Uncle Mort remembers the 1974 event vividly when the lady in front of him at the post office protested the cost of first-class stamps going up 25% — from eight to ten cents. “Are you …
I’ve pondered — likely at times when I should have been engaged in thoughts of consequence — about goings-on that seem to “fit” into one of three categories: Divine …
My friend — call him Barney — has jumped through hoops and negotiated mazes that are part and parcel of a long and successful professional communications career. Now, he is spending …
If a vote were taken, Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers likely would score landslide wins for memorable musical compositions, many of which live on. One hit song — featured in the 1946 …
Only one other example of ongoing embarrassment trumps name-calling many of us faced in elementary school during the final years of the Great Depression. And it was in the “funny …
My old Uncle Mort, easily East Texas’ most ancient denizen, never throws anything away. Stuff is stored here and there, including such unlikely items as S&H Green Stamps, “in case …
I’d never thought of naming my laptop. Now, I’m making a u-turn, deciding that it deserves a name: “Dolly.” Hundreds of miles away from her for five full days, I can now …
The late George Carlin is best remembered for poking holes in the policy implemented to eliminate the foulest of words on radio and television. He essentially made a living with his TV …
Many retirees — even if admitting only to slowing down to a lower gear — have a difficult time finding rocking chairs that fit. Some don’t even try; count me in that group, …
Foul balls aren’t really the worst things in the world. Generally, unless they’re caught, at least one more swing is assured. Missing the ball by even one-millionth of an inch on the …
For the next three weeks, there’ll be too much about me, even if I apologize in advance for citing personal experiences, but they’re the only kinds I’ve had. At their core will …
It is that time again when hundreds of thousands of us can’t get the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance” out of our heads, often whistling or humming the melody, not even wondering …
When I introduced this weekly column more than 22 years ago, my stated goal was to provide amusement — even if corny and outdated — largely for readers dealing with bodily wrinkles, …
When one nitpicks, there’s no end to it. We’re all frequently guilty, and I admit to being among chief sinners, particularly since the term’s initial usage began in 1956, the same …
It’s got to be a borderline miracle when Eastland — a town with fewer than 5,000 people — can lay claim to not one, but TWO “facts” worthy of the Guinness Book of …
Before choirs proclaimed that He is risen, before church bells sounded around the world celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and before children skittered across lawns for multicolored eggs, I saw …
They’re as predictable as frantic taxpayers working until the hours are few on April 14 to meet income tax filing deadlines the following midnight. A nomadic bunch, they show up following …
I might never have resented my brother if he’d have been born other than in 1944, when Grapette was getting a foothold in our town. I had enjoyed “only child” perks for seven …
The ballyhoo about “no free lunches” was first bandied about in the 1880s and today, Southwest Airlines’ “bags fly free” death bell is on the verge of gonging. Long …
Had a Texas Aggie been a Rip Van Winkle wannabe in 2011, he (she) might hardly recognize the university upon awakening from slumber in 2025. There might be understandable confusion. Is real time …
Taxation without representation is tyranny. Though it’s hard to nail down who initially coined this statement, it was the hue and cry of “British Americans” when they fought during …
Odds of brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright constructing, then flying, the world’s first powered aircraft in 1903 — and Southwest Airlines’ founding what would become one of the …
Column deadlines often are near enough to nudge before first paragraphs are actually written. Some might think such to be sheer procrastination. I prefer to consider my “delays” to …
Uncle Mort doesn’t own a smartphone, and only recently found a well-worn flip phone for $10 on eBay. Neither does my ancient uncle own a computer, claiming he’d never remember where the …
Economists have suggested for years that we’d be better served if the U.S. Mint ceased turning out pennies--the nation’s lowest denominational coin. Though some 140 billion pennies remain …
