ROCKWALL, TX (April 11, 2014) I slapped the last touches on a chicken coop the other day, having designed the thing from the ground up and pieced together every board of the poultry palace. Like all building projects, I ran into an unanticipated challenge. Basically, I needed to rip (or cut long-ways) a skinny board. There […]
ROCKWALL, TX (April 11, 2014) Spring weather has hit and I’m lovin’ it. I’ve been cleaning up fallen limbs and straightening up the deck whileIreland, my first grader, plays with her dolls in the dirt. The pastures behind us awake with crows cawing while they mob an invading hawk—the sounds and sights of nature awaking from […]
(Rockwall) October 24, 2013 – Gene looked like a Halloween costume, and when he stole that jack-o-lantern off some folk’s porch, they just stared; didn’t blink an eye. The gag must’ve seemed like part of his getup, like it made sense for someone so odd to run down the street with a flaming pumpkin. I […]
(ROCKWALL – Sept. 18, 2013) A Goliath Catfish has been spotted in Rockwall. Not a mysterious Chernobyl-grown, bottom feeder or a freakishly big Flathead, but the young adult novel penned by Rockwall teacher and coach, Scott Gill. Goliath Catfish is set in 1940’s Memphis and tells the story of Albert McClune, a big kid who longs […]
(Rockwall) September 11, 2013 – Join local author Anne Mateer as she celebrates the release of her third novel, A Home for My Heart, with a book launch and signing party from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 14 at Barnes & Noble Firewheel. The historical fiction writer’s other books include Wings of a Dream and […]
(Rockwall / Heath) August 8, 2013 – Heath author Carolyn Roosth just published her second novel, ANGER, which follows last year’s publication of DENIAL. Both are available in ebook and print formats at smashwords.com and amazon.com. The author grew up on a farm outside a small town in East Texas and was the first in her […]
June 27, 2013 – Christy busted in my classroom too excited for schoolwork. Paris would be her summer destination. “Paris,Texas?” I asked. “Paris, France, Coach,” she giggled – although to me, Paris, Texas, sounded pretty good. The class erupted in vacation plans: Brittany was visiting her family’s beach house in Galveston while Charlie would deep-sea […]
(Rockwall) June 23, 2013 – My students clamored for summer break, having whined and begged for free days once Christmas ended (an exercise in futility… I give no free days, ever). After a year of higher standards, grueling tests and lackluster results, this class cleaned out their locker, turned in lingering assignments, and became freshman—another […]
The rod doubled and the reel sang as the shark darted and dove to the deep. After fishing for days on aFloridapier, I had hooked a monster, and my Dad coached and cheered above everyone. I was nine when I carved out this memory with my hero. He’s a mere shell of a man now, […]
May 27, 2013 – It lurks. It beckons. It threatens to steal your wallet. Your family’s summer vacation looms on the horizon. What will you do this year? How will you create a memorable adventure with happy kids, a content you, and a smiling wallet? It is possible. Read on. At Home: Staycation’s All I […]