THE TRUE MEANING OF THANKSGIVING

As you probably know, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in England.  O. Henry loves to tell people – it is a “purely American” holiday.  The English do, however, celebrate Harvest Festival.  Of course, we’ve given thanks for successful harvests since pagan times – the...

R.I.P. DOOBEY

R.I.P. MISS DUBUISSON a.k.a. DOOBEY, DOOBS, THE DOOBSTER As Austin’s weather changes from autumn to winter; as freezing rain drips from the gutters and “that old north wind” blows the yellow leaves from our Texas ash, we mourn the tragic loss of...

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Everything I am and everything I do, I am able to be and do because of my mother.  I thank her every single day, but today, the 30th of September, I wish she were still on this earthly plane so that I could hug and thank her at the same time.  Happy 88th Birthday,...

NATIONAL STORYTELLING CONFERENCE 2013

I’d only vaguely heard of the National Storytelling Network in 2005 when my new friend Donna Ingham told me that there was to be a storytelling conference in Oklahoma City, OK.  In a gesture of true mentor-ship, she offered to share her hotel room with this...

LOOKING GOOD…FOR YOUR AGE

When I was at the store buying groceries which included a bottle of wine, the cashier asked to check my driving license.  I don’t flatter myself that I’m being carded because I look under-age but it always makes me smile.  The cashier, who couldn’t...

Arabian Whispers

When you can’t speak the language or read the papers or mix with the locals or even walk the streets of the place you call home, it’s difficult to find out what’s going on around you.  In such a closed world, hearsay and gossip are often all...

Blatta Orientalis Learns the Hard Way

As the mercury rises here in Austin, Texas, so the bugs are re-appearing.  This morning, I heard movement in my waste paper basket and knew it was a cockroach.  And there it was, big ol’ feelers waving in the air!  Ugh!  I was reminded of my first cockroach...