Family

On Unicorns and Rainbows…

by B. Diane White,
Health & Wellness

On My Heart (A Series) … Here We Go Again

by B. Diane White,
Health & Wellness

On Turning 60 Part VI (Getting Angry, Then Getting Over It)…

by B. Diane White,
Love

On Saying Goodbye…

by B. Diane White,
Observations and Musings

On Dreams…

by B. Diane White,
Health & Wellness

On Turning 60 Part V (The Body Snatchers)

by B. Diane White,
Family

On July 4th Traditions…

by B. Diane White,
About Me - An introduction

On Turning 60 Part IV (Conversations)…

by B. Diane White,
Health & Wellness

On My Heart (A Series)… Surrendering.

by B. Diane White,
Health & Wellness

On Turning 60 Part III (Someone to Watch Over Me)

by B. Diane White,

On the Manners in Nature…

We are well into fall here at Sugarberry Slope, and deep winter is not far away. While spring, summer and early fall provide a cornucopia of food for the wide variety of critters that call Sugarberry home, I am compelled to supplement in late fall and winter. Fruit past its prime, last week’s seeded bread, the discarded parts of vegetables[…]

On Sisters …

Two of my top five favorite writers are Nora and Delia Ephron.[i] Nora and Delia are sisters who (along with the younger Amy and Hallie) all grew up to become professional writers. There was never any question that they would be writers. Their parents were successful screenwriters, and it was their mother who set all four girls on the path[…]

On Birthdays…

I turned 59 yesterday. My birthdays, especially those 9th ones (29, 39, 49…), tend gnaw at me more than the others because the next year “I will be old.” Let me preface this by stating without hesitation that I am happier now than I have been at any of my prior 9th birthdays. I would not go back to 29,[…]

On Altruism…

Altruism /ˈalˌtro͞oˌizəm/: the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others. I belong to a very small community of yoga practitioners. We meet via Zoom every weekday morning at 6:00 a.m. While our goal is to get all bendy and strong, sometimes we have some deep conversations that make their way into this blog.[…]

On Picking Blackberries

I spent some time picking blackberries this weekend, a favorite and also least favorite summer activity. It is my experience that no matter how I plan, no matter what time of the morning or evening, the temperature rises above 100 degrees the moment I get within picking distance of a blackberry patch. I suspect blackberries have their own environment where[…]

On Mother’s Day

It is Mother’s Day. My mother left this earth in 2018, four years ago. If you still have your mother, let me be cliché for a moment and tell you to cherish every minute with her. Of course, you cannot do that, because well . . . life. But make your best effort, so you minimize your regrets. Loss is[…]

On Being Right….

Him: You always think your opinion is correct. Me: Well, of course I do. Why would I choose to have an incorrect opinion? I had the above conversation, and similar ones, repeatedly during a marriage that ended after twenty years. It ended, ultimately, because he was wrong, and I could prove it.  But that is not the point I’m trying[…]

On Tribes…

The word “Tribe” has gained popularity among women over the past decade. Here in Oklahoma, we mainly think of a tribe in the indigenous people sense of the word and I find it a little curious that in a time where athletics teams have had to change their mascots in the name of political correctness and sensitivity, scores of blonde-haired,[…]

On Where Christmas Went…

When I was a kid, my mother often read Erma Bombeck’s column to me. Mom loved Erma, and I enjoyed the column too, but I never fully appreciated the essays until I was a mother. Erma wrote the following column in 1971 and it was republished in newspapers during Christmas for years afterward. Mom had cut out the article and[…]

And Now We Are Three…

And now we are three. Then, one day, we will be two. After that, only one. And then…. This picture was taken Christmas morning, 1969. If memory serves, we all got new pajamas as our gift to open Christmas Eve. This helped insure we were somewhat presentable the next morning when Mom’s Polaroid came out. That is my older brother[…]

On Finding Our Things…

My little sister, Piglet, ran a half marathon today. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is one of the biggest events our city has for runners. It was organized to remember those whose lives were lost in the 1995 Murrah Building Bombing, support survivors, pay tribute to first responders, and to raise money to support the Museum that has been erected[…]

On What’s In a Name?

I changed my name. Why? The first assumption made by casual acquaintances and people who didn’t know me before 1984 was that I had gotten married. “I just noticed your new email signature. I guess congratulations are in order!” But, of course that’s not what happened. I guess it would be more correct to say I changed my name back[…]

On Remembrance…

This picture is of my father, back from basic training, and just before leaving for his tour in Germany. He was a bright young man who chose to give up the last couple of months of high school (and possible jail time for a teenage prank he and some buddies took a bit too far), to serve his country. He[…]

On My Birthday…

Today is my birthday. I’ve been dreading this one, but no more than the last one. I am closer now to 60 than ever before. I sometimes worry that I’m running out of time. Is that something other people worry about? The picture here is me at 2 months old (according to my mother’s lovely script on the back). This[…]

On the Windmills

There is something I’ve been wanting to say since the winter blast that hit the country in early February. Particularly hard hit were the southern states not used to such cold temperatures in the negative numbers. One of the biggest problems was the strain put on the power grids of Oklahoma and Texas, because neither state was prepared for it.[…]

On Forgiveness

January 15 was the birthday of someone I haven’t spoken to in over two years, and not spoken civilly to in about 9. I’ve been thinking a lot of forgiveness lately. Someone’s said recently that forgiveness isn’t acceptance, it is giving up the hope that the past could be different. I don’t know if the person who said that is[…]

On Compassion…

Compassion seems to be in short supply right now. Maybe it is lost in shipping with the protein powder I ordered a few weeks ago, or out of print like the book of essays I tried to send to a friend. Maybe it is just out of fashion, like bell bottom jeans. I do not know. But, of all the[…]

On Grandpa’s Fiddle

My grandfather, Harvie Montgomery, gave me this fiddle when I was a youngster. I adored him. When I was about 25 years old, he developed lung cancer and died in just over a year.  I have kept this fiddle in its case all this time. My mother remembers him playing it on their porch surrounded by family, his brothers playing[…]

On Old Dogs…

Sunday morning, like most mornings, my accountability partner, Myrna, and I went out for our walk. Myrna is Charles’ dog. He adores her. She adores him. But she also loves her long walks, which is where they part ways and I step in. Myrna is somewhere between 7 years old and Methuselah. We can’t really be sure because she arrived[…]

On Birth…

Behold the first moments of the life of my grandson, Jameson Walker. April 10, 2015. I was there. I took this picture. It remains one of the most prominent and precious moments of my life and, arguably, his. My own children were born via C-Section, but had they been born naturally without intervention by the medical team, I would not[…]

On Saving Things…

My Mother passed away in July 29, 2018 and Daddy left us June 1, 2020. They left the family home to my little brother, Kevin. As Kevin, my sister Amy, and I were engaged in the awful chore of going through my parents personal effects and household items, Kevin asked, “Do either of you want Mom’s china.” There was a[…]

On Certainty…

I came across this quote this morning while researching for my final project in Philosophy class. It really spoke to me. It wasn’t helpful for my project but was an “aha moment” for me. I’ve been in a serious funk lately (like almost everyone else on the planet) and I realize now that uncertainty is the cause. I’m having the[…]

In Memoriam

The handsome man in the picture is my Daddy, Carl Francis White. He is credited for the title of this blog page, as it was a sentiment he used on me often whenever things turned bad. “They can’t eat ya,” he would shrug. Daddy passed away June 1, 2020. He was 80 years old. I had the honor of writing[…]

On Opinions…

Everyone has their own opinions on the state of our world right now. In Oklahoma, our governor has decided to start “reopening the state” this week. There are varying opinions about this from “Oh, thank God,” to “WTF?? Is he crazy?” The key players in our state’s government cannot even agree on the right thing to do. Is it too[…]

On Surprises…

I am reading The Book of Awakening, Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, by Mark Nepo. (This is a wonderful, non-denominational daily devotional). The devotional for April 21 is The Gift of Surprise. One of the things I know about myself is that I love surprises, I just want to know about them[…]

On Simple Love

Last night I dreamed about my mother. She was tiny and frail, and I was caring for her, like we did in those last days. It was just her and me, together. No one else. She needed to go to the bathroom, so I carried her in. This is something I never would have attempted alone in real life for[…]

On Being Realistic

Telling a child to be realistic is a cruel but passive form of child abuse. There, I said it. It’s true. There were never more hateful, bitter, dream killer words uttered, generation after generation. The cycle must stop. A child comes into this world without any awareness of his limitations. He is a clean slate of possibilities. His parents ask[…]

On Becoming

Most people who know me, know I love a good sunrise. But, I doubt they know why. I love sunrises because it is visual evidence that the night is becoming the day. The dark becoming the light. When I see that sun come up, in the words of Alexander Pope, “hope spring eternal.” Starting each day with the sunrise, watching[…]

Important Dreams.

I have been on vacation this week and have just returned. My mind is full of thoughts and things I want to blog about, but fatigue and the need to get ready for the upcoming week require me to put them on hold until later in the week. However, I thought I would share this one. It is an old[…]

Gone, But Not Forgotten

This time of year my big brother “Gene” always comes to mind. His birthday is October 12. His soul departed to Heaven in 2014, but we lost him many years ago to pain and depression. When I remember him, I like to go back in time, when he was young, handsome, healthy and ornery; back to the time when girls[…]

The Late Great Grandpa Harvie

One hero from my childhood was my maternal grandfather, Harvie Montgomery. I flat out adored him. That is him and me in the picture, dated 1967. It must have been Easter or something, because he is not wearing overalls and I appear reasonably clean. Grandpa was a simple man. He and Grandma Exie didn’t own much; just a tiny house[…]

A Tribute to My Heart Dog, Sean

I wrote the following tribute February 10, 2014, to my beloved “heart dog” Sean on his 12th birthday. He was slowing down and greying around his temples, and I knew our time together was growing shorter. Old hands, human and canine, 50 and 12. Today, the love of my life turned 12. As the alarm sounded this morning, he did[…]

You Can’t Fix Stupid?

I was taking my sunrise walk this morning when a truck drove by with a bumper sticker that read “You can’t fix stupid.” This a primarily southern expression, popularized by comedian, Ron White. The phrase is printed on t-shirts, memes and, of course, bumper stickers. It is a get-out-of-jail-free card for those tasked with teaching someone not ready or willing[…]

Do Butterflies Mourn?

I have been without my mother for exactly one year. She passed away July 29, 2018 around 6:00 a.m., just moments before a thunderstorm woke me and I went to check on her. I think her spirit was still in the room when I walked in. I have been without my mother for exactly one year. She passed away July[…]

134.0 Pounds

This is the weight I was this morning. Last Wednesday I was 129.3. The week before that it was 133.2. For the last 5 years I have gone up and down between 128 and 135, struggling for that illusive 125 pound mark I had randomly decided was my goal. Ten years ago, I weighed 150 pounds. 150 pounds is at[…]

On Unicorns and Rainbows…

“It’s not all unicorns and rainbows,” someone says to point out that whatever they are going through isn’t all fun and games and they shouldn’t expect it to be. Whatever it is might be college, a job, or raising kids or just a random Tuesday afternoon. The point being, we have to live in reality and not be all “woo[…]

On Saying Goodbye…

Today we said goodbye to the father of a good friend. It was an informal service and, as is proper for a well done graveside service, a light rain fell intermittently – enough to hold an umbrella but not really enough to open it. I didn’t know Mr. Collins very well. We had met a few times. He was very[…]

On July 4th Traditions…

Today, like most of the people in our community, we celebrated our nation’s independence from England by eating large quantities of mayonnaise based food and sitting around the swimming pool. We didn’t get in the pool, but just sat around it and glanced at it from time to time. The swimming pool is more like the television in the living[…]

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