Lisa Kelley: Who gets married during a pandemic?
"What was that?" I whispered, sitting upright in bed.
"What was what?" mumbled a sleepy Trapper John.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"THAT!" I said as I threw back the covers and bounded to the floor. "I think ...
April 9, 2020
Lisa Kelley: The world has changed; so must we all
How quickly the world as we know it has changed. In the course of a few days, Hanes has gone from making undies that cover one set of cheeks to making face masks that cover another. Liquor distillerie...
March 26, 2020
Lisa Kelley: Kindness was Darla's super-power
I'll proudly punctuate the end of this week with another birthday. Grammy taught me that you celebrate the week or even the entire month of your birthday if you think you can get away with it. I've al...
March 12, 2020
Lisa Kelley: Rear-window view can be complex
"I'm not much on rear-window ethics."
-- Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont in Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window
I've seen a lot of things through the window above the kitchen sink. As a kid living in a re...
February 27, 2020
Love story different in Vilonia
William Shakespeare is credited with being a most romantic chap, what with his tale of Romeo and Juliet still being told 400 years later. Have you ever wondered what Shakespeare might have written had...
February 13, 2020
Lawyer jokes and worse
When human beings are introduced to one another, the typical exchange goes something like this:
"Hi, I'm Thelma," Thelma says with a smile and a handshake.
"I'm Louise. Nice to meet you," Louise recip...
January 30, 2020
Lisa Kelley: Turns out this girl said yes to forever
"I don't know what your intentions are, but I get the sense you're looking for something long term, so you should know right now that I will probably never remarry," I announced.
Trapper John grinned ...
January 16, 2020
Lisa Kelley: New Year's resolutions gone awry
Through the year, I eat my way
from holiday to holiday.
When Auld Lang Syne comes round once more,
I vow to change from the year before.
"Fewer sweets and less butter!
No more salt!" I hear myself utt...
January 2, 2020
Love lives on in memories at Christmas
I love this time of year, when family and friends gather and conversations turn to stories told and retold, especially those embellished for fresh ears in the room -- stories like the time Uncle Ronni...
December 19, 2019
Lisa Kelley: Quid pro quo for cards, too
Did you send what I sent?
A card, a card, posted in the mail
Better get one back without fail...
My mama and I had a tradition of writing Christmas cards the weekend after Thanksgiving to meet our sel...
December 5, 2019
Lisa Kelley: Many would love to share our lives
"I'm ... new at this," he stammered as he looked down at his feet.
Me, too, I thought. The most I'd ever done for the homeless was to give a couple of dollars and a cheeseburger. The least I'd ever do...
November 21, 2019
Lisa Kelley: Our generation has slang, too
I've noticed I'm beginning to say and do things that "old people" say and do, which can't possibly be happening since "old" is perpetually 20 years my senior.
I wore ear plugs to a church service in N...
November 7, 2019
Lisa Kelley: Nothing is ever 'settled'
"I mean, I just want things to be settled," I confessed to Uncle Ronnie as I drove his old Ford truck down the long, winding driveway toward the farm house. "That's all I've ever wanted -- to have thi...
October 24, 2019
Lisa Kelley: Bags recalled as carriers of kindness
After leaving home for college, I learned that my mama and I were referred to as "the widda woman and the kid" by folks along Cane Creek where I was raised. I guess the fact that she wasn't a widow ma...
October 10, 2019
Camping isn't all that cushy so traveler bids adventure adieu
Campsite California
With apologies to the Eagles...
On a long desert highway, air conditioning in my hair
Having flown several hours just to make it out there;
Up ahead in the distance was the nationa...
September 26, 2019