The Cat On The Mat

The Cat On The Mat

After living in the city my entire life, in 2003, we decided to give country living a try.

The transition wasn’t too different from Eddie Albert’s Manhattan to Hooterville move on the TV show, “Green Acres.” The only difference was that I wasn’t a wealthy New York attorney and our move was from Tyler to South of Whitehouse. Other than that, it was exactly the same.

I grew up in rural Arkansas, so I’d been around country settings in my youth, but ...

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Family, Farming, Pets

Name Dropping

Name Dropping

Most old-school celebrities are just regular folks.

There are very few celebrities I’ll spend money to see, but Jay Leno made the list.

We sat in the audience waiting for him to take the stage, and when he did, he didn’t disappoint. He’s one of the few comedians left who can be non-stop funny for 90 minutes without being vulgar.

We didn’t get to meet Jay, but he seems like a nice guy. He has that reputation in the show ...

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Life

The Dream Car

The Dream Car

It was the car I’d always wanted. A 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 Convertible.

I found it one morning while cruising (pun intended) on eBay. The guy who owned it and had it for sale lived just east of me, a few miles across the Louisiana line.

It was red, with large white stripes on the hood. From the photos, it looked to be in great condition for a 32-year-old car. I stared at it on the computer screen.

I wanted this car.

My love ...

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Cars

TV Or Not TV? That is the question

TV Or Not TV? That is the question

I don’t understand the new TV shows.

Well, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement. Shows such as “Cops,” “World’s Wildest Police Chases,” and “Judge Judy,” are fairly straightforward. Some of those programs even remind me of family members. But, I’m getting off track.

We’ve come a long way from “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Happy Days,” and “Touched By An Angel.”

I often wake up early and sometimes spend a few hours alone, which gives me complete control of the TV remote. This ...

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Family, Television

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The Canning Jar Quest

The Canning Jar Quest

Forty-five years ago, my mother began collecting a series of antique canning jars. I can’t remember why this happened, but my best guess is that she came across one that was unique, she liked it, and she bought it.

This purchase would start a chain reaction and a multi-year search for my family.

Specifically, she sought green Atlas jars with glass lids. These were also known as “Lightning Jars.” Allegedly, the name came from how much faster they were to open than ...

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Family, Food, Home, Home Cooking, Life

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Diners, Drive-Ins and Memories

Diners, Drive-Ins and Memories

Chain restaurants are rapidly replacing what I believe has been one of the best facets of small town America: the local diner or restaurant.

Unexpectedly and unannounced, the drive-in in our small town closed last week. In fairness, it was a Sonic, which technically is a chain restaurant, but it wasn’t a corporate location, it was locally owned.

Whenever we lose an eatery that was owned by someone who lives in our town, we lose a little bit of who we are.

After ...

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Family, Food, Home

Match Game Is Unmatched

Match Game Is Unmatched

Once upon a time, daytime television was filled with game shows, people winning prizes, and funny celebrities. I miss those days, and one game show in particular. Match Game.

During the midday hours of the summer breaks in the mid-1970s, just about the only thing on TV that a kid wanted to watch were game shows.

We stayed with my grandmother during those summer days. She watched game shows too, but she mainly watched soap operas, or as she called them, her ...

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Television

Just My Type

Just My Type

For those who know me, it’s no secret that I enjoy perusing the classifieds for yard or estate sales. But, a recent online visit to the local Craigslist site led to the purchase of a manual typewriter. A 1958 Remington Quiet-Riter, to be exact.

This column was written on it.

Some might consider an almost-60-year-old typewriter a nonsensical purchase, considering that desktops, laptops and iPads (the latter typically being my chosen device for writing) are much easier to navigate and correct mistakes.

All ...

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Life, School

Christmas Present

Christmas Present

Rising quietly from the bed as not to wake her, I dress in the dark and make my way to the door. I open it and walk into the hallway. On the bedroom wall, I watch the dim light shining in from the living room narrow and then disappear as I lightly close the door.

As I make the short walk from our bedroom to the living room, the light brightens. It’s 3 o’clock on Christmas morning and the lights on ...

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Faith, Family, Holidays

Kids and Christmas

Kids and Christmas

Santa came to our house on Christmas Eve, before we went to bed. Some of my friends had to go to bed before Santa would come. Their gifts would be under the tree when they woke up.

Not me. I didn’t have to wait. My grandmother would take us for a Christmas Eve ride in the station wagon to look for Rudolph’s glowing nose in the sky.

All of the local radio stations would give Santa sighting reports. The North American Aerospace ...

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Family, Holidays, Home

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