Time management has been a theme in recent days, especially for this observer spending days along the path around the Falls. By the time this issue hits the newsstands, Sunday’s Packers/Vikings contest will be history. Hopefully, Mike McCarthy was not criticized for time management of the game clock because the Packers had another strong showing and came on early and came on strong.
Unfortunately, as this is written, time management of another sort caused the above comments to only be speculation. This was due to this week’s celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday and the time management of putting together a weekly newspaper on a shortened week. Given the other publications with which the Times Herald people are connected, there was an early deadline for these ramblings.
Friday noon was the revised deadline, and the word went out earlier in the week. Unfortunately, less than optimal time management caused that revised deadline to be stored somewhere on the top shelf of the mind’s back closet. As it turned out, the quill was put to the parchment, so to speak, on Friday night and whether or not the ramblings make the Thanksgiving week edition of the Times Herald is up to the ever forgiving and always patient editorial staff.
Perhaps it was poor time management that resulted in Friday’s slightly higher priority being placed on preparations for the opening day of the annual Wisconsin whitetail hunt. Once again, a brother and a nephew from the “Show Me” state were hosted, and there was brush to cut, deer stands to inspect, last minute supplies to pick up, and who knows what else. The mind and body were scrambling.
The editor’s friendly email message reminder was opened Friday afternoon, and the request for a one-time only special dispensation for a deadline extension was granted. The friendly smile on the Oconto Falls water tower must have meant to be a message from their office.
One of the big news items at the end of last week had to do with President Obama’s executive order on immigration. Politics aside, immigration is critical to the nation and region’s economy.
We have reached a point at which we cannot “grow our own” workforce. Wisconsin’s aging population and low birth rate cannot keep up with the demand for workers. Young families are consumers and keep the economy humming.
We need to welcome people from foreign lands who have the American dream and are willing to work to achieve it. Without that, Wisconsin will wilt away. To our readers we say, pardon our brief spiel from the soapbox.
‘Tis the season, so let’s spend a little time reflecting about things for which we are thankful. Not necessarily in order of importance, but to start, we are thankful for the snow that will be on the ground for the opening of the annual whitetail hunt. It’s great for tracking but also makes the old eyes in the deer stand seem a little younger.
We are thankful that a fair amount of the corn is picked and that the fields below the favorite deer stands had green beans this year instead of standing corn on opening morning.
We are thankful that it’s been cold enough that the water in the tamarack swamp is frozen in case there is a weekend sojourn through that terrain.
We are thankful for the opportunity for a weekend of bonding with friends and relatives as we share time in the outdoors. Estimates have it that nearly 600,000 people in Wisconsin will share that bonding. In many cases they are dressed in matching orange clothing.
We are thankful that the voters in the school district approved the recent referendum for athletic fields, the work at Abrams School, and other parking lot improvements. It was a much needed improvement that seemed just out of our reach for so many years.
We are also thankful that the concrete piers that will hold up the bleacher supporting structures were poured this week. Having that accomplished will allow for the bleacher structures to be fabricated over the winter so that assembly can take place over the winter.
We are thankful the real estate market is picking up and people are moving into the area.
We are thankful that from many perspectives, the future looks bright, and opportunities are falling into place for many people who are important to us.
Lastly, we are thankful that we have a nice woodpile out back. Last week’s chill put a dent in it, but there is more where that came from.
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