The Pecking Order by I Inez McCollum My introduction to birds was finding a picture of the Brown Thrasher in an old magazine at my grandmother’s home when I was a young child. Years later after my children were in school, I had time to keep up with the large number of birds at my […]
Things that go bump in the night by Inez McCollum “Things that go bump in the night” is a much used term from a now infamous trial. That was a new expression to me; but I have found it to describe several events in my life. When soft drink makers changed from deposit bottles to […]
THE FELINE SPECIES by Inez McCollum I am a sucker for cats! I grew up with dogs; but never had a cat until my Dad gave us a beautiful white kitten. He had been a farmer as a young man; so knew all about domestic animals. He guaranteed this kitten to be a male. We […]
THE FOOD CHAIN by Inez McCollum I could have titled this “Feed Them and They Will Come!” That would include a number of members of the animal kingdom. I have a cafeteria of food available for the birds at all times. This also attracts those cute, but pesky, chipmunks, as well as raccoons, possums and […]
LEMONS TO LEMONADE by Inez McCollum There is a well known cliché, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We frequently read news articles that give this message. One in particular was a paragraph I read about rubble from the World Trade Center. The USS New York, was built of steel salvaged from the ruins […]
FOURTH OF JULY By Inez McCollum Fireworks on the evening of July 4 are always so exciting. When my husband and I first moved to Birmingham, (Alabama) we lived on the Southside below Vulcan. Our second floor apartment had a porch which we would stand on during the fireworks extravaganza. One had the feeling those various lights […]
BEARS AMONG THE GREENERY BY INEZ MCCOLLUM Skid Marks on embankment A few years ago some friends and I spent a few days in a chalet in Gatlinburg. When we arrived at the chalet, I discovered some skid marks down an embankment to the deck. I decided those were bear skids and refused to sit […]
PERSIMMONS BY INEZ MCCOLLUM My Grandmother had a wild persimmon tree. I learned at an early age to wait until the fruit was soft before attempting to eat it. If I ate them too soon, my mouth would pucker. I delighted in collecting the calyx and stringing them to make a necklace. My husband was pastoring […]
Fifty Years by Inez McCollum Several months ago, I went for my high school reunion – 50 years! Now, THAT event has joined my list of antiquity! E-mails that have made the rounds the past 2-3 years remind us of what didn’t exist fifty years ago. There were some very memorable things that did exist. […]
