http://www.lockportjournal.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:19:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_323012225.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_323012225.html Recently, I volunteered my services to watch my 12-year-old grandson, Dominic. He had missed a couple days of school due to the flu. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:57:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_316025912.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_316025912.html In observance of Veterans Day, I’d like to take this moment (and space) to offer a personal note of thanks to all who have served and to those who are presently serving in the military. This humble acknowledgment cannot possibly convey the extent of gratitude and respect that I have for each and every one of you. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:21:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_308232257.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_308232257.html “Where are the paper towels?” I asked. An innocent question, or so I thought. “We don’t have any. And we’re not getting anymore,” was the curt reply. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:34:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_295003552.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_295003552.html I don’t know why, but there are times when I feel as though I have to defend myself when I mention that I like golf. Golf is different than other sports mainly because of the participation factor. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:27:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_288002845.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_288002845.html It happens quite often: I sit down to watch an old movie or program that I once enjoyed, only to be disappointed by its failure to live up to my remembered expectations. The magic that once tripped the happily entertained button is gone. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:17:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_281011846.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_281011846.html It took me about five days to finish the projects that I had lined up to close the camp for the season. Painting some exterior walls and staining the deck were just two of the more time-consuming tasks. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:38:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_273175527.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_273175527.html I took a trip — the final one of the year, I hope — to our cottage on the river. (I say “hope” because another trip this year would mean there’s a problem). Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:43:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_252204522.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_252204522.html Being the health nut that I am, I stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant a couple of weeks ago. Using the store’s drive-thru, I pulled up to the speaker and spoke as distinctly as possible — a necessity when ordering food through a communication system that these multi-billion dollar corporations acquire from the local dollar store. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:55:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_245213907.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_245213907.html The title of today’s column is not in reference to a ‘70’s corporate directive to a Budweiser factory. Nor, to those of you in the shallow end of the spiritual-pool, is it from a Mel Brooks movie.Of course, it’s from the Bible. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:45:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_238234256.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_238234256.html Words: there's the written word and there's the spoken word. There's also sign language, a gesticulated form of words. We all use words — most of us use them in some shape or form every day. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:54:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_232035347.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_232035347.html Is the world going mad or am I just noticing the insanity? Take note of these newspaper stories that I've come across in the last few months. There's the story of NASA. Someone, please, explain to me how our national space agency lost the original moon-landing tapes. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:03:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_218010344.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_218010344.html I took some time off to go on vacation. As usual, I headed to the St. Lawrence River. My idea of a good vacation can be described as a sandwich. That’s two slices of fishing with a slab of golf in between. I knew there were the usual chores to be done, but the fun part was to be that sandwich. I was looking forward to the trip. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:20:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_211002237.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_211002237.html I’m going to miss the effervescent spokesman Billy Mays. There was an aura of trust that separated him from the rest of the pack. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:49:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_174145032.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_174145032.html I still enjoy a good movie. But I’ve noticed that my tolerance-level for bad movies is dissipating. I no longer have the cavalier habit of chalking up a disappointing flick as just another bad movie. Mon, 11 May 2009 10:28:00 +0000 http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_131103013.html http://www.lockportjournal.com/tomvalley/local_story_131103013.html Before I start today’s article, I’m going to refer to a previous column that I wrote. In it, I mentioned that I was going to ask my actor-nephew, Mark, how he felt about a commercial that stated that the spokespeople were “real people, not actors” to enhance the ad’s credibility.