Female in Motion

I was invited to give a speech at the District #3 fall meeting of the Kansas Authors Club on Saturday in Coffeyville. I was treated like a celebrity, and I'm certainly not, but it sure was nice to be spoiled. Plus, I was able to share my love of writing and promote the new Cowley County Writers Guild. Grant Williams, Ark City's poet laureate, introduced me to this active and prolific club. This group has been producing hundreds of newspaper columns, magazine articles, historical non-fiction, memoirs and poetry since the 1940s. I was honored to join my passion for writing with theirs. *** The Hubster and I had Sunday dinner with our first daughter, Sarah and her boyfriend, Derek, this week. It was so nice to have a leisurely visit and catch up on their lives. They are both very busy business people, so a home-cooked meal by Dad was a treat for them. We celebrated the day with roast chicken and root veggies, a green salad and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. *** Female in...

Somehow, The Hubster and I got on the subject of afternoon cartoons like Felix the Cat. As far as I am concerned, the consummate authority on afternoon cartoons was, is and will always be...Major Astro. Every day, after school, my brother and I raced home to catch Major Astro on KTVH Channel 12. We loved Johnny Quest, Snagglepuss, Yogi and BooBoo, and all the rest, but Major Astro was our aeronautical icon. And I shook his hand! It happened on one of the many visits our junior high choir made to "The Joyce Livingston Show." The Derby vocal music department trotted us around to all the daytime local shows whenever we were preparing for a concert. One day, as we were walking down the hall toward the studio, a figure approached. A tall, commanding figure with a faraway look in his eye. Forget that he was wearing a sport coat and tie, it was him! It was MAJOR ASTRO!!! After he extricated himself from the dogpile of prepubescent songsters, Major Astro was happy to sign autographs,...

I received a sweet note yesterday, addressed to "the best Middle School class teacher ever!" It was a thank you from Alexis Coldwell. She was promoted last week to the high school class at our church and now I am left with an empty classroom. It's a bittersweet time. I'm so proud of Alex; she is growing up to be one of the finest young women I know. I won't forget. There are some exciting changes going on at our church. Missionary Baptist Church will host our first "Singspiration" this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Groups from all over Oklahoma and Kansas are coming. Second, we have embarked on a new renovation to our fellowship hall. Finally, we have planned a special event for Oct. 13-15. A soul-winning specialist from Ohio, Jeremy Rands will be conducting a seminar in church growth. He will teach sessions during the lunch hour and each evening. *** Last Friday was the first Ark City High School home football game. Oh, I rarely attend the games...but the m...

When I was a kid, Labor Day was a time for household chores. We painted, we scrubbed, we swept. If we got a lot done, there was a cookout at the end of the day. I promised myself I would not labor on Labor Day once I grew up. Evidently, tidy is genetic, because I spent this weekend scrubbing and sweeping...with no painting. *** The Hubster fixed a feast for Sunday lunch yesterday. He decided to call it "I Can't Wait for Thanksgiving" dinner. He roasted a turkey, made stuffing, gravy, green beans and a pumpkin cake for dessert. It was delicious, but we may be eating leftovers for a while. Any volunteers? *** I spent a large chunk of time last week on a writing project. I write freelance stories for www.arkcityrevived.com (accent on free!). It is important for me to improve my skills as a writer. James Jordan, the editor of the website, is most gracious to help me in this endeavor. Not only does he post my stories, James also gives me constructive criticism. My latest story...