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Patty Kimerer column

Channeling Clement for Valley-revised take on classic

As has become a tradition in this space, it is time once again for a decidedly PK take on the Clement Moore classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas” — or as it’s more commonly known, “’Twas the Night before Christmas”: ’Twas the morning of Christmas When all through the region Lots of folks were amazed It was still football season ... For the YSU Penguins, Who have well-proven lately They’ve reclaimed the tenacity Of their late ’90s heyday. And this on the heels Of a very good year For the Cavs, Indians and Buckeyes, All teams we hold ...

Good cheer warms bell ringers in cold weather

Back in the mid-1980s when I was young, there was a really popular song called “Life in a Northern Town” by the British band Dream Academy. I loved that song. It was all at once beautiful and haunting, and boy, it really stuck in your noggin after hearing just the first few chords. It began with the lyrics “A Salvation Army band played…” As I stood on the sidewalk of a local shopping plaza with my friend Leannah the other night jingling bells as a volunteer for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, I could softly hear the song’s opening strains in my mind’s ...

Greeting style changes but sentiment is same

I know there’s been a very contentious climate hovering in the airwaves as of late, what with so many folks bellowing their opinions so publicly every three seconds or so. Even now, as we begin the second full week in December, the brouhaha continues. It may, in fact, be one of those debates that never truly ends; an epic conundrum with no discernable resolution. Alas, I can stay silent no longer. At the risk of personal peril, I am openly addressing the controversy by taking a stand, so here it goes: I am sending electronic Christmas cards this year. What; you thought I was ...

I am Patricia and, yes, I am THAT mom

For those who may be unfamiliar with the “Meaww Quiz” feature on social media, allow me to explain. It is an auto-generated Q&A function accessible through one’s Facebook page. It poses queries such as “Who would be in your mafia gang?,” “Who were you in a former life?,” “Who is your true best friend forever?” and “Who are the eight reindeer to your Santa?” It then offers various responses based, I assume, on your friends list and the amount of correspondence you have with each. It’s cute and silly and fun and ... probably just some guy in Dubuque ...

The worst swim meet ever … sorta

My Sentiments Exactly Immediately upon sitting down, I dumped the extra-large cup of coffee I’d gingerly transported in the car on the one-and-a-half hour drive up to Kyle’s swim meet last Saturday. As soon as I plopped down in my chair back –– BAM! My beloved Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with sugar-free peppermint mocha creamer did the same, splashing all over my purse, knapsack and shoes, and spilling down the bleachers before me like a light brown rainfall. Dang it! I'd been so careful in transit from house to car — not to mention across the puddle-riddled gravel ...

Help yourself to a serving of gratefulness

If Thanksgiving was a person, she’d be ticked. I don’t know why I assume she’d be a woman. I get the whole Tom Turkey thing. Perhaps it’s the sheer amount of T-Day prep and cleanup work that I rightly or wrongly attribute to being a gal’s responsibility that leads me to that conclusion. Either way, she’s a girl in my mind. Please just indulge me. Not only does her special day get torqued around a bit every year calendar-wise, but in recent times, what was once an officially legit holiday (complete with tons o’ food and fun with family and friends) has morphed into ...