Shopper Blog: Friends of the Library’s spring Used Book Sale is this weekend

NORTH KNOXVILLE

Friends of the Library’s spring Used Book Sale is this weekend

Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News

The Friends of the Knox County Public Library will hold their spring Used Book Sale this weekend at Central United Methodist Church.

The sale will include roughly 20,000 books in more than 40 categories of fiction and nonfiction.

From $2 items to rare and unique books

Books will be spread out among three rooms: regular-priced fiction and nonfiction for adults in the main room, a room dedicated to regular-priced children’s books, and a special collections area with rare and unique books.

DVDs, CDs and audiobooks will also be available. Most items are $2 or less.

The new model of two main sales – one each in spring and fall – instead of a single event, previously held at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park, was instituted last year partly due to COVID caution. But there are other advantages.

“Both are smaller than an annual sale, in part because Central United Methodist is a smaller venue,” said past FOL president Natalie Smith, now chair of the communications committee. “The revenue of the two sales combined, however, is approximately the same as it would be for one larger annual sale. Our sales team finds that a smaller sale is a little easier to coordinate.”

“It takes a lot of people to pull it off and a lot of hard work,” said J.J. White, chair of the sale. “Everyone works overtime to ensure we have a successful sale for our customers.”

Of particular interest this year are the Special Collections items, including a history of the 25th North Carolina troops in the Civil War and a multipart set of Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” in two languages with commentary.

Peter Andreae and Jen Cooper co-chair the sales and distribution committee.

“The Special Collections room at the sale features books that are out of the ordinary: particularly new, particularly old, or of interest to collectors,” said Andreae.

“We try to offer items from a wide range of genres. This year they include a large collection of like-new children’s books we received in a single donation. Another donor gave a diverse library of history books which will be offered. All items in the special collections area are priced individually. Prices are higher than the standard prices we charge in the rest of the sale.”

In addition to the two big events, branch book sales go on all year. The smaller sales, said Andreae, accommodate a very wide variety. “Niche topics could include anything from repair manuals for classic cars, to novels written in foreign languages, or local yearbooks from decades ago.”

The sales and other special events such as the recent “Stay Home and Read a Book Ball” raise funds for the KCPL, provide affordable books to the community, and fund permanent Storybook Trails for children, so far found at West View Park, Collier Preserve and Ijams Nature Center.

Sale sponsors are the Knox County Public Library, VG’s Bakery, Three Rivers Market, Perk City, WATE-TV, Knox News and Central United Methodist Church.

Members' preview is Thursday

The Spring 2023 Friends of the Knox County Public Library Used Book Sale, at Central United Methodist Church, 201 Third Ave., starts on March 23 with a members preview 3-7 p.m. Memberships can be bought online at knoxfriends.org, or bought or renewed at the door.

The sale is open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 24. Half-price day, open to the public, runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 25. Face masks are encouraged. Cash, check and most major credit cards are accepted.

HALLS

Steel Threads online boutique carries fashions that build confidence

Ali James, Shopper News

Kelsey Casteel has been immersed in the retail industry since her early college days 10-12 years ago, starting as a sales associate at a local boutique and moving up to a “keyholder” in charge of a team when the owner or manager was away and working on the shipping side as well.

Seven years ago, Casteel and her husband relocated to Knoxville from West Tennessee, but she was unhappy with her job. So two years ago, after gaining valuable experience working alongside the owner of a franchise boutique, she decided to step out on her own and launch Steel Threads, an online fashion boutique.

“When I put an outfit together each day, that is when I know I will feel my best,” Casteel said. “It was my calling to help other ladies feel confident in their clothes. There is so much that affects women’s mental health, so if I can, I want to be the light in someone else’s day.”

Steel Threads’ aesthetic is modern and trendy. “Once those trends go away, you will still be able to wear them,” Casteel said. “When it comes to style, we have a little bit of everything. Anytime I bring in a basic oversized pocket T-shirt, I know it sounds so simple, but it’s our most sold item, and we sold over 100 last year.”

Steel Threads carries small through 3X and has been slowly building out its curvy line.

“I have three girls I think of when I am shopping,” Casteel said. “The girl who wants to dress comfy in lounge wear, the girl who wants to be put together in neutrals, but not too bling-y, and the girl (like me) who wants to be a little more extra with bold prints and textures.”

Casteel is excited about the bright colors she is carrying this spring. “They are absolutely gorgeous,” she said. “There is a bright Kelly green, and orange is something that we always carry. I swear, anytime we have a new style come in that is the first thing that flies off of our shelves.”

Having only an online presence and no brick and mortar to browse means that Casteel uses her social media to take her customers along in her day-to-day life.

“I am present every day on my Instagram stories, whether I’m showing a piece of clothing, or every Tuesday we do a ‘try on’ of what is dropping on Wednesday,” she said. “We remind them of what we have in store if they have an event or date night or have any questions. I always put the sizing, so they don’t have to second-guess what size they need.”

Casteel has customers who purchase every week, but whom she has never met, because they live in a different state.

“We have shipped to 36 states so far,” she said. “My goal is to reach all 50 by the end of the year. We have a printout of the United States map, so every time we get an order, we color it in. Right now, we have orders for jackets in Michigan and New York; my girls here are buying tank tops.”

Every Steel Threads order comes with a handwritten note. “Just to say thank you if it’s your first or 50^th order,” she said. “I will include something inspiring or a tip on how to style it or just to say ‘hello’. My customers are always appreciative.”

Pop-up events are Casteel’s favorite part. “I am such a people person, it is hard working in the house all of the time,” she said. “We do festivals and set up at JoyRyde and tanning salons. We offer local pickup at checkout. Last year we purchased a bus, and we are in the process of turning it into a mobile storefront.”

Last week, Casteel added a permanent jewelry service to her business and is accepting bookings for women’s customized bracelets.

“I run the business out of my spare bedroom, and we have grown into our second spare bedroom,” she continued. “It is like having a mini warehouse in our house.”

Obviously, the boutique name is a play on Casteel’s last name. “Just as our manufacturers start with one thread that turns into a beautiful piece of clothing, Steel Threads starts with me, a single thread, and our community will grow into something so much bigger.”

WORDS OF FAITH

With God's love, there's nothing to earn, nothing to prove

John Tirro, Shopper News

In John’s Gospel, chapter 9, Jesus heals a man born blind, not because the man was particularly good, and not so Jesus could feel good about himself or win God’s favor, but that God’s works might be revealed in this man, who himself was God’s good work, before and after the healing.

It’s a way of illustrating, in story fashion, what my colleague at St. John’s, Pastor Amy Figg Ley, often says: “There’s nothing you can do to make God love you more or less.”

This is a message deeply at odds with what we see daily on our phones, on billboards, and in sideways glances. Rob Saler, in Theologia Crucis − Latin for Theology of the Cross − puts it well.

“The average American views hundreds, if not thousands, of advertisements every day (between internet, television, T-shirts, magazines, etc.) … The main goal of advertising is to poke a tiny hole in our lives, a hole that can then be filled by the product on sale … the psychological picture that emerges is one in which most of us are walking around having thousands of tiny holes poked into our self-image, our sense of happiness, every day…

“The word ‘satisfaction’ comes from the Latin satis facere, and it literally means to ‘make enough,’ that is, to be in a condition in which one feels that one is enough… If I’m satisfied with my blue jeans, I’m threatening the sale of Levi’s. If I’m satisfied with my car, I’m of concern to Toyota… This is not to say that Toyota, Diesel… or anyone else is evil, though, because they too are caught up in the system of having to sell in order to survive… This is not ‘us against them.’ This is us against ourselves. And that’s a spiritual problem.”

The Pharisees, the religious authorities in this story, represent our fear-based, self-congratulatory-alternating-with-self-abasing belief that good only comes to those who are good and do good. In this view, if we’re suffering, we’re bad or we’ve done wrong. This view crawls all over Christians to this day, in the form of prosperity gospel and pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps thinking.

But it flies in the face of the crucial center of faith. Returning to Rob Saler, “on the cross, God takes the form of what is ugly.”

There’s a shift − an eye-opening, cross-shaped shift − of seeing that God’s love does not result from our loveliness. God’s love looks at and enters our ugliness, and in so doing makes us lovely. Even more, God’s love (and ours) has to be free. If you’re paying for something (trying to earn it by good works), it’s not love. If you’re getting paid (whether money or God’s favor), same.

It’s a thing that once you see it, nothing about the world changes. It’s the same world, with all its beauty and ugliness. But your experience of the world changes. Bathed in the light of God’s love, there’s nothing to earn, nothing to prove, just an opportunity to love and to serve from love.

John Tirro is pastor of worship at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Info: sjlcknox.org.

POWELL

From his farm, former Y-12 engineer still makes an impact

Al Lesar, Shopper News

After several decades in the fast lane, Richard Neal is in no hurry to hit the off ramp.

The 76-year-old from Heiskell, who has a half-written book in his computer, had been one of the country’s primary players when it came to manufacturing.

Neal, a University of Tennessee graduate, was an engineer and supervisor in Oak Ridge’s Y-12 national security complex when President Bill Clinton was elected in 1992.

“President Clinton said there was too much money spent on defense,” Neal said. “The plan was the Technology Re-investment Program.”

Neal wrote his first bid, “a two-pager,” he said, saying he wanted $50 million, all of the available funds, for a program based on the premise that “manufacturing is a system, and not a sequence of individual activities.”

“Now, we take that for granted,” Neal said. “Back then, it was a revolutionary idea.”

The people in charge of distributing funds didn’t like the brashness of Neal’s application, or the fact that he asked for the whole enchilada, but they liked the idea. He was given $1.2 million and the plan fell into place.

In 1996, Neal’s group, which included partners from around the country, was heralded as the nation’s success model.

'I was born weird'

Over the course of his career, Neal estimates he has written 50 or 60 proposals, securing millions of dollars for whatever company he was working.

At the peak of his career, working 90-hour weeks was nothing unusual. There would be conference calls at midnight. A long week of work in Oak Ridge, then fly to Washington, D.C., Friday night for a long weekend of more work that ended with a flight home Sunday night.

“I was born weird,” said the son of a preacher. “I just handled the work that came.”

Neal said he has worked for most government agencies at one time or another. The most intensive time came when he was charged to lead a group tasked with enhancing U.S. manufacturing in response to Japanese excellence.

Of course, working with the government carries its own unique problems. Sometimes plans are suddenly changed when funding might be curtailed. Or political influence can be exercised in a project. Neal said he learned to roll with both.

'Team' approach

Retired from the national stage, Neal still makes an impact on the local level.

Last year, he was the driving force behind the beginning of TEAM: Teaming to Educate for Agricultural Mastery.

Run through the Knox County Extension Office, with extension agent Neal Denton as the point person, the collaborative group brought together farmers and other interested people from six surrounding counties to have monthly meetings to explore fruit tree care, cattle management, gardening, soil conservation and other topics of interest to farmers.

“The ultimate goal is to allow the farmer to be a successful businessman,” Neal said.

On April 18, the group will host Opportunities and Chances for Agricultural Success at the Jubilee Center in Powell.

When he takes a break from organizing events, Neal is happy to spend time on his 128-acre farm. There are a few goats along with about 40 head of Angus cattle.

He and his wife, Brenda (“She is an engineer, too. She was a math genius, and I wasn’t”), moved to the farm from Broadacres for the farming “lifestyle.”

“There are three types of farming,” Neal said. “There’s farming for a livelihood. That’s too intense. There’s farming for a lifestyle. We’re not trying to earn a living out here. And there’s farming for a hobby, just somewhere to hunt and fish.

“I just want to break even with our cattle. I’m not trying to make money on them. The only thing we grow is watermelons. I give them away for free, probably about 100 a summer, just to see people smile. You can’t help but smile when you get a free watermelon.”

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SOUTH KNOXVILLE

Slowing down in nature: Forest bathing workshops benefit mind, body and spirit

Ali James, Shopper News

“Forest bathing originated in Japan in the 1980s and it was actually brought forward by the Japanese government as a health intervention,” said Sarah Schortz. “People were moving out of the city because of their health issues.”

Forest bathing is perhaps not what you think. Schortz describes it as “simply slowing down enough to be present and receive the benefits of nature.”

She started her training in forest bathing through the Association with Nature and Forest Therapy Guides in 2020 and has been guiding specific forest bathing workshops for a little over a year now.

“I found that a lot of us don’t know how to be in nature,” said Schortz. “We know there are benefits but we are so disconnected that the silence can be overwhelming. Some talk loud or go really fast and can leave a hike even more stressed.”

Forest bathing is not hard physical exercise, according to Schortz.

“It is a very gentle experience; there is usually not a lot of walking and hiking,” she said. “I try to keep them accessible for people of all mobility and fitness levels. I love doing them at Ijams because we may walk only 50 feet to our central location and gather in a central space and wander off into a contained area. It is a slow wander.”

The forest bathing workshops are two hours long, and participants spend time with whatever they feel drawn to and curious about.

“I find I can help people shift into that calm, Zen space usually within 20 minutes,” said Schortz. “The trick is quieting our minds. How do we get out of our minds and into our senses?” The workshops are sequenced to help people do that.

“There is so much science showing the physiological, emotional, neurological and mental health benefits of spending time in nature,” Schortz said. “We take time, in an intentional way, to help them tap into these benefits through their senses. It is a sensory immersion.

“Quite often, especially at Ijams, it is their first experience. They are stressed out and they know they need time in nature and need a little guidance doing it. I am also finding it is people who feel it is outside their comfort zone. It is really fun to watch that. They are the ones that say they really needed it.”

Just like yoga, continued Schortz, as forest bathing spread around the world it was taught differently and through different lenses.

“My background is in yoga, recreational therapy and somatics and multiple other things as well,” said Schortz. “This perspective I am giving is all of that woven together the traditional way, plus the way it has been filtered down.”

“My master’s degree in recreational therapy is an expensive piece of paper that says it is good for us to do things we enjoy outside,” she said. “I have been working with people outdoors for over 10 years, guiding hikes on my own for three to four years.”

Schortz is scheduling several forest bathing programs through the spring, summer and fall at Ijams Nature Center, and new this year, at Seven Islands State Birding Park. More information can be found at https://wildlightwalks.com.

“If folks want me to do a private program specifically for their group, I can do it on location or take them to a location that I chose,” said Schortz. “I also do programs with the Middle Path, an outpatient mental health facility. Last year I led a forest bathing workshop at a writer’s retreat in California.”

This year Schortz was in the running for “What’s the Big Idea?,” an entrepreneurial pitch competition.

“I do private forest bathing programs at my home, @hickoryhedge, a 55-acre preserve for people, plants and animals,” she said. “It is a nature sanctuary just 20 minutes from downtown Knoxville and I do forest bathing retreats there.”

BEARDEN

Bearden's dance team did it again! How national champions pulled off a three-peat

John Shearer, Shopper News

Bearden High School has had some outstanding basketball teams in recent years, and the football team has improved, but the biggest school stars might be the ones who perform during the timeouts and halftime.

That is the Bearden dance team, which during its own time on center stage earlier this year won yet another national championship for the school. At the Universal Dance Association’s National Dance Team Championships in Orlando in early February, they took first place in the Game Day competition in the Large Varsity division.

It marks the school’s third straight Game Day title and fourth in program history. Bearden has also won a total of seven UDA national championships and 16 TSSAA state championships, the most of any dance team in the state.

“For Bearden to bring home a championship in this division for the third year in a row, it truly shows their pride for our school and respect for the legacy of the program,” said head coach Hannah Keathley in summing up the recent accomplishments.

School sponsor Rebecca Nutter, who teaches AP human geography, has seen the team adapt to competitions on the road. And the Game Day routine has been perfect for the team to show its strengths, she added.

“It is really unique because it is an opportunity for us to showcase what we really do at our school,” she said as she and some team members looked back recently in the school library on the team’s season. “They do amped-up versions of our sideline material that they do at football and basketball games. But it’s a longer routine because they do a fight song and a minute-long performance routine, and we always do hip hop for that. It’s a great way to showcase our school traditions and school spirit.”

Senior team member Ruby Fisher said the squad has worked hard to get where they are, and that included about two hours or more of practice every day for several weeks while getting ready for the national competition.

But for her, being around friends makes it as much fun as work. “We are all driven to have the same success throughout the season and to reach the goals with them,” she said. “It’s really fun to work together.”

Jordan James, a junior on the team, also enjoys the camaraderie, adding, “It’s a lot easier when you are dancing for other people other than yourself. That’s what is so important and why I think we are so successful. You can see our connections in and out of the routines.”

Besides the competition dances, the team has its own choreography away from the floor with the various team and coaching responsibilities. The team has three assistants − Kathryn Brasfield, Sydney Schriver and Natalie Adkins − who are also former Bearden dancers and have helped pass along the tradition of success and esprit de corps, they say.

Other members of the large team include Abigail Abrams, Kenzie Bankes, Maclain Brown, Emily Carver, Avery Duncanson, Cadance Eastman, Mallory Haskins, Reagan Honeycutt, Julie Horn, Eli Keziah, Ella McLaughlin, Marian Mitchell, Lana Nelson, Brielle Pickett, Mallory Simpson, Abigail Standifer, Maddie Taylor, and Kelsi Wright.

Besides one another, they also have the support of the entire Bearden community, they said. This was made evident when they returned to McGhee Tyson Airport on Feb. 7 and then were cheered during a special halftime performance of the boys’ basketball game that night.

“There were all the parents with balloons and signs,” said Fisher of the airport greeting. “It surprised us, and it was nice to see all your supporters.”

Nutter, who grew up dancing in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and who performed with the University of Tennessee’s BOSS dance company before getting involved with the Bearden program six years ago, said the season was indeed special.

“We have amazing kids,” she said. “They make it incredibly easy because they are incredibly motivated. They are the best Bearden has all around. They are great representatives of everything Bearden stands for. They care about upholding the traditions.”

POWELL

Relaxing from his accounting job, Avery Black grows a building business

Al Lesar, Shopper News

After a hard week of crunching numbers, Avery Black has found the perfect way to relax.

By installing fencing, decks and landscaping.

For four years in Memphis, Black helped his father-in-law in that business. A year ago, Black’s accounting job had him and his family relocated to the Powell area. Once they settled in, he decided to take the leap into his own business.

“Building is something I’m passionate about, and it’s fun,” Black said. “It means a lot to have the responsibility of a business depending on me. It’s not easy to put yourself out there.

“I came to the conclusion: I can do this. I have the tools, the knowledge and the extra time (on weekends). I didn’t have the courage and always had excuses. I got to a point in my life where I just had to go out and do it.”

Communication key

Since getting the word out on social media, Black said interest in jobs for the spring has started to blossom.

“When spring comes it really starts to get busy,” Black said. “Getting this started has been a slow process, but it’s going.”

Being the boss of the operation is a new role, but it’s one that Black is sure he will embrace.

“That’s the ultimate freedom,” he said. “But, a lot more goes into it. I used to just show up, do the work and I was done. Now, there’s a lot that goes into it. There’s planning and not losing any leads.

“I learned a lot about structural integrity from my father-in-law. Whatever you build it has to be strong and solid.

“Communication with the client is just as important. Developing relationships is big. It’s great to have the ability to create something and see that work satisfy the client. That brings me joy. I love to take nothing and turn it into something.”

No corners cut

If there’s a go-to skill that Black has it’s with wooden fencing. He said chain link and vinyl are other kinds of fencing, but wood is the most popular. Fences are much more popular than decks or landscaping, but he’s prepared to take it all on.

“I’ve become very efficient at wood fencing,” Black said. “The demand is higher. I prefer to do wood, but I’ll take on any challenge.”

He said a ballpark charge he might make on a project would be $25/linear foot, but the variables of gates, terrain, demolition and the price of lumber would all affect the final cost.

“When I give someone a quote, I’m telling them I will do the best job possible that the customer can ask for,” Black said. “I won’t quit on something until it’s right. I don’t cut corners. I treat a job like it’s my own house.”

Black said there is some carryover between doing the books and a building project.

“The toughest landscape means there’s some math involved, so my background helps,” he said. “I’m familiar with state regulations, I know time management and what the job entails.”

To contact Black, email: averyblack95@gmail.com.

Hawk Walk brings the fun to Hardin Valley Elementary

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

Hawk Walk 2023, held at Hardin Valley Elementary School March 10, was a blast, according to event coordinator Jaime McElroy Rome.

The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the PTO. Rome said it was a labor of love for the school. The kids, nearly all 1,300 students, take laps around the back parking lot for donations.

The kids have been bringing in change all week, which – much to the chagrin of parents and room moms – has to be counted.

“It isn’t just a labor of love for the teachers; the PTO coordinates the event every year, with every dollar raised going back to the school with a capital expenditure, or something the teachers need,” Rome said. “We might be buying lunches or redoing the playground.

“We hand out grants every year for teacher classroom needs. Our hope this year was $25,000, but we actually pulled in $31,000. That will go toward revamping the gym and stage this summer.”

Many of the teachers dressed up in Disney and other cartoon characters to the delight of the children. The teachers seemed to buy in to the joyful day before Spring Break as much as the kids.

The fourth grade teachers dressed as Snow White and several dwarves including Doc, Bashful, Sleepy and Grumpy.

The second grade teachers dressed as Peter Pan, pirates and companions.

Tigger got the ball rolling, starting the run with all the kids in a pack behind him.

The ENCORE teachers and administrators went all out, dressing in various Disney characters.

“It’s an absolute blast,” Rome said. “The kids get out and run to music and have little dance parties. The DJ was Commissioner at-Large Kim Frazier, who played all the kids’ favorite tunes including ‘It’s Raining Tacos.’ She just brings the joy. We absolutely love her to DJ.

“The event has a theme every year. This year is ‘No one walks alone at Hardin Valley Elementary.’ It was a Disney and friends theme, so everyone had fun with that,” Rome said.

One big attraction was the Karns Fire Department, which showed off their firefighting equipment while the kids ate popsicles and wound down ready to return to class. Each class went outside for an hour so the bigger kids didn’t run over the smaller ones.

“It’s truly something to see; the kids run, hop, skip, jump and hold hands while they’re doing it,” Rome said. “They spent the week learning about character traits like honesty, kindness, integrity and respect. They are ready for Spring Break and so are we!”

OPINION

TV habits create marital dilemma

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

I don’t know why it’s my job, but it is. In our marriage, I’m the one who is responsible for finding something new and interesting for my husband and me to watch on TV. It’s not an easy task. Because my husband has very specific tastes in television programs and a lot of rules for me to follow.

He doesn’t like to watch anything too over-the-top. Or too dramatic. Or too sad. He’s like the Goldilocks of television. Everything has to be “just right.”

He enjoys a good car chase, but he doesn’t like a lot of violence (don’t they usually go together?) He strongly prefers a linear plot and abhors flashbacks. He doesn’t like movies that feature horses or precocious teenagers or anything dubbed in English.

But his number one rule? A child cannot die any time during the program, or we have to turn it off.

“Give me butterflies and rainbows,” he always says, and I try. Really. But it’s hard to find a show where nothing bad happens because the bad part is where all the interesting plot twists occur.

To prevent any accidental viewing mishaps, we must read through all the program description carefully and watch all the trailers before we can try anything new. It’s more challenging than you’d think to find a happy, horse-free television show in English where children stay healthy throughout the entire series.

And that’s where the real problem lies. Because by the time we watch all the trailers and discuss our various TV options, my husband is usually sound asleep. And I’m left to answer one of life’s great existential questions: Am I TV-cheating on my husband if I keep watching our program while he sleeps?

It's a marital dilemma I face nightly.

My husband has watched the first 15 minutes of hundreds of television programs that we’ve spent hours trying to choose. Back when I was a better person, I would turn off the TV or change the channel every time his eyes started to close. Then the next night, I’d dutifully start the show again in hopes that he could stay awake to complete at least one full episode. I even refrained from eye-rolling when he referred to his TV viewing habit as “binge watching.” That’s how nice I used to be.

But after rewatching countless shows so he could “catch up,” I finally learned that rewatching a program doesn’t solve the problem. He still falls asleep 15 minutes in and I’m still left with the choice to TV-cheat or not. Talk about a terrible rerun.

But something has shifted in me recently. Now when my husband falls asleep, I shrug my shoulders and keep watching. “You snooze, you lose,” I think to myself. And I mean it. Literally.

At least I know who I am now. Hello, my name is Leslie Snow, and I am a TV cheater. I am an unfaithful binge-watching companion. I faced a very sleepy husband and a moral marriage dilemma head-on and then caved to satisfy my own selfish need for entertainment.

Now I’m free to watch more than the first 15 minutes of every TV show and I don’t have to rewatch anything out of guilt. I can gleefully binge-watch one episode after another late into the night just because I feel like it. Finally, I can get my fill of all those tragic foreign language films about plucky, terminally ill teenagers looking back on their days riding horses.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com

I'll pay $100 to anyone who knows where the Fort Kid time capsule is buried | Ashe

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