Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

November 15, 2007

Today’s Announcement

The Halloween contest is over, the rules for voting have been sent out for the voting for the poets. You have until November 15^th to vote for them. I am not getting many responses and I need to have the votes in soon. The voting rules for the stories will be sent in a separate email within the next couple of days.

Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to. You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca

Today’s Stories

~**~**~

My Dog
Bill Walker
missourisage@yahoo.com

I would guess people might get a bit tried of me and my dog. I used to
have Tink and Poo, now I'm down to Little Girl. I always look at a dog
as Little People. If you watch one, they have actions, and habits,
traits much like a person. Have good days, and a few bad days, just like
a person. Have feelings, wants, and needs. When you look at one, the dog
gets to be somewhat like the person that belongs to them. That is if
the person treats the dog right.
I get a bit of a chuckle out of Little Girl. She tells me when she needs
a trip to the rest room. Now in a way she is like Tinker. Tinker
aways walked up and tapped me, if I was sitting in a chair. Now she
walks up, and not only a tap, she keeps pushing until I get up. She gets
to the door, stands there and checks the weather first before going
out. If it is raining, the trip is just out the door, squat, and back
in. If the weather isn't bad, she can take her sweet time, finding
the right spot. Then she will park herself, and look about her
Queendom. Seems like there is no hurry. She will sit there, maybe
lay down, and do the watching bit. This is all mine, and I am the
Queen.
Now she used to try running down Bushy Tail, but some where along the
line, she figured that guy don't play fair, the sucker heads for a tree,
and somehow climbs it, there it sits and does the bark bit. Now she
sets and just watch it, some times Bushy will get within about 6 feet
of her, she just looks at it. Maybe she is waiting for Bushy to get
braver, and come a little closer.
After a little bit, here she comes moving along at what ever speed is
called for heading for the door. Some times it is hurry up, other
times, I will get there when I get there. Isn't that about the way a
person is? There are times to enjoy a slow walk, other times got to
hurry, I am late.
Yes a dog is just a Little People wearing a fur coat. Each has their
traits, their habits, needs and wants. One of the best things about a
dog is, you don't have to buy them books, send them to school and
hope they learn something. A dog learns by watching what their Big
People does.
Another thing about a dog, it don't take them very long to know the
person to trust, and the one to walk away from. I have no idea how that
comes about, but I do know if they growl at a person, better take heed,
dog knows something. And some people say a dog is dumb. Of course there
is the ones like Tink and Poo, every one got a bark from them. I
think the talk was just who invited you here, and then the bark
as you were leaving, glad to have seen you, don't hurry back.
Little Girl will meet most wagging a toy. Now every thing will be
alright, just don't try stealing one of my toys. And ask Ma Baker
about that. It is alright for Little Girl to come on a visit, but she
is going to try to steal toys from the Ma Baker house. Them Little
People just got too many toys.
Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5
__________________________________________

~**~**~
ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

THE LAW OF THE ANTI-HARVEST

Autumn is the season of metaphors.

The turning of the leaves from green to brilliant reds, yellows and oranges provides a vivid illustration of the ebb and flow of life. The fall harvest is nature's way of teaching us that you sew what you reap. And the annual trek back-to-school by students young and old reminds us of the refreshing power of new beginnings.

Even football, a game that is synonymous with autumn, is filled with metaphors. No matter how talented your running back may be, he isn't going anywhere if his offensive linemen aren't blocking for him – an apt metaphor for how success only comes to any group or organization when everyone does their job. In football, as in life, the ball sometimes takes funny bounces, and you've got to be prepared to adapt and react. And in football you've got these goofy mascots who dress funny while running around making complete fools of themselves and who serve no known function other than to be annoying, obnoxious and, occasionally, lovable.

You know, sort of like teenagers.

The interesting thing about most metaphors is they can swing both ways. Take the law of the harvest, for example. You can learn a lot from the process of planting a seed, carefully cultivating it, nurturing it, watering it, weeding it, tending to it and eventually harvesting the fruit of your labors. There are powerful lessons of hard work and stewardship in every delicious mouthful of home-grown fruits and vegetables.

But there are also lessons to be learned if you have to spend the entire fall picking ucky, unusable fruit up off the ground where it has fallen, which is what we've been doing this year. As usual, our apple trees have produced a tremendous yield. Unfortunately, that wasn’t our plan.

Since our pantry is full of all of apple slices and applesauce bottled five or six years ago, we decided to prohibit the growth of fruit this season. Last fall we heard about a spray that can be used to inhibit the growth of fruit without damaging the trees, so we purchased the chemical, kept it in our storage shed through the winter and applied it last spring. Unfortunately, we didn’t read the fine print on the chemical’s container – the part about using it within three months of purchase and not storing it in a place where it would be subjected to extremes in temperatures.

You know – like in our shed.

Consequently, the spray only seemed to vitalize our apple blossoms and their subsequent apples. The fruit is big and beautiful – and, since we didn’t spray for vermin, full of worms and other disgusting little critters. So even though there is fruit, there's no harvest. Because of our lack of attention and care, for us there is just the anti-harvest, with dozens more inedible apples littering the ground each day, no more valuable to us than the dried, dead leaves upon which they fall. And it must either be picked off the tree or picked up after it falls to the ground.

One way or the other – harvest or anti-harvest – apples are a lot of work. But there's a certain amount of satisfaction in picking fruit that you know will eventually make its way into a piece of hot apple pie, or baked into warm apple crisp or cooked into smooth, tasty applesauce. And there's nothing quite like breaking up the monotony of the work by munching on a crisp, fresh apple right off the tree.

But it's hard to get excited about picking up apples knowing that they're all going to end up in the dumpster. And it only takes one time of biting into a promising-looking specimen only to discover an unidentifiable brown creature looking back at you – or worse, half of an unidentifiable brown creature – to learn the law of the anti-harvest the hard way.

Metaphorically, or otherwise.

~**~**~

Poetry Corner

~**~**~

Heavenly Castaway

Cheryl Williams

Caught in your warm embrace,

I could not ask for more;

How did you know to catch me

as I was falling?

I feel like

Heaven's castaway,

and I don't know who I am;

I don't know where I belong

anymore;

Life has filled me up,

Life has left me empty;

This heart has opened and closed

one too many times;

The pain is too much;

I can't take it anymore;

Just hold me...

Please hold me

as I drift into sleep;

Let me feel the safety

of your arms.

When I awake,

please don't fill me

with words my soul

is not ready to hear;

Remember that I'm broken

shattered, and scared.

I don't need a savior

who pretends to care;

I don't need a friend

who is never there;

I don't need a lover

who pretends to love;

All that I need

comes from Above.

I don't need a heart

that pretends to beat;

I don't need commitment

that chooses to cheat;

I don't need a promise

that is really a lie;

I don't need anyone

other than God to get by.

So for now, just hold me;

I have nothing left to give;

You saved me from death,

so now I must live;

But I don't know who I am,

and I don't know where to start;

Hold me...just hold me

Be gentle with my heart.

Cheryl Williams

politicalgirl04@aol.com

~**~**~

Storytime Tapestry Angels

Angels on earth, they exist they are out there. Angels come in all ages, shapes and sizes, civil status, and religion. Their nature is love and their purpose is giving to the less fortunate of this world. Storytime Tapestry angels are no exception. These angels are loyal members who have contributed to the upkeep of Storytime Tapestry newsletter so that Storytime Tapestry can continue come to your email box 350 days of the year.

Here is our Storytime Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime Tapestry up and running.

Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider, Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd, Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw, Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller