Freddy is on the loose, or soon will be

Freddy the kitten may be little but he is devilishly clever. When I arrived at my daughter's house, Freddy was on the inside but not for long. He was cleverly moving a window screen that he had attached himself to, and soon half of him had found freedom. I was very sorry to do so but called attention to his escape plans.

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Many retired journalists write books or teach classes. I have never wanted to do either. So proud.

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Everybody has a Web page these days. My 82-year-old aunt has a Web page.

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I know this is out of season, but the other day I found myself thinking about how when I was 8 or so, I would go on a Great Chestnut Hun, scouring yards and streets for the fallen nuts and collecting them by the hundreds. I would admire their glossy coats and smooth bodies but after a few days it would dawn on me that the chestnuts served no useful purpose. Into the rubbish they would go. I repeated this practice for three or four years, I think.

Jitters for sale -- half price!

The tension mounts as Saturday's yard sale nears. Will it rain? Will the Fear of Flu keep away potential  customers? Will my wife sneak out my treasures and sell them before I notice? Will anybody buy any of the junk we're selling? Oh, the uncertainty.

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Do the world a little good and visit The Hunger Site at www.thehungersite.com. Just one click gives food to the needy. No purchase necessary. You can also help feed animals, fight breast cancer, contribute to literacy, and save  rainforests. No, really.

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I finally saw "Frost/Nixon" and thought Frank Langella more closely resembled Ed Sullivan than Richard Nixon.

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When a teacher complained, parents used to give their kids a talking-to. Now they yell at the teachers.

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If you transpose the last two letters of FBI, you get FIB. (This was noted in my geezer class on the Rosenbergs' trial, during which some fibs may have been told about the defendants, who were hardly above reproach but didn't deserve death.)

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More often, we regret the things we didn't do, not the ones we did. This is hardly an original thought but an accurate one nonetheless.