I’m always reminded of this quote by Molly Ivins: “I don’t so much mind that newspapers are dying — it’s watching them commit suicide that pisses me off.”

No Newspaper?!? The general consensus in the business world is that paper newspapers are going the way of the dodo bird; that they no longer have a place in the modern world. And I find that sad. I don’t remember a time that there weren’t newspapers in my life, even before I could read. Mysteriously, each day, the newspaper would arrive at our house. The adults would all peruse the headlines then divvy up the sections - dad the sports, grandma the obits, mom the ladies section, the older kids the comics. Then began the tsk-tsking over the day’s events – the local, the state, the national, and the world. Soon they would be exchanging bits and pieces of stories and then the sections would begin to rotate around, person-to-person, as each family member finished their first choice. My father always got first crack at the crossword and soon we would look over the television offerings on channels 2 through 13 for that night. Monday through Saturday the kids could take out their crayons, using the daily comics as coloring books. On Sunday, except for a quick glance at the headlines, the paper had to wait until after church. While my mother and grandmother finished fixing Sunday dinner, the paper kept us busy. After lunch my father would stretch out on the couch, begin reading the paper, and fall asleep with it resting on his chest. Within a day-or-so of its arrival the paper would be cut apart: the Wednesday paper always had food coupons and good recipes, an idea from the sewing column would be set aside, an obituary or wedding or birth announcement would be tucked into the Bible, an article saved to mail out to a distant relative or a college student. Sometimes there would be news so earthshaking – the starting and ending of wars, the deaths of presidents, local disasters - that whole newspapers would be put aside in a safe place for future generations to read and understand what had happened in the context of our daily lives. And this wasn’t the end of the paper. It lined the bottom of the parakeet’s cage, insulated casseroles en route to church suppers, and protected the kitchen table from seasonal projects such as pumpkin carving, Easter egg dying, and fish-cleaning. Our dogs were paper-trained. Newspapers and cardboard boxes were the two things one saved when a move was in the offing. We spread newspapers on the floor while we emptied the vacuum cleaner’s cloth bag and we crumpled a few in the fireplace under the wood to start the fire going. Ladies could copy or share patterns using newspapers and quilters sometimes used them for paper piecing. Every gardener knew old newspapers could be used as mulch or as a tent over tender plants in case of frost. They could be used to clean windows. Commuters use them as umbrellas during sudden rainstorms. Now that I’m semi-retired I finally have time to peruse the paper from front-to-back over breakfast then start the crossword. This is the way that I pictured retirement and I don’t want to give it up. Suddenly I want to go find my crayons, the big 64-color box. ## “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson http://hillsboroughnjjournal.blogspot.com/2008/11/no-newspaper.html

Joan, Remember when…. You would walk into a library and the surroundings would engulf your senses? The smell of old paper, leather from leather bound books and the smell of mahogany that lined the ceiling high bookshelves. The sound of true silence, silence so deafening you could literally hear a pin drop. The feeling of history surrounding you in light of the fact that the books that enveloped you as you strolled through the aisles that date back ages and ages….. Now you’re more likely to walk into a building filled with homeless individuals. Now you’ll smell not the books and old papers, but urine, body odor and in some instances smoke from those who choose to ignore the No Smoking signs. And silence, long gone. Children crying, people talking on phones and librarian staff speaking loudly without any regard for maintaining the semblance of tranquility. Remember when…. You would wake up early in the morning and step outside on a cool, autumn’s morn. In just your robe and slippers you’d play hide and seek in your attempt to find the newspaper that little Johnny almost always tossed somewhere out of sight. The bushes, under the car, the side of the porch….you never knew, but almost always found it. And when you took it inside to open as you had your first cup of coffee for the day, the smell of the ink would hit your nose, and the black ink from the paper would smear your finger tips. The articles were always simplistic and uncomplicated. Photos were grainy and lacked sophistication. But that was okay with you, you just wanted the facts. No more, no less. Those days are gone. Production practices for printing have changed. You’d be hard pressed to get any ink on your fingers. And little Johnny has been molested one time too many by “Nice old Mr. Gunderson down the street” so he’s not allowed to have a paper route by himself anymore. Now you’d be more likely to see Mr. or Mrs. Lewis who have to earn extra money because Mr. Lewis was laid off and still can’t find a job. And now we have the Internet….. With one (maybe two) clicks of your keyboard you have the most current and up to date news at your disposal. Black words displayed against a white screen. Surrounded usually be graphics, flashing icons beckoning you to lower your mortgage, improve your skin or take a vacation. Sensory overload beyond words. Gone are the smells of fresh print imitating from paper that isn’t as white and slick. Gone are the smudged fingers. The grainy photos….gone. Now they‘re so clear you can literally see pores of those photographed. I understand and accept that everything must change and that nothing stays the same. But I will miss the days of old. I will miss newspapers and all that they meant and gave me. A computer screen pales in comparison to the important role a newspaper…real paper in my hand, means to me. A world without printed news, books, magazines….all because it would be more expedient to obtain our news and information via the internet. Sometimes faster isn’t better. Sometimes you lose more in the process than it was worth.