My bride agreed to marry me because she wanted a man who was taller than she was. I wanted a good mother in law. Maybe we each had other reasons, but we admitted to these.

The woman who was to become my mother in law was tolerant of me from the first, yes even kind. I expected that she would continue, so long as I treated her with respect. Bess M. Werff of Lima, Ohio, a widow, was a woman due respect by all who knew her. She had no middle name, so she chose a middle initial no doubt to ...(click to continue reading)

Growing up during the Great Depression was a unique experience. Many families were hard pressed to make ends meet while others were more affluent. My family was somewhere in the middle. Although Dad’s job as a railway clerk didn’t pay a lot, it was enough to sustain a family. There was enough money to pay the iceman and the electrical bill. It was a great luxury to have light at the flip of a switch rather than to light a kerosene lamp.  We even had indoor plumbing. Ah, the advantages of living ...(click to continue reading)

In less sophisticated times, before television, before radio, people entertained themselves and each other by talking. Telling stories was a great way to spend the evening. Halloween was an ideal time to tell stories of ghosts, goblins and witches. Some stories were handed down from parent to child, some circulated among the children and some were made up on the spot. A great uncle could make hair stand up by telling of apparitions he had seen in the woods at night.

Spirits emerged in g...(click to continue reading)

Little theater was her number one hobby. She had other interests of course, such as genealogy and The Humane Society, but the theater stood out above all others. Dorothy had been a member of Amil Tellers for well over forty years. During her tenure she participated in nearly every aspect of the theater activities. She had acted, setup and painted scenery, produced and helped producers, assisted with costumes and makeup, ushered at many shows, reviewed scripts and did anything else that needed to...(click to continue reading)

“I’ve got my stuff all packed, how about you?” I said, as I zipped up my bag, “We have a long way to go.”

“Just about, only a few things to pack,” she said, “I’ll be done in a couple of minutes. Load up the car and check out. I want to go down to the beach for a little while before we leave.”

“OK, but don’t be too long,” I said. It was Dorothy’s routine, before departing a resort, to have a last, long look, and possibly take a picture or two. It always took too long. I checked ...(click to continue reading)

“Stephen starts to school this fall,” his mother said one day in a casual conversation with some other women.

“Do you know who his teacher will be?”

“Mrs. Headpole, I hear.”

Upon hearing the name, one of the women broke into a broad smile, clasped her hands to her breast and said “Wonderful, she’s the best. I’m sure he’ll like her.”

There were nods of approval from other ladies, some of whom had had kids in her class. Stephen’s mom crossed her legs and relaxed...(click to continue reading)