South & Southwest Fort Wayne Indiana News
Kick back and relax, you deserve it! All of the stories in this section are unique, original entertainment by our local Waynedale, (Fort Wayne) Indiana columnists, created just especially for you. Our columnists love to hear from their dedicated readers!
The days are still hot and humid as summer lingers on, but there is a change coming soon. August brings the tail end of summer as the gardens finish their work for another season. The ripe smell of corn tassels hang heavy in the air as the cornstalks turn brown and dry. The late crops have mostly
“Doctor’s office.”
“That you, Doc?”
“Sure is. How you doing, Windy?”
“Finer’n frog hair, Doc. Say, did you hear about ol’ Bob over at the junction?”
“Sure was a shame, Windy. I had no idea he was sick. Went pretty fast is what I heard.”
“Me, too. Say Doc, you remember Minnie
Every once in a while, a gem comes along via e-mail that is worth keeping and repeating. Here’s such a jewel titled: “A mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.”
A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large,
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 red paint acquired from the leather-working merit
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 retelling.
During this time of year, in the west,
I would like to send a great, big hug to all my friends who have missed me, and especially to those who have sent cards and letters telling me so. Most of you guessed the reason why—I fell again, and fractured my right arm, which kept me from writing or typing. Thank the Lord, I am almost back to
Most of us remember the Beanie Babies: Those small stuffed animals of the mid-1990’s stuffed with plastic pellets so you could shape them unlike typical animals stuffed with cotton/poly batting.
How big was the Beanie Baby craze? Back in 1995 it was the first Internet sensation. People couldn’t
“Ahhh! Coffee!” said our resident cowboy, Steve, raising his cup at the philosophy counter.
“Let’s raise our cups to whichever Brazilian came up with this stuff.”
Very slowly, Herb Collins stood with his cup of coffee there in the midst of culture and education at the Mule Barn truck stop.
“Actually,
Midsummer heat blankets our hills, as July slips away into the past. August is ready to enter, with her showy flowers and languid, sleepy days marked by misty mornings and hot, sunshiny days. Above the spotted Joe-Pye weed, the butterflies hover, anxious to draw all the sweetness of summer from its
Who’s the most famous person you’ve met?
Maybe it was a Hollywood celebrity, movie star or Broadway headliner. Perhaps it was a recording artist, television entertainer or sports star. Whoever it was, we’ll wager you were thrilled with the opportunity to shake the person’s hand, get an autograph,
“When will softball ever help you get a job and earn a living?” Dean’s mother asked in exasperation.
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 crazy. His pitches were incredibly fast, but they were
If you have ever had a dog as a pet that you loved, then you know that life is better with a dog.
My wife, Marty, and I love dogs, almost as much as dogs love people. We have our own beloved, 40-pound Golden Retriever/Briard mix named Taffy. We adopted her from Animal Care & Control. And, we have
Doc was just getting up to leave the philosophy counter as Herb walked in. Herb was grinning and flexing muscles and had the look of eagles in his eyes. We stared.
“Herb,” said Doc. “You know, you can overdo a good thing.”
“Why Doc … whatever do you mean?”
“I realize that getting more
I joined some other men and women to take the youth of our community to a water slide for the evening. I went down the slide only once and felt my body would never be the same. Most of the other adults felt the same way about the slide, so while the youth continued to see who could go the fastest
This spring my friend, Nancy Watts, and her husband, John, went on a small group trip to Uzbekistan, a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic. They traveled there because Nancy, a quilter and textile enthusiast, wanted to learn first-hand about the history of the “Silk Road” the ancient
Down at the sale barn Saturday, the think tank had coagulated there with coffees to go to celebrate spring. Doc and Dud had their dogs with them, while Bert and Dewey and Steve went stag.
Dud tried to start a conversation, but the loudspeaker soon drove them outside, where they arrayed themselves on
Placid June days seemed to have exploded with searing heat and booming thunderstorms that pop up at the drop of a hat, but refreshing cooler nights that are most welcome. The newly mown hay dries in the fields, and the fragrance of sweet clover hangs in the air. Summertime days have a sleepy drone,
How long do you keep missing your father? Our Heavenly Father took my Dad to heaven 39 years ago, yet there is not a day that I don’t think of him.
I can still see him coming down the hill from the Ball Diamond carrying a bouquet of wild flowers that he had picked as he walked along. The flowers
The first few days of summer vacation were hard on Billy. He was there, at his appointed post – that being the school crossing – at the right time of morning, but look as he may, he couldn’t find any kids.
He couldn’t find Martin, either. The perennial crossing guard, with his vest, sign and
Sue Doepner has been a part of the early childhood program at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church since 1990 when the church started the preschool as an outreach of Christian education to the Waynedale community. Sue served as the teacher for the first 24 students at the former church location on Lower Huntington
Today is West Virginia’s birthday, and I am pondering the reason why God chose to put me in this particular place. I have a fierce loyalty to my native state, and, wonder if I would feel the same way had I been born elsewhere. I could have been born in one of the southern states where palm trees
Soon it will be Memorial Day and I will once again be marching in the Waynedale Memorial Day Parade. As much as I love marching the route in my son’s USMC shirt and waving to the friendly people who take the time to watch the parade, it is the service at Prairie Grove Cemetery that is the highlight
April has left us, and with her departure is taking most of our wet and gloomy days, and, leaving us with sunshine and blue skies. How our hearts have longed for these warm days of spring! The children are overjoyed to be able to run barefoot through the tender new grass that is springing up all over
April tucks her slightly damp robes about her and glides gracefully from the hills, leaving tranquil May to reign for the next month. May has always seemed to be a dainty little maiden, wearing flower-sprigged garments and tripping lightly through the woods. She sprinkles wildflowers as she goes and
What would be a more fitting topic this time of year than the history of four generations of quilting mothers? I first met Priscilla Keidel Miller when she came down to the Born Again Quilts studio to show me how to fold a hankie into a butterfly quilt block. Ever since she has been popping in to