I recently saw a man loading baskets of clothes in his car outside the Buffalo laundromat , and I thought, “How lucky that’s not me.” more

When you come to see me at one of my storytelling events (and I do hope you will sometime) you will notice that I have with me a very old-looking book. It is an impressive volume. It is about four inches thick and bound in leather. It has a leather strap that wraps around it two times and a key on the end of the strap that goes into a small pocket to keep the whole thing securely closed. It is a real showstopper with pages that looked like they have been yellowed by centuries of wisdom. more

This past weekend, the 3rd Annual Downtown Fall Block Party brought Court Square in downtown West Plains to life with the kind of community spirit that makes you feel lucky to live here. In the days leading up to the event, we were all keeping an eye on the weather, wondering if the rain might spoil the fun. But as if by magic, the clouds parted on Saturday, giving us a perfect day to be outdoors, surrounded by friends, neighbors, and local vendors. more

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I had to take a foreign language for my bachelor of arts degree. more

This week, Apple hosted its much-anticipated annual event, unveiling their latest lineup of products, including the new iPhone 16 models. For years, this event has been a must-watch for me—something I’d block off my calendar for, make sure my notifications were off, and settle in for the reveal with excitement. But this year? I missed it. It wasn’t an active decision, and I didn’t consciously decide to skip it. I simply...forgot. more

How can you spot a traditional Ozarks storyteller like myself? I tell stories about the past, but I certainly don’t look the part. I don’t wear old-time clothes with a bonnet. My hair is not long and tied in a bun. I don’t look special in any way. Just a regular lady in 2024. more

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Potpourri- a collection of unrelated dried flower petals used for decoration or scent. Also, a category on the game show, Jeopardy. In addition, fodder for a Saturday late night comedy show. more

Forty years ago I might have been planning another trip to the West about now. more

Labor Day has come and gone, signaling the unofficial end of summer. It’s funny how this holiday, once eagerly anticipated, now seems to slip by with little fanfare. As a kid, Labor Day was a big deal. It was the first day off of the new school year, a three-day weekend that felt like a reward for making it through those first couple of weeks back in the classroom. For me, Labor Day weekend was synonymous with the lake. We’d pack up the truck and head out for a few days of camping, swimming, and boating. The days were filled with sunshine, laughter, and the kind of pure, unfiltered joy that only seems to exist in childhood. more

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A mere 60 years ago I was a 16-year-old boy about to start my senior year of high school. more

If you could look back in time, do you think your family surname would be what it is now? Is your last name an inheritance from one of your ancestors’ trades? Names like Fisher, Cooper, and Taylor originally identified specific professions. Or perhaps it reflects a lineage, such as Johnson (son of John) or other names ending in -son, like Anderson, Jefferson, or Harrison. It could describe a physical characteristic—Little, Strong, Redmon, or Young—or be derived from a place name like Hill, Marsh, or Bridges. more

Personal growth as an adult is like trying to navigate through a maze with no clear map, only to realize that the walls keep shifting as you move forward. It's not the straightforward, linear path we were promised as kids. Remember the days when you’d get a gold star on your homework and know you were on the right track? Adulting doesn’t come with gold stars. Instead, it's full of those "two steps forward, one step back" moments. But here's the thing: personal growth isn’t about perfect progress—it's about messy, stumbling, and sometimes downright frustrating progress. more

When I was a boy almost all of my heroes were clean-shaven. more

Did you know that according to legend the Ozark mountains owe their very existence to razorback hogs of long ago? (This was, I suppose, at the time when the razorbacks roamed the earth with the dinosaurs.) At the time, the Ozarks land was very flat, covered with huge oak trees. The hogs that fed off the giant acorns grew so large they became gargantuan and fierce. One year the acorn crop, or mast, failed to produce, and the enormous beasts grew so hungry that they went raging up and down the land in search of food. They dug and rooted so deep in the ground that gravel and rock scattered "ever which a-way." This ripping and tearing turned the once flat land into nothing but deep hollers and high hills that we know as the Ozark Mountains.  more

Hey, West Plains! It’s that time of year again when the air starts to get a little crisper, the leaves begin to change, and the whole town comes together for one of the most anticipated events of the season—the 3rd annual Downtown Fall Block Party on Court Square! If you haven’t marked your calendar yet, you’re going to want to circle the date because this year’s block party is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before. more

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After working more than 32 years for Texas County Library, I’m taking the first week of my very first vacation this week. Oh, I’ve utilized my regular days off over the years to visit Branson, Memphis, and Eureka Springs several times, and even Central Illinois for a 50th high school reunion, but I’ve always been back on the job on Monday morning. more