The only vehicle we owned was a pickup truck. My Dad had traded our family car for a pickup. We managed because there were only three of us now: Mom, Dad and I. Dad did cement work (sidewalks, drivewa...

DEAR ABBY: My daughter “Claudia” has been dating and living with “Justin” - the boy next door. They moved to Florida months back and loved each day together. Then, the unthinkable happened. Justin’s f...

“Take my life and let it be ever, only, all for Thee,” pleads the old hymn writer to his Lord. The plea expresses yearning, hungering. He hungers to be fully owned by One who is more wise and more cap...

I came to Okmulgee in 2001. Well, that’s not completely true, I lived here for a spell as a little girl in 1972, that’s where we got our dog, Blondie.But, since 2001 living in Okmulgee, I have felt li...

The Oklahoma Legislature reached its second major deadline, and several thousand bills have been either rejected in their houses of origin or were simply not heard.Up to now, House bills have been con...

The past few weeks have been busy at the Capitol! So far, we’ve heard 296 House bills, but not all have passed.Last week was short, but this week is deadline week, so I expect it to be packed with hea...

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married for a little more than 12 years. My wife and I have one child. Unfortunately, like a lot of relationships, we’ve been stuck in a rough patch for a while now. I learned tha...

March 24 is National Cheesesteak Day! I do enjoy a good cheesesteak. For those who may not know, a philly cheesesteak is a sandwich made with thinly sliced, tender steak, caramelized onions and gooey ...

Living our lives day by day in closeness to Jesus calls for both desire and intention.Just like any healthy marriage carrying forward right into the sunset years, both parties - the man and the woman ...

Recently, I underwent full-knee replacement surgery. This was my second knee to be replaced, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I understood there would be pain and the physical therapy, e...

You might remember that early last winter, when it was warm enough you could still stand to be outside, we had a groundbreaking at the Okmulgee Business Complex. At the groundbreaking, I said it won’t...

A nursing facility is not a hospital. Many people enter a nursing facility after a hospital stay and tend to think of the nursing facility as an extension of hospital care. However, a nursing facility...

DEARABBY: My ex-husband and I separated two months after our wedding. Our divorce was final five months ago. After I left him, I started talking to a younger guy I had a lot in common with. However, h...

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is pleased to be working this year on a project with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma that will raise awareness about access to children’s health insuran...

DEAR ABBY: This is in response to “Living a Soap Opera” (Jan. 3), the unhappy woman who is married to an alcoholic. She is flattered by the three younger men she’s conversing with online. My experienc...

March is Sauce Month designed to celebrate all things saucy! In honor of this, I made sauces this week! I actually prefer making my own things as much as possible. It’s so nice to be able to control s...

As Oklahoma’ Attorney General, I have made it a top priority to aggressively enforce the Open Records and Open Meetings Acts across State government. That is why I am excited to highlight the importan...

DEAR ABBY: While shopping at the mall, I have seen too many stressed-out parents ignore or yell at their children. It certainly isn’t helpful. It isn’t how I was raised or how I raised mine. Years ago...

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.The Prayer of Serenity phrase speaks to the resilient nature of life with God, as well as life with on...

For vacation one year, we went to Big Sur State Park in California. It is a beautiful, rugged mountain park. It was so popular, even when I was a boy, that we had to rent a space outside the park our ...