It was Saturday morning and I had risen early in anticipation of a family outing. I couldn’t have been more than seven and of course to me the adventure should start right then despite the fact it was an afternoon picnic that was planned.
As a youth my Granddad Bill made his way west and when he returned to the Gravelly Spur, he brought with him the stories of the Old West, gunfights, cattle rustlers, ranchers who ran large ranches like kingdoms.
As I stumbled along the dirt road, occasionally I would reach my hand up and slip it into that of my Grandpa Jesse’s. As an independence streak struck, I would then pull it back managing my steps all on my own at least for a few feet then I would once again find myself repeating […]
Two of my long-time Grand Ole Opry friends have new projects that everyone is sure to enjoy. Jeanne Pruett, an accomplished musician, author, and restauranteur, has completed her new book “Jeanne Pruett: Miss Satin Sheets I Remember.” She shares her memories good, great and even bad as she focuses on decades of music and music makers. “(I […]
When you got up this morning, did you wonder what you were going to do today? Most of us have a routine that we are locked in, work, school or family activities. Each day is almost a reflection of the one before and these days sometimes seem like they stretch on year after year without […]
I slid around the edge of the roof of the house removing the gunk that had collected in the gutters. Being a musician my hands were such a vital part of my life, I always came away with them skinned up from the adventure. Cleaning out gutters didn’t phase me at that time and I […]
Some of the most difficult times to watch are when someone we know is trying to be there for a loved one when he or she is coming to the end of his or her journey. As I think back through the years, I remember watching my mother and father as they reached out to […]
I struggled to catch a breath as I leaned up on my pillow, trying to find the next clear bit of air and pull it into my lungs. I often wondered if there would be another breath but there was an endless desire to keep trying. As a child, like many others I suffered from […]
Knowing one’s best direction in life can be an ever-changing debate within your own head. As someone who has spent their life in entertainment, I often look at my situation to weigh my perception of what I do with the reality of the logistics of life. I find myself fretting over some aspect of where […]
I stood on my tiptoes trying to see the inside of the skillet. Inside it, bubbling in the grease side by side were breaded slices of zucchini squash. I had never tasted zucchini but this summer on our family trip north we stopped in Ohio and were visiting with my aunt Verna Hale. “My I turn […]
