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“To survive, you must tell stories.” Umberto Eco, Italian philosopher Two weeks ago in my Mother’s Day column, I talked about Mom telling me she’d gotten angry with my father and had cut her wedding dress up to made curtains.…

Photo by Aaron Toth

You might be like me, motherless on Mother’s Day. My mother was a smoker who quit her Raleigh cigarettes too late. It’s been 16 years since I last heard her voice and laughter, was warmed by her smile, or saw…

According to “The Teacher’s Calendar,” May is National Teaching and Joy Month. If you’re like most of us, you could use some joy and maybe even a chuckle, so sit back and enjoy this collection of classics. Thanks to fellow…

Debbie keeping watch over the land

Wanting to feature iconic Dells community members, I set off to interview Newport long-time residents, Don and Anita Nelson, farmers and the owner of Thunder Valley Inn. I happily sat alongside one of their good friends, Arlen Kanno. I ran…

What is it about seashells that draw people to them? What gives them their ancient mystery and magic?  When I ask my daughter-in-law if she wants me to grab her a shell bag in preparation for our beach walk, she…

The outdoor pickleball games at Alabama’s Gulf Shores State Park were going well—nice weather, great competition, friendly people, so why was I itching for this game to be over? What was drawing me away? Is that the screech of an…

“Deuce,” I call to my opponents. We’re playing doubles tennis, and I’m serving to “Flinger,” a man with a reputation for flinging his racket when angry. He and his female partner exchange words and I catch the word “fault.” Are…