Seventy-five years ago today, my dad, Clark Lindsay Christlieb, turned Sweet 16. He was having a blast as a sophomore at Murray High, directly across from his house on Grantham Street in picturesque, serene St. Anthony Park in St Paul, Minnesota. Dad played basketball and ran track that year (1945-46) and was a placekicker in … More Happy 91st to ‘a pretty cute and swell kid’ who grew up to be Dad
“Is this the craziest thing I’ve ever done?” I asked Kay. “Yes,” she said, without hesitation. “That’s just because you never do anything crazy,” Alex, the 16-year-old, chimed in. Two days later, it is done. This afternoon, I spent over an hour at a cool place in Arlington called Kelly’s Haircuts, which I found through … More With 60 just days away, taking an un-Frank-like leap for a new look
Today’s the day!! It’s the day we *finally* escape the subfreezing captivity that has gone on for what seems weeks — but has been only 10 days. The day we finally start to see some of the snow that has blanketed North Texas since Sunday begin to melt. The day we can look up and … More A week of bitter cold, lost power, boiled water and hot Texas tempers over outages
This is taken from a Facebook post I wrote six years ago today, Feb. 9, 2015 — coincidentally, almost exactly four years before I started this blog. Although it wasn’t the last time I would be in Dad’s house in Missouri City — I did go back later for the grandfather clock — this visit … More 6 years later in my memory, Dad’s red jacket waits for him
Don’t ask me why I have zero pictures of my first car, a 1980 Ford Fairmont that my parents bought for my 20th birthday in February 1981, when I was a sophomore at Texas A&M. Who the heck doesn’t take photos — lots of them — of their first car? I came home from school … More There’s something perfect about our first car, isn’t there? For me, it was an ’80 Ford Fairmont
To say I was thrilled to have a brief phone visit Thursday with the gentleman at left in this cool 1970s photo would be an understatement. Jan. 7 marks Dr. Gilbert Alonzo Ratcliff Jr.’s 83rd birthday, and he and his late wife Betsy have been the definition of family to my family since 2005. We … More Happy birthday — and thank you — to Dr. Gil from all of us
“I thought you might enjoy it … and have something to remember your mother by. I’ll talk to you later. I love you. I love *all* of you, very, very much. Have a merry, merry Christmas. Bye-bye.” clyp.it/5hwclvrq (Betty Talks to Her Children) Every Christmas in recent years, I’ve listened to those words over and … More “I love you. I love *all* of you, very, very much.”
In the weeks leading up to Christmas 1954, the family leasing 121 Perry St. in east Huntington, West Virginia, was brimming with anticipation and excitement. In a home where a father’s heavy drinking and years-long molestation of his oldest child — unknown to the boy’s mother — had brought unhappiness, fear and pain, a much-needed … More Christmas, Betty and her family
Fifty years ago on a cold, rainy, foggy Saturday evening, tragedy visited my birthplace of Huntington, West Virginia. “This town died today,” a local hospital nurse would say that night, according to an Associated Press report. Save for those few who hadn’t made the trip, the bulk of the Marshall University football team and staff, … More 50 years after 75 lost their lives, We Are, And Will Always Be, Marshall
Last week, I posted a tribute to my best friend Doug, who left a huge hole in countless lives and hearts 18 years ago when he died suddenly at the age of 45. In those 18 years, Kay and I have done a very poor job of spending time with his kind, giving, compassionate and … More Making up for lost time with a sweet friend, the wife of another dear friend we lost 18 years ago
