September’s Song

September’s Song

It’s hard to believe that this is the last day of September! Do you suppose time is really passing faster? Has the earth speeded up in its spinning? Sometimes, it seems that way. The birds are becoming more active. Bluejays screech in the back yard and this morning, a small wren came to pay her […]

Following Footprints

Following Footprints

We all leave footprints as we journey through life. Some, thankfully, are lasting; some, thankfully, are not. Our footprints show the directions we’ve takenĀ and the choices we’ve made, whether good or bad. My brothers and I often remark, “Dad said …” or “Mom told me…” My parents are gone now but their words and the […]

A Summer Morning

Watering herbs and flowers on a summer morning has its own rewards. In the first place, mornings are cool and quiet. In the second place, being near herbs is reward in itself. They smell wonderful. This past spring, I planted an array of herbs in a large planter. They loved it there and thrived. Sage, […]

When Dignity Takes a Fall

A moment when my dignity took a fall happened a few years back. It all started like this: my family and I went out to eat at a popular restaurant after church. Other people had the same idea so we had to put our name on a waiting list for a table. Along one side […]

The Magic of Smells

It’s funny what smells can do. On this wet, quiet spring morning, I caught a brief scent of woodsmoke–perhaps a leftover from a neighbor’s fireplace–and in an instant, I was whisked a good many miles and a number of years back. Once again, I was a child on our farm. It was springtime and hope […]

Springs of Water

My mother was born in 1906. She had many memories of Cherokee County, the way it was when she was a child. One of the things she remembered was the abundance of fresh, clean water. These are her words, her story as she told it to me. P. S. This is my own opinion here–I […]