Summer Nights

Summer Nights

There’s a mystery about the soft, summer night, just after the sun goes down, before full darkness tiptoes through. Leaves stir with a passing breeze and flowers lift their heads to feel one last ray of the sun’s warmth.  The rabbit who lives under my storage building gives last minute instructions to her nest of […]

Ancestors

Yesterday was the annual Decoration Day at our ancestral cemetery. The weather cooperated with blue skies, sunshine (lots of sunshine) and an altogether lovely Oklahoma spring day. The cemetery is well-looked after, neat and serene. Decoration Day is an annual tradition dating back into history. My grandparents came to this very same spot, year after […]

Whispers From the Past

Whispers From the Past

Delving into one’s ancestry is a fun and absorbing business. I’m finding out about ancestors from way, way back. Some of those finds are surprising. They are all fascinating. These people had stories and I, rooted in the present day, am listening, trying to hear what they had to say. They were from different parts […]

The Flowers They Leave Behind

The Flowers They Leave Behind

Jonquils are blooming, usually in clusters. Have you ever thought of them as footprints of others that they have left behind? They are signs that someone has passed this way and loved flowers and springtime. At Ben and Tep Willis’, out on the river, there are remnants, reminders of the family who settled here, set […]

In My Mother’s Bible

In uncertain times, we need an anchor, something unchangeable that we can cling to. It helps to have reminders that people have gone through hard times before now and survived. One of my nieces is interested in learning about family history. In trying to answer her questions, I turned to the place where our family […]

Highly Exalted Among Rulers

Hey, all you August people, did you know your birth month means highly exalted among rulers? It was named for the emperor Augustus, grand-nephew of Julius Caesar. So, lift up your heads and enjoy your month–it’s the last month of summer and is pretty nifty. Your birth stone is the lovely, green peridot. Your flowers […]