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 […]

Cornered With Nowhere to Run

Cornered With Nowhere to Run

  An excerpt from the soon-to-be-released Moonstruck and Murderous. Ned has gotten herself cornered. I took a deep breath. I was in a tight place with little room to move. Pushing against the inglenook’s brick wall to give myself leverage, I stood up. The brick under my hand moved. What? Was the mortar so aged […]

When the Song Isn’t There, Fake It

  My niece Kim has an inspiring picture and quote on her Facebook page. A cardinal sits on a snowy pine. The caption is, “No matter what yesterday was like, birds always start the new day with a song.” I’ve noticed that, just by being who he is, no more and no less, a redbird’s […]

To All You Priceless Antiques

To all you priceless antiques out there, congratulations! Do you know your own hidden value? You are  beautiful, unique, and I salute you! To all you who have walked a good many miles down the road of life–a lovely, sunny, smooth road in spots and as rocky, dark, and treacherous as it could get in […]

Do We Speak the Same Language?

  Don’t you love it when you find someone who speaks the same language as you? I don’t mean language peculiar to any ethnic group, but people who have similar interests and enjoy talking about them. For example, history. I love history! Particularly, I love American history because America is my beloved country and I […]