LILACS to Wal-Mart for opening a training center in Airway Heights to train entry level managers, and for donating $365,000 to Washington State University for research on cotton. As jobs in some sectors get cut, it’s great that Wal-Mart is amping up their hiring.

LEMONS to drivers in Spokane who don’t understand about yielding when entering the freeway. The cars already on the freeway shouldn’t have to be bothered by cars coming on. The drivers entering the freeway often just barge into the lane, assuming everyone will just make way for them. Is that a Spokane thing? Or are drivers pretty much awful all over?

LEMONS to people of either party who don’t respect the office of elected officials, regardless of their party affiliation. It was dismaying to hear Cathy McMorris Rodgers get loudly booed when speaking to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday, and it’s dismaying that so many Democrats in office boycotted President Trump’s inauguration. Shouting people out or not showing up is not conducive to listening or to progress.

LEMONS to people who try to pass off their pets as service dogs. By lying about their dog’s credentials and training, they put legitimate service dogs at risk, because they sometimes attack, and sometimes cause health issues. Needing a pet for emotional support is not the same as needing one to navigate through daily life. Please keep pets out of stores and restaurants, and let legitimate service dogs in. We would support having them credentialed and licensed.

LILACS to those who lend a helping hand in the snow. From my office window I get to see the entire streetscape on Howard and First Avenue. I see cars and trucks get stuck and people coming out of offices to help push, people falling in the snow and others helping them back up, business owners arriving early to shovel sidewalks and scatter salt, and a generally communal feeling of all being in this together, and getting through it with Spokane cheer.

LEMONS to Spokane City Hall for playing “Gotcha” and suddenly getting on a business or individual’s case when they see you didn’t obtain an obscure Entertainment License. Technically, if you have someone spin a few records at a party in your home or put on a little soiree in your office and have someone sing the National Anthem, you need to pay $100 per event for a license. Of course, when you apply for a business license no one tells you that, and why would you even think to ask? Obviously a total money grab.

LILACS to anyone who is still keeping their New Year’s Resolutions! If you’ve made it this far, it may have actually become a habit. Hang in there! If you did not make any at all, go for it now. Without a target, how will you know if you ever hit it?

LEMONS to people who go into shops and sample every single item, often bringing their kids with them to enjoy the freebies, and then leave without buying anything. Witnessing a merchant endure that with a smile and a cheerful “goodbye” reinforces my belief that saints exist, and that I am not among their number.