Visiting Johnny Carson’s Boyhood Home Town

by Kevin Burton    There was a time when one man captured this nation’s attention, made us laugh and in a way, held us together.    And that national smile began with the first five notes of that song, The Tonight Show theme.     “Daaaaa dum dum daaaa daaaa….”     You heard those notes and …

Rage And Despair In The Business Center

by Kevin Burton    Dear, gentle, intelligent Page 7 reader, may I ask you a question?    What would you say is the key element, all things considered, in the business center of a hotel? What makes a business center a business center?    If you were told by a hotel employee that, yes, said …

The Road Is Good For What Ails You

by Kevin Burton    “When I hear that siren call baby, I just can’t help myself,” croons Bonnie Raitt. She’s authentic and believable and I get it.    The tune is “The Road’s My Middle Name.” It’s from her album “Nick Of Time” and I get that too.    The road is the life blood …

Sister Cities Make The Most Of Boring Names

by Kevin Burton    My first editor used to say there are no boring towns, only boring people. I am with him on that.    I always smiled at the thought of his then kindergarten-age daughter repeating that at school and getting into trouble. No idea if that ever happened.    When my wife was …

Words Borrowed From Foreign Languages

by Kevin Burton    When I travel to foreign lands such as Mexico or Mississippi, I bring back souvenirs. I’m sure you do too in your travels.    Some of the souvenirs we bring back are words and phrases. Today we look at some favorites from the Merriam Webster dictionary. Their list is of words …

Power To The Burtons, Thank God

  Are you thankful for the little things? Can you tell the little things from the big things?     I was forced on Friday to answer these questions, to stop and think about something I almost never think about.  Five syllables, starts with an E, made my breakfast, brought us together as writer and reader.     …

The God Of The Detour Knows The Way

by Kevin Burton    One of the ways I tried to witness to my late father was to encourage him to listen to the radio ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.    Evans leads The Urban Alternative out of Dallas, Texas.  Evans is a dynamic speaker. I thought my father might be tiring of my dime …

Eddie Money’s Definition Of Paradise

by Kevin Burton    A song that Cash Box called “an excellent punchy rocker” has become a necessary part of our shared musical vocabulary.    The signature song of the late Eddie Money, “Two Tickets To Paradise,” peaked at number 22 on the American chart. So it has a place in our 2022 series.    …

Could You Leave The United States?

by Kevin Burton    Amber Blackmon told her story Monday on insider.com, I wish she had told more of it.    Or maybe it’s better this way. Maybe we are meant to insert our own details into what she has given.    The story hit home because she did something I sort of did years …

Canadian Border Opens For US Tourists

by Kevin Burton    My Canada vacation dreams are on the table again, but for how long?    On Monday Canada lifted its restriction of non-essential travel by US citizens for the first time since the pandemic hit in March 2020.  That made for immediate celebrations for border dwellers who have relatives, friends and property …