Kelly Learns
A compilation of my columns from the Sunday issues of the Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona.
I’ve been writing an every-other Sunday column for the Daily Courier in Prescott, AZ since late 2020, thanks to the kind encouragement of long-time columnist Ron Barnes, who spent over 30 years contributing his wisdom not only to the newspaper but to many other people and organizations in the Prescott area. He put in some good words to the publisher and editor for me when he decided to retire from column writing. It’s one of those gifts you never knew you wanted and then realize how grateful you are to have it.
The Daily Courier has exclusive rights to my column for 60 days after publication, which is why you might be reading a Christmas column in February. I love writing but seem to need a project and deadline to do it. Hopefully this blog will inspire me to write more. Thanks for stopping by to check out my site!
Special Delivery
The Christmas cards are starting to trickle into our mailbox. I love to open them up and look at the photos of friends and family, but they also serve as a guilty reminder that I am terrible at sending our cards out on time, if at all. In early November I give myself the annual Christmas card pep talk. “This is the year,” I say. “I’ll write a great letter, find the best photos, make mailing labels, and get them all done before the Thanksgiving turkey is in the oven, ready to mail when we flip the calendar to December.” I toyed with the idea of bringing them along on our vacation, but packing holiday cards in between the swimsuits, snacks and dog toys seemed odd. And after all these years, I know myself pretty well. I would write a few of them, decide there were better things to do during...
Dirt room
I’m not sure what percentage of homes in Prescott have a dirt room, but when I ask people if they have one, I usually get a blank look. I don’t mean a mud room where you take off your wet shoes and mucky boots before entering the house, I mean an actual room with dirt...
Dog days of summer
I was researching summer trivia for an event I was leading when I discovered this fun factoid: Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July. I started thinking about that number and looked up the U.S. population in 2024. It’s 342 million, which means on...
Try it, you may like it
A dozen years ago, when people were publishing books about cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook or the life-changing results of writing a thank you note a day for a solid year, I decided it would be a great time to start a blog about learning something new....
Resolve to be hopeful
Time has a funny way of moving fast and slow at the same time. Just a year ago I wrote about getting my first dose of the Moderna vaccine and feeling guilty for being at the front of the line because I worked in health care. Getting help for myself while others around...
Sharing a cup of joy
“I have 50 Christmas mugs filled with hot chocolate and an inspirational verse tucked inside. A lady named Yvonne said you might be able to find a home for them.” I love getting these kinds of phone calls, especially since a coworker and I had just been brainstorming...
Ghosts of Christmas past
I pulled a box of Christmas decorations out of the basement last week and found a bunch of old holiday cards at the bottom from years past. They were photo cards on heavy paper, with rounded corners and shiny foil lettering exclaiming “Merry & Bright” or “Peace...
Knowing what matters most
The hardest things to talk about are the most important. We all hope to live to a ripe old age, but not everyone get there. November is always my month to ponder life, not only because my mom and I both have birthdays, but because she died just after her 74th birthday...
The stories they tell
The stories come in small pieces, coaxed out gently when I ask a new resident when and where they served in the military. “How did you pick the Air Force?” I ask, careful not to tread too quickly into uncomfortable territory. He says he knew he would be drafted into...
Rules of the road
I’m married to a guy who is not a big fan of flying. I can count on one hand the number of times he’s been in an airplane. If we want to go somewhere together, we hop in the car. Driving has always been a big part of our life. When you fall in love with a Canadian who...
Talking to strangers
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this,” she says before continuing to tell me more stories about her 99-year-old dad over the phone. We talk about the farm he grew up on in the Midwest and what he did for work after World War 2, how he remarried...
Skeletons in September
Last week, I stopped into a local home improvement store looking for some mums to brighten up the frazzled summer planters on our front porch. As I walked towards the garden center, I noticed the clearance patio furniture was mingling with ghoulish zombies and...