I have had the good fortune to know a myriad of strong women in my life, starting with my grandmother and mother, who were forces in their own rights, to my mother’s partner, Dorothy; my sister, Leslie; my three powerful and opinionated daughters, Sarah, Liz and Rachael; my oldest grandchild, Luna, who is the walking…

Ray and I went to our local Smart & Final this evening and discovered this list on the front door: Several of the shelves were close to empty that were not part of the list above. These included the shelves for pasta, canned tuna and meat, boxed mac and cheese as well as dried beans…

The first time that I realized my husband had an inordinate relationship with “stuff” was several months after we were married. We were back in Texas and near his family home after having moved back from Arkansas. “I need to get a few things,” he said, and motioned for me to jump into the car….

My younger brother Sam, who is a professional musician, suggested a few years back when Ray and I were visiting him and his then girlfriend Jaime in Nashville that he and I should write a song together. We agreed that I’d write the lyrics and he would add the music and do the singing. I…

Early this morning, my brother and his wife Jaime were asleep in their home in East Nashville, Tennessee when a tornado struck in their neighborhood. Sam said they went to sleep not knowing there was a tornado warning, but that “wind, rain and lightning kicked up” just as they were going to bed. He said…

I had an impromptu call from a student this evening who is applying to law school. “I just need two minutes of your time to read over my essay, ” he said. Two hours and twenty minutes later, we said good-bye. What happened in-between? We went line by line and unscrambled any confusing sentences, removed…

My friend Darrah Dunn recommended the British series “Doc Martin” and Ray and I have watched several episodes. We’re often late to the game on many of these series and this is no exception. I believe Doc Martin has been going on for 9 seasons. So far, I must say I am really enjoying getting…

Sometimes you just need a little comfort food. Something solid that can go along with other comfort foods like mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. For me, meatloaf is in that category. Not beef meatloaf since I haven’t eaten beef since I was 22, but rather turkey meatloaf with a nice layer of catsup on…

The drive-in theater in Bonham, Texas is a place I spent more than a few Friday nights in my teenage years. Yes, I was there with my boyfriend, Sam, and I would be less than honest if I said that we ever saw more than half of any movie. There was something so private –…