Thumbs up to all of the organizers and volunteers for the 23rd annual Chenango Blues Fest. The festival is by far my favorite part of being a Chenango County resident. When the day comes that I retire to New Hampshire in a cabin writing novels, I’ll still come back for this wonderful event. Because of all the hard work, dedication and effort by all those involved, I can say I have met some pretty spectacular musicians, scored some great art, and have countless memories. While I can’t name everyone, a shout-out to all the sponsors, the Larsen family, the Palmatiers, the Andrews’, Miles family, Flanagans, and anyone else I may be leaving out. You all do a great job, and I know how much work you all put into it. So really, thank you, and keep it going, so this gal has a reason to come back when she’s 50.

– ARB

Thumbs up to all the parents of high school athletes. They drive you to and from practice everyday, wash your uniforms, put up with you complaining about practice, and attend every game. Kids, I know the season just started and I’m sure the excitement for both your parents and you is still fresh and everybody is looking forward to the season, but it’s nights like last night that make you appreciate just how much your parents do for you this time of year. In case you live under a rock you may have noticed that it rained last night, a lot. That doesn’t mean practice is cancelled, that just means the kids get a mud practice. So after two or three hours of practice the kids will have to come home sweaty and caked in dripping mud. If your mother is as crazy as mine was, she probably put garbage bags over everything in the car so nothing could get dirty. She probably even had dinner waitng for you when you got home. Athletes often don’t realize how much parents do for them during the season. So thumbs up to Mom and Dad and all they put up with during the season.

-JT

Despite my other thumb weeks ago, which was a thumbs down toward the choice of which streets get paved each summer, I am going with a thumbs up this week for how quick, as well as how smooth the new city streets truly are, which the Norwich DPW paved earlier this week. Once the paving trucks actually arrived and began paving, it only took the paving crew just under two days to completely pave and finish five different city streets. Seeing as the beginning of this past week was blistering hot out, a big thumbs up to all the hard work and everyone involved with helping the Norwich DPW get the streets repaved.

–CT

While traveling the east coast last week on a much needed vacation trip was a satisfying adventure, none of the sightseeing or comfort of the big fancy condos and hotels was quite as relaxing as rolling in though town and pulling into the driveway after it was all said and done. I've said it before: that it's easy to pick your hometown apart over miniscule flaws or unsavory elements; but at the end of the journey it is still home. And I know I'm in good company as John Howard Payne shared my sentiment back in 1914: “Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, Which seek thro' the world is ne'er met elsewhere. Home! Home!; Sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home, There's no place like home!”

—MSW