Editor’s Note: Meeting the General
Posted on February 12, 2017 by bob in EdNote
(Originally published in May, 2010, in the print and on-line edition of Prime Magazine) I “met” retired Lt. General Hal Moore during a phone conversation in 2003, shortly before the U.S. went to war in Iraq. Working for Alabama Public TV’s For the Record news show at the time, I was looking for guests to […]
Don’t wait for “perfect”
Posted on November 30, 2016 by bob in EdNote
Embarking on a new endeavor is exciting. It can also lead to inaction, putting you in a constant planning mode that stifles forward motion.The problem with being a perpetual planner is robbing yourself of potentially valuable new experiences, which, at any age, keep us engaged with the world and those around us. It’s what our […]
Through a Child’s Eyes
Posted on October 31, 2016 by bob in EdNote
Two enduring qualities of children are their straight-forwardness, and their capacity to connect previously unconnected elements, producing a new observation. They are blatantly honest, asking unknowingly probing questions and making insightful observations without realizing it. They are without guile, and will lay it on the line when observing the world around them. One day, after […]
Editors Note
Posted on October 2, 2016 by bob in EdNote
It was a surprise trip to Troy, a spur of the moment decision. Always gracious, my in-laws were happy to see us. “But,” they apologized, “we’re hosting a football party for the ‘jetsetters.’” It was a playful, self-deprecating term they’d invented to describe their neighborhood group, poking fun at the fact that, after decades of […]
A 68-year Food Tradition
Posted on September 1, 2016 by bob in EdNote
Labor Day was intended as a day of rest, but my family clearly never got the memo. On the first Monday in September each year, while all my school friends headed off to the swimming pool, the beach, or to Grandma’s to celebrate summer’s last hurrah, our family headed to the corner of Mt. Meigs […]
The Music of Grandchildren
Posted on July 31, 2016 by bob in EdNote
We all have a soundtrack for our lives, songs we heard at meaningful times in our lives, good and bad, that, when heard again, bring back a flood of memories. Since music meant – and means – so much to us, we should share it with our grandchildren. Regardless of our (or their) natural abilities, […]
Grand children in the picture
Posted on July 1, 2016 by bob in EdNote
“But where are brother and me?” my granddaughter asked, without taking her eyes off the photo. It was a perspective I hadn’t considered. Busy trying to pique our young grandchildren’s interest about a recent sailboat purchase and the pending family fun the vessel might represent, it never occurred to me they’d feel left out seeing […]
Too Little Time
Posted on June 1, 2016 by bob in EdNote
When we were children, he used to bet me he wouldn’t live past 30. It was a scary thought, but it was his style to be melodramatic. “Oh, stop,” I’d say, wanting to change the subject. “You’ll live to be older than any of us.” Two years my junior, Angelo was a cousin, and more […]
A Reason for Spring Cleaning
Posted on May 2, 2016 by bob in EdNote
Just when I thought I couldn’t stand it anymore I got the call. Just when the garage looked like we’d taken on a family of squatters, when unkept flower beds made me long for a cemented yard, when dried beans were the most enticing item in our pantry, I was, thankfully, served notice. Out-of-town company […]
A Child’s View of Politics
Posted on March 29, 2016 by bob in EdNote
My earliest memory of a political campaign is the summer of 1956. I wasn’t old enough to cross the street yet, but the Republican and Democratic conventions that August wore the wax out of me, even at four-years-old. Like many of our neighbors in those early days of television, we had one, small black and […]
