A Serving Of Jelly And Philosophy

January 29, 2012

I scanned the road as I drove down Highway 105, searching for my jelly vendor. The gorgeous faux-spring weather seemed likely enough to bring a roadside vendor out to play. I certainly hoped so, because my sweet tooth was aching for jelly like Mamaw used to make (although she never made mayhaw) slathered all over [...]

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Perspective

January 20, 2012

I rolled down the car window to kiss my husband goodbye before going to town to do errands. Isn’t that special? I still kiss him goodbye before I leave for an hour. However, I might not anymore, if it means rolling down the car window. When I hit the button, that window said, “THUNK…. whhrrrrrr.” [...]

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Foxy Lady

October 9, 2011

I quietly observed her as she dined. With each delicate bite she took, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes in ecstasy as she chewed. I was close enough to the gray fox in my back field to see that it was a “lady” fox, but not close enough to see what meal [...]

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Less Like The Hummingbirds

August 13, 2011

He was close enough that I could almost reach out and touch him! That hummingbird hovered near me, his wings a blur, as I sat on my porch pondering the day ahead. He chirped at me! I know that you probably think that hummingbirds hum, but they don’t … they chirp (if you don’t believe [...]

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Are You Like The Critter In My Attic?

May 3, 2011

There is a critter trapped in our attic! Believe me, I’m as distressed about this as the varmint seems to be. I hear how frantic it is up there and my tender heart feels the panic. More than that, however, I’m distraught about the smell that will invade my house when said critter curls up [...]

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Fear of Crayons

April 11, 2011

My palms got sweaty and my knees began to shake as I tried to color an iris with my “Colorsplash” application on my iPhone yesterday. It lets you convert a photo to black and white, then color in the details. Supposedly, that’s fun; I found the activity stressful, as a multitude of voices inside my [...]

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Pruning

July 21, 2010

From my back porch, I spend a lot of time observing the plants and critters in my yard. As I sit pondering, I often find that I learn lessons from Mother Nature. The problem for me is that as the seasons change, I forget what I have learned. At the moment, I’m trying to indelibly [...]

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Fruitless: The Philosphy Of The Peach Tree

July 18, 2010

One peach, kissed by the sun. One measly peach is ALL I got from my fruit tree this year. I stood, hands on hips, in disbelief as I stared up at the single peach. Then I shook my fist at the heavens asking, “Who did this to me?” A very suspicious looking squirrel sat in [...]

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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 you didn’t find [...]

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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 she [...]

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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 if I were [...]

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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 position [...]

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What’s In The Cards?

February 4, 2009

Did y’all ever want to “see the future?” I did. I wanted to know what was in the cards for me. I wanted to go to some gypsy fortune teller and have her read the tarot cards for me. Of course, I expected that if I paid money for it, then the forecast had better [...]

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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 had been [...]

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Making A List And Checking It Twice.

September 28, 2008

I’ve been disturbed, but I decided to cheer me up by making a list. Making lists always works, sometimes. It seems to calm me down to have things in writing. Did you know that today was International Disturbed People Day (who makes this stuff up?). I missed it, because I was too upset. I’ve been [...]

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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 me my meals [...]

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Pecking Order

July 2, 2008

I wish I could show you pictures of the birds in my backyard, but my camera is not the best for taking “nature shots.” I’ve been sitting on my back porch watching those birds this morning, intrigued by something I have never seen. I’ve watched one particular bird for several days. Perhaps it is some [...]

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Fate

May 8, 2008

I watched him in fascinated horror. He was on his side in the shallow water; his body was heaving as he gasped for breath. It’s hard to determine the expression in a trout’s eyes, but I’m sure I saw his fear. My ex-husband had caught him, and stuck a yellow nylon cord through his cheek [...]

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Listening Skills

January 11, 2008

“Listen,” I said to my husband in a loud “stage whisper.” And, he obeyed. We stood in the doorway of our bedroom, hearing the sound of water pouring down the pipes in the wall as our son shaved upstairs. He shook his head and shrugged. “It’s just the water in the exit plumbing,” he said. [...]

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A “Lady” Does Not Swear, Unless

October 5, 2007

Y’all, I try hard to be a nice person. At least in public. Even though it’s not really a secret that I can sling profanity well enough to embarrass a sailor, I don’t go around cussing people out at the stores or when I drive down the road. I try hard to live by that [...]

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