GETTING TOMATOES TO GROW
My cousin Becky loves gardening about as much as I do. We often compare notes on what works and what doesn’t.
“How do you do on your tomatoes?” she asked.
“Oh, I do okay,” I said.
“Do you do
Author: Daris Howard
GLAD TO COME HOME
My daughter was in her mid-teens—those years when young people think that their parents don’t know too much. She chafed at the requirements of home, having to do chores, having a set time for bed,
A CHANGE IN PERSONALITY
My roommate, David, was dating a girl named Annie. She was beautiful, with blonde hair that hung down past her shoulders, and she had big blue eyes. But what made her especially beautiful was her kindness.
AN UNUSUAL ASSIGNMENT
It was the day after Thanksgiving. As a police officer, Samuel was preparing to go on patrol, but he had to fill out the required reports first. Paperwork was the thing he hated most. He much preferred
AN OLD FRIEND
Recently I was traveling along a dusty road when I stopped at a place in the middle of nowhere. The road from our high school in St. Anthony to the one in Salmon where we often competed, ran through a long, barren stretch of road. The trip on a scho
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SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING SWEET
When we walked into the buffet restaurant, the first thing that caught Jason’s eye was the chocolate fountain. It had three huge tiers with gallons of chocolate flowing over them.
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“That’s just about the most amazing thing ever!” he said.
Th
SOLVING THE CASE OF THE SCOUT CAMP BANDIT
Scout camp was going pretty much as usual. Gordy had had an Oreo cookie stolen, and he was sure someone was taking his candy, too. He was determined to find a way to catch the bandit. That was when I suggested that he paint the candy wrappers with
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COMMUNITY TEAMWORK
Too often it seems like all of the news we hear is bad; at least a high percentage of it is negative. That’s why I always look for positive, uplifting stories. There was an event that occurred over the last few weeks in our community that is worth
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JOBS AND SOFTBALL
“When will softball ever help you get a job and earn a living?” Dean’s mother asked in exasperation.
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Underhand fast-pitch softball was big in the communities before World War II, and Dean was a crazy fast pitcher at it, with an emphasis on cra
WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
I was with the youngest primary children at church last Sunday, when something happened that made me think about Civil Rights Day and the challenges this country has faced. One of the teachers was trying to help the children understand that
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A DIFFERENCE IN CULTURE
I was nineteen years old and living in New York when I first met Juan. His family had come to the United States from South America, and he was proud of his heritage. He was a pleasant young man and a jokester. But one thing he especially liked to
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VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
We attend a little country church in our rural community. I have been involved in many community events and have taken on lots of assignments that have come from the congregation leaders. Mostly I have worked in scouting.
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On Tuesday of one we
COMPETITION FOR GOOD
It had been a hard year in our rural community. Lots of older people had passed away, leaving their spouses alone. There had also been quite a few farm accidents from which people were recovering. To add to that, farm prices were low, and many i
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WHEN TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
Cyrus was an old farmer and had worked hard all of his life. He was independent, but he was getting older and everything was just a little bit harder. Still, he was determined to maintain his independence and pride.
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When the Boy Scouts came aro
MURDER IN THE DARK
Donna and I had barely started dating. She played in the orchestra for a musical, so I went almost every night. One night after the musical finished, she invited me backstage. As we were mingling with other cast and orchestra members, one of t
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PAYING IT BACKWARD
My daughter Heather had had a bad day. In fact, the whole week hadn’t been that good. She had started school, and there was a mixup in her classes. By the time she had that straightened out, a few days of class had already gone by. She then had to ca
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MEMBER OF A BAND
We were in a theatre production, and the men’s changing room was nothing but an old converted closet. We were stuffed tight in there, which made for times of joking, telling stories, and barely getting into costume before the opening scene.
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GRAFFITI ARTIST
A truck was approaching, and I recognized some art work on the side and smiled. I thought back to the first day of class a couple of years earlier. The students were introducing themselves. When we got to Wyatt, his introduction was unique.
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“I
THE TATTOO
Sunday, after church, we loaded our harp into the van, then, connected the van to the tent trailer. We were soon on our way to a music camp for our daughter Elliana to be part of an orchestra and a choir. We arrived at our destination shortly befo
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GIRL
I was scoutmaster to eighteen boys. On Tuesday nights I handled the scouting activities, but on Sundays, though I met with them in their church class, another man taught them. But one week, after he finished the Sunday lesson and everyone wa
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COMPUTER REPAIR
My phone rang, and when I answered, it was Andy. “Hey, Daris,” he said, “can you come help me? My printer isn’t working.”
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It was the early days of the internet, and most people didn’t know anything about it yet. A teaching salary didn’t pay all o
KEY COMMENTS
I finished passing back the linear algebra tests that I had graded to my students. “Check the tests over,” I told them. “Check to make sure the points I gave you add up to the score that I gave you. Let me know if you have any questions, or if there i
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HIGH STEAK DEALS
My scouts, like most young boys, were very competitive and always looking for an edge on everything. That seemed especially true when it came to food. They always wanted the biggest cookie, the best looking cupcake, or the largest steak.
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I h
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT
My son, Scott, and his wife, Janalyn, lived with us for a while this summer after graduation. His job didn’t start until September, and it gave us a chance to get to know Janalyn. Our life was quite a bit different from how she grew up. She had nev
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