Last Word On Last Letter: Canada Says “Zed”

by Kevin Burton    It’s the beginning of a new year, so leave it to Page 7 to take you to the end – of the alphabet that is.    May I be the first to wish you a very happy International Z Day.    “Z Day, celebrated on Jan. 1, is a quirky and …

Grandpa Kev’s (Grumpy) After-Christmas Sale

by Kevin Burton     Your favorite retail outlet will be having an after-Christmas sale just now. It’s sort of their version of New Year’s resolutions, you know,  out with the old, in with the new.    They won’t spare the hype, the bold print or the volume. God help you if you miss this sale! …

A Shoutout To The Quiet People Among Us  

by Kevin Burton    The story goes that an opera singer, seated next to Calvin Coolidge at a dinner said she had made a wager that she could get him to say three words.    “You lose,” said the famously taciturn 30th US president.    Mr. Keller, my history teacher at Wichita South High was …

“Bachelor For A Day” Changes Cat Litter!

by Kevin Burton    So, what happens at the Burton household when Jeannette is away visiting relatives? Well it’s not fodder for a screenplay, I can tell you that.    You can call it bachelor for a day if you want, but this truly is not that.  We have long since commenced functioning as a …

Read This Column Now, Don’t Put It Off!

by Kevin Burton    So I’ve had this material for a while. My friend Tracy sent it to me. Jusuuuut haven’t gotten around to posting it yet.    You know, busy, busy, busy.    It arrived under the headline “procrastinator’s creed.”    Did you know that if you rearrange the letters in “procrastinator” you get …

That Christmas Creep Will Get You Every Time

by Kevin Burton    Our rule about Christmas music is none before Dec. 1.  For Christmas decorations, anything goes as long as it’s after Thanksgiving.    We should perhaps clean up that Christmas rulebook inconsistency.    Also, most years we buy a new Christmas ornament for the tree. We have enough ornaments for at least …

Dave Barry Saves Sanity of Kansas Man

by Kevin Burton    When there is a Dave Barry book on your front porch, you’re having a good day.    Every writerly thing in me, now wants to write, “nothing else matters.”  But we both know that isn’t entirely true. Nothing else?    Tell you what though Sugarbear, nothing else matters for the next …

No Problem Youngstown, We Have Enough Gas

by Kevin Burton    Like most people, my wife Jeannette took driver’s education in high school. But it’s the driving advice of her father that never leaves her mind.    He counselled her never to let the gas tank go below half filled. So when she says we need gas, I know we’re not in …

What’s For Dinner Fido?  Ten British Phrases

by Dictionary Scoop    Speaking the same language doesn’t always guarantee effective communication. For example, the elderly and the young share a language but not a code.     In the case of our fellow English speakers across the Atlantic, some words and phrases are quite specific to their culture. Here are ten British expressions and their origins: 1-Bagsy …

Why That Ferret Is Dying For A Little Action

by Kevin Burton    Got these facts from my friend Tracy, labelled as “32 things to make you stop thinking of politics.”    Well I wasn’t thinking of politics, but I am happy to muse on these (snide comments from me in parenthesis): 1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.  (And …