Columns

I couldn’t face the contents of my file cabinets the winter of 2014. Too many decisions what to keep, pitch, and forward after I retired my lavender farm and writing workshops. I avoided the top drawer of the tall cabinet in a corner of my study’s closet-could not...

Charles D. Ferguson was born February 23, 1822 in Errol. Perthshire, Scotland to James Ferguson ( -1838) and Catherine Moir. At age twenty in 1842, he immigrated to America and eventually settled in New York. On January 13, 1846, he married Charlotte McHardy in Rust,...

I awoke this frozen, bright blue morning with the delightful thought of tagging along with a friend to Clarkston. The unique charm and flavor of a local village appealed to me, especially in good company and when I’m hungry. After Mary Ellen delivered her little...

It was a colossal accomplishment! I was so thrilled and beamed with a pride overflowing with the kind of joy children display so readily and easily. I ran around showing my new skill to any adult whose attention I could capture. I’d learned to tie my own shoes. I...

Tuesday, August 7, 2001: McCoy Homeplace, Phelps, Kentucky My mother reclines with her coffee cup in the farmhouse where she grew up in the McCoy Bottom. Where I lived almost the first five years of my life. I record our genealogy and Sadie Lee McCoy’s personal...

Editor’s note: The following is a combined two-part series about Almont’s First Baptist Church. The first part was originally published in the Tri-City Times in February 2021. Part two was omitted from this column space inadvertently. To avoid confusion, the story, in...

On these frostbitten mornings, Mitty, our mostly Siamese cat, jumps up on the bed and sits beside me without a meow. I look into her beautiful blue, indifferent, and somewhat crossed eyes. “Good morning, Mitzer.” She dismisses my endearment and lifts her dominant,...

When you were in elementary school did you ever pass, send, or receive a note that queried whether someone liked someone and included handy check boxes for yes or no? In those innocent days we already understood a few powerful truths. We wanted to be liked and we had...

Upon the conclusion of this past gardening season, I determined to resume frequent walks on my country roads come January, 2022. Primarily for the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Which includes a wave to neighbors while they muck their barns, visit their...

Editor’s note: The following guest column was written by Christina Muir of the Muir Funeral Home & Celebration of Life Center in Imlay City. She can be reached at 1-877-888-MUIR. Michael and Nicole’s son, Jason, died suddenly in April after contracting COVID-19...