​      I can still see my mom sitting at the kitchen table painstakingly making Memorial Day wreaths. She didn’t like the store bought kind and always made her own, at least two dozen or so of them.
     Every year she’d stop at Rathbone’s Flair Flowers in Tulsa and TG&Y 5 & 10 store to purchase Styrofoam, fake flowers, labels, glue and the such to make her own wreaths. They featured names such as “daughters,” “father,” “mother,” “brother,” “sister,” “uncle,” “aunt,” and “friend.” She’d glue them on the wreaths and was so proud of her work.
     We’d load the wreaths and decorations in the truck of the family sedan and spend Memorial Day driving around Tulsa and the suburb of Broken Arrow visiting and decorating family graves. It usually meant a stop at a family member or twos home for a visit.
       And some years we’d get to eat out, which was a bonus.
      I  have some family members who served in the military including my dad’s father, James Parker, who served in the 72nd Artillery, CAC during World War I and his step-grandfather, Glenn M. Reib, who served in the US Army during World War II. My dad’s brother, Orval, served in the Korean War. 
        My mom’s brother, Carroll Horton, served in the Army, and her brother, Leon Horton, also spent time in the military. There were several others on my mom’s side who served our great country. In fact, I have a photo I garnered from my parent’s estate of a family member holding a rifle and wearing a military uniform. I have his name written down, but don’t know a lot of about his service. A few years ago, I learned through another family member that I have a family member who served in the Civil War. I need to find his name and look into where he served. It is fascinating to look into family history.
       My mom started a family tree many years ago. I have it in her papers and have thought about trying to update it and post it on-line. It’s probably one of those retirement projects down the road.
          Since becoming a community journalist, I have covered many Memorial Day services in communities such as North English, Millersburg, Deep River, Montezuma, Brooklyn, Victor and more.  Taking the time to reflect on the service and dedication of our military is something none of us should take lightly.
          Thank you to all the veterans who served and those today who keep the American Legions and V.F.W,’s alive and well. 
        Veterans all across this country fought and died for our rights and freedoms in various wars. None of us should take the US Constitution and Bill of Rights for granted or become lazy in supporting them in this country. Once our rights have been swindled from us in the name of safety due to the action of a few or some other bologna, they are gone.
           You can take care of that business at the ballot box. No matter what side of the fence you are on, I hope you voted in the primary election. I hope you get out and vote, period. It makes a difference. You make a difference. Change happens when people get involved in their neighborhoods, communities, towns and cities. 
           Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

      Our nephews often stop by to visit, grab some snack food, drink a Pepsi or just sit on the couch to talk. They are always welcome.
       The other day I sent my oldest nephew a text inviting him to join me on a garage sale hunting excursion at Lake Ponderosa on Memorial Day weekend.
      He stopped by that evening and said he would not be able to go for some reason. I went last year and snatched up some nice finds, including a Disney doll house from the 1960s – 1970s with some original furniture. I don’t collect doll houses, but the price was right.
      Anyway, our oldest nephew loves to talk about his goats or share the latest on the  Johnny Deep and Amber Heard trial or some other hot news topic of the day.
         Somehow the topic of vintage came up and he was talking about the 1980s now being vintage. 
           My goodness, I’m thinking, the 1980s are now vintage?
          Maybe he is right. I did buy my first new car 38-years ago, a 1984 Chevrolet Cavalier hatchback with a 2.5 liter engine, front wheel drive and a five speed transmission. I loved that car and about drove the wheels off of it.
         I sold it in 1992 and used the money to buy four chairs for my oak kitchen table and pay the deposit and first month’s rent on my duplex apartment in Ashland, Mo. when I returned to college at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
         I purchased my second and last new vehicle in 1989, a Chevrolet S-10 pickup. I drove it for 21 years and 260,000 plus miles before selling it in 2010. That was a good old truck, or city truck as Debbie often says.
       And to take this vintage thing a step further, earlier that day I turned on the radio and they were playing hits from the 1980s all day. The song playing was “Long Train Running,” by the Dobbie Brothers. Such an appropriate song for modern times.
     It just happens that my first rock concert was the Dobbie Brothers at the Tulsa Assembly Center in April 1979. My concert ticket was $6.
      It’s scary to realize that I’ve been out of high school for 44-years, the class of 1978, and that my 50thclass reunion is in six years. It was just the other day that I was in kindergarten and graduating high school, let alone going to class reunions.
    I love to go antiquing and buying old post cards. I understand that a postcard from 1940s is old, not the 1980s.
       People and things do get old and how we communicate changes almost daily.
       When I was in school there were no computers, cell phones, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok or ordering and paying on-line. However, I did enjoy the comforts of an electric typewriter and talking to friends and family in “real time” person.
      We didn’t have seat belts in cars until the 1980s and I can remember our dial telephone on the wall with a long cord that reached the bathroom. And wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle wasn’t even considered. 
        Of all the social media, Facebook is my favorite. I enjoy posting a funny of the day and sharing highlights of my life while reconnecting with school chums and family. I still don’t understand Twitter and I have never posted on Instagram. I prefer to call people on the phone.
       I don’t have Snapchat or Tik Tok accounts and have no plans to download the social media services anytime soon.
         I do a lot of texting, but thanks to autocorrect, my texts are often a mess. I don’t know how many times I’ve told the wrong person I loved them, thinking I was texting Debbie.
      The other day I was trying to send some photos to a person via text and somehow, thanks to autocorrect, typed the wrong address and they ended up in France. The fellow wrote and said I sent them to him by mistake.
      My dad loved to visit and no one was a stranger to him. I still like that better than social media. Maybe I will make a new friend while out garage sale hunting. I’m sure I will find something vintage from the 1980s. 
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

      I am proud to have received a number of awards and honors through the years for various educational achievements and newspaper journalistic work.
   Some that come to mind include a 12th place national finish in the William Randolph Hearst Photojournalism competition for a photo story I did on a small-town gas station and local hangout in Ashland, Mo. while attending the University of Missouri-Columbia. I have also received numerous awards since moving to Iowa through the Iowa Newspaper Association for photography, writing and community service. In addition, I have been honored with the FFA Blue and Gold honor, the Friend of 4-H honor and my most recent, the News Media Award from the Iowa High School Athletic Association. I’m proud to have been recognized with all these honors and more.
      But the most important honors are the personal ones that come along life’s way. That is what happened to me earlier this month.
      I was at the Montezuma High School graduation on Saturday, May 14 to take photos for the CR paper and to watch our middle nephew graduate. At Montezuma, the top five seniors deliver speeches as part of the commencement program.
      One of the seniors, Katie Reynolds, thanked me in her speech for covering events at the school. Hearing my name almost brought tears to my eyes. I was touched that this young lady, who could have mentioned anybody in her life, took the time to include me in her speech.
       I have people thank me for going the extra mile on my day job and others who have thanked me for this or that through the years. It means a lot to me to have someone do that.
      It also reminds me of the importance of thanking others and being appreciative of those who make life easier and more pleasant for all.
    There are a lot of good people doing good things in this world. It is easy to let what others do be overshadowed with the negative going on in our world. That makes it even more important to be appreciative of others and take time to thank them for helping.
      A couple months ago, Debbie and I and our oldest nephew visited Sam’s Club in Ankeny. I like the Gold Leaf unsweet tea and where it usually is in the store was empty. I looked around and found a large pallet of the tea on one of the upper shelves.
       “I’m not leaving this store without a couple cases of unsweet tea,” I told myself.
       I found an employee and asked for help. He got on his walkie talkie asking for help with no luck.
     “This is my third day on the job and I’m going get someone to help,” he told me as he headed to the warehouse.
        And he did.
       It wasn’t too long and a forklift showed up and set the pallet down and I had two cases in my shopping cart. After we checked out, I asked to speak with a manager. There was about a 10-minute wait for her. I shared about how this young man went over and above to help me. The manager said she appreciated me telling her that.
        I hope he got a raise or a maybe a promotion.
        Often times when you ask about a product, the clerk will say, “If it isn’t on the shelf, we are out.”
        That is not always the case. Sometimes, not always, the store will have a pallet or a couple of boxes in the back stockroom. The problem is laziness and unwillingness to help. To me, that is what they are paid for. It only takes a few minutes to check.
        I guess I was raised in a different time zone.
        Life is so much easier when you spend more time being appreciative and staying away from the negative. It’s easy to be negative and find fault. Everyone makes mistakes. Take the high road in life. Say thank you, hold the door open for others, do good deeds and take pride in all you do every day, every hour and every minute.
        That’s the best reward you will ever receive.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

        This coming weekend, seniors at Montezuma and BGM will graduate. Grinnell High School graduation will follow on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
         I direct this column to all the graduating seniors.
         Congrats on reaching this milestone, one of many that you will encounter in life.
        Some graduates will enter the workforce. Others will spend their summers working, saving money and preparing to enter a two- or four-year college in the fall. Others will serve our country in the military. Some may opt to enter a trades program such as welding, pipefitting, diesel mechanic or becoming an electrician.
        Growing up, I had no desire to attend college after high school. I was in a vocational program in high school where I learned the printing trade. The last half of my senior year, I attended English in the morning and then spent the rest of the day at work.
          I worked for a short time my senior year for a company in Tulsa that made wire line used in the printing industry to cut perforations in paper like checks or bills. My second job was at a check printing business where I ran a press that used lead type and printed three-to-a-page business checks.
            I then went on to work as a custodian at a 24-7 large grocery/drug store. I worked at a factory for a short period of time and then in the circulation department at the Tulsa newspapers in the 1980s. I sold furniture for a couple years and ran a lawn mowing service.
Thanks to a weight loss bet with a co-worker at my newspaper job, I not only lost weight, I won a camera in the bet.
            That led me to return to a community college at age 27 to study photography. I went on to earn an AAS degree and then a BS in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia at age 38. At MU, I started as a part-time student then switched to full-time two years later. I worked at the U.S. Post Office as a casual temp for a short time then at the MU campus as a custodian for several years while attending classes.
       Leaving my hometown of Tulsa and going back to school was a great experience. I wouldn’t change a thing.
           I got through the challenges of school and work by listening to Bible tapes at night while I cleaned toilets and mopped floors. I always said I swept and mopped my way through journalism school.
          Following graduation, I moved to Iowa where I continue working part-time in community journalism. I met my wife, bought a house, published books here in Iowa and life is good. 
          This is my advice for all graduating seniors.
         If you want to be a success, spend time around people who believe in you and will help you obtain success. They are around. You are probably not going to find them on social media. 
           While at MU, I met a man who was referred to as Mr. C. His last name was Campbell, but the nickname fit him better.
          I was sitting in his office one day in the registrar’s office at the university talking about my struggles with algebra. I had dropped the course twice and was trying again and wasn’t doing so good
            I told Mr. C that I seemed to be scoring just under average on my assignments.
Mr. C, who was originally from Tennessee, wrote 26 on a piece of paper. Do you know what this number means, he asked? I said, no. He said the average ACT score at MU was 26. He said, if you are scoring just under average, then you are in some pretty tall corn.
            Those words of encouragement, my stubborn persistence, lots of tutoring and a touch of favor helped me pass the course with a C.
            Life is full of well-meaning rocks and trees. You will run into them every day in the form of people who have opinions and advice about who you are and what they think you should be doing with your life.
          Don’t be distracted or let what others say keep you from reaching your goals in life. They are not in charge.
          When faced with a rock or tree, listen then go around like water does when it hits a rock in a stream. Keep walking and keep believing. Your future is bright and your goals are obtainable.
          Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is not a weakness, but a strength.
         Whatever you do in life, give it your best. Show up at work on time. If you are going to be late, call or text and let the boss know. Stay busy, find jobs do, get involved in work committees and take part in volunteer opportunities.
         Give to others and support causes that build communities and people’s lives. That works in small towns and big cities.
         You’re not the low man (woman) on the totem pole. You have purpose on this earth. Be a difference maker in all you do.
       And most importantly, enjoy life, find a hobby, take time for yourself and your family, when that comes along.
          Again, congrats on all your success. The doors of opportunity await you.
        Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

        I watched a 35-minute video on sleep last week at work. It was interesting learning about the different stages of sleep and how one’s heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature cool down, then rise again just before the REM stage or dream sleep stage.
        The video mentioned the importance of not drinking alcohol or caffeine at least two hours before going to bed. It also spoke of taking a hot shower before bed and getting up when the alarm clock first goes off. It recommended that folks age 19 – 65 sleep from 7 – 9 hours a night.
        It was very informational. What it didn’t talk about was the need for a good mattress.
        If you want to dream good dreams, get a good mattress.
      Debbie and I bought a well-known brand pillow top mattress in 2014. We paid a lot of money for it. What a disappointment. I’d like to throw it out the door and set it on fire.
         My side of the bed is squished and I about roll on to the floor when I get too close to the edge of the bed. Debbie’s side of the mattress has a hole big enough to fill with water and wash the dishes. 
         I spoke with the company we bought the mattress from a few times. They sent a fellow out to look at the mattress, but it was determined not to be bad enough for replacement.
          They don’t have to sleep on it.
          To me, I would think a good mattress would last at least a dozen or so years, not four or five.
         Last year we went to look at new mattress. We looked at every kind of mattress in the book from the firm as a stack of plywood kind to the cooling mattresses, memory foam ones and pillow tops. I don’t know if there is a company that makes a mattress, a plain mattress with springs, foam and soft pad. And I don’t know what’s was more expensive, a new mattress or the down payment on a new pickup truck.
           There are all kinds of brands of mattresses out there. Everyone promises the best nights of sleep. Now they have mattresses in a box that are advertised on social media. I have yet to figure how they work.
          It scares me a bit to spend a thousand dollars on a mattress that is rolled up in a box and shipped to your door by Fed Ex or UPS.
            As one fellow I know said, “You just open the box and blow it up.”
            I like to sleep and do so every chance I get. I’ve been known to sleep half a day. I like to take naps as well. 
          When I come home from work, I usually pour a glass of iced cold tea and take a nap in my red La-Z-Boy chair. Naps last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. It all depends on how many hours of sleep I got the night before and how work went that day.
           Back in the day, my dad would come home from the factory and take a cat nap on the living room floor. He’d just lay there with no pillow or blanket for 20-minutes. He’d then get up and off he’d go outside to work in the yard or mow one of the many neighbor’s yards he cared for.
            We didn’t have an air conditioner until I turned age 10. 
            After getting our Frigidaire window air conditioner, my mom had a rule that it had to be at least 92 degrees before she’d turn it on. It might have been 95 degrees, I don’t remember.
            It ran most days as it was typically 95 degrees on a summer day in Oklahoma. At night, we’d turn the air conditioner off and turn on the attic fan. Attic fans were a common fixture in southern homes. Open all the windows and by morning, I’d be wrapped up in a blanket.
            I’m kind of spoiled these days. When it gets hot, the air conditioner comes on.
            I’m also a little spoiled about having a good mattress. 
We just want a plain mid-range firm mattress that is both comfortable, practical and that we don’t have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it.
          I can’t wait until we get a new one. The old one’s going out the door and on to the burn pile. 
         Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

      Spring is one of my favorite times of the year.
     The flowers are starting to blossom, the grass is gaining a touch of green and the trees are awakening from their winter slumber.
      So are the local ice cream shops across Iowa and the Midwest.
Even though winter is trying to hang on, local eateries such as Grinnell’s Dairy Barn and Montezuma’s Dairy King are already bustling with business. In fact, Debbie and I have already visited the Dairy King three times for a meal since it opened in late March.
     I got to thinking about a tasty ice cream cone or a double cheeseburger with mayo and pickle and an order of onion rings and it reminded me of my growing up days in the south.
     My hometown of Tulsa was home to a number of drive-in’s and small eateries.
    Pennington’s Drive-In on south Peoria Avenue was a long-time iconic eatery just a mile from the Arkansas River that flowed on the western edge of downtown Tulsa before rolling south. That section of Peoria Avenue was referred to as Tulsa’s Restless Ribbon, a two-mile stretch of pavement where boys cruised in their hotrods with their girls on Friday and Saturday nights. I often took my old 1959 Chevrolet Impala, my first car, to the Restless Ribbon back in the day to park and check out the girls. I’m thankful for the sound advice of my mother and the good Lord for keeping me on the straight and narrow and out of trouble’s way.
     Pennington’s featured 60 drive-in spots and was in business from 1951 to 1987. They served tasty shrimp baskets, burgers and their famous Black-Bottom Pie, a Southern creamy icebox delight made with bittersweet-chocolate and a graham cracker crust. The food was served by a car hop on metal trays that hung on your car window.
    Customers ordered their food at Pennington’s on the Order-Matic speaker systems that according to an article I read about the restaurant, was later used by another famous Oklahoma car-hop stop: Sonic Drive-In.
     Boots Drive-In on south Sheridan Road was another Tulsa favorite where teenagers from Will Rogers High School, my alum mater, and neighboring Hale High School would hang out after a football or basketball game. And I can’t forget about Shaw’s Drive-In on south Yale Avenue, another favorite drive-in eatery in Tulsa.
   And of course, I can’t forget about the numerous 10-stool eateries across T-town. Bills, Ron’s, Ted’s Hamburgers, where customers could eat their meal seated in old wooden school desks; and Freddie’s Hamburgers, a Tulsa favorite owned and operated by a high school classmate of mine, the now late Fred Willis. Freddie’s was a yearly fixture at the Tulsa State Fair. When at the fair, my dad always enjoyed eating at Freddie’s and visiting with Fred, who was known for his friendly demeanor.
      I can’t forget about Weber’s Drive-In where they served famous Weber’s Root Beer and the Chuck Wagon Drive-In in Tulsa. The Chuck Wagon eatery resembled a chuck wagon and they provided car-hop service or you could pick up your meal at the to-go window.
      Goldies Patio Grill was a Tulsa favorite for years. There may still be a few of them around. They featured chargrilled hamburgers, fries and a pickle bar. They bar featured about every kind of pickle that could be pickled.
     A column on food wouldn’t be complete without mentioning another Tulsa institution of tasty delights, Coney-I-Lander. The eatery, which served grilled coneys served on a bun with chili and cheese, has been around since 1926. One of my favorites is still located on the original Route 66 that rolled through T-town, less than a mile from my boyhood home.
     After moving to Missouri, then Iowa, it took me awhile to grasp the concept of a Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich.
     My first experience of eating a loose meat sandwich happened while I was a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I stopped at a drive-in on Broadway in downtown Columbia near the university for lunch. I checked out the menu and decided to order a couple zip burgers, thinking they were a local name given to a hamburger.
     I opened the first one and about half of it fell on my lap and the floorboard of my pickup truck.
     “What the heck is this,” I’m thinking, as I try save part of my meal.
     That was a new experience for a southern boy.
    After moving to Iowa, it didn’t take me long to be introduced to the famous Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich. In the south, we called them a sloppy joe, a saucy, tomato-based creation severed over an open faced bun.
Debbie loves Maid-Rites. I’ve eaten local versions of loose meat sandwiches at football games and community events many times through the years. I know people love them and that is OK. I’ll stick with a regular cheeseburger.
    And chili in the north is called a soup. In the south, chili is a meat dish that some eat with a fork, not a spoon. You can still eat it with a spoon if you wish.
    One of my favorite Iowa and Midwestern eateries is Culver’s. I stop every chance I get for a double deluxe with onion rings and a cold glass of iced tea. I hope to see you there soon.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

        I have had the privilege of meeting a number of famous people along life’s way.
        Some years ago, I attended a car show in Tulsa where I met Sorrell Brooke, who played Boss Hogg on the Dukes of Hazard. Most Friday nights Dad and I took a short trip to pick up some Wheel Burgers at the Chuckwagon drive in for supper. We enjoyed the meal while gathered around the television in the kitchen to watch Dukes of Hazard and Dallas.
        And one of my most recent autographs is from Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s. About five years ago, I reached out to Carter’s agency asking about getting her autograph.
        Lynda herself wrote me an email and sent the address as to where I could send a SASE for her autograph. Her photo did arrive a short time later. I not only have her autographed photo, I have an email note from Wonder Woman herself.
        A few years back Debbie and I met Frank Fritz, the former television star of the American Pickers, at the Iowa State Fair. I saw him walking down the midway and chased him down to shake his hand. Later in the day, we got our photo taken with Frank at the US Cellular trailer. I have a framed photo with autographs of Fritz, Mike and Danielle Colby of the popular show.
       Other famous people I’ve met from afar include then President Bill Clinton. I was in Washington, D.C. in 1995 as a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia to attend an agricultural communicators event and President Clinton was a guest speaker.
       President Clinton spoke to a large room filled with ag communicators in the basement of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, where I was staying for the three-day conference. Everyone was patted down and I had my camera bag checked. The press was everywhere and the photographers even set up lights in the room.
        I was toward the back of the room with the other photographers, many with camera lens I would use on an African Safari, not to take photos of the President. The photographer next to me was clicking away and then stopped. “It’s you’re turn,” he said. All I had was my Konica film camera and a short lens. Talk about feeling out of place.
        I’ve met and photographed former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, current Gov. Kim Reynolds and some years ago, Debbie and I attend an event for the media at Christmastime at the Iowa Governor’s Mansion when Gov. Vilsack was in office. We toured the entire mansion, including the bedrooms, office and kitchen. That was quite experience walking around in the governor’s bedroom.
        One my biggest moments was the time I got to meet and interview the now late Sen. Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee Senator, lawyer and television actor, who in 2007 threw his hat in the Presidential race. He stopped in Montezuma a few days after Christmas that year and I interviewed him in the Montezuma Republican office. I then followed him around the town as he stopped and visited with folks and even struck up a conversation with the fry cook at the Star Lanes.
         And I can’t forget about being backstage at the Grand Old Opry on my honeymoon on Oct. 1, 2004. We got autographs of the late Jean Shepard, Porter Wagoner and Little Jimmy Dickens. We also got autographs of country star Chely Wright, T.G. Shepard and the now late T. Bubba Bechtol, a county comedian who invited us back stage after I wrote and told him we would be at the Opry. Such great memories.
       I have autographs of former OU Football Coaches Barry Switzer and Bobby Stoops as well as the last coach, Lincoln Riley, who left for USC.
         I have a signed footballs by a number of OU players including Brian Bosworth, the “Boz” as he was called when he played for the Sooners in the 1980s. And I once met and got an autograph from Billy Sims, the Heisman Trophy winner in 1978, at the Tulsa State Fair.
        I met Patty Gasso, the OU Sooners Softball coach, at a softball game at ISU a few years back. After the game, I stood in the stands by the dugout and called her name. She came over and met me and signed a hat and softball. Debbie and I have autographs of a number of OU players and professional softball players, including Keilani Ricketts, Lauren Chamberlain, Paige Lowary, an Iowa girl, and Shelby Pendley. I also have an autograph of Chelsea Thomas, a Pleasantville, Iowa native who played for the Missouri Tigers a few years ago.
         I once met the late Hayden Fry, the former Iowa football coach, and was introduced personally to him by author George Wine, who wrote the book: Hayden Fry: A High Porch Picnic in the late 1990s.
          Debbie has met Brad Paisley and was at the state fair when she was invited to a meet-and-greet for Reba McEntire. She also has autographs from coaches and ball players.
          And I once attended a Sawyer Brown concert at Meskwaki Casino. I had a press pass as the opening act was Lynston Blain, a 14-year-old North English singer at the time who opened for the county act. Afterwards, I got all the band member’s autographs.
         Another person who comes to mind is the now late Charles W. Moore. Moore, a photographer for Life Magazine during the Civil Right days of the 60s, took many of the iconic photos that depict that time in our society.
         After he spoke to our photography class at MU, Moore joined a number of us for lunch at Shakespeare Pizza in Columbia across from the J School. I remember the day well as well as his words of wisdom.
          “Whatever you do in life, do it with passion,” he told the group that day.
          Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

​     Every so often I start talking out loud to myself and it can bring stares from those around me. I’ve been so loud at times that some people think I’m talking to them.
    When that happens, I usually say it is “nothing,” as I continue on with the business at hand. It is usually something on my mind or a brain toot of some sort that gets me going.
     I’ve heard it said that it is OK to talk to yourself, just don’t answer. I don’t know about all that. If you are going to have a conversation, might as well have a question and answer session and get whatever it is on your mind worked out.
     Experts on the subject say it is more common for people to talk to themselves than to not. According to one study I found on the Internet, 96 percent of adults say they have an internal dialogue (the voice inside their head). While self-talk out loud is less common, 25 percent of adults say they talk to themselves, mainly due to everyday situations they encounter.
    There are 329.5 million people living in America as of 2020. That works out to 316.5 million people who commonly talk to themselves or have some sort of internal dialogue. I guess I am in good company.
    In another study I found on the subject, talking to yourself out loud is perfectly normal. In some cases – such as when you’re trying to increase focus – it may even be more beneficial to jabber away than keep whatever it is giving you an itch bottled up. However, the study did caution those who talk out loud to always be mindful of their settings. That is something I need to work on a bit more.
   Another study I found on the subject indicated that talking to yourself may indicate a higher level of intelligence. The study noted that according to scientists at Bangor University, speaking out lout to yourself was “found to be a trait of higher cognitive function.”
    I don’t know if talking out loud makes me smarter, but I do know that hard work, diligence, not giving up and keeping on when the odds are against you will go a long ways in helping you have a successful life. So will praying.
     Sometime I pray out loud. It’s not that God can’t hear me when I pray silently, I just prefer to talk out loud. Praying, in my thoughts, is not the same as jabbering away to one’s self while working out a problem.
     I remember some years ago while attending the University of Missouri-Columbia. It was my 36thbirthday in September 1995, and I was preparing to take the grammar test to get into the MU School of Journalism for a third time. I needed to score 80 points out of 100 questions, all grammar and sentence structure related, such as he, she, who, whom, they, them and the likes.
     I had taken the test twice before and failed it with scores of 73 and 68. The idea that I was taking the test at one of the top journalism schools in the nation was a feat in itself. I barely passed high school English nearly 20-years earlier and to be there on that day was quite an accomplishment on my part.
    Anyway, I had spent hours studying and attending tutoring sessions with editorial professionals at the journalism school. On test day, a large group of test-takers had gathered on the lawn and steps outside of the test center at the journalism school. Many were talking and others were complaining as to the purpose of the test.
     I left that gathering and went down the hall to an outside door and found a place of solace, where I began to pray out loud.
    I didn’t ask God if it was Ok for me to be there, I told God that I was going to pass that test because I believed that I belonged there. I was saying these words out loud while walking up and down the sidewalk. Every so often someone would leave the building and I would stop for a moment, greet them and continue on.
    I finished the test on time and passed with a score of 82. I went on to have a great experience in journalism school, outside of a class in advertising. I didn’t do so well in that class.
   Even though I have shared this and other stories about my time at MU in this column, it’s good reminder of where I’ve been and where I’m going. It gives me time to reflect on the good things in life and to remember that success is available to all.
    Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

        I don’t drink coffee, but my dad and mom did and my brother does to this day. I guess I am the odd ball out.
       I will drink coffee if it is loaded with sugar and creamer, but I haven’t done that for years. I much prefer cold drinks, even on cold days and nights.
       Back in the day, it would be nothing for me to enjoy a 16-ounce bottle of Pepsi at 4 a.m. or 6 p.m. Today, my favorite drink is unsweet iced tea. I drink it by the gallon. Well, not all in one day. But I drink a lot of it.
      I remember as a kid in elementary school once joining my dad and the other men in his Sunday School department at the First Baptist Church in Tulsa. The men always enjoyed a cup of coffee or two after the Bible lesson and I wanted to be there with my dad.
      I poured a cup of coffee and then added sugar and creamer. There I was, a little man, sipping on my cup of coffee along with my dad and the other men.
      In spite of that and many other experiences, I never gained a taste for coffee or any kind of hot drink. 
     My mom had an Corning Ware Electric Blue Cornflower Coffee Pot. Many households back in the day had one and I’m sure still do to this day. That coffee pot lasted for years. They don’t make appliances like that these days.
     We carried it with us on our family camping and fishing trips and August vacations. I can still see my mom frying fish and potatoes in an iron skillet on the Coleman camp stove while a pot of coffee brewed nearby. If there was no electricity, she took the insides of the pot out and made brewed coffee the old-fashioned way on the camp stove.
     In my teen years, my family enjoyed Sunday lunch at the Eastside Café on Admiral on the north edge of Tulsa. It was a greasy spoon that served good food, especially the onion rings and fired chicken, and plenty of hot coffee. I always enjoyed eating at the Eastside Café as I got to drink a cold Pepsi with my meal.
     It didn’t matter how the long the line was to get in the café, my family stayed put in the booth until my dad was finished drinking a pot of coffee. The waitress would come around with the pot of coffee and he would motion her over to fill his cup. It took him awhile, too. Finally, once Dad had his fill, it was time to leave.
     I don’t know how I got off on the subject of coffee, but it sure does stir up a lot of good memories. Maybe it was driving past a Starbucks during a recent trip to Ankeny with Debbie to pick up supplies at Sam’s Club and Tractor Supply. I noticed that folks were lined up in the drive-through like traffic in New York City.
     People like their coffee and are willing to sit in their SUVs and sports cars for hours and pay big bucks for it.        According to statistic on the subject, almost 50 percent of Americans who buy coffee outside the home do so at a drive-through. Another statistic I found on coffee noted that specialty coffee sales are increasing 20 percent every year. No wonder Starbucks is doing so well as our the sales of Keurigs and expresso machines for coffee drinkers.
     Even in small towns coffee houses are quite popular these days. Brooklyn and Montezuma both support local coffee houses and Grinnell has two coffee joints, including a drive-through on Highway 146. They all seem to be doing quite well.
     And of course, the local convenience stores, eateries, farm stores and other small-town haunts are favorite stops for locals to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and chew the fat during an afternoon break. I can visit with the best of them, but forget the coffee. I would much rather enjoy a pizza and have a glass of iced tea.
     I leave you with the following coffee-drinking stats from urbanbeancoffee.com:
• 64 percent of American adults currently consume coffee every day.
• More than 150 million Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee per day or more than 140 billion cups per year.
• 79 percent of Americans prepare coffee at home.
• 35 percent of coffee consumers usually drink black coffee.
• The average U.S. Coffee drinker consumes 3.1 cups per day.
     An Internet search on the coffee drinking will provide you with the above stats and enough more to write a book.
     I leave you with this, enjoy a cup of coffee and I’ll enjoy the memories while drinking a cup of iced cold tea.
    Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

       When March rolls around, a craziness takes over the Parker house and the family television set.
       It’s basketball and March Madness.
      Debbie and I both enjoy and love the game. To be truthful, I think Debbie loves it a little bit more than I do, even though I can be up pacing around in the living room during a game.
      She analysis the games, serves as a referee, calls missed fouls and comments on the players, coaches and fans. She is in tune with the action!
      If I am at work or running an errand and ask for an update on a game Debbie is watching, I not only get the score, I get the play-by-play breakdown and detailed explanation of what is going in the game. And she takes the time to type it and send it in a text.
     It starts in November with high school and college basketball, especially Iowa, Iowa State, OU and Missouri, my alum mater, and it gets more intense as the weeks roll along.
      And last year, we got to add in five trips to Wells Fargo to watch the Montezuma girls’ and boys’ play in their respective state tournaments. And I got to be on the sidelines with my camera covering all the games and capturing the intensity of it all. That was one of the highlights of my journalistic career.
     Beside basketball, I have to throw in college softball. We are both huge OU Sooner softball fans. They are fun to watch. Unfortunately, for some crazy unknown reason, the Sooners are only on television this spring for a handful of games. The number one team in the nation and 2021 National Champs and they are not on television. Whoever is in control of scheduling games for television needs their head examined.
     I didn’t play sports in school outside of my ninth grade year when I ran the mile for the Wilson Rebels. That’s a mascot name you might expect in the early 1970s at an Oklahoma junior high school.
     Anyway, my most memorable race was at a neighboring high school. There were five of us in the race – three ninth graders and two seventh grades. My mom was in the stands, which was a big morale booster for me.
      I laced up my Puma track shoes and put it into high gear on the old cinder track. I ran study in second place in my class until the last lap when I got passed. It didn’t stop me from kicking it into gear to finish the race. I was so proud of earning a third-place ribbon. In my mind, I all but won that race.
      I didn’t play football but did go out during spring drills in the tenth-grade to play my eleventh-grade year. At that time, Oklahoma high schools had spring drills.
     My good buddy, David, and I walked into the room and some of the players laughed. We didn’t care, we were there to play ball.
      Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for both of us. I was big, but not coordinated enough for the game. I tried my best to run the drills but was having a tough time. I kept falling down and the coaching staff sent me home to find another choice of activity.
       I also went out for basketball in the eighth grade but didn’t make the team. 
      Debbie played softball and pitched for the Bravettes in junior high. She tells the story of the time she was playing in a tournament for the now late Coach Denny Johnston.
      She hit the ball and took off for first base and was not going to be denied. The first baseman was blocking the bag and Debbie collided with her and ended up with a bloody nose, elbows and knees.
     “They took me out of the game and the person they put in my place went on to score and help win the game for Montezuma,” Debbie said.
     I hope we don’t have any bloody incidents watching a basketball game while yelling at the television. Well, at least it is fun!
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.