It has been another crazy year hasn’t it? Between the election hype, the extended warm weather, and what’s happening around the world it is amazing anyone can keep their head on straight.
As I write this, the weather is beginning to get wetter (we needed the rain) and is looks like it the bottom is going to drop out soon. I say that and the weather will make a liar out of me. The last time I remember it being this warm in late November was in 1983 when it was unseasonably warm on Thanksgiving and by the New Year it was 10 below. So, we just never know, do we?
I am blessed because I only have myself to worry about feeding. I grocery shop a lot. Maybe because I love to eat. But we all get tired of eating the same routine dinners don’t we? In the summer we live on BBQ and fresh vegetables. In the winter we shift to cooking in the oven to help heat the house. To that end, my friend Lorraine sends me really great new recipes – the last few are for casseroles. With grocery prices so staggering, these casseroles are easy to make, using ingredients most of us have in our pantries. So that helps me corral my fixed income spending at the store and we get to experiment and enjoy some yummy, and some not so yummy meals.
We all have challenges to face. We at the paper are facing the challenge of keeping this 100 year old paper alive. Yes, we went through this early last year but have managed to keep going with some of us making up the shortfall. Recently a couple of other residents have stepped forward to help offset the monthly shortfall. Yet, a few of us cannot sustain this for the long run. As this is a community paper, it befuddles me how many businesses in Ferguson do not step up and support the paper through advertising.
If we close our doors, it is because those who profit from the community do not care enough about the community to offer their support.
We are fortunate to have our long time advertisers and I applaud them for their dedication and support. Thank you!
I want to thank all of our contributors for their dedication to this paper. Although I have not met most of you personally; you are appreciated. We will be losing our crossword so if there are any puzzlers out there, please let us know.
It has been suggested we ask for subscriptions. Personally, I would think that would be a nightmare to manage and put more work on a small volunteer staff. It also defeats the purpose of having a “free” newspaper available to ALL residents regardless of economic status.
Another suggestion is to go strictly on-line. Again, we are forced to go on-line for almost everything now-a-days. Besides, this would limit our readership and would not be a value for our advertisers who are the ones supporting the paper. And what about those who do not go on-line for anything?
Please read Phil Berwick’s article on page 3. He has a good suggestion with asking for people to become monthly supporters.
Regardless of our challenges, I want to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year. Be safe.
Papa Deau
