Herman Clemenson lived 24,500 days after Sgt. Leroy Johnson saved his life on Dec. 15, 1944. The place was Leyte Island, Philippines. The story is one for the ages. 24,550 days. That’s a long time. That’s 67 years and over two months. Close to a lifetime. And Herman Clemenson, a North Dakota soldier had this gift of a lifetime thanks …
Read More »Louisiana Stories
Trail Magic
Trail Magic “Be ye kind one to another.” -Paul in Ephesians 4:32 Frank and I climbed up a steep ridge on the north Georgia part of the Appalachian Trail. We were on a remote and dry portion of the Trail and were parched on this warm day. Our water bottles were empty and we consulted a guidebook for the next …
Read More »“Uncle Quincy’s Goose” from ‘Wind in the Pines’
Uncle Quincy’s Goose (From Curt Iles’s third book, Wind in the Pines.) “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.” -Proverbs 21:23 You are probably familiar with the old story of the gossip who was confronted for spreading an untruth throughout the community. The offending “tale-bearer” apologized and volunteered to go back to …
Read More »Dec. 31: “Finishing Strong” Last Day of the Year
December 31 New Year’s Eve Finishing Strong Ted Williams is generally considered the greatest hitter in the history of major league baseball. Two events from his career speak about the concept of “finishing strong.” In 1941, Williams entered the last day of the season with a batting average of .3995. This would qualify him for a rounded off …
Read More »Down in the Well
Down in the Well “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” Proverbs 3:4 My neighbor Dudley Mercer tells a story from his Dry Creek childhood. His family farm had a 35-foot deep well on which they relied for all of their water needs. Dudley’s family also had a problem: one …
Read More »A Remarkable Story: Finishing the Race
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time is today. It’s a story worth retelling. His name is John Stephen Akhwari and he had the dubious honor to finish last in the Marathon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. John Stephen, a Tanzanian runner, finished more than one hour after the winner had …
Read More »A Short, but Unforgettable, Lesson on Prayer
Pray One for Another “. . . And pray one for another.” (James 5:16) One of my favorite stories concerning prayer is told by my lifelong friend, Della Mercer. She faithfully taught the preschoolers at our church for years. Once at the end of a lesson on prayer, she wanted to finish the lesson by having the children pray. …
Read More »A Hero and Patriot Remembered
John McCain He is a hero and a patriot and fittingly, he is being buried as one. John McCain, regardless of your politics, was a great American. Whether you agreed with him or not, he would do anything for what he considered his country. I didn’t always agree with him. I laughingly always said, “Sometimes, he seems to …
Read More »Go Trojans! The ASH Streaker of 1976
Go Trojans! I wouldn’t believe this story (or tell it) if I hadn’t heard it directly from Jimmie Hooks. Mr. Hooks was one of my Dad’s closest high school friends, a successful business in DeRidder (Big D Corral and Hook’s) and a fine Christian man. I’ll let him tell the story as I remember it: His son, …
Read More »Thoughts on Trade Offs
“Son, there are two things you should never sell: a dog or a gun. You’ll regret it later.” -Louisiana Rural Wisdom Life is full of decisions, and each decision you make is a trade-off. You’ll gain some things while losing others. Seldom in life is any decision “a complete win.” To move ahead, you must necessarily leave something behind. The …
Read More »A Remarkable Day: April 6 is Whipoorwill Day
A word from Curt This afternoon my oldest grandson Noah and I will slip into the edge of Kisatchie National Forest near Woodworth. We won’t have our guns. Turkey season doesn’t open until tomorrow. We’ll be there (rain or not) to look and listen. I’m taking him to the area where I encountered a herd of wild horses last month. …
Read More »‘Buried Hams’ A favorite story told by my cousin, Harold Iles, Sr.
The best part of writing about Pineywoods Louisiana is how my books open the door for others to tell me their stories. Most of my historical fiction comes from actual stories told by my friends, both old and new. This is especially true with A Spent Bullet, my 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers book. My cousin, Harold Iles, who was a Sugartown …
Read More »Coming of Age
Coming of Age: it always involves a good story Cherry Winche Creek lies deep in the Ten Mile country of western Louisiana. Our new novel, As the Crow Flies, begins when the drifting Cotton family’s wagon breaks down at the creek. ___________________________________________________ Sometimes you write a book. And sometimes it writes itself. Often, you start out as …
Read More »Blog #1300 Our most popular blogs over the years
Blog Post #1300: Our Most Popular Blogs Today marks the 1300th blog post I’ve published. According to views and shares, here are some of the most popular: Enjoy! *Scroll to the bottom of this post to order a copy of our newest novel, As the Crow Flies. __________________________________ Riding the Storm Out A word from Curt I’m writing today from Dry …
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