STORYTIME TAPESTRY

March 18, 2005

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Animal awareness series endorsed by Shiloh and Hank our mascots; all stories must receive their approval.

  Now on to the good stuff..........

 ~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

 Hello Red 

Sharon Bryant

I have had a day like we all have had, only this one never ended until a few moments ago.

It started out like any other normal day........coffee in the morning, watching the news, and planning the day.  I was sipping my coffee when suddenly Jurassic Park began.

I love Stephen King novels and movies.  I can watch one horror movie after the other.  But the sound effects in my yard would beat Steven Spielberg's films anytime.  I've never figured out if it's because these "things" are in heat, trying to get attention, or trying to talk.  I only know if I close my eyes and picture a dinosaur movie, I can fit right into the script.

So there hubby and I sat, when all the horrid sounds came from the trees.  I knew something had to be in the yard for the roosters to make those noises.  And sure enough, some strange BIG dog had come into our yard.  Nothing like having a burglar alarm in your pine trees, know what I mean?

Well, the commotion ceased, and hubby said, "I'm going to go get that freezer this morning."  I told him I'd stay home.  Yesterday we paid for it, a 25 cubic foot one, and the dealer promised he'd have someone there to help load it.  He also told us to bring the old one in, that they would haul it off.  So happy hubby left for the appliance place.  He was also supposed to stop and purchase an dogigloo house for our new member of the family, the German Shepherd, whose name is now changed to "Sissy."

I was doing dishes when the Nextel went off and hubby yells, "Call that corporate office and tell them they have some real jerks running this one store."  Then he explained how when he got there to get the freezer, no one would help him get it into the truck.  Two men stood and watched him, with his bad arm hanging down from falling off a ladder the other day, and yet neither one offered to help him.  He huffed and puffed at 58 years old and got it into the truck by himself.  The two standing watching, in their late 20's said, "Hey man, that was pretty good."  Hubby was at this point ready to strangle two "punks" as he put it.

Then he told the manager to have his two men take the old one and the driver who delivered the new one said, "We don't take used appliances."  The manager told him, yes they do, he had called yesterday and got it verified.  The driver refused to take it.

That's not all.

Hubby gets home, he's not a happy camper, but wanted to get Sissy's new house put together, so he and I assembled it.  We had moved Sissy out of a trailer we let her use for her "home" at night and wanted her to get used to her new one.  The blankets and pillow we had put into the trailer were lying on the ground.  I went to pick them up to fix her bed in the new dogigloo when she pounced on the blankets.  Trying to pull a 100 lb. German Shepherd off her blankets that she does NOT want to have moved, is not easy.  She grabbed one end and began tugging.  I was on the other end tugging and laughing.  Hubby was standing there laughing.  I told him to call Sissy so I could gobble the blankets up.  He tried that.  That dog is so fast, she made it to him, and back to me before I got to the dogigloo and grabbed those blankets from me!

You ever roll around on the ground with a K-9 size Shepherd?  Try it once.  You won't win a tug of war, I'll guarantee you.  Hubby had to trick her with a treat to get her away from me.  I grabbed those blankets up and CRAWLED into the dogigloo.  Wrong move to make.

Here she came, and we were both scrunched up in this rubber house.  She looked at me, I looked at her, and I said, "houseguest."  She raced out of the little house and bounced all over the yard barking.  I guess she was telling hubby to get me OUT of her house!

I'll tell you one thing, I think I know now what solitary confinement means!!

Hubby then decides to go to his buddy's and take our van to put brakes on it.  He was starting to leave when he said, "Look up."  I said, "What?"  He said, "Look up, someone is watching you."  I look up on my porch roof and I've got Red, the one legged rooster sitting on the porch roof, bent down, one eyeball watching me.  The minute I looked at him I said, "Hello Red", he started Jurassic Park sounds.  I told hubby, "Take a picture of this."  He did.

I guess Red got a good view of the show going on in the yard.  Dog and woman rolling on the ground, dog being overly possessive of his blankets, hubby erecting another new house on the property.

That's not all.

The dogigloo is now under the pine trees.  Right where the chickens and roosters will be coming out of the trees come daylight.  Wait until Sissy is lying in her dogigloo and a rooster lands at her nose.  Then another, then another.

After telling corporate office today, after my wrestling match over a Atlanta braves blanket and pillow, after a rooster eyeballing me then yelling at me..........I cannot wait until tomorrow morning to see what happens when the feather family lands on the ground.

I'm setting the alarm early.  I'm not going to miss this one!

Sharon Bryant

1946 @bellsouth.com

About Me:

 I am Sharon Bryant, 59 years old and reside in Alabama.

I lost my child in 1977 when he was five and I write
articles on bereavement often.

I am a chocolate/candy maker and also a wood crafter and knitter.

I am married to a wonderful man, and have two remaining children, a daughter 25,
Amy, and a second son, Randy, age 22.

My main goal in life is to help those who
have lost a child. My website is: www.angelsremembered.tk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

<p>Today's Queue Stories</p>
~**~**~**~ 

HAUNTED BY A PHANTOM

BY LOREN MOORE

THE LIFEBUOY SAGAS ARE OVER BUT THEY SEEM TO HAVE TAKEN ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.  THEY HAVE SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD LIKE SOME PLAGUE.  A PLAGUE THAT I CANNOT ESCAPE.

I RECENTLY RECEIVED ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE PACKAGES WITH A BAR OF LIFEBUOY SOAP IN IT.  BUT THIS SOAP WAS UNLIKE ANY THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.  OH ITS LIFEBUOY ALL RIGHT AND IT CAME IN THE RED AND WHITE WRAPPING.  THIS LIFEBUOY HAS A SMELL THAT IS SO STRONG THAT IT MAKES MY NOSE RUN.

WHEN I OPENED THE PACKAGE THE SMELL FILLED THE WHOLE HOUSE.  I WAS SITTING AT MY DESK IN THE OFFICE AND IN JUST A FEW MINUTES JOHNNIE CAME FROM HER BEDROOM AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THAT SMELL WAS?

I HANDED HER THE BAR OF SOAP AND SHE SAID,

???WOW THAT??™S THE STRONGEST BAR OF SOAP I??™VE EVER SMELLED.  I DON??™T THINK I WANT TO USE IT.  IT MUST BE SPOILED OR SOMETHING.???

I SLIPPED ALL THE LITERATURE OUT OF THE PACKAGE AND BEGAN TO READ IT.  BUT LET ME BACK UP HERE A LITTLE AND TELL YOU ABOUT THE PACKAGE.  IT HAD BEEN AIRMAILED ALL THE WAY FROM THE UK (ENGLAND).  IT HAD A STICKER SHOWING IT HAD COME THROUGH CUSTOMS.

IT HAD AN ADDRESS LABEL THAT SAID,

LOREN MOORE

2904 LACHELLE LANE

ARLINGTON

TEXAS 76010

USA

THE RETURN ADDRESS WAS,

JUPITER IMPORTS (UK)

66 UPSDELL AVENUE

PALMERS GREEN

LONDON N. 13 6JN UK

THERE WAS ALSO A WEB SITE ADDRESS ON THE RETURN ADDRESS STICKER.

WWW.LIFEBUOY.CO.UK

OK BACK TO THE LITERATURE.  I SAW THAT THE SOAP WAS MADE FOR THE UK MARKET.   IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN CYPRUS BY PMT INDUSTRIES FOR THE REGISTERED TRADE MARK PROPRIETORS, PORT SUNLIGHT, ENGLAND.

THE BAR OF LIFEBUOY WAS A SAMPLE SENT WITH A NOTE THAT SAID,

???WITH COMPLIMENTS.  RICHARD LANGHAM.???

WHEN I OPENED THE WEB SITE I FOUND THAT THIS RICHARD LANGHAM WAS THE IMPORTER OF LIFEBUOY SOAP.  IT HAD INSTRUCTIONS AND PRICES FOR ORDERING THE SOAP.

THAT SOLVED ONE MYSTERY (WHO WAS RICHARD LANGHAM) BUT IT DIDN??™T SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF HOW RICHARD GOT MY ADDRESS OR WHY HE WOULD SEND MY A SAMPLE OF LIFEBUOY SOAP MADE FOR THE ENGLISH MARKET.

I??™M STILL ON TRANQUILLIZERS FROM ALL THE PROBLEMS I HAD WHEN I WROTE THE LIFEBUOY SAGAS AND I??™M NOT GOING TO LET THIS MAKE ME HAVE A RELAPSE.

BUT IF ANY OF YOU KNOW WHO SENT MY ADDRESS TO THIS RICHARD LANGHAM I WISH YOU WOULD TELL ME.

I SENT AN EMAIL TO HIS WEB SITE BUT I DIDN??™T GET AN ANSWER.  I REALLY DIDN??™T EXPECT ONE SO I??™M NOT DISAPPOINTED.  HE IS JUST TRYING TO SELL SOAP.

I DON??™T THINK I WILL ORDER ANY OF THAT STRONG SMELLING SOAP BUT WHAT I DID ORDER IS A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

?© COPYRIGHT 2003

Loren Moore

Caddo @ digitex.net

MY NAME IS LOREN MOORE AND I'M 72 YEARS

OLD AS OF 11-12 04.  I HAVE BEEN MARRIED

TO MY WIFE JOHNNIE FOR 53 YEARS AS OF

11-14-04.  NOW THAT I'M IN MY OLD AGE I

DECIDED TO WRITE ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS

THAT HAPPENED TO ME AND MY FAMILY.  THESE

STORIES ARE 90% TRUE AND 10% FICTION.  MY

WIFE JOHNNIE SAYS THEY ARE 10% TRUE AND

90% FICTION.  MAYBE THEY ARE SOMEWHERE IN

BETWEEN.  BE THAT AS IT MAY HERE ARE MY

STORIES.  I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Homestead
by Clara Wersterfer

Uncle Jimmy had died a year ago.  The house had been sold, then recently
torn down. Jimmy was the youngest son and lived his 86 years on this
plot of ground. The lot was cleared of debris and it was now an open
field, ready for the builders. The  farm had dwindled to 50 acres. None

of the family had any interest in living there, It was the end of an era.

 
Suddenly, I had the urge to go there once more. It was almost sundown.
The shadows were long as I stood in the middle of the field on the exact
spot where a home had been for more thanone hundred years. No

evidence of it remained.

 
The house, as well as the two barns, chicken coops and "wash house" were
all gone. There was nothing left to tell the story of a family that had
lived and raised eleven children on that spot. I listened and closed my
eyes. Yes, in my mind, I could hear the sounds of children laughing, the
dinner bell tolling and dogs barking, the once happy sounds of a family.

 
The grandparents had left Germany in 1846. They said goodbye to the land
of their birth, to friends, relatives and home. Making a voyage to a
place where they could worship, work and play as they wished without
oppression . Where freedom meant free. There may have been lots of tears
as they walked the gangplank to the deck of the ship, knowing full well
they would never step foot on this land again. Maybe they lingered a
little while, etching the face of a loved one in memory forever. Perhaps
some of them were eager to get away.

Whatever their feelings, the die was cast, belongings stowed
on board, passage paid and goodbyes said. After an arduous trip, they
arrived in the "new" world.

 
It took many hours of back breaking work to clear this land where I now
stood. Sweat, sacrifice and tears had created this home. The children
had chased each other thru the fields, playing jokes, riding horses. They

also shared the chores and shed tears when things went wrong.


A crow cried in the distance and stirred me from my reverie. I was
suddenly aware of the noise of the interstate highway nearby.  The
sounds of progress is seldom pleasant to the ear.  I took one last

look at the pasture, said goodbye to the ghosts of another way of life

and went home .

Clara Westerfer

CBWEST @webtv.net

About me
Born in the mountains of NC, I learned to love story telling at a young
age. For the past 36 years, I have lived in Texas. Three dogs, numerous cats and
other critters share my home.

 IT IS NOT TOO LATE (March 2005)

From: Georgewaters Ojeigbe ??“ Lagos, Nigeria

gojiegbe @jhplc.com

Today, I have reason to give thanks to Jehovah Lord God through Jesus Christ.  My creator will not leave me to die unfulfilled life.  I know that and you know this also.

Who am I better than on this earth, I do not think that there is any one except for those that refuse to hear the words of God, at least I am sure that if any evil should befall on them they are going to have no place with God in his massive empire.

I look at the evil which befell on people on my way down the road of life; I fret and give thanks to my master for my own victory in life.  It could have been me being there at the wrong time??¦

Evils of life; they just seem to be endless which was what I witnessed this morning; 17^th March, 2005, along Iba/Lagos State University (LASU) Road, on my way to the office.

The public bus which I was in sped passed a crowed groaning with their hands on their heads.  Some few meters from the spot the bus which I boded stopped and behold another misshape just occurred on this same road where I have experienced lots robbery and lots of accidents.

Four dead bodies laid there.  Motionless they were.  They looked like some of the victims of the Tsunami incident, as they have mutilated bodies which were once filled with lives and hope to defeat even the hardship in my country.

I saw cloths stained with red, not red from the crayons of an innocent school child or was it the drained blood from a freshly killed fowl for feast or a bull for sacrifice but the blood of life that cried to Jehovah God after Cain killed Abel.  Yes, those dead peoples??™ blood also would had cried towards heavens reporting the incidence to Jehovah Elgibwa (Almighty God).

Before reaching this spot, I had my walkman on as I was rehearsing some new songs on the tape and immediately I saw the bad event I just couldn??™t continue my rehearsal in the public bus which I was in.  I pulled the earphones out of my ears.

Could the accident had resulted from the carelessness of the public bus driver or the oncoming truck (sand tipper), or was it just a sign of what must happen I wouldn??™t know.  All what my mined kept saying was that this life is solemn and the only good reason to rejoice always is that we are sure of him that is in us otherwise it is all crap.  Some people do say ???easy come, easy go??™. NO, it seems to be ???easy come difficult go??™.  We came with fine unblemished body but the unfortunate ones go back to dust broken and with pain filled rived bodies.

Or maybe this wouldn??™t have happened if, either the bus driver, or the trucker had not overtaken at the wrong minutes and at the wrong place but that now is just too late, it is now history of once upon a time for those dead ones.  There is no going back.  The planet earth can not be anti-clock rotated as Superman once did in his film to return life back to his bewailed girl friend that was unfortunate in an earthquake caused by a felled rocket.  No, No that was only an entertainment production, not real.  Those precious lives were destroyed just within seconds.

The poor victims who left their homes with words of return and hopes to their family members before going out to fulfill the law of ???what ever your hands finds doing do it well??? would no more see those physical earthly homes which once served as shelters for their physical bodies. 

The broadcasting of the sad news may be three way news; one their offices failing to see them that very day would call their homes to find out why they hadn??™t come to work today; two, the Good Lagosians may be able to trace some of the victims??™ employers through the recovered identity cards or contact their homes where the bad news would be released; or three??™ after the deadline of the family members to welcome back their loved ones elapses, they decide to seek information from their employers.  Too bad!

For the next few months those homes would be a place of sorrow??¦ God help them to bear the grate lost.

Such has been the fate of a now hopeless family on the estate where I live in.  This family of about three girls and a boy has now left their faith opened.

Two Christmases ago, the only boy of the family visited me and it happened that we are from the same ethnic group in the Mid-western part of Nigeria.  At his leaving my house he requested for some monies from me which I succeeded in giving him token and I had the courage to seek for more information about his family.  Suddenly he was downcast which I easily noticed. 

Some few minutes later he asked me if I really wanted to know about his father and I replied yes.  He said to me, ???of course you already know my mother, no need for that??™.  Next, he came up with a shape emotional voice screaming at me pointing strait towards the direction of this same road where today??™s incident occurred saying ???that wicked road killed my father, he was involved in the accident of so and so date???.  He continued in the long story.  Actually I was aware of that sad event as the news shook the estate (about eight people died that very early morning which included his father), then I hadn??™t known this family.  After a while I found myself shedding tears after a long session of how his family members now are managing to survive since they lost their breadwinner.  Thank God there was no electricity power; the usual customer in NIGERIA, NEPA for standby and our lanterns, candle sticks, generator sets or other forms of manual power supply is our major source of electricity.  He didn??™t have to see my eyes as my seating room lantern was dim enough not to have shown my face clearly before him.

Two Christmases have now gone by since that chap who was not less than 19 years old then told me about the saddest moment in his life, life hadn??™t really changed with his family to this present moment as I am writing this story to you.  The whole lots of them speak fluent English portrays signs of well educated children but I now find him hanging on pubic buses as non of them could continue their educations.  He would be shouting ???Mile 2, Mile 2 woleoooooooo pelu thirty naira eoo (Mile 2 passengers get in with your twenty naira cash).  He sees me and happily wave at me and I, with a mix feelings wave back at him.  As I am writing this I am still shedding tears.  Yet he is so happy finding this low and degrading job.  Sometimes ago I saw him at a bus stop dressed in the most terrible way like a gangster which is usually associated with the group we call area boys (public bus parks??™ hooligans).  His eyes were dark red; signs of smoking Indian or Nigerian Hemps.  I couldn??™t stand my emotion as I passed by him unnoticed this time around.  Yet I saw him filled with life, and great joy radiated his once innocent face which has started to vanish.

In the days he used to come to my end, I had advised him on several occasions to seek for education which is better than any other thing which seem much important to him now, and he had said ???I will get you informed about my NECO/JAMB exams??™ but to no avail.

So??¦ this is just a reflection of what happens with such unfortunate families and he is just an example of thousands out there.  When will death stop taking away the innocents and when will sorrow ends??¦?

The key to our success and joy is to know the creator and to draw near and nearer to him on daily basis.

So I am alive today because my creator still has need of my soul upon this earth.

Whoever is alive today probably is because it not too late to achieve God??™s purpose now??¦

THE END!

 George Waters Ojeigbe

BIO-DATA
I was on the 21st of April, 1970. I live
in Lagos the most populous city in Nigeria,
Africa.I love to sing good songs and as such I am in a
singing group of the Church where I
fellowship. I love swimming, cycling,
jumping and running. Dancing is very good
for me. I enjoy natural exploration; that
is admiring the heavens and every other
wonders works borne for Jehovah God??™s
hands. I have lot of talents deposited in
me by our creator and these I do exhibit.
But not until now I discovered the power
of writing stories; encouraged by Carol
Roach. Thanks for her existence! I am a
pet lover; minus snakes.   I like to do lot
of home works like creating my art works,
gardening, making some home furniture,
fitting electrical appliances and such and
such.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Note:  Maria Doherty wrote this wonderful poem about me.

The Tapestry of a soul
Maria Doherty

Quiet, she sits weaving
A tapestry of the soul,
Colours of life intertwining
In the telling of her tales.

Some are light and some are vibrant
With laughter and with love.
Some are dark and some are shadowed
In sadness and in pain.

Each strand so carefully chosen,
With courage and with strength,
A message to the universe
That the Light triumphs again.

Maria Doherty
mariadoherty @blueyonder.co.uk

About Me:

Maria Stepek Doherty is a psychotherapist
and spiritual development coach, who comes
from Scotland. She lives happily with her
husband of 16 years, their 14 year old son
and their 13 year old dog, Jessie, in an
old Georgian house built in 1820. She has
her own weekly newsletter ???Out of the
Chrysalis???. It is only in the last two
years, that she has started to write
creatively again, after a silence of over
20 years.
She can be contacted at :

mariadoherty @blueyonder.co.uk

Her website is :
www.chrysalistransformations.com
Magic be your dreams
Sweet swept to abundance
On creation's tides...........

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writers Feedback

Dear Carol,

What a splendid piece, and what better medium to write through than feet (considering they do so much of our personal travelling)? I enjoyed it a geat deal, especially as it brought back memories of my own 3 babies' feet at various stages in their lives (my 9 year old's are growing so fast that he'll be wearing MY shoes by the time he's 11)!

Thank you for you writing so eloquently and evocatively.

Yours aye,
Nick

Carol, how enjoyable to read your work. I would have never thought to write about toes--and you developed this soooo well. Those toes have carried you through life and you give us a glimpse through them. Very well done.
Barb Deming

Memories by Nanci Strope is outstanding!
Barb  Deming