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 […]
Apr 11, 2020
An Old-Time Easter
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The following story is an excerpt from The Heritage of Etta Bend. It’s a story my mother told me, an old-time Easter, about her childhood in northeast Oklahoma. The “I” is my mother, Susie Latty Day. I thought it was appropriate for this Easter, more than 100 years after it happened. Mom told me this […]
Mar 24, 2020
More Than What It Appears
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My dining table is traveling incognito. Sure, it looks like what it is–a wood table that has seen a lot of use, but it’s actually more than it appears to be. My mother bought the table years ago after she saw it sitting on someone’s front porch. She stopped and asked if it was for […]
Mar 23, 2020
Gathered Around the Hearthfire — II
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My guest blogger this morning is my niece Missy Albrecht. The stories are some my brother Tracy Day told her. They are family stories, handed down from generation to generation. Storytelling is the oldest form of entertainment and also of oral history, often told as families gathered around the hearthfire after a day’s work. […]
Mar 8, 2020
When the Jonquils Bloom
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When the jonquils bloom in the spring, I think of her–my sister Helen. Maybe it’s because of her March birthday, maybe it’s because those first flowers are so welcome after winter and are such a cheerful sight. My sister was a cheerful, upbeat, lovely person. Some people make the world a better place simply by being. […]
Dec 27, 2019
The Life of an Old Barn
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Arkansas and Oklahoma are blessed with many beautiful old barns. When I say old, I mean those that were built from the ground up, not pre-fab or metal. It is painful to see a barn that is 80 or 100 years old slowly crumbling with no one to care for it. When it’s gone, […]
