FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: For a child in small-town Alabama, books provided solace in summers without friends and activities.
Read moreSummer Reading
Once upon a time, Donna Parker and Trixie Belden saved a lonely little girl
Once upon a time, Donna Parker and Trixie Belden saved a lonely little girl
FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: For a child in small-town Alabama, books provided solace in summers without friends and activities.
Read moreHow taming a too-steep-to-mow hillside became a new hobby
I’d never been an outdoors kind of gal, but as my 74th birthday approached, I decided to tame our unruly back acre.
Read moreOur visit to Alcatraz opened my eyes and heart
My daughter didn’t go to Alcatraz willingly. She grumbled the whole way, punctuating the morning with sarcasm: “Yay, it’s prison day!” Perhaps she was right — what purpose did it serve to see this horrific chapter of history?
Read moreThe pleasures of patience, redbuds, and good neighbors
Sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to live anywhere but the South and whether I’ve discovered some secret to life since moving here.
Read moreOn Saturdays, we play with their children and pour the tea
I arrange the clementines on the table next to the store-bought croissants and juice boxes; this has now become a ritual, though not a meditative one.
Read moreI can’t forget my client’s final phone call
Thirty-six hours after my client was executed, I drove along the highway in the direction opposite the prison for my wisdom teeth extraction. The throb ballooning at the back of my gums had become a rhythmic, welcome distraction from the grief scratching my throat ragged.
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