Bringin’ Home The Bakin’

Bringin’ Home The Bakin’

Biscuit making is a lost art.

There have been many great advancements in civilization, but I have to say that canned biscuits isn’t one of them.

Pillsbury Grands, the flaky variety of course, are about as close to homemade biscuits as you can get, but they’re still nowhere near as good as biscuits made by the hands of an experienced biscuit maker.

This came to mind at Thanksgiving after eating my brother-in-law’s famous yeast rolls. It’s not his recipe (it came from one ...

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Family, Food, Home, Home Cooking, Restaurants

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Toying With Kids

Toying With Kids

Toys ain’t what they used to be. For the most part.

When my kids were little, Cabbage Patch Dolls were all the rage.

I never understood Cabbage Patch Dolls, or the hair pulling and fistfights that occurred in stores across America over who was going to get the first ones off the shelf when the new shipments arrived.

Think about it. The premise was that each doll was born in a cabbage patch. I’m not sure if the idea was to take a ...

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Family, Holidays, Life, Toys

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Let’s Put The Thanks Back In Thanksgiving

Let’s Put The Thanks Back In Thanksgiving

Most of us celebrate Thanksgiving without a second thought. That’s not how it was intended.

Contrary to what many say, America was founded on religious principles. Thanksgiving is proof of that.

Those who fled England to come here in the early 1600s did so for religious reasons. The first recognized Thanksgiving was a feast they shared with Native Americans to honor the Creator.

Since 1863, by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday ...

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Faith, Family, Holidays, Religion

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Spam Me

Spam Me

If you like bologna sandwiches, you’re alright by me.

If you grew up with a dad who worked, a mom who stayed home, one car, no air conditioning, and bologna in the fridge, then it’s likely you also are familiar with this particular lunch meat and other budget-conscious grocery items.

When I was a kid, you ate what they put in front of you or you didn’t eat at all. Matter of fact, I can remember many an hour sitting at a ...

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Family, Food, Home, Home Cooking, Life

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Yes, You Can Go Home Again

Yes, You Can Go Home Again

They say that you can’t go home again. Last weekend, I did.

I vividly remember the night of my high school graduation. It was very hot and very wet.

Because of heavy rains, we were the first class, in no one could remember how long, to graduate inside the gymnasium instead of on the football field.

It was a Friday night in May, and polyester was still surviving from the 1970s in the form of our shiny purple caps and gowns.

As we all ...

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Life, School

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Howdy Is Just Being Nice

Howdy Is Just Being Nice

The nicest people live in the South.

Anyone who was born and raised in the South and has done any traveling has probably noticed the same thing that I have: We’re friendlier.

Now, I’m not saying that people who live in the north, east, or western part of the United States aren’t nice folks. I’m simply saying we’re friendlier in the South.

I’ll give you an example. Only folks in the South can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger in a ...

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Family, Food, Home, Life

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Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat

 

One of the few holidays left that does not seem to be under attack is Halloween. Technically, Halloween isn’t a real holiday, but it is if you’re under 12 and like candy.

Recently, my wife mailed off a care package to the three smallest grandchildren, which included a homemade costume for each of them.

From what I’m told, dragons are one of the big things with kids this year, so they each received their own dragon costume, with just enough individual nuances ...

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Family, Holidays

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In The Tree Tops

In The Tree Tops

Before video games and 300 TV channels, kids played outside. And climbed trees. A lot of trees.

In the 1960s, tree climbing was a competitive sport in Ashdown, Arkansas. Tree climbing never made it to the Olympics, but if synchronized swimming, figure skating and handball are there, tree climbing deserves a spot. Had tree climbing made it to the games, my friends and I likely could have taken at least a bronze or silver for ...

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Home, Life, School

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Finding Your Voice

Finding Your Voice

Why do we use a different voice to talk to babies and dogs?

No one ever told me to change my voice when I talk to an infant or a dog, but I do it, and it seems to work. And I’m not the only one who does it.

The best way to describe the voice I use to talk to little kids or puppies is a cross between Marvin The Martian and Bart Simpson.

Why I do this, I do not know, ...

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Pets

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I’ll Split It With You

I’ll Split It With You

While much of America enjoys four equal seasons, those of us in Texas celebrate two: Hot and less hot.

Between October and February, it’s kinda cold in Texas. The rest of the year, it’s hot and humid.

But, as September gives way to October, there is a feeling, albeit a fleeting one, of relief.

Fall is here.

Generally, Arkansas has colder winters than we do in the Lone Star State. Consequently, I spent much of the spring of my life splitting firewood. Lots of ...

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Farming, Home

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