April 1, 2020
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The season brings back memories
Back in the Saddle
It’s inevitable, I suppose, that we get a bit sentimental and reflective during the holidays. Every celebration brings echoes of past celebrations. Every toast brings to mind those who aren’t here to raise their glasses. Every tradition reminds us of how each tradition was born.
Technology update was frustrating
Back in the Saddle
The temptation is always there. Why not, I ask myself, just let the parade of technology go on without you? Just let the next “rev” of software pass you by. Just let the next new gimmick or gadget do its thing without you. And, to some extent, I give in to the urge.
Appreciate the Thanksgiving table
Back in the Saddle
It was a typical Ronald family Thanksgiving, probably in the mid-1960s. In those days, the clan — as many of my father’s siblings, their spouses, their children, and grandchildren as possible — gathered together for a huge celebration.
Friendship continues uninterrupted
Back in the Saddle
Some friendships require effort. Others sustain themselves. You know the ones I’m talking about, those friendships which can be disrupted by years and hundreds of miles but are renewed as easily as a conversation that has been momentarily interrupted.
‘Zoo’ served to liven up a gray day
Back in the Saddle
“I feel like I’m in a zoo,” I told my wife over a bowl of soup. It was Monday, and November had landed with an audible thud. Gone were the crisp blue skies of October. Gone too were most of the autumn leaves, stripped from their branches by Saturday’s gusty winds. The only thing to look forward to was Tuesday’s election. And the only incontestably good thing about that was that the campaign would be over.
Will stories have a happy ending?
Back in the Saddle
The road home wound through the Indiana countryside as Svetlana unwound stories from her life on the other side of the world. We’d first met in Kyrgyzstan, the land of her birth, in 2002. And now she was in the Midwest to take part in a panel discussion at a scholarly conference at Indiana University. It seemed the perfect opportunity to offer a little hometown hospitality and bring her back here for the weekend.
Project was not an improvement
Back in the Saddle
Somewhere along the line I forgot a couple of the basic rules of do-it-yourselfing. First, you don’t know as much as you think you know. Second, it’s never as easy as it looks on television.
Nicknames are an odd phenomena
Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Oct. 14, 2009. Tracking nicknames can be an interesting endeavor. The origins of some are obvious, while others seem to be created out of nothing at all. Think about the nicknames you’ve had over the years as you take this trip down memory lane with Jack.
Community weekend offered a lot
Back in the Saddle
Professional hand-wringers love to decry the loss of community in America. They should have been around this weekend.
A new phone provided challenges
Back in the Saddle
Maybe my old phone clued in my new phone. The old phone, which dated from about 2004, was one of those flip models. And it’s still in mint condition, largely because it spent most of its life turned off and sitting in the console of my car.
Corvette club was not a good fit
Back in the Saddle
The vanity plates caught my eye. “AWHSUM” said one, with dubious spelling. “QCKNFUN” said the plate on the car in front of “AWHSUM.”
Plain white bread was right for job
Back in the Saddle
About a week ago, I spent a couple of days hitting my mother-in-law in the face with a couple of loaves of bread.
Teacher shared stewardship lesson
Back in the Saddle
What was it about that generation? What made them so special?
Drop off at college sparked stories
Back in the Saddle
We were awful. There we were, taking Sally down to Bloomington for her freshman year at Indiana University, and all we could talk about was what it was like — a million years ago — when our parents had taken us off to college.
Interstate sign always brings smile
Back in the Saddle
Plugging down Interstate 90, heading for home after two weeks of vacation, we passed the exit for Geneva on the Lake, east of Cleveland, and I found myself smiling.
Books can transport you for free
Back in the Saddle
Travel is expensive, and it isn’t going to get any cheaper. That’s why the bookshelves of your nearest library or your favorite bookstore will always be the most affordable way to see the world.
Salamonia’s Smith rose to occasion
Back in the Saddle
Everyone, I think, has had the daydream at one time or another. You’re going along, minding your own business when you chance upon the scene of an accident, or maybe a house fire. Then, without a thought for your personal safety, you rise to the occasion. You meet one of life’s toughest tests and perform heroically.
Writer couldn’t read his own book
Back in the Saddle
It’s done. Finally. I hope. Actually, it’s done for about the third time.
Uncle Fred occupied special place
Back in the Saddle
Uncle Fred never looked better. At least, I’ve never seen him looking better. But then, I’ve never really seen him at all. Let me explain, or try to.
Dustin made impact on the cycle
Back in the Saddle
It was 14 years ago when I interviewed Tom Dustin. But if it had been 50 years ago or last week, it wouldn’t have mattered. His core principles would have been the same.
Jay County Fair has a rich history
Back in the Saddle
One of these days, the sign will have to be changed. Ever since the Roundhouse at the Jay County Fairgrounds was restored in 1986, it has had a sign marking it, “Floral Hall 1891.” Trouble is, it was built in 1883.
Big brother hit marriage milestone
Back in the Saddle
Fifty years. That’s a milestone for any marriage. And it’s a milestone my brother, Steve, and his wife, Beth, passed this month.
Young niece provided a reminder
Back in the Saddle
It’s a standing joke at our house that we had our third child because we’d forgotten how much work the first two were.
Recorder caught history in the making
Back in the Saddle
The tape is a time machine. Friday afternoon, alone in my office, I push the play button and Tiananmen Square erupts all over again.
Art addiction came about honestly
Back in the Saddle
If this is a character flaw, I come by it honestly. My father had a problem with charity auctions as well. The latest proof of my own problem came over the weekend in Muncie. Connie and I had gone to a wine tasting event at Ball State that was fund-raiser for Indiana Public Radio. The samples of wine were modest, but the munchies were delicious, enough to take the place of dinner.
Call added branch to family tree
Back in the Saddle
The phone message went something like this: A woman from Kansas called who said she is related to you. OK, I don’t know about you, but that got my attention. Enough to call back.
Selflessness was signature moment
Back in the Saddle
The place was crawling with Cub Scouts. Not that I have anything against Cub Scouts. I was a Cub Scout myself.
Day was a success despite weather
Back in the Saddle
Sometimes, tradition trumps common sense. That was the case on Sunday.
Wonky move eliminated the wobble
Back in the Saddle
It was about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. And there I was, standing in the stairwell at the back of the newspaper building in Portland, halfway between the landing and the first floor, trying to make my way up from the basement. I was bent over like a creature from The Lord of the Rings. On my back was an eight-foot-long table. And I got the giggles.
Memories flew him back in time
Back in the Saddle
As I snapped the picture, I was seven again. At my age, that’s a whole lot of time travel in the blink of an eye.
Let loved ones know they matter
Back in the Saddle
Don’t wait. Don’t wait until someone is gone before expressing how much they mean to you. That’s the lesson driven home over the past month.
Birthday present hit a home run
Back in the Saddle
When it comes to birthdays, sometimes you hit a home run and sometimes you strike out. I’ve had plenty of gifts misfire over the years, but I think I’ve knocked it over the fence a good many times as well.
Indianapolis hunt came up empty
Back in the Saddle
It was about 4 p.m. when I parked my car in a garage on Pennsylvania Street not far from Conseco Fieldhouse. With a little time to kill, I gave Ray Cooney a quick call and asked if there was anything I could do for him in advance of Jay County’s debut in the IHSAA state basketball finals. There was.
Tub revelation made caller’s day
Back in the Saddle
You never know when you’re going to need a butter tub.
Historic run was a nice problem
Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from March 22, 2006. To be fair, I’ll probably reprint it again in two years, on the 20th anniversary of the Jay County Patriots making the Class 3A state finals. Still, it seemed appropriate with The Graphic Printing Company now preparing for covering the boys basketball state finals after expanding our reach into Delaware County and picking up the Wapahani Raiders.
Brisk winter walk can clear mind
Back in the Saddle
Sometimes — with the endless drumbeat of troubling news — what I need more than anything else is a walk in the woods.
Parking turned into an adventure
Back in the Saddle
Think of it as “an adventure in parking.” That’s what I keep telling myself.
Contest enthralled young writers
Back in the Saddle
Americans love to compete. You name it, we figure out a way to compete at it. So I guess a writing competition shouldn’t have surprised me.
Quiet leader made a big difference
Back in the Saddle
Leadership is a complicated thing. Most of us tend to think of leaders in terms of presidents or generals, the folks who stand at the battlements and yell, “Charge!” But I’ve been thinking about a different kind of leader.
It’s good to have talented friends
Back in the Saddle
You know you’re in trouble when your day goes south before you even reach the office.
How did they all become so young?
Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Feb. 6, 2008. The job fair was a regular stop for editors and publishers from The Commercial Review before the event slowly faded away as fewer and fewer newspapers sent representatives. It was a valuable tool and brought many reporters to our newsroom, even if it did make Jack feel old.
Battery wasn’t ready for the cold
Back in the Saddle
It only took a second before I knew I was in trouble.
Freedom is far from a simple thing
Back in the Saddle
Tamuna still probably wouldn’t understand. I’ve thought about our conversation for more than six years now, and I still don’t think I could have won the argument.
Through the ice, the job got done
Back in the Saddle
What does the boss do when his employees look at him as if he has lost his mind?
It’s not too late to tell the story
No one likes to learn that a story has slipped through the cracks, even if it slipped away decades ago. That’s what happened with Walter Scholer.
Christmas trip was frosty adventure
Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Dec. 17, 2008. We often hear stories of harrowing holiday travel, usually involving busy airports, canceled flights and lost luggage. Jack’s story here is a little bit different. Here’s hoping all of your holiday travel is safe and uneventful this year.
Visit was the point of shopping trip
Back in the Saddle
It would have been this week. Not too close to Christmas, but close enough that my father knew it was time to start shopping.
Remember to count your blessings
Back in the Saddle
Okay, I’ll admit it, I was feeling sorry for myself. Nothing seemed a blessing, at the moment, and who had time for blessings anyway with so much else going on. Then, as sometimes happens, I received an email.
Let’s be thankful for Thanksgiving
Back in the Saddle
It may sound silly, but I'm thankful for Thanksgiving. It's always been a favorite holiday, but it's also one that seems to provide the best memories.
Personalization just isn’t harmful
Back in the Saddle
As I sat down for a haircut, I knew something was wrong.
With aging comes some struggles
Back in the Saddle
You know you’re dealing with an old friend when the first words out of her mouth are, “How’s the dog?”
Backyard ‘zoo’ livened up gray day
Back in the Saddle
“I feel like I’m in a zoo,” I told my wife over a bowl of soup.
Jack wasn’t a fan of the new name
Back in the Saddle
What’s in a name? Not much, maybe. But the wrong moniker at the wrong time can be a little jarring.
Grand-neighbor title worked well
Back in the Saddle
No, I'm not a grandfather. At least not yet. One of the joys — and trials — of small town life is how close we are together.
Historic markers can be confusing
Back in the Saddle
Ideally, a historic landmark ought to provide future generations accurate information about the past.
Mailbox needed serious clean-up
Back in the Saddle
Maybe computers should be designed to have a flush handle. There’s a trash can, but that’s not doing the trick.
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