What are some of the things that have made you laugh in recent days? I think we could all use a little more levity in our lives. Here’s my list of people, pets and events that have tickled my funny bone:

1. The woman at church who went on and on about how much she enjoyed our snow coverage on WRAL while she was getting ready for a colonoscopy.

2. The Cary woman in her green convertible driving around with the top down in 30 degree temperatures and a license tag which read: Single-4-ever

3. Famous Bob Inskeep – the former radio star who now preaches with the same humor, wisdom and passion he brought to the airwaves.

4. Watching my dog Rufus discover the magic and mischief of wind chimes on our back porch.

5. Having to buy a white noise machine for Rufus to keep him from waking up with me at 2:30AM and demanding that I take him to work.

6. Rediscovering the humor of The...

What is the oldest thing in your closet?  What item is off-limits when it comes to spring cleaning every year?   How long have you had it? Why do you still have it?  Could you ever let it go?

Elizabeth Gardner still clings to a medieval gown her mother made as a 10th grade Halloween costume. Lizzy still wears it just about every Halloween.

For Kelcey Carlson it was her first expensive dress – a 1996 polka dot beauty. Kelcey also has a strong sentimental attachment to a 1995 pair of black J. Crew dress pants purchased for her by a grandmother.

Brian Shrader recently moved to a new house and purged his closets. Brian put it this way: “I threw away everything that I hadn’t worn in the past year. It was uncomfortable, being as sentimental as I am, but two months later, I haven’t even thought about that old stuff. I also threw away a bunch of T-shirts. I only wear T-shirts on the weekend, so I need two a week. And I’m...

Prediction: business will be booming tomorrow at your local car wash. The grit, grime, gunk and brine from the recent snow storm have made a mess of our automobiles. With rain in the forecast today is probably not a great day for washing your car. But tomorrow should be sunny and nice.

Where do you get your car washed? Do you prefer an automated system or a fastidious detailer? Please vote for your favorite car wash.
 

How many of you are getting a little tired of this weather? You want to venture out and do something beyond the walls of your house. You've had it with this snow routine. You're restless. You're approaching stir crazy status.

How do you break out of this suffocating routine? What is your list of Stir Crazy Solutions? Please share.

My family took a long walk with Rufus and that seemed to help everyone's disposition. Plus, a trip to the gym helped improve my mood. Hard working Kelcey Carlson says a vigorous round of closet cleaning will quickly cure cabin fever. Elizabeth Gardner likes to take a nap, then a brisk walk and some sledding. Brian Shrader beats cabin fever by watching endless episodes of Murder She Wrote.

What about you?

A major snowfall looks likely this weekend. If it happens, the best advice is to stay home and have fun. Where is the best place to go sledding in your neighborhood? Please share your recommendations.

When I was a kid growing up in Morganton we had several favorite places. I recall waxing up the blades of my Flexible Flyer and heading to a huge hill behind North Anderson Street. During the summer, neighborhood children groomed the trail by clearing brush and marking off the trail with limbs.

Later in high school there was a huge hill behind the First Baptist Church. I remember spending a weekend with friends flying down that big hill with little or no fear. Gosh, we had a great time!

What about you? What are your sledding memories and where do you head today to have some fun?

How many of you remember the woman in this picture? WRAL photographer Keith Baker stopped by my desk with this vintage photo. My best guess is 1986.   I look very happy sitting next to Adele Arakawa.

Adele was an extremely popular evening news anchor for WRAL during the 1980s. Adele worked mostly with Charlie Gaddy, Bob DeBardelaben and Tom Suiter. I used to fill in for Charlie on the anchor desk and had the pleasure of working with Adele.

Eventually, Adele moved on to Chicago where she worked for the CBS affiliate for five years. Her co-anchor in the Windy City was Bill Kurtis. In 1993, Adele landed in Denver where she became the top-rated female anchor. Adele continues to work at KUSA. If you travel to Colorado, you can watch her on local TV there. You can also hear her at the airport. Adele is the voice of the airport train system in Denver.

What are your memories of Adele Arakawa? Please share your thoughts.

My funniest...

They taunt me and haunt me,

On a wild windy day,

They come at me in swirls,

I chase them like squirrels,

They flutter and sputter,

They flip and they dip,

To capture is rapture,

To lose is the blues,

But only for a moment,

For a new breeze is blowing,

I wonder as they fly by,

With so much life surely,

They have little hearts and souls,

To go with tiny feet and wings,

Autumn leaves,

Playful orphans,

On a warm winter’s day.

Our Slice of Life series continues with the focus on Wilson today. Wilson oozes Southern charm in both appearance and personality. Wilson is one of those beautiful treesy towns with lots of wraparound porches and meticulously manicured lawns. Wilson makes me relax. I like its impressive courthouse, beautiful churches and fine barbecue.

What do you like about Wilson? What are some of the things visitors must see to fully appreciate this wonderful Southern town?  Please share your accolades.

My cousin Mark Williams sent me a couple of handcrafted pens recently. I was so impressed I told him I wanted to blog about his hobby.

Mark grew up in Charlotte but migrated to Michigan where he became a professor of classics at Calvin College. Currently my cousin serves as the Academic Dean for Arts, Languages and Education at the school.  Yes, Dr. Mark is the smart one in the family. Despite his love of Medieval Latin he remains down-to-earth. I think the wood keeps him grounded. He has certainly learned to work wonders with it.

After crafting lots of furniture for his summer home in Maine, Mark decided to tackle something new. The result has been a line of impeccable pens. Attached is a  photograph.

How many of you work with wood? How tough is it to get started? What have you made? Please share your stories as I share an interview with my cousin Mark Williams in Grand Rapids.

(1) How did you get started and how difficult is it?

I...

It was pizza night at the Leslie house! I was really excited. My daughter Lauren did the cooking. She's on break from year-round school as a first grade teacher. She's spending most of her time planning her wedding in September but she's also doing some cooking and that's great.

Pizza can kill a low carb diet but it sure tastes good and in moderation I think it's fine. We did this a while back but I'd like to do it again. What is your favorite pizza restaurant?

I surveyed the morning news team. Kelcey's favorite is Lilly's in Raleigh. Brian prefers Salvio's in Cary. Elizabeth loves Mellow Mushroom which also drew raves from several crewmembers. I really like Cinelli’s pizza and The Loop’s Mediterranean pizz is terrific. Amedeo’s also serves up great pizza.

What about  your favorite?   Who makes the best pizza?
 

Our Slice of Life series begins in Cary. Here’s what I like about the town. The crime rate is very low. The population includes people from all over the world. Dinner parties are always fun in Cary. You can learn a lot. Some people in other towns make fun of Cary but I think they’re only jealous. Cary used to be a little too rigid but has learned to loosen up a tad. Of course the guy with the drainage problem who wrote a message on his house might disagree. There is a heart and soul to Cary and it’s a rich one.

Cary’s Mayor Harold Weinbrecht is a good man. I go to church with him. He works hard and truly cares about the people of his community.

I like downtown Cary – especially Ashworth Drugs with its old fashioned soda fountain. Ralph and Daphne Ashworth are two of the finest people I’ve ever known. I love attending events at the Page Walker House by the train tracks and look forward to the new arts center at the old Cary...

I’d like to start a series here on Carolina Conversations called Slice of Life.

We’ll highlight any towns across North Carolina that you’d like. We’ll ask our bloggers to share their thoughts on those towns. What are the best things about these places? If you visit there what must you do to get a true taste of the community? What are the best restaurants? What are the top attractions? Who are the movers and shakers in town? Who are the town characters? What is the most interesting bit of history about the town that a lot of people may not know?

Okay. Let’s get started. What towns would you like to profile next week? I will offer what I know about the towns and let you fill in the gaps. I think we will all have fun getting to know our towns a little better.
 

We have a winner in our weight challenge. Before Thanksgiving we gave our Carolina Conversations bloggers a challenge to maintain normal weight during the holidays. Those who signed up agreed to limit their weight gain to two lbs. Many of you accepted the challenge and succeeded in your efforts. The names of those eligible for a batch of prizes were thrown into a hat. The winner is ageorgia. Congratulations to her and all those who participated.

Trainer and registered dietitian Tara Wind has agreed to give the winner a month’s worth of free work-outs at Lifetime Fitness in Cary. Ageorgia will also receive copies of all my CDs and mytbook Blue Ridge Reunion. Plus, we have a few other goodies to send along. Our winner already has something in common with Tara. They are both huge Carolina Hurricanes fans.

Tomorrow we will begin a special Slice of Life series. Stay tuned for the best places to eat and visit across North Carolina.
 

Dozens of you accepted the challenge in November to maintain your normal weight over the holidays. Well. how did you do?

If your weigh-in number this week was within two pounds of your normal weight and you signed up for the challenge then you are eligible for a series of prizes. They include a month's worth of personal training with Tara Wind at Lifetime Fitness, all of my CDs, my book Blue Ridge Reunion and a few other prizes.

We will put all of the eligible names in a hat tomorrow and pick a winner. So if you did well on the weight challenge please let us know.

I didn't do as well as I wanted over the holidays so I'm ready to get back on track with the help of Tara Wind's Top Ten Diet Resolutions for 2010. Here they are:

1. I will let go of all faulty nutritional knowledge learned up until now including but not limited to: carbs will make me fat, fat free and sugar free means I can eat as much as I want. . .

2. I will...