While growing up my mom worked for the local newspaper, a small town weekly.  Typeset and old school printing machines in that little brick building.  I still remember visiting her there and the floor black with ink.

From the age of 10 to 13 I delivered a daily newspaper.  The newspapers would arrive on my front porch each day, bundled together with a plastic band.  My hands would be black from folding them and wrapping each with a rubber band.  I’d then load them in a carrying bag and ride my bicycle around the neighborhood accurately (most of the time) tossing them onto the front porches of my customers.

Fast forward to today.  I was working in the garage and asked my 6 year old son Koven if he’d run inside and grab some newspaper for me from the recycling bin.  While we don’t subscribe to a newspaper it’s common that the grocery store advertisements come as newspapers in the mail.

A few moments later he emerged from the house holding a single 8.5 x 11 white piece of paper.  He said, showing the paper to me, “Dad, it’s got writing on one side but the other side is blank.” He was smiling, obviously pleased with having brought me a great useful piece of “newspaper”.

“Oh buddy, that’s not newspaper” I replied.  As I headed into the house to grab some newspaper he looked at me and sincerely asked, “Dad, what is newspaper?”

Then it struck me.  Here’s a 6 year old who knows the difference between Internet Explorer and Mozilla, has his own e-mail address (which he proudly reminds me – even though I opened the account for him) and knows how to find a Line Rider post I put on the Backcountry.com Blog over a year ago but he doesn’t know what a newspaper is.

It’s a whole new world than it was 21 years ago when I delivered my last newspaper.

2 Responses to “Have You Seen the Newspaper?”

  1. Paul Creer Says:

    Kendall,

    Hello there long lost friend. Too frequently I find myself wondering where in the world Kendall Card ended up. I received an email last week from the Heslingtons notifying the world of a mission reunion to be held this month. There was a link to the mission website so I went and checked it out. You were the first person I searched for. It took me to a “backcountry.com” link and so on and so forth until I found myself on “kendallcard.com”. Who’d a’ thought it would be as easy as typing in KendallCard.com. How in the world are you. It sounds like you are enjoying life. Four kids, that is outstanding! Are you in Kamas? Once again, I am just going off of the info I found on the mission website. I would love to touch base with you and talk. Maybe you could teach me the ways of the back country. I have finally taken my head out of the books and finished school. Bethany and I just recently moved back to Utah after 10 years away. It is a long story that I’ll tell you sometime.
    I hope you are well! If you reply to this maybe just reply straight to my email which is pbcreer@hotmail.com
    I’d love to catch up on life with you.
    Paul Creer (Pablo)

  2. powstash Says:

    Paul! Well keep wondering because I don’t think Kendall Card has ended up…but he’s well on his way. And yes, it’s as easy as KendallCard.com. Looking forward to touching base with you and Bethany.

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