Southwoods Magazine Online

The Death of Common Sense

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time... Read more

The Boat Dock

The wooden planks beneath my feet were weathered yet firm so I can only explain my tendency to walk in anything but a surefooted manner on the fact that everything around me was bobbing and rocking... Read more

The Box

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man who had lived next door when he was a kid. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country... Read more

One Man’s Passion

He sits by himself on a regular basis at the Congamond Lakes boat launch. He rarely pursues conversations, but is always ready and willing to partake in one.He practices his passion daily in the... Read more

Nesting

The nest was coming along. He brought by some grass and twigs, unsure of what to do with them. He knows she’s the expert. If he does something wrong, she’ll just rip it out and do it... Read more

My Birds

At the open back door, the birds’ sweet morning sounds greet me at dawn - - So much more beautiful than the noise of cars, buses, and voices . . .In the overgrown, green leafed forsythia bushes, a... Read more

Mirrors of My Mind

When I look in the mirror the first thing in the morning, I’m always surprised to see that same old woman looking out at me. I wonder who she is, no one that I know! With my eyes closed, there is a... Read more

June 1950

(My journal continues to chronicle life for my widowed mother, “Hester,” and me in our remodeled country schoolhouse without electricity or running water, plus events on my survey job with... Read more

Properly Display Our Flag

There is a right way and a wrong way to display the flag. The American flag should be held in the highest of regards. It represents our nation and the many people who gave their lives for our... Read more

Celebrating America’s Flag

The idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the flag is believed to have first originated in 1885 when a schoolteacher in Wisconsin named B.J. Cigrand arranged for the pupils observe June 14... Read more