky ahead of you, and in the center of that dark sky, in the rearview mirror, is a sunny, blue sky behind you. Such stark contrasts. Or maybe it's just the reverse, clear sky ahead and a storm behind you. It's the same with the New Year as we enter it. We don't know what adventures await us.
When 2008 began, I was still living in "The Sherpe Suite" at Old Town Motel in Westby. I spent five months living there while we built a house. Linda continued living and working in Madsion as we tried to sell our house there. Did I mention, this was not a good year to sell a house?
We finally moved in the day after a huge February snowstorm. It was interesting. There are still things I'm trying to find back. Hopefully, they're hidden somewhere in the boxes stacked in the basement. If you've ever moved after spending many years in a house, you know thew sorting, throwing, and packing involved. In the beginning I carefully sorted and packed our treasures. As the weeks went by and boxes piled up, our treasures turned into junk and I began pitching stuff left and right. I suspect I threw out some of the things I'm now searching for. Moving isn't something I'd care to do very often.
Now we're settled on a corner of the back forty on Sherpe Road. As I write this, I'm sitting in our four-season porch where I write most of my stories. We have large windows that take in the views around us. It's a winter wonderland scene as I look out and see large snowflakes against a backdrop of pine trees next to the house. Out the window beside me, I see birds swarming around our feeders. It's going to be a bitter cold, snowy night for them and they'll need plenty of energy.
Rabbits take their share of the spilled seed. They need to eat too. Those of you, who've been reading this column for a long time, know I like to take care of the birds and critters. Sometimes my love of wildlife gets me in trouble. I did a story on the Wisconsin wolf population this past year and said I was against the killing of wolves for sport. I certainly ruffled a few feathers with that one. One man let me know that wolves have no purpose and we should kill them all. Another writer (anonymous too, of course), hoped the last sound I hear is the howl of a wolf before it kills me. This writing a weekly column can get a bit interesting at times.
Another story that garnered a bunch of hate mail this past year was "Countless Lost Lives, Lost Potential." I'll be the first to admit that I don't have many positive things to say about war. I find it interesting and frightening that a person who advocates finding ways to get along peacefully instead of fighting, is labeled a coward and unpatriotic. Responses to that story, questioned my manhood; thought I was being disrespectful to all veterans; called me a coward; suggested I join the army and go fight instead of letting others die in my place; and if I don't like this country, get the H... out!
Let me say this, I meant no disrespect to any veteran. For those not aware of it, I'm a veteran too. Political leaders and madmen like Hitler, start wars. Ordinary men and women, do the fighting and dying. Make that extraordinary men and women. They're the people who step forward when called upon. Those who fought in World War II are heroes in my book. They helped change the course of history. Korean veterans are also heroes in my book. Again, too many young men lost their lives, but they kept Korea from being taken over by Communist leaders. Vietnam was my war. Most people say it's a war we should never have been involved in. I won't debate that in this column. To those who questioned my patriotism, manhood, and bravery, I invite you to talk with those brave patriots I served with in Vietnam.
I hope there are people who read this column that like and agree with something I've written, but I seldom hear from them. I've tried to follow an upbeat, positive approach in my stories. There's too much negativity in the world. As we enter a new year, my hope is that we'll all look for the positives along whatever path we follow. Then when we look in the rearview mirror, the view behind us will be bright, as well as the road ahead of us.
Happy New Year everyone!
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