Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. The Enigma Explorer is back. This go-round, though, the EE is meandering into new territory. Instead of solving mysteries that we’ve thought about for years, such as why there are no B batteries and which way the aluminum …

Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. Nature continues to speak. And I try my best to listen. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know that already. I write about weeds and winds. Sunsets and afternoon shadows. Pastures and peach orchards. Many …

Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. I’m just way too excited about this. I know I am. But I don’t care. Week before last I finally got me some mayhaw jelly. The morning after I obtained it, I popped the lid off one of …

Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. A patch of untamed beauty recently took residence in our front yard. Many might have labeled the population of that patch as weeds, but to me they seemed to be welcome friends. Buttercups and fleabane, their delicate petals …

Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. One of my most cherished memories concerning nature sprang from our last big solar eclipse here in North Louisiana. But it wasn’t the actual eclipse itself. It was a mere byproduct – one little incident that has remained …

Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. I wish this past Sunday had been April Fool’s Day – and that the joke was that Daylight Saving Time was going to begin.Because to me and countless others it is a joke.Too bad, though. We’ve once again …

Take a moment to ponder: What’s that one thing that, when it happens, makes you want to shout, “Hallelujah – yes!” and fight the urge to do a fist pump? Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. I’ll bet if you take a minute, you …

Through the years we Hollises have accumulated a potpourri of sayings that we cherish and never tire of repeating. Some we coined ourselves; some we collected from other sources. Often, I remember them around the holidays, from all those wonderful family gatherings of the past. Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from …

Happy New Year! And with this fresh start, we have another chance to get our act together. Resolutions are an integral part of New Year’s Day, as iconic as Champagne flutes and funny hats.Resolutions date to the ancient Babylonians of 4,000 years ago who made promises to earn the favor of their gods and, presumably, their neighbors, as some of …

When it comes to unique and unforgettable holiday traditions, we Louisianians know how to shine. Our festive customs could easily compete for the spotlight – or in this case, the Christmas gifts – with those from around the globe. Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at …