A Hardship That Never Was

Life has a way of wearing down what it considers my rough edges. It never seems to matter that I like me just the way I am (thank you, Mr Rogers), and would prefer to be left alone with all my quirky imperfections, intact. And how does this consistently unwelcome action occur? Easy. The things […]

Not My Favorite Author, You Don’t

I freely admit I am a news junkie. The very first things I read as a little kid were newspapers my parents had finished reading and cast aside. I did not fully understand the stories, and what they meant; but I did know what I was reading was important to someone, somewhere, or it would […]

Robert Frost And His Gift Outright

There are moments in time which never, never leave us. We look back, and view crystalline images, clear, sharp, perfectly defined. For those of us who witnessed the inauguration of John F Kennedy in January, 1961, there was much to remember; but nothing and no one was so stirring as Robert Frost. The upper grades […]

Of Orchards, Smudge Pots, And Friends

If you lived near fruit groves in California or Florida way back when, you probably remember smudge pots and smudging. I believe the practice fell out of favor in the 1970s, but for any of us who grew up around orchards in the 50s, smudging was a part of our cold weather experience. It was […]

R E S P E C T, Find Out What It Means To Me

January 23, 1986 saw the first ceremony for its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Held in the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ballroom in New York City, those whose music had been rooted and grounded in gospel, country, R&B, blues, and rockabilly, merging into rock and roll, gathered to be acknowledged and honored. They, and […]