Enjoy! Rated G. Easy Reading For Christmas and New Year's Eve.

I need to warn you that each of these stories has been published in Heartland periodicals, so don't expect a lot of violence or sensual imagery.  However, if you are in the habit of playing board games or cards as you wait out the New Year, my stories may fit well into your evening.  As each time zone is announced on the T.V. perhaps you can take a break, click on one of these links and read aloud. My stories take but two or three minutes, and each will generate a chuckle or two, and that will warm the heart of this Coffee Monkey!

Logistics required that each story fill only a half page plus illustration in newspapers, so I had to hone them down to around eight hundred or so words.  I choose to write in the Creative Non-fiction genre and present memories from my heart.  Enjoy! (And a comment or two at the link is deeply appreciated!)

For two years I produced a monthly humor column for a trade journal, and began to sneak in my own quips and quotes among those of Mark Twain, Will Rogers and others.  I guess that fired up the writing bug inside of me!

My first endeavor was originally written for a class reunion that fizzled and so my story "Mentor" languished for several years, eventually being published as "The Very Cool Mister Rath" in the Front Porch periodical.  Since then I have often enjoyed retelling this tale told from the heart of a demanding teacher.

Actually my first sold piece was the result of a leadership training challenge as I prepared for the 1977 National Boy Scout Jamboree. My "ticket" mentor challenged me to work on something for myself as I received the training needed for our two week trek with forty boy scouts.  I decided to write a story that woulkd be published in the Boy Scout magazine.  I was surprised as was my mentor when my story of a raccoon was eventually accepted and published as "Paws for Refreshment."

I later added another scout outing to that story and the expanded version about stalking three legged critters and 'gators, was published as "On The Fast Track," in The Front Porch.  A subsequnt scout outing lent itself to the funny story "Smokey's Lesson."

I have also relied on family memories to produce the humorous "banshees" which was published as "Drive In Dad" in Nostalgia magazine.   And a disastrous birthday party created my laughable "A-Team Cake."

I hope you enjoy sharing these tales with your family.  Perhaps you have a recollection or two that should saved with pen or paper.

Happy New Year!