If we weren’t totally “away from it all,” we were on the outskirts, kind of like the characters in the delightful 1953 Broadway musical “Brigadoon.” Only the long …
The arrival of the football-playing Coleman triplets at the University of Texas in Austin for 2025’s fall semester may break several records before they even meet BEVO, the Longhorns’ …
I have probably made this claim previously, but most friends know that my respect for redundancy has never been more than trivial. So, here I go again, certain that there finally are but two groups …
Stephen Cox is not an imposing figure. Still, he has the countenance and features to be a Clark Kent look-alike, even if considerably smaller in stature. You remember Clark, right? He’s …
Uncle Mort had never heard of “support parrots,” but admits that he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Seems like way too many of my friends are either sued or getting sued, …
It was the slowest of hot, muggy days in the thicket. Mercury in the thermometer bulged and lodged in three-digit territory. Someone said he saw a dog chasing a rabbit, and both creatures were …
Critics swear that the French successfully smeared “lipstick on a pig” for a big chunk of the 2024 Olympic Games. The French, though, are used to sloughing off jokes and insults. …
I’m not sure who the TV weather guy was, which city he served or exactly what he said, but if his observation passed down through the ages is even close to accurate, it still has wide …
A popcorn tradition was born 50 years ago this summer in the garage of our home in southwest Fort Worth. That was some 26 tons of popcorn and four machines ago. It was sparked by the late Dr. …
Afterglows are wonderful, but are waning of late. Many folks forfeit times of warm reflection, too busy in endless pursuits of whatever comes next. Oh, afterglows are still around for important …
A Texas doctor, closing out a hectic week, hoped it to be his final medical appointment. He stared at a Q-tip that was devoid of cotton at both ends. “This Q-tip must have gotten …
Aunt Maude, wed to my Uncle Mort since Noah’s ark went into dry dock, says that her hubby regularly encounters premonitions while in dreamland. “When he says, ‘I’ll bet …
For the most part, handshakes, backslaps, hugs and teardrops--some joyously wept from grateful souls who achieved much, and some from others who barely sneaked by to graduate--now are part of …
Family reunions are dwindling, going the way of the wild goose. Some, however, will hold annual gatherings soon. Littering nearby, though, are limbs of family trees that are no more. Most of us …
In the growing-up years of long ago, close enough was usually good enough. Precision rules now, though, and “guestimates” that were acceptable then don’t pass muster now. We …
The old hymn declares that we are marching to higher ground. Our prevailing culture, however, suggests otherwise. Consider a joke making the rounds at the turn of the century when the internet …
This is a backstory of “Touchdown Jesus” on the 50th anniversary of Notre Dame’s football faithful making the massive Hesburgh Library’s south wall mural better known than the …
With news of incivility, protests and disruption gobbling up radio and television air time and dominating front-page newspaper articles, many of us are in a state of perpetual tension. What will …
Many tourist destinations claim to be “all things to all people,” but compared to Branson, MO, the rest of them miss the mark by a country mile. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains, the …
The Good Book’s Chapter 6 of Matthew provides challenging specifics on living the good life, but verse three seems most daunting. It concerns the importance of maintaining a chasm …
My ancient Uncle Mort is not one to speak negatively of neighbors, unless they live at least three cattleguards away. He recently “spilled the beans” on a neighbor who lives so deep …
Enough already. The eclipse of April 8 has been smothered with coverage by both mass and social media. Americans--some who flail at things that go “bump” in the night--yearned for even …
The name “ Blackwood” has been as closely linked to Southern Gospel Music as ham and eggs to diners, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to TV, and Tarzan and Jane to jungle movies. The family …
Texas A&M University-- a major educational institution respected throughout the world--emerged unscathed from a litany of “Aggie jokes” that were shared for decades, though not so …
Hills are greening up, fiddlers are tuning up and visitors from around the globe are showing up as the entertainment mecca of Branson, MO, gears up for a record-breaking season in the beloved Ozarks. …