David Carroll

I’m at the age where people ask me what I will do after I retire. When I tell them I have no idea, they say, “Well, you’ll have more time to fix things around the house.” That’s when my wife begins laughing uncontrollably. I’ve been called many things, but “handyman” is not one of them. When I was growing up, a handyman existed only to help little old ladies who didn’t have a man around the house. Any home with a “real man” had no reason to employ someone to fix the plumbing, the roof, or the electricity. I forfeited my real man card long ago.

explore the origin of some common sayings. After writing several columns about phrases like, “that takes the cake,” and “dead as a doornail,” many of you suggested some others. I figured I had better write another column about those idioms now, or someone would accuse me of “beating around the bush.” Where did that one come from? Oddly enough, it originated from hunters, hundreds of years ago. According to the website “Mental Floss,” it alluded to hunters who would shake bushes and weeds to scare out birds, rabbits, or similar creatures. The critters could then be caught or snared in nets.

Timothy Miller gives me goosebumps. He is the charismatic man in the tuxedo who sings “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch at Atlanta Braves games on Sundays. I have enjoyed his performances for the past 18 years, and I can report that he is on a 221-game winning streak, with no end in sight. It is an impressive display of patriotism, each more moving than the last.

Two weeks ago, I asked if there are any celebrities who inspire people like Dolly Parton did. Could anyone else elicit such an outpouring of love? Today, I’ll share your thoughts, and mine. Dolly is a tough act to follow. Her record of kindness and generosity may be impossible to replicate. According to the New York Times, seventy percent of Americans expressed a favorable view of Dolly in a Umass/YouGov poll in March 2026, the highest approval rate for any living person. I’d like to have a word with the other thirty percent, who probably also frown on puppies, homegrown tomatoes, and a cool summer breeze.

People of a certain age enjoy telling our younger friends how things were so much better when we were kids. Of course, they always have a snappy comeback or two. “Oh yeah, life was good before seat belts, right? Y’all must have really enjoyed breathing all that polluted air. I’ll bet it was fun watching 3 black and white TV channels.”

Ivividly remember my first flight. Chattanooga to Memphis, in the late 1960s. My oldest sister had moved there, and my mom and I went to see her. As a kid, I was fascinated. The plane was just like I had seen in the commercials: smiling stewardesses fetching me food and drinks, and space age transportation much like the Jetsons cartoons.

More than a few times over the years, I’ve filled this space with “Facebook Fails” or “Autocorrect Accidents,” a collection of unfortunate misspellings. These word mishaps are caused by technology, confusion, a lack of spelling smarts, or all of the above. I have earned a reputation in my workplace as a stickler when it comes to spelling.

Let’s explore the origin of some common sayings. After writing several columns about sayings like, “Sight for Sore Eyes” and “Don’t Fly Off the Handle,” many of you suggested some others. Did your parents ever say, “Well, That Takes the Cake!” Remember the cake walks of your childhood? In the 19th century, community dance contests awarded an actual cake to the winners, cementing “take the cake” as the result of achieving first place honors. Of course, if you were a superb dancer, winning the competition was a piece of cake, right? And winning the cakewalk while leisurely strolling proved how easy it was. That’s why a political candidate who gets 80 percent of the vote is said to have won “in a cakewalk.”

Back in 1975, Tom T. Hall sang, “I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow. I like beer, it helps me unwind and makes me feel mellow. Whiskey’s too rough, Champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear. This little refrain should help me explain, as a matter of fact, I like beer.” Up until then, Tom T. and I agreed on almost everything. We both loved old dogs, watermelons, little baby ducks, and pickup trucks. But we parted company on beer.