Editorial / Opinions

After nearly three years I finally found time and a reason to take a vacation. But now I feel as if I need a vacation from my vacation.

Image is everything – so they say. If you don't believe me, just look at the billions of dollars spent each year carefully crafting an image for everything from perfume… to automobiles… to politicians. As one of my old marketing professors put it, “'It's not so much about what you buy, but more about what you THINK you're buying.” In other words, one doesn't purchase a particular fragrance of perfume or cologne because it smells so much better than the other brand, but rather because he or she will assume that they will instantaneously become the person in the ad who is surrounded by hordes of beautiful people.

A few weeks back I watched the movie “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock. Even though I’d seen the movie before it still tugs on my heartstrings.

Recently, a legend in the northwest Arkansas poultry industry history passed away. Robert “Red” Bone went to his rewards up at Cassville, Mo. I worked for Red in my early years at Tyson Food. I had not seen him in almost 20 years.

Image is everything – so they say. If you don't believe me, just look at the billions of dollars spent each year carefully crafting an image for everything from perfume… to automobiles… to politicians. As one of my old marketing professors put it, “'It's not so much about what you buy, but more about what you THINK you're buying.” In other words, one doesn't purchase a particular fragrance of perfume or cologne because it smells so much better than the other brand, but rather because he or she will assume that they will instantaneously become the person in the ad who is surrounded by hordes of beautiful people.

A few weeks back I watched the movie “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock. Even though I’d seen the movie before it still tugs on my heartstrings.

Through the many years of writing this little column, I’ve received hundreds of letters, emails and telephone calls from readers. Most want to express their like (or in some cases – dislike) of a particular story I have relayed through the pages of one of the magazines or newspapers for which I write. I appreciate every letter, but the one I received today had a profound effect upon this simple, old storyteller.

One of my favorite things about the Ozarks is when one-season ends and another one begins. It doesn’t seem to matter what season is ending and which is beginning, I am anxious every time. I am not one of those people who prefer one season to another. By the time each season gets here I am ready for it.

In my other life, I write western novels and short stories. I know several of you have read some of them because I get comments from you in person or online. I wanted to talk about the e-book business (that’s an electronic nonpaper version of a book sold digitally). There are two main models of e-books – Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. But you also can get e-books on a home computer, an iPad or even the iPhone.  

I have some wonderful memories of coon huntin’ when I was a youngster. There was nothing quite like a crisp, cool, late autumn night, joining up with a bunch of the neighbors to follow that melodic cadence of, “the best coon hound in the county.” Of course it made no difference which neighbor I’d joined up with, because we were always following, “the best coon hound in the county.”