Yarbrough: Remembering a big brother and his big influence

This is going to be a bit up close and personal.For the first time in my life, I am without my big brother. Robert Earl Yarbrough Jr. has passed away, and it still feels surreal. He has always been there. Had he not been, I probably would not be here today.

Yarbrough: Trying to deal with Artie Fishel Intelligence

RING! RING! RING!“Hello. Dick Yarbrough speaking. How may I direct your call?”“Dick, it’s me. Artie.”“I’m sorry. Artie who?”“Artie Fishel, you harebrained humanoid. Of Artie Fishel's Intelligence. You surely remember me.

Yarbrough: Reminder of privilege and responsibility for these words

As if this job isn’t hard enough already—trying to get nouns and verbs to agree (and trust me, they can be very disagreeable)—I have learned that this column is now the subject of regular dissection by a group of discerning ladies in Dalton. Uh-oh.

Yarbrough: Elections not over ‘til they’re over

The good news is that the primary elections are over. The bad news is the primary elections are not over—we now have runoffs. Then it will all be over, except it won’t be. The general election is Nov. 3, so we still have that to look forward to.

Yarbrough: Keep talkin’ Southern, y’all

I’m a little late getting around to this, but there is a survey out by a group called Writing Tips Institute, a website that teaches people how to write correctly.According to the survey, 51% of Georgians would like our dialect protected by law.

Yarbrough: Some random thoughts on some random subjects

I would like to say I hate it when I’m right, but Jiminy Crickets, I am right so much that if I spent all that time hating myself, I wouldn’t have time to hate broccoli. And I really hate broccoli.

Yarbrough: Political silly season upon us

Welcome to Silly Season, when our intrepid public servants—and those who aspire to be—dominate our TVs with ads, clutter street corners with yard signs, press the flesh while we’re trying to enjoy breakfast at our favorite diner, flood our mailboxes with flyers, and go online to ask us for money.

Yarbrough: Proposal may be cheap but not commitment

The American novelist Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “You can’t Go Home Again.” He was right. You can’t.I tried with my friend, Philip.A near-fatal bout of sepsis has made driving a challenge for me and a firm no-no, according to my kids.

Yarbrough: Eulogy to a friend who made a difference

I received a note from a reader last week chiding me for writing about the Okefenokee so much, saying he and others were tired of it. In fact, I have done only two columns on the Okefenokee this year, but I did allow mining proponents and opponents to express their positions on the subject.

Yarbrough: More random thoughts on random subjects

A reader in Calhoun sent my recent column on the Monks Walk for Peace to a Facebook page devoted to that extraordinary event. As of last week, it had received over 3,000 likes, more than 200 comments, and 20 Facebook users had posted it to their own page. I suspect that number has grown since.