At summer’s end, we might hear someone express the sentiment, “Fall is my favorite season.” Many of us will agree. The abbreviated hours of heat and dialed-down humidity bring us relief. The mosquitoes have mostly perished, and we enjoy more time outside. The kids will do more cartwheels, and we’ll leap along with them—at least […]
ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (Sept. 26, 2022) Kids returning to school will no doubt learn some amazing things their parents never knew or else have forgotten. Some of us could benefit from studying along with them, suspending part of our daily grind in exchange for a bit of amazement over this big world. History’s appeal increases […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Aug. 2, 2022) So, this is drought. Some of us have never really seen one except for scenes in the world news and photos published by relief organizations. The drought, along with a heat wave (minus the breeze that usually comes with a wave) has been life-threatening, especially to livestock and poor creatures […]
ROCKWALL, TX (June 28, 2022) – Twenty years ago, the USS Spiegel Grove went down near Key Largo, Florida. But the locals happily observe the anniversary since the sinking was intentional. The state had received title to the retired Navy ship hoping it could become a haven for marine life. The sunken ship, just six […]
ROCKWALL, TX (May 5, 2022) The events of births decreased while the numbers of deaths climbed during our pandemic years. And many of us attended more funerals than weddings. Yet we have none other than King Solomon to tell us, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the […]
ROCKWALL, TX – April 15, 2022 — A woman who approached our dinner table shocked our small church group. Someone asked her, “How much weight did you lose?” “Fifty pounds,” the woman replied with no enthusiasm. This poor soul had suffered the harsh effects of a deadly superbug. Her cure was harsh as well: high-power […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Dec. 15, 2021) The girls’ faces fell an inch apiece after opening their mutual birthday present. Our small audience of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles had expected a more enthusiastic response. While the eight-year-old dutifully recovered in time to produce a polite smile and a “thank you,” her six-year-old sister summoned the courage […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 15, 2021) Some memories stand out within the annals of holidays past—for better or worse reasons. I recall my first Thanksgiving holiday away from home due to threatening weather. My college friend and housemate, Rhonda, could not drive the distance to join her family either, so we hatched a plan for our […]
ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 18, 2021) I once stood face to face with the devil, and I didn’t like the looks of him. I suspected the figure in red was really the boy down the street. He only demanded candy, yet a slight shiver ran down my juvenile spine at the sight of his pointed tail […]
ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (August 22, 2021) A lot of students take their educational opportunities seriously. Since I was not one of those, I’ve spent a lifetime making up for my losses. A world atlas catches my attention as I pass a certain bookshelf. I throw it open to survey the Caspian Sea. Ten minutes later, I realize […]