The Bard of Sherman Avenue and I have been reminiscing this week regarding our years of collaboration involving his terrific short, fun rhymes. We were trying to figure out when it all began. The Bard says 2002. I thought it was earlier. But he appears to be correct. In our digital system, I found around 525 rhymes from The Bard in Huckleberries and my old Hot Potatoes column (that appeared on the Editorial Page during my 13 years on the Spokesman-Review Editorial Board). As far as I know, this was the first rhyme provided to Huckleberries by The Bard of Sherman Avenue, on May 20, 2002. The Bard offered this ode to North Idaho College trustees in wake of their arbitrary decision to cut five sports programs to help balance the budget:

``To reign is pleasant as can be
In our fair realm at NIC,
Where we proclaim from regal throne
Which sports shall prosper as our own.
If nothing else, we know one thing:
It's very good to be the king.''

The Bard of Sherman Avenue

(DFO: The identity of The Bard of Sherman Avenue will be revealed at Blogfest 2016, which is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Ground Grill)