Where has the year gone? It’s already November.

To many people’s surprise, we’ve already had a Christmas story in the paper.

I’m sure with the economy, the Delphos Community Christmas Project will need every bit of time they have to pull together a nice holiday for those who need a little boost.

It’s tough out there and every penny will count.

It will be that way for many of us, I fear. Most of us are fortunate and have jobs. It may not be the one we want or need but a job none the less.

DEAR EDITOR:
Having voted since the election of Franklin Roosevelt, I have never seen such a disparity between the rural voters and the big city voters. Three-fourths of Putnam County voted for Romney. Also everywhere we drove in Ohio and part of Michigan the Romney signs outnumbered the Obama signs by at least ten to one.
It makes me happy to know that such a large percentage of the rural area voted Christian values, but sad that so many Ohio voters did not. Did they not know the intrinsic evils that they were buying into or was there that much voter fraud?
Ed Luersman
Fort Jennings

DEAR EDITOR,

One week ago last Friday evening saw a dreary start to the evening before the game between Jefferson and Spencerville.  The weather was not the best, but it did not stop them from paying tribute to the many veterans in attendance from Delphos and Spencerville.

For those who were not there, two large flags were carried onto the field, one by the local Veterans of Delphos, the other brought on by Veterans from Spencerville. Each flag surrounded by Veterans entered from opposite ends of the field were then halted as they centered over the fifty yard line.  With the flags in position and everyone standing the School combined the two bands and played the National Anthem.  Once the game started, the announcers would periodically read the names of Veterans, identifying which branch of service, the years they served and where they served, adding a more personal recognition to those of us who served.  Because of the thoughtfulness of the staff, faculty and students of Jefferson, I would like to say thanks!.

What so many of us did so long ago, those that have served since, along with those veterans currently serving, this tribute has and does make our efforts and lasting memories worth while.

On behalf of the Delphos Veterans Council and all veterans, I would like to say thanks again to John Edinger, his staff and the students for organizing this tribute to the Veterans for their service on this approaching Veterans Day.

The Veterans Day Service will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Delphos Veterans Memorial. It will be held at the American Legion if it rains.

John Grothouse,

president, Delphos

Veterans Council

If you’ve been on Facebook the last couple of days, you’ve seen the posts of what people are thankful for. During the month of November, you are supposed to say something you are thankful for each day, not just on Thanksgiving. I’m three days behind so I better get busy and catch up.

Day 1: I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He drives me mad, makes me laugh, makes me smile and makes it worth coming home every day after work. We are enjoying each other’s company and working on some small improvements around the house. It feels good.

Days 2: I am thankful for the rest of my family from the top on down to the little guy, Ringo.

Day 3: I am thankful for all I have. Watching the footage of the horrible destruction of Superstorm Sandy really makes you take stock of what you have and what you may think you need but don’t. It’s heart-wrenching to consider the families of those who have died and those who have no homes to go back to once things get back on track. We never truly appreciate what we have until we realize how much we have compared to others.

Day 4: (Yeah, I know I’m jumping ahead but I want to make sure I get this all in.) I am thankful the fall season is upon us. Aaaaah. The crispness of the morning air. The crunch of leaves underfoot.

The only problem is now comes the pre-winter cleanup. The bushes need trimmed or the Christmas lights will look funny. The flower beds need weeded and everything cut back. Who knows, with the weird weather we’ve been having, we might have to mow one more time.
I can’t believe it’s less than three weeks until Thanksgiving already. The pies and turkey in the freezer is a big hint. I’ve already doled out everyone else’s goodies they need to bring so the food is pretty much covered. Now I just have to work in a little cleaning (OK, a lot of cleaning) between now and then.

Back to fall and how much I love this time of year. I truly enjoy the first morning when you can walk outside and see your breath. That little cloud of moisture hanging in the air in front of me is awesome.

We had our first snowfall early this week. There’s an old wive’s tale we chat about on the second floor of The Herald building. The tale indicated that whatever date the first measurable snowfall of the year falls on, that is how many measurable snowfalls we will have that winter. Uh-oh. I believe is was Oct. 30. That means 30 measurable snowfalls this year.

I sure am glad it’s just an old wive’s tale. Whew. No one needs 30 snowfalls but I am thankful it was only a quarter-inch. I am in no way shape or form ready to shovel the white stuff or wear boots and all that garb yet. I’m thankful that was just a fleeting meet-and-greet with snow. (I know. That one doesn’t count.)

Try it for the month and see what all you’re thankful for. You don’t have to log on to Facebook to make a list. It’s just as good if it’s sitting on the counter or the table. It just matters that you’ve thought about it and perhaps shared a few with someone else.

DEAR EDITOR:
Abraham Lincoln said:
“You cannot bring about prosperity by discovering thrift
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging the claw of hatred.
You cannot help the poor by discouraging the rich.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they should be doing for themselves.”
Times have changed?
Remember Abraham Lincoln’s comments when you cast your ballet on Tuesday.
Dennis Klausing
Delphos