Donald C. Minor to his daughter, Marilyn--1954 This letter written from my Grandaddy Minor to my mother, Marilyn, made me chuckle. Though decades old, its mixed sentiments about the holiday season could have been written in just the last few days. As 1954 drew to a close, Donald Minor paused before heading to bed to … Continue reading Letters from Home:
Marilyn Minor
Recipes and receipts: A 1970(ish) Texas Sheet of Chocolate Deliciousness
Our dinner table in southwest Virginia was always full. Mother and Daddy at either end, us four kids seated two across from two on each side. In the center, sat two vegetables, a starch, a meat dish or casserole, to be passed to the left until all were served. At each place was a glass … Continue reading Recipes and receipts: A 1970(ish) Texas Sheet of Chocolate Deliciousness
I Miss My Mother
Today is the anniversary of my mother's birth, the first March 27th I haven't made a call, or sent a card, or prepared a surprise. Motherless. No matter how complicated or difficult the relationship, the mother-daughter bond is irreplaceable. Irreducible. "We are all just bits of love." ~~ Marilyn Minor Strickland
Music My Mother Played: The Old Lamp-Lighter
In 1946 the songwriting team of Charles Tobias and Nat Simon captured the hearts, and ears, of a post-war audience with their tune, The Old Lamp-Lighter. Band leader Sammy Kaye recorded the song, featuring vocals by Billy Williams, and the haunting melody hit the Billboard Best Sellers List by November. The Old Lamp-Lighter stayed on … Continue reading Music My Mother Played: The Old Lamp-Lighter
Where is the Story?
Her palms hovered just inches from her ears, fingers-spread. As if a metronome, my mother's hands rocked back and forth as she spat, "You are JUST like your father!" I never needed a decoder to understand that this phrase conveyed a mother's disappointment; her eldest child, and only daughter, carried on the mannerisms and point … Continue reading Where is the Story?
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 