It was a good way to start a brand new day. I opened the blinds onto the deck this morning, and there was a bright red cardinal. He cocked his head, hopped over to a chair, then onto a deck railing, all the while gazing at me. Did he want to tell me something? He […]

Camp Out at the River
·Long ago in the community of Etta in northeastern Oklahoma, the Latty family liked to go camping, but not in springtime. Springtime was a time of busyness on the farm. Crops were growing and needed to be cared for, baby animals were being born. My mother and her family went camping on the Illinois River […]

The Reason for the Day
·My brothers, Thurman, Tracy, and Richard served in the Navy; my husband in the Army; my nephew Clint joined the Marines. They all came back home, all except Clint. We lost him to an awful place called Viet Nam. I think of Clint often and especially on Memorial Day. My country is made up of […]

Are the May Bees Still Flying?
·May 1 was a day of maybes. It’s an equivocal answer to a difficult question. Are the May Bees still flying around? I ask, because, even though the month is drawing to a close, it seems to be an uncertain month for several reasons. Some things are not uncertain, though. May’s birthstone is still the […]

Decoration Day
·One by one, we abandon traditions, leaving the past behind. It’s sad, because, although we shouldn’t live in the past, we need a sense of continuity. There is something comforting about following patterns, about observing practices that have been carried down through generations. It gives me a connection to my ancestors. Decoration Day, always the […]
As Go the Dinosaurs
·They sit on my bookshelf, alone, neglected, and lonely. Once, they were prized, valuable. Within them was the knowledge of centuries. Today, they still contain that knowledge, but they are no longer sought after. That is the sad fate of my set of World Book. Alas! They have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Who […]