These are a few of my favorite things

I get feedback that I’m always complaining, so as we head into fall, I’ve decided to turn a new leaf – for this column at least – and tell you about some of my favorite things about the area:

▪  High school football games in the crisp, autumn nights. My school played on painted tundra, but here, we have lush, field turf with little black specks of rubber. I guess we can’t tell kids to rub mud on it anymore when they pick up an injury.

▪  The apple, raspberry and blueberry scones from the Peach Stand. Most scones are dense and chalky and need to be washed down with a gallon of creamy liquid. These are moist and fruity. Heck, just the fact that we have a something like the Peach Stand selling local items is good enough for me.

▪  Scarowinds. Yes, it is cheesy. Yes, it is expensive. But it takes me back to the old haunted houses that some family would throw together years ago and that parents would actually let you enter. Then again, we used to take hayrides in the back of a pickup truck and I’m pretty sure that Social Services really frowns on that type of danger these days.

▪  Cherry lemon Sundrop slushies. I like them. And I’m not going to tell you where to get them because while this isn’t a column about complaining, I don’t like to stand in line.

▪  MJ Donuts in Pineville. Yes it is a little drive. Yes it is just donuts, but there is something to be said for fresh donuts instead of traying up sugar bombs delivered on a truck from Massachusetts.

▪  Festivals. It isn’t just this time of year, but I love a good festival. Sure, the Strawberry Festival might have a cover band as its featured performer. So what? All the bands I like are too old to sound good these days anyhow, so let somebody else rock out. Music, cold beer and some food truck food. If those things are in Heaven, I’m going to start living life like a monk.

▪  The schools. No, I’m not a student, but I’ve been impressed with nearly every teacher, principal and administrator I’ve met. People passionate about education and it shows with our kids. Jason Johns, the principal of Nation Ford High, has more energy than myself and 35 bunnies banging a drum.

▪  The weather. The fact that we get a taste of all four seasons without getting pummeled by any of them is awesome. No shoveling out from under four feet of snow is good enough for me!

I might complain a lot, but there also a lot of reasons not to complain. All right here.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "These are a few of my favorite things."