Like most trends in popular culture, Carla and I are late to the ball on the Emmy-award-winning “Downton Abbey.” After many friends and co-workers insisted we join the cult of Downton, we reluctantly re-subscribed to Netflix last weekend so we could go back and watch the first season of the early 20th century British family … Continue reading Another British Invasion
Tag: contemporary South
Love means never having to say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’
The longer I am married, the less Valentine’s Day means to my relationship with my wife. I have learned that my wife operates by a simple but sometimes confusing philosophy: if everyone else is doing it, she wants no part of it. Therefore, if I come home on Valentine’s Day with a dozen red roses, … Continue reading Love means never having to say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’
Working moms
Carla drove our white minivan down Oak Road toward Snellville as I sat in the passenger seat, dreading the cost of the repairs to our 11-year-old Volvo station wagon. Then she ventured to bring up a subject that interjects stress into all marriages. Revenue. Specifically, how we could increase our household income to be able to … Continue reading Working moms
The Power of Pine
For the last five years, I’ve spent one Saturday in January at a unique sporting event that induces anxiety, quickens the pulse and triggers a few tears. Of course I’m talking about the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. This anachronistic competition is a throw-back to the days when kids made their own toys out of what … Continue reading The Power of Pine
A Minor Surgery
First thing Monday morning, Harris had his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears. It was the very definition of a “minor surgery.” All went according to plan, and Harris returned to school on Wednesday. In fact, he perked up several hours after he returned home. If you have to have a surgery, this … Continue reading A Minor Surgery
Everything I Need to Know I’m Learning on the Farm
Everybody needs a farm. Not to make a living. That’s one of the hardest things anyone can do with his or her life. No, I think people need a farm, even if they don’t own it, to go and learn how to live. The lessons there are simple, profound and unavoidable. Last Saturday we visited … Continue reading Everything I Need to Know I’m Learning on the Farm
Answering the ‘Call of the Wildman’
An amazing thing happened Jan. 2. Rather than watch college football, which is my usual New Year’s custom, the boys and I spent the afternoon watching the most compelling television I have ever witnessed. While in Florida last week on Christmas vacation at my parent’s house, my dad introduced me to Animal Planet’s “The Call … Continue reading Answering the ‘Call of the Wildman’
No matter how far away we roam
I’ll be home for after Christmas. We’re at T-minus two days and counting until the big day. Soon, Carla’s parents will be arriving and we’ll being going to Christmas Eve services at church. The surprise and joy of Christmas morning will give way to the irritability and arguing of sleep-deprived children. Cognitively, I know that … Continue reading No matter how far away we roam
With every Christmas card I write
Even before my children start their annual greed lists, my wife begins a months-long odyssey of creating the perfect family image to send to loved ones at Christmas. What some people dismiss as an antiquated practice involving such archaic institutions as the U.S. Postal Service, sending Christmas cards is the apogee of the season for … Continue reading With every Christmas card I write
What to look for
Life in the New South demands a written record. That’s my premise. Growing up in Dallas-Fort Worth and central Florida did not instill in me a natural appreciation for all things Southern. That fascination, which sometimes borders on morbid curiosity, surfaced during my time as a features writer for The Macon Telegraph. During my first … Continue reading What to look for
New South Essays 