By Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: FAMILY STORIES Clouds hung low over Highway 50 as I drove westbound toward Chase County one October morning. Leaves were beginning their brilliant farewell. A few days earlier, Ila Mae Whitlock who lives near Elmdale, had called, saying that she had stumbled across a few …
My Soaps
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: MY SOAPS In the store the other day, I stood before an array of bath soap. Blue packages, green ones, yellow ones, white. Which brand to choose? There’s Irish Spring – which I don’t buy because its scent is overwhelming and because 20 years ago …
Library Love
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: Here’s a photo I swiped from my brother’s blog (Too Long in the Wind). This part of the Pawnee Rock fire station building was the city hall/library. Photo credit: Leon Unruh. LIBRARY LOVE When I was a little kid, the best thing about my …
‘Dog of the Afterworld’
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: ‘DOG OF THE AFTERWORLD’ I’m keeping my eye out these days for handsome Russian assassins. I had never considered the possibility of one roaming freely around Kansas until I read my brother’s newly released first novel, “Dog of the Afterworld.” His story is a …
Autumn Again
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: AUTUMN AGAIN Fall makes us feel as if we have new skin. With cooler temperatures and less humidity, the air is a lot more user-friendly. On my evening walks, I see more Emporians walking, riding bikes, tending to their yards, and sitting on porches. Parks …
Great American Market
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: GREAT AMERICAN MARKET At 4:00 a.m. the sky is full of stars. I assumed that, of course, but now I know for sure. A few minutes later, looking at Facebook, I noticed that Casey Woods had posted a photograph from downtown Emporia showing …
A Time Capsule
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: A TIME CAPSULE Where were we 10 years ago? Step back in time with me, a decade, if you will. While cleaning my junk room over Labor Day weekend, I found newspapers and clippings, all from 2003. I started writing this Flyover …
The Junk Room
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: THE JUNK ROOM During Labor Day weekend, boxes were scattered about in our living room, the kitchen, the hallway. Stacks of books leaned like the Eiffel Tower. Dave and I moved century-old, real-wood furniture. A cabinet went into the bedroom. Dave removed three interior doors …
Generations Past
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: GENERATIONS PAST My cousin Laramie contacted me last week and made arrangements to pick up our great-grandmother’s china cabinet. The cabinet had been handed down to me by my father. When I was ready to let it go, Laramie seemed like the logical cousin …
Royals Rebound
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: ROYALS REBOUND The Kansas City Royals are having a good season. I don’t watch baseball, but the team has been playing well enough that even I have paid attention. During the past two decades, I’ve observed a pattern. Each April as a new season begins, …
Where the Highway Ends
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: WHERE THE HIGHWAY ENDS In the summer of 1965, my parents took my brother and me to the Arkansas River, a mile south of Pawnee Rock, to see the flood. Heavy rains in Colorado had sent a crash of water downstream. This was a mighty …