Opinion: New Year, new adventures

We are finally receiving the rain we desperately need to keep our farmland green. However, more important than the rain on the valley floor is the snow accumulating in the mountains.

I adore how the rain cleans all the disgusting stuff out of the air. When the clouds clear, the sky is that cool crisp shade of blue I grew up with. Take a deep breath and savor.

The holidays have come and gone. I hope Santa Claus and the spirit of the season brought you and your loved ones happiness and joy. Begin the new year with optimism and hope.

While I am enjoying the brisk January air, I am looking forward to September very much.

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This fall, the Madera High School Coyote class of 1973 is holding our 50-year Class Reunion. I will miss many of my classmates who have died since that windy night in June 1973.

Our reunion is on September 16 at the Elk’s Lodge. Additional information will be forthcoming as plans are finalized. Our first organizational meeting is at 6 p.m., Wednesday, at the Vineyard Restaurant. All 1973 class members are urged to come to help get our Golden anniversary reunion on track.

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I enjoyed watching the holiday parades again this year. However, I felt lost and confused about all the pseudo-celebrities featured on screen.

What is a celebrity anyway? A person who gets famous and that goes places and does stuff?

There is no denying most of these people are attractive and articulate. However, the musicians are, for the most part, talented, singing songs I had never heard.

I blame myself for not knowing these people, but I know how it happened. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to read the fan magazine that carries the day-to-day biographies that have made the people and bands “famous.”

I never watch MTV or VH-1 or keep up with the latest craze in popular music. Then there is Country music, which is included in the popular music scene.

Country music has only recently appealed to me. My dear friend, the late Terry Earls, loved her country music. I often think of her when I hear certain country songs.

The song “Goodbye Earl” is about two friends, Maryann and Wanda, who have been together since high school. After graduation, Maryann went out to seek her destiny, and Wanda stayed in their small hometown and married Earl.

On their honeymoon, Wanda soon learned Earl’s favorite pastime was beating on her. When she ended up in the Intensive Care Unit, Maryann came home to care for her friend. They decided Earl "had to die!”

Terry hated this song. Her first marriage wasn’t a fairytale. Her second husband is a wonderful, kind loving man who gave her his last name “Earls,” on their wedding day. Also, her father’s name was Earl.

I love this song. Spousal abuse isn’t funny, but this song of revenge is hilarious. Of course, if the abuser’s name were Fred or Ralph, maybe I wouldn’t enjoy it quite so much.

Long days and pleasant nights, have a blessed weekend.

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Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.