When my kids were small bedtime was often the most trying time of the day, due in part to the fact that they were less than two years apart. I’d start early getting them bathed and fed and then Phil would rock one while I tried to put the other one down. If it took longer than say, ten minutes, I’d come back to find

I continue to get notes from porchers interested in the latest on Savannah Grace, that precocious child we’ve watched grow up on the All Things Southern porch. Well, the truth is that Savannah is now in high school and she isn’t “in” to me talking about her current affairs on the radio. Sadly, we must content ourselves with stories from the past where Miss Savannah

We were absolutely bombarded with political announcements during the last days leading up to our recent statewide elections. From email to snail mail to voice mail, it was impossible to turn around without hearing another campaign ad, another attack, another rebuttal. It makes me queasy thinking how much that experience is going to be magnified by the Presidential election. Buckle up, folks. It’s true, my

One of our Texan porchers writes in with a story from his neck of the woods. Cliff has a new neighbor named Ward, a retired business man who has now accomplished his life time dream of moving to the country. Ward bought a nice-sized ranch with good head of cattle. He's given up his suits and briefcases in favor of blue jeans and work shirts.

Mrs. Bobbie is one of those precious unsung heroes that walk among us. She’s a school teacher and an exceptionally good one. She been teaching second grade over at the elementary school for the last twenty years at least. Mrs. Bobbie looks at her job as more than a profession. She considers it her life’s calling. She invests herself in every child, firmly believing that

Paulette wanted me to tell y’all to be careful what you wish for— you just might get it. Yep, there’s a story there. Paulette’s been begging her mama to get a computer. Mrs. Floreece can’t get around in her garden the way she used to, and with Mr. Harold being gone now, and her other kids living out of state, well, she’s had a hard

My Papa works in the crop insurance business. His work requires him to do a lot of traveling but he enjoys it. He was working some claims in Tennessee once when he struck up a conversation with a nice man at the local burger place. ‘Course, I should tell y’all that Papa can chat with anyone. He rarely meets a stranger. Papa and that farmer

It’s hard to believe, but Larry Jr. is in his first year of college. Isn’t that crazy? I remember when Larry Jr. was a love-sick high school sophomore mooning over that senior girl? That’s the year he took the drama class. Larry, who had previously been interested in two completely different stages: the football field and the basketball court. His parents couldn’t have been more surprised

One of my readers sent in a story from their small town newspaper that makes the partisan fighting in Washington, D.C. look like child’s play. Trisha said her town has an election coming up this fall that is threatening to split their small Midwestern community right down the middle. All of the various little power groups in town have been using the city’s small town

It’s been Becky’s turn to run the carpool this week. Yesterday afternoon she picked up her kids and a couple of their friends for the ride home. Her daughter and her best buddy sat in the middle seats of the mini-van, talking excitedly about every aspect of their day. Her son, Mark, and his good friend sat in the very back. Becky said the group