Close To Home
Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.
-
"School's Out for Summer!"
Posted Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 8:27 AM“School’s out for summer!” (You of a certain era saw that line and sang it - in your head and then out loud, right)? That's from an Alice Cooper hit released in 1972, in the midst of my college days. I didn’t dislike school, but it was a nice change of pace in the early 70’s, a break from the rising pressure to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. ... -
Give Boredom a Chance
Posted Sunday, May 12, 2024, at 9:02 PMIt was a gradual thing, unchaining myself from Walmart, the reverse to developing an addiction to roaming the aisles mindlessly whether or not I purchased anything. Early on it was to me what a smartphone is now - the device we reach for when we feel boredom settling in... -
Trendsetting
Posted Monday, May 6, 2024, at 4:36 PMComfortable or trendy? Comfy and quick usually takes precedence, but I finally tried tucking in only the front of my blouse. With a jacket, I looked tucked in all around. That’s not the point, though. It’s not supposed to look that way, and jackets come off. Front tucks are a bit of visual trickery with an acceptable effect. However, my Marine fella - obviously oblivious to trendy styles. wondered aloud if I knew I was untucked... -
Disgruntled? It's Personal.
Posted Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 3:57 PMThe dictionary needs a new entry, at least I think so. Words - pronunciations, spellings, definitions, usages - are exceptionally intriguing to some. We’re an informal club. Membership is involuntary (we just can’t help it) and secretive (it IS a bit weird) until we stumble on another feeling our pain as we explode at one more faux-pas or someone catches us repeating a word aloud because we like the way it sounds. ... -
Thank You to The Prospect-News
Posted Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 8:12 PMTomorrow is OUR day! Look around this Correspondence page of The Prospect-News to understand. April 18 is National Columnists Day. Readers of this weekly publication can count on regular submissions from these same individuals in every issue... -
Creekside Reflections
Posted Friday, April 12, 2024, at 9:13 AMVisits to Ripley County to visit grandparents were adventures with a couple of distinct variations. Momo and Popo Pearson lived on A highway deep in snipe country. There were clusters of woods and lots of fields, tons of gardens and lots of pigs. And ponds... -
Happy Eclipsing! Come Visit Again!
Posted Friday, April 5, 2024, at 12:43 PMImpulsivity is a trait often frowned upon by those with structured, organized lives. I realize creatives can be organized and structured souls can be spontaneous, to cover my seemingly-always-at-loose-ends self. But, if fate has paired you, a spontaneous creature, with a heart on the other end of the habits spectrum, that could serve you both well if you find yourself in or near Ripley County, Missouri for the Total Eclipse on the Current... -
Shhh! Spring's Singing!
Posted Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 3:03 PMAt dawn recently, I delayed turning on the radio and starting coffee, postponing the rustle of usual morning routines that would interfere with nature’s melodies filtering through the slightly open windows. To escape the roaring fridge and the whining cat fountain, I tiptoed to the door, avoiding the creaky spots in the floor. ... -
Blowing Smoke
Posted Friday, March 22, 2024, at 1:57 PMWriter’s block…unrelated focus…oversleeping…lost calendar…Pick one to partially explain why my column is late and rushed. Course, if you’re reading this on March 20, you won’t know it was late, though you might sense it being hastily written... -
Silly Syllables
Posted Thursday, March 14, 2024, at 8:16 AMThere are a lot of us around, folks who tend to see their glasses half full, with replenishment pending. Part of my personal optimism is the perhaps naive belief that there are tons of jobs requiring the education and training of experts who know more about their particular fields than I do. Consequently, I trust those experts and their products and services... -
Spring Symphonies
Posted Thursday, March 14, 2024, at 1:57 AMIt’s a complicated-looking term - grapheme-color synesthesia. Those with this diagnosis perceive numbers and/or letters with colors. I’m troubled by numbers. Period. Seeing numbers in color would not help me understand them any better, I bet. The confusion would still be there, but with less stress... -
Checkin' Chickens
Posted Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 4:31 PMIt’s odd, having lived all but one year of my adult life in rural areas, that my longest experience with chickens was as a St. Louis kid. The adventure started in Doniphan on spring break from school. Mom stayed with us kids and Dad went back to work. We shuttled between grandparents - Robert and Cecilia Pearson on A highway and Tom and Ardieth Bizzell on 160E... -
Greenhouse of Dreams
Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 7:40 AMOnce upon a time Mom and Dad took us to Arkansas. In my early life, we lived on A highway close to the state line. We visited nearby friends, attended church at Mt. Pleasant, went to the big ol’ Supply store, used the ferry. I even rode a school bus to Maynard just for fun, way before school age... -
For Your Valentines
Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 8:03 AMSurprise your Valentine with some creative twists to the usual celebrations. Keep your partner's preferences in mind with a little extra planning and thought to create special memories. Consider these ten creative ideas and add your own romantic touches... -
Imponderabilia
Posted Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at 8:51 AMI came across a fun new word: imponderabilia. It identifies those things we cannot evaluate exactly. My mind applies it to aspects of life I find confounding. Thinking on imponderabilia doesn’t clear up confusion or provide profound insight. It stacks up, hanging around waiting for purpose, just as memorabilia does. ... -
Have Fan, Will Sleep
Posted Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 9:58 PMI’ve had an exasperating night due to perceived temperature fluctuations. A peek at Mother Nature’s thermometer would reveal a steady above-freezing record. The thermostat inside didn’t show much change, either. My physical reaction to the damp cool weather, however, was all over the place. ... -
Icy Awe
Posted Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 8:33 AMMy nose is cold, as are my toes, Layers reign, with robe over clothes. When will the thaw come? No one knows. Many saying, “My water froze.” ***... -
Wintry Preparations
Posted Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 8:19 AMAt this writing, a wintry blast with a variety of precipitation and frigid wind chills driven by fearsome bone-chilling breezes is forecast. By the time this PN issue hits the newsstands, I might not get to hold the actual newspaper. I’ll gratefully read it online if I choose to remain indoors... -
Seed Catalogues
Posted Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 11:10 AMWhen my life seems ho-hum, I rifle through a stockpile of scribbles searching for column ideas. That backfired today. I grabbed the seed catalogue instead. Have you seen one lately? The Whole Seed Catalog is a compilation of art and almanac, dream book and planning guide. It might seem a procrastination tactic, especially since when it comes to gardening - flower or otherwise - I’m in the appreciation/dreaming category... -
ANTICIPATING 2024
Posted Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at 9:29 AMAnticipating 2024 is … *Peeking through cracks in a door still closed. I recall questions for 2023 I posed...
View all blog posts (299)