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 […]
May 1, 2017
The Rampaging River and Life
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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 […]
Apr 28, 2017
The Rumble of an Approaching Storm
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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 […]
Oct 20, 2016
Stormy Night and Autumn Hills
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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. […]
Oct 13, 2016
A Dark and Stormy Afternoon
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It was a dark and stormy afternoon. Rain beat against the deck. Lightning flashed and thunder rattled the windows. Within the dining room, four women sat around an antique dining table, sipping coffee and munching chocolate. They spoke in hushed voices, almost as if they were afraid they would be overheard although they were the […]
Oct 3, 2016
The Hidden Things, the Secret Things
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As it turned out, Darcy and Flora’s family had its share of hidden things, the secret things. And, that July in Ventris County, just when they thought the storms had ended, another one appeared on the horizon. Reaching across the table, I squeezed her hand. “Oh, Mom, think of it! Think of the people we’ve always look […]
