Various and sundry things
When I was in the eighth grade I had an English teacher, Dr. Bertha Bellis, who referred to "various and sundry things" the way people today say "you know" and "like." Bless her, she found "various and sundry things" in sentence structure, grammar, modern literature, Shakespeare, and ordinary conversation.
Well, for a long time I have been searching for a title for those short-segment editorial comments I want to make on occasion. Bill Krause had his "Hash and Rehash," Bill Meyer has his "Mostly Malarkey," and I have wanted one of those headings of my own. (And by the way, thanks to all of you who suggested "Susan's Shorts." You are hysterically funny.) I think I am just going to cabbage on to Dr. Bellis' much over-used and aggravating "various and sundry things." I kind of like that. She was a good teacher and I learned a great deal from her. At this stage of my life I remember less about her multiple "various and sundry things" comments than I do the appreciation for language, words, and literature, and the excellent instruction she gave me.
So "Various and Sundry Things" it is from this point forward.
Various and Sundry Things to the seven of you Peabody folks who weren't in attendance at the Mike and Katy Woodruff Benefit Saturday night. You missed a good party. We had all the food we could eat, all the visiting we could handle, and all the fun and fellowship a small town can offer. I bought some spectacular items at the silent auction and was thrilled to be the winner. The room with the auction items was a mob-scene every time I went in to check my bids. The room with the food was a mob-scene every time I left the auction room after checking my bids. There were so many people! If you missed it elsewhere in this paper, more than 600 people showed up and $11,000 was raised. So congratulations to a good community for a good effort.
Who got the "funny" on the front of last week's paper? Did anyone even see it? Jane Clark (who puts the paper together every Tuesday) and I thought we were quite clever and amusing
I have had a couple of nice notes and e-mails sympathizing with me for not getting a party for the first anniversary of my life in the newspaper business. Rumor has it that a long-time pal even showed up at the back door with a bottle of wine and some glasses after reading my editorial. True to form, I was off doing other things and didn't get to slug one back in my own honor. But you know how rumors are — might not even be true. And the mister reminded me that I also didn't have a "grand opening" so I guess I am 0 for 2. Drat! All this time I thought I was really a party gal.
And for some reason, I have had extra complaints this week about the label going across the picture in the upper right hand corner of the paper. I have no idea why this happens. After the papers are printed in Newton, a machine puts on the labels. No one seems to know if it can be adjusted or not. The problem is being studied and we will try to make some adjustments if such a thing is possible.
Downtown Peabody was awash in posters this morning. Most were from a group in Burns who are trying to get support for a new school building. Some were from another group (apparently nameless) concerned about how the district's scholastic assessment stacks up against other schools of the same size. C'mon, people. Don't come skulking into my community after dark to hang your propaganda. Do the right thing. If you truly have the presence of your convictions, you should ask the merchants if they would allow you to hang a poster on their bulletin boards or in their windows. And if they say no, you should have the decency to honor their decision. Cluttering the downtown windows, doors, utility poles, and signs with your message in the middle of the night is not an effective method of gaining support for your cause. The "sympathy meter" registered a big dip as the sun came up and we saw what you left for us.
And Dr. Bellis, wherever you are, I offer various and sundry thanks.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
