Welcome to my blog. Here are some true tales about growing up Southern and some stories about how everyday things are sometimes more meaningful than they seem.
It Happened Like This & Other Stuff
What’s in an Empty Suitcase?
Have you ever stood in line at an airport carousel trying to spot your luggage and thought about how most bags look alike? Or silently swore because this sameness makes your bag hard to spot? [...]
Granddaddy Sang Shape Notes
Music does many things for us. It lifts our spirits, brings us together, inspires us, soothes us, and even eases our pain. We love to hear our favorite songs over and over, in part because [...]
That Boy Has Torn His Britches with Me
The driver of car number one, a four-door Ford sedan heading east with three passengers, slowed and dimmed his headlights as he passed the last house on the narrow street. The moon slipped behind growing [...]
Why South of Little Rock?
When one of my writing buddies learned I was working on South of Little Rock, he asked me, “After a career in public history and museums, why’re you writing fiction?” I told him I had [...]
Chickens, Snakes, and Tight Places
When one of my daughters read a draft of this blog, she asked, “Are you sure you want to put this on the Internet?”
“Yes,” I said. “My friend who blogs for Psychology Today thinks it’s [...]
The Dogtrot House and Eight-Point Star Quilt
Because she died when I was young, I have no personal recollection of my Great-grandmother Henrietta McCullar. Most of the little I know of her comes from a few stories my mother told me, two [...]