“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” – Theodore Roosevelt. ROME— My first paying job was as a 12 years old. I mowed the lawns of my neighbors. Growing up in the house of a widowed single mom who was aContinue reading “It’s Good Work If You Can Get It”
Author Archives: paul
An Engagement to Remember
This past weekend was a memorable one for our family. Our 26-year old daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend. His name is Robert (good name), he’s a great guy, and he’ll be a nice addition to our small nucleus of four. Someone counseled me with the ol’ standby, “You’re not losing a daughter. You’reContinue reading “An Engagement to Remember”
Local Hopes
NEW ORLEANS— The practice of making New Year’s resolutions is something that has never interested me. I guess I have just always assumed that I could make a vow to myself on any day, and if it’s something that I really need to do, or a practice that I need to start implementing, then IContinue reading “Local Hopes”
Sometimes I Feel Like a Magpie
PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A few months after my wife and I started dating, she wanted me to meet her grandmother. We set out on the road from Hattiesburg to north Louisiana, and I asked, “Where are we going?” “Shreveport,” she said. Around the time we got to Jackson, she said, “Actually, it’s in Minden, Louisiana.” AfterContinue reading “Sometimes I Feel Like a Magpie”
Support Your Local Catfish House
We are a nation of regional dining concepts and local dishes. Chicago has deep-dish pizza parlors. New Orleans has po-boy shops. Ohio has chili parlors. Maine has lobster shacks. South Florida has crab shacks. Maryland also has crab shacks (there are a lot of shacks in regional dining). Oyster bars are scattered across the GulfContinue reading “Support Your Local Catfish House”