I often wonder how many people are totally happy and fulfilled living in the area where they have settled down.

Of course, many folks just seem to have a yearning to move around and experience all the pros and cons that other places have to offer.

The heartland has always been just fine for Jane and me, although we enjoy a visit to a different climate and way of life on occasion, but very seldom!

There is something to say about being truly happy with your surroundings.

However, yesterday morning I was skimming through the State Journal’s sports section in my usual speedy manner. It seems there is hardly ever anything truly exciting because it covers state teams!

My eyes wandered to the Major League Baseball standings. They don’t go there very often because I’m one of those brainless, life-long Cub fans who are accustomed to always checking the league standings from the bottom up.

I stopped kicking myself a long time ago after my Dad passed away.  I eventually realized he didn’t know that when I was just a child, he was setting me up for a lifetime of anger, frustration, and finally acceptance of fan failure. I mean, it’s been over a hundred years since they won a championship......or even came close!

Did you know the word “fan” is a derivative  of the word “fanatic”? The definition of a fanatic in Webster’s Dictionary must have been written by a Cub fan. It says: “Overenthusiastic, zealous, beyond the bounds of reason.” Pretty tough to argue with that if you have ever sat through a disappointing afternoon at Wrigley Field.

But, I digress with sadness.

When I looked at those baseball standings in the Journal, something jumped off the page and shocked me into absolute laughter.

All three of the “neighboring” teams in our section of the heartland were in last place! The hated Chicago White Sox (Cub fans will understand the adjective) were in dead last place in their league, and guess which teams were tied for last place in their league. You win if you said Brewers and, of course, Cubs.

Can you believe it?  Baseball teams from our area of the map have a lock on being losers. In fact, the Cubs and Brewers couldn’t even decide which one was worst!

How enlightening is that?

No wonder folks from both coasts refer to us as the “Fly Over Zone!”

With all that said, we would never move away because of professional sports failures. We’d miss the blizzards too much!

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Here’s a quick reminder about the big, fund-raising auction at Firemen’s Park Saturday morning beginning at 10 o’clock.

In addition to a large selection of useful items waiting for the highest bidder, there also will be food available along with a big, homemade bake sale for those with a sweet tooth.

Auctions are always fun, especially with the big assortment of items just waiting for your bid.

All the funds will be used to pay for the new roof at First Congregational Church. And, now that its in place, we can expect the drought to end any day now.

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Thought for the day: We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp. some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all of them are different colors. But they have one thing in common. They all have to live in the same box.