Random thoughts on random subjects

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

A childhood without books

Please, forgive me if you’ve heard this story before, either on page or in person. I tend to tell it two or three times a year.Because I cannot get my head around such nonsense.People often approach me, wanting to write a book.

How to be a ‘seasonal’ investor

As summer transitions to autumn, change is all around. You can experience different seasons in various aspects of your life, too, including when you invest.

Nothing artificial about Southern intelligence

Ring! Ring! Ring!“Hello. This is Dick Yarbrough, your modest and much-beloved columnist speaking. How may I help you?“Dickie, it’s your old pal, Artie!”“Artie? Artie who?”“Artie Fishel, of Artie Fishel Intelligence.Surely, you remember me.”“Ah, yes.

With their shoes on

Make no doubt about it: I was raised in a household of two of the most righteous people who ever lived.Both were mountain people who never gave a moment’s thought to looking back at the mountain poverty they had escaped. Both came down, out of the hills, and built a better life for themselves.

With their shoes on

It was the summer of my 12th year of life. I remember that clearly because I was in that awkward stage of too many freckles, too many pounds and long, wavy hair.All my life, I had heard talk of the first mountain church that had called Daddy as their Pastor: Mill Creek Baptist.

When being a UGA grad is a beautiful thing

Now, I’m going to blush. Not only am I smarter than smart, but I am also a chick magnet. My cup runneth over. With what little modesty I can muster, I must admit I didn’t set out to be this wonderful.

Correcting the record on the Vietnam generation

For those of you with some walking-around knowledge of what goes into this space each week, you know that I write what I mean, and mean what I write.

The privilege of being a homemaker

A member of our extended family went to be with the Lord not long ago. It was an unexpected but expected death, long in coming and full of pain and torture.For me, it is Tennessee Williams who usually comes to mind when death calls.

It hurt not to be remembered

Over the next few days and nights after the disturbing discovery, the main question I pondered was, “Why does it even matter to me?”I didn’t lose sleep over it – it’s almost impossible to lose sleep with as little as I get.