Here's the link to read about it:
11/25/25
Not Thankful!
11/24/25
Jeffrey Epstein and The Bible
https://open.substack.com/pub/smartschink/p/jeffrey-epstein-and-the-bible?r=w4hhk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
11/22/25
11/21/25
11/19/25
Shirley Temple
I met Shirley Temple quite a few years back.
Actually, we were in the same fashion show, modeling historical
fashions, specifically gowns and clothing worn by former First Ladies.
By then, she was Shirley Temple Black and no longer involved
in entertainment. She even asked me to zip up her dress. I just
casually mentioned that to Mom months later. Mom was flabbergasted that
I hadn't told her that immediately. I think she considered the zipping
of Shirley Temple's dress to be the top accomplishment of my life! What an entertainer she was and what a gracious lady she became! #fashionshow #shirleytemple #Mom #mothers
11/14/25
She's Back!!!
She's back. Actually, not she, it's me. I'm back. After an absence of a decade or so, I'm resurrecting this blog. The truth is that I've missed writing it, and I've missed the interactions with so many fellow bloggers and other people.
On Fridays, we'll have Funny Fridays, featuring funny signs and funny headlines.
Currently, I'm working on four mysteries and one nonfiction. If someone ever said writing a book is easy, that someone was wrong, wrong, wrong. It's a whole lot of work! So, occasionally on here, I'll update my progress.
Another goal is to share information about other authors and would-be authors, along with descriptions of books I'm reading and enjoying.
Oh, there'll be other stuff, too. Maybe recipes. Maybe stories about my grandsons. Maybe current events without being partisan.
I'd love to have you follow and share your comments!
4/21/14
Portable, Go-Anywhere High Chair
Ideal for grandparents, traveling families, active families, or at home.
Find us on Facebook: PortableHighChairCarolina.
4/13/14
Again and Again
And again and again.
I think it’s called confusion. Or
not paying attention. Or perhaps just plain old getting older.
Once again, I confused the tube of
toothpaste and the tube of Preparation H. No, I won’t admit which way this
happened.
The frequency of such situations is
increasing. I walk around the house
looking for my keys, only to realize after a frantic search that they are in my
hand.
This happens with my glasses as
well. I move papers, books, pots, pans,
towels sheets and more, then find the glasses on top of my head or in a
pocket.
And the cell phone? Oh, my goodness. I believe it has feet and just walks away to
trick me. We have a home phone, i.e.
land line, primarily for use as a fax, but I believe it has been used more
often as a locator when I have to call my cell phone just to find it.
Oh, and then it gets worse. Later, I look at the cell phone and see that
I have a missed call. I check for a
missed call, just to find it was my own call from the home phone!
And, by the way, I can tell you
this: toothpaste seems to have certain healing properties!
4/12/14
Lucrative Laundry Day
I hit the
jackpot! It was a lucrative laundry
day.
Have you ever had one of those?
Let me back up a moment. The Duppster doesn’t believe in wearing
anything twice between washings. Not jeans, not khakis, nothing. That adds up to a whole lot of laundry. And since Dupp is a rather large man – size
3X shirts – it doesn’t take many items of clothing to fill up the washing
machine.
Anyway, the good side of this
situation is that Dupp frequently forgets to take loose change (and other
things) out of his pockets before tossing clothing into the hamper. Maybe I should check pockets before putting a
load of clothes in the washer but I don’t.
So, I figured whatever money comes
out in the laundry goes into my wallet.
Now, mind you, I don’t stick my hands into the pockets to pull out money
but just keep whatever comes out naturally. “Naturally” means it falls out in the washer
or dryer or after I shake the pants vigorously nine or ten times.
Sometimes, Dupp actually leaves
bills, i.e. paper money, in his pockets.
No, I won’t get rich this way, but
there’s usually enough to enjoy my chocolate candy. Last week, I could have gotten a whole box
of chocolates.
What a lucrative laundry day!
5/17/13
Cookies, Chickens, Frogs & More
Sometimes I get a kick out of unusual observances and
holidays.
This past
Sunday was Mother’s Day, of course, and International Nurses Day, but also Limerick
Day, National Nutty Fudge Day, National Doodle Day, Hug Your Cat Day and
Odometer Day.
Monday was Frog-Jumping
Day; Tuesday was National Chicken Dance Day.
You DID dance in celebration, didn’t you?
And then
there’s this: The Headless Chicken Day is always the third weekend in May. (Yep, it’s called “day” even though it’s two
days.)
According
to the sponsoring organization’s web site, the event is based on a true story
about a Wyandotte rooster named Mike. On
September 10, 1945, Leon Olsen, a
Fruita, Colorado, farmer, used an axe to make Mike headless so that the rooster
would be his family’s dinner, but rooster Mike “continued trying to peck for
food.”
The festival
celebrates Mike’s example, noting that “you can continue to lead a normal life,
even after you have lost your mind.”
If those
folks in Fruita ever make the festival a week-long affair, they can celebrate
The Headless Chicken Day along with National Chicken Dance Day. Quite an observance, wouldn’t you say?
---------------------
4/28/13
"Special" Election Doesn't Quite Describe It!
 |
| Photo from The State newspaper |
This is gonna upset some of my Republican friends, but that’s certainly not the intent.
It’s like
this: for several years, I’ve been saying I’m tired of so much partisan
politics and so much partisan bickering.
And I really, really am.
That’s the
same thing I’ve heard loads of other folks fussing about also. They’re tired of everything in Washington
having to do with party lines. They’re
tired of partisanship in our state legislature.
They want what’s good for the people to be put before what’s good for
one party or the other.
But, have
we looked at our own back doors or front doors or wherever we generally
look? Don’t we put party before
consideration of individual candidates when we vote straight party tickets?
And, now,
here we are faced with a special election (May 7th) in our own first congressional
district – a race pitting former Governor Mark Sanford (he of Appalachian Trail fame) against Elizabeth Colbert Busch, businesswoman and sister of comedian Stephen Colbert.
Guess what
we’re hearing and reading now from people who are sick and tired of partisan
politics? Here are a few of the
comments:
“No, I
don’t like Sanford, but he’s the Republican, so that’s how I’ll vote.”
“Forget a
third-party candidate or a write-in, because that would just hand the election
to the woman instead of a Republican.”
“I didn’t
want Sanford to be the Republican nominee; he’s a scoundrel but I just can’t
vote for a Democrat.”
“Yeah,
Sanford was wrong to leave the state, to lie about his whereabouts, to not
leave anyone in charge. Yes, he was
wrong to violate a court order. But he’s
the Republican.”
Those are
just samplings. In the last two weeks,
people who used to talk about character, honesty, integrity and such, are
listing reasons they don’t like Sanford.
They are not questioning Colbert Busch’s character and integrity ---
yet, they’ll likely vote against honesty, character and integrity because of
party loyalty.
What’s
right for the country, what’s right for the citizens – these take precedence
over what’s right for a particular political party.
Just
callin’ it like I see it, folks.
4/20/13
Yawn, Yawn, Yawn
Yawn.
This is
somewhat like a test: see if you can read these few paragraphs without yawning,
okay?
Just the
other night, Mom, the Duppster and I were in the car, heading home from an
event. All three of us were
yawning.
So, we started
talking about why people yawn and why it seems that yawns are contagious.
According
to Andrew C. Gallup, PhD, "Brains
are like computers... They operate most efficiently when cool, and physical
adaptations have evolved to allow maximum cooling of the brain."
Gallup reports that the brain warms
up as people get tired and sleepy, but it’s not really boredom or sleepiness
that causes yawning; it’s the need to cool the brain.
We inhale air when we yawn; our
eardrums stretch; cooler air gets to our sinuses, ears, brains and more. Our lungs are stretched.
All of this, of course, is just
Gallup’s theory, but his theory is based on scientific research.
Haven’t we all heard that yawning is
contagious? Is it?
Yes, it is. According to various studies by several
scientists, yawning, which is involuntary, is a part of centuries or eons of
socialization. It’s a way of relating to
other people and has come down through the generations.
So, next time someone yawns, don’t
think the person is bored. He’s just
socializing with you!
Now, there are two questions: 1) Did
you read this without yawning? and 2) Can you keep your eyes open – totally
open – when you yawn?
3/5/13
It's Been 12 Years . . .
Today marks 12 years since Dad died.
Just the
other night, several of us were sharing some funny stories about Dad, and we
laughed ‘til we had tears running down our faces.
We talked
about the old green Studebaker Dad used to drive. Well, actually, it wasn’t just green. Dad had used a spray gun not far from the car
to paint something white. While he
worked on whatever that creation was, white paint splattered onto the
Studebaker, changing it from solid green to green with white dots all
over. He left it that way.
And the
outside of the Studebaker was the better part of the car.
Once the
door to the car opened, one could see an emptiness – of sorts. Dad had removed the back seat from the
car. What this meant was that we children
had to either stand in the back or sit on the floor when we rode in that
car. Yes, this was before seatbelts and
other modern conveniences.
We also had
an old Pontiac convertible. Or perhaps
it was an Oldsmobile. I just remember it
was from the late 50s or very early 60s; it was tan; and it was l-0-n-g, like
most cars of that era. There was an
expanse of tan between the back seat and the trunk.
And it was
in the trunk that Dad had placed the old back seat that came out of the
green-and-white Studebaker. Dad had
removed the cover or top of the trunk from the long convertible and put the
Studebaker’s old bench seat in that empty cavity. When we rode in that green seat way back in
the trunk area, it was like traveling in a separate vehicle; we were that far away from the driver!
Yep, as Mom
said the other night, Dad is still keeping us laughing 12 years after his
death.
2/19/13
It Takes Two!
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Last week,
I had almost-five-year-old Harrison and just-turned-two-year-old Fisher in the
back seat of the car, heading to our house after getting them from their other
grandmother’s house.
I told the
boys I had a little surprise for them at home.
Harrison quickly asked, “Is it one thing or two?”
When I
answered that there were two – one for him and one for Fisher - Harrison said that was good, because when
there’s only one thing, they fight.
So, I
thought, this might be a great one of those “teachable moments.” I explained how important it is to share,
that sharing with others is good and that taking turns is what people need to
learn to do.
That’s when
Harrison spoke up again: “The thing about sharing is when me and Fisher share,
Fisher doesn’t.”
Yep, that
could certainly be a problem – when two people share except that one of ‘em
doesn’t.
We all know
what that’s like, don’t we?
1/24/13
Do Your Ears Hang Low????
I remember it like it was yesterday.
And why
shouldn’t I? After all, Mom looked at me
– and then just laughed. And laughed and
laughed.
Finally,
she looked at me, pointing near my face, and said, “One of your ears is lower
than the other one.” And then she
started laughing again.
Through her
chuckles, Mom told me to look in the mirror to see for myself. So I did.
Sure
enough, once I looked, I could see that one ear was lower than the other. The only way for them not to be uneven was to
tilt my head, but I quickly decided I couldn’t go around the rest of my life
with my head tilted.
And then
Mom asked, “When did that happen?”
Well, gee,
Mom; I just don’t know when that happened.
I mean I didn’t go to a doctor and ask to have one ear lowered or
anything like that. I guess I was just
born this way.
For
decades, I didn’t know my ears weren’t even.
Now, as one
might imagine, I can’t look in the mirror without noticing that one ear is
lower than the other. I’ve even changed
the kind of earrings I wear so that the “ear difference” won’t be as
noticeable.
At least
that’s better than keeping my head tilted.
And I’ve
quit singing that childhood song that starts “Do your ears hang low?”
1/17/13
"Foreigners" Eat Funny
Eatin’
habits seem to vary based on what area of the country a person lives in, or at
least grows up in.
I think I’m
somewhat of an expert on this subject since I’m married to a Yankee. Oh, excuse me, a Yankee-transplanted-in-the-South-fellow,
which is still pretty much a Yankee, if you ask me. The Duppster hasn’t been in South Carolina
quite long enough to learn how to eat southern.
He finally
tried that southern delicacy we call boiled peanuts. Much to his credit, Dupp even had a second
one. It’s pretty safe to say, though,
that he thinks he can live without ‘em.
Now, I’ve
never professed to be the best cook in the world, but, if I were, Dupp wouldn’t
know it. That’s because he adds
ketchup/catsup to just about everything – without even tasting it first.
If I fix
scrambled eggs and cheese, he adds ketchup.
If it’s scrambled eggs and salmon, he adds ketchup.
This past
weekend I fixed a big ol’ pot of chicken bog.
First of all, chicken bog is rather peculiar to South Carolina; it’s not
even a common meal anywhere else in the southeast, so it’s easy to figure that
chicken bog is totally foreign to folks from above the Mason-Dixon line.
When this
fine concoction of chicken, hot sausage, lots of onion, peppers, a bit of
garlic, salt, bacon bits and a few other special additions was ready, what did
Dupp do? He pulled out something with a
ketchup base and poured it all over the bog.
Even as a
ketchup-holic, there’s one thing he absolutely won’t put ketchup on, though:
hot dogs.
Go figure!
1/12/13
Marshmallow Massacre?
Back before Christmas, I had planned to give each of the
young nieces and nephews and other similarly-aged children marshmallow shooters
as gifts.
Actually
I’m not certain about the exact name of these plastic toys that propel marshmallows
across rooms and open fields. Whatever
the name, though, the toys promote active play as well as safe play, and the
ones I found weren’t expensive, making this a pretty easy decision.
And then
came the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut.
With that
horrendous tragedy, I simply couldn’t bring myself to purchase and then give to
little children anything weapon-like. So
much for those marshmallow blasters.
Did I think
those marshmallows would hurt anyone?
No. Did I think there would be a
marshmallow massacre? No. There was just something symbolic about
giving a Christmas gift that had anything to do with shooting, even if only
marshmallows, so close in time to the Sandy Hook killings.
Am I moving
more toward gun control? No, unless it’s
for parents having more control over the guns in their own homes (and control
over the use of video games, television, etc.)
And, no, I’m not trying to outlaw marshmallow blasters either.
What we
need is to have our elected officials place mental health issues on the front
burner. Period.
1/4/13
Spitting Images
In the last post, I showed photos of some of our antiques and uniques at Kudzu Keepsakes.
The other part of our little venture is Spitting Images Gallery, featuring photos The Duppster and I have taken. Most are on canvas, but there are some 5 x 7s in the gallery as well as a few photos on foam board. Canvas and foam board works can be placed on walls with or without frames.
Here are a few that are in the gallery now. Oops! For some strange reason, I wasn't able to upload the photos here today. Go figure. I hope you'll take a minute to click on the link below.
A few of the photos are found on the right side of this post. Others are here: Spitting Images Gallery works.
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