Through 49 editions of the Daytona 500, there is no story more uplifting than DeWayne "Tiny" Lund's win in 1963. ...more

February 10, 2008

Dear Abby: A friend was diagnosed with cancer. A single woman living alone, she rallied a group of co-workers, friends and neighbors to donate their time to help her with a variety of tasks. These included driving her back and forth to chemo and doctor appointments, fixing meals, cleaning her house (she has OCD and was superpicky about every detail, including cleaning the cat box), sleeping over to make sure she was OK (we had only a lumpy couch because she refused to set up a bed in one of her two vacant bedrooms!) and handling a variety of other tasks. ...more

January 27, 2008

Everyone who owns a dog in Highlands County should be aware of the fact that we have some very special kennel owners at Dawg House Boarding and Grooming. While visiting friends in Tallahassee this past weekend, we left our 3-year-old French Bittany "Jacques" with Mike and Vicki at their kennel in Lake Placid, where he has stayed many times and always receives the best of care. On Saturday, we received a call that "Jacques" had been playing in the yard and had a mild seizure, which is quite common in some breeds and for "Jacques" was something we had experienced in the past. Vicki, having been a veterinary technician before opening the kennel with her husband, knew exactly what was happening and responded immediately to the needs of our family pet. Within a few minutes "Jacques" was doing fine and was running around the yard as if nothing had happened. Although Vicki knew that Jacques had a history of mild seizures and knew exactly what was required to deal with this situation, she called us immediately to inform us of his condition and then she and Mike opened their home to our dear hound. He immediately adopted their couch and bed, Mike's lap and the friendship of the other three dogs that Mike and Vicki share their home with. Needless to say, Jacques has found his second home and probably can't wait to visit again! ...more

December 21, 2007

I would like to express the gratitude of the officers and members of Post 74 of the American Legion, for the wonderful turnout at our first golf tournament, held on Dec. 8 at Harder Hall Country Club. The generosity of our local business community, who gave so freely of their goods and services for our raffle, truly helped make the tournament a success. Space prohibits listing the names of all those who contributed, but you know who you are, so please accept our heartfelt thanks. Thanks also to Harder Hall pro John Phillips, for a great job in handicapping, scoring, and just being an all-around "good guy." We hope to make our second annual tour next year even better. ...more

December 11, 2007

Hello Lyn: My father has 24/7 care in his home. He has dementia, yet is quite independent. His caregivers cook and otherwise just keep an eye on him as he continues to do his "chores." (In other words, he doesn't require any "hands-on" care.) My question is: What is considered an appropriate gift for these wonderful people? I want them to know how much I appreciate their help. I don't know if it's appropriate to give cash. Can I give different gifts to each person? Do I give gifts to the helpers who work for agencies? Is there a "formula" like one day's pay? ...more

December 7, 2007

This week, people across the country will pause to celebrate Thanksgiving. ...more

November 22, 2007

This week, people across the country will pause to celebrate Thanksgiving. ...more

November 21, 2007

This week, people across the country will pause to celebrate Thanksgiving. ...more

November 21, 2007

Thanks goes to Victor and Beverly Bondonna of Sebring, for without them none of this would be possible Beverly received a call from me months ago out of the blue and accepted my request without hesitation, a selfless act of kindness and love that we are sincerely grateful for. I have no other way to repay her or her husband, but through this letter. What they have done for me and my family goes beyond words and thanks to their compassion and kindness. They helped make the impossible, possible and forever changed our lives. For this we will be forever and always sincerely grateful. They stepped up to the plate in our hour of desperation and gave my children and my granddaughter the greatest gift, the gift of a future, not monetarily or even materially, but an all encompassing future, for that we offer our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. ...more

November 16, 2007

Nov. 11 is a day to remember. All Americans everywhere should proclaim Veterans Day (formerly known as Armistice Day) and should be willing to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. ...more

November 1, 2007