The Dinner Table

The Dinner Table

What has happened to the family dinner table? Is it there somewhere in the dining room, feeling lonely and neglected? In my opinion, it should be the focal point of togetherness. I’m privileged to have my mother’s dining table. It is well over a hundred years old, rescued from obscurity when she saw it on […]

The Comfort of Quilts

The Ozarks Mountaineer was a wonderful magazine that, sadly, ceased publishing a few years ago. My piece about my grandmother’s quilts found a home in that magazine in December 1998.  This was a story as my mother told it to me. Today’s post is excerpted from that story. Quilting is an ancient craft which still […]

A Strong Foundation

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? —Psalm 11:3 Before a builder builds a house, he pours a foundation. If the foundation is not solid, the house has problems. Sometimes, a foundation is firm to begin with, but, through the years, things happen. Water can seep in, causing cracks. A too dry climate […]

A Man To Count On

I talked to my older brother last night and wished him a Happy Father’s Day. He thanked me and said, “Well, it’s not as important as Mother’s Day.” I disagreed and told him I thought it was very important. Moms and Dads each have a God-given responsibility and privilege in the life of a healthy […]

The Star Spangled Cat

Star Spangled Cat By Blanche Day Manos “What?” I screeched. “Go to sea? Are you crazy?” Every one of my gray and white hairs stood straight up. Reggie laughed. “You look like a bottle brush, old chap,” he said. “You’ll love the ocean!” Nay! I decidedly would not love the ocean. I hate water. I […]

The Old Oak

A large oak stands in front of the house. It is so tall and its limbs spread so wide that anyone standing under it during a rain is sheltered, as if by a giant umbrella. The tree is old and has seen many changes. A busy street a few feet away was once a dirt […]