Dear readers, I’m taking some time off this week to help my mom during her cancer treatment. But while I’m away, I’m sharing a column published nearly 14 years ago about a topic that has boomeranged back into pop culture in a big way. In a few weeks when the Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood, the movie “Barbie” will be one of the films in the running to take home the Oscar. I watched the movie with my 17-year-old daughter, and we both laughed and loved it. more

I'm old enough to remember drive-in theaters. They were in full swing when I was a teenager. more

My Ruby Red Slippers carried me back to one of my homes this month, St. Louis. My slippers were red Hey Dude sneakers. The experience brought back memories and experiences only a tour of St. Louis can bring to me. more

Often I miss the good old days of my farm boy youth. more

I contemplated tossing out the old Royal typewriter last week and stopped writing columns or feature stories. For the past two months, I've only been able to get out a few times because I could rarely drive. My health prevented me from enjoying life at home or in the neighborhood. more

Driving south of Buffalo one morning just a few days before the Missouri Conservation Department’s designated Eagle Days, Martha and I saw at least a half-dozen bald eagles, some aloft, some in trees. more

It was in the blood of many of our forefathers - perhaps existing in the tiny interior of their genes-something built in - never to leave. This capacity for actual physical labor - backed up by astute mental properties. Men and women who could create - as well as repair-what was required then and in the future. The very things that mean so much - whose value is not measured in monetary terms - but in terms of practical usage. New or old no matter. Often treasured from one generation to another - where time has no standing. Holding the tools used by beloved parents, grandparents and family - inside the home as well as out - to maintain what was most important in daily living. Having little ownership of what folks yesterday and today call wealth - the value was in using and protecting what was possessed. This belief was passed to each succeeding generation - whether aware of it or not-by the style of living demonstrated each day. Wealth was always measured by the security afforded to loved ones.  more

When a thought or a random fact circles around and around in your head, looking for a place to land, sometimes it’s trying to tell you something. Lately, it’s elephants who keep tromping around in my brain. more

The first day of spring is three months away as I pen these lines with the season’s first seed catalog in hand. more

Before I had teenagers of my own, I interviewed a child psychologist for an article I was writing at the time. During the interview, I asked the doctor for tips on how parents could better relate to teenagers. His answer stuck with me: “Parents need to remember that almost all teenagers have the same number one fear, and it influences nearly everything they do and say.” more

At our house, we've had a fascination with food. I love to cook, and my husband was in restaurant management for many years. We loved to try new restaurants. We made a point of trying something on the menu that we'd never eaten before. Moreover, those meals and specialty items evoke a memory of time spent together. more

While researching the history of my old homeplace, located about a mile or so northeast of the historic district of Fair Grove, I interviewed Rufus Davison, the son of J. E. and Lenna Davison. During the time they lived on that 120-acre farm, they operated Maple Leaf Dairy. To begin with, approximately 35 cows had to be milked every night and morning by hand. Later they purchased an electric milking machine. more