Thanksgiving Day reminds me of that old hymn, “Count Your Blessings”, by Johnson Oatman, Jr. When we are discouraged or sad or think there is no hope, the song tells us to stop worrying and start counting all the blessings the Lord has given us– a good idea. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start […]
Nov 24, 2013
Hogging the Schoolhouse
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The thermometer tells me it’s twenty degrees this morning and Lights of the Ozarks are on at the Fayetteville town square so really and truly, if Christmas is just around the corner, I might as well face it. Winter is here! We have snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. The children, at least, […]
Nov 15, 2013
Right or Wrong, I Write
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This morning I woke up wondering why I write. Why? I sit in front of the computer, pulling words out of the air for a good part of my day. Why do I do that? Maybe the answer lies in the third sentence; I don’t really pull words out of the air, they are vying […]
Nov 11, 2013
Armistice! Peace, At Last!
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My parents always called November 11, 1918, “Armistice Day.” Later, it was changed to Veterans’ Day” but to Mom and Dad, it was “Armistice Day.” My mother told me how excited they all were at Etta Bend when they found out the Great War was over. They shouted. They cried. They laughed. Finally, the soldiers […]
Oct 3, 2013
Walnut Gathering at Etta, 100 Year Ago
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Sometimes I realize with a jolt that those stories Mom told me about her childhood happened a century ago. That seems incredible because they are so real in my mind. I have never fully realized that Mom and Dad grew old and I cannot dwell too long on the fact that they are no longer […]
Aug 27, 2013
Summer School of Long Ago
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School has started in most places. It seems terribly early and terribly hot to begin school, in my opinion. When I was a child, we never started our fall term until after Labor Day. But when my mother was a youngster, school terms were more different still. The following excerpt is from The Heritage of Etta […]
