By Jim Nichols Classroom valentine parties were an exciting time during my early boyhood days. My parents would buy me a multipage scrapbook that contained both valentine cards and envelopes for them. My task was to use my blunt-end scissors to cut them out. The envelopes were the most complicated because they had trim on them that was to be
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By Nancy Patrick I have written several times this past year about how the road of my life has actually led me down paths I had not planned to travel. On the last Sunday of January 2024, I fell in my home and fractured a vertebra—certainly not a planned event. This happened about a year after I had gone through
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By Loretta Fulton The observance of Black History Month will have special meaning for Terrence Penns this year. Each February is set aside to emphasize the contributions of Black Americans to the nation’s history. Abilene is home to Curtis House Cultural Center, 630 Washington St., which houses local Black history. It was founded and overseen for many years by Andrew
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My aged Uncle Mort admitted the other day that he feels like it’s time for him to re-enter the stock market, and this time, “brimming with confidence.” He swore off trying to out-guess the market in the late 1990s. Mort said he lumped all of his investments into “sweet chariot stocks.” I’d never heard
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By Jay Moore Should you get caught waiting on the light at S. 14th and Sayles, you have four viewing options: a vape shop on the southeast corner, a pawn shop to the northeast, a convenience store habitually offering non-competitive gas prices on the northwest corner, or you can look to the southwest and see a manicured grassy expanse punctuated
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By Jim Nichols It is unfortunate that John Donne in 1624 did not use gender-neutral language, but the power of his short poem remains the same. He is writing about the interconnectedness of humanity and, specifically, the impact of loss. On a high shelf in a spare bedroom, we have several photo albums. If I were to peruse through them
Read moreThe Christian Science Society of Abilene is hosting a free lecture that is open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 15. Mark McCurties, a Christian Science lecturer, teacher, and practitioner will speak at 10:30 a.m. at the Community Foundation of Abilene, 850 N1st St. His topic will be “The Joy of Beginning with God.” A blurb on the local Christian
Read moreBy Marianne Wood Lily intimidates me. Every time she calls, I feel panic rise in my guts. She will ask me questions I do not comprehend. Falstaff has a lovely, resonant voice but also makes me uncomfortable. This may be because of his deep bass instructions and seemingly great size. I usually understand him, but I shake a little as
Read moreBy Danny Minton “On Twelfth Street in the Iris section of Newark, New Jersey, nobody was rich and nobody was poor. The men had blue-collar jobs, and the women stayed home with the children. There were lots of children in the neighborhood, and that was one of the reasons the families knew one another so well. Kids grew up playing
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Spirit Of Abilene 