Oils and Thinking

Oils and Thinking

It had been a long time since I’d painted in oils. Oh, I’d gotten canvas boards, paints, brushes, all the paraphernalia, but then, I just left them tucked away. The thing of it was, I was intimidated. Pencil sketches, watercolors, Prismacolor–all those media were familiar to me, as oil once was, so why did I […]

Just Give a Whistle

Just Give a Whistle

How long has it been since you heard a whistle? I don’t mean the shrill sound of blowing through a whistle, I mean where someone purses their lips and whistles. Used to be, whistling was common. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was a song or two that had whistling in it. So, what […]

A Tribute to Dad

Today is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate all the dads out there. Happy Father’s Day to my son, Matt Manos, who is a super father. Just ask his children. I think of my father every day but on this day, there is a particular vacancy, because Dad isn’t here and I can’t hear him sing […]

The Reason for the Day

The Reason for the Day

  My brothers, Thurman, Tracy, and Richard served in the Navy; my husband in the Army; my nephew Clint joined the Marines. They all came back home, all except Clint. We lost him to an awful place called Viet Nam. I think of Clint often and especially on Memorial Day. My country is made up of […]

Remembering Mama

Remembering Mama

  Yesterday, April 12 was my mother, Susie Latty Day’s birthday. Mom has been gone for nearly twenty-four years now and there isn’t a day when I don’t miss her. I’d love to sit down at her dining table for just one more cup of coffee, just one more chat. Many times, I wonder what […]

Rain, a Hundred Years Ago

Rain, a Hundred Years Ago

  On this rainy spring day, I’m thinking about long ago Etta and my Latty family. It would be dark on the farm at this hour, house lit only by kerosene lamps, no outdoor lights at all. Pappy would take a lantern as he walked through the rain, across the road to the barn to […]