Author Archives: rogerbarbee

This week I had an appointment in the office of The Mooresville Graded School District, which is located in the old post office at 305 North Main Street. When I  drove into the parking lot I was surprised that there were no handicapped parking spaces. However, I had faced that before and occupied two spacesContinue reading “MGSD Act”

Today’s morning ride was a cold one which is all-too common in many springs. The sun was just clearing the spit of Lake Norman we live by, and planes busily passed overhead on their way to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The landing traffic here is steady, but not heavy, and I enjoy watching the massiveContinue reading “Planes, Pine Trees, Birds, and the Lake”

            Since California high school football for the fall 2020 season was cancelled because of the pandemic, and the spring season looked doubtful,  Carla and Steven Lenhoff allowed their son Lucas to search for options that would allow him to play. After a thorough search, he settled on Charlotte, NC, and last year his parentsContinue reading “Lenhoff Money”

            This last day of March 2022 arrives clothed in a delightful mix of warm, wet wrappings of flowering trees, grasses, and flowers. The dogwood trees in the back garden hold not yet fully opened blooms of their soft white petals as if not wanting to release them to onlookers. Cardinals, nuthatches, doves, Carolina Chickadees,Continue reading “A Lake Norman Day”

In my career as a teacher of literature and composition, I taught students to parse sentences to better understand a text. When I read the string of texts between Ginni Thomas and  Mark Meadows, as reported in the Washington Post, I parsed two of them to fuller comprehend the thinking of Thomas and Meadows andContinue reading “Ginni Thomas’ Attack on America”

Death is all around us, but the death happening as I type these lowly words this early spring morning is unnecessary. It is happening because a neighbor is inconvenienced and has the power to create a patio with fire pit and grill less troubled by the roots and seed pods and leaves of a magnificentContinue reading “The Red Maple”

Just read the following words. I’ll explain below: “I remember thinking before the season even started, ‘If I don’t start, if I don’t ever win a match, I’m just lucky to be here,’ because their [the coaches and team] perspective on life. I think that’s why they are so successful. In situations when it’s uncomfortableContinue reading “Values and Wrestling”

It takes a visionary to see that a deep ravine can be transformed into what is now, over forty years later, a soccer/lacrosse field for an Alexandria private school. It takes the same type of visionary to see that the vacant building of a defunct department store in Arlington County will be a perfect homeContinue reading “Mr. John T. Hazel”

Late last week in that delicious time of waning sun light when complete calm had descended over the garden, Nick the beagle and I went out to savor the moment. We were not disappointed. Sitting in the far eastern reaches of the garden, I found descending sun beams to warm my face and Nick recoveredContinue reading “One Small Event”

Having recently re-read the autobiography of Loren Eiseley, I decided to read a biography of the 20th century eminent writer and scientist. Soon a copy of Gale Christianson’s Fox at the Wood’s Edge arrived, and I eagerly opened the package only to find an ex-library copy that the seller had not advised, so I requestedContinue reading ”                                                Withdrawn”