Stories from the Slow Lane
It’s Peanut Time in Texas
The delicious aroma of homegrown peanuts slowly roasting in the kitchen on a chilly afternoon transports Joyce Hanzelka and Beverly Freeman back in time. The Texas natives, one who still lives on a farm and the other now an urban dweller, recall treasured autumn...
Champions of Second Chances – Part II
Carol MacKay can’t walk past a bin of vintage portraits forlornly gathering dust in an antique store or thrift shop. She feels compelled to stop and look through the stack of discarded images. She carefully scrutinizes the front and the back of each picture. “I always...
Champions of Second Chances – Part 1
Barbara Wampler comes to the rescue of neglected, vintage textiles. Catherine “Rabbit” Janecka brings new life to weathered wood, chipped resin, and rusted iron. These “champions of second chances” repurpose, repair, and recycle items that others might consider trash....
How Hot Is Houston?
I joined the influx of immigrants to Houston about a decade after our friend, Richard Dixon. We didn’t know each other back then, but comparing notes now makes us laugh. The heat of that first summer we spent in our respective corners of the Bayou City was not for the...
David Heller – In It for the Long Haul
We can set our clock by David Heller of the Hallettsville (Texas) Livestock Commission. When this cattleman says he’ll arrive on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. to haul our livestock, count on it. As David turns off the main road onto the uneven surface of our lane, the gates...
Vintage Western Art Hides Out in Old Texas Post Offices
Look up! A massive mural of galloping horses hangs above the postmaster’s door at our post office in La Grange, Texas. At nearby Smithville, Texas Rangers make an arrest in another huge painting . Not far away in Giddings, there’s artwork of three cowboys gathered...
Please Don’t Feed the Bears
Shrill protests from the henhouse suddenly rocked the peace and quiet of the farm in the Alberta foothills. When the commotion occurred, Cecilia Taylor was peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink that late August morning. She squinted out the window in the direction of...
The Day Winston Churchill Met His Namesake
In the summer of 1941, legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill shook hands with my favorite Canadian veteran, whose name is Winston Churchill Parker. Then the two had a little chat. The impromptu encounter occurred at 10 Downing Street in London,...
To Dad with Love
In honor of Father’s Day, Carol Kana, Dr. Elva Meiners and Gale Lincke join me in honoring the memories of our dads. These good men not only left footprints on our hearts, but the lessons they taught us continue to influence and enhance our lives today. Thanks, Dad!...
Stories I've Saved
