Gran Ann and Daddy Mac are the grandparent-names given, by my children, to husband Grady’s parents.
Last week, against Daddy Mac’s objection, we planned and invited friends and neighbors to their house to celebrate his 90th birthday.
As the election grows nearer, like everyone, I worry.
People often think election years are good for the flag business but, in truth, most retailers (except media ad men) post low sales during the third quarter of these fate-filled years.
In past years, voting day has been akin to a neighborhood block party. Everybody knows everybody. As we all stand in line chit-chatting, we talk about dog-walking, the weather, and who’s renovating the house on the corner.
A “girl’s girl” is not a usual descriptor for me. But, one night a month, I attend a Girls Night Out (GNO). I have been dining with the same group of ladies for years, really decades. This one, in the above photo, I have known since 2nd grade: Kathleen Nowell-King.
Amazon is putting the squeeze on small businesses in ways you might not have thought of. Everyone knows Amazon sells everything cheap (remember when they only sold books?). But another big part of their schtick is selling shipping cheap or, better yet, giving it away for free. So, who is paying the shipping companies? The nice guys at Amazon?
I can’t say I have always agreed with our local newspaper, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette. During Little Rock’s famous newspaper war of the ‘80s, I was impressed by the Democrat, a conservative afternoon newspaper, and their tenacity in fighting the Gazette, the Gannett-owned corporate giant.
When I overheard my daughter telling someone that her “PJ game was strong,” I had to laugh and thought, “Right now, that’s true for everyone.” Gone are the days of dressing up and going out. Now, a big outing is masking up for a run to the grocery store and back home for a night of cooking or lounging in freshly washed PJ’s with a good book, hard puzzle, or mini-series on the boob tube (that’s a TV for you youngsters).
The CDC recommends not traveling unless you absolutely must; and if you must, be smart about it. Weighing these recommendations, I thought about my upcoming and necessary trip to Miami, Florida. Should I rent an RV and drive? With a pull-along bed, bath, and kitchen I could quarantine throughout the three day drive down. It seemed like a responsible way to travel.
I know buying a new car is a luxury, not an investment, but that does not keep me from purchasing one. Recalling the evolution of one’s cars is a lot like tracing the evolution of one’s life.


