* For those who read my column and know any of my favorite ‘80s singer Rick Astley’s songs, you will get a kick out of this. I know I did….“Rick Astley for President because he will never give you up, never let you down, never gonna run around or desert you. He will never make you cry, never say goodbye, never tell a lie or hurt you!” And for those who don’t know him or his songs, those are the lyrics to one of his songs I like the most!

If you work with computers at all, you know the frustration when things just don’t work as they should. When you work on a network of several computers connected, that frustration level compounds exponentially with issues that are difficult—no, impossible—to trace. That is, unless you are a network guru who really digs that kind of stuff. But for those of us who are not computer gurus, the general “quick fix” is to simply shut down, sometimes even unplug the computer, and then restart a few minutes later. In many cases, that’s what it takes to get things going again.

RED SKELTON’S PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Every Tuesday before the Rooks County Commission meeting, everyone present stands up and recites the “Pledge of Allegiance.” A simple thing really, but it reaffirms my belief that there is hope for our country. I printed Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance in my editorial years ago, and thought it was time to do it again… “I—me, an individual, a committee of one, pledge—to dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity, allegiance—my love, and my devotion, to the flag—our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom wherever she waves, there’s respect, because your loyalty has given her dignity that shouts—Freedom is everybody’s job, of the United—that means that we have all come together, States of America—individual communities that have united into 50 great states—50 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose—all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose—and that’s love for country, and to the republic—a state with sovereign powers invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern—and government is the people, and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people, for which it stands, one nation under God—meaning so blessed by God, indivisible—incapable of being divided, with liberty—which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life without threat, fear or some sort of retaliation, and justice—the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others, for all—which means, boys and girls, it’s just as much your country as it is mine.

Every 10 years, there’s this thing we do in the United States that is critical for allocations of funding from the federal government. That “thing” is called the Census, and it’s going on right now. The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine may have slowed efforts to get it completed, but the process must continue; and so it is.

Dear Editor: A few weeks ago a friend of mine, Virgi Laska, in her “This ‘n That” corner in the Sentinel, said: “I stand for the flag and the National Anthem, and I kneel only for God.” Well, I agree with Virgi, and I hold high honor for her. When I recite the Pledge of Allegiance, I include the words “One nation, under God” in there! I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, Taps, and the flag of the United States of America, and I kneel only for the Creator, who is God! My hat’s off to you, Virgi! Also, a few weeks ago I went through several days where everything I touched turned to butter.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Wishing all of the students, teachers and staff a wonderful and safe school year! T’was the night before school starts and all through the house Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. The backpacks were hung by the front door with care In hopes that the morning soon would be there.

Anyone who wears contact lenses like I do would agree that there is a Murphy’s Law about losing a lens: “If you are going to lose a contact lens, it will happen at the worst possible time and place.” I could write a book about contact lenses and my fortunate and unfortunate stories of lost and found. I first got contact lenses when I was in 8th grade (I can hear some of you thinking along the lines of “didn’t know they made ‘em in the stone age!”). At that time, they were hard plastic, not soft and pliable as they are now, but for me, they were lifesavers. Even at that young age, 13 or 14, I could no longer be fit with glasses to correct my vision. But I had 20/20 vision with my new contact lenses, and have had for most of the 50+ years since. They are tiny miracles, as far as I’m concerned. And I have learned that I can almost always find a lost lens if I’ve taken the time to ask God to help me find it.

* Today’s generation will never get to know the satisfaction of slamming down the phone during an angry hangup. * For all you Fall/Autumn Fans out there, Pillsbury will soon be selling, for a limited time only, Salted Caramel Apple Cookie Dough! Since the Halloween candy is already hitting the shelves, keep a look out for these cookies in the refrigerator section of your favorite grocery store! * And speaking of yummy fall treats, I will buy ALL the Little Debbie pumpkin rolls I see in any and every store every time I am shopping! Plus, they are even more delicious if you freeze them! * Damien Williams, I understand why you decided to opt out of the 2020 football season and I will miss seeing you on the field this year.

Here we are, entering the sixth month of a global pandemic, and in many places, conditions are getting worse rather than better. I don’t think anyone wants to have another shutdown of businesses, factories and services; I certainly don’t. What will it take to get this thing under control? My brain says: “Everyone just needs to be smart and do their part.”

THIS AND THAT * With the Rooks County Free Fair going to just a 4-H Fair this year due to COVID-19, I wanted to give a nod to the many notable musicians, entertainers, athletes and political figures who were part of this special organization. Here are just some people who are on the 4-H list: former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis and Pat Nixon, astronaut Alan Shepherd, athletes Johnny Bench, Reggie White, Herschel Walker and Archie Manning, actors Julia Roberts, Sissy Spacek and Tom Wopat, musicians Luke Bryan, Johnny Cash, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Vince Gil, Glen Campbell, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Roy Rogers and Jermaine Jackson, and Robert A.