His hat hangs on a peg in my hallway. It’s not the Stetson he wore on special occasions. This one has sweat marks, and a small spot of oil. It’s the one he wore every day as he mowed lawns, drove to the sale barn, or any time he went out the door. He never […]
The Postman and His Pennies
·My children look askance when I tell them I can remember when postage stamps were three cents each. But I can also remember when bread was 25 cents a loaf and regular gas was 27 cents a gallon. Ethyl, I believe, was 29 cents. When Lola and Carole and I piled into my Dad’s ’57 Chevrolet […]
An Old-Fashioned Flower
·Do you ever experience a brief flashback? I mean, really fleeting, not even a memory but a feeling, a picture, a scent maybe, that is a past moment in time? It is so elusive that it’s gone before you can name it. That’s the way I am about moss rose and Ma Latty’s front porch […]
Much More Than It Appears
·At first glance, it is just a rock, albeit quite an interesting one. It is perhaps six inches high, maybe 22 inches around it. However, you’ve got to understand that I’m pretty terrible with estimating distances, sizes, or what direction I’m traveling. This rock is here in Arkansas in my herb garden but that’s not […]
The Oklahoma Home Guard
·I have a copy of a very old document. At the top, just above the seal of the Great State of Oklahoma, are the words “The Oklahoma Home Guard”. Below that seal is the name of my grandfather, Levi Latty. Pappy Latty had been too old to go to the Great War so he along […]
The Lights of Home
·Last night my family and I sat on the grass at the park and watched the fireworks display at the stadium. Other folk had gathered too for the same purpose. As the displays rose and burst with a lot of color and a lot of noise, I thought of what they represented: freedom bought with […]