Most of you know that my father, Fast Freddy, passed away some 17 months ago. I honestly can't believe it's been that long. But life does go on as they say and chasing grandkids, elk, fish, bears and Miss Trixie does keep Ol’ Dutch a’hoppin. 

Being a Winter Texan, Ol’ Dutch and Miss Trixie find ourselves South of the Mason and Dixon line in the good old U.S. of A. For those of you who were playing hooky the day they taught about that in school, it was a designated border between the North and the South during the days of the Civil War. 

Ol’ Dutch is probably Fan #1 when it comes to the Internet. It's so nice to be able to access any type of information I want – or need – at my fingertips. And the smartphones enable us to carry that access around with us night and day, never being without something we need to know. 

You know that feeling when you do something and you quickly realize it's going to be your first – and last – time doing that? That's how Ol’ Dutch is feeling at this very moment. Today I made two trips at once. My first, and my last.  

Sitting down to write this column this week, I began to reflect back on how I first got started and the resulting path that initial writing led me on. Some 14 years ago I had submitted some samples to a newspaper editor after learning that one of the regular contributors would not be continuing with his own personal column after many years of submissions. 

Ol’ Dutch has long been a fan of old timey-type sayings that have been passed down through generations of people of every creed and race. There is a certain richness to these old sayings. Most of them began with a simple observation detailing a real-world experience but soon became something thrown around in a totally different context.  

Ol’ Dutch and Miss Trixie have been on a two year adventure building a house as most of you know.  An adventure it has been and we've persevered through it all. It's not done but at least we are moved in and have one bathroom, a working kitchen plus heating and cooling so it's quite a few steps above a tent.  

I don't know about y’all but Ol’ Dutch has a family history of starting projects late in the evening. It's so famous in our family that it's called the Nine O’clock Project because it always seems to involve starting some household chore about 9 p.m.

Ol’ Dutch has long been a fan of good sales pitches wherever I happen to hear them. I have been all over this country and a few foreign ones as well and whenever I hear a good sales pitch, I am really impressed. There is a skill to selling and Ol’ Dutch isn't too bad at it himself as long as I believe in the product I am trying to pawn off on somebody. 

I don't know about y’all but this past week has been a doozy for Ol’ Dutch and Miss Trixie. It's not unrecognized by me that I complain a lot about being too busy. I would, however, have traded a double busy week for the one we just had. 

My bank has seen fit to attach that little line item to my online banking and after a short session with the bank's computer where I could not remember my password to save my life, I got into my most recent credit report. It was with great disappointment, though, that I accessed this information as the promised “rise” in credit rating had somehow just stayed the same. 

I guess Ol’ Dutch has been around long enough to have heard everything there is to hear. So, nothing really surprises me. It seems like the last few years, though, the weather forecasters have really intensified their reports to include exaggerated wording. 

Winter has always been a challenging time for Ol’ Dutch with the colder weather, short days and lack of any meaningful hunting or fishing to be had. It's been the same for me for as long as I can remember so I guess I should expect it to come rolling in after Christmas every year.

Before you get all bent out of shape about the title, yes I know it's called the Golden Globes. But for Ol’ Dutch, it's more of a glob or blob. Let's just say I am not impressed by the glitz, glamor, fake personalities, horrific lifestyles or even the movies that they put out. They lose me at the trailers before the movie even starts. 

My neighbors are very elderly and some years ago had purchased a solar system for their house. It's a full panel affair mounted on poles in the ground and is supposed to power their entire house. If you have had any interaction with solar energy you probably already know that what is promised and what is actually produced is as far apart as the Sun is from the  Earth.

Another year has slipped past us and for us older folks, the years seem to go by faster and faster as we age. As a youngster growing up, I recall that the years seemed to drag by as slow as molasses in January. I guess part of that was being locked in a classroom most of the year which made the days intolerably long. Not that Ol’ Dutch didn't enjoy school but as the comedian Jerry Clower once said, “too much of anything ain't good.” 

If you have ever heard that phrase used in advertising way back in the day, you are dating yourself badly. Well maybe not badly, but you definitely know what a tape recorder is and have probably used one, too. Memorex was a recording company that made tapes for all kinds of devices, and the whole gist of the ad was to see if a person could tell if it was a live performance or a tape recording.  

As a downtown business owner, this time of year marks a big transition for my business.  The tourists are mostly gone, and while we hope to see some sales over the holidays, the next four months are going to be slower. 

In the San Luis Valley, our work begins with food — but it doesn’t end there. For more than a decade, the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition has built partnerships connecting farmers, educators, entrepreneurs, and families to create a thriving rural economy rooted in shared well-being.

I think most of you out there in reader land already have some inkling that growing old definitely has its challenges. This week Ol’ Dutch got an up close and personal reminder about growing old thanks to a quick trip to the Emergency Room. No one is sure where the saying about “not for sissies” came from originally, but it's been attributed to the famous movie star Bette Davis who also had a pillow with that embroidered on it.