Birdie: By event coordinator Kate Petsold and the many others involved in December’s splendid Reindeer Fun Run. It was announced last week that the most recent edition of the run, a highlight of the Christmas season in these parts, cleared an impressive total of $27,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills. A belated ho-ho-ho to all who expended so much energy and spirit to make the thing such a success.

Bogey: By Mother Nature, for giving us such a pallid excuse for winter so far. We don’t know if it’s global warming or what. Sure, it’s been nice not having to do much bundling up in the normally frigid season. But the blooming crocuses and other early signs of spring now making their appearance somehow don’t mean as much when you feel you haven’t really earned them.