To Be Announced ~ Rick's Newest Column Post

“TO BE ANNOUNCED” 

by Rick Jones, husband of Minister's Wife

Yesterday the contest to name this column ended, and the winner is . . . to be announced!

No, that's not the name of the column. That's the name of this particular article. We're not releasing the name of the column because upon notification, the winner has 48 hours to respond. Also, I wanted to use that joke to begin this article.

Lois wanted me to see the comments we've received. I wrote four articles before we posted the first one, just in case my recent medical problems caused more trouble than expected. Here are some thoughts based on what some of you said about the first two installments.

Thank you for so much positive feedback. I mean that sincerely. “Rick's Ramblings” was far and away your favorite suggestion for a title. But earlier this week I explained why I had already rejected that one. You made me think of using it anyway, but then I would have had to split up the prize. It would have been no problem sending just one dessert bowl to each of six winners, but I couldn't bring myself to ripping up the paperback book and sending each person 32 pages of it.

Liz Mays surprised me when she described my style as “haphazard, scattered and silly.” That's all been said about me before, but never as a compliment! Thank you.

A comment from Shonda was just plain eerie. She suggested the title “Rambling Ruminations” before the article discussing both of those terms was posted! I think she's either a time traveller who had already read the next couple of articles, or she's part of the Psychic Friends Network.

I feel like you've given me approval to continue writing, and permission to continue rambling. That's good, because [as I mentioned in this column's debut] I decided to begin writing these articles because of “food poisoning, amputation and electrical malfunction of a hospital bed.” Here we are, installment number five, and I still haven't gotten around to those stories. Maybe next week.

Hmmm . . . “Maybe Next Week.” Catchy. If I'd thought of that a month ago, we wouldn't have needed a contest. But I digress.