Alternatives

I have been making baby steps into several non-traditional ways of thinking. These may be considered unorthodox in Western thought, but are well accepted in many other parts of the world.

Dealing with reality

When did we become a nation of voyeurs? It seems that every television show and every headline is about prying into someone else’s private lives.

Scientific investigation

Since the beginning of time, man has pondered some profound, possibly unanswerable, questions. Even today, in the 21st century, there are inquiries so baffling that they remain a mystery. One example is: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or, have you ever wondered why humans continue to stare into the refrigerator, even though the contents do not magically evolve into something different? And, of course, there is the age-old query, do blondes really have more fun?

Requiem

The heart is an abiding organ. It can expand to hold love in all forms. It can endure bruises and damage. It can crackle like shattered glass and keep beating in the human chest. This column is dedicated to anyone who has ever loved an animal and who has lost one so deeply loved.

Adele Elliott: A liberal education

My high school graduating class had its 45th reunion last weekend. (Please don’t do the math!) I did not attend, but have enjoyed following the

Adele Elliott: Mourning becomes America

Our country is in mourning over the deaths in Aurora, Colorado. As I write this, 12 people have died there. Several more are hospitalized in serious condition. By the time you read this, the death count may be higher.

Appeasing the gods

I have reason to believe that the gods of technology hate me. Paranoia? Perhaps. But the evidence is mounting every day.

Last week our telephone (yes, we still have a land line) did not ring for about six days. In a way, this was quite lovely. I do not answer the phone, anyway, because it is always for Chris. For a while we could make outgoing calls. Then, nothing. Nothing in, nothing out.

Rain rituals

Finally — rain! This week the Golden Triangle area got some much needed rain. It wasn’t too great for my little dogs, who do not like to go into the backyard when the grass is wet. However, for everyone else, the showers were a wonderful event. Gardens perked up and flowers smiled.

Southern Olympics

The Summer Olympics open later this month in London. Athletes from all over the globe will vie in over three dozen contests. There are competitions in everything from archery to sailing. At least three involve riding bikes; six use balls, and some contenders will ride horses or sail boats, or paddle canoes. It all sounds horribly exhausting.

Many of us here in the Golden Triangle are wondering just how those Olympians gather the energy to take on such Herculean tasks. For heaven’s sake, surviving summer in this part of the world is a feat of Olympian magnitude. We deserve medals for endurance. I am suggesting a few contests in which we might excel.

The people’s court

I read with interest this week that former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been under investigation by federal authorities, and is having his day in court.

You might remember him as mayor during the Hurricane Katrina crisis. That was a tragedy of Biblical proportions. Yet, Nagin may have added to the damage by making public statements during the disaster that were offensive and racist.

Reality

I have a lot of friends who are writers. We have long conversations about theme and point of view and word count. We talk about fiction, for the most part. Although some write news and current events, creative writing is closer to our hearts.

Stop the presses

It was sad news last week when The Times Picayune, New Orleans’ daily paper became New Orleans’ three-day-a-week paper. After 175 years, the publication is going digital, and no more home delivery. Mon Dieu! What a tragedy.

Adele Elliott: Jubilee

It certainly seems that the entirety of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was thrilled to celebrate their Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this week. Elizabeth II has “ruled” her realm for sixty years. Great Britain honored the occasion with enough pomp to last another 60 years.

Chasing shadows

We live in a place rich with history. Pilgrims come to the South from all over the world just to walk in the shadows of our past. This does not seem strange to us.

Tuned in

Deep in the heart of every writer lurks a voyeur. We are masters of schizophrenic listening.

A good writer can participate in a lunch-time conversation while tuning into diners at the next table. He (or she) is an observer of human nature, body language and, most importantly, subtle inflections, the nuances of speech. There is an invisible recorder in the brain, storing away accents and tones.

Adele Elliott: Exodus, part two

As a child, I was terrified of trains. I cried if our car stopped near a train track or crossing. Many songs have been written about the romantic sound of a distant whistle. I cannot relate to lyrics about the allure of a train whistle’s screech. That sound pierces chills and panic into my body. To me, it is the soundtrack of horror movies.

Adele Elliott: Exodus

There has been much angst lately about immigration, especially the illegal kind. This country has built walls along the border with Mexico. We are patrolling

A love affair with books

Some of my earliest memories include books. My mother read to us long before my brother and I began to read for ourselves. She loved afternoon naps. After lunch, the three of us would scramble into bed, each child with a head against her shoulder, so that we could see the pictures as she read. We all fell asleep with visions of animals and fairies and magical adventures.

Moonlighting

A beautiful moon hung low over the Golden Triangle last week. It seemed to stay full for days, peeking into my kitchen window, illuminating the tangled wisteria vines that twist like snakes from the arbor to the old pecan tree in our back yard.

Continuing education

This week Chris and I were lucky enough to spend some time on the campus of Mississippi State University. We were there to entertain at their Spring Fling, an outdoor event with food, music and all sorts of fun amusements. The students could be painted with henna or a glitter “tattoo,” or have their caricature drawn.