Stories from the Slow Lane
All Fired Up
Old Man Winter had a firm grip on that long ago February morning in the Alberta foothills. To walk the quarter mile uphill from our farmhouse to the main road where we’d catch the school bus, Mom had wrapped me in multiple layers Only a small slit across my eyes was...
We’ll Take Our COVID Shots To-Go
Since COVID-19 began disrupting our everyday routines last year, we’ve taken advantage of various drive-throughs, curbside pickups and to-go offers. Correspondingly, when Emil and I received our first Moderna vaccine shots on Inauguration Day, we never had to leave...
A Tale of Two Tomcats
My sister Shirley and I love cats and always have. Years before she married Harvey, he and his mother gave Shirley a tabby kitten. Furious at being trapped and relocated, the little guy earned the name of Yowler. He’d been born and lived quite comfortably in Harvey’s...
Miles of 2020 Smiles
For as long as I can remember, Mom insisted that tacking up a new calendar before the first day of the New Year was bad luck. Since we don’t need any of that, Emil and I waited until today to take down our dog-eared record of 2020. Flipping through the months, we...
Christmas in Her Heart
This simple yet remarkable true Christmas story from the foothills of the Canadian Rockies will lift your spirit and warm your heart. The aromatic promise of an epic Christmas dinner filled our farmhouse. Mom wrestled an enormous homegrown turkey from the oven of the...
Oh, Those Never-to-be-Forgotten Gifts
What gifts they were! Bob Odum, sisters Leah Zapalac Tietjen and Lestell Zapalac Villanueva and I remember childhood Christmas presents that made our hearts flip in excitement. Here are our memories. Hop on the bike, Bob Bob Odum of Katy, Texas, and his older brother,...
So what are we having?
Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s woven together with memories of special people, fun celebrations and, of course, great food. I asked two outstanding Texas cooks, Elizabeth (Liz) Ripple of Fayetteville and Linda Harris of Conroe, to each share a favorite Thanksgiving...
AUDIO ON: WWII in Their Own Words
Those who live through pivotal world events rarely have the opportunity to share their firsthand experiences. Therefore, the history that’s passed down is sometimes limited. But in today's audio program, you’ll hear the voices of eight veterans who each contributed to...
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...
Stories I've Saved
