The Bravest Sparrow confronts her fear of The Mange, an unkind, thieving Grackle, with help from her friends. The Mange finds himself in a pickle and needs the little sparrow’s help and she discovers the true meaning of compassion. Will the bully Grackle have a change of heart? Define Grackle Author Page
Feeding Cats
House cats are docile, nervous pets who are pampered and talked to in hushed baby talk voices. They are good for warming laps and napping in the sun. Barn cats, on the other hand, are murderous working animals who are stealthy and wise but pets just the same. In college, I had a house cat…
Unexpected Pig
I heard the crunch of tires on gravel as mom and dad pulled out of the driveway in our copper-colored Pinto wagon. I had a list of chores to complete in exchange for permission to stay home alone. Letting me stay home by myself was a probationary test and babysitting my brother and sister would…
The River
Tom Sawyer’s River full of history, commerce, and danger is my river too. From a different time and place, the clay river mud pushes up through my naked toes and refuses to wash away without a good scrub. Bright sun bakes water polished stones along the sandy bank while the lapping wake washes in the…
Waiting for the Other Shoe
There was a shoe again this morning on the sidewalk on the east side of Congress Avenue. It was just past the landscaping border in front of the Statesman Apartments. You know the one, there just before the grilled cheese truck and the juice cart. The shoe was gray canvas this time with white rubber…
Brown Paper Packages
So, Sean and I started our Saturday morning by walking down to Jo’s Coffee shop on South Congress as we often do. We ordered our coffees and as I was feeling pretty hungry I ordered two Pappas, Egg and Cheese tacos to match Sean’s order. We said hello to our new friend Nichole who was…
All Around the Mulberry Bush
Shane taught me to climb the old Mulberry tree behind Grandpa’s barn where Grandpa worked on his lawn mower and hung fish heads from nails as trophies of the summer. Shane knelt down like a soldier about to be knighted and I used his thigh as a step stool to reach the lowest branch. Our…
Read to Me
I loved reading my kids bedtime stories. We snuggled up in Jacob’s bed in his small teddy bear infested room or Sean’s blue nautical bed with Buzz Lightyear peeking over the edge of the toy box and read a story of either boy’s choosing every night. Sometimes they picked one of my favorites and sometimes…
Back Here Again
The tension is there but it’s obscured by menial tasks and busyness. I finally sit down after months and months of avoiding it and making excuses. Months ago, I shut the door to my creative mind, the part that strings words together for no one but me. I stacked boxes in front of that door,…
Arrangements for Jana Thomas
If you were referred here while searching for information about Jana Thomas please know we are holding her family in our hearts. As published by Carlisle-Branson Funeral Home Obituary for Jana Thomas Jana Thomas, 56, Martinsville, suddenly passed away early Sunday, October 7, 2012, in Methodist Hospital. She was born March 10, 1956, in Litchfield,…
