Armchair Wit

with Roberta Sarver

Inspiring True Stories

Humor

On Family Relationships

Recent Posts

View from the Empty Nest

Empty Nest Syndrome: aka Parental PTSD

Sep 192 min read

View from the Empty Nest

Empty Nest Syndrome: aka Parental PTSD

Sep 192 min read

Thoughts from one of America's founders.

Copy of Bring Back Ben's America

Appropriate words for our times.

Sep 132 min read

What made the Greatest Generation so observant?

The Greatest Generation and Their Powers of Observation

Thoughts on the powers of observation

Sep 42 min read

They Got What They Wanted - But Lost What They Had

Do cell phones enrich our lives?

Aug 252 min read

Cell phone challenges for the boomer generation

Cousin Cletus and Technology

Remember when we had one phone--and it was on the wall?

Aug 142 min read

Humor for those dealing with hearing loss.

Hearing Loss: It Helps If You Laugh

Cheerful advice for friends of the hearing loss community.

Aug 13 min read

Old-timer reflects on the benefit of rules.

Cousin Rufus and Rules

They had to learn multiplication facts to pass fourth grade.

Jul 242 min read

Granddaddy's Ten Rules For Livin'

Age-old wisdom from an Ozark mountaineer.

Jul 172 min read

One theory on the makeup of accident-prone people.

Here’s to our Accident-Prone Friends

Did she really have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time?

Jul 113 min read

Dogs and Fireworks: A Match Made in Hades

A teenager's theory on what our pets are thinking.

Jul 13 min read

Copy of Awkward Moments

One man's humorous attempt at social greetings.

Jun 263 min read

Raising Kids for Success

A new year is here. To parents, it means a fresh start at molding children into productive citizens - training them to be thoughtful,...

Jan 233 min read

Is That All? A True Story

Special thanks to prolific author PeggySue Wells for permission to use her writing on this week's guest post. ...

Jan 164 min read

We Survived Play in the Good Old Days

The picture showed a family riding bikes, all wearing helmets and safety gear. Poor things, they’ll never know the freedom of zipping...

Jan 84 min read

New Year Challenge

This is the week we talk about New Year’s resolutions. And, if you’re like some of us, yours may not last long. I would like to take a...

Jan 22 min read

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Sometimes the best Christmas gifts can’t be wrapped in paper and tied with ribbons. Sometimes they touch the heart more than what we...

Dec 24, 20242 min read

The Christmas We Never Forgot

Simple but meaningful family celebration

Dec 22, 20242 min read

Christmas Gifts: What They Left Behind

Unusual gift-giving by those in the first Christmas.

Dec 21, 20243 min read

Christmas at Poverty Flats

Simple Christmas memories for a struggling farm family

Dec 18, 20243 min read

Surviving Christmas Visits with Young Children

Managing peaceful visits with the grands So you’ve committed to hosting the family Christmas get-together at your house. What were you...

Dec 16, 20242 min read

Yankee Schoolteacher's (Almost) Last Day

Two angry horses and a clueless teacher

Dec 5, 20243 min read

Copy of Thanks Living at Thanksgiving

Amid the flurry of activity this week, I was reminded of the reason we’re getting together on Thursday. We’re supposed to emulate the...

Nov 28, 20242 min read

How to Recover Your Memory

Did you hear about the lady who drove away from the gas pump with the nozzle still in her tank? She probably wished she had signed up for...

Nov 21, 20242 min read

Hearing Loss: It Helps If You Laugh

Cheerful advice for friends of the hearing loss community.

Nov 14, 20243 min read

I'm Silently Correcting Your Grammar

Grammar foibles from our friends

Nov 7, 20241 min read

Celestial Piano Lessons

Unique piano lessons for one pastor's wife.

Oct 31, 20242 min read

Drawn Swords/Help, Lord!

How one associate pastor dealt with conflict

Oct 24, 20242 min read

The Cattle on a Thousand Hills

Unusual answers to prayer

Oct 17, 20243 min read

Copy of Finding Buck

Did you ever cross paths with someone who was both loveable and exasperating at the same time? Then you will understand in our early...

Oct 10, 20243 min read

Five Things I Learned from People Over 50

Answering those who get annoyed with habits of people over 50

Sep 27, 20242 min read

Ordinary People Who Changed History

God often doesn't call the qualified; he qualifies the called.

Sep 19, 20242 min read

Copy of Life's Simple Pleasures

In honor of Grandparents' Day this Sunday, I submit the following from a longtime grandma - me. Anyone who grew up in the last century...

Sep 6, 20242 min read

In Defense of Introverts

Some people are born salespersons. They could sell freezers to Eskimos. Then there are the rest of us. I usually end up giving away...

Aug 29, 20242 min read

The Unlikely Connection Between Shoes, Post-It Notes, and the Jamaican Olympic Bobsled Team

Jan Earnst Matzeliger, 1852-1889 Who knew that one young man saving scrap metal, old cigar boxes and pieces of wire could obtain a major...

Aug 22, 20242 min read

What It's Like to Be a Dad

Why kids adore their dads.

Aug 20, 20241 min read

Can you name the two besides Washington and Lincoln?

The Other Faces on Mount Rushmore-Part One

Just in time for President's Day

Aug 1, 20242 min read

Murphy's Law: Assault by Batteries

A car that's toast, and three other headaches.

Jul 25, 20243 min read

The Summer We Hope to Forget

After living in church parsonages for many years, we felt elated to buy a place of our own. However, we weren't prepared for the hazards...

Jul 18, 20243 min read

The Worth of a Dad

What kids said about their dad.

Jul 11, 20243 min read

First Father Facts

I thought it might be enlightening to dig up little-known facts about the man we call the father of our country. You will find...

Jul 4, 20243 min read

View from the Bottom Rung

Eye-opening experiences at a homeless mission

Jun 27, 20243 min read

Ridding Your Home of Two-Legged Pests

Warm summer months are here. When we moved to the Midwest, we learned to deal with mosquitos, chiggers, ticks, and a variety of pests...

Jun 20, 20243 min read

Nathanael Greene: Quaker Turned Military Hero

What does a peace-loving Quaker do when an outside nation threatens his way of life? That was the issue faced by Nathanael Greene nearly...

Jun 13, 20242 min read

Granddaddy's Ten Rules For Livin'

Age-old wisdom from an Ozark mountaineer.

Jun 6, 20242 min read

Graduation Humor

With all the hoopla surrounding commencement speeches, I thought a little humor might lighten things up a bit. Am I the only one who...

May 30, 20242 min read

Bring Back Ben's America

Appropriate words for our times.

May 23, 20242 min read

Navajo Code Talkers: Quiet, Tough, Resilient

This Memorial Day we honor those who gave their lives serving in the US military. Perhaps no group deserves more honor than the Navajo...

May 16, 20243 min read

Mother's Day Letter to My Son

An unconventional Mother's Day letter

May 9, 20242 min read

Mistaken Identity

(Image of a granny, but the one I look like is copyrighted by someone else.) Dear Sis, You won’t believe what happened to me last week. I...

May 2, 20243 min read

About Me

I am a wife and mom who also happens to be an English teacher and a newspaper columnist. And, I am the daughter of one of those armchair wits.

During my childhood, as we sat around the supper table—we were country people who called it supper—our dad told funny stories about things that happened to him that day. And, often he punctuated them with comments about human nature.

It is in tribute to those wonderful insights that I offer this blog, which may make you chuckle and say, “Been there; done that.”