Category Archives: Childhood

Retro Communications

Posted on June 30, 2017 by aamontgomery

When I graduated from South (Knoxville) High School, I wanted to be a history teacher in the mold of my two favorite history teachers from South. My Tennessee history teacher Mr. (Fred) Ridinger Jr. served under General George Patton in … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Ideas, Women, Work, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Also Known As . . .

Posted on March 31, 2017 by aamontgomery

When I was born in East Tennessee, oh, quite a few years ago, my parents Roy and Arzelia Allen named me for a dear friend of theirs named Anna Marie. In the Southern way, their friend was called by both names, … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Books, Childhood, Courage, Family, Freedom, Home, Joy (Joie de General), Knoxville, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Give Me a Young Man’s Wisdom

Posted on February 28, 2017 by aamontgomery

[I wrote this original blogpost two years ago. Though much has changed since April 2015, it is amazing how much has remained the same–and I find this post eerily relevant to our country in February 2017.] Sometimes I find the most extraordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Courage, Freedom, Happiness, Ideas, Joy (Joie de General), Love, Music, Op/Ed Thoughts, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering Darcas Montgomery’s Exuberant Son

Posted on December 10, 2016 by aamontgomery

[On December 2, 2016, my dear father Roy Rotha Allen passed away at the age of 81. His health and memory had declined for years–but his health failed more precipitously over the past 14 months. Although Daddy had been hospitalized lately, … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Courage, Family, Home, Knoxville, Love, Music, Screen, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Love, Honor, and Compassion

Posted on November 7, 2016 by aamontgomery

Grandfather, Sacred One, teach us love, compassion, and honor that we may heal the earth and heal each other. ~ Native American Ojibwa Prayer Perhaps growing up poor gave me a natural affinity for Native Americans and other people who were … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Beauty, Books, Childhood, Courage, Family, Freedom, Friends, Ideas, Love, Op/Ed Thoughts, Photography, Women, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daddy’s Last Vote

Posted on October 1, 2016 by aamontgomery

When I was a child in the early 1960s, my world was a fog of (1) trying to figure out the inexplicable behavior of the adults around me, (2) hoping to discern what they wanted me to do, and (3) … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Courage, Family, Freedom, Knoxville, Op/Ed Thoughts, Tribute | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Difference Between Good and Evil

Posted on August 28, 2016 by aamontgomery

How can you not help, if a child asks? Someone who does not know the difference between good and evil is worth nothing. In fact, such a person belongs in a mental institution. —Mieczysław Kasprzyk, a Polish farmer who risked his … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Family, Happiness, Ideas, Op/Ed Thoughts, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Will Remember

Posted on June 30, 2016 by aamontgomery

  A week ago, my sister Lisa called me and said our father had fallen on his way into his senior living facility after she and Mama had taken him outside. She said he crumpled, as if in slow motion, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alzheimer's, Autobiographical, Bruce Springsteen, Childhood, Courage, Family, Happiness, Love | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Much Ado About Laura and Tom Parkhill

Posted on April 28, 2016 by aamontgomery

On Saturday, April 23, my photographer husband Kurt and I were ever-so-fortunate to capture love at its most rapturous when our friend Tom Parkhill married the love of his life, Laura Regis. Yes, gentle blog readers, you heard me right: … Continue reading →

Posted in Blooming, Childhood, Creativity, Happiness, Joy (Joie de General), Knoxville, Stage, The Arts, Uncategorized, Wonder, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Caught a Long Wind

Posted on December 31, 2015 by aamontgomery

As Dickens wrote in his 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities about London and Paris during the French Revolution of the late 1770s: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiographical, Blooming, Childhood, Courage, Family, Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments