Articles
Romance and the dishwasher
My husband and I are enjoying our extra “together” time during this stay-at-home marathon. We’re the model couple for romance and fun. Sitting together while reading, watching movies and sharing candlelight dinners is all wonderful. Once we finish the romantic meal and the extinguished candles send a snaking stream of smoke to the ceiling, the…
Read MoreOur kitchens and Pantone
This story is included in my book, Exploding Hushpuppies – More stories from home. We can thank the “color-ologists” at Pantone for giving us a new reason to look forward to January. At the beginning of every year, they’ve announced their official, “Color of the Year.” It’s a very big deal for decorators and designers,…
Read MoreWhen a Southern lady enters the room
She walked into the room, impeccably dressed in a blue and white patterned top with matching navy skirt. Her jewelry sparkled and her hair was perfect. Her bright smile was greater than the Mona Lisa yet less than Miss America. Her final, yet essential accessory, was the hint of mischief in her eyes, which instantly…
Read MoreIt’s not the pumpkin, it’s the spice
Fonda Faye’s laughter was contagious, and after a while, you didn’t even notice her two front teeth pointing in opposite directions, much like a real jack-o-lantern.
Read MoreApollo 11: Stepping out in faith
Apollo 11 showed us, “greater love hath no man than this . . .” risking their lives to advance the lives of all humankind.
Read MoreWhen Southern summers were cool
But sometimes, around the end of July, we’ll hear a song on the radio and it reminds us of a day at the beach with sandwiches and icy bottles of Cokes.
Read MoreFannie Flagg for Father’s Day
Reading a new book just about every week, Daddy liked a variety of authors and topics. Traditional favorites like Faulkner and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings were balanced by biographies and stories about the wild west. His emergency hurricane cash-stash was hidden between the pages of Jimmy Buffett’s, “A Pirate looks at Fifty” and I once found…
Read MoreReal cheesecake is regional
My voice activated music system sometimes acts as if it doesn’t understand me unless I tone down my drawl, which gives me wrinkles around my mouth, because you have to pinch your mouth up in order to squelch a Southern accent. Try saying, “Hey Siri, play Guy Penrod” without a small twang in your tongue.…
Read MoreTreasure boxes hold what’s important to us
Before I post the column for this week, let me take a moment to thank everyone who noticed my column hasn’t appeared in the print edition of the Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville papers for the last few weeks. There’s a new computer system at AL.com, and with that comes a different way of loading up…
Read MoreEnjoy them now and graduation will be easier
Older women would see my children and say, “Enjoy them while they’re young. They grow up in a hurry.” I’d smile and think, “That’s sweet,” but what I didn’t understand was they were actually revealing the secret for not losing my mind years later when my children walked out the door into the world. The…
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