Champions of Second Chances – Part II

Champions of Second Chances – Part II

Carol MacKay can’t bring herself to walk past a bin of vintage portraits gathering dust in an antique store or thrift shop. She feels compelled to stop and look through the stack of discarded images. Then she carefully scrutinizes the front and the back of each...
Champions of Second Chances – Part 1

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....
To Dad with Love

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!...
It’s Springtime in Tillie and Mason’s Garden

It’s Springtime in Tillie and Mason’s Garden

Grandma Tillie tenderly passes on her passion for gardening to her young grandson in a plot across from the railroad tracks in Smithville, Texas. She wears an old-fashioned sunbonnet and a dress with a long skirt. An apron is tied around her waist. Mason is clad in a...
Rag Rug Redemption

Rag Rug Redemption

“You don’t wash handmade braided rag rugs, you beat them,” I explained to my husband.  Emil still turned up his nose at the once-handsome rug sticking out of the plastic sack on top of my luggage. “I don’t care,” he replied. “It’s filthy. It smells, and it’s not...