OK, so I forgot

Mea culpa: Have you ever noticed that when folks write letters of thanks for fundraisers and special community events, they don't list everyone by name "because they are too numerous to mention." That's not the real reason.

The real reason is this: No matter how hard you try to remember everyone who needs to be thanked, you will forget someone. And there's a good chance the one you leave out is the one who deserved the most thanks.

That's just the way things work.

I found this out after last week's column when I listed all the professional and medical folks who look after me. I thought long and hard, trying to make sure I hand't shortchanged anyone. I wanted to be fair to the nth degree.

I was pretty sure I had succeeded until I called my accountant to arrange to go over tax returns for 2008. Before he even said "hello" on the phone, he announced, "I'm going to schedule an appointment for you, and then I'm going to change it two or three times."

I'm no rocket scientist, but I immediately got the point. I had left "accountant" out of my list. My accountant is great about keeping appointments. Despite the fact that we discuss taxes, I look forward to our annual get-togethers, because we usually wind up talking about things we like, such as how proud we are of our sons and daughters.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I also realized I had left "lawyer" off the list. What a huge mistake. I can't think of anything worse than getting on the wrong side of a lawyer, unless it's a proctologist -- which, thank goodness, I haven't had a need for. Yet.

So apologies all around. I did not intend to snub anyone, I swear. And there's a good chance I have, once again, forgotten to list someone who deserves special mention. But I can't think of who it is right now.

If you're out there, tapping your toes just waiting for me to think of who you are, we'd all be better off if you'd call and let me know. I have a special apology waiting for you -- much nicer than this one.

n

Folks in the Cape Girardeau area keep saying how lucky we were in Ice Storm 2009. They are saying that relative to Ice Storm 2008, which they say was considerably worse.

I'm not sure I agree. To me, that analysis is like saying, "Good thing we only had a little plague."

Or, "Good thing you only chopped your arm off at the wrist. It could have been your elbow, like last year."

It is difficult to comprehend what our neighbors to the south have endured this year. Indeed, many of them are still affected in big ways. A colleague from the Missouri-Arkansas border said 3,000 folks were still without power in her area as of the middle of this week.

And just imagine the aftermath of such a nasty storm. Everywhere you look there's something that needs attention.

I had a fellow pick up my two piles of limbs from my front yard. Then we had straight-line winds. So now I have the start of another pile.

I've noticed fewer piles of storm debris this year than last. At this rate, we won't have any limbs to worry about in a few years.

Some said last year's ice storm only happens once in a lifetime. Or every 100 years. Then we had this year's ice storm. It makes me think of the three 500-year floods we had in Cape Girardeau during the 1990s, not to mention the 14-inch deluge last year that came on the heels of the ice.

I don't like ice anymore. Not even in my soft drink or tea. If anyone's interested, I will gladly trade next year's ice storm for a foot or two of snow.

Please?

jsullivan@semissourian.com