[June 28, 2024] My Dad really liked the song “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, and I liked it too because of him. As a little kid, this was now my favorite song, sung by the King of Rock and Roll and the man who jiggled his way to fame on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. Legend has… Read More »
[June 26, 2024] One trait of my Mom that I admired was that she could remain calm while the chaos of us children swirled all around her. She grew up the youngest of five, maybe that’s why she never lost her “Well, I declare!” sense when surprised or her appreciation of her family. That’s the only way I… Read More »
[June 16, 2024] I was reeling in a largemouth bass as hard as my little hands could work the fishing rod. And I was scared of falling out of the boat and into the deep lake water where my weak swimming ability would surely put an end to my life. I’m now a Boomer-Geezer American, raised by combat… Read More »
[June 11, 2024] Being a prankster is like being a comedian. Both are working hard for a good laugh. But, the prankster is more devious because any successful prankster must be anonymous. And, yes, there was a brief time I wanted to be a standup comic, too. Growing up, I was a bit of a prankster and, on… Read More »
[June 7, 2024] After drinking from the water jug, we drove to a broken “Oklahoma Jack,” sitting silently on an old farmer’s barren land about an hour west of Abilene. In Texas, it was mid-summer and early, just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Already, the air was so dry the moisture was sucked straight out of… Read More »
[June 6, 2024] My first actual blind date would be at the end of the school year. I was nervous because this would be a “real” date and my only second date ever. I didn’t know the young lady, so it was a confirmed blind date. Both of us were nervous, or at least I was. It was… Read More »
[May 29, 2024] People don’t learn much from history, which is unfortunate. My Dad was right about that and was correct in saying that we are much closer to historical events than we might imagine; we are all a step closer to history. I was blessed with family stories of the past, and I was surprised by what… Read More »
[May 23, 2024] It was my only dime. I was standing at the checkout counter at the Bastrop Piggly Wiggly Grocery store with my Mom. And there it was, a March of Dimes card with slots where a dime could be placed, the money used for funding polio research. I was looking forward to getting my first candy… Read More »
[May 19, 2024] We were on the ground, punching each other, yelling, grabbing, cussing, and rolling around in the dirt as we had just argued over something neither of us could remember. And the reason we fought was not as important as the fact we could fight and still remain friends despite bloody noses and bruises. Thinking for… Read More »
[May 13, 2024] “We love having you at our house, Little Big Man.” We called him Granddaddy; he was Bigmama’s husband. He was a short but strong man, forgiving of my misbehavior, forthrightly religious, a good storyteller, skilled with his hands, able to fall asleep in his office chair, and intense but compassionate. He was a man who… Read More »