Kelly Learns
A compilation of my columns from the Sunday issues of the Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona.
I’ve been writing an every-other Sunday column for the Daily Courier in Prescott, AZ since late 2020, thanks to the kind encouragement of long-time columnist Ron Barnes, who spent over 30 years contributing his wisdom not only to the newspaper but to many other people and organizations in the Prescott area. He put in some good words to the publisher and editor for me when he decided to retire from column writing. It’s one of those gifts you never knew you wanted and then realize how grateful you are to have it.
The Daily Courier has exclusive rights to my column for 60 days after publication, which is why you might be reading a Christmas column in February. I love writing but seem to need a project and deadline to do it. Hopefully this blog will inspire me to write more. Thanks for stopping by to check out my site!
Curse of the Auto-Renew
The other day I noticed a hefty charge for a popular virus scanner on our bank statement. I didn’t remember using the product, much less buying it for more than I would ever agree to pay. I visited their website to find the customer service number and logged in with my email address to see if I had an account. Sure enough, I was a subscriber. Clicking on my account history showed a subscription package for 2023 for significantly less than they had just charged me. It took me some head-scratching to realize I hadn’t been scammed by a virus scanner (which might be ironic) but instead, a simple victim of auto-renew. I thought back to the summer of 2023, which seems like a long time ago, and remembered I had bought a tiny Chromebook for my trip to Ireland. It came with a 30-day trial for the...
Dirt room
I’m not sure what percentage of homes in Prescott have a dirt room, but when I ask people if they have one, I usually get a blank look. I don’t mean a mud room where you take off your wet shoes and mucky boots before entering the house, I mean an actual room with dirt...
Dog days of summer
I was researching summer trivia for an event I was leading when I discovered this fun factoid: Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July. I started thinking about that number and looked up the U.S. population in 2024. It’s 342 million, which means on...
Always remember
The dusty smell of monsoon rain in the air this past week reminded me that we have reached another anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire and the tragic deaths of the 19 Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshots. Eleven years ago, we were still pretty new to Prescott. I had...
The joy of being bored
We decided to take a long weekend in Yucca, Arizona over the Memorial Day weekend with our dogs. When I told friends where we were going, I was met with some confused stares. “Where’s Yucca?” they’d say. If you haven’t been to Yucca, population 96 as of 2020, I’m not...
Second time around
When Wanda and Bill Starkman first met and fell in love, they were 16 and 20. Bill noticed Wanda walking by the pool hall he frequented in Blythe, California, and thought she was the prettiest girl in town and asked her out. They went on a few dates and six weeks...
The places you’ll go
I sat down in the hard wooden chair, squeezing my knees into the tiny space allotted to me in the middle seat of section 220, Row 13 of the Sky Dome in Flagstaff, surrounded by thousands of other proud family members waiting to see someone they love walk across the...
The Mediocre Gardener
I’m not sure what color my thumb is exactly. I know it’s not green. But when the pansies show up at the local garden center in early April, I have to buy at least one pot, even though I know I’m likely dooming them to a life of struggle. Luckily, they don’t do...
A Mighty Roar
It’s hard to close the door on 45 years of tradition, but the other night we voted with one final clang on the ceremonial brass bell to disband the Prescott Evening Lions Club. While I’ve enjoyed being president these last three years, I didn’t want to assume the role...
Before I die
Depending on where you are in life right now, it might feel like there are endless days ahead of you. Or perhaps you are slightly more seasoned, like I am, with mailings from AARP and Medicare creeping into my inbox and mailbox on a regular basis. Whatever your age,...
Be the match
You wouldn’t expect a vacation request to your supervisor to be life-changing, but for one local couple, it might mean they can finally take their two kids on a vacation without having to get back the next day for a dialysis session. I popped in at a local assisted...
Taking the plunge
Last week, I found myself in a nostalgic email exchange with a woman named Julie from Nisswa, Minnesota, population 2,032. I’m sure she didn’t expect to get an email from a distant coworker in Arizona asking her weird questions about whether Deer Forest and the...