Remember from your childhood all those stories about that man or woman “who lives right over there?” That person you knew from experience - yours or others - to avoid at all costs. Those stories varied from a witch, to scary dude, to mean as a junk yard dog.

This may be the most frightening Halloween of all time. People across America are scared stiff as we are bombarded 24-hours a day with terrifying scenes splashed across television, our telephones and tablets. We can’t get away from the howls, screeches, growls, ghastly facial expressions and horned headed characters spewing menacing rhetoric. All of this has been brought to us by our Democratic and Republican parties.

When it comes to life, there are no guarantees. A few people will live to be 100 and beyond. The majority of people will die much younger. We don’t know for sure. Your health can be great and still anything can happen. Your health might be bad. A friend who lived to be about 77 said, “If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself.” He meant it to be humorous.

As the presidential election quickly approaches and is already underway in some states such as Pennsylvania, I am surprised to meet Christians — including evangelicals, Catholics, and mainline Protestants — who tell me they feel they have no choice but to abstain from voting for either candidate. While acknowledging that Kamala Harris would be no friend to Christians, they say they cannot vote for Donald Trump because of his “unpresidential” demeanor, hardline immigration policies, and most recently his comments on abortion policy.

Every generation must be known for something. Our generation will be known for overeating, over medicating and abundant whining” Speaking of pills, the late Art Buchwald told a great story about….

I recently read where test scores are down across the state in our public schools. The news made me think of the following item sent to me by one of our readers….

Kids say the darndest things School is definitely back in session and it is like no other school year we have ever known, but some things remain the same. Namely, the humorous (often) true things that kids say and they don’t even know they are funny. Examples: CHILDREN ARE QUICK TEACHER: Why are you late?

START A FIRE — Wadded-up newspaper is the traditional beginning for bonfires, fireplaces and camp grills. Computers, not so much — they’re hard to light and the smoke they produce will make you ill, if not downright kill you.

I just learned this past week our local Church of Christ minister will soon be leaving for another church. He will be greatly missed.

From his yard, Alden often sees his neighbor Thomas Sewell, a “New-Englander of the elder type” on the other side of his stone wall. Sewell has a “piercing yet so kindly humorous blue eye that loses none of its colour with age but seems to grow more vivid and vital.”