Stories from the Slow Lane
Thanksgiving Arrived Early for This Author
If putting a smile on people’s faces is a measure of success, then Thanksgiving arrived early for this author. After my newest book, Stories I’ve Been Told – Volume 3, made its debut earlier in November, Richard Dixon, one of the Fayette County residents profiled,...
You Don’t Know What You’re Missing
How many times have you driven by a local museum and never stopped? I have it on good authority from three docents of the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum in Schulenburg, Texas, that you don’t know what you’re missing. Here’s why. You’ll receive a Texas-size welcome...
Alberta Cattle Roundup Memories
In 1973, my pal Winston Parker invited me to tag along when he photographed a cattle roundup in the Alberta foothills. I was thrilled because that meant I could shoot the event for my photography class at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary. Come along to view some of the...
Pink Ladies Packed a Vintage Cookbook with TLC
Before the Internet became the go-to source, good cooks like those in the Fayette Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in La Grange, Texas, took pride in compiling their favorite recipes. In their 25th anniversary cookbook assembled in 1982 using a typewriter, these Pink...
“Don’t Forget Your Hanky”
A generation or more ago, “Grab some tissues” replaced the gentle reminder “Don’t forget your hanky.” Handkerchiefs were perfect for wiping away a tear or soaking up the sniffles. A tad of good old-fashioned comfort was lost with their demise but we have our memories....
Want to Know a Secret?
When I write stories about old times, it’s important that my facts are accurate and my descriptions correct. So I’ll share a secret with you. My go-to authority on rural life in the last century is not the internet; it’s 101-year-old Ed Poffenroth. ...
Truth Is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction
Behind the scene of a jaw-dropping 21st century inheritance, Charles Hebert has unraveled stories of immense wealth, prestige, tragedy and love. After his intense, in-depth research of a family named Snowden, Charles is now convinced; truth is sometimes stranger than...
Every Day is Memorial Day for Wayne Givens
For Vietnam War veteran Wayne Givens, every day is Memorial Day. That’s why he searches for opportunities to gift the beaded mementos he creates. The keychains are free. However, they didn’t come cheap. “They were paid for years ago in the jungles of Southeast Asia...
A Woman Ahead of Her Time
When Great-Aunt Myrtle lost her husband, Clarence, in 1950, she picked up the fractured pieces of her life and returned to work. For the next 36 years, she was the no-nonsense proprietor of McAllen Upholstery Shop in McAllen, Texas, a woman ahead of her time. Born in...