By Nellie Curtiss … We may not be aware of it, but the classic “Wizard of Oz” and the yellow brick road are metaphors that push our goals and dreams. We can look at this icon in American literature and film as a guide to successful living, winning at life, and “bringing home the bacon.”Continue reading “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”
Author Archives: columnsbynellie
Summer of laughter has begun
By Nellie Curtiss … Now that we are rounding the bend to a vaccinated population and hopefully to reducing covid variants or mutants, it’s time for a summer of laughter. On Netflix, Thunder Force staring Melissa McCarthy and Olivia Spencer is a feel good, laugh a lot, and do good movie, primed for our summer’sContinue reading “Summer of laughter has begun”
How many hats do you wear?
By Nellie Curtiss … In the November 13, 2010 Valley Courier, my column –How many hats do you wear?– was published. I considered different “hats” we’ve worn including the mischievous girl version of Dennis the Menace in preschool and grade school. My personal favorite “hat” was, “Why?” My parents may well have sighed at eachContinue reading “How many hats do you wear?”
Wanted: A world awash in kindness
By Nellie Curtiss … If you could design the world, what kind of world would it be? Having had a shotgun held on me once while I fed my baby, I would want a world where violence was replaced with moms and dads who set a holiday table and build dinners with peas, potatoes, carrots,Continue reading “Wanted: A world awash in kindness”
Sprout a desire to learn
By Nellie Curtiss … I’ve been actively learning for a long time now. When I was in elementary school at the Royal Oaks Elementary School outside Madrid, Spain, I cared most about handstands, jacks and running. I was not a lazy student, but I had a lot to absorb about learning. What I did inContinue reading “Sprout a desire to learn”
Quit roughhousing, play nice, straighten up
By Nellie Curtiss…. Although my mom died ten summers ago, I still want to call her and work crossword puzzles with her over the phone. On the weekends, my mind reaches for my iPhone to call her. In the last years before Mom moved on to the afterlife, I’d sit in front of the computerContinue reading “Quit roughhousing, play nice, straighten up”
On becoming human beings
By Nellie Curtiss…. “Be patient with me, God is not done with me yet,” reads a rustic barn-wood sign in a shop where towners look for country doodads. We could imagine that law enforcement in Minnesota might also be claiming this as their mantra after the George Floyd murder by defiant former officer Chauvin. TheyContinue reading “On becoming human beings”
News of the World
By Nellie Curtiss… News of the World has been offered on pay per view and now it’s finally affordable. The streaming rental price two months ago was over Twenty Dollars! Its now around Six Dollars. Starring Tom Hanks and our country’s history, the film takes us through several scenarios that look at our relationships withContinue reading “News of the World”
Easter baskets, eggs, jellybeans and Spring
By Nellie Curtiss…. Easter is very important to me. It is a second chance. – Reba McIntire, country singer. Sonnie remembers her Catholic upbringing and dawning new dresses and hats for Easter services. During Lent, her father would take her to mass at 6:30 a.m. She spent the day with her dad afterward, too. TheContinue reading “Easter baskets, eggs, jellybeans and Spring”
Gilbert’s comeback for Detroit
By Nellie Curtiss … Dan Gilbert, NBA Cleveland Cavaliers owner, was interviewed the other day on CBS Morning News. He had a few words to say like, “When someone has a stroke, the whole family has the stroke.” The whole interview can be seen at: https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_morning/video/TQeWfFnDX0v_3JIc0NkD_xoFkiFJdGGH/dan-gilbert-shares-recovery-journey-announces-500-million-investment-in-detroit/ “One thing about America, everyone loves a comeback story.”Continue reading “Gilbert’s comeback for Detroit”
Columns by nellie 