Today marks the ten anniversary of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak, spawning 66 tornadoes killing 48 people and injuring many others. The “big one” blew up along I-44 from Chickasha, through open country, smashing the community of Bridge Creek, through some more open country, over a river, and then entered the Oklahoma City Metro area cutting a […]
“So, what did you get for your birthday?” a friend asked. “I got a domain name!” replied my oldest daughter. She searched for months for the perfect domain name. She wanted something different but personal, easy to say and spell, a little off beat but not too far, and that people who knew her would […]
For weeks, this one billboard only said, “I pooted.” We thought it was the oddest thing to put on a billboard. Child #1 had her suspicions. Sure enough, the other night we saw the rest of the sign. It is an advertisement for the Cartoon Network with the cartoon character Cheese from Foster’s Home for […]
Yesterday, we helped our oldest child buy her first car. She’s a sophomore in college and the time has come when she really needs one. Plus we are, or at least she is, tired of borrowing the family mini-van. Today, while she was at work, I placed several magnetic ribbons on the back of her […]
We were on our way home. We took the country road around the lake to avoid a dozen stop signs. Just five miles away from home, about eights minutes, with only two stop signs. Only another car or two on the lake road too. And then, from the back of the mini-van, child #3 said […]
Recently talking to a colleague about parents and grandparents, I was reminded of my Grandpa Joe. He died in the late 1980s of old age. He slowly became senile in the last four or so years of his long and productive life. Born in 1899 in rural Kentucky just south of Lexington, he lived through […]
Last night, we received some badly needed precipitation in the form of snow. In my area, it was just a ground covering. The streets were just wet. Up north and west of the city, they received up to 6-8 inches. The boys were just amazed at the white fluffy stuff as we were getting in […]
With it being such an exceptionally warm day for late December, and the grass fires a safe ten or so miles away, the three younger kids and I went to play in the park at a nearby lake. Afterwards, we drove around to our favorite point and went on a short hike next to the […]
My oldest is home from her first semester of college. (yeah!) Her and the three-year old were goofing around while they were watching James and the Giant Peach. The telephone rang and she noticed it was an 888 number. Most likely a telemarker. So she encouraged the three-year old to answer the phone. “Hello?… watching […]
Last November, my dad came to spend Thanksgiving with us. I remember this sense of security come over me when he entered the door to my house. I felt it deep inside, and it reminded me of that sense of security I must have felt as a kid. It was a relaxing feeling, like I […]
We bought our oldest daughter a computer for graduation. She has really put her head into it.
Child #4 will turn two years old next month. He does not yet talk, but he understands nearly everything you say. He says a couple pseudo-words like “yuts” for look, and “buh-buhr” for the dog’s name, Baxter. He doesn’t really say momma or dada, or anything else for that matter. But when he plays with […]
Along with my many responsibilities of being a teacher in a small, catholic high school, I drive a small school bus for a morning route. Due to moving the beginning of the school day a half hour earlier this year, many days I have the opportunity to drive the bus home each night. This year, […]
I have this habit of occasionally teasing my kids, particularly my two older daughters, of not being graceful. (Sometimes in the appropriate moment, some of my students get it too.) When one of them trips or drops something or does something really klutzy, I will say with a smile something along the lines of: “Good […]
Photo of three baby birds in a mud and twig nest built on the side of a brick wall.
A pair of little, brown swifts (maybe swallows) have built a little mud nest near our front door. Yesterday, the four five little chicks could be seen peaking over the edge. Make a noise and they open their beaks. They got all excited for a brief moment when the camera flash went off. Mom and […]
My sixteen-year old daughter is a junior at the high school where I teach. It has been a cool experience to have her there. The other day, the school’s chaplain, Fr. Scott, told me that when he hears the song “Heaven” by Live, he thinks of my daughter and me. Talk about a lump in […]
“Old Man” Malcolm died yesterday. He was 17.5 years old. Pretty good for a cat. Massive stroke. Maybe a brain mass. Vet wasn’t sure. It was bad whatever it was. Best thing for him was to put him to sleep. My wife and I got him as a kitten six months after we were married. […]
It was too quiet, way too quiet. The two boys, a toddler of three years and a baby about to turn one next week, were in the bedroom. They were playing and giggling just a moment or two ago. Now it was quiet. Something was up. I had been a parent long enough to know […]
Here are my questions for Caitlin: 1) As a junior in high school, what do you want to be when you grow up? 2) What is the best and worst thing about going to a small, catholic high school? Do you miss public school? 3) What is the best and worst thing about having your […]
Child number 4, almost ten months old now, has reached a milestone. He can now eat Cheerios on his own! Now that does not sound like a very big accomplishment compared to learning to walk, but learning how to eat Cheerios means several things. First, he is not choking on it. He has learned to […]
What does he see? What is he thinking? Add your thoughts in the comments…
Photos of round barn in Arcadia, OK, and Oklahoma state capitol dome.
It is interesting to experience the phenomenon of time compression around a traumatic event like a car accident. The adrenalin rush seems to help you remember every tiny little thing that happens within one second. It feels like the experiences of a lifetime are compressed into just a few seconds. I hope I managed to […]