The Colley Senior Complex on Monday hosted a book signing for Nadine Johnson, author of “Life Revisited (and recipes),” and she encouraged others to write down their stories

“You don’t have to write for publication,” she said. “You need to write your stories as a part of your family history. Your stories are your legacy.”

Johnson is a Pike County native who now makes her home in Spanish Fort. She was first and best known for her expertise on herb gardens, and her published columns on herbs gained her the title “The Herb Lady.” Her interest in writing has now turned to human-interest stories.

“I am compelled to write,” Johnson said. “I write down whatever pops in my mind. ‘Life Revisited’ is a collection of these stories that popped into my mind. The book also includes recipes that go with the stories. And, too, my publisher said recipes sell books. Contrary to what some might think, people still do cook.”

The stories in “Life Revisited” tell of everything from algebra to square dancing and from panty hose to stuffed eggs.

“The story about panty hose is about more than panty hose,” Johnson said. “Most of the stories are about more than the title indicates.”

The things that popped into Johnson’s mind were limited to what could be contained between the covers. Johnson could have filled that space two to four times 239 but she had to find a stopping place.

“My son said I should have written about Todd’s Gun Shop in Montgomery,” and I should have. I could have written about many more things,” she said. “One story should have gotten in but didn’t and I was very disappointed. It was the story about Chris’ Hot Dogs in Montgomery.”

Johnson, laughingly, shared the story of how, early one morning many years ago, she decided to go to Denny’s for breakfast but found it closed and weeds growing around it.

“I passed Denny’s all the time so that shows how observant I was,” she said.

Not to be outdone, Johnson decided to go to Chris’ Hot Dogs for breakfast.

“I noticed that I was the only woman in there and one man after another kept coming in,” she said. “Each one of them would crawl up on a stool and say, ‘Give me one to dry me out.’ I didn’t understand about all that. But my son said, ‘Mom, you just had breakfast with every drunk in Montgomery.’”

That story and many others are the fodder for yet another book about Johnson’s life revisited. Until then, she’s enjoying participating in book signings and visiting with friends – familiar and new.