Opinions

Editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent once penned a masterful sketch of a newspaperman — a skinny, bug-eyed fellow in a baggy suit with a press card in the band of his porkpie hat.

TWO DOZEN TEACHERS ADDED TO TASK FORCE

I am an eight-week-old bloodhound puppy. My dad took me to the vet to get my shots the other day. The minute he opened the clinic door, a terrible feeling came over me, and I started shaking like a leaf. I hadn’t even seen the vet or had a shot, and wham, I was scared out of my wits. My dad couldn’t understand what was happening to me. All I know is I was terrified. Do you have any idea why I reacted this way?

The trace of spring in the air causes me to think of days as a young man, spent fishing during the spring spawn. I would mark the calendar waiting for early spring to arrive so I could go “drown some worms.” My mind recollects those many occasions sitting patiently in a boat waiting for a bite, and the exhilaration of “getting into” a run of sand bass or crappie. These are memories that make my heart warm, bring a smile to my face and make me anxious for this spring to get here so I can do it all over again.