This story/poem sold to Turtle magazine in 1990. Melody Mouse Melody, a small, gray mouse, lived inside a people house along with many mousey others: mother, cousins, sisters, brothers. “To be alert, you must be able. The cat may lurk by chair or table,” her mother told small Melody. “So, exercise; eat carefully.” Now, exercise, […]
Aug 25, 2023
Please and Thank You
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How important are good manners? Pretty important, I’d say. It all begins with self-image, to my way of thinking. How do you view yourself? If you have a pretty low opinion, it’s likely to come out in your language and actions. And others, watching, develop an opinion too. Manners are putting yourself in another’s place […]
Aug 21, 2023
Head of the Family
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His hat hangs on a peg in my hallway. It’s not the Stetson he wore on special occasions. This one has sweat marks, and a small spot of oil. It’s the one he wore every day as he mowed lawns, drove to the sale barn, or any time he went out the door. He never […]
Aug 19, 2023
Learning Time
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School has started in my neck of the woods–children and teachers returning to fresh adventures, seeing old friends and making new ones. Hopefully, this will be a fun-filled, safe year for all. I wondered, as I looked out at bird baths this morning, if birds need to learn bird-things from their parents, or if it […]
Aug 16, 2023
Nipped in the Bud
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Below, I’m giving the start of a story I had begun to write. It was based on a true story that happened in 1902, a terrible miscarriage of justice. But, as I typed, I realized I really don’t want to write this story because I knew the facts behind it. I have the victim’s last […]
