It’s the morning after the big rain storms in Houston. Today so many families are facing the destruction of their homes or the loss of their property, possessions and cars. Far worse are the deaths of five individuals who never dreamed yesterday morning that before the day was done they would become victims of the raging waters that overtook the city’s bayous and streets. While all of the pandemonium was playing out all over my hometown there were people still dealing with the routines of life. Babies were born, people became sick, some took their final breaths. The world goes on all around us in spite of dramatic events and this was all too sadly true for my long time friend, Chris Nixon. This morning those of us who knew him learned from his daughter that he had died. Continue reading “Our Captain”
Category: Blog
Fire and Rain
I love the old black and white movies from the twenties, thirties and forties. I used to watch them late on Friday or Saturday nights on our television when I was still a very young child. It never occurred to me that many of the beautiful men and women who so enchanted me were old enough to be my grandparents. One of my all time favorite stars was Clark Gable. Even back then I was taken by the little squint in his eyes and the sonorous voice that he used so commandingly. He filled the screen with his charisma and always seemed to be featured in epic films with stories that kept my full attention. One of my all time favorites was San Francisco which I just happened to see for the first time when my family was briefly living in northern California. Continue reading “Fire and Rain”
Play Ball!
Oh how my mother loved baseball! Even on the day that she died she wanted to watch a few innings of an Astro’s game. She thought of baseball as an all American sport, almost an inspirational game with heroes whose faces donned cardboard collectors’ cards. The reality is that once upon a time baseball had a very ugly side. Years after the Emancipation Proclamation African American players were denied access to the big leagues. Instead they were relegated to all black minor league teams despite their talent. All of that changed on this day, April 15, 1947, when the Brooklyn Dodgers debuted their newest player, Jackie Robinson. Continue reading “Play Ball!”
What If?
On this day in history in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer who thought that his action might somehow save the southern states from Union domination and tyranny. Of course public disgust with his murderous act not only derailed his ill conceived plan but also changed the course of post war reconstruction. Ironically it was Abraham Lincoln who had been the leader in emphasizing forgiveness and understanding for the rebel states and their citizens. Thus it has oft been argued that the schism between the north and the south might have healed more quickly under his leadership than it did without him. Instead the more punishing policies of carpet bagging only increased resentments that continue to this very day in some quarters of the south. Continue reading “What If?”
Saddle Oxfords and Loafers
My mother was frugal by nature but when it came to purchasing school shoes for our feet money was no object. She often told us that such a luxury was impossible in her big immigrant family. As the youngest child she always wore hand-me-down shoes that were often so badly worn that there were gapping holes in the leather soles. Her mother cleverly inserted cardboard inside to keep them useful for a bit longer. Mama never complained about her childhood predicament but I suspect that it was a source of embarrassment for her. She rectified her own want by providing me and my brothers with sturdy, well fitting footwear that came from the finest makers of children’s shoes. In fact, we regularly visited the local Lippies’ Shoe Store where the parents of one of my classmates were maestros of quality procedures that insured that the shoes we purchased would hug our feet like soft gloves.
I appeared to have fallen arches so Mr. and Mrs. Lippies insisted that I wear oxfords with a steel support to hold my flat feet in the correct position. Finding just the right pair for me was a tedious process that often took well over thirty minutes of intense consideration of my physiological needs before the kindly owners of the store felt that I had the most perfect pair for my feet. Mostly the style never varied. Virtually every time that Mama bought me a new pair of shoes they were saddle oxfords that I might wear to school. I would then use them until I had outgrown them and my toes were pushing painfully at the edges. Continue reading “Saddle Oxfords and Loafers”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 