Columns

A Quiet Respite

The past month has been busy for a number of reasons. First we had been dealing with the extreme heat. Just trying to keep the flowers and vegetable garden from wilting away has been a challenge. Forget cutting the grass. Only after a few recent drops of rain has the lawn made a slight effort to return to its green pasture-like appearance. The rose bushes appreciated a rain shower even more as the blooms are flourishing quite nicely. The cool evenings have brought some relief to the hummingbirds that have been battling a variety of bees seeking to share their nectar at our feeders. ...

It Came Out Of Nowhere

An ordinary Tuesday evening suddenly turned chaotic. At first I thought it was getting awfully dark earlier than normal. However, the next sounds I heard directed me to head outside and see what was happening. I stood on the front porch as I heard and saw the wind picking up along the tree line. The stately trees began to sway and bend, spilling showers of leaves to the already parched earth. The wind, emanating from the west and traveling up the hollow behind the house, was growing louder. My eyes were fixed on the amazing dark and light clouds that were swirling across our ...

Olympic-Sized Challenges Are Everywhere

There is a song that reminds us that “It’s summertime, and the living is easy.” Well, I guess that’s true for some folks. I don’t imagine there is anything easy about summertime for the hundreds of men and women competing at the Olympics in Paris. We have tuned into some of the events that grab our attention, flipping channels to catch various competitions. Who can’t be amazed by the gymnastic events featuring some of this country’s finest athletes? The floor and bar performances are breathtaking to watch. You have to imagine that somewhere along the way to the Olympics ...

Number, Please

For 10 cents, I could call home from a public pay phone or phone booth. Then the price rose to 25 cents. Absurd, I thought as a grade schooler and later as a teen. I’m not sure if pay phones even exist anymore, let alone those glass enclosed phone booths with the folding door. When I was in grade school, I would take shelter in the phone booth that was located on National Road in front of the Hundley Ford car dealership. The phone booth provided some escape from the rain or snow as I waited for the public transit bus after attending a Girl Scout meeting at school. There was no use ...

Goosebumps All Over Again

The temperature outside was nearing 90 degrees. However, a sudden chill ran through my body. This goosebump moment had nothing to do with the weather. It was something that just came across every social media and news outlet within earshot of where I was having dinner with several family members that brought about my condition. It was the moment the press was screaming out the fact that former President Donald Trump had been grazed by a bullet from a would-be assassin. Then seeing the footage of the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania that took at least one innocent life and ...

Riding Out Summer

Summertime is noted for many much-awaited events. They include picnics, a dip in a cooling outdoor pool, a variety of festivals, yard sales and car shows. Yes, car shows are high on the list of many Ohio Valley residents. Whether you are the proud owner of a 1960-something Corvette, a custom-painted Harley or a brand new four-wheeler, car shows are most likely on your summer bucket list. During the warm weather months and into early fall, vehicle enthusiasts bring out their prized vehicles to show off to the rest of us. Some of the shows are simple gatherings — such as those that ...