Scott Woodsmall
Look in the mirror | Ott Observations
The election is over, the winners are gleeful and the losers are in despair. Media pundits and Democratic party officials are trying to dissect the results and understand the…
Simple memories and innocence | Mark’s Remarks
Here I go again. I think just about every holiday season I have ever written about probably talks about something I’m nostalgic or sentimental about. I can’t help it. Humor…
Forced Christmas | Mark’s Remarks
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: I think people rush Christmas every year because they long for something to change. They are not happy with something going…
Sharing the Feast | Taste Buds
An online column by Vivanda Felice and Pipa Benoit, pseudonyms for two Monroe County foodies dedicated to supporting and highlighting local food spirit and culture Sharing the Feast Thanksgiving came…
We failed the character test | Ott Observations
As I watched the election returns and realized Donald Trump will be our next president, I found myself thinking about our Founding Fathers. I imagined them traveling forward in time…
The truth about Thanksgiving and George Washington | Mark’s Remarks
People have been rewriting history for a long, long time. Folks like to blame liberals and “the woke.” But really, it’s nothing new. People have been messing with history for…
Toys of my youth | Mark’s Remarks
Toys have an emotional impact, no matter what people say. Regardless of how many you had growing up, there is at least one special toy someone can recall. …
Choosing humanity | Ott Observations
Earlier this fall, I was touring the Alps in central Europe. There were countless beautiful churches. On the side wall of one of the churches there was this saying: “We…
