Looking For—My Senior Malady
Everything in its place—and it still gets lost. Somebody, most often me, is always misplacing something. It’s like a senior moment but with things, and it’s getting worse. If it’s not my glasses, it’s the car keys, or my credit card, or the door key. Or any combination, or something else. What’s lost usually turns up, but I may be using up my luck. … Continue reading Looking For—My Senior Malady
BLOCKED AGAIN!
For the second time, I’ve been blocked—booted out, no explanation, all my posts dumped into oblivion, and no recourse or appeal. Not from all of Facebook this time but from a benign nostalgic group called Forgotten Alabama that posted photos of abandoned houses and stores, old signs, things that had seen better days. I didn’t see any rules so after observing for a few weeks, … Continue reading BLOCKED AGAIN!
Sparks Fly for Old Lovers
The husband leans over and asks his wife, “Do you remember the first time we had sex together over fifty years ago? We went behind the village tavern where you leaned against the back fence and I made love to you.” Yes, she says, “I remember it well.” OK, he says, “How about taking a stroll around there again and we can do it for … Continue reading Sparks Fly for Old Lovers
The Last of Mountain Tom
Lee Freeman paints Tom as an urban legend in a scholarly paper. Here are the first paragraphs: Tales from Beyond the Grave: The Life and Legend of Thomas Marion “Mountain Tom” Clark By Lee Freeman, Local Historian/Genealogist for the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library in Florence, Alabama. Most locals have seen the marker and know the story of how Tom aka “Mountain Tom” Clark lies buried underneath East … Continue reading The Last of Mountain Tom
The Mother of All Stubborn Streaks
This story isn’t a funeral story, not exactly, but stubborn to the death is close enough. A stubborn streak runs through my husband’s family. If he or certain of his forebearers take a stand, the crash of all the techtonic plates of the Pacific Rim won’t budge them an inch. The mother of all stubborn streaks and there’s indication the stubborness may be intensifying. I know where … Continue reading The Mother of All Stubborn Streaks
I Knew Her As Mother
The picture is of Kathleen Russell of Walnut Grove, Alabama, from the 1931 Glomerata of Auburn University. You might have known her as Kathleen Miller, married to Ed Miller of Gadsden, Alabama. I knew her as Mother. She died on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, died in her sleep at age ninety-two, which is why I’m thinking about her in the holiday season. I hesitate to … Continue reading I Knew Her As Mother
Our Home in Havana, Cuba
Our home in Havana, Hostal Cuarteles in Old Havana. Elegant old home but four-floor walk-up. Have taken in everything we can for this trip. Leaving Havana behind tomorrow to drive across the island to Trinidad on the southern coast, all day trip. Then Cienfuegos before coming home Sunday. Much to write about, much to tell. Everyone very welcoming to Americans although they feel the pinch … Continue reading Our Home in Havana, Cuba
Friends by the Numbers, or Number One Friends
Does anyone remember autograph books? The little albums young girls used to collect signatures of their friends, probably during junior high school? Or, did your school tradition include signing yearbooks? Maybe we didn’t admit it at the time, but the more signatures, the more friends you had, the the more popular you were, so there was a little game or contest underneath the surface. I … Continue reading Friends by the Numbers, or Number One Friends
The Face of Courage–Kaitlin Roig at Sandy Hook
Reindeer on rooftops, dreidels and candles, the magic and miracles— these are the things of December, the traditions we treasure, the peace on earth and goodwill among men in our songs. Not the unfathomable horror of December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary. The shooting that day at Sandy Hook wrenched the heart of our nation. It haunts us still. Yet within that … Continue reading The Face of Courage–Kaitlin Roig at Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook Calling
Messages in my box today from two Sandy Hook survivors, Nicole Hockley and Kaitlin Roig. Yes, another school shooting and they are alarmed—again. Nicole’s six-year-old son Dylan was shot to death in his classroom before noon on December 14, 2014. Kaitlin was the first grade teacher whose classroom was closest to the door where the gunman shot through the locked door to gain entrance. She … Continue reading Sandy Hook Calling