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September 2026

September 28, 2026

A World Where Children Can Be

Autumn came in earnest, and I was happy. It was a cool, dry, cloudy...

February 2026

February 08, 2026

In Cold, In Light, In Grief

The brightest day there could possibly be, is a cold bright day. The strongest sun...

November 2025

November 09, 2025

When You’re Feeding the Poor this Holiday Season…

I've run out of ways to tell you that what's being done to the...

October 2025

October 25, 2025

The Shadows at the End of the World

The cat thinks shadows are solid objects. I've never had a cat before. Charlie is...

October 21, 2025

The Shutdown Means Millions Will Go Hungry

I hope that all of my readers, especially if you've been blessed with a...

October 06, 2025

WIC is Running Out of Money, Fast

If the shutdown goes on, the WIC Program could run out of money in...

August 2025

August 14, 2025

Summer Ends, In a World Without Mercy

Summer ends, first with a bang, and then a whimper. I had been moping at...

June 2025

June 24, 2025

A Neighbor, on a Dark Night

This isn't a good story; just a true one. A good story has a...

April 2025

April 28, 2025

Trump’s Cuts to Food Pantries are Already Hurting the Poor

I want to talk about food pantries again: what they are, how the current...

March 2025

March 31, 2025

The Cat, The Rabbit, and Christianity

Charlie the cat belongs to the Artful Dodgers, but I pretend not to know...

January 2025

January 16, 2025

In the Forever Snow

We're having a snowy winter. We haven't had a snowy winter in at least...

November 2024

November 27, 2024

On a Helpless Day

On Monday morning, I took the Lady of LaBelle to get her weekly food...

March 2024

March 06, 2024

On Appalachian Economics

Jimmy the mechanic got a new car. By which I mean, he got an...

January 2024

January 15, 2024

A Portrait of a Man

[Note: I originally published this story in 2017, but the link to the next...

May 2023

May 21, 2023

My Two Cents on Food Pantries

Twitter was awash in another pile-on the other day, this time on the subject of...

March 2023

March 23, 2023

The Great Fire of LaBelle

It was evening but not yet dark, when the Lost Girl texted me. "My neighbor's...

January 2023

January 31, 2023

On a Harrowing Sunday Night

On Sunday night, the Lost Girl went to the emergency room. It turned out there...

December 2022

December 18, 2022

It Started With A Text

It all started with a text. The Lost Girl whose children were so well behaved...

November 2022

November 15, 2022

Yes, We Do Need Bloated Bureaucracy

I watched an exchange on Twitter, which I thought was educational. Tony Arnett, the author...

June 2022

June 28, 2022

For All the Lost Girls

I first knew my friend was good at math, when I took her shopping....

June 25, 2022

Drop Dew, Ye Heavens

I finished my pilgrimage to Columbus, and came back down to the Valley with a...

June 23, 2022

Nobody Prays at the Slumlord’s House

I saw a post online recently, about people praying the Rosary outside the public library....

June 08, 2022

Just To Stay Poor Another Day

There is a myth that gets told in just about every culture, with variations...

May 2022

May 18, 2022

What We Need is Families

I've been helping my friend who needed food last week. Her story is a little...

May 13, 2022

Only I Have, Only I Give

"Can you voice?" said Rose, in the back seat of the car. She was...

December 2021

December 01, 2021

A Tip to Remember for your Winter Clothing Drives

A lot of you are probably taking part in clothing drives this time of...

November 2021

November 10, 2021

The People With Nowhere to Sleep

The neighbor I met last month moved out of that leaky, moldy house right across...

October 2021

October 21, 2021

The Colors of Autumn

It finally got cool in Steubenville. I love cool weather, but the sudden change always...

October 15, 2021

And Now We Are Mothers

It started when a neighbor messaged me late at night. She said that...

July 2021

July 14, 2021

Driving Miss Rosie

I took the Neighborhood Trolley to the doctor today-- thanks to all my readers...