[May 12, 2024] Like so many children nationwide, Mother’s Day is a special time for her children to show their appreciation. My sister, brother, and I might have been young, not yet reaching the tender age of ten, but we knew our duty to cook Mom a spectacular, delicious, perfectly prepared breakfast, with cold orange juice and hot… Read More »
[May 5, 2024] Two loud, sharp toots from the locomotive followed by the railroad Conductor’s shouting ALL ABOARD. This trip would be another exciting and fun time for the family. Up to about the year 1970, the Missouri Pacific Railroad ran passenger trains. The one we took was officially known as the Delta Eagle, “Eagle,” referring to their… Read More »
[April 29, 2024] Truth be told, the Tooth Fairy was always my favorite childhood myth. The red-suited Santa was a close second. In my imagination, this tooth fairy was a beautiful Tinkerbell-like pixie with tiny wings and the uncanny ability to sneak into our bedroom and place a quarter under my pillow. She would snatch the baby tooth… Read More »
[April 28, 2024] You never know when a piece of good news comes along and prevents an embarrassing moment. As a kid, I was chronically unprepared for school, and when the school principal, Mr. Montgomery, came into our First-grade classroom, we were told to sit still and not talk. That was okay with me because, at that moment,… Read More »
[April 21, 2024] From the shoreline of the Toledo Bend Reservoir, I could see my Mom clapping her hands over her head. After a dozen or so tries, I’d finally got up on my skis and had completed another right of passage for a southern boy: water skiing. Mom was pleased. I did feel pretty good that I… Read More »
[April 18, 2024] His face was wrinkled and tanned; he was thin, of medium height, with blue eyes and thinning gray hair, and wearing thick glasses. Douglas James Satterfield sat in his favorite chair overlooking the front of his farmhouse, smoking an unfiltered Camel cigarette. His farm was located south of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, near the Arkansas River. … Read More »
[April 11, 2024] In the early 1960s, the American economy was not doing as well as one might believe. Things were tough; the baby boomer generation was everywhere, and although jobs were plentiful, they paid almost nothing. For a kid looking to earn some money, forget it. We had to compete with adults looking for work, and potential… Read More »
[April 4, 2024] My boss, Mr. Amato – also called “Mr. A.” – ran his gasoline service station as if his life depended upon it, and in a way, it did because the livelihood of his wife and seven children stemmed from selling gasoline to customers. I was a new gas jockey at his station in my sophomore… Read More »
[March 27, 2024] In 1967, when I was 15, an American rock band, “The Doors,” released the song Light My Fire. Ah, the nostalgia of it all. I first heard the song on the radio when my friend William and I were at his house, and his mom was out grocery shopping. Somehow, we were drawn to its… Read More »
[March 26, 2024] It was Sunday and Father’s Day. We were hurrying to get to the beach on Padre Island to have fun on such a glorious day. I want to express my gratitude to my father and grandfathers, who helped raise us kids and ensure we grew into responsible teenagers, rational thinkers, hard-working, God-fearing, and upstanding community… Read More »