Our anniversary is coming soon; next month in fact. Buck and I would have been married fifty-six years on August the 18th. It was a good marriage. I miss him terribly. Our backgrounds could not have been more different. I was from Chicago, he was from rural Illinois. The first time I was introduced to Buck’s family, I felt as though I just stepped into a segment of,” Leave It To Beaver.” Beaver’s family didn’t drink, they didn’t smoke, and they sure didn’t fight, and come to

Hobbies are an important part of a healthy life style. I have friends who knit, quilt and paint. Me? I read. Buck enjoyed a game of golf but in general really wasn’t into sports. When he was in his fifties, he discovered the art of stain glass and became quite skilled. Early on though, his pastime was work. So, when he suggested that we, as a family, might enjoy fish, I agreed. Not fishing with a pole, but, fish in an aquarium. Because we are who we are, we did not purchase

If you grew up in Bureau County, chances are you have been “tubin’” on Bureau Creek. Big Bureau Creek is seventy-three miles long and meanders its way from Mendota through Bureau County to the Illinois River. Much of the time, the creek is calm and slow. But that changes depending on the amount of rain and thunderstorms that cause the creek to rise in width and depth. Like any body of water, it demands respect because not using caution can change a fun afternoon into an unf

Today it is 104 degrees in Arlington, Texas, where I am visiting my son and his family. Everyone is working, so I find myself keeping company with a variety of dogs. We won’t be going outside much because of the heat. Later, when it begins to cool some, children and grandchildren will begin to arrive for dinner. They are a busy, noisy family. Carrie and ‘Poppy’s’ house is the center for family gatherings that include swimming and fireworks on the fourth of July. “The stars at