I love you emails (06/24/09)
My daughter and I email each other a lot. She lives in a nearby town so we often email our goodnights. We give a capsule message about our activities of the day. Then we end the emails with "I love you."...

Just call me Maxine (06/17/09)
No longer can I say that I'm getting older. For several years I've used that phase, often as an excuse for some faux pas, but now I'm not getting older. I have arrived. I knew it when the waitress called me honey and sweetie, in a condescending way, "thanks, sweetie," she said when I paid my bill. She didn't call me that when I was in my mid forties. She waited until I grew old...

Speaking of dads (06/11/09)
What can I say about dads? There are dads and there are dads. Some are good; some fall short. Some are tall, short, plump or lean. My dad was six foot tall, lean, muscular, until lung cancer took him down...

Remembering when (06/03/09)
Remember when kids just hated it when it rained. They wanted to go outside and play, so they waited for the rain to stop. That's what I remember. Yeah, sometimes on a hot day mama allowed my brothers and my sister and me to run outside and take a shower bath in our play clothes, but not if the weather was threatening....

The mystery of love (05/27/09)
On Sunday morning while the morning dew was on the grass, I went out on my back patio to check on the birds. I've been watching a mother robin sitting on her nest. She built the nest on a rafter where her babies would be protected from rain and sun and predators. The metal roof over the nest offers protection from the elements...

Expect the unexpected (05/14/09)
Gilda Radner wrote a book called "It's Always Something." The book is a recount of her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer. She vowed to live but, of course, she didn't. This column isn't about cancer or survival, unless you consider economic survival...

Remembering mama (05/07/09)
This morning while I was sewing a button on a jacket, I thought of mama. I remembered something that was buried way back in my mind. When I was a little girl and something needed a quick sewing mend, mama would say, "Hand me that needle." She would point to a wall near a door frame in the living room...

San Antonio or bust (04/30/09)
I just toured America. That is, I toured about 2,000 miles of it. There were 28 of us, not counting the tour bus guide, Barbara, and bus driver, Wayne. We left Piggott for San Antonio, Texas, on April 19 for a seven day adventure...

Copycat television (04/22/09)
While flipping through the TV channels last night, I couldn't help but notice the copycats. Well, I guess we've all been copycats at some time or other. I know in high school the girls did a lot of copycatting, me included. ...

Old timey sayings (04/16/09)
I like sayings, especially old timey ones. When we say, "I wash my hands of the whole affair," we declare that we will have nothing to do with a certain matter. It alludes to the time when Pontias Pilate was forced to make a decision about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. ...

No more pets, please (04/08/09)
No more animals for me. In my lifetime, my house has been a zoo. There were many parakeets, and many assorted dogs including pedigree hunting dogs with names like Big Boss Billy's Chief Banjo Joe. In fact there were so many hunting dogs that I lost count. Also there were stray cats, one named Ms. Black who had a litter every time a Tom looked at her, and a male stray named Cringer,...

Bathing a blue jay (04/01/09)
A long time ago when I would comment on the accomplishment of someone who had done something noteworthy, my husband would retort, ''Yeah, but I bet he never refueled an airplane in midair." That was my husband's job in the Air Force. He was a boom operator on a Boeing KC-135 Strato-tanker.The plane was equipped with a flying boom to provide fuel transfer to other planes...

The leprechaun's gold (03/25/09)
I heard a tap tap tapping. It seemed to be coming from my workshop. I listened, thinking I was imagining it, but no, there was a tapping. My imagination sprang into action. Perhaps it was a leprechaun and just maybe the leprechaun was making a shoe. Maybe he was hammering a nail into a shoe...

The phases of life (03/18/09)
We go through phases in life. Life is experienced as "four hills." There's childhood, youth, maturity and old age. The cycle of four phases, each roughly 20 years long, is associated with a season. Like the seasons, the four phases blend one into the other...

Great Depression meals (03/11/09)
I've been reading about the Great Depression of the 1930's. That got me to thinking about the foods my grandmother cooked for her family and mine during that economic collapse. I was able to taste a lot of her cooking at family reunions in her small frame home in Southeast Missouri. She handed down some of those recipes and cooking tips to my mother, who passed them down to me...

The valentine skunk (02/26/09)
For Valentine's Day, my friend Shirley got a skunk. No, not a stuffed one. A real live one. It was found in the barn in a cage on Valentine's Day. The cage was left there by her husband who was trying to catch a bandit raccoon...

Goodbye, ice storm (02/18/09)
Whew! I don't know about you, but I'm tired. I barely knew that Valentine's Day and Presidents Day had arrived. I'm still reeling from the ice storm aftermath. I'm okay, but some of my friends are still in the dark, awaiting power in rural areas northwest of Piggott. After three weeks, they are still coping with the outage...

Ice storm revisited (02/11/09)
It's Sunday night, February 1. I sit here in the darkness writing this column. A flashlight and a candle light the page. A kerosene lamp glows from the old sideboard in the dining room. A battery operated radio softly plays country music, sometimes interrupted with announcements of school closings. There are many closings in Northeast Arkansas and surrounding Missouri towns...

My 25th anniversary (01/30/09)
Twenty five years. That's a long time. But that's how long my weekly column has appeared in the Piggott Times. The date slipped my mind but Tim Blair, news manager, reminded me last week that my first column appeared on January 25,1984...

More ads, less movie (01/22/09)
I think I've figured out why there's so much stress in the U.S. It's television commercials. I came to this conclusion after watching a recent championship football game. It took three hours of televised play and 61 minutes of commercials...

Post holiday blues (01/15/09)
A lot of my friends have the post-holiday blues, including me. After all the rush of Christmas and New Year's, the sudden lull of activities leaves me at loose ends...

Eyeing the prize (01/07/09)
I like bumper stickers and certain sayings. Recently I read one that sticks in my mind. It reads, "Look through the windshield, not through the rearview mirror." That seems fitting in the new year. Instead of looking back we need to look forward...

Resolution number 10 (12/31/08)
I can't believe 2009 is here. It's time to make and break resolutions. I can't remember the last one I made or if I kept it. It probably had to do with striving to be a better person. I know it's hard to break old habits. Smokers can attest to that...

The Angel Hair Tree (12/24/08)
It was Christmas in rural Indiana. My children were excited as Christmas day drew near. My three-year-old son wanted a red riding tractor. My seven-year-old daughter wanted a ballerina doll with a pink tutu...

What I don't want (12/11/08)
Here's what I don't want for Christmas. I don't want stress. I want silent nights and peace on earth. I don't want to neglect the true meaning of the season, the birth of the Savior. I don't want to feel rushed, pressured...

Main Street U.S.A. (12/04/08)
I can't believe that a box of saltine crackers, on sale, costs $2. Time was when I bought them for 50 cents or less. But if you've noticed, groceries are edging up in price. The cheapest I can find a 24 pack of diet Cokes is $6. This summer a pack was going for $5 if you caught them on sale. Otherwise they were $6.98...

It's Thanksgiving (11/27/08)
Once again, It's time to give thanks If you have good health, you are ahead of the game. If you have a good marriage with a loving spouse, then you are doubly blessed. If you have teenagers who are your pride and joy, bow your head and give thanks this Thanksgiving season...

Playing musical tables (11/20/08)
While Washington is playing musical chairs, I'm playing musical tables. It gets confusing trying to decide which tables to keep and which to swap from one house to another. It involves two houses and many small tables...

Heard any good news? (11/06/08)
While puttering around the house today, I listened to a music channel on television. Anne Murray was singing a classic song, "A Little Good News ." The song is as apt today as it was when it topped the charts in 1983...

Trash and treasures (10/30/08)
Where in the world did all this stuff come from? This week I've been sorting through 25 years of accumulation. It's overwhelming. First off, where do I put all the things I've uncovered? My cup runneth over and there's no room for more...

Three magic words (10/23/08)
When my two children were young, growing up, they were taught the magic words. Those words are please and thank you. Now grown, they visited with me this past weekend and I noticed they are still practicing those magic words. I was pleased those lessons took root. The grandchildren, too, are using those words taught to them by their own parents...

Don't die with riches (10/15/08)
We may all die broke. That's a radical concept but that's what financial advisor Stephen M. Pollan says we should do. In his book Die Broke he lists four maxims we should aim for in the new world. They are quit today, pay cash, don't retire, and die broke. The book is co-authored by Mark Levine...

Live within your means (10/08/08)
I don't know much about bailouts but the American people are being asked to participate in a $700 billion rescue plan for the financial sector. The people I know in Northeast Arkansas are struggling to bail out their own boats in these difficult economic days. They don't feel like rescuing big banks and mortgage lenders who have mismanaged funds...

I hate to lose things (10/01/08)
Something mysterious is going on here. My favorite white comb has disappeared. I've searched for it for two weeks but it hasn't turned up. Also, I can't find a diskette that has stored computer information. It was on my desk yesterday, but now it isn't. I spent an hour looking for it last night. I even pulled the desk out from the wall to see if the diskette had fallen behind it. No luck...

Adam and Eve 101 (09/24/08)
The Lord God created Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The Lord God told Adam he was free to eat from any tree in the garden with the exception of one tree. He was not even to touch it...

It ain't what it was (09/18/08)
My programmable coffeemaker has all the modern features anyone could want, It has a clock, a two hour auto shut-off, a pause and serve feature, a removable filter basket and dual water windows. It does about anything you would want, except brew coffee...

A wardrobe decision (09/10/08)
I'm going to Branson to see Noah the musical at the Sight and Sound Theatre. Deciding what to wear and pack for the overnight bus trip is getting ridiculous. I can't decide what to wear and what to take. I've noticed this dilemma is occurring often lately...

Stay home, America (09/03/08)
Many people are sticking close to home these days because of the high cost of gasoline. They can't afford to tool around just for the fun of it. Many are foregoing cross country trips and staying closer to home...

Maintenance olympics (08/28/08)
I think I'm in the maintenance stage of life. At least I'm taking enough maintenance drugs to qualify me for maintenance olympics. You know what I'm talking about. It's those prescription drugs we must take on a regular basis, such as high blood pressure medicines, diabetic pills, or high cholesterol doses. ...

The brighter side (08/20/08)
It seems I've been doing too much griping. I've forgotten to look on the bright side and to think upon the good things. There really are a whole lot of blessings that I've been pushing to the back of the closet...

Cell phone frustration (08/13/08)
My blood pressure must have shot up 40 points. My face was flushed and my aggravation point was at its peak. All because of a wireless cell phone. Actually it was the prepaid minute card that started the whole thing. All I wanted to do was add more minutes to my existing cell phone account...

Backyard clotheslines (08/07/08)
Did you know there are a few states that outlaw clotheslines? They argue that hanging clothes in your yard isn't esthetic. It's an eyesore that detracts from the beauty of the neighborhood and brings down house prices....

A $100 hamburger (07/31/08)
While people in Northeast Arkansas are tightening their grocery belts, I was surprised to hear that elsewhere customers are ordering $100 burgers. Yes, it's true. Neil Ungerleider has researched and has written about the costly burgers...

Old age paraphernalia (07/23/08)
Life is not the same. The paraphernalia is different too. I realized that last night when I was taking my blood pressure with my new blood pressure monitor. Seems I am collecting gadgets that are associated with aging. And so are many of my friends...

My grandson's dumplings (07/17/08)
I got an email last week from my grandson in Florida. He wanted to know how to make homemade dumplings. Specifically, my homemade dumplings. Since he had never before tackled such an undertaking, he wanted a recipe with detailed instructions...

A wonderful friend (07/10/08)
I lost a good friend last weekend.. I will miss her laughter and caring ways. When I was extremely ill in the mid 90's, she came to my country home with other church ladies to bring food to me. ...

The tiniest can opener (07/02/08)
At a public social gathering last Thursday, the hostess found herself in need of a can opener. I overheard her frantically asking if anyone had a can opener so that she could open a large can of frozen punch...

Burned oats again (06/26/08)
I like oats but we aren't compatible. The other morning I fixed oats for breakfast, as I often do. While the oats were cooking, I wandered into the main bathroom. Next thing you know I was trying on some new face cream. It was then I smelled scorch.....like burned oats in a pan...

Pantyhose and neckties (06/18/08)
This morning I listened to Diane Sawyer and Robin discuss pantyhose. Then I listened to Whoopi and The View gang discuss pantyhose again. You know, the pros and cons of wearing them. It seems that woman is rebelling against wearing them. Women are opting to go barelegged...

It's egg-frying time (06/11/08)
Is it hot enough for you? I guess it's about time for me to fry my traditional egg on the sidewalk. I've done that several times in years past when temperatures neared 100 degrees. That usually occurs sometime in June...

The belly of a fish (06/04/08)
Have you ever been in the belly of a fish? Well, okay, have your ever felt like you were in the belly of a fish? You know, in a situation where you felt trapped and there was no escape We get like that sometimes. Maybe not when we're young and invincible. But, in later years, when our lives get tangled and convoluted ...

Window birdwatching (05/28/08)
The big robin was prancing around on my front porch, pecking at this and that. It spotted a piece of string that would make a nice addition to its nest. The robin put the end of the string in its beak and took flight...

Life is serious, man (05/21/08)
Life is getting serious. It's possible we will elect a black man or a white woman for President of the United States. It's also possible we won't be able to afford gas to drive to the polls. We may have to park gas-guzzlers and use our walking shoes...

The high cost of sauce (05/14/08)
"Do I have enough flex points for a Snickers bar?" I teased a friend. She laughed. I was referring to her new weight-loss plan. Seems like everywhere you turn, there's a plan or advice on how to lose weight...