No Cute Title

Tonight’s WPCA-FM story reading was a “mangled” fairy tale, Sinner Ella. I must confess: I found myself chuckling at Ella’s various transgressions, even though a few people might be offended by my lampooning of some church practices. Every fourth story in my e-book collections is a “mangled” fairy tale: Jack and the Bean Sprouts, Hansel and Gertie, The Many Trials, Little Red Hoodie, Snow Job and the Four Dwarfs–you get the idea. I’ve been asked where the ideas for these stories come from and the only answer I can offer is that I used to turn fairy tales on their heads when I told stories to my children when they were small. I mean, have you heard about the three little pigs that didn’t brush their teeth? (Find the teaching lesson in there, will you?)

For those of you asking, my brother Guy remains in what is mostly a coma in Los Angeles after a horrific automobile accident. There has been little progress in terms of improvement. I’d love to show him pictures of the house we grew up in and the changes that were made to the place–some good, some not so good. The house just sold for almost $1.5 million. It was a modest smaller house in an upscale Hollywood neighborhood, a smart buy for my parents, a young couple looking to move up in the world after WWII. My “baby”brother Greg sent me the link to the Zillow listing.

The Wolf Creek United Methodist Church that I pastor hosted its annual traditional Memorial Day lunch for the many people observing the day and its ceremonies at the cemetery next door to the church. Per usual, there were plenty of volunteers to handle the many hungry. This is a small congregation with wonderful people.

I’ve been working to sell our fifth wheel trailer. The unit carries with it many good memories, but the truck to tow it is gone and we are unlikely to travel elsewhere to enjoy the trees, lake and beauty we have right here at home. We have been getting lots of inquiries but it will take a special person to correct the few things that need to be done to make the trailer pristine again.  My grandson, Hans, helped me put in our dock two weeks ago. He’s 16 and eager. I enjoyed both the physical help and the camaraderie. We have had rain, including three inches in just a few hours, so everything is green, daffodils are done, as are the trilliums, tulips and lilies are up, the lilacs are just about done, and the long stretch of iris on the south border is just beginning to flower. The mosquitos have been in bloom, too. I’ve read that recent dry seasons have meant that the mosquitos have been able to hibernate, so to speak, and have emerged with the wet weather and late Spring this year.

I’ve been typing up Marina’s story of Gretel, her first Seeing Eye Dog. It’s told from Gretel’s point of view and in her voice. I think it’s quite good. We will leave it to Andy, Gretel’s successor, to tell the story of Gretel’s tick-borne illness.

My books have been selling lately, mostly in the retail shops and through Barnes & Noble Booksellers. When I’ve offered free books on Amazon Kindle, they’ve been snapped up quickly. (Those offers usually have just a five day window.) Some people will do anything to save $3.99. I’ll let you know about in person readings that are supposed to happen yet this summer, including one last-minute reading in Osceola for the Osceola Seniors. That’s tomorrow–maybe.