Feel that warmth? Right there on the back of your neck? Yep. That’s the one. Around here that means only one thing: time to cruise down to the Mule Barn coffee shop and get something hot to drink. Of ...

In the wee hours of most mornings, I will read a passage from a book professing to contain Mother Teresa’s essential teachings. It is now a wellworn paperback whose line spacing and print size are agr...

Turtles are on the move, migrating from their winter hibernation spots to areas more conducive for breeding and egg-laying. This migration often requires turtles to traverse roadways, putting them at ...

“Happy May Day!” said Delbert McLain, our self-appointed, undisputed and unpaid head of our non-existent chamber of commerce. He wears a tie. Here, in this town. ‘Nuf said. “By golly you’re right,” sa...

For bird enthusiasts, nothing beats the thrill of spotting a bird species in the wild and identifying it. It also can be quite a task to master that ability, but the digital age ushers in new tools fo...

I read that the Haskell County Historical Society was holding a meeting. It seems the goal is to reenergize the once vibrant historical society and its museum. Community organizations such as this are...

Ran into Doc down at The Mule Barn the other day, so naturally we had to rid the world of about a gallon of coffee and solve the world’s problems for an hour. It is the duty of all true Americans of o...

My name is Evan Breedlove and I have spent most of my career working with, developing and administering health insurance plans for employees and clients. As we get older, health care becomes more impo...

We all have heard of the 5 Stages of Grief. While it is a decent guideline for what most people experience, I want you to know it is not some golden handbook that must be followed to the letter or a s...

On a recent Sunday I believed watching the NCAA Women’s National Championship Game, Iowa v. South Carolina would be the most memorable television of my weekend. I was making a few mental notes about t...

With spring in full swing, many families are looking for opportunities to unplug and spend quality time together outdoors. Few activities offer as much bonding time as fishing does. Across Oklahoma, p...

Spring mornings are a lot like Christmas. Each day we get up and go out into the yard, or walk along the creek or visit the horses in the pasture. And each day, each morning, we find something new the...

For local bass fishing fans, Blake Capps of Muskogee was the story of the B.A.S.S. Nation Regional on the Arkansas River that took place last weekend at Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The 28-year-old angle...

My interests in the homeless grows. It seems they are everywhere, yet nowhere. They populate the green belts and underpasses of our expressways. A persistent reminder of a social responsibility that c...

“Well,” said Steve, the tall cowboy, “at least it’s Friday and we all have the weekend to look forward to.” Doc glanced up from his paper at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn truck stop and worl...

A family from down our lane has been picking up the trash that has been scattered on our county road. The mom pulls a big wagon, and the kids fill large trash bags. This windy month of March has reall...

In three quarters of a century from the time I first watched some snowy, black and white images, television programming has evolved into the primary source of entertainment and information in the larg...

Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact w...

There are two football fields that I have frequented over the years that are named for men, former coaches, who were my friends. Fr. William A. Hamill (Cascia Hall) and Angelo Prassa (Bishop Kelley). ...

When old Joe Gilliam began digging that hole in his front yard, out there close to the street, neighbors watched and wondered. When he got his grandson to help him carry the shade tree sapling from hi...