City Girl

My first column of this year was titled “Welcome 2020!” I mentioned that a number of marketing firms seemed poised to launch ad campaigns reminiscent of the Roaring 20s of the last century. I followed that up by saying “It remains to be seen whether the next 10 years roar or whimper.” […]

Last year, our front porch began to list to the southeast. Investigation showed that the support post on that corner was rotting away. We discussed our options with a local handyman. […]

With all the unrest and chaos that’s going on in the country, I felt like I should write something of a serious nature this week. However, many of the situations make little sense to me, so it’s impossible to write something sensible. […]

A recent post on Facebook described a perfect example of how our attitude toward time has changed in the last few months. […]

Last week I wrote about the fact that normal life is beginning to call to all of us because social people cannot stay in isolation long. The call to community is too strong. […]

I need a loaf of bread. David had been asking for BLT’s, so when Brookshire’s offered a three-pound package of bacon for $9.99, I put it on the list. We have enjoyed several sandwiches since then, and David is a happy man. However, I underestimated the number of sandwiches in that much bacon, and I’m almost out of bread. […]

I’ve missed a lot of things during self isolation: lunch with friends at the senior center, picking out my own produce and meat at the grocery store, going to the library to choose what books we would read next, and going to the gym several days a week among others. The thing I missed most, though, is meeting with my church family. […]

Has anyone ever asked you if you’re afraid of death? I think all of us have dealt with that question at some time in our lives, even if it was only in our own minds. My stock answer has been, “I’m not afraid of dying, but I don’t look forward to the process.” Twice in my life I’ve had a chance to test the validity of that answer, and I’d say it pretty much passed the test. […]

At the risk of being melodramatic, I had a momentary brush with death this week. I’m fine, but of course, I wanted to write about the experience. Before I tell you about it, though, I want to share my feelings about fear. Here’s a piece I wrote a few weeks ago; […]

Disturbing dreams have been a part of my sleep patterns off and on for most of my life. They’re not usually the scary kind with ghosts and monsters chasing me, but more of the kind that are supposed to indicate worry about being unprepared for something. I used to dream I went to school or to work without the proper amount of clothing, and sometimes I dreamed I was trying to run, but it felt as if I was moving through Jell-O. […]