Which Reminds Me

I vaguely recall that while working as a reporter for the bi-weekly Boca Times, in a city covered also by two dailies, the Boca News one day had a story about Mayor Smith handing out keys to the city to visiting dignitaries. I do not recall the specifics of that incident, just that keys to the city were given out. It was not easy for a bi-weekly to beat a daily on some stories, we publishing only twice a week, and that was just one of those stories on which the Boca News was there first, fair and square. So whatever. Anyway, the city keys story did not strike me as all that important anyway. Did I have a follow up on that? I don't remember. Anyway, later my editor, Rick Hayden, was upset with me for not jumping all over the city keys story, as if there were something suspicious about a mayor handing out city keys to whoever they want, one of the perks of being a city mayor around the world. Ok, so maybe Smith relished the perks more than some others, yet we also know that our publisher had a personal vendetta against Smith and Rick was fully involved in that, as we all know. I must admit that at the time I was not able to clearly perceive the dog collar snugly fitted around Rick's neck. I was not wearing such a dog collar so although they were yanking on chains sometimes I just wasn't getting it. Coincidentally, Rick's wife is a Klein, an attorney in Palm Beach, which must be very convenient for him. At the time, not having done any genealogical research and being only dimly aware that my mother's Uncle Winfred had two daughters of indeterminate name, the name Klein did not ring any alarm bells with me. Whatever. Anyway, I was not interested in donning some dog collar so resented Rick's trying to make me feel guilty about something. And don't we know that it was Uncle Winfred's wife Hazel Tackett, not us, who had KKK roots in Alabama in addition to various other mental issues, such as sleeping in a separate room for her husband for many years, a situation he patiently tolerated until her death? So obviously we are not interested in revisiting Hazel's mental problems now, our ancestors having found California a pleasant place of escape from the farm issues.