A little headache. I’m wondering if it’s barometric pressure. A sunny day, then boom! a cloud and sudden splats of rain, then the downpour. Yesterday I was drenched walking back to the car at Walmart. Memorial Day weekend. The parking lot, filled to the brim. And what was I thinking, going to the store before my meeting? Magical thinking. I needed a couple of things, and Walmart was on my list. I thought I could make it in and out of the store and then move on to my meeting b

Pioneer Days in Norfork, Arkansas, population 511. The town stretches a mile or so down the main street with post office, grocery store, café, thrift store, and food bank surrounded by mountains in every direction. Norfork is in the North Central part of the state and isolated from big cities. It takes a big plan to go to a Sam’s store, Best Buy, or Barnes & Noble. Even bigger, it takes an adventurous spirit to sail around curves and mountains in a vehicle every day, choosing

No one tells you when you get there. No one says: You are now entering the gate of Old Age. I guess we’re just supposed to figure it out for ourselves. Guess what - it’s sort of a surprise. Maybe because we didn’t expect to get here. It takes great courage to face it. Most of us survived this long by jumping many hurdles. We made it, but not by accident. I can no longer fool myself into thinking anyone can reach this age. I’ve lost many friends and relatives along the way. No

We were living in emotional turmoil. My first husband and I were separated at the time. I was busy being a mom and teaching sons to sit up straight, not play with their food, write a thank you note, not interrupt when someone was talking, to wait to eat until after the food had been blessed. I did not need my fifth-grade son balking about getting dressed up to go to church on Sundays. It was the 80’s. He was comfortable with blue jeans and with balking. To be honest, I was de