We have all heard the haunting song, “Taps.” It’s the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually creates tears in our eyes. But do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about it’s humble beginnings. I too, have felt the…
Sightlines Janet Grace Riehl iUniverse Inc. ISBN: 0-595-37499-9 Genre(s): Poetry Reviewed by Ernest Dempsey Death sometimes brings about a radical swing in the way the survivors look at life. Janet Grace Riehl, an award-winning author, has written a poetry book Sightlines (iUniverse Inc., Lincoln, 2006) that expresses her feelings about the beauties and frailties of…
“Anchors” refers to the people in the Melville community that were the heart of it as my father Erwin A. Thompson grew up and as he listened to the stories of older generations of the legends that were our heritage. Here is a showcase of what Pop likes to call the “anchors” of the community…
A Family Love Story in Poetry & Music Hey! SF Book Festival just awarded an honorable mention to “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry & Music” in the audio/spoken word category! Come snuggle into the comfort of this quilt of poetry and music rooted in the Midwest heartland. The story-poems stitch together the lives…
Be sure to read 1) Who is Erwin A. Thompson? 2) What is the Second Mile? Click links to the right. BACKGROUND My blog-magazine Riehl Life: Village Wisdom for the 21st century is dedicated to connection through family, the arts and across cultures. The Second Mile Award seeks to deepen and continue our collective village…
Iconic Moments are defining life moments we hark back to. On the downside, they may be idealistic images that keep us from being grounded in the now. On the upside, they can serve as guideposts in our lives…to follow what was best and brightest…and create more Iconic Moments to draw from, as Treasured Touchstones. How…
From July 4th to July 12th I’ve posted 12 entries written by Erwin A. Thompson giving a historical perspective on the Mississippi River floodstages through the years. I sure hope you’ll have a chance to look through these as a series. It’s been a pleasure posting them. Hats off to my father, Erwin A. Thompson…
This is a continuation of the RIEHLIFE FLOODSTAGE SERIES written by Erwin A. Thompson. Read on! —JGR How We Got a New Garbageman, Because He Did the Right Thing in Hard Times by Erwin A. Thompson Garbage in any flood is a major problem and in the 1993 flood it was a problem for the…
For those of you who know your geography and follow the news, you know that for the past month we’ve had flooding here in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois. Some of you have emailed me asking for updates since I haven’t posted about the flooding on Riehlife. My feeling was that I wanted to wait until…
Erwin A. Thompson, answer man QUESTION When did automobiles first get a keyed start? Were they keyed in 1919, the year of my current novel? Was it a crank, a push button? I have scoured the internet and while there is info abounding on the classic cars, the keyed start seems of no interest to…