Off The Hook

He has owned a business in the same Marysville location for 50 years. That’s quite an accomplishment for Jim Gruett, the florist at the Stockdale/Community Market Plaza. He will be 84 years old next m...

I haven’t written about the Galápagos Islands since 2007. That’s when we visited connection number one, Scott Henderson, MHS class of 1981 valedictorian. He moved there 35 years ago and runs a coffee ...

Shortly after I moved to Marysville in 1969 I learned my way around town and was told Moder’s Sohio Gas Station, located at the corner of Maple and Fifth streets where Dave’s Pharmacy is today, was wh...

They are two experienced business people. He is a partner in a financial planning business and she is an attorney. They did their research, felt like they knew what they were getting into and decided ...

People ask me how I come up with a new column each week. I tell them I’m always looking for some crazy thing that happens around me so that I can tell the story. I hadn’t thought of telling this one, ...

My iPad and compatible iPhone are extremely important in my life. No, not as important as the people in my life, but really close, if you know what I mean. Now, you probably think I’m nuts or you’re l...

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, but I’ll bet you knew that. I am a mother and I can say this for sure - it’s a really hard job. When your children are young, it’s all about them, and there’s no time for ...

It was just going to be a simple girls night out. Seven of us were getting together to go see the movie “Red Sparrow” and then have dinner. I was in charge. I don’t mind doing that because I like to o...

Men are just happier people Let me start with this - I like men. They bring so much to our world and are usually not as difficult to figure out as are some women. After that has been said, I feel it’s...

Are you a hero? What is a hero? You may immediately think of famous people around the world who have done brave deeds. The word “hero” comes from the Greek, heroes, literally meaning protector or defe...

I don't think our children know what an apron is. Oh yes, you see chefs wearing one sometimes in a restaurant, and famous people on TV cooking wearing one. But they are not the aprons of the old days....

Even if you do not play golf, I’ll bet you’ve heard of the Masters Golf Tournament, which is going on right now in Augusta, Georgia through Sunday. You may not even care what the outcome is or who is ...

Easter is nearly here. It includes a day of Christian celebration plus chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, Easter baskets and family dinners. For Christians, it is the basis of their religion. It i...

The outdoor drying device known as the clothesline, used by our mothers and grandmothers, is soon to be a thing of the past. While I do remember using the clothesline a bit with my mother before she w...

Saint Patrick’s day is tomorrow. I’ll bet you knew that! But I bet you didn’t know that there are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland. The Irish, and those who wish they were, will use...

I suppose there are days when we all feel like we aren’t at our best ... maybe not as sharp as we could be. A friend shared these stories, which will definitely show some people, mostly criminals, who...

Even though we are all hard-working people, it has definitely come to my attention that some people don’t want to work and they are just trying to steal from those who do. That is evidenced by the man...

We all know for sure, our English language is crazy and difficult to understand even for those who grew up speaking it. No wonder so many people who speak English as a second language complain about o...

Longtime Triad High School secretary Bettijo Welty is pictured with former Triad Principal Dan Kaffenbarger at her retirement party held Wednesday at the high school. During her 51-1/2-career as the p...

The second dog in the family, Daisy, pictured above, knew how to ring the bell to go outside and fetch the newspaper. She could carry the smaller ones, weekday papers, in her mouth, but had to drag th...

It has been said that exercising the brain is just as important as exercising the rest of the body. Some of the most common ways people keep their brains sharp are to play brain stimulating games, to ...

Last week when it was so cold, our friends told us about their experience. It’s now going to serve as a public service announcement from me to you and here’s why. They went from Columbus to a warm cli...

Holiday traveling can be awful, but the reward for us was leaving Marysville, where it was just eight degrees and heading to Naples, Florida, where it would be a warm 82. But getting there was not to ...

Very soon we will be celebrating the beginning of 2018. Celebrations of the New Year have changed through the years, but most cultures have noted it in some way. In ancient times (600 BC) in Greece th...

Everyone will hopefully be ready for Santa Claus in just a few days, but most importantly we celebrate the coming of the Baby Jesus who changed the world. While we keep in mind His birth is actually t...

Not too long ago a woman was driving in her grandson’s car. She was teasing him and said something about riding around with him in his jalopy. He looked at her and said, “What is a jalopy?” Then she k...

It was a much-anticipated trip - start in Lima, Peru, cruise down the Amazon River, and see Machu Picchu, where the Inca Indians lived hundreds of years ago. Nikki and Bill Conklin were to be travelin...

Our culture is a wonderful one, but has many idiosyncrasies. Of course we have noticed them, and now I find that visitors from Europe notice them, also. I came across this interesting list of things t...

Last week in this column, I was able to restart our communication with Lori Black Smith, a 2003 Marysville High School graduate. She has traveled all over the world and we followed her adventures for ...

Dr. Heimlich and God ... thank you! I would guess nearly everyone reading this would know what the “Heimlich Maneuver” is. It’s famous for saving lives. It’s the technique for choking victims that was...