Beech Tree News Network

How about a little YONDERING this trip? When one of our granddaughters was young, she asked, "What do you and Grandmamma mean when you say, 'over yonder?'"

Yonder is a pretty good word. You can say over yonder, back yonder, down yonder, or up yonder.

Someone said, "We can learn more from those who have gone before us (back yonder) than all the coffeehouse intellectuals and philosophers lined up from here-to-yon (yonder)."

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What Might Have Been: You’ve probably read the quote by Whittier, For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been.  My husband, Garey, has told me, on several occasions, that if I don’t get the books I’ve been writing published before I die, he’s going to get them published after I die, and then live like a king.  This is supposed to serve as motivation to finish said books.  It isn’t working.  My extended, extended family has a history of aneurisms and heart attacks.  If relatives dropping like flies isn’t enough to get my at

Have you ever had one of those moments when it seems that there's not enough hours in the day, or the week, or even the year?  Lord willing, we all have the same amout of time each day.  Somehow we still manage to get behind, become rushed, and can't seem to fit everything in.  "Why is this?" I keep asking myself.

Dr. Seuss of the “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!” fame once concluded: “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss understands what too many in Kentucky’s education system apparently don’t – especially when it comes to children with learning disabilities: Learning is directly tied to reading. Much reading, much learning. No reading, no learning.

Another busy and fun December weekend is in our midst.  Saturday the 10th is the Quality Christmas parade. Perhaps “Cousin Eddie” will make a repeat appearance.  The month of December is full of meetings of friends and family.  Sunday I will be playing another Christmas song on my acoustic guitar. I’ve picked another of my favorites, Alan Jackson’s “The Angels Cried”.  

Have you heard people say they were battening down for a storm or for the winter? In this context, “battening” likely means getting ready for a storm or for winter by securing or winterizing possessions. Even though the winter solstice is weeks away – December 22, the meteorological winter is classified as December through February. So, despite what our calendars say, we are already in the meteorological winter and winterizing is likely in progress or may be completed.

My Mam-maw Locke’s picture box was a treasure-trove.  She kept it under her bed.  On rainy or cold days when I visited and didn’t play outside, the pictures were a wonderous source of entertainment for a small-fry.
There was one picture that was most curious; it stood out from all the rest: the one of “Uncle Cook”.  I always looked for it first off.  It was very unusual-looking: a really old man, sitting in a huge chair, but something about his face didn’t ring –true…his eyes weren’t exactly open, or closed either.  He was dressed in his Sunday-suit…tie and all.

What You Can: One of my favorite quotes is: It is a mistake to do nothing because you can only do a little.  Do what you can.  In my younger days, I was drawn to the big splash.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a fan of small steps.  I think it’s probably because I finally recognize the value of the collective.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you suddenly realize that you're not a kid anymore? The old saying goes, "you're as old as you feel." Most days I feel that I'm still a teenager. That is, of course, after I get out of bed and stretch and moan my way downstairs to some good caffeine to get my day started! After that has been accomplished, then I'm good to go.

Christmas-time is here… The Christmas season is upon us.  From decking the halls, to buying gifts, to fixing and mailing Christmas cards, this is certainly a busy and fun time of year.  One of the staples of this season is Christmas parades.  In my opinion, the best parades are small-town parades.