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H. Neal Glanville

H. Neal Glanville's column appears in the Craig Daily Press on Mondays.

Each day of our lives, there are too many people to count who affect that day's outcome.

They may say or do something that completely changes our outlook, either of life as a whole, or perhaps a small portion of last Tuesday.

Whether the influence was good, bad or indifferent doesn't really seem to matter - it's as we grow older (no mention of smarter) that we recall these influences and how they made our lives a little richer.

My early life was overflowing with the influence of very religious females and hard-living males.

Not only did my beloved grandmother, her sisters and daughters, teach and lead us through the unknown darkness of organized religion, they also instilled a need to seek our own counsel.

Grandma was hardcore in her beliefs, and she saw to it that my brothers, worthless cousins and I made it to church, and not just on Sundays.

If there was anything happening at the church or stake house, the Glanville clan was there.

Not the whole clan, mind you. Of the men in my life, grandpa's brother Blaine was the only one who made it each Sunday.

The rest of the week, uncle Blaine was, as grandpa put it, "a worthless rounder, never on time for anything that involved work or the chance of sweat."

Each time grandma heard this outburst of brotherly love, she'd softly shake her head and say "You're right, Mode, absolutely right, but somehow he seems to find the church each Sunday."

She was not trying to make grandpa feel bad, she was just reminding him that everyone seeks their own counsel, and no matter the form it takes, it's theirs and theirs alone.

Grandpa's influence was, as I've learned through some pretty stupid choices, quite simple: "Show up every day, do the best you can with the job you've got and never expect more than you're willing to give."

To that end, I always jumped head first into any job I was given and sought out the answer to any problem before it happened or became a serious issue.

I never excused ignorance of a problem from others nor passed blame to avoid being wrong.

Uncle Blaine always said "the best man for any job is the guy that can fix the worst mistake."

I've realized he was right. Because the man who fixes them is the same guy that made them in the past.

How's that for my take on the religious questions curling up in the paper? I even covered ignorance of a problem at Planning and Zoning.

Dang, in another 20 or 30 minutes I'll have this writing stuff down and can start solving happy issues, like how do we address the envelope to return our "stimulus checks?"

Now for something completely different

During the off again dog days, fishing locally has been fair to medium. Next week, when we have the big frost, begins my favorite time of year.

Well, not my bestest favorite. Winter is my favorite. The big frost will signal the beginning of the best fishing our area has to offer.

If only I could find somebody to sponsor a big fish contest. I guess with the passing of Craig's annual skunk hunt and the antelope barbecue, I shouldn't expect too much.

Until next time :

Yup, there I was surrounded by expensive choices when I said to myself "Self," I said, cause that's what I call myself when I'm talking to myself, remember what your friend Louie said: "You can always pay more, (but) it doesn't mean you'll get better."

Thank you for your time.