It is a little tough to believe that in two weeks Peabody-Burns students will be out of school for spring break. Even more difficult to believe is that daylight savings time will roll around then as well. The few spring-type days we have had recently remind us the next season is just around the corner. Hopefully spring break and DST will really kick it into gear and we will finally be on the way to warmer weather. I am amazed that as I get older, time seems to fly by faster and faster.

My five or six regular readers might have noticed that Marilyn Jones included Janet Post and me in the 10 Years Ago column of The Days of Yore a couple of weeks ago. It was a comment Bill Meyer had made about us taking the plunge and signing on as newshounds back in February 2001. Ten years! Good grief, we thought we were in this for a six-month gig. He said he could use us to fill in for a while until the colleges and universities sent a whole new crop of journalism graduates into the world. Yet, here we are — still. Yes, time flies when you are having fun.

Janet’s goals were loftier than mine were. She put her name in the hat to help Meyer because he was an old friend and because she wanted to provide Peabody-Burns students with great photographs and play-by-play reviews of their athletic endeavors. She has done that.

I just thought it might be interesting as long as I didn’t have to write any editorial comments — and I was able to keep my mouth shut for just about two issues. Usually I am fond of filling this space and letting you know what I think and I know you are not surprised by that. Delving into the real news can be more difficult because I am never on solid ground. There are rules about reporting real news and I don’t know very many of them.

I work with several young people who have degrees in journalism. They know all the “stuff.” I wish I had their backgrounds and could operate in their comfort zones. Even 10 years ago, I was way too old to pound out stories the way they do in mere minutes following some notable meeting. I imagine the red slashes editing their work are slight compared to what buries mine. They sometimes talk to each other as they compose … hmmm. If they were in my office, I would have invoked the “Quiet, I’m thinking” rule on the first day.

However, I must say that this is one of the better jobs I have ever had. It is definitely more interesting than sorting lima beans on a conveyor belt for Del Monte, selling foundation garments for J.C. Penney, or spending summers sending delinquent notices for Wurlitzer Pianos and Organs. The pay isn’t a lot, but it definitely is not boring.

So happy 10th anniversary to me, Janet, and to all of you. Those 10 years have flown by, so we must have been having fun.

— Susan MarshalL