I had an humbling experience earlier this week when I ventured out to Lowe’s to study the delightful selection of weather stripping. Such a mundane shopping trip was not exactly my bag, but desperate times call for desperate measures. (I have spaces under my doors a python could sliver through.)

While wandering up and down and aisles, feeling lost and underwhelmed, I wandered onto the aisle that contained a bank of hanging wall mirrors.

I took one look at the person approaching me and thought, “How can someone let herself go out in public dressed like that ?” The woman waddling straight toward me was a mess. She had on some kind of stretch pants and a pink Mississippi State tee shirt smeared with mud - or was it chocolate?” I didn’t care to find out.

I spoke to her in passing and she smiled back at me and mumbled something. As I (more…)

It may seem a bit premature to begin thinking about spring planting, but I want you to be the first to know that we’re cooking up a major regional event for the campus at Mississippi State University in the spring. (more…)

The weather man just promised highs in the 70s for the upcoming week. Joy to the World! So happy to kiss the hot steamy days of summer goodbye.

The rumble of thunder in the distance heralds the approaching cool front and I begin humming “September Song” while sweeping up the up the falling leaves to be dumped into my new compost pile.

It’s a good day to do some “get ready for winter” chores. I make a mental note to (more…)

Mr. friend Jane sent me some fudge recipes which got me started on a trip down memory lane.

When I was a teenager, my friend Linda and I would get together on rainy afternoons when her mother was away to make fudge. We would, of course, eat the entire recipe and I’d go home sick as a dog. My parents finally had to make me stop going to her house - thought it might contain high levels of carbon monoxide or something.

One afternoon our boyfriends were coming over and we decided to make a batch and lace it with Elmer’s Glue. They gobbled it up and never said a word. We laughed (more…)

Here I sit trying to update my website but I’m facing a serious episode of “writer’s block.”

Why? Because it can’t see a single piece of furniture in my office - they are all covered up with paper - magazines, books I want to read, future newspaper columns, bills to be paid, clippings ripped out of the newspaper, recipes, bank statements, the rough draft of my latest book (okay my ONLY book). It’s overwhelming and it’s time to do something about it. (more…)