"Did you say Opera? You gotta be kidding." My friend Judy wiped away tears of laughter. "Opera," she repeated. Then she doubled over in an all-out howl. "Why are you laughing? You think because Babe is an ex-jock, he doesn’t appreciate music?" When she finally got control of herself, she took a deep breath, looke...Read More

I’m not going anywhere with Abigail again. We’ve been friends since we were kids so try hard to overlook her growing addiction. Abby has become a Klepto, a thief who’s found a way to take things without getting caught. Not getting caught suits me fine since I’m the only person left on her friends list and I’d just as s...Read More

My mother once ordered a pair of shoes from Fredericks of Hollywood. They were black velvet stilettos with cut-out toes and straps that snaked up her ankles. Filling in an order form from a catalog she snitched from the doctor’s waiting room, she then attached a note to the Frederick’s people. Please deliver the package wrapped in plain...Read More

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. ” Umberto Eco My friend Beverly asked me, If you could sit on your porch and have a long visit with anybody living or dead, who would it be? John F. Kennedy crossed my mind, as did Eleanor Roosevelt and Anne Morrow Lindber...Read More

I remember the day Mama cried as though her heart would break in two. I had seen her get mad at Daddy or at my brother, and at me more times than I could count. When she lost her temper, she never used the four-letter S word, and she never cried. Instead, she yelled SHITE! I grew up thinking of that particular non-word as an expletive. Apart from ...Read More

"It’s very important to have the right clothing to exercise in.  If you throw on an old T-shirt or sweats, it’s not inspiring for your workout. ~ Cheryl Tiegs It’s a known fact that writers never break a sweat if it means they have to exercise. Most of my days, when I am not searching for an excuse not to write, I am si...Read More

I recently became the mother of a new puppy. Day 1: As Empty Nesters, my husband, Babe brought home an adorable chocolate Lab. I didn’t think I would ever be able to own a dog because of my allergies, but Babe assured me it would be okay. I’m glad I listened to him. I haven’t sneezed, coughed or swelled to the size of an NFL lineb...Read More

"PUTTIN’ ON THE GRITZ" Cappy Hall Rearick was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She was an English major at the University of South Carolina and later became a Flight Attendant for American Airlines. Some years later, she moved to Los Angeles and then to Pennsylvania. In 1994, she returned to her beloved South to settle in St. Sim...Read More

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ” Gloria Naylor When I see October sunsets sliding through leafless trees each day and late afternoon breezes beginning to whistle up and down neighborhood streets in my South Carolina hometown, I am unable to stop myself from remembering how life used to be when I was young. Smoke is climbing ...Read More

Q: How many men does it take to find a quart of milk  in the refrigerator? A:  Nobody knows because it hasn’t happened yet. I am on fire with a new mission and I’m asking for support from other women who live with a man legally or illegally. Their input will be an invaluable aid in my quest to find a cure for the previously u...Read More

After I finished weeding in the only yard on the street overrun with poison ivy, I drove to the Exercise Center ten miles away for my first day of an exercise program. It is safe to say that I like working out even less than weeding or showing up for a mammogram. At the Center, I was shown how to do everything from leg stretches to upper body stren...Read More