A few nights ago, my husband and I were scrolling through some movie possibilities on Amazon Prime and came across a period drama called The Go Between, a 1971 film based on the novel of the same name written in 1952 by L. P. Hartley, an accomplished British author. The story, set at the turn … Continue reading “THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY”
September’s Resolve
Happy Thoughts by Brenda Ethridge Ferguson In September, I will think only of happy times. I will think of October sunshine and apple picking in the New England countryside. I will remember snowdrifts throughout an English wood at night, reflected moonlight flying up like a magic carpet among the outstretched arms of yawning trees. I … Continue reading September’s Resolve
Tsang Tzu
I have been rifling through my desk and file drawers lately and came upon a manuscript from some years ago. I always have manuscripts here and there. Some are complete but desperately in need of revision that I can't or don't want to get to, others I am trying to polish a bit, and still … Continue reading Tsang Tzu
Harry S. Truman, Part 2
Truman sculpture at entrance to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. Harry Truman, born in Lamar, Missouri, did not begin his life in Independence until he was six years old and starting to school. Rather his very early life was spent with his family on his grandmother ‘s farm, but he was always to consider … Continue reading Harry S. Truman, Part 2
Harry S. Truman and Independence
While in Missouri a few weeks ago, my husband and I made a beeline for Independence, a town on the outskirts of Kansas City and the home of former President Harry S. Truman. We enjoy going to Presidential Libraries, and I had long looked forward to making the trek to Truman’s in Independence. I was … Continue reading Harry S. Truman and Independence
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House
On our recent trip to Wichita, Kansas, my husband drove me over to Allen House, a large, brick, prairie school-style house designed and completed by famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a beautiful place. The Allen House is so named for its original owners, Henry and Elsie Allen, who commissioned Wright to design it … Continue reading Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House
A Touch of the Jazz Age
Should you find yourself in the vicinity of Wichita, Kansas, or anywhere nearby, by all means make your way to the old Broadview Hotel downtown. Ideally located on the lush banks of the Arkansas River, near the historic Delano District to the east and Old Town to the west, it is within walking distance to … Continue reading A Touch of the Jazz Age
Bookstores in August
Leaving any bookstore is hard, especially on a day in August, when the street outside burns and glares, and the books inside are cool and crisp to the touch;" Jane Smiley It is hot! The last several days, our old thermometer, hanging on the lone pole bringing electricity across a pasture or three to my … Continue reading Bookstores in August
Cunning Kitty Cats
My dad often quoted from his elementary primer--at least bits of it he liked to remember. What he remembered best was a ditty about cats. This would have been in the late 1920's. He always said he learned to read to the "tune" of "Baby Ray had three cunning kitty cats," a line from a … Continue reading Cunning Kitty Cats
Talking With Trees
Recently, my husband and I spent a few days in a treehouse. I’d love to claim it was one of those adventurous and romantic houses you or a sibling or a friend built yourself as a child—one you nailed a few boards across on a couple of sturdy limbs and hammered a side to here … Continue reading Talking With Trees