Spring has sprung all over central Arkansas. After a long winter that culminated in a late February snow event, I was ready this year for the milder weather. We only get a brief period of tepid temperatures around here before we jump full force into the heat and humidity of summer, so as soon as
Category: Essays
Let me start by saying that I apologize for that title that may or may not have planted an earworm of a certain Disney song in your mind. But rather than the musings of an ice queen, this particular reference was inspired by another poem by Mary Oliver, whom I have been reading for a
Today was my annual oncology appointment with scans. I have written in the past about the stress these appointments give me. Oncologists and their treatment protocols are all very different and discovering metastatic cancer early does not necessarily increase longevity but my doctor likes to scan yearly if a patient’s insurance will pay for it
I originally wrote this very naive, simplistic, and optimistic post in January of 2018. I guess it is a good thing we can’t see the future, whether it was my family’s personal struggle of January 2020 or the entire nation’s chaos of the current year. But in the end the sentiment is the same. Day
I misspoke yesterday when I made the statement that today “would have been my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary.” An anniversary by definition is “the date on which an event took place in a previous year.” And on December 31, 1970 my parents Harry Laron Temple and Shirley Lynn Williams were married. And they lived for
This morning I got up before seven, made pancakes, and dropped Abby off at her high school for quite possibly the last time. She was scheduled to take the ACT test and we decided it would be easier for me to drop her off than for her to have to find a space, park, etc…
If you recall, I ended last month’s food rundown with the hopes that I would cook more and have less takeout in August. However, the month did not have an auspicious start. The first fell on a Saturday and we had just returned from the cabin so we just grabbed some takeout. On Sunday, August
When I was growing up, I had a lot of “stuff”. Toys as a child – Barbies and baby dolls particularly with all the accessories and clothes they required. As a teenager, I had knickknacks and collectibles, cassette tapes, books, and ceramic dogs, clowns (I know!), and dolls. In the late 90’s, after Trever and
June rolled into July and our days of summer rolled on. I went into the office a few hours a day, we picked up groceries regularly and Trever worked from home. Occasionally we got away to the cabin on a weekend. July 1st was a Wednesday night and I made shrimp and grits. I didn’t
Summertime is here….for us at least. Regardless of what the calendar says, summertime in Arkansas starts in late May and usually is marked by the end of the school year and the beginning of vacation season. This year, obviously, is quite different but, hey we still have to eat! Monday, June 1st, I cooked a