Vexations may be petty, but they are vexations still. ~Michel de Montaigne No big vexations around here for me except that ice that won’t melt away out on the deck. And how hard it is to walk in the crusty snow. And how much I’m ready for some sunshine. And how I need to be coming up with more words …
Valentine Stories
The rose is red, the violet’s blue, The honey’s sweet, and so are you. Thou are my love and I am thine; I drew thee to my Valentine: The lot was cast and then I drew, And Fortune said it shou’d be you. (From Gammer Gurton’s Garland, a 1784 collection of English nursery rhymes) I always have fun when I …
Winter Weather Wonders
Winter forms our character and brings out our best. ~Tim Allen We’re having what the weather forecasters like to call a winter weather advisory day with freezing rain falling out there. Ice is not nice when it falls like this and coats trees and power lines. We do love our electricity to keep humming into our houses and that takes …
Find out more about Me, Jocie Brooke
Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill: Can you believe that somebody wanted to interview me? Me? I’m all the time interviewing other people around in Hollyhill for the paper, but I never expected anyone to want to interview me. And not for the Hollyhill Banner, but for some other magazine or something. Wes says I must be famous, and …
What is Love?
Valentine’s Day is coming. Girls everywhere are thinking of romance and guys are wondering which flowers will make their special girls happy. Or candy. Or whatever they hope will bring smiles. But Valentine’s Day isn’t only for the romantic couples. It can be fun for kids and old folks and all folks. Love comes in many flavors. I’m sending out …
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
I used to enjoy reading Erma Bombeck’s newspaper articles and her books. She had a way of making me laugh and at the same time, helping me see the good along with the silly in family life. This list that has been passed around on the internet for years popped up again the other day. So, I’m sharing it with …
Meet a Frontier Nurse Midwife
Two of my books, These Healing Hills and An Appalachian Summer have Frontier Nursing Service history. Mary Breckinridge established this service in Leslie County, Kentucky in the 1920’s with a vision of bringing better healthcare to mothers and children. Mrs. Breckinridge had a heart for children and she put feet to her dreams and made a difference in the lives of many of the …
Waking Up to Snow
“A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky—unbidden—and seems like a thing of wonder.”</strong> ~Susan Orlean I didn’t get my post done last night and so I took you for a walk with me on the new fallen snow this morning. Not much snow. Maybe 2 inches, but however much it was, it coated all the tree limbs …
Are You a List Maker?
We will never finish everything on our to-do lists. It’s not possible, and that is life! ~Susan L. Taylor Do you make lists of things you want to get done? I do. Sometimes then I do lose those lists in the papers that seem to reproduce on my desk. I might come across the list weeks or even months later …
Throwback Thursday, Remembering the Release of Words Spoken True
Wednesday slipped by me. I don’t know about you all, but so much staying at home during this pandemic has me sometimes having to think twice about what day it is. Then, I did have final edits show up for my upcoming book, Along a Storied Trail, releasing June 1st, that also knocked me off schedule. I know, excuses, excuses. …










