Columns

Ukraine’s hero in chief  

Their bravery inspires. As I sit safely in the cozy office in my home writing this column, the people of Ukraine are greeting Putin’s massive military invasion with incredible defiance and courage. Their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, reportedly rejected an offer to evacuate to safety in the U.S.

Exposing the dirty laundry

I despise airing my dirty laundry in public, but I’ll make an exception for kvetching about my clean laundry. I have primary responsibility for my family’s laundry. Fair enough.

Waking up to a glorious Spring

The naturalist Roger Tory Peterson told us that Spring is “a fluid thing. … Each migrant bird arrives at approximately its appointed time; each flower comes into bloom at its proper place in the floral procession.

Was your grandfather a character?

Valentine’s Day and other time-sensitive topics delayed my writing about this, but a few weeks ago marked the 50th anniversary of the death of my grandfather, Carl Spencer Tyree. I’m juggling a lot of plates, but very few days go by that I don’t think of “Paw.

The two best there ever was at LSU

Two Heisman Trophy winners have come out of LSU. Right now, Joe Burrow is the toast of Tiger Land along with the whole state of Louisiana. He will be a Bayou Bengal legend for decades to come. But don’t forget Billy Cannon, the first LSU Tiger to win the Heisman.

Making merry with monarchs of mirth

Some years ago, I tried to write a single paragraph that contained every cliché used to describe what happens in towns across south Louisiana on Mardi Gras.

Why I’m pro-choice (when it comes to masks)

I’m going to out myself here: I am a Bad Masker. By that I mean I wear them when I’m forced to do so by some misguided governmental fiat, but when I do, I don’t wear them well.

Four-day workweek? I wish.  

Three-day weekends sound good to me. According to Business Insider, a movement is afoot for companies to offer employees four-day work weeks — 10 hours a day over four days, rather than eight hours over five days — so they may enjoy three-day weekends.

Social insecurity

A quarter of a million dollars. That’s the amount that I’ve paid in FICA payroll taxes during my working career, according to my recent Social Security statement.

Do you want your receipt?

Yes, receipts do seem to breed like rabbits in my poor overstuffed-with-credit-cards-and-gift-cards-and-loyalty-cards-and-hastily-scribbled-notes wallet. But that’s my personal problem to sort through at home in my quieter moments.