FROM CBS NEWS AFFILIATE WIAT-TV, a report that Officer William Stacy was called to the local Dollar General store in Tarrant, Ala., on Saturday where a woman was caught trying to steal a dozen eggs.

The officer recognized the woman because he had responded to a previous call to her house and had seen her difficult living conditions. The store agreed not to press charges, and Officer Stacy decided to buy the eggs for her.

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Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say they’ve discovered that nitrous oxide — laughing gas, a somewhat mild general anesthetic often used as a sedative in dental surgery — may be a rapid, effective treatment for severe depression when a patient isn’t helped by standard therapies such as antidepressant medications.

Two-thirds of patients who received the laughing gas reported significant improvements in their depressive symptoms. Side effects of the use of nitrous oxide are feeling relaxed, unconcerned, happy, slightly numb and disconnected.

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Psyblog reports that when thinking about almost anything, anxious people are prone to expect the worst.
However, socially anxious people often enjoy social occasions much more than they expect.

One study had people predict how much they would enjoy a group celebration on St. Patrick’s Day. The results showed that socially anxious people consistently underestimated how much fun they would have.

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A former monk speaking on The Daily Good says that “deep within each of us is a great well of health, abundance, knowledge and guidance. When we enter into silence and stay in the silence, we come into direct contact with that sacred well. In that place dwells our True and Higher Self. … One of the most powerful spiritual practices you can adopt is also one of the easiest to do.”

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If you leave an open box under your Christmas tree, your cat will sleep in it instead of trying to open the other packages. The box doesn’t have to be big enough for the cat. Cats seem to enjoy squeezing into too-small boxes. This strategy also helps with cat hair containment.

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The Associated Press reports that Ron Ingraham, a 67-year-old boater who had been missing at sea for 12 days, is on his way to shore after being found uninjured 64 miles south of Honolulu.

The Coast Guard searched for him after his mayday call on Thanksgiving to report that his small boat was taking on water about 50 miles west of Kailua-Kona. In audio of the call, Ingraham is heard saying he was in danger of sinking.

The search was suspended Dec. 1 until another mayday call came in Dec. 8. A guided-missile destroyer was nearby and its crew members found him.

The Coast Guard says Ingraham was weak, hungry and dehydrated when the Navy ship reached him. The agency said that he accompanied the cutter that towed his 25-foot vessel to the island of Molokai.

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Time Magazine featured the SAME café in Denver that serves food “So All Might Eat.” The café’s menu has no price structure other than “Pay what you can.” Diners can choose to work in the garden, wash dishes or sweep floors in exchange for fresh soups, homemade breads and entrees.

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Tucson News Now tells us that the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s “NORAD Tracks Santa” website, www.noradsanta.org, officially launched on Dec. 1, as it does every year. In keeping with technological advances the site features a mobile version, a holiday countdown, new games and daily activities for kids. The website is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

Starting at one minute after midnight (MST) on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will then stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations around the world.

NORAD Tracks Santa began in 1955 when a local Tucson advertisement told children to call Santa direct but misprinted the number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Thus began the tradition, which NORAD has carried on since. 

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You’re welcome.

Hope your holidays are warm and sweet.

Carolyn Plath, M.Ed., is a Benicia resident and retired high school principal. Read her blog at thinkdreamplay.blogspot.com.