IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Recent conversations–OK, maybe just banter–have me thinking heavily about grandmothers. Those who’ve had the nurturing of two are doubly blessed. (I knew just one, since the flu epidemic in the 1920s took one away several years prior to my birth.) They constitute a special group, these grandmothers who answer to many names, some of which
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The subject of footwear has hit me dead center in recent days. Following are details of unlikely happenings last week. Remembrances are hand-on-the-Bible truths to which I am sticking. Said topic involves a frustrated kindergarten teacher, the boots-were-made-for-walking tune and a mystery involving one of my shoes. As suggested in Julie Andrews’ Do-Rey-Mi song that set
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort’s “throwaway” lines grow mountainous in trash heaps on his place back in the thicket. Some heard, though, are “keepers,” worthy of repeated consideration. When still in his 90s, he warned about paying the least bit of attention to kitchen recipes that have unrecognizable or multi-syllabic words, exotic wines or ingredients to be “folded
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IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Many lessons awaited a baby born in 1935 on a dry land farm in West Texas’ Tom Green County. Jimmie Royce Keeling calls all of them “blessings.” That’s how he has sized up life so far, and it’s hard to dispute him. He’s shown dogged determination to give a heap more back than he’s taken
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It is tempting–ever so tempting–to claim authorship of the headline introducing a column written a dozen years ago. To make such a claim, however, wouldn’t set well with my conscience, even if no libel charges took me to task. The account detailed travails of a then 15-year-old Alabama girl who lost a leg to
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Lots of people have cast negative ballots, said tacky things and made disparaging gestures about the year 2020 in general. The unanimous verdict indicated that, as one West Texan put it, “Ain’t what we signed up for.” A pessimist claims that if he attempted to cross an intersection– even if he looked every direction two
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When my aged Uncle Mort called the other day, I figured he wanted me to hear his election rants. Instead, he told me his TV has been “muted” since political ads took over most channels several weeks ago. “So far, Maude and I are making it fine, particularly if we remember to wear blinders atop
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Google gets the last laugh, probably far more often than we know. Include one letter more than needed to “Google” and a subject turns research to clabber quicker than political candidates can call their opponents liars. (Seems like mere decades ago that such comments were tenderized, usually beginning with sentences like, “My worthy opponent deals
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The words “wash and wear” exploded in the 1950’s, thanks to the introduction of treated cotton and synthetics that meant clothing could be worn straight from the washing machine. Ironing board sales plummeted, and housewives singing “Wash Day Blues” gave way to “Happy Days are Here Again.” Never in our dreams–up to and including wildest–did
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Spirit Of Abilene 