Tag Archives: Ashland Alabama

AMBULANCE CHASERS

History, Humor, Small Town America, ,

When the term “Ambulance Chaser” is used, it is normally in reference to injury lawyers who make their living off of filing lawsuits on behalf of those who have suffered loss– usually damage at the hands of well-insured businesses and corporations.  They often show up at disaster sites or after tragic events, hoping to get new clients to file lawsuits.  Most people don’t like the smell of lawsuits that look like personal revenge– until THEY become injured or wronged.  Then the tables are turned.  It’s a tough call, for sure.

But growing up in the small Alabama town of Ashland, the idea of  “ambulance chasing” had nothing to do with the legal profession, or with “revenge.”  It was exactly what it sounds like– chasing ambulances.   Continue reading AMBULANCE CHASERS →

THE LADY OF THE LAKE

Humor, Small Town America, , , ,

My mother, Marylyn Sims, never learned to swim.  For some reason she had a fear of deep water, although none of us know where it came from.  Sadly, she passed that fear down to me somewhere in my childhood.  Until I was about nine years old,  I buckled myself into ski belts and life jackets every time I went swimming. (The inflatable arm swimmies hadn’t been invented yet.)  I wasn’t afraid of the pool, or of water in general; I just wouldn’t swim.  I played in the creek beside my home almost every day of my life, but the water was shallow.  When my brother or a friend would hassle me about not being able to swim, I just responded with, “So what?  Mom can’t swim either.”  I had made up my mind that swimming wasn’t for me.  And that’s the way it was until the Lady of the Lake changed everything.

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MY FIFTH CHRISTMAS

Christian Discipleship, History, Humor, Small Town America, , , , , ,

treeAny Christmas is magical for a child, but there may be none so magical as a child’s fifth Christmas.  At five-years old it suddenly dawns upon a little kid that Christmas is something really special.  What other time of the year is it OK  to actually bring a tree into the house and decorate it with colorful lights?  And at what other time does a grown-up look at a kid and say, “Make a list of all the toys you want?”  It’s like the total OPPOSITE of the rest of the year– when asking to buy a toy normally results in a firm “NO, we can’t afford that!” and where candy is frowned upon as bad for your teeth.  At Christmastime, kids attend parades where happy adults actually THROW CANDY AT THEM, and where it’s OK to scream and yell at the top of your lungs.  Nobody says “shhhhhh!”

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THROWBACK 1966 (Part 2)

Christian Discipleship, History, Humor, Small Town America, , , , , , , ,

Last week’s blog post began our throwback adventure to year 1966.  We looked at life through the eyes of a 10-year old boy– going to the movies, dreaming about toys, watching TV commercials, and going to school.  We also looked at how real life crashes in on a 10-year old when coming face-to-face with the real world. (Don’t miss Part 1 if you haven’t read it yet.)  Let’s keep looking at what life was like 50 years ago.  How about this for starters:

Anyone remember this?  I remember kids doing it in the school hallways.  A Teacher’s nightmare!!

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THROWBACK 1966 (Part 1)

Biblical Truth, Christian Discipleship, History, Small Town America, Spiritual Growth, , , , , , , , , ,

mini-skirtI’m all about history.  It was one of my college majors; I taught it in school for almost a decade; I own multiple bookcases of history books (and have read most all of them);  and like Mark Twain once reflected about history, “We seem to have more of it now than we ever have.”  I love to study kings and queens, presidents and generals, war and peace, revolutions and revivals, and even (sigh) campaigns and elections.

But my FAVORITE is oral history.  I like to talk to people about their memories and experiences from the past.  I especially enjoy conversing with people who share the same memories as I do.  So, I have decided to throw out a random year from the past and see what my readers might remember together with me.  Perhaps those of you who are too young to remember the year will at least be entertained by our magical flashback.  So here goes.  Our first THROWBACK YEAR will be: 1966.  (Whoa!  That was a half-century ago!)

Continue reading THROWBACK 1966 (Part 1) →