One of the joys of summer as a youngster was getting a new toy. Perhaps as you got older it was something more than a toy – rather a gift that helped define you.  We had just heard the song, “Brand New Key” by Melanie about roller skates and having fun when my wife shared… Read more »

One of the best things about vacations for me is getting to listen to music. Between my Sirius App, iPod, and Internet Radio – KXT (Dallas Fort Worth – great FM Station), I have listened to a wide range of music (interesting what you can do when you haven’t turned on a TV for a week). Recently… Read more »

We have all had those moments. You know those “aha moments” when the clouds part and we understand. Maybe one of your aha moments was in school as a teacher was explaining an algebra word problem. Perhaps it was when you were watching that mystery movie and the detective explains who did it (a great new… Read more »

Long summer nights sitting on the porch gives one time to think and reminisce. As the lightening bugs emerge for their nightly dance, the mind returns to a time of tag, hide and seek, croquet with family and friends and the second most important Holiday to a kid (sorry Easter and Thanksgiving, even Halloween), Fourth of… Read more »

Lately there has been much on my mind. For a person who has been kindly described by my wife as having an “active mind” (interpretation – shut it down for a while), the events of this year have me in mental overdrive. So, it was with pleasure that this past Saturday I hopped on my riding… Read more »

While it is good to get excited about big things (birthdays, weddings, grandkids), I also find that it is the unexpected that often brings me great joy. Let me add that sometimes the unexpected  – when you take a few minutes and think about it – really shouldn’t be unexpected. The world has been turned… Read more »

Have you ever been the beneficiary of a stranger’s gift? Perhaps you have made your way to the drive-thru window to pick up your sausage biscuit and learned that the person ahead of you has paid for your order! Each summer, the deacons in our church go to a local gas station just off of US-23,… Read more »

Over the years, I have often used regular Appalachian words or phrases that, shall I say, surprise some folks. I can recall using the word “diddle” (Appalachian for “a small chick”) at a Bankers Meeting in Richmond. As I saw the blank stares, I explained the word to a group who, beyond not knowing what… Read more »

A few years back at my wife’s family farm, we found a big old bell. Her cousin Erik erected it on a pole and rang it out. Man, was it loud! It was the bell that had been used on the farm for years to call folks back in for a hearty farm lunch (or dinner… Read more »

I recently read that this will be a tremendous year for gardening as folks are homebound and looking for activities that will get them outside. There is even talk about folks having Victory Gardens this year. A routine at our home for 25 years has been buying flowering baskets for display on our home’s wrap… Read more »