City Girl

Facebook sometimes brings sad news, and Sunday was one of those times. AJ’s Fish House, a community institution for 20 years, announced that its doors will close effective December 1. It is not only a great loss to fried fish fans in East Texas, but also to my family. […]

Like everything else this year, Thanksgiving is going to be a bit different. We usually go to the home of relatives for the holiday, but as the messages began coming in that various families were staying home alone this year, I began to plan my menu. […]

David and I visited with our dog friend Spike last weekend while his people took a break from raising cattle. Spike was unusually subdued, maybe feeling the pressure of 2020 like the rest of us. More likely, though, his calm attitude is because of the strict restraints he’s under to keep him from chasing several new calves. Instead of having the run of the ranch, he stays in the barn, the house or tethered on the patio, and he walks on a leash. […]

My husband David has been a biker most of his life. He learned to ride his uncle’s old Cushman motorcycle when he was nine, and since then, hitting the road on two wheels has been an almost magical experience to him. […]

The subject of racism is impossible to avoid today since it’s at least mentioned in a majority of news stories and broadcasts, social media posts and many conversations. It’s easy to assume that the definition of such a common word is common knowledge. But as we all know, assumptions can be wrong. […]

“By the time this column is published the remaining books will have been hauled away to be sold at Half-Price Books, but the Book Shed behind the Library won’t be empty.” This sentence was in the final paragraph of last week’s column in which I talked about some of the book lovers I met at the Friends of the Library Book Sale. […]

The Friends of the Library 2020 Book Sale has come and gone, and I’m exhausted. In fact, many of the more seasoned FOL members are exhausted after a week of setting up tables, unpacking and sorting thousands of books, displaying them, and repacking them. […]

Have you noticed that, when you’re trying to be careful of what you eat, you are suddenly surrounded by food? Everyone at work or Bible study has a birthday accompanied by your absolute all-time favorite cake. Every commercial on TV and every print ad you see are designed to make you hungry – and it works. […]

David and I spent the weekend in COVID jail – not because we had the virus, but because we didn’t. He had some minor surgery on his hand on Monday at the VA in Dallas, and as part of the pre-op procedure, we had to go in Friday for him to have a COVID test. […]

It’s not unusual for me to turn on my phone in the morning and find a text from my neighbor Connie waiting for me. She has trouble sleeping some nights, and she finds that a good time to catch up on her correspondence. […]