Days Bygone
The Button and the Girl Who Could Not Sew
A missing button on pair of favorite slacks is such a simple thing to repair. Yet, the task at hand would open a button tin of memory. In a long-ago family of five daughters, four were excellent…
Pickin’ Butterbeans
Aunt Gussie always had a garden. As a child, I did not appreciate the value of that garden nor of the hours she spent in the boiling hot south-Georgia sun to keep it “going.” Yet, she planted an…
Newell's Last, Great Cattle Drive Sparks the Legend of Trail Boss and Cookie.
Growing up, did you want to be a cowboy or a cowgirl? Saturday morning’s TV western line-up was a sacred time at our house. My sisters and I would sit on the floor in front the black and white TV…
The Mother of the Brides: A Tale of Five Sisters and My Mama’s Wedding Woes
To be “mother of the bride” is a daunting role, at best. Maybe you’re the mother of a cherished daughter or even two. But, imagine being the mother of five girls! If there was ever a perfect…
Counting Our Blessings: A Simple Family Tradition Renewed Our Faith at Thanksgiving
Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. -Joseph Oatman,…
Togetherness Is an Old Worn Out Atlas and a First-Rate Parking Space
Learn how navigating quality time with one’s spouse has its own set of challenges before you even get where you’re going. A while back, my husband, Harvin & I decided to take a much needed…
The Russians Are Coming
Summer 1961. My summers were endless days of playing with my sisters, with nothing more urgent than deciding what we wanted to do next. Playing on the old grapevine, which never bore any grapes…
Simplicity That’s Here and Now at Newell Lodge
Remember when life was simple? On a recent, warmish day following last week’s historic winter storm, I sat in the swing under one of the hundreds of old oak trees here at Newell Lodge. As I lazily…