I firmly believe GPS was invented to save marriages. Before that, wives had to drive from the passenger seat.

I grew up in Ashdown, Arkansas, long before Siri started giving directions. Back then, the only voice you heard was the wife saying, “You missed the turn again,” followed by a silence thick enough you could drown.

Some men had a natural talent for getting lost. It’s part of their charm. At least, that’s what they told themselves. They could rebuild a carburetor, ...

I was driving to buy the morning paper when I noticed movement ahead. As I drew closer, I realized it was a dog. An English Setter, wandering aimlessly in the middle of the intersection. Cars swerved, horns blared, and her eyes were wide and lost.

I stopped my vehicle at the red light, opened the passenger door, and called, “Come on, girl.” She climbed right in. She was panting and flustered, but her coat was clean and freshly brushed. This ...

“Doodlebug, doodlebug, come out of your house. Your house is on fire and your wife has gone South.”

I have no idea who first taught my sister and me that saying, but I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know it.

We were shown how to take a small twig or broom straw and stir the doodlebug house until the sand walls caved in. That caused the bug to kick sand out from the bottom, little legs churning like mad. Of ...