Blog
SURVIVING THE TEXAS DEEP FREEZE
What a week! The Texas deep freeze was a sucker punch. Never in my life have I endured such frigid temperatures in the Lone Star state. While my humble abode can handle one hundred ten degrees with no problem, seven degrees is an entirely different matter. Aware...
HONORING THE FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY
Perseverance was the hallmark of Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson (1875-1950), known as the father of Black History. Born in Virginia to illiterate former slaves, he spent much of his childhood working on the farm. Unfortunately, survival took priority over formal...
MY AGGRESSIVE BATHROOM SCALE
My new bathroom scale scares the bejeebers out of me. This fancy electronic version replaces the Wii Fit I had been using to calculate pounds melting away. The ancient game console was spewing funky readouts—showing a weight loss from the day before all-the-while...
I WON THE COVID VACCINE LOTTERY
I won the COVID vaccine lottery! My good fortune mind-blowing. And frankly, my excitement about the windfall is higher than that of winning the Powerball jackpot. (Well...not really. That’s a lie. Hitting the billion-dollar lotto would have enabled me to have the...
LOTTO FEVER DREAMING
I’m lotto fever dreaming these days. While not a regular player, the large jackpots for Powerball and MegaMillions have been calling my name. Taking home 400 million dollars after taxes opens a myriad of possibilities for me. Although somewhere deep inside, I realize...
Short of cash? Bored? Y’all come and participate in the spring feral hog and coyote killing contests. No, I’m not making this up. Fayette County, Texas routinely runs these competitions sponsored by the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service, Fayette...
TRANSFORMING MY BODY
For me, 2021 will be a year of transformation. As those of you who follow my blog know, I am a bit rotund. Before Christmas, I got tired of it and pledged to get down to what my doctor considers fighting weight. I must lose forty-seven pounds. I will still stick...
DEVELOP EMPATHY IN THE NEW YEAR
Healing the divides in our country requires us to practice empathy. Simply put, empathy is trying to understand another person’s feelings. According to Merriam-Webster, sympathy implies sharing (or having the capacity to share) the feelings of another, while empathy...
ARE YOU BORED?
Boredom is a human condition. The Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger complained about it around two thousand years ago. “How long the same things? Surely I will yawn, I will sleep, I will eat, I will be thirsty, I will be cold, I will be hot. Is...
PRACTICE KINDNESS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
This holiday season, we are urgently in need of kindness to bind our nation’s wounds. That means intentionally being friendly, generous, and considerate—not because we have to, but because we want to. While we can’t control what others do, we are the master of our...
DO HOLIDAY TRADITIONS TERRORIZE YOU?
For many of us, Christmas is a magical time full of nostalgia. Providing our loved ones with a memorable holiday is paramount. Unfortunately, trying to create the perfect Christmas often overwhelms us. As a young mother, I sent Christmas cards to friends and baked...
MY WILD COVID BIRTHDAY PARTY
COVID destroyed my plans to take the family on a western Caribbean cruise to celebrate my birthday. Rather than sipping rum punches onboard ship, the party moved to Uvalde, Texas. There, my daughter treated me to a tank and machine gun package to salute the big day!...
WAS RACCOON ON YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE?
I was astonished to learn that raccoon had been a traditional Thanksgiving meal in our country. Eating the mammal began with the Native Americans and early settlers. Those moving west, as well as the poor survived on it. For slaves, the animal was a godsend. Few...
WHY WE EXAGGERATE
WHY WE EXAGGERATE My mind turned to the phenomena of exaggeration as I perused Goodreads. Imagine my surprise when I found the following posts: LIFETIME BOOKS READ B 34,068 S 49,997 L 86,495 J 504,944 REALLY? If J. is 50 years old, he/she would have...
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Note: This blog was first published on Patti Shene's Over 50 Writer's Blog on Veteran's Day, 2020. This Veteran’s Day I would like to pay tribute to a special veteran in my life, my dad, Second Lieutenant Albert Theodore Watson Senior (October 14, 1923 – December 2,...
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD SELF?
During a recent podcast interview, host Terry Shepherd asked me what advice I would give my eighteen-year-old self. Frankly, I was stumped. My reply was that I would say ‘yes’ when asked to take on a task or project that I was unsure I could master. Later, I would...
HOME REPAIRS
I insist on doing home repairs. Why? The main reason is, I’m cheap! I don’t really remember my dad doing many home repairs while I was growing up. In fact, I can’t remember who fixed the toilets. My mother, however, would do interior painting. When I first...
ESCAPING COVID
At last, I have found an activity to take my mind off COVID. Shredding with the tractor. For my big-city friends, this means driving the tractor around the pasture and cutting the weeds, shrubs, and grass with a device attached to the back. The bush hog will shred...
THE LIMITS OF FREE SPEECH
October 19-25 is Free Speech Week. The First Amendment written in 1791 states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the...
THE GREAT BUTTERFLY INVASION OF 2020 HAS BEGUN
Recently we began to notice small brown somethings resembling windblown leaves swirling through the air. Since the trees are still green in central Texas, I was quickly able to remove that possibility from the list. Their speed, unfortunately, made identification...
2020 EXAGGERATION SYNDROME
For most of us, 2020 has been outrageous--CIVIL UNREST, COVID, DEATH, CHAOTIC POLITICS, FIRES, FLOODS—and we still have three months to go. The news cycles these days are teeming with catastrophes. Unfortunately, all this staying at home gives many of us too much...
THE TRUTH ABOUT GOSSIPING
Ladies, do you remember your mother telling you that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything? And for good reason. In the past, a woman caught gossiping could be in peril. Women have been demonized as gossips since the 16th century. At one point...
THANK YOU, RUTH
I owe my entire career to Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Without her dogged determination to ensure women’s equality, I would most likely not have held good-paying jobs in the private sector. President Richard Nixon’s attitude towards women was typical of the day. The New...
THE BIG MEDICINE RIPOFF
If you were near my computer as I composed this blog, you would probably have seen smoke coming out of my ears. I am steamed. After a trip to the doctor, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up an antibiotic prescription. The pharmacist told me it would be $42 with my...
DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION
Everything is driving me to distraction these days. I can’t focus. So, rather than knuckling down on writing my next book, I thought I would surf the internet for some clues to my malaise. And, sure enough, with enough diligence, I found some interesting information....
WHEN DREAMS DIE
Last year about this time I was busy planning adventures in my new RV, with the expectation of spending this summer on a road trip to Alaska, stopping at America’s numerous campgrounds. Today the dream is officially dead. My home on wheels has been sold. Right now,...
ONLY A PAWN: WARRIORS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS IS HERE!
Only A Pawn, the second book in the Warriors for Equal Rights trilogy, will be available for sale Friday, August 28, 2020 on Amazon. Click Here to preorder. I chose this date because it is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech....
ONLY A PAWN SNEAK PEEK
Welcome to Only A Pawn, the second in the Warriors for Equal Rights trilogy, debuting Friday! The novel opens with trouble: “Just get rid of it.” Hank shoved an envelope at Espy. “Now.” “But you—” “Just do what I say.” Hank stood and threw a hundred-dollar bill at...
HAPPY NATIONAL BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY
Today is National Black Cat Appreciation Day. Who knew? While you may not be jumping up and down with excitement about today’s topic, this is the best I can do. All the other themes for today’s blog were just too depressing. Legend has it that the holiday began in...
MAKING SENSE OF MY COVID FUNK
I’ve been in a deep COVID funk lately. How about you? Apparently, I’m not the only one. Even Michelle Obama is depressed. A tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that a majority of Americans believe the pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health....
I’M A QUAKER
I have Quaker roots! This revelation was even more shocking than finding out I had Neanderthal DNA. Who knew? And I thought we only had deep roots in Methodism. Last week Family Search notified me that they had found my eighth great grandmother on my father’s...
ULTIMATE COVID TIME WASTERS
I thought jigsaw puzzles and sudoku on the internet were my ultimate timewasters during COVID. But I was wrong. The absolute number one is dish scapes (channel 199). Several days ago, I returned to the house from my office next door. I stepped into a cacophony of...
FREE BOOK CELEBRATION
In honor of releasing the second book in the trilogy Warriors for Equal Rights, I am giving away the first book, The Cause Lives, from July 20 through 24, 2020. The saga continues in Only a Pawn. The release date is August 28, 2020, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther...
MOUSECAPADES 2020
After a blissful year without rodent sightings, my adversary returned. And, unfortunately, brought some nasty friends with him. It started several weeks ago when I saw what appeared to be sawdust on the floor outside my pantry door. The surrounding walls are cedar,...
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM CRS (CAN’T REMEMBER STUFF) SYNDROME?
Lately, I’ve been having a hard time remembering things. Today I went to my safety deposit box and, after rifling through it, promptly forgot to retrieve my key and exited the vault. Thankfully my bank is a small one and immediately called me to retrieve it. This...
MOVING FORWARD: TOOLS FOR SUCCESS IN A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT
The following practices improve the ability to thrive in a diverse environment: Treating Others with Dignity and Respect Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect because they are a member of the human race. Listen and put yourself in their shoes. ...
MOVING FORWARD: DIVERSITY IN DECISIONMAKING
No doubt most Americans want to work for--or own--a profitable company. Various groups have researched improving the bottom line. The results are unmistakable—diverse groups make better business decisions, and diverse companies are more profitable. Professor Evan...
THE STEREOTYPING CONUNDRUM
In the 1990s, while working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), I had my first contact with a Nigerian. Before this meeting, my slate was clear. I had no opinions-- good or bad--about individuals from that country. Working on his failure to hire...
MOVING FORWARD–TACKLING BIAS AND PREJUDICE
Recent events call for our society to develop a path forward that will allow all residents of this great nation to partake in the promises of the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are...
HARD-TO-OPEN PRODUCE BAGS
Putting bananas in a plastic produce bag during my recent shopping trip drove me batty. The bag just wouldn’t open. Frustrated, I put the unprotected bananas in my cart and carried the container. Eventually, it gave way. This issue has not plagued me until this year,...
RECONCILING THE SINS OF OUR ANCESTORS
Genealogical research comes with unsettling insights about our ancestors. Case in point is documentation I have uncovered about my ancestor Francis Dorsett (my great-great-great-great-great grandfather) and his son John Dorsett (my direct descendent). Francis was...
GENEALOGY OBSESSION
I became obsessed with genealogy this week. My journey began when I received an email from familysearch.org, indicating they may have found one of my relatives. I opened it up and, sure enough, my grandmother’s lineage on my mother’s side was laid out back to the...
WEARING A MASK SIGNALS RESPECT
Wearing a mask is a sign of respect for our fellow humans. What seems like a simple request by governments and businesses has, unfortunately, sparked violent altercations across the country. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment received more than...
THE IMPORTANCE OF CINCO DE MAYO
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo (May 5). The date commemorates the Mexican army’s victory in 1862 over France at Puebla. There, approximately 2,000 ragtag Mexican soldiers mostly of indigenous or mixed ancestry, held off a force of 6,000 French soldiers. Interestingly...
FAYETTE COUNTY, TEXAS AND THE SPANISH INFLUENZA OF 1918
What is commonly known as the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 was actually an H1N1 virus of avian origin. It spread worldwide from 1918 through 1919. In the United States, it was first identified in World War I military personnel in the spring of 1918. Fayette County...
COVID SHOPPING ANXIETY
I am suffering from shopping anxiety due to COVID. Just entering the grocery store raises my alarm. My mind has decided that the longer I’m in an enclosed space, the higher the risks. And, of course, with shortages, the process is more difficult. If your go-to brand...
COVID SILVER LINING
While COVID has been devastating humans, Mother Nature is not skipping a beat in central Texas. A sparrow has built her nest on my porch and is intently tending her eggs. New calves cavort through the pastures. And the wildflowers have been spectacular this year....
COPING WITH COVID
I must admit I am struggling to cope with COVID. I know I’m not the only one. My life actually turned upside down at the end of January 2020, when my husband broke his hip. Because of the location of the break, the doctors decided to let it heal as you would a...
LETTER TO MY GRANDSONS
I know this COVID-19 thing is scary to you, it scares me, too. Our lives have been disrupted. If you’re like me, you’re angry about the change that has been forced on you. I’m sad that I can’t give you a hug so we can comfort each other. But I want to stay well so...
CRAPPY COVID COOKIES
Satisfying your sweet tooth while in self-imposed isolation can be a formidable proposition. Because my husband has a chronic lung condition, we have opted to limit our contact to the outside world. We ran out of cookies the other day, so, rather than braving the...
SCAT, RACOON SCAT!
I hate to be such a complainer, but the raccoons are really driving me up the wall. The devils have decided that my several hundred yards of walkways and pier are fair game for their scat. Hey, we all have our bodily functions, and I don’t begrudge them a place to...
FLYMAGEDDON
Flymageddon is here! House flies are besieging us, and we are bravely fighting back. About two weeks ago, the vermin began to swarm around my automobile. Despite trying to quickly slip in and keep the pests at bay, they managed to join me on trips to town. Rolling...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. SEUSS
Today is Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birthday. Mr. Geisel is known to most of us by his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Geisel (1904-1991) was born in Massachusetts. While he published over sixty books, the Cat in the Hat stands out for me. This was the first book I read, taking me...
IS DEATH KNOCKING AT MY DOOR?
Yes, I realize I am getting older. My aching knee reminds me daily. The idea of an imminent demise did not cross my mind until we began to be bombarded with fliers inviting us to a free meal to discuss our final disposal. Offers of a complimentary dinner from...
WISDOM FROM OUR PRESIDENTS
For many of us, Presidents’ Day is just another excuse for a three-day holiday. But let us pause to take stock of the day and remember past presidents who swore to defend the Constitution of the United States. What better way than to ponder a few quotes from our...
READ IN THE BATHTUB DAY
Until this year, I had no idea a National Read in the Bathtub Day (February 9th) existed. That got me to thinking about when and where I read. And it is definitely not in the bathtub, mainly because I haven’t lived in a house with a tub since 2003. I’m a...
ARE YOU LONELY TONIGHT?
If so, you’re not alone. Cigna recently released its 2020 Loneliness Index. The survey found: Three in five Americans (61%) report that they are lonely Loneliness has a larger impact on certain demographics Men are slightly lonelier than women Younger people (18-22)...
GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SALES TACTICS
While writing the blog on Girl Scout cookies, a Scout friend told me her mother pushed a compelling sales tactic. My buddy would tell the prospective customer that she only had two boxes left. The sale succeeded more often than not. We both had a good chuckle when...
THANK YOU, DR. KING
Dr. Martin Luther King changed my life in profound ways. He galvanized people of all races and sexes to take action to make equality a reality. For this, I am genuinely grateful. As a woman, I was born into a society that denied me fundamental rights that we take for...
IT’S GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME
As a child, the refrain, “it’s Girl Scout cookie time,” filled me with dread. While I loved Scouting and stayed in the program for over twenty years, I absolutely hated selling cookies. My earliest memories are trudging the neighborhood with boxes of sandwich cookies...
INCLUSION BEGINS WITH LOW CONTEXT CULTURE
Inclusion starts by ensuring that your organizational culture is low context. This means that knowledge is immediately transferrable and available to all. Anyone can function in an airport because information on what to do and where to go is directly transferable....
MY MOST MEMORABLE NEW YEAR’S EVE: 1999
Of all the New Year’s Eves I’ve celebrated, the most eclectic was the turn of the century; December 31, 1999. We’d just purchased our central Texas ranch and managed to put a camper on the premises. What a great place to hang out as we faced the unknown. After all,...
MY POSSESSIONS MATURE ALONG WITH ME
Unfortunately, as I age, I tend to forget that my possessions are also maturing. A case in point is my sewing machine. Not really a sewer, the contraption is reserved for making curtains, crafts, repairs, and other odds and ends. It's always done the job. My daughter...
DIGITAL MEDIA REDUCES CREATIVITY
Idly consuming digital content, I ran across an article by Srinivas Rao regarding the influence of digital media on creativity. Extreme consumption, he stated, can restrict our capacity to do deep thinking, ultimately impacting creativity. Hmm. My attention peaked....
MYSTERY WRITERS GET IT WRONG
Mystery writing is hard work. Most writers in the genre are not trained as police detectives or in crime scene investigations. Many resources are available from books and websites; there’s even a mystery writers’ police academy. But without thorough research, writers...
I’M BEING BLACKMAILED BY THE RUSSIANS
This morning I opened an email blackmailing me. After a long explanation of how my computer was hacked, the villain got down to business: For months now, I have been spying on you through your device camera..especially when you visited those sites to have...
BINGE-WATCHING
Last week a head cold invaded my life. When ill, my general tendency is to work anyway and power through. However, I decided to give myself a break and watch television. This, in itself, is unusual, because I’m a reader. My weekly viewing habits are a short section of...
TECHNOLOGY MAKES MUNDANE TASKS MORE DIFFICULT
There was a time when I could walk into anyone’s house and answer the telephone, turn on the TV, operate the stove, and flush the toilet. Not anymore. Remember when you just picked up the telephone handset and said ‘hello’? Now it’s punching a button to talk and...
THANKSGIVING IS AN AFTERTHOUGHT
Thanksgiving has become an afterthought, an impediment to retailers hoping to make a fortune during the Christmas season. Halloween will soon be gobbled up as well. Hints of red and green began to show at stores brazen enough to decorate before the trick or treaters...
A SUNRISE KIND OF GIRL
While sunsets can be gorgeous, I’ve always been a sunrise kind of girl. To me, dawn brings the excitement of a new beginning, the promise of surprising possibilities that await. My first recollection of the exhilaration of sunrise was in my teens during a trail...
MY DNA SAYS I CAN SMELL ASPARAGUS ODOR IN MY URINE
Curious about my ancestors and not my predisposition to illnesses, I had my saliva tested by 23AndMe a number of years ago. Imagine my surprise when the company recently shared thirty-four traits gleaned from my DNA. To think that they are able describe me from a...
FRUGAL OR CHEAP?
Last week we upgraded our internet to fiber. After completion, the landline rang, and I saw the name of the caller flash across the phone screen. Shocked, I asked my husband what had happened. When moving to the area some fifteen years ago, we had declined caller-ID...
NINETY-SIX YEARS?
I saw a piece on television about a gentleman who had recently passed away at the age of one hundred eight. Until shortly before his death, he had worked as a barber for ninety-six years. Eight hours a day, five days a week. Clip...Clip…Clip… This feat totally amazed...
PHOTOMANIA
My recent trip to Europe highlighted how personal photography has evolved. I’m from a time when taking pictures was expensive. You bought film and had it processed. And, at one point, cameras used flashbulbs good for only one image. Therefore, you carefully chose what...
CURSIVE R.I.P ?
I recently heard that cursive, aka script or longhand, was no longer being taught in schools. Promptly I dismissed the suggestion as a wild conspiracy theory. Now, I've learned otherwise. Several students attending the eighth-grade presentation I...
PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE
My motto as a long-term Girl Scout is to “Be Prepared.” However, sometimes stuff happens. I belong to a group that preserves the N.W. Faison House in La Grange, Texas. One of our recent schemes has been to increase visitation to the house by developing children’s...
EEK! A BABY!
One of my Facebook buddies recently lamented that she has had conversations with others who were anxious or upset. Worry appears to be going around these days. I, myself, have seemed adrift, unable to move forward, just wanting to sit around and do nothing. I...
pər-ˈfek-shən
Are you someone who expects to perform in a flawless fashion? I’ve been fighting that tendency my entire life. Unfortunately, I’ve passed that gene to my offspring. I’m probably the only one who, upon entering college, had her mother say “don’t work too hard” and...
WHIRLING DERVISH DELIVERIES
Never forget the old adage, be careful what you ask for because you might get it. I talked my husband into getting the RV, and now he has taken to the life wholeheartedly. The only problem is that he had to buy a few things in order to travel in style....
HOME IS WHERE THE STRESS IS
I spent the majority of my adult life in Houston doing jobs that involved working with people--hurt people, angry people, wronged people—seldom happy people. I was so stressed that sad movies were off-limits. Watching films like Steel Magnolias would throw me over the...
TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK
Part of the American dream is working hard, saving money, and doing what you want in your golden years. Lately, angst settled over me as I realized I hadn’t really started working on my bucket list in earnest. The fact that my husband had polio as a child and...
A NEW LOVE IN TOWN?
The new Jeep Cherokee sat in my driveway for several days before I got around to reading the manual. This mainly happened because we were out of town but, I must admit, I was still mourning the Renegade and in no hurry to get involved with my new suitor. Eventually,...
ODE TO MY JEEP RENEGADE
Tuesday, July 30, 2019, I said goodbye to the love of my life, my 2016 fully loaded fire-engine- red Jeep Renegade. Of all the cars I’ve ever owned, this is the only one I dreamed about, researched, and planned for. It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve never...
TUNNELING IN HOUSTON
I was in charge of my grandsons in Houston the other day and was wracking my brain for ways to entertain them. The usual suspects for a scorching summer day were a possibility: swimming pool, movies, bowling, roller-skating, arcade games, etc. (All terribly...
SKETCHES OF COURAGE: LBJSKETCHES OF COURAGE: LBJ
While wandering through a museum at the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site, I came across a story about LBJ of which I was unaware. A congressman since 1937, he won election to the Senate in 1948, but only by a slim margin of 87 votes, earning the...
TAKING AIR CONDITIONING FOR GRANTED
Every once and a while, it’s a good idea to look around and see what you take for granted and give thanks. Today I’m really happy for air conditioning. Almost every place you go in Texas is cooled: houses, schools, stores, government buildings, and cars. Why? ...
OUTWITTING THE TYRANT
Earlier this year a bought a Galaxy, and I love it. However, I have become annoyed with its “tools for betterment.” What’s that, you ask? It’s the personal trainer who has become a tyrant. The watch can track over thirty-nine types of exercise activities and is...
MORE MOUSECAPADES
Alas, the mice did not get the message after their comrade was flushed down the toilet that our house was a dangerous place to live. Soon, we began to find more evidence that the rodents were busy invading our space. I declared war; removing food from the counters...
MOUSECAPADES
I have some real trepidation about telling this story because it’s a bit embarrassing…Well, here goes. I live in the country and have only had one other instance where mice got into the house, and that was some years ago when my husband replaced the floor registers...
ABOLITION IN TEXAS
ABOLITION AND FAYETTE COUNTY Pre-Civil War Fayette County, Texas counted on slave labor to assist with the production of corn, tobacco, wool, and cotton. The region was home to 3,786 slaves out of a total population of 11,604. These...
ROBO IMMIGRANT SCAMS
Mandarin-language robocalls are back! They first appeared in 2018, but now have become a staple on my personal cell phone. I have a Houston area code, and their sizeable Chinese population is apparently fertile ground for the scam. According to the FBI, the...
U.S. CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED? YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!
I received a notice recently about first responder training being offered in my community sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. The course, AWR 147: Rail Car Incident Response, is an eight-hour, awareness level course developed to educate rural emergency...
MEASLES INDUCED ENCEPHALITIS REMEMBERED
Measles does have consequences. I should know. It happened to me. The memories of my childhood are faded but some things you never forget. The year was 1960 and I was in the third grade. I remember my mother being on the telephone and me crying; I had a headache...
LOVE THAT BÚN!
Recently I made a quick trip to Houston for a doctor’s appointment. And, while I much prefer country living, I miss the food diversity of the Bayou City. After a little arm twisting, my husband took me to a Vietnamese noodle house. I relished in spring rolls and my...
HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THE UNKNOWN?
HOW COMPASSIONATE ARE YOU?
Compassion, according to Merriam-Webster, refers to both an understanding of another’s pain and the desire to somehow mitigate that pain.A recent review of medical research determined that doctors who treated patients compassionately improved the patients’ outcome. ...
SCAN SCAM
Over the last several months, I have watched our local Walmart expand its self-checkout units exponentially. These days, only a few of the checkout lines are manned by humans during the busiest shopping hours. Because our community tends to be older, the queues are...
ENTITLED TO MY TABLE?
For the last fifteen years, my husband and I have had weekly breakfast outings to our preferred taqueria. Most mornings our favorite table is available, but recently someone was occupying it. I found myself with a strong compulsion to scream “Get out. That’s...
WHAT IS YOUR LEGACY?
IS SWEATWORKING FOR YOU?
“Sweatworking”, networking while working out, is in; golf and happy hour are out. Apparently, golf doesn’t burn enough calories and takes too long while happy hour makes you fat and susceptible to saying things you shouldn’t. This latest craze is even pushing out...
DIVERSITY MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING
HITTING ON WOMEN IN CYBERSPACE
Ladies, thought you were safe from men hitting on you if you stayed out of the bars? Think again. I have now had five men hit on me through Facebook. At my age, I guess I should be flattered, but I found myself more flustered than anything. My personal...
ALMOST ESCAPED WITH GEN Z
I recently took my 13-year-old grandson to an Escape Room for his birthday, my husband and daughter in tow. This one had a classroom theme, and, to go the kickball game, you had to do all your homework. Only then could escape before the hour expired. Honestly, my...
SPIDER INVASION A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
I’ve lived in the country for fifteen years. And, yes, spiders are always with us. However, this year they have invaded my space! I can’t walk in my yard or to my car without running into several tightly woven webs. I even drove to town the other day only to open the...
DOES LIFE GRIND YOU DOWN OR POLISH YOU?
THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR BEHAVIOR
Many times, when we have a problem, we latch onto the first solution we uncover. I found myself in that situation recently when icy weather hit. I had gone up the steps of my office, which are Austin limestone, with no problem but later, when I was ready to leave,...
GOTTA HAVE IT!
Do you have something you’ve just gotta have this holiday season? I had fun thinking about my obsessions from the past. The first one I remember is a Shetland pony. Fortunately, my parents were in control and the equine never materialized. We lived in the suburbs...
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
PROCRASTINATION
Lately I’ve been dealing with procrastination when it comes to writing my novel. I’ve found the perfect excuse to delay—working online jigsaw puzzles! I allow myself one puzzle of 150 mosaic pieces in the morning along with one online sudoku. Then, I turn to the...
MR. RICKITY’S RE-DO
After three shows at the Round Top/Warrenton Antique Festival, Mr. Rickety, the table, had not been sold. The problem was he had a hole in the top and he was, well, rickety. My friend told me it wouldn’t hurt her feelings if Mr. Rickety found his way to my burn...
STUFF!
STUFF! A tribute to mankind’s creativity and imagination. Round Top – Warrenton Antiques Weekend, Texas fall 2017
STEREOTYPING SCORPIONS
One morning while fixing coffee, I felt something crawling on my leg. A scorpion! Panicked, I flipped it off and spent several minutes hunting it down and smashing it mercilessly with a paper towel until I was sure it was dead. Then, I got to thinking. This...
MARIJUANA BROWNIES
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2017 was that I would learn new things. Marijuana was on my bucket list when I visited my brother in Fort Collins, Colorado. I must say I learned a lot! Fort Collins, home to over 24 breweries, also offers pot at over 24...
HOW TO BE MORE LIKE ANTS
When the rains of Hurricane Harvey flooded my pasture, the ants adapted, building mounds as high as 18 inches. Unlike ants, we humans have a hard time with change. What can we do to cope? Know when to hold ‘em: If you feel the change would truly be bad, take action...
FEELING OVERWHELMED?
FEELING OVERWHELMED? I must admit I am feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. Between all the hate and violence in the U.S., threats from North Korea, and a government that appears to be dysfunctional, I was already anxious. Then Harvey hit. Just driving through the...
WORK IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH
Worried about being killed in an ISIS-inspired attack? Think again. You are more likely to be killed on the job. An average of 700 employees are killed in the United States workplace annually. Additionally, over two million employees are affected by some form of...
ARE WE GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET?
Dr. David Seabury, psychologist, recently told a Boston audience that civilization is facing a crisis, for a 30 per cent increase in insanity has been noted in the last ten years, and a probable increase of 60 per cent in neurosis. He contrasted the crime waves of the...
PREDICTABILITY IS BORING!
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: ETHNOCENTRISM AND STEREOTYPES
Arguments, at times, can be wrapped in ethnocentrism and stereotypes, particularly arguments that generalize. Stereotyping is the assumption that all members of a group share the same set of characteristics. Holding the belief that one’s own nationality, religion,...
ON BEING A NEANDERTHAL
Recently I had my ancestral DNA processed. The big surprise was that I am 4% Neanderthal! Of all the individuals tested by 23andme, I am in the 96% percentile; the average American is 2%. One of the characteristics of Neanderthals is full and straight hair, of...
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: ANALYZING TALKING HEADS
We all have biases no matter how hard we try to be objective. Our points of view evolve from our life experiences as well as lifelong learning. So, when evaluating the “talking heads” or experts many radio and television shows present to expound on or argue points...
EVALUATING INFORMATION SOURCES–CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
In this time of fake news, it is important to understand information sources and how to evaluate them. First, information is either from a primary or secondary source. A primary source is original material that has not been interpreted by anyone else. Primary...
FACT VERSUS OPINION– CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
A key component to critical thinking determining the difference between fact and opinion. A fact is a thing that is known to be true, to exist, or to have occurred. A view about a particular issue is an opinion, which is not always true. Sounds easy to distinguish,...
30 YEARS UP IN FLAMES
Early Thursday morning my husband and I watched 30 years of my life go up in flames. It took me several days to amass the huge pile of investigative files, training materials, client documents, tax returns, and other papers I was reluctant to recycle. As I cleaned,...
DEATH AND CHANGE
Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” However, in today’s fast-paced environment, change is a given, and it is happening at an increasingly rapid rate. Dorothy Vaughan, acting supervisor of a group of...
DIVERSITY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY
On Martin Luther King Day it is fitting that we reflect on the power diversity has to make America a force to be reckoned with. When we limit the participation of any group we don’t have the best and brightest working on our pressing problems. The movie, Hidden...
WHAT CUBANS KNOW ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD
Cubans know quite a bit! According to Havana University professor Dr. Jorge G. Arocha, 31% of the population is online at Wi-Fi hot spots set up by the government in 2015. Seeing Cubans huddled in parks or outside government-run buildings staring at smart phones...
2017 RESOLUTIONS
Experts say that for you to be more successful at keeping your new year’s resolutions you should be realistic and talk about them. So this year I’m taking losing weight off the table. Instead I’ve chosen the following: Be positive. Give back. Learn new things. Write...
BORED AT WORK? TRY A LITTLE CREATIVITY!
Work does not have to be boring. Just use your imagination and create your own fun. The housekeeping staff on the Celestyal Crystal cruise ship has figured out how to put a little spice in their daily routine. Towel Animals! Every day a new creation would appear in...
Castro’s Funeral Procession December 3, 2016
Saturday, December 3, 2016 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Click the link below to view the sights and sounds: The Sights and Sounds of Castro's Funeral Procession Trepidation and excitement mounted as I looked out over the harbor from the cruise ship deck. A rust bucket of...
CREATIVITY PART III
IMPROVING YOUR CREATIVITY Part III Hopefully you have now mastered Part 2 of improving your creativity. I will now explore the last suggestions from Human Relations 4th Ed. By Dalton, Hoyle, and Watts. 10. Have a sense of humor and learn to laugh easily. Humor...
CREATIVITY PART II
Hopefully you have now mastered Part I of improving your creativity. I’ll forge ahead with a big lesson, steps 5 through 9 from Human Relations 4th Ed. By Dalton, Hoyle, and Watts. 5. Avoid rigid patterns of doing things. Change your rhythms. Draw your problems...
CREATIVITY PART 1
Creativity, a thinking process that solves a problem or achieves a goal in an original and useful way, is becoming an increasingly important skill for employees, entrepreneurs, and volunteers. We all have the potential for creativity and, with a little focus, we can...
Seeking The Truth
As a student at the University of Texas I often gazed at the verse from John 8:32 that is carved into the front wall of the tower: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." I figured that getting a good education would help me get to the truth. And...
THE STEREOTYPING CONUNDRUM
Just before Christmas I decided to dump my Iphone for a Galaxy Note 4. A new AT&T store just happened to be opening in my small town and I was one of the first customers through the door. I was determined to learn all I could about the Galaxy before making the...
TIME FOR AN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE CHECK UP
Are you looking to move up in the company or find a better job? If so, it’s time to check out your emotional intelligence quotient and see whether there is room for improvement. A strong emotional intelligence improves your ability to lead, work in a team, and provide...
EMPATHY, THE ESSENTIAL SKILL
Occasionally I run into individuals who do not have the ability to empathize. They are unable to walk a mile in another person’s moccasins. To them, the problem is the other person; they’re perfectly fine. Recently I interacted with two men who had been asked to stop...