Ponderings by Dan Ponder

My brother and I spent last week cleaning out our warehouses at the industrial park which we have sold.  There was over 4,000 square feet of “stuff” to go through.  We had put it off as long as we could saving the best (or worst) for last. For three days Ernest and I braved chilly…

These words are from the last paragraph of my column last week.  “I am tired of waiting for the election to be over, so I will just hope that today is the final finish line, no matter what the results.   Only when there are no more races left to run can we begin to…

As I write this column, it is Tuesday, January 5, 2021.  This is my first column of the new year, and I wish it would be the last column of the election of 2020.  The citizens of the state of Georgia are finally headed to the voting booths, although over three million Georgians have already…

This is my 11th year end article since I began writing weekly newspaper columns.  I have not gone back and read the past columns, but as I sit here with a blank slate, I cannot help but believe this is the most challenging year yet to summarize. The obvious approach might be to just review…

On Monday evening, Mary Lou and I drove out to the Agricultural Heritage Park, part of the old Dairy Farm at Auburn University.  A beautiful setting, it is one of the few places where the night sky is not overwhelmed by the lights of the school and the city. Like many people around the world,…

We are approaching the end of the shopping season for Christmas.  More people than ever are searching online for gifts.  The pandemic has made personal gatherings more difficult this year, causing people to look harder than usual for that perfect present.   Millions are out of work.  Gift cards remain a popular item, but many…

Robert Powell wrote an article in the USA Today this past week that caught my eye.   The title was “Do not leave grieving relatives searching for your passwords”.  For much of the past year I have been dealing with a situation that dealt with this very subject.   My Uncle Joe was only nine…

I doubt that anyone would say that 2020 has not been a most challenging year.  The pandemic itself would place this particular year at the bottom of almost everyone’s list.  Add in a record number of hurricanes in the south, a historic fire season in the west, a divisive election of epic proportions, and an…

Every vote counts.  That is what every student is taught throughout their education.  Civics, once a staple of high school classes, taught students about the electoral college and the history of past elections. The entire nation is focused on a recount of the Presidential race, especially in the state of Georgia.  The odds of having…

We grew up together.  We worked on a farm and at the peanut mill from the time we were young kids.  He was the athlete.  I was the good student.  We lived in the same room until I left for college, then lived next door to each other while we raised our children.  We worked…