John Moore is a 1980 graduate of Ashdown High School who lived in Texarkana and worked at KTFS Radio during the 1980s. His books, Write of Passage: A Southerner's View of Then and Now - Volume I and II, are available on Amazon. You can email him through his website at TheCountryWriter.com.
Sewing 'seams' to be making comeback
My mom used to make our clothes. This was true for most families we knew.
Jan. 10 2021 @ 10:38pm
JOHN MOORE | 'Tis the season of resolutions
In my previous column, I mentioned my resolution to help others during the New Year. Some readers felt that resolutions were a waste of time, while others felt resolutions were admirable but not sustainable.
Jan. 3 2021 @ 11:51pm
Family matters in vintage television and real life
When trying to decide on a 2021 resolution on how to improve myself, a thought that had popped into my head recently came back to the forefront.
Dec. 28 2020 @ 1:25am
Search for Santa's sled in Ashdown skies
Each Christmas Eve In the 1960's, my sister and I would take a ride in my grandmother's sled.
Like most grandmothers back then, her sled was a Ford Country Squire station wagon that was about the same length as an aircraft carrier and came complete with fake wood paneling on the sides.
Dec. 20 2020 @ 9:46pm
Wife-speak: Lots can be lost in translation
The ways of the South are not the ways of the rest of the country. I've never been to New York City, but from what I hear, the folks there say exactly what they think.
And it isn't always sugarcoated.
Dec. 13 2020 @ 10:37pm
A break from holiday decorations
The days after Thanksgiving: When married men go to the ER for a new cast from falling off the roof while installing the Christmas decorations their wives insist on, and single men sit around in their underwear watching sports and consuming adult beverages.
Dec. 6 2020 @ 8:56pm
The Norm and his Freedom series
For someone named Norm, he was anything but.
Norman Rockwell was my favorite artist even before I had any idea who he was. From a young age, I recognized his work as easily as I knew a sparrow when I saw one.
Nov. 29 2020 @ 9:47pm
OPINION | Let's put the thanks back in Thanksgiving
Let's put the thanks back in Thanksgiving
Nov. 23 2020 @ 10:23pm
Going out on a limb
When we moved into our house several years ago, it was during the month of June. A scruffy tree with small green leaves was blocking our view of the pond. I said I was going to cut it down.
Nov. 15 2020 @ 10:28pm
Navigating the weird world of dreams
I'm fairly certain my dreams have a drug dealer.
What is it with dreams? Sleep is supposed to be an 8-hour window (mine's never that long) when we rest, regenerate, and arise feeling as good as the person in the Folger's commercial who throws back the covers and stretches with a smile before jumping out of bed and heading to the kitchen to commence guzzling a gallon of java.
Nov. 8 2020 @ 9:42pm
They've Got Our Numbers
I'm old enough to remember needing to dial only four numbers to call someone. And when ZIP Codes weren't necessary.
Nov. 1 2020 @ 9:47pm
Best 'nana puddin' in disguise
If you grew up in the South, you could tell what your momma was about to make based on the bowl or casserole dish she had sitting on the kitchen counter.
Oct. 25 2020 @ 9:35pm
I'll take the fall
They call them seasons. I think that's because each adds a specific type of sensory spice to that quarter of the year.
Oct. 18 2020 @ 8:44pm
Just one more thing, sir
Columbo is the best TV detective America has ever had.
Oct. 11 2020 @ 10:16pm
Career came while trying to convince dad to write
I was in my 50s when I started my writing career. When most people were enjoying their new found discounts at Denny's and Cracker Barrel, I was reinventing myself, even though I didn't know it at the time.
Oct. 4 2020 @ 5:57pm
John Moore | The Scales of Just Us
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. As I write this, I've just heard the news. As you read this, some days have passed; but the impact of her departure is almost certainly still being assessed.
Sep. 28 2020 @ 12:11am
It's a Sign! But does it matter?
Do signs really change anyone's mind?
We must think that they do. We buy and put out a lot of them.
Sep. 20 2020 @ 6:41pm
Women once ultra-sensitive about hair doing techniques
The curling iron changed things. From the male perspective, not necessarily in a good way.
Sep. 13 2020 @ 8:42pm
True grits is what we make of it
Folks who aren't from the South invariably aren't familiar with grits. When they come for a visit, they often twist their eyebrows into a John Belushi-type look after they spot them on their breakfast plate.
Sep. 6 2020 @ 8:02pm
Nuts So Long Ago
My father couldn't pass a roasted peanut stand without stopping to buy a bag. He loved them.
Aug. 30 2020 @ 9:01pm