The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

  Many of us have been experiencing rain, rain, and more rain. And, flooding. Flood records are being broken as creeks and rivers overflow and dams are strained to capacity. What a wet month! A few years ago, when I was writing the fourth Darcy and Flora cozy, Grave Heritage, Tahlequah experienced the wettest July […]

A Home of Sticks

A Home of Sticks

She sits on her little nest of sticks and feathers and this and that. It’s sort of a hodge podge of building materials, but it suits her and it’s home to those tiny blue eggs she warms patiently, day and night. Robins’ nests aren’t known as architectural wonders. And, although they do their best, mama […]

The Magic Wand of Time

The Magic Wand of Time

The morning is dark and cool. We’re under a tornado watch and a flood warning. Last night’s weather was wicked in many places and I haven’t yet heard of all the damage done in Oklahoma and other states. Sunday, as we drove to the cemetery for Decoration Day, we were amazed to see evidence of […]

Getting in Touch with an Old Tradition

by blanche manos · leave a comment (edit) Yesterday, my family and I kept up the yearly tradition of putting flowers on the graves of loved ones. Decoration Day is always the same Sunday every May and has been that way for generations. The beautiful little cemetery lies in northeast Oklahoma, surrounded by trees, gentle hills, and a creek […]

Tribal Customs Continue

Tribal Customs Continue

  Routines are nice as long as they don’t become ruts. Routines are not the same as schedules. A schedule seems rather inflexible and fixed, but a routine is a pattern that gives meaning to a day. Routines are more like tribal customs. In the dim, dark ages that many people have never experienced, those days […]

Dirt on My Hands, Sunshine in My Heart

Why is digging in the dirt therapeutic? Maybe it isn’t for everyone, but for me, it is. Yesterday, I finally got out to the herb garden, dug out grass and weeds, and planted a few herbs, veggies, a hollyhock, and some peppers. When the sun is on my back and my hands are in the […]