Drones
The Cumberland Homesteads, located on the Cumberland Plateau near Crossville, Tennessee, was a 1930s-era homesteading project started by FDR as part of his New Deal. About 250 families were relocated to the project, where they used sweat-equity to build homes for themselves. The hope was that the people would thrive on their own small farms, leaving poverty behind. Though the Cumberland Homesteads was the most successful of 100 similar communities established around the country, it was short-lived since it was never became self-supporting. Neither the community store nor cannery survived due to lack of experienced managers; other industry never relocated to the area. By 1945, the federal government ceased being involved in the project and those homesteaders who...
Four O’clock
“So this is how it begins.” I just looked at George, with no idea what he was talking about. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and we were bundling up to take Prince for a walk in our ice-covered neighborhood. Our town had been shut down for two days because of the weather so while George would have been home anyway enjoying retirement, I’d also been at home because I couldn’t drive to my office. Our normal routine is to feed the dog at 4:00 every day, then take a walk. I usually join the guys since I leave work about that time. But having both George and me home all day had confused Prince; he was clamoring for his dinner by 3:00, so George gave in and fed him. Thus, the early walk. But he had already done the feeding, so what did he think was...
SNL
Saturday Night Live just celebrated its fortieth year of laughter and silliness. I was in college when it started, not an era when I had much time for television, still, I remember one weekend my roommate brought a friend’s TV to our dorm room. We turned it on that Saturday night and I saw the silliest show ever, though I’ve never been able to recall its name. What I do remember is that every few minutes, a lady in a dark trench coat appeared, singing a song about what were considered psychiatric disorders at the time. I’m in love with a transvestite, although I knew it couldn’t last…. I’m in love with a sadomasochist…. There were others, too many to remember. Weird, I know. But funny. So I watched the SNL celebration hoping for any...
Squirrels
I’m happy that monster dog, Prince, doesn’t chase the squirrels we encounter on our walks. They’re such harmless little creatures I’d hate for them to be terrorized, especially since they trigger great memories for me. I can’t see a squirrel without thinking of my mother. And smiling. My mother hated squirrels. That’s right. Those cute animals with the graceful tails were her archenemies. You see, for a large part of my childhood, we lived in what used to be a pecan orchard. When developers bought the farm, they built houses amidst the pecan trees; we had four in our yard. And we were happy with our pecans. They made a delicious snack but, more importantly, we used them in baking. My mother’s famous creamy Christmas candy...
Why Men Aren’t Invited to Baby Showers
1) Women talk about their pregnancies at showers. 2) Fun shower games from a man’s perspective include Pin the Umbilical Cord on the Baby and a pie hole game of Toss the Baby Through the Vagina. 3) Men don’t ooh and aah over onesies, receiving blankets, and crib sheets. 4) Shower food consisting of miniature cupcakes, grapes, veggies, and cheese cubes is too insubstantial for guys. 5) Women share birth experiences at showers. 6) Cloth versus disposable diapers is a prime topic of conversation. 7) Men are biased on the debate of whether or not babies should be nursed in public. 8) Shower décor is silly. 9) Wine is not served at showers. 10) Neither is beer. 11) And there’s no ballgame showing on the...
Grief
Has grief ever taken you by surprise? It caught me over something I never expected to grieve: my husband’s retirement. His retirement! I’m asking myself, Why? The pluses are immense: he’s doing more of the cooking, cleaning, washing and dog-walking. Even scooping the cat’s litter box! He’s done home repairs, raked leaves, grocery shopped, taken financial records to be shredded, studied our phone plan, and joined the Rec Center. He was at home when the HVAC guy came to service our units, so I didn’t have to take time from work to be there. He’s staying up later, reading a lot and watching silly movies. He’s more relaxed than he’s been in years. Years. I’m no longer worried about him keeling over from...
Christmas
What is Christmas? Have you ever thought to define it? I see two words, Christ and mass, representing the day we celebrate the coming of our Savior Who, out of love for us, ultimately gave His body and His blood, the holy Eucharist. He was, and is, a personal Gift for each of us, the greatest we will ever receive. We rejoice as we think of the Child in the manger and we are overwhelmed with thanks as we consider our Redeemer on the cross. The angels, ecstatic at His birth, praised God with singing and a heavenly display of fireworks. They couldn’t help but share their excitement, which was so obvious to the shepherds keeping watch during the night that they were drawn into the celebration. When I look at the night sky, it seems I can see lights from miles...
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