One of the perks of living in Arkansas is our outdoor activities. Within 30 minutes, you can be out of any city limit climbing a mountain, canoeing a stream, hiking a trail, or picnicking in mother nature.
Motherhood is a thankless job but still one I would do over again, if I got the chance. When you are in the throes of child rearing, it feels endlessly tiring; but when it is behind you, you miss it.
We’ve all heard the frightening stories of plastic by-products being stored in our body and the negative effects that plastic is having on our health and the planet’s health.
This past week, while visiting our Flag and Banner store in Miami, I did something I’ve always wanted to do but have only seen on fishing shows: I took a fan boat ride through the Everglades! Because there are alligators everywhere, and I mean everywhere, we nicknamed the expansive waterway Alligator Alley.
So, what does life look like after the kids leave and the dogs die. At first you think … bliss.…
Recently, I was talking to my friend and op-ed writer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Tommy Foltz. Tommy is a deep thinker and even if you don’t agree with his opinions, speaking with him is always thought provoking.
Problem solving in groups is one of my favorite things to do. I’d like to think I’m good at it and, usually, people like the things they are good at.
When I read about crime in Little Rock, I am baffled; it peeks my problem-solving interest. Why does it continue to get worse rather than better? It makes me want to ask questions.
I consider myself lucky that I no longer have to travel on holiday weekends. When my kids were young, vacations had to be planned around their school breaks, which always coincided with a holiday. But since then, I’ve avoided those crowded travel times. This is twofold; I’m graciously giving space to families with school time constraints and selfishly circumventing my own stress level brought on from overcrowded airports and delayed flights.
Sometimes I feel like I am shouting (my metaphor for writing) into the wind. Therefore, when I get a reply of any kind on my blog, I like it. It is nice to know people are reading my weekly posts, even if the knowing is sometimes coming from a not-so-nice comment or an unsubscribe.
Don’t look too closely, unless you’re gross like me and want to. No, that is not a red Christmas decoration in the picture above. It is an amelanotic melanoma that Dr. Chris Shewmake dug out of the tip of my nose. Gross!
Once again, I am fighting the good fight against the skin cancer on my nose. The dang stuff just keeps popping up and the doctors keep scooping out hunks of flesh to send off for biopsy. Thus, I am working a lot from home via email. And once again, I am reminded how important a well written email is for the reader and for efficiency.
“It’s better than watching TV.” That is what I told my husband this past weekend as we helped our old friend and metal artist, Mr. Jeff Waddle, and his wife LeaAnn install our custom built steel trellis.
Many things are coming back; like the return of shopping catalogs in my overflowing mailbox, conventions are making a comeback, too.
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?
In high school, Pat Matthews had a compulsion to create and his talent was evident by the art competitions he entered and won. But, alas, he knew the career of a young artist was uncertain. This rational thinking led him to a degree in architecture.
It is hard to believe that last week we celebrated the 10th Annual Dancing Into Dreamland with a Tournament of Champions.
When speaking to young people, I like to relieve some of their college or career-choice angst by using phrases like “listen to life,” “go where life leads you,” or “kismet.”
At a recent Friends of Dreamland (FOD) planning meeting for their annual fundraiser, Dancing Into Dreamland, FOD had their kismet moment.
In the words of Etta James, “At Laaast…” we have started construction on the elevator addition for the Dreamland Ballroom, atop the Taborian Hall aka the third floor of the FlagandBanner.com building.