My mother, Susie Latty Day, told me this story about a fun time during her childhood. The year was around 1918. These are her words. One chore we always enjoyed was shelling corn to be taken to the grist mill and ground into meal. At supper, Papa would announce that we had to shell corn […]
Aug 29, 2020
Gardyloo and That Means You!
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Words are like people–they have interesting backgrounds. One such word is gardyloo. It originated in France, but was used in other countries too, as a warning that something unsavory was about to happen. What, you may ask? Suppose that you were walking along the street of a European town in the year 1650. Suddenly, from […]
Aug 28, 2020
Cicada Summer
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There he was, stuck to the screen of my door. What was he doing? Thinking? Doubtful. I hear him, these summer nights; he and his family and friends tune up in the darkness, singing their summertime songs, filling the night with their grating sound. All my life, I called them jar flies, and it was […]
Aug 27, 2020
Laura’s Fury
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Is anybody else mesmerized by hurricanes? I watched as Hurricane Laura approached the Gulf last night, anxiously waiting to hear where she landed and with what force. Cameras showed bending trees and flying debris as the fury of a category four hurricane struck Lake Charles, Louisiana. And then, this morning, daylight is showing the destruction. […]
Aug 26, 2020
Menace on Four Legs
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I got out of my car. The place looked deserted but as I approached the nearer house, a tall, bony dog appeared around the corner. It growled. I stopped. The animal didn’t look in the least friendly. It bared its teeth, snarled and started toward me. Everything I had ever read about unfriendly dogs […]
Aug 24, 2020
Good Days, Bad Days
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This is the first day of school for many Arkansas children. Once again, I see them trudging up the hill, or hurrying along, backpacks in place, to catch the bus. It has been a long vacation, an enforced vacation, and it wasn’t all that great. I hope it is a good day for them and […]
