Stories from the Slow Lane
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...
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...
Other Stories I've Saved
