Many years ago I had a roommate in our Quality Hill apartment while we were going to school in downtown Kansas City.

Food is everywhere. We talk about it, think about it, stare at it, chew it, gulp it, and dream about it. We bake it, boil it, fry it, slice and dice it, and sometimes eat it raw. We party with it. We plan it, worry about it, and we work for it.

My dear old grandmother was a hard working, God fearing Christian woman, and she had the patience of Job when it came to dealing with me.

During and just prior to the Civil War, Kansas City was the scene of intense excitement. In fact, when you consider that John Brown began his harrowing career on the Kansas Border, it appears that this vicinity was the real cradle of the War of the Rebellion.

I guess you could probably say I was born an artist. My older sister, Margie, started me out on crayons pretty young. I think I was 7 when I made my first quarter peddling my artwork, and was immediately hooked – I’ve been trying to peddle my artwork ever since.

I imagine that I’ve probably seen about every one of the following movies either at a theater or on television.

I attended a Christmas party recently and was pleased to see that my friend, Garth McCulloch, had also been invited. He is a great poet in his own right. I would like to share a poem that he so eloquently recited before the group to use as my Christmas greeting for you.

I don’t know how long black panthers live, but keep your eyes open, because somewhere out there may still be one lurking in the dark shadows of our neck of the woods.

There have been many great recording artists down through the years, but Elvis Presley and the Beatles stand above the rest. Elvis has always been the King of Rock and Roll, and the Beatles opened the door for the British Invasion.

I can well remember when my dad brought home our first 13-inch, black and white TV in 1951. There was only one station on the air and that was WDAF Channel 4 in Kansas City, an NBC affiliate.