To the editor:
Amazingly, people can do the strangest things. For example, I just have finished looking over more than seventy “Retro-Blog” columns written by Keith McLendon and published in the Sun from 2009 to this year. In his essays, McLendon has covered such diverse topics as the rules for waving at people in Saratoga (8-4-10), time flying like arrows (11-10-10), craving grilled cheese (7-11-12), licensing pressure cookers (4-24-13), and smelling road cones (5-28-14). On a more personal level, he has praised his mother (5-8-13) and declared his father “sadistic” (10-3-12). However, the purpose of this letter is to raise issue with two other topics he has considered. First are his screeds on reading and writing. He has informed his readers that they should read legal notices (3-24-10), that everyone should get to a library and read books (9-14-11), and that there are many advantages to reading stuff on computers (1-16-13). Now I cannot see how anyone could disagree with his positions on those topics, but when will he begin to follow his own advice? Two e-mails sent to him (7-2-14 and 9-5-14) remain unanswered while one sent almost three weeks ago (8-25-14) received only a partial response. Does this mean that his praises about reading and writing do not extend to HIS e-messages? Secondly, some of his more recent articles indicate his growing recognition of the aging process. He has started to worry about his aging looks (4-25-12). Is he as handsome as he once believed he was? Is he really as large as photographs indicate? Does he need to diet and exercise? I believe that the answers to all those questions is “yes!” He also has started to reminisce about old television ads and even older newscasters (8-8-12). His recent praise for the snail-paced life (4-30-14) points to his clear willingness to slow down, which was much unlike his teen and young adult years when he was a fan of “musical” groups like Rush and Kiss and very unlike his kicker flirtation with the urban cowboy lifestyle. Well, Keith, slow down if you must but keep writing and a happy 50th birthday (9-20-14) to you, and when all your many friends in Wyoming, who are on a first-name basis with everyone else there (1-8-14), see you out pushing your walker ’round town I hope that they will greet you with, “hey, old guy, how’s it goin’ and write or phone your dad!”
Assiduously researched and respectfully submitted,
Mack McLendon
Lawrence, Kansas
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