Ponderings by Dan Ponder

A funny thing happened Sunday after Auburn’s heartbreaking loss to Alabama this past Saturday.  Riding down the road and not wanting to listen to the talking heads dissect a game that I did not want to think about any longer, I switched from Sirius XM to FM radio.  The first five stations I dialed up…

It is time for my yearly Thanksgiving column, where I try to briefly outline some of the things I am thankful for during the past year.  Some years are easier than others, though there is never a shortage of blessings if we look hard enough. 2021 has not been a year without challenges.  Covid-19 remained…

Many people have heard the phrase “living on the wrong side of the tracks”.  It has generally been used to refer to the location of lower-class neighborhoods within a community.   Sometimes it was the industrial part of town that might have that distinction.  Often, though, the “other side of the tracks” referred to people…

Some Sundays seem more significant than others.  It probably should not be that way, but it is.  This past Sunday was All Saints Sunday.  It is especially meaningful to me as it honors those who have passed away during the past year.   The past year has been particularly challenging for all of us.  Our…

It is late October with a definite chill in the air.  Over 80,000 people have come to Auburn, the Loveliest Village on the Plains for a matchup against the 10th ranked, Ole Miss Rebels.  Actually, the team has not been the Rebels since 2003.  Many sports fans cannot immediately recall the next official mascot of…

I confess that after writing some 600 columns I never thought that I would write about a pedicure, must less have one.  This past week I finally bit the bullet, so to speak, and joined the tiny minority of men who have decided to give their feet some attention.  It was not an easy decision.…

This past week my wife and I enjoyed the Lantern Tour at Pine Hills Cemetery, Auburn’s oldest burial ground.  Pine Hills holds the remains of many of Auburn’s earliest settlers, including its founder Judge Harper.   In fact, Judge Harper’s son, William, is the oldest marker in the cemetery.  The younger Harper died in 1838…

I could profess to have some credibility in this area.  My brother, Ernest, and I built, owned, and operated 38 Hardee’s Restaurants.  Many might say the best thing about Hardee’s was their breakfast.  Most specifically, their “Made from Scratch” biscuits.   I will not argue with that. However, Hardee’s was founded in 1961 and its…

  The hot mineral springs were discovered when the Sealy brothers were drilling for oil in the 1920s just below Cottonwood, Alabama, my boyhood home.  They did not find oil, but they did find something of tremendous value, at least for the time.  The hot mineral springs that flowed out of the ground at 110…

I always put a note card and a pen in my shirt pocket when I head to church.  I might jot down the name of someone I met.  I might scribble a thought from the minister that seemed to be meant just for me.  Sometimes, I just write down a thought I hear from the…