Blog
My First Memory
My first memory was mom telling me to sit in our rocking chair so she could take a picture of me....
Carola Hartley Lousiiana Historian
It is hard to believe that almost ten years have past since the birth of my daughter, Alison. It...
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? was one of the first expressions I learned when living in Germany. It means...
Meeting New, Old Friends
One of dad's Army assignments was what ended up being the birthplace of my older brother, Glenn,...
Long Cool Car with a Blue Hood
Seems everyone has at least one photo sitting or standing by a car. I have several both from when...
Would I do it All Over Again?
At times, I've asked myself that if I had a choice would I do it all over again. My answer to...
Fun by the Bayou
My parents and grandparents loved to have cookouts with family and friends. This left me and my...
My Grandfather, Who I Knew but Didn’t Know
My paternal grandfather's, AC (his actual name was Atelsimar and has been spelled in many...
Photo Break
The time period is the late 1970s attending T.H. Harris Trade School in Opelousas, Louisiana for...
Ready to Shop
With my purse in hand and standing by our car, I must have been ready to go shopping! It reminds...
Chiemsee Ski Week
The day I was chosen as one of the students to attened one of Chiemsee's Ski Week was a day I was...
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
With the unusually cold weather we are having right now, it reminds me I grew up in several places...
First Easter I Remember
I was just under two and half years old for this Easter, which was the first Easter I remember....
Helicopter Ride, Anyone?
I've never rode on a helicopter, but I posed by one! This photo was taken at Fort Chaffee,...
Big Girls Do Cry
This photo certainly brings me back to simpler times. I was four years old and was drawing or...
JW Low’s Lunch Counter
The JW Low's lunch counter is a favorite memory of many from Opelousas. Thinking of it brings up...
Kitchens are Important Parts of Memories
As a young child, I felt important if I got to wash the dishes. Of course as I got older, I didn't...
Feeling Comfortable in my Genes
To face the good, bad and ugly in my life, I had to put it on paper, or rather, type it out on my...
Back with Momo Again
We had just moved back to Opelousas, Louisiana from Highland Park, Illinois when this photo was...
Christmas & the Aluminum Tree
When growing up, we had an aluminum Christmas tree for many years. This is the first Christmas...
Friends Rolled Up Into One
Thru our years of moving, each place we lived held a special place in my heart. Leaving friends...
The Whale that Talked
One of the places we lived when I was growing up was Worms, Germany. Dad was in the Army which...
Time When I Liked to Wash Dishes
There was a time I liked to wash dishes. That was when I was quite young and had to stand on a...
My Pretty Dress
This is a picture I didn't see or remember seeing until last year when going through my brother,...
It’s the Horns, It’s all About the Horns!
As for many, the song Color My World by Chicago was a popular song, especially as a slow dance...
Same Expressions
We had just moved to Barling, Arkansas a few weeks before Christmas. Dad was back from his second...
Testifying before a Congressional SubComittee on SSI
Back in 1995 when the United States Congress enacted Welfare Reform, some help for children with...
I La Lu
When putting my daughter Alison to bed at night, I would tell her I love her. One night when she...
Coming of Age Summer
Dad’s last military orders were to Fort Knox, Kentucky after he returned from Vietnam. We werent't...
My First Partner in Crime
My older brother, Glenn, was my first partner in crime. Just look at us in the picture ... we...
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Worms (the W is pronounced as a V) was absolutely the best! It was small Army base and we lived in...
Comic Books, Banisters and Castles
Before we left for Giessen to meet dad, I recall mom taking our car to be shipped to Germany – our...
My Paternal Grandfather
We visited my paternal grandfather, Atelismar (AC) (left in photo) at Central Hospital, something...
Let the Little Girl Dance
One of our many moves when I was a child was to Barling, AR next to Fort Chaffee. Mom and dad...
Living with My Grandparents
While living at Papa and Momo’s on the farm, there seems to have always been so much to do. When...
My Maternal Grandparents
Papa was a sharecropper and lived on a local farm owned by the Boagni family. He farmed for them...
Wheelchair Swings
My daughter, Alison, loved to swing. Being she has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, there...
Never Learned to Play a Musical Instrument
Growing up with a father in the Army brought us to live in various places. This was at Highland...
Mom’s Hug in a Dream
It is not often I take a nap, however today I was not feeling well and was tired, so a nap was in...
Victim vs Survivor
It never occurred to me that hurt and despair I felt for so many years was playing into me being a...
My Shining Star: Alison’s Song
My Shining Star Poem Continue Reading My Shining Star: Alison’s Song
Sparkle & Shine
Your eyes now sparkle and shine Full of life and laughter On a new found journey To live life ever...
Alison’s Story
It is hard to believe that almost ten years have past since the birth of my daughter, Alison. It...
