I expected the discomfort of empty nest syndrome when my kids left for college. I didn’t expect to feel it so many more times. A few days ago I dropped my youngest, Casey, at the airport in New Orleans and watched him lug a suitcase and backpack through … Continue reading →

When my children were babies, I knew no lullabies. So, I often sang them to sleep with other tunes as they lay in their cribs or rested their heads on my shoulder while I walked them around their bedrooms. Peter, Paul and Mary songs seemed appropriate and since the one about Stewball — … Continue reading →

Stepping from the gangplank to the deck of the Guayas, one of several “tall ships” in New Orleans last weekend, ignited memories of sailing. Though the sails were furled the ship seemed like a racehorse waiting at the gate. I’d like to have seen the sails billowing, heard the … Continue reading →

Lately, in idle moments my thoughts drift to a little house on Edison Street. Once upon a time, two little, old men lived there. Both were as short as they were slim. I don’t know that Fred and Bert Rogers ever called that house “home.” Home was a farm in Grand Cane. One was … Continue reading →

All of the furniture is clustered in the center of the living room. The same malady infects the dining room. The master bedroom also looks as if a furniture magnet drew bed, dressers, bookcase, chairs and entertainment center away from the walls. We’re having the inside of the house painted. That’s a long … Continue reading →

For the last few weeks I’ve enjoyed myself vicariously through the adventures of my younger son. Alternately each of my children has augmented the pleasure of my life with the experiences of theirs. Sometimes I’ve enjoyed watching or following from afar their pursuits of things I never took … Continue reading →

During the last couple of weekends, my wife and I enjoyed the spectacle of Jupiter and Venus in the western sky. Last weekend a sliver of moon traveling near the two planets made the evening image more spectacular. People don’t seem to pay as much attention to the stars as they did when I was a … Continue reading →

The eagle scrutinized our boat as we eased closer to the cypress tree. As eagles do, he perched at the pinnacle getting a view of everything that moved in his realm. He waited to swoop upon any prey that caught his eye or to flee from us when we got into his perceived danger zone. Eagles … Continue reading →

As my wife and I kicked back to watch “Doc Martin,” I pondered why I’ve become so drawn to British comedy. Perhaps I looked to the British because I’ve seen all the “Seinfeld” and “M*A*S*H” episodes three times and have never found another homegrown comedy to equal them. My children … Continue reading →

As a young police reporter in the 1970s I met a Baton Rouge City Police sergeant named Elton Burns. Our paths would cross for the rest of our careers. Burns had an easy smile and a firm handshake with a tattoo that said “Love” across his fingers. Continue reading →

I hope all of you having birthdays today haven’t forgotten over the last four years how to celebrate them. Guys, if it’s your wife’s birthday, don’t forget it, or it will take a while to atone. And party hats off to those of you who were born four years … Continue reading →

Heavy rains, like the one Saturday, can produce divergent feelings. Waking to thunder draws from me a disgruntled grumble if I’d planned a great outdoor adventure. But the sound is the kettle drums of celestial music on mornings when I have nothing outside that I have to do; or to be more accurate, want … Continue reading →

Maybe that little whistle-pig from Pennsylvania was right, but I’m not yet ready to grant Punxsutawney Phil the full six weeks of winter he predicted. He did out-prognosticate me and my budding trees, as the chilly weather that blew in last weekend testifies. I’d apologize to the woodchuck, but he probably returned to hibernation. Continue reading →

Caretakers of a hairy critter northeast of Pittsburgh claim we will have winter this year. Their prediction would mean six weeks and three days of winter in Louisiana. I haven’t seen a bundled-up child walk uphill to school in even a dusting of snow all year. The firewood … Continue reading →

Since my childhood, movies have provided a great source of entertainment. Most offer laughs and a couple of hours of escape, but movies usually don’t linger with me past a discussion on the drive home. Occasionally, one resides with me for years. Those movies may … Continue reading →

When a couple of old friends came to town last week, an evening we spent together reminded me of a term from my childhood. When I was growing up along Bayou Lafourche, people used to go to each others’ houses to “sit up.” During the day the neighbors might … Continue reading →

Sleep patterns in the Anderson household lately remind me of fire watches when I was at Ft. Polk. Somebody was always awake to protect the old wooden barracks and the soldiers snoring beneath green blankets in their bunks. Walking back and forth in the corridor between the footlockers seemed another way the Army had found to … Continue reading →

Pulling on faded jeans and a comfortable shirt well past its prime, I hurry downstairs for coffee and breakfast. It’s a good day. I have a project. Though not a morning person, anticipating a project — one that I want to do — gets me moving. Continue reading →

The idea of going home evokes strong emotions for most people who have moved away from the place they grew up. For those who crossed oceans or continents the emotions can run particularly high, especially if they have few chances to return. Their longing shouldn’t be mistaken as dissatisfaction … Continue reading →

I’d come home from work unable to shake a lousy mood until my wife flipped on the TV and happened to find Andrea Bocelli. I don’t know enough about music to explain why his voice grips me, but when Bocelli sings I can’t walk away or stay in a bad mood. As we watched … Continue reading →

When I arrived home and saw a white tail wagging on the front porch, the Arabian tale of the camel and the tent came to mind. It has come to mind many times since I married Mary. I haven’t asked if she likes camels, but she’s fond of cats, dogs and just about every other type of … Continue reading →

Wet, morning chill seeps into my soul. It’s the kind of morning that makes a sleeper reluctant to throw back the covers. The house itself hasn’t awakened to warm its own walls after a week of being alone. Dense fog met Mary and me yesterday atop a mountain at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park lodge in Arkansas. The thick … Continue reading →

One of the best parts of any trip comes before leaving home. Lots of people enhance the anticipation of a vacation by planning what clothes they will wear, but that’s not what excites me. Picking and packing clothes is only a chore I hurry through at the last hour. Sometimes I do it in the … Continue reading →

Even if the young woman hadn’t been shadowed by an experienced waiter, it still would have been obvious it was her first day. The signs were visible from her tentativeness, the nervous crack in her voice and finally her inability to answer questions about the menu. I suppose I displayed similar signs when covering … Continue reading →

A few years ago, I counted the places I have lived. Not including dorm rooms, Army barracks and a bunkhouse, it was more than 20. I don’t remember the first, which was built by my father, and have only a fleeting memory of the second. The third still appears in my dreams from … Continue reading →

Last week I reminisced to a younger colleague — all my colleagues are younger now — about how much I used to enjoy covering elections. Excitement as thick as the copy desk chief’s cigar smoke filled the newsroom on the night of big races. Reporters came in earlier than necessary to discuss why … Continue reading →

Tired, red eyes told the story. The new baby wasn’t sleeping. Actually, 2-week-old Delaney Jane Anderson wasn’t sleeping at night. However, 2-year-old Jena Anderson was wide awake in the daytime. There’s little rest for the parents of two little ones. I remember the weary feeling of having two little ones and a … Continue reading →

A breeze from over the pond tugs away a few more leaves. The air is cool enough to make my coffee cup feel good in my hands, but not penetrating enough to be uncomfortable. October is a perfect time for having breakfast on our deck. A few song birds add to the ambience. A … Continue reading →

I’m a member of a fraternity that doesn’t need a secret handshake to identify its members. It’s a worldwide fraternity that blackballs no one based on race, religion, economic standing, social status or political leaning. One of the few restrictions is an ill-defined, lower-age limit. Our … Continue reading →

Hearing my younger son’s voice from halfway around the world was welcome. It was a special relief since he was flying into a typhoon in a country that has recently been rattled by earthquakes, washed by a tsunami and paralyzed by nuclear power plant disasters. With three children living far from home, and out of any … Continue reading →

Before I started school I often bumped along with my father in his old Dodge truck to see his customers. I knew that after we stopped for lunch we would soon stop again. The second stop was always under a large tree, preferably a live oak. I think my dad knew every spot where a shade … Continue reading →

Ever ridden with a student driver? Try a student pilot. Getting an invitation to fly with my older son, who has been at the stick only a handful of times, was a surprise. A chance to fly over some of Florida’s most beautiful islands was an opportunity too fine to pass up. More important … Continue reading →

Two- and 3-year-olds cavorted among colorful towers and animal-shaped devices that sprayed light mists or heavier streams. Occasionally a 12-foot-tall pelican with a 5-gallon beak splashed one little boy or another who stood head-down waiting to be soaked. Birthday parties have changed over the decades since I was a child, and I just went to a … Continue reading →

I evolved as a hunter, not as a gatherer. I like that idea better than the thought that I am among the shopping challenged. That’s not to say that I can’t go to a hardware store and procure a pipe fitting. I find the right bin, take the fitting to the counter, slide my magic card, … Continue reading →

No bell in our school was anticipated as much or reacted to as explosively as the one for morning recess. For me, and most of my friends, recess was what made school tolerable in the 1950s. For the first eight of my school years, we had recess three times a day. That didn’t include play before … Continue reading →

Some of the things I carried to school in my pockets when I was a boy would be confiscated today. At best, I would be sent home with a three-day suspension to contemplate carrying such contraband. A few of the things in my pockets might now result in a student being hauled to a juvenile detention … Continue reading →

Cycle of life centers on school’s start, summer When we were kids there was one day every year that my friends and I dreaded. For about a month before it arrived its specter periodically intruded on pleasant days the way an approaching thunderstorm threatens a productive fishing trip or a tight baseball game. Thoughts about … Continue reading →

Twisted limbs on the island’s trees told unwritten stories about storms endured. Triple trunks grew from the point of one tree where a previous trunk had toppled. The purpose of the trip to the island off the coast of South Carolina was to see wildlife. Indeed, we would see an ibis colony, a variety of water … Continue reading →