With Progress Chenango 2011, inarguably our most expansive project of the year, squarely behind us with the final installments in today’s edition, it’s time to turn our attention to the future, to map out the year which lies ahead, to set goals and establish new priorities.

But first, we’ve got to clean the office.

In what’s become as much a tradition as our post-Progress three martini lunch, today is also designated as post-Progress cleanup day. Shortly after today’s paper is put to bed, my little minions will set about tidying their work areas like so many shoemaker’s elves, discarding the detritous of day-to-day reporting and seeing, perhaps for the first time in months, the gleaming formica tops of their desks.

Me, I won’t have all that much to do. I’ve always been something of a neatnik, and my fastidiousness in this area has grown exponentially with time, evolving perhaps into what some would call a good old-fashioned obsessive compulsive disorder.

‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is a mantra which I believe we would all do well to live by. My frustrations usually arise from trying to convince others that this is the Golden Rule. At home, this order is easily established. My home is my castle, and as King I reign benevolently over my loyal subjects.