Posts by Leslie Anne Tarabella
The hot summer of the cold war
Can’t you just leave it here? It’s almost September, which in the South is still full-blown-hot-steamy summertime, but I’m already counting the days until I can toss off my sweaters and warm up because there’s an abuse of air-conditioning going on and I’ve spent yet another summer shivering. This “cold war” has followed the current…
Read MoreReplacing the college kid
In preparation for taking my youngest son to college in a couple of weeks, I’ve wisely anticipated the difficult areas that may cause great heartache and have taken steps to avoid gut-wrenching bouts of sobbing I hear so many other mothers experience. My eldsest son just graduated from college and although it was difficult to…
Read MorePop-up VBS – here’s the scoop
I sat and watched again on TV last spring as a teen turned violent and shot and killed his peers. His teachers said he was “disconnected” from his community. I felt glad that couldn’t happen in our small (but growing) tight-knit community because everyone feels involved here, right? I mean, Southern Living loves us, so…
Read MoreAll parents should home school (?)
Every parent should home school — but hold on, before you yank Junior out of the 4th grade at Possum Valley Elementary, let me explain. After home schooling one of my sons for a few years and sending the other all the way through public schools, as well as teaching in a public system, I’ve come…
Read MoreSavory fig – rosemary tart
After years of fighting birds, bugs, heat and leaving town on vacation just when the figs were getting ripe — I hit the jackpot this year. Now, I’m so sick of picking figs, I finally gave up and told the birds to help themselves. “Do you make fig preserves?” everyone wants to know. The answer…
Read MoreDads raise confident women
My dad’s been sick, and for the first time, on Father’s Day, I had to feed him. A spoonful of soup, a bite of chicken, then a sip or two of water. It was the worst Father’s Day I can ever remember. Of course, you can imagine I was heartbroken, but when two different friends…
Read MoreGrace that is greater than all our sins
Grace that is greater than all our sins There needs to be a word to describe the specific feeling you get when you are simultaneously furious with your child, yet still want to hug them till they melt in your arms. I thought of this when my husband told me, “All the boys in…
Read MoreJule’s 99th birthday party – with pork rinds
The Fairhope Writer’s Group met to celebrate our darling friend Jule Moon on the occasion of her 99th birthday. Jule (pronounced Julie, but far too cool to spell it the expected way), is the anchor of our group of writers and has a lifetime of stories to tell. Born in Atlanta and raised in Mobile,…
Read MoreNo fake news, I saw a panther! #freakingout
*I told AL.com Environmental Reporter, Ben Raines it was too bad the housewife/mom/Junior League columnist had this experience instead of him. He would have known exactly what this thing was. But now I know for sure my heart surgery was a success, since I didn’t fall over dead when I saw this beast! I actually…
Read MoreThe Summer we know and love
Summer, Autumn, Winter (“Winnie”) and Spring are friends of my sons. Two are adorable, one is a tart, and the other will be a beauty someday — as soon as she grows into her teeth, bless her heart. With absolutely no connection to these young ladies whatsoever, and thinking only of the calendar, I have…
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