In the early 1900s, the people of the Etta community seldom received mail. The nearest post office was in Tahlequah, more than 15 miles away by horse or wagon over rough country roads. A traveler to Tahlequah must ford the Illinois River twice and Barron Fork Creek once. No bridges arched these streams and some […]
Aug 3, 2025
Dukes and Duchesses
By · 2 Comments
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough defeated the French and Bavarians on August 2, 1704. Who knew? And, today, who cares? But, if you were the Duke or his British soldiers at that time, you cared a lot! If any one individual was ever the inspirations for stories of intrigue, mystery, action, or romance, it […]
Jun 9, 2025
Pretty Well Blessed
By · Leave a Comment
As I get older, I think about “the good old days” and the way things used to be. In the second Etta book, Remembering Etta Bend, I included remembrances of two of Ma and Pappy Latty’s children, Georgia Latty Cochran and my mother, Susie Latty Day. As I’m sure they would agree, they were pretty well […]
Jun 4, 2025
The Umbrella Oak
By · 3 Comments
A large oak stands in front of the house that belonged to my parents. It is so tall and its limbs spread so wide that anyone standing under it during a rain is sheltered, as if by a giant umbrella. The tree is old and has seen many changes. A busy street a few feet […]
May 24, 2025
Rainy Day Nostalgia
By · 2 Comments
This long weekend is off to a wet start. Rain puts me in a nostalgic mood and I think of what a rainy morning may have been like on the Latty farm when my mother was a young girl. My grandfather always went to the barn to milk while the morning was still as dark […]
