Days Bygone
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…
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…
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…
Hey, Mama, I’m Keeping Your Junk (What I Found While Stuck at Home Cleaning Closets)
Dear Mama, No one is any more surprised than I. Neither of us ever imagined the day when I would hesitate to throw anything in the garbage. This is your junk. It’s tangible. I touch it. I see it. A…
Today’s Corona-19 and the Lessons of Y2K: Better Safe Than Sorry
At the precise close of the 20th century, the nation experienced its first big scare of the new millenium: the Y2K phenomenon. Many people believed that all computers would shut down at midnight on…
Daddy’s Truck and Simple Times: Who Could Ask For More?
Daddy drove an old, white pickup truck with a running board. The neighbor on the corner used to joke with Daddy, that he could set his watch by the sound of that old truck coming down the street…
This Valentine’s Day, Remember Your First True Love
Time has a way of diminishing some things, but memories of your first love lie just beneath the surface of your heart, waiting for the cue to take center stage, once again. First love has the power…
Thanksgiving Blessings of Times Past Remain to This Day
The bang of the door, the scent of home, and the love and laughter that comes from being surrounded by our kinfolk never grows old Thanksgiving dinners were always held at our house on Georgia…
Watch Out for Those Yucky Pumpkins! A Cautionary Tale
Before making your pie, make sure you know your yucky pumpkins. Three years ago, my youngest grandson, Logan received a diagnosis of ASD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder. While the finding does not…
A Harvest of Leaves: a Rare, Golden Moment Between Summer and Autumn
As a child, our backyard was home to several oak trees, filled with Spanish moss and leaves. In the fall, we spent Saturdays raking and burning leaves. Most folks don’t realize that here, oak trees…