Benjamin-Smith: Wandering again, but at a much slower pace

I’ve gone through stages of death, childbirth, and many, many more in the past couple of weeks. First, I want to take a moment to thank everyone for all the prayers, phone calls, visits, and flowers. You are all great, and I will not forget any of you.

Letter to the Editor: Thin pancakes and the PDA

Dear Editor,“It’s a mighty thin pancake that has only one side.”One of my favorite colloquialisms, and it never rings truer than when applied to social media.

Letter to the Editor: Countering criticism

Dear Editor,I have recently been wrongfully accused on Facebook of corruption and theft in connection with my position as chairman of the Putnam Development Authority. I deny these allegations. I am not corrupt, and I am not a thief.

Smith: Holidays in New York

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center came to life in New York last week, an image that was brought to life in dens and family rooms across the country — one of the highlights of the holiday season.

Rich: Special occasions

I never knew my friend’s Aunt Elsie. Still, the valuable lesson she taught me will never be forgotten.Miss Elsie died a while back in her tiny Alabama town, having lived to be 81. Her grandest adventure happened over 30 years ago when she went to see a cousin in Memphis.

Yarbrough: Santa Claus joins the information age

I visited this topic some years ago, but things don’t seem to have changed.RING! RING! RING! “Beep! Beep! You have reached the offices of Santa Claus and Associates at the North Pole.”“Hi, my name is Dick Yarbrough, and I would like ...

Crane: Are we becoming pirates now?

Back around 2012, off the coast of West Africa, a combination of poverty, weak governments ashore, and lightly regulated traffic on international waters led to a rash of acts of piracy against cargo, leisure, and cruise lines.

Rich: The South’s American queen

A reader from Minnesota recently wrote and, in her email, she mentioned that she lives near where the Mississippi River begins.There is no greater, more besotted fan of the Mississippi than I. Of course, I had questions.Where does it start?How deep and wide is it?

Yarbrough: Turning down all those dukedoms

I got a lot of mail encouraging me to take the job as Duke of York, which I appreciated. I thought long and hard about it, but decided to take my name out of the running. I hope you aren’t disappointed, but looking back, I believe it was the right decision.

Benjamin-Smith: Wandering down memory lane

Another busy month, and I absolutely loved each and every fast-moving minute.The days I work (Thursday and Friday) at the Uncle Remus Museum have been busy and great. I meet people there who are visiting Eatonton from all over the world.