Family Funeral
A family funeral is a funny thing. . . There's the extreme, soul-wrenching sorrow of losing a beloved member juxtaposed with the celebratory stories joyfully shared by close friends and family. We back and forth cried and laughed, wiping away sad and happy tears...
White Corn Salsa
We're well into football season here in Texas, and you know what that means? Football equals tail-gating! For those unitiated into American Football, tail-gaiting is the phenomenon where fans gather before games with cookout and/or picnic type meals served out of the...
Happy Anniversary to Us!
We met at the Beirut port in 1961, but we got to know each other in the sand box at the Beirut Baptist School (BBS). Tim’s family temporarily lived one floor up from my family in the missionary residence on the BBS campus while his parents studied Arabic before going...
Central Texas Gardening in September
I couldn't wait to get out in the yard this morning! The temperature was just right in the mid sixties and the high is predicted to reach only eighty five, Yippee!!!! I rushed through my daily chores of feeding and watering the chickens, scooping their poop to stir...
Aunt Sheila
One of my favorite roles in life is that of being an aunt to my nephews and nieces, and now the “greats” are coming along as well.
Bonked on the Head!
An outstanding feature of my summer garden is an archway made of cattle panels connecting one raised beds to another.
Fatayir, Lebanese Spinach Pies
My oldest sister, Catherine, and her husband Jim are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this summer. They have invited the whole family to Taos, New Mexico for several days of celebrating. One evening, we are all invited to their place for a come and go...
Steps and Ladders
I enjoy browsing estate and garage sales. What do I look for? Yup, "things" for the garden or quilting. I hit the jackpot when one of the estate sale homes had a designated sewing room filled with my kind of goodies: an armoir stacked to the max with neatly organized...
Stacked Fruit Birthday Cake Alternative
Summer is here and all I seem to want to eat is fruit! We have a small group of friends who gather once a month at each other's homes for a meal and celebrate birthdays that fall in that month. Lately, everyone seems to be trying to eat healthy, so this month's...
What to Do in the June Texas Garden
Think of ways to manage "playing" in the garden for the next few months. The heat is brutal! 1. Try to "play" on days that are overcast and move around your garden as the shade moves from one location to another. 2. Most of your planting is already done, but you can...