Well, there were two blackouts at the Davis house over the weekend. Of course, you are aware of the Super Bowl. But Monday morning, my driveway also went dark, when my trusted Toledo Blade canceled home delivery in our town. For the first time in 40 years, I am not receiving The Blade, and for the first time in my 61-year life, I am living in a house that does not receive a delivered daily newspaper. The cancellation of The Blade leaves us without any option of current day delivery of a quality newspaper the broadly covers regional, state and national news. How sad!

As a child, our home received two daily newspapers. It was my mother's way of making sure her kids had quality reading materials, which stretched and broadened our minds. My mother was never able to go to college, but looking back, I realize it was her way of making sure we kids were going to. We did. All three of us.

Now the Blade would argue that their paper is still available online. Balderdash. I'm going to buy a second $500 Tablet, so my wife and I can share the paper over the breakfast table? And they want me to pay the same price as other customers who get the real thing delivered to their front door? Never mind that I can open and scan the whole paper in half the time it takes to read one on our tablet or our computer. Apparently my time isn't worth much? I do have a smart phone. But that's for making calls, not trying to read font's the size of a pin head.

The newspapers were our window to the world, to a better life, to a better more educated, and civil, society. For too many now, that window is just a Twitter feed from any Tom, Dick or Jane yahoo with a phone in place of experience, education, and years of wisdom. How sad. I say nothing of any substance or intellect can be properly explained in 160 characters.

Of course, the papers too are their own worst enemy. The delivery they cancelled was just last month prepaid for one year in advance. (Still looking for my $200 refund!) When I emailed them after the stop delivery notice, neither the editor nor the circulation manager bothered to reply to this 40-year customer. How's that for customer service? And I can't remember the last time they used any advertising, promotions, or specials to seek new subscribers in our town of 1000 people, even though they still deliver papers to the town north of us and the town south of us!

What is happening to The Blade is not unique. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Maybe change is inevitable, but this one isn't for the better. I think this trend is making us a less educated, less informed, less civil society. People have time and money to spend on personal pleasures each day, but they don't have time or money to spend on something that makes them a better person, and ours a better society? We're paying a big price for that. And it's sad to lose an old friend.