HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The first New Year's greeting on January 1 occurred in 45 B.C. in Italy with the adoption of the Julian calendar.
Yes, I am old, but no, I was not there to take part in the first happy new year.
I am not sure that it turned out happy.
The year 2017 turned out to be a good one for me and my house. There were some setbacks but there were many blessings, as well, and by year's end, the blessings outweighed the setbacks. I give credit to Our  Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The national news media would have us believe 2017 has been a terrible year; moreover, they seem to indicate that no year will ever be good as long as Mr. Trump is the president. Well, we elected him, and there are reasons we elected him, and I wish the Republican Congress would help him do what we elected him to do.
That is enough of that. For the most part, I live quite locally, starting right here at The Ozarks Almanac, the office of which is in our home here on what I like to call Mountain Meadow Farm. I like to call it that, though it is in no way a farm. Not yet. There is still work to do, but I remain positive regarding my role in the world of agriculture.
Concerning politics and government, my interest is in local government, a subject I have long held close to my heart. Local government is what is most important, I think, for it is the government that touches me the closest every day. The streets I drive on, the electrical lines to my home and office, the law enforcement and fire protection--these are all the result of local government. So is the education our children receive, and the care we receive in our county-owned regional medical center.
By day, I work for a big-box Fortune 50 home improvement store, doing primarily manual labor. By evening, I work for a local newspaper, covering local government.
I try to work in some postings here, but I have been sporadic at best. Nevertheless, I have a growing readership, primarily of people who used to live in Rolla, Phelps County, the Missouri Ozarks, Missouri, and of people who want to live in a rural or small-town place like this one.
So to them, and to you, I say, as I suppose they did in 45 B.C., "Happy New Year!" It's been a good year in 2017, but it will be a better and happier one in 2018 with our faith and our works.

It is the best holiday of the year

Today is Thanksgiving Day, the best holiday of the year.
Yes, I know some of you, especially children, will say Christmas is the best holiday of the year because you get presents. Plus, it celebrates, for some of us, the birthday of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is one benefit of it; it brings attention to Jesus Christ. People who don’t know him, if they pay attention, will hear the gospel, at least in part, and if they have any curiosity, it might lead to their seeking him. That’s one thing to pray for.
The problem with Christmas is that it has become cluttered for many people. Not for me. I’ve got no problem with Black Friday sales or gift-giving, but for many, maybe most, that kind of activity takes preeminence, instead of Jesus. Never has for me. I guess most people are more prosperous nowadays than my family was. Christmas was a big spendin

Here is the beautifully roasted, golden bird my wife fixed today. Fine, mighty fine.

g season for my family, spending for new socks, underwear, T-shirts, pajamas, bathrobes, maybe shirts for school and a new pair of blue jeans. And maybe one toy.
One time my Grandma gave me a couple jars of dill pickles because I liked them.
Christmas never cluttered for us back in those days, and it is not cluttered for me now. I’m as poor now as we were then. So Christmas is still important to me, especially the church activities, but I think for most people, it’s a big pain, so I put Thanksgiving above it.
And Easter is the best holiday, some would say, because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an unnecessary holiday, as far as I am concerned. I don’t need it. At my little country church, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ every Sunday; in fact, we celebrate his birth, life, death, burial and resurrection every Sunday. We talk about Jesus a lot in our little country church. So Easter is unnecessary for us. All of the traditions, like eggs and rabbits and the like, are pagan-oriented, so I wouldn’t care if we ignored the so-called Easter holiday.
Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, aren’t they more important than Thanksgiving? Well, not in my opinion. The birth of the nation, the veterans who have served, the service members who have died--all of that is important to me. And that is why in my Thanksgiving Day dinner prayer I thanked God for all of that, the nation, our republic, our veterans both living and dead. I thanked God for all of his blessings on our family, our friends and church. I thanked God most of all for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who offers us eternal life.
There is a lot to celebrate, but there is more to be thankful for, and that’s why I like Thanksgiving Day best of all.
I hope you've had a great day of gratitude.