I love Greg Patent’s cookbook, Baking in America: Traditional and Contemporary Favorites from the Past 200 Years. I made a recipe for maple date bars with lemon zest just a few days ago, but tomorrow I am going to make the recipe below. Not only does it call for the zest of a whole orange,…
Category: Writing
Great Television: Better Late Than Never
Ray and I have finished all of Friday Night Lights – yes, that’s like 65 episodes – and now we have begun Six Feet Under. Who knew television could be so good? We watched episode one tonight. We are also watching the second season of True Detective, which is also excellent. One of the main…
Old Photos
Today I found a box of old photos. What a treat. Here are a few to give you a window into my earlier life. My little brother, Sam, and me in the mid-60’s. This is taken in our living room of our family home in Bonham, Texas. Ray Beaty, when he came to Arkansas to…
The Wisdom of Letting Go
I have had the occasion over the past few days to talk to several people who are in pain. In one case, a parent is worried about an adult child who is having serious issues; in another, a friend is worried about another friend who is terminally ill. Worry is the operative word here. Worry…
Repost: A Tribute to My Best Friend, RIP, on Her Birthday
Today is Patricia’s birthday and I think it’s appropriate to repost a blog I wrote about her a while back. To my beloved friend: My best friend growing up was Patricia Butler. I met her when I was three and she was four, when her family moved to my little town and began attending our…
Off to Make a Difference
My daughter, Liz, and her boyfriend, Ron, left today for a ten day vacation to Alaska. The twist on this story is that they are not going to Anchorage to hang out and relax; they’re going to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud of these two, who are using their vacation…
On Joy
Yesterday, I presented my thoughts on happiness to the best of my ability for what time I had allotted to that activity. Today’s topic is joy. Please note these are simply my musings, not words I think are written in stone. When I write this, I am aware that there will be many points that…
On Happiness
One of my friends asked if I would write my thoughts about happiness and joy. I have undertaken that task and have discovered that I need to break these topics into two separate essays; otherwise, I’m afraid I will not explore them to the level that will feel satisfying to me or to you, my…
Short Post Tonight
I wrote on my computer tonight an essay considering the differences between happiness and joy, but we are at the orange grove with no Internet reception. Granted, I could walk down the road to my neighbors, but it is a dark night and I am not so inclined. I will see how the essay reads…
Rich Versus Poor, What Makes the Real Difference?
Sometimes money is not what it’s cracked up to be. I have met some of the poorest rich people and some of the richest poor people. The key seems to be to have an external focus. Self absorption does not a lovely person make. An example of a poverty-stricken rich man was someone I had…
20 Minutes a Day 