Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

April 11, 2006

Happy Birthday Michael Morgan  

Today’s Queue Stories

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A Walk On The Wild Side

Diana Doles Petry

I woke up yesterday and decided to do a few things differently. I was going to let a few things slide and just enjoy the day. I needed a change of pace. It went something like this.

I took my good old time getting out of bed. I didn't rush to the bathroom to make sure my hair was brushed perfectly and my clothes were matched and wrinkle free. I grabbed a pair of jogging pants and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs to make the school run with the boys.

Chris and Kyle were finishing up their lunches and both of them turned to look at me. "Mom," Chris said, "We only have ten minutes, I think you should get dressed. You can get coffee when you come home."

"Honey, I am dressed," I said. The boys exchanged glances and finally, Kyle said, "Nana, is Oldzimers disease something you have to be old to get?"

We left to make the trip to school with both boys alternating between looking at me and shaking their head in wonder. I am quite sure they were praying that there would be no reason for me to get out of the Jeep in front of their friends.

When I got home my daughter, Crystal, was out of bed and getting dressed to go out and apply for a few jobs. She took one look at me and burst out laughing. "Mom, you're losing it," she said, "Halloween is tomorrow!"

She then proceeded to say, "Hey, I have a great idea, let's do our makeup and hair together. Then we can pick out matching outfits." Any other time I would have recoiled in fear but not this time, I was going to walk on the wild side so I said, "Great!"

By the time she had used a curling iron on my already wavy hair and then brushed it out, it truly did resemble a tumbleweed! It was poufed out around my head like a 1970's afro. She did my makeup too. I must say, I never really pictured myself as a gothic actress but after all, it is time for Halloween. It took her a total of 37 minutes to do my hair and makeup. I did hers in less than five minutes. She was a bit disappointed but I've never been good at those paint by number things!

She was really proud of herself as she led me to the closet to pick out my clothes for the day. I swear to you right now, I had no idea that I even owned a pair of plaid pants! I think she has been planning for the day when I started to lose what little brain I have left. She and my mother had to have conspired together on this one!

Her face lit up the room when she pulled an old pair of pants out of the closet. "Mom, I can't believe you have these! They're so hot!" If it had been up to me, they would have much hotter when the found their way to a bonfire! I had agreed though, so I gritted my teeth and put them on. I was grateful at this point that she hadn't chosen my undergarments too!

Of course, there had to be a blouse to match these obnoxious brown plaid pants. She began to toss my hanging things out of the closet and onto the bed until she found what she thought would be the perfect match. Trust me here, my daughter did not inherit her sense of style from me. She chose a lighter brown sweater with a small floral pattern in it. Embroidered on the front left side of the sweater was a blazing orange pumpkin that appeared to have been carved into the image of Gomer Pyle.

When the first one of my daycare children arrived, the little girl burst out crying when I answered the door. She's four years old and not used to seeing her "Nana" looking like a reject from the 1970's. I had to bribe her to get her to stay with me without crying. Her mother, by the way, was bent over laughing so hard that she nearly choked to death from the lack of oxygen.

When the last of the three daycare children had arrived it was time to go to the market. I had bribed them into staying with me by agreeing to let them help me shop. When I walk on the wild side, I do it in style. I slipped on the three inch platform heeled half-boots that my daughter had selected to finish my ensemble and we were off.

Once I managed to keep myself on my feet in those darn boots, we went into the store. I saw people peeking around the ends of the aisles looking at me. I saw a lady that works in the deli go running through the store and she came back with six other people. They stood a few feet away from me and finally one of them said, "Dianna? What a great outfit? Are you guys having a costume party at school today?"

I said, "No, just practicing to see if I could get the look just right. I did, you noticed!" One of the little girls started to say something but I quickly covered her mouth and agreed to go to the cereal aisle right that minute!

We came home with three packages of cheese, milk, six boxes of assorted chocolate and marshmallow covered cereals and three packages of candy. We had graham crackers and ice cream bars and two jars of peanut butter. I will never need to buy "Fruit Gusher" yogurt again and if I see one more chicken nugget I'll just throw up! Dinner anyone?

Soon the afternoon came and it was time to go pick the boys up from school and get the second wave of daycare children. The boys came walking down the street and stopped. Chris stepped a little closer and peered into the Jeep. He looked back at Kyle and took another step closer and looked inside again. Kyle was standing still waiting to see what Chris was up to before he moved at all.

I rolled the window down and said, "Come on boys, let's get moving!"

Chris' face turned red and he told Kyle, "Oh my Lord, it's worse than this morning! Jump in really quick and you lie in the floor of the back seat, I'll lie down in the trunk!" They weren't kidding either. They did exactly that as Chris was telling me to get out of town before we were spotted. I felt like I had just robbed a bank.

As soon as we got home, I went to the restroom and wet my hair down to loose the frizz. I slipped on some jeans and  a Spiderman tee-shirt that was two sizes too big. I cleaned all of the sky blue eye shadow off of my face along with the cherry red blush my daughter had thought made me look like Mae West. I went downstairs and heard the boys let out a sigh of relief.

"Mom's back!" Chris called out, "Now what's for dinner?"

I wasn't sure how many s'mores it was going to take to fill them up but I didn't think they would mind. When I walk on the wild side, I really walk on the wild side! Just for the heck of it, today when I go out, I'm not going to put any money in the parking meter! I might even try and find some bright orange duct tape too! Holding my boobs in place with the regular old silver tape is getting boring!

Dianna Doles Petry

10/2002

dianna59@charter.net

http://diannapetry.tripod.com

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Menu

Bill Walker

wildbill6807@yahoo.com

I came across a letter I sent home after Christmas, the year was 1952.  There was just an napkin. Nothing else but a old napkin. On this napkin I made out the menu for Christmas dinner, served up to the troops.

A meal like that would cost a pretty penny today. I sure haven't dinned as well since service days  I think our Uncle Sam takes pretty good care of the troops reading that old menu.

Let me tell you what was the bill of fare.

Chilled Fruit Cup

Roast Turkey, with dressing.. Two kinds of dressing. Corn bread and Yankee style.with giblet gravy.

Cranberry sauce.

Whipped Potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes.

Buttered Green Beans.

Corn O'Brien

Celery, ripe and stuffed olives. sweet pickles, and carrot sticks.

Parker house rolls.. with real butter.

Pumpkin pie, with whipped topping.

Grand Ma Fruit Cake from Beatrice,Nebraska.

Oranges, Apples, Tangerines, Bananas.

Mixed nuts.

Dinner mints.

Coffee.

Lackland Air Force Base.

San Antonio, Texas

1952

Memories of long ago.  Thanks Uncle Sam for a wonderful Christmas Dinner.

Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write

http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5

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Poetry Section

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The Garden of Love

Joyce C. Lock

The Presence of God,

The Essence of Doves;

Wings Unveiling

Light from Above,

Embracing each Soul

In His Garden of Love.

© by Joyce C. Lock

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The Maker of Us All

Joyce C. Lock

Birds in the spring,

Mums in the fall;

The Lord God, Creator,

The Maker of us all.

© by Joyce C. Lock

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  The Man on Your Throne

Joyce C. Lock

People are everywhere,
Yet walk alone, it seems.

God wants to love you
In ways you've never dreamed.

He'll go with you, protect you,
And call you His own.

Let God be your husband,
The man on your throne.

© by Joyce C. Lock

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name;
and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel;
The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Isaiah 54:5

Senior Writers

Chief writer: Sharon Bryant

Agee, Vance; Apted, Violet; Baker, Kathy; Batt, Al; Berry, Nell; Blaine, Pamela; Boda, Ginger; Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.; Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark; Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria; Gilbert, Robert, Jr.; Goodier, Steve; Braun-Haley, Ellie; Harris, Kathy Anne; Hunt, Sharlett; Hymes, Christina; Jacobson, Gary; Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim; Jenkins, Pamela; Liles, Norma; Lily Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Marlor, Janice Bumbalough; Mazzella, Joe; Morris, Deepak; Ojeibge, Georgewaters; Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan; Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan; Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe; Warner, Gordon, K; Walsh, Sue; Weymouth, Barbara J.; Whirity, Kathy;

Wainland, David; Westerfer, Clara; White Robert;

Storytime Tapestry Staff

Carol Roach - Founder/publisher

Thelma Hartselle - Co-Founder, Moderator

Clara Westerfer – moderator

Bob Johnston - moderator