This is our last night at our house here in Texas, at least for a while. Ray will return fairly soon, but it may be a couple of months before I get back to the Lone Star State. We have had quite a time here, this round. We enjoyed a vacation house experience for our…
Category: Texas
A Cold Winter’s Night and an Old Fashioned Heater
I am sitting in our quiet house here in Texas. Our Scottie, Sammie, is lying in the chair opposite me and Ray is in the kitchen. Cordelia is somewhere in the house, probably curled up on the floor near Ray. It is 10:30 at night on a cold January night. The temperature outside is 36…
Saints and Sinners New Year’s Eve Party
Lots of fun with family and friends tonight here in Sherman for the New Year’s Eve party. Here are a few pictures to commemorate the ringing in of the New Year. Happy New Year, folks. I hope we all have the best upcoming year ever. Wishing you well,…
The Platitudes I Swore I Was Going to Avoid
Here we are approaching the end of 2014 and I feel compelled to write something related to endings and new beginnings. But what? I don’t need to go back over the same old platitudes that have become so familiar that we all just skim over them. Yes, let’s savor every moment and be grateful for…
Flash Memoir: Christmas Traditions at My House Growing Up
When I was growing up, our family tradition for Christmas was to go to Midnight Mass at Holy Trinity Episcopal church in my hometown of Bonham, Texas, then return to our house with all the church people for a big party. This meant the party started around 12:30 or 1 in the morning on Christmas…
The People in My Life
I took pictures today at the Breakfast Club, our church’s homeless breakfast program, and it occurred to me as I surveyed all the smiling faces of the volunteers just how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many good people. These fellow volunteers, with their devotion to good-hearted service, are only a few of the people…
Book Review and Author Interview
I am happy to introduce my readers to a wonderful author, Fran Simone, PhD, who has written a heart-felt and helpful memoir entitled, Dark Wine Waters: My Husband of a Thousand Joys and Sorrows. This book recounts the author’s experience of being married to an alcoholic and is a clear-sighted look at the disease of…
Lucky
Sometimes people described me as the Marilyn in my family. That is a reference to “The Munsters” from television in the 1960’s when Marilyn was the only “normal” person in a family of vampires, werewolves and several more other worldly creatures. If you knew my family, everyone had a special something that made them unique…
Rain is A’Coming
Southern CA is preparing for the upcoming deluge of rain that has been forecasted. This part of the country is so different from my native Texas when it comes to precipitation. Here, the mention of rain always includes a second mention of mudslides. This is not something that gets talked about much in North Central…
Twirling, Band and Tommy Nugent
When I was a senior in high school, I decided to try out for twirler. I had been a devoted band member, starting out with a cornet in 5th grade and eventually graduating to French horn. I definitely wanted to play French horn in concert band, but it was my senior year and I thought…
20 Minutes a Day 