Inklings

All this month and particularly on the 17th, the wearin’ o the green – especially Kelly or Irish green – is definitely in! Even those with but a wee drop of the blood of Eire celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. I personally can’t believe it’s not a g ...  full story

...in another word – “Suspense,” i.e., the old-time radio drama. I grew up loving having the daylights scared out of me by such shows. I’d get into bed at night; turn the lights out and the radio on. Wide-eyed and clutching the sheets, I’d get absorb ...  full story

It seems author Robert Fulghum might have really started something when he wrote “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” My sister Cynthia, who stays on the lookout for column ideas for yours truly recently passed on an “All I Really N ...  full story

It was much more than just flurries, of course. It was the second largest snow in two decades and it blanketed our Flower Town. By Saturday morning the recent snowfall edged Summerville into Winterville at its most charming. Cameras clicked, makeshif ...  full story

Kids do say the darndest things . . . and in Sunday School tooI have an anonymous friend. Oh I know who he is. This prominent person just doesn’t want others to know he shoots me emails which I sometimes use as the basis for columns. He’s a great res ...  full story

Some four decades ago, a pair of fraternal twins was born locally. The boy was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The girl was not afflicted. The parents took both children home and raised them together in their family for nine years. The boy was so profo ...  full story

I heard Jim pick up the phone the other day. “Hello,” he repeated calmly several times. This wasn’t like him. If the phone rings and someone doesn’t immediately speak, Jim figures it’s an electronic message, selling or soliciting something and after ...  full story

To some it’s a pocketbook, to others a handbag, to many a clutch, and to those in the Victorian, Regency and Edwardian eras, it was a reticule. To me, they’re all a pain in the nether regions. I have a thing for them, whatever they’re called. It’s no ...  full story

Act I – Setting the Stage: Three months ago my husband had wrist surgery in an effort to restart golf and continue his successful pursuit of the elusive fresh water bass. Our nine-year-old grandson Riley was thrilled to hear that his Pop Pop was gett ...  full story

It’s easy to see a movie these days. Your take one off your shelf or get one from a rental place. Or pop one into a slot, stretch out on your recliner and press a button.It wasn’t always like this. Going out to see a movie could be as great an advent ...  full story

I’d been trying to think what resolute slant to take on this New Year’s Day column. Finally I decided to look back for inspiration to those I’d written previously. Big mistake. I found to my dismay that my record for keeping New Year’s resolutions is ...  full story

Today was always a special day in my family when I was growing up. December 18 was the day we put up our Christmas tree. We did that because it was my dad’s birthday, and it was the tradition in his family.The tale of how that got started always make ...  full story

There are certain things mothers don’t like to remember. Specific maternal goofs that make our skins crawl; things we manage to stuff into the very bottom of our memories, hopefully never to bubble up again. Unfortunately the basic premise of motherh ...  full story

It never occurred to me that I’d smile out loud at a crèche. But I did. It was both delightful and revealing. Crib scenes are typically traditional, religious, sometimes solemn, most always moving. Not so much amusing. Or so I thought.But this one! M ...  full story

Not only did we sleep in George Washington’s bed, but Martha cooked and served our breakfast. These were two of the delightful amenities we enjoyed at the B&B we stayed at in Colonial Williamsburg recently. Our hostess, who in real life is called ...  full story

With just six days until Thanksgiving, you may already have your turkey in the freezer, calculating just how long it needs to take up space in the fridge to thaw in time for Thursday’s cooking. If, like me, you make lists, you already have plans for ...  full story

I had to iron the other day. It was such a momentous event that I take note of it. Most everything we own now is permanent press, wrinkle free, or boasts my favorite label, “dry clean only.” Occasionally though, some article of clothing or household ...  full story

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”My sister Cynthia quoted these words of 19th century naturalist, ecologist and nature author John Muir at our recent Girls’ Weekend in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. His words crystallize the lure of these ...  full story

High steppin’ When the tall blond tuba player took the field last weekend in his purple plumed hat and tailored uniform, I wanted to cheer – and to tear. I did both. This was our grandson Jimmy, who was performing in his North Carolina high scho ...  full story

“Did you know that my grandmother is a newspaper reporter?” ?Third-grader Riley queried his principal on this subject just before his school’s annual grand parents’ luncheon. Carole Anne White, who heads St. John’s Catholic School in North Charleston ...  full story

I distinguished myself in a meeting the other day when asked if I knew another attendee. “No,” I said, “we haven’t been introduced, but glad to meet you.”“Barbara,” said the friend sitting next to me, “you do know her! You spent four hours in a meeti ...  full story

Can you imagine witnessing a murder?Suppose you knew both the victim and the killer. Imagine if one was your father and the other your mother. What if you were just 10 years old?After the blood and the screaming stopped; what then? Would you scream, ...  full story

An old African proverb says that it takes a village to raise a child. That adage is probably even truer about healing a traumatized child.Trauma can produce anything from distress to damage. It’s an injury to any part of the body, including the mind. ...  full story

          This title is not a plea to have the excellent British telecast on ETV brought back – although that’s a good idea. I particularly miss Hudson. I could use a butler these days, to go both upstairs ...  full story

Of all the recent press on remembering Hurricane Hugo, the recurring theme was how this storm brought out the best in us, people – be they friends or strangers – helping people in need. That was surely true of our Flower Town, beginning 20 years and ...  full story

• EPA seeks applications for environmental community grants
• Green Products That Save You Green
• Switch to energy efficient appliances pays off for St. George resident
• 8 Green Ways to Winterize
• Taking a Proactive Approach to Being Earth-Friendly
• New Year's Resolutions Can Benefit the Environment
• Easy Ways to Improve Air Quality
• HMS students compete in national environmental challenge

What's your big purchase for christmas?