If it seems like I've got a little more zest to me, a little more zing, something kind of hard to quantify, even harder to describe, well, yes, I think it's true.

I've gotten spicier, salty, you could say.

If I had to describe my present state, I'm more on the line of a salted pretzel, or a saltine cracker, as opposed to, well- Lot's wife - the most extreme and famous salty person that I know of.

I have salt on my gloves from throwing salt on the sidewalk.

I have salt on my shoes, a nasty white line that bleeds through even after a good shoe shine.

I have salt on the cuffs of my trousers. My salt line rises and falls on the cuffs like an angry ocean current.

My car is covered in salt, a pretty even spread on the sides and then odd shaped round salt droppings all over the top and the hood.

Because my car is covered with salt, so too is my jacket which brushes up against the car door as I come and go.

All that salt on the shoes and the trousers, on the gloves and the jacket, it all creates a salt effect that makes it's way to my muffler and then inevitably to my lips.

I feel like I'm munching on cold McDonald's french fries all day- sans the grease.

Salty, I'm feeling salty.

I guess I should be grateful I don't live in Ankeny, Iowa.

Last month in Ankeny the Tone Brothers spice factory donated 18,000 tons of salt to the road crew. The road guys are using the Tone Brothers donated salt this icy winter to spread on 400 miles of county roads.

One detail you should know. The salt from the Tone Brothers, it's garlic salt.

It's reported that the road guys have quite an increased appetite these days.

One can only imagine!

As a salty guy myself, I guess that garlic salt everywhere might be a little much. Then again, I'm thinking maybe a road trip to Ankeny, Iowa, might just be in order.

I wonder if it has boosted sales of spaghetti or garlic bread.

Go figure.

* * *

Approachable

My mom used to say that to view a person as easily approachable was a true compliment. She had a boss she thought highly of and she would often describe him as "approachable on any subject."

I thought of my mom's words when I read an article by Debbie Lowe in this paper back on 12/24/08. The article "Christmas comes early to jail inmates" described a visit to the Carroll County Jail by the religious organization "Christmas Behind Bars."

While the article's focus was about the organization and their visit to the local jail, there was a sub-text that caught my attention.

We have a county sheriff who is approachable. This was a new idea, Sheriff Tony Burns took a look at it and said yes. A positive outcome was the result of Burns being approachable.

My compliments to Sheriff Burns.

* * *

Best Christmas gifts

When the holiday wrapping is long since recycled,

and the January charge card has finally been paid,

the gifts, they were great, but often

their memory does fade.

My wife loves our new electric blanket

it has been a cold winter, for sure.

and I love our Brita water purifying pitcher -

the salty taste it does cure.