Tribune Democrat.

The name of my hometown newspaper is the Tribune Democrat.  When I was still living there, my work required me to visit the paper on a regular basis.  I loved going in that building, it was (is) the life blood of the community.  And, to me it seemed to audibly 'hummm'.

I didn't realize just how connected I was to my hometown until last year, when (for some unknown reason) I became extraordinarily attached to the place.  Oh, I still have friends and family there with whom I've stayed in contact all these years, but one day while snooping around the Internet, I discovered my hometown newspaper and a vision of the building and all the time I spent in it sprang to life.  I was delighted to find I could browse the site for free for a certain time frame.  Suddenly I was fascinated with the names of places once so familiar to me.  There were pictures, too, my, how my heart warmed.  I spent a lot of time perusing the pages of the newspaper.  I checked rentals and homes for sale, I checked the weekly advertisements, I read the daily news articles, I even checked the 'obits' and funeral notices.

Then one day I saw an ad for my hometown magazine, thought 'what the heck', and ordered a year's subscription.  I figured it would be printed on newsprint paper, and have maybe a dozen or so pages.  I was thrilled to find it is a beautifully produced magazine that rivals those you find in bookstores, and it is (monthly) filled with fantastic articles about the people who live there, and also what they are doing to keep the area vibrant and alive.

By now I was hooked.  I can't say I'm homesick for my hometown...it's more like nostalgia, but I did discover my roots for the place are still firmly planted there and they thirsted for the place.  Truly thirsted for the place, and so it was I also started to subscribe the Tribune Democrat as well.  I wrote in my blog late last year how my subscription didn't work well at first and how a very lovely person helped me get my account set up and how she even extended my subscription for the period of time I was unable to move through the site.

Recently I got the renewal notice for my subscription to the paper, and I contemplated not renewing, then I realized just how much I had reconnected with my hometown, how much I miss the place. There, I've said it, 'er written it I miss the place. Is that the same thing as being 'homesick'? Perhaps it is, all I can say for sure is...move over San Francisco ...Johnstown is where I've left my heart.