Do you see anything new on this site this morning? Check the right side where the books are. There it is—By the Fright of the Silvery Moon! Right in there with the other five cozies and it looks comfortably at home. Thanks, webmaster Matt. My yard is wet and soggy this morning but the flowers […]

An Angry Sky Over Our Heads
My brother, niece, and I spent the weekend at our parents’ and grandparents’ home in Oklahoma. My brother, whose home was now Minnesota, longed to hear a good old Oklahoma thunderstorm and be lulled to sleep by the patter of raindrops on the roof. Since rain was in the forecast, I told him this was entirely […]

Winds of Change: Conclusion
This is the second and final installment of my May 5, 1985 Daily Press article about the tornado which destroyed Peggs, Oklahoma on May 2, 1920. In 1920, Walter Neel lived with his parents, brothers and sisters on the Gid Morgan farm, two and a fourth miles southeast of Peggs. The storm went a mile […]

The Rampaging River and Life
The Illinois River is angry. It overflows its banks and barrels into farms, homes, and businesses. Its swift and churning current carries logs, trees, and animals that couldn’t get out of harm’s way. It’s a deadly enemy without compassion, without remorse, claiming as its own anything in its path. The river has flooded many times […]

The Rumble of an Approaching Storm
I hear the rumble of an approaching storm in the distance and the wind has picked up. The dog-walker has gone by, getting in her walk before the storm arrives. By the end of the weekend, the weatherman is saying we will have had twelve inches of rain this week. My hope is that people are […]

Stormy Night and Autumn Hills
The hills are putting on their autumn display of color. Muted russet, flaming scarlet, joyful yellow vie for beauty on the sloping hillsides between northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma. It’s a beautiful drive, with the river on one side of the highway, the hills on the other. Earthy scents of damp leaves and soil slipped into the car. […]

