Columnists - All

It's New Year's Eve and I'm not at work today. That doesn't happen often in my profession.

Children's indoor recreation and party center Monkey Joe's is set to open Saturday in Fairview Heights.

Q. I have two questions about vegetable gardening that I want to try this year. I want to know about raising the sweetest tomato fruits. I read that several catsup producers will not be adding any sugar to make their catsup this year. How do I produce the sweetest tomatoes? I also want to produce the hottest peppers. What are the hottest varieties?

Q. We always have good intentions when it comes to sending Christmas cards, but it seems life gets so hectic each December that we barely get all the presents bought, wrapped, etc.

Somewhere out there is a guy who will find size 38-30 gray pants (no pleats, no cuffs), a 17 1/2 -33 powder blue shirt and a very conservative gray, blue and white striped tie under his Christmas tree.

A few days late, but here are my fearless but not very bold predictions for 2009:

Q. Can you explain why sunrise and sunset times, which usually change almost daily, seem to stall at this time of year? For example, the earliest sunset occurs from Dec. 1-12 while the latest sunrise occurs from Dec. 30 to Jan. 10. What gives?

You can gripe all you want, but those yield signs on the Belleville Public Square aren't going anywhere except up on poles for permanent display.