Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Giving Thanks
Butch was the offspring of a dachshund mother and a traveling dog. His coat was brindle. More than one person remarked that he was funny looking and ugly. What he lacked in attractiveness was offset by his personality. I wrote the story of the little dog as a children’s book in 1972. It was…
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DEER HUNTERS
Ken and I were teaching in Fort Worth in the late nineteen fifties. Ken and six of his fellow teachers hunted on 800 acres in eastern Stephens County. My brother had beef cattle there. The cows expected food when they heard the horn of my brother’s pickup. One of the guys was unable to travel…
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MINNIE COOPER’S LETTER
Minnie Cooper was the maternal grandmother of our friend, Warren Beene. He gave permission to share information about her including her last letter to her church. Minnie Cooper was born in 1870 on George Washington’s birthday, February 22. Her father was a doctor. She helped him and learned a lot about medicine. She “doctored” her…
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UNCLE DAVID
I never called him uncle in my life. David Haskins was my mother’s half-brother. He was 5 years older than me. I thought he was an adult who knew everything. I followed him like a puppy. David lived in a community called Coryell City near Gatesville, Texas. He went to school in Gatesville. He arrived…
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CITY GIRL AND COUNTRY BOY
Our cousin, Jackie Lee, was two years older than my brother, Carroll. She immediately dubbed him “Boy Baby.” The name stuck. She used it throughout her life. It was a term of endearment she used only within the family. She never used the term in any situation that might embarrass him. Jackie lived in town. …
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FURRY FRIENDS
When our Weimaraner, Babe, was nearing the end of her life, Ken said, “We don’t need another dog.” I did not say anything. As Babe continued to decline, Ken again said, “We don’t need another dog.” I didn’t say anything. When the vet told us she possibly had six to eight more weeks to live,…
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A POIGNANT MEMORY
Sometime shortly after Lyndon Johnson died, a close friend and I took our children to Johnson City. In those days, tour buses took visitors to the cemetery, the schoolhouse, and then went on to the ranch. At the show barns and arena, we disembarked the bus, and the guide took everyone in to talk about…
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LOST FINCH
I have my dogs. My daughter has her cats. My cousin, Lanier, did not have a dog or cat to keep her company. She had a finch. She enjoyed her bird friend as much as others enjoy their four-legged animal friends. She would take the finch from the cage and talk to it as it…
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COLD AND HOT
We had an ice storm in February. As the temperature dropped outside, we appreciated the warmth inside. We reminisced about our comfort and how it had changed during our lifetimes. One of the early houses Ken remembered had two fireplaces. One fireplace was in the living…
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CAMPING
I am not a camper. Ken once told a friend, “Her idea of roughing it is having to walk across the street from the motel to eat breakfast.” (Yes, there was a long-ago time when hotels did not have restaurants or complimentary breakfasts.) Betty Walden and I were recently reminiscing about a camp out in…
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