“Don’t Forget Your Hanky”

“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?

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.    ...
A Woman Ahead of Her Time

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...