There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass

What you need for breakfast, they say in East Tennessee, is a jug of good corn liquor, a thick steak and a hound dog. Then you feed the steak to the dog.

It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn't in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals.

The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.

I did stories about unexpected encounters, back roads, small towns and ordinary folk, sometimes doing something a little extraordinary.

Rivers run through our history and folklore, and link us as a people.... We are a nation rich in rivers.

I think the feature reporter often walks a very thin line between a truly human story and one that slops over into mushiness or sentimentality.