In the Walnut Woods

In the Walnut Woods

From The Heritage of Etta Bend by Susie Latty Day. Time: around 1918; Place: A small farm in Oklahoma. Autumn, on our farm at Etta, had its special joys. East of the spring branch, maples blazed in gold and russet. Oaks wore yellow and brown. Walnut trees dropped their leaves, then shed their green-coated nuts […]

The Ticking of a Clock

The Ticking of a Clock

  When I hear a clock ticking, I go back a few decades and find myself in Ma and Pappy Latty’s house. They always had a wind-up clock and I can remember how the sound meant peace and security for me. I can see my grandparents’ living room, sun coming through the windows, and feel […]

A Memory Stone

A Memory Stone

It rests in my herb garden, a memory stone, reminding me of where it came from and the reason it is here. It’s a reminder of a time past–a slower, quieter time when life was different from the way life is now. It brings memories of the strong, good people who owned the farm where […]

That’s America to Me

That’s America to Me

My grandparents once owned a store and lived in a house across the road. The house and store are gone now, but the memories of it still survive. I remember being in it as a child and it seemed awfully big, dark, and exciting. The candy counter and the bright-colored sweets with the scales my […]

What Do You Think About Freedom?

What Do You Think About Freedom?

Freedom! Millions have died to obtain it or keep it. Without it, what do we have? I’m just asking. Do we have security from fear of retaliation? Do we have the warm feeling of belonging? Do we have a feeling of superiority? From what do we want to be free? And what is worth giving […]

The Ride Was Bumpy, But Fun

The Ride Was Bumpy, But Fun

Maybe it’s because a virus has caused so much turmoil everywhere, especially in schools, or maybe it’s because I’m growing older and tend to look back sometimes, but, lately I’ve been thinking about a little one-room school my brother and I attended in northern Oklahoma– wheat, alfalfa, and cattle country. The school’s name was Valley […]