Do You Live Above or Below Georgia’s ‘Gnat Line?’ Here’s What You Need to Know
Having lived near the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia my entire life, I’ve never given much thought to gnats. A seasonal nuisance, gnats are dealt with similar to the arrangement I have with yellow…
Mothers Know Everything: A Case of Forbidden Love
As a teenager, I was bored to tears listening to my elders as they reminisced of days forever gone. Memories resurface, and I’m sitting at the kitchen table with those “boring” people as they share…
Microwave Replacement
Today, sprigs of green are peeping out of the earth, pushing aside the tired and frazzled burnt-brown grass. Like a connect the dots puzzles, they form a clear picture: spring has finally arrived.…
A World War II Romance and a True Story of Love Everlasting
An old love story. “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” - Colossians 3:14 World War II was coming to an end. The handsome soldier was home for a…
Santa's Got Nothing on Me! Confessions of a Chronic List Maker
“Making a list and checking it twice.” Santa Claus has nothing on me, the chronic lister. Picture Santa, a twinkle in his eye, red pencil in hand, checking his infamous list and smiling as he…
Chicken and Dumplings
Any Southern cook worth her salt has a treasured cove of favorite Christmas recipes that cannot be found in a conventional cookbook. Those favorite family recipes spring to life when biting into one…
Got “Cabin Fever?” Ease Your Mind With Our Secret Newell Lodge Remedy
Got “Cabin Fever?”Ease Your Mind With Our Secret Newell Lodge Remedy We exhibit all the symptoms. Restlessness. Irritability. Loneliness. Quarantined at home. Southerners are falling prey to a…
Chasing Ole Rattler: the True Story of a Racepond Boy and His Dog
To most folks, Rattler appeared to be a run-of-the-mill dog. But to a six-year-old Harvin, Rattler was anything but ordinary. “There was nothing Ole Rattler wouldn’t chase, except a bear,” Harvin…
The Sandy Path Home: Ecology, Tourism and Newell Lodge after COVID-19
What if the natural world we love so much no longer existed? What if there were no blue skies overhead? No live oak trees or sandy beaches? What if the seasons never changed? I can’t imagine what…
Mama’s Easter Parade: Reflections on Love, Faith and Shiny Shoes
On Saturday, the week before Easter we made our annual trip to Waycross to Schreiber’s Bootery to buy shoes. Mama preferred that Mr. Schreiber himself wait on us because, “he won’t sell you a pair…