Philosophy With A Texas Twang

I can talk without a twang, but no one would recognize me if I did. Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Sometimes Life is Like a 404 Error Page

April 16, 2009

You know what a “404 error page” is don’t you? When you read those words on your computer screen, it means that the URL (link) that you just followed took you to nowhere. You didn’t get where you intended to go. You have to backtrack and head in a different direction, because [...]

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Firm Foundations

March 18, 2009

Spring is surely here in my part of Texas, my friends.
Yesterday, I sat on my porch enjoying the sunshine, and the spectacle of two mourning doves who were building their summer home. What a beautiful sight it was!
First, the Mrs. flapped up on a branch and nestled a twig in place. As [...]

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Wear Clean Underwear

March 11, 2009

“Wear clean underwear, in case you are in an accident!”
I actually heard my grandmother utter that cliché once. Y’all thought that was just a joke people used, didn’t you?
I’m not sure I understand exactly why clean underwear would be important. How can I put this “delicately?” I’m telling you that [...]

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I Can Do This

February 16, 2009

I sat on the front porch step with my chin in my hands and an enormous scowl on my face, as I watched the other children gleefully riding their bicycles down the street. My heart was positively green with envy.
Granddaddy carefully eased himself down on the step beside me, using his hands to [...]

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Empty Words

January 14, 2009

In a storytelling workshop with 4th grade students this week, I had a child ask me a question that has given me pause. It made me start pondering my storytelling and my blogging. I told the kids that I didn’t start telling stories until I was in my thirties, although my life’s path [...]

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New Year Podcast. The Worm Whisperer

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year to all! Let’s hope we get lucky and 2009 is the best year ever.
Have you eaten your black-eyed peas today? If not you’d better get started! My Papaw, who called them “cow peas,” always said you had to eat one pea for every day of the year that [...]

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Bully For You

November 19, 2008

Would you be embarrassed to discover that your child was known as the class bully? I don’t know about y’all, but I would be mortified! I would hope that I could raise my children to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
Recently, a librarian friend asked me if I knew any stories about [...]

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The Magical Button Box

September 4, 2008

When I was little, if I got sick, there were certain things I knew would occur. I’d be put to bed with clean sheets and plumped pillows (not that my Momma didn’t ever change the sheets!). Most likely, I would be subjected to the noxious smell of Vick’s Vaporub. Momma would serve [...]

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The “Doodlebug Caper”

September 9, 2007

I was not surprised to see that the “Roly Poly Sandwich Shop” in our town didn’t stay in business very long. With a name like “Roly Poly?” For many people that brings to mind the word “fat,” and in a society with severe phatphobia, few people would have the self-confidence to walk in [...]

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The Carpenter

August 31, 2007

I remember my Momma’s hands when I was a little girl. They were strong with long slim fingers. Those were the hands that picked me up gently and cuddled me when I needed comfort. I remember Momma’s hands squeezing mine to show me her love. I can see her holding a [...]

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Kitchen Sink Philosophy

August 20, 2007

All of my life, I have known my Mamaw’s “Kitchen Sink Philosophy.” In the deep recesses of what passes for my brain, I have known that I needed to live my life by that philosophy. It just was one of those things that didn’t “sink” in to my conscious thought. This weekend, [...]

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Bloggers Are Like Fireflies

August 10, 2007

A few nights ago, my husband and I sat on the porch enjoying the cool breeze. As we talked, the thought registered in my head that the welding shop behind us was working late, because I saw the flash of a spark. Then my husband murmured, “Firefly.”
A firefly! Yes, it was and [...]

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Smooth Sailing

June 29, 2007

Have y’all ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right; when you try to accomplish tasks and keep running smack dab into resistance? That was yesterday, for me. I was trying to promote the Share A Square project within my own hometown, and not a soul wanted to listen. [...]

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Worm Whisperer

May 17, 2007

Some of y’all may have read that I save turtles from the road, and you thought I was soft-hearted. The truth of the matter is that I’m a little soft-headed. I’ll save durn near any critter if I can. Even the lowly earthworms. I would have made a good Buddhist, if [...]

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