Looking back, it’s a wonder I’m still alive and kicking. But here I am – a woman of AARP age with minimal physical scarring and only slight psychological aftereffects to show for the bad choices I made early in life.

I try to keep the inside of my car clean. But I’ve got a lot ‘o livin’ to do, and I do most of it there,

The country, state and local counties are treating the coronavirus pandemic more seriously every day, as governmental groups enact stricter contingencies to curtail the spread of the virus, and as people really start getting the hang of this social distancing thing. Bad news is, lots of thin…

I heard recently heard this perspective about what’s going on in our world today, and I though I’d share with you.  

Part of growing older is admitting it is happening. I struggle with this. Inside, I’m 30 years old. 

If you’ve been feeling scared, nervous or even a little freaked out lately, you are among millions of other people in that same boat. The word “pandemic” certainly doesn’t seem to do much other than to exacerbate everyone’s level of concern over the coronavirus. 

This is not necessarily my view on everything that’s going on, but this is what has come out of the capitol and I thought I would share with you all. 

I brought flowers to Mom this week. Springtime stems of forsythia, dogwood and lilac. It’s too early for the real thing – but silk is fine.

When I was in the sixth-grade, Mom made me a promise: If I got straight A’s that semester, she’d get me a dog.

It used to be referred to by a full noun. TELEPHONE. Sometimes “phone.” Never “cell.” We had telephones in our houses, connected to our walls or sitting on tables. Usually, there was only one; some fancier families had an extension.

A few weekends ago, I got the chance to go cross country skiing again, for the first time in a few years. I’d only ever done it a few times before, and my experience, while fun, basically consisted of sliding a few feet and then falling over.  

This week was the beginning of filing for elected offices across the state. As always I want to tip my hat to everyone who steps up to serve. It doesn’t matter to me what party you represent, or your beliefs, I thank you for putting yourself out there. It takes a lot of time and effort for p…

In winter, John and I know our marriage will be tested. It is cold and dreary, we are bored, and our two bodies are sharing way too much mutual space. 

An impulse I used to constantly battle was the desire to make promises to keep others happy. Anyone out there who is a people-pleaser knows exactly what I mean.

In this world of frequent craziness, and winner takes all mentality, someone’s actions can help hit the reset button. Everyone loves the feel-good stories of the track runner who helped their opponent across the finish line, or the pitcher who struck out his friend to win the game. Instead o…

“Geese Cackle, Feathers Tickle, Belts Buckle, Beets Pickle”. If you can finish this line of an unforgettable commercial jingle, give yourself five points.* Sing it? Snap up to ten points. It’s up there somewhere, sharing space in your brain with millions of other important and not-so-importa…

Last week we hosted a Troy Chamber After Hours event here at our office. 

The newest reports say that 17 percent of people sleep in the nude. I’ll bet they’re not parents.

When I first arrived at the Capitol, I would often visit with the senior representatives. 

No one has a perfect attitude all the time – least of all me – but I guess I used to operate under the assumption that people holding the top offices in the land would be able to pretend to be adults while on national TV. Obviously, I’m free of that notion now. The last few years certainly d…

Seventh grade. I was 13 and in love for the first time. 

The other day a co-worker came back into the lions den of intelligence that is The Journal’s newsroom.

This week the Governor gave his State of the State address. Some of Governor Parson’s proposals included. 

Pursley’s U-Save Mart was the scene of my crime. The women who worked there knew me well – I lived just up the street and spent hours that summer wandering the store aisles to keep cool and dream of what I would buy.