Dive In! The Dixie Swim Club Starts Thursday!

Cast of "The Dixie Swim Club" -- Anna Pinder, Rhonda Powers, Mary Beth Kennedy, Caroline Sanford, Nadine Borrelli. Don't miss this fantastic show which opens this week, October 2, at 8:00 p.m.

The faster we swim, the sooner we all win!

The Dixie Swim Club has been assembled at WACT (Waycross Area Community Theater) and is preparing to show you scenes from their best reunions ever!

Anna Pinder is the team Captain, Sheree Hollinger, the energetic and hyper organized center of the Dixie Swim Club.  She's a health food fanatic, and just watch where some of her hor d'ouerves end up!

Rhonda Powers is  Atlanta attorney Dinah Grayson, a wise-cracking workaholic.  

Mary Beth Kennedy is Lexie Richards, a real honest to gosh Southern Belle, and with several husbands and cosmetic surgeries to prove it.

Caroline Sanford is sweet and ditzy Jeri Neal McFeeley, a nun who brings a little something extra.

Nadine Borrelli is Vernadette Simms, the one who has had less than a charmed life, but she faces her troubles with a sharp sense of humor and the supporter of her friends.  She is also a proud defender of southern biscuits.

These extraordinarily talented ladies are going to be working hard to bring you the finest, funniest play that you have seen in ages.

So plan now to come on down to the reunions!

Heading Into Play Week and Other Monday Musings

And so it begins.

A non-stop theatrical extravaganza.

We had a good, long tech rehearsal Saturday afternoon.  We worked out some of the kinks in the show.  Benjamin and I operated the lights and sound for the first time, and found that an interesting challenge.  Thankfully, Benjamin is more tech savvy than me, and all I need to do is call him to alert when a light change or sound effect is coming up.

Alison is doing a bang up job of organizing the props, and it is the first time for her as stage manager.  The whole backstage is female - so they can dress and move back there however they want to.

Yesterday, we rested.  Well, we had church and football, but no theater.  Church time has slowly expanded for us, starting with leaving the house at about 8:30, Sunday School at 9, Eucharist/Mass/Service at 10, refreshment/social time until about 11:30.  Today we also had lunch at Applebee's with some church friends, and after we dwelt for awhile in the land of Kroger.  We got back home after 2, where we watched the Detroit Lions ground the Jets, and the Atlanta Falcons prove once again that they don't handle road games very well.  I was also very happy to see that the Detroit Tigers won their division for the fourth year in a row.  I would love to see them win the World Series, but any Atlanta Braves fan can tell you how difficult that final step is.

Today, Monday, we have rehearsal, and we'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Tuesday we have rehearsal and we'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Wednesday is our final dress rehearsal, with a newspaper reviewer there, and we'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Thursday is Opening night.  This play deserves a great, big enthusiastic crowd, and I hope they are there each and every performance.  We'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Friday is the second performance night.  We'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Saturday night is the third performance night.  We'll probably get home close to 11 PM.

Sunday afternoon is the matinee performance.  We go to church in Waycross, and will probably stay in Waycross from 9 AM until close to 6 PM.

On top of that, is collating the judge's decisions on our Okefenokee Heritage Writer's Guild's Writing Contest. preparing the certificates and checks, and having the awards ceremony at 6 PM on Thursday.

And, of course, Alison and Benjamin and me all have very active work weeks. including Benjamin's second time in Pep Band.

Wish us luck!

But most importantly, if you're in the area - come see The Dixie Swim Club!

History of the Trap: December Stars Part 1

1

Yes, I know I'm running out of time.  But I'm going to do my best to get the first year done before our next meeting.  That gives me three days to cover five months. 

The three most important things about December was the trial of Robert Pelley, and what Larry Wiseman found out about the stars.  I will get to those very shortly.

December's weather was remarkably stable.  It was Michigan winter, for goodness sake, and we were still having San Francisco weather, with temps of about 70 in the day, and no lower than 60 at night.

Our crops continued at an incredible rate of gestation.  Supplemented with the diary and meat products from the farm, and the seemingly endless supply of canned and packaged foods found in the underground shelter, we were now less concerned with starving to death.  It upset my father that some students were starting to waste food again, sometimes leaving half or more of their tray of food just to dump in the trash.

Charley's Aunt was performed at the end November, and was sort of our last hurrah before the trial began.  Even though I had been in several plays, and knew many of the actors, I did not go.  I could not bring myself to come into the auditorium.  Not after witnessing Jack Kessler die there (just as he was trying to kill me), and than a few weeks later coming across the body of my beloved Lisa.  I did hear that Franny Cranfield was excellent in it, and that Oliver Sanders absolutely brought the house down as Babbs, the character who dresses as Charley's Aunt.

We were going to have student council elections in mid-December, but my Dad pushed that back to January.  He didn't want the elections at the same time as the trial, nor did he want it to compete with Christmas events.

Although the trap barrier was tested and prodded, no other changes or weaknesses were found.  Mr. Cairn, the physics teacher, and a team looking at it, were confounded by how the farm was discovered.  Was the gap always there, or did an opening appear?  As long as Mr. Cairn was with us, he and his team would continue to probe and analyze.  Later, more anomalies would appear, but I won't go into those now. 

I was back to a routine, more or less.  The darkness of our losses continued to haunt me, but life, as strange as it was in the trap, went on.  Unless you prepared to take a quick exit, like Vice Principal Crowler and a depressing number of students did, you just had to bear it as much as you could.

And now I had to face the trial.  Mr. Branch's government classroom was remade to be a courtroom, and space was very limited.  There was a lottery to determine who would get to sit in on the trial.  Because I was a close friend to Lisa, and a witness who would need to testify, I was going to be able to sit in on the trial.

The first controversy was whether my father should be the presiding judge, given that I might be one of the witnesses.  I thought they might actually replace him.  It was finally agreed that, when I came to the stand, that Miss Schram (our journalism teacher who was part of the three judge panel) would preside instead of my Dad.  Mr. Branch, who had agreed to defend Robert Pelley, was a little uneasy with my Dad as Presiding Judge, but the bottom line was that my Dad still had the best reputation in the school for fairness and evenhandedness.

And that's how I began December.  Waiting for the trial to begin.  Waiting for justice to be served on Robert Pelley.

I was in for quite a surprise.

Murder in the Round

Well, that was a bit of a surprise.  Not completely unwelcome, but definitely ahead of schedule.  It was something she would have to think on today.

Not that she needed this burden today.  There was so much to do at work, and now to have this dwell on.  She wanted to tell Jackie first, but that meant waiting until they were both off work tonight.

Ramona finished preparing a quick sandwich to take to work.  Leftover Boston Butt with slices of Colby Pepperjack cheese, slathered in mayo and Dijon mustard.  Vegan, she was not.

Ramona Adams was the legal secretary at Cooper & Strickland, Crowley's most prominent legal firm.  Of course, that was like being the largest goldfish in a one-gallon tank.  Nevertheless, it was an entertaining and challenging job, and she got to see a wide variety of Dixon County's most interesting people.

Even though she wasn't a paralegal yet (still finishing courses at Okefenokee Tech), the firm's senior partner, Thomas Cooper, was starting to give her more responsibility over some cases.  One of those most recently given to her was to assist the vet, Dabs Denison, in getting disability benefits.  Although they had not been secured yet, she felt her assertiveness was getting him closer to the front of the line.  She had to admit, even though she despised Congressman Stan Winston's politics, that his office had done a lot to assist her.  She had heard rumors that it was Sheriff Steel's influence that had prodded the Congressman.  Now Sheriff Alan Steel was someone she had voted for, and would gladly vote for again.  He had been by far the best sheriff Crowley had ever had in working with the African American community.

Ramona and her husband, Jackie, lived near the edge of Crowley's minority area, referred to as the Onion Patch.  They lived on Cedar Drive, just off of Magnolia Street.  When they looked for a house shortly after Jackie got his Vice Principal's job at Reagan Middle School, they were subtly discouraged from the better white neighborhoods, and constantly redirected to homes in the Onion Patch.  When they were shown the house on Cedar, they just gave in.  It was going to be substantially more house than they could get in the white neighborhoods and left them enough money to remodel to their tastes.  She knew that the Onion Patch had a reputation for more crime than other areas, but she had grown up in that neighborhood, and she knew that there were also a lot of good people living there.  And she was comfortable with her children going to Crowley Elementary School, a good school with a multi-cultural vibe and tolerance.  Not that she and Jackie had any children.  Well, not quite yet.

Ramona got in her red Nissan Sentra, a car she had been nursing along since 2003.  No sense spending all their money on fancy new cars.  She would rather invest it in the house and well, other special contingencies.  As she settled in behind the car, she patted her belly, and realized that one of those special contingencies just might be starting up.  As she backed out the driveway, she thought for a moment of turning towards the middle school, and just finding Jackie and tell him the news.  Then she felt guilty, and decided there was too much to do at the office.

As she turned down Magnolia Street, she saw Barry Mincher in his front yard, in his pajamas, just sitting in a lawn chair, smoking a cigar.  He waved at her, and she gave a tiny wave back.  She shuddered a second, thinking back to the way things could have been.  They were hot and heavy back in high school days, but Barry's life had taken a sharp turn for the worst since then.  Barry had been in prison for drug-related crimes, and now was just a night stocker at Yeltin's IGA.  She shouldn't feel like this, she thought.  Barry was a nice fellow in many ways.  Still, she was extremely grateful she had straightened herself out and met Jackie.

Ramona passed the church she and Jackie attended, Magnolia AME, the largest African American church in Dixon County.  She would have loved to go to a multi-cultural church, but that just didn't exist around here, particularly one with a charismatic spirit, tolerance and a concern for social action and justice.  It was a good church home.  It was not her fault that Sunday church time was the most segregated hour of the week.

She came into the Round, officially titled Crowley Circle, but no one called it that.  It was a rectangular square of buildings that had a circular roundabout at the center.  It included government buildings like the Courthouse and City Hall and the police station. It had professional offices like the law firm she worked at, old Doc Stratton the chiropractor, and Graves & Robinson, a CPA firm that had recently fallen on hard times, what with Houston Graves Jr. leaving to work with the Compton Park Development, and Houston GravesSr., just having had a heart attack three days ago.  She liked Gariton Hollander, their now very busy staff accountant, and their new assistant, Janet Roper.  She had even had a few lunches with Janet over at the Honey Dew, which was also on the Round.

She was surprised to see that the door was not locked.  Usually, she was the first one there.  She looked out into the parking lot and saw Rondy's blue F-150.  Well, that worm was early for a change!  Whatever he was doing, it must not be an early morning rendezvous with Christie Delco Hollander, what with the door unlocked.  But what they hey!  The cat was way out of that bag now.  No need for sneaking anymore.  She had heard that Gariton took a swipe at Rondy at The Oasis.  Hard to believe that mild-mannered Gariton could be pushed that far, but she could hardly blame him.

She put her purse on her desk and saw that Rondy's door was cracked open.  "Rondy?  Are you here?" she called out.  "You want me to start some coffee?"

There was no response.  She noticed his office door was cracked open, but his light was off.  "Rondy?  Are you in there in the dark?"

She opened the door and flipped the light switch.  Why, Rondy was in there!  He was slumped over his desk, probably sleeping off a bender.  He was awful still, and his head was angled kinda funny.  And what was that all over his desk?  Tomato soup?  As far as she knew, Rondy wasn't a soup eater.  A hangover cure gone spilled maybe.

Then she knew, and her flesh creeped.  There was a hole in the center of Rondy's forehead.  That wasn't soup.  That was blood.

Thoughts of work assignments left her, as did thoughts about a positive pregnancy test less than an hour ago.  Soon she would call 911, then dash out to the police station.  But at first, all she could do was scream.

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Shaking Off the Wednesday Blues

I didn't have a very good day yesterday.

We had a review of our work at the accounting firm I am employed with.  There were a number of problems with an assignment I handled, and although there was nothing horribly wrong, it was enough to make me feel pretty bad and inadequate. Accounting can be quite discouraging to me, at least as something fulfilling to do, or something I can feel a large sense of accomplishment.  It's something that I can do adequately, and customarily with a high degree of accuracy, but it is not something I can shine in, nor receive a great deal of recognition.

I would love to leave accounting, but I am a responsible person, and I want to do what's right by my family, and not have to endure financial sacrifices for me to do so.  So I have spent the last few years building up my ability in something I enjoy more and was hoping might build to be a supplemental income over time.  So I write, for enjoyment and personal satisfaction, but also in hopes that it can accelerate my phase out from accounting.

But on the same day when my nose is being shoved into my inadequacies as an accountant, I receive a major blow to getting some of the recognition I crave as a writer.  An affirmation I was hoping to get was not to be.   Was I wasting my time?   Was I also a mediocre writer?  Am I all quantity and very little quality?  It caused me to have doubts in the very thing that I was hoping would lead me out of the accounting wilderness.  And on the very day when I needed to be most assured.

I was low and getting lower.

And then the evening came.  And I got an important reality check.  A great kick in the pants as to what it's important.

Benjamin had his first performance with the school pep band.

That's Benjamin, in the middle, waving, holding the big ol' baritone horn.

Benjamin has had a rough time in 8th grade.  He is in a classroom pod with many boys who are athletic and/or quite different than Benjamin, and he was having a hard time making friends.  Then he joined Pep Band, and he has discovered that band was actually fun, and he was making new friends, outside of the bullies that dominated his regular classroom.  He has joined student council, Beta Club and a student group that tests new school lunch items.  I am so proud of him.

It did me good to see Benjamin doing so well, and having a good time.  I also saw other friends, like Kimberly Beck and her two girls that are part of a dance troupe called the Blue Diamonds.  There was even a football game going on that I found myself being drawn into.  I found myself getting excited and cheering, surprising myself with my unexpected participation.

Yes, it's amazing how good life can be when you pull your head out of your own ass.

Would I like to be a writer?  Yes.  Am I likely to make much money off of it?  Probably not.  Will I stop writing?

Hell, no.  Even if it's just for me, even if it is just one hand clapping, I will not stop.  Come along for the ride or not.  That is up to you.

But the ride will be here, for anyone who wants to climb aboard.  No admission charged.

At least right now.

Bwahahaha!

Ripping Good Yarns: Five to Try

It's a new Fall TV season!

Not the same ring it used to have, but at least for the broadcast networks, they still present a fleet of new programs.

Of these, the Strait Household may sample a quarter or less.  I think that would be typical of most Rippers (at least those that deign to admit they watch TV).

As time escapes, I am not doing my evening to evening breakdown quite the same as last year.  I will do a series of stories highlighting different aspects of the new season.

In this post, I am sharing the five series we are most likely to try.  I have read both Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, and the series I selected are listed as "best of the new season" in one or both magazines.

Gotham! Fox Mondays at 8 PM.  Yet ANOTHER retelling of the Batman story, this time starting with the the brutal murders of Bruce Wayne's parents.  It is designed to focus on the city of Gotham, it's incredible corruption, and the beginning of many in the Batman canon.  We saw the premiere showing last night and give it a thumbs up.  Benjamin wants to see it as well, so it will be a full family series at the Strait household.

Black-ish  starts tonight (Wednesday at 9:30 on ABC), having the sweet spot right after Modern Family.  It has some echoes of The Cosby Show, featuring an upper middle class African American family.  It promises to have a point of view (like some of the great situation comedies of the 70s), but with an amusing bite, and characters that  (hopefully) you can grow to love.  It is the only new comedy we are considering at this point.

How to Get Away With Murder  premiers Thursday on ABC at 10 PM.  It is done by the brilliant TV creator, Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal) and stars the highly talented Viola Davis as a law school professor who is also a criminal defense attorney, spinning herself and her students into an intriguing web of cases.

 Gracepoint premieres Thursday at 9 on Fox, and is pretty much a straight ripoff of the British series Broadchurch.  I was only able to see one episode of the series, but it was very good, and I am looking forward to trying this Americanized version.  As to who that guy is standing at cliff's edge?  Yeah, that's Doctor Who (David Tennant), taking on an American accent (he played the same part in Broadchurch).  The woman with him?  Well, uh, I guess that would be his, uh, "companion".

The Flash! will be on Tuesdays at 8 on the CW.  The guy playing it looks more like Wally West to me than Barry Allen, but what do I know?  Although the costume looks a little cheesy, the speed scenes look awesome, and it's comes from the same people that do Arrow, a show that has improved rapidly over the last season.

Jane the Virgin (CW Mondays at 9) looks bizarre enough that I may have to try it at least once, and since I have read over a hundred comics featuring him, I will probably at least sample Constantine (Fridays at 10 PM on NBC).

There are, of course, many other new shows premiering.  NCIS spinoffs are threatening to subsume all of CBS's schedule, for example.  But please, fellow Rippers and others, if you have other shows you have sampled or are thinking about sampling, please let us know.  I want to hear from you!

Soon Swimming to a Theater Near You! (Well, Waycross, anyways)

One of the funniest plays to ever hit the WACT stage is headed your way starting October 2nd!

I have been involved in many plays over the years, at least over sixty productions.  I have never had the privilege of participating in one where the acting has come together so quickly and effectively.  Our five outstanding actresses know their lines and have BECOME their CHARACTERS.

If you like to laugh, if you like to have your heart touched, if you want to see the very best community theater has to offer, than make plans now to miss this wonderful show.  Call in your reservations today!

Anna Pinder is the athletic team captain, Sheree Hollinger, obsessed with detail and preparing the scariest health food on the planet.  Mary Beth Kennedy is Lexi Richards, a woman who knows about sexy and that the world does indeed revolve around her.  Nadine Borrelli is Vernadette Simms, the hard luck teacher whose life is like a sad country song, but faces it with humor and spirit, and will defend Southern biscuits with every breath in her body.  Caroline Sanford is Jeri Neal McFeeley, the ex-nun with the heart of gold who brings a little something extra to the first reunion we see.  And Rhonda Powers is Dinah Grayson, the high powered Atlanta attorney who has a martini shaker and knows how to use it.

Seriously, folks, you don't want to miss this one!

How's That Hopey-Changey Thing Going Saturday Political Soap Box 92

Recently, I had someone close to me inquired as to whether they voted for Obama,  They had, but weren't particularly openly political - politics was a personal thing for them, and not something they cared to debate in public (unlike me).  Without explicitly saying who they voted for, the person asking deduced from body language and a hesitancy to answer directly that they had indeed voted for Obama.  So the next the person asked was, "How's that hopey-changey thing going?"

So, how is that hopey-changey thing going?

Well, considering where we started out from, pretty darn good, actually.

The country and the globe stood on the verge of complete economic collapse, largely due to policies that led to unregulated banking, concentration of wealth, and unchecked exploitation of the poor and middle class (home mortgages, usurious interest rate,student loan and medical debt, the paycheck loan industry, etc.).  President Obama pulled us back, or the Second Great Depression would have become a reality and an abyss.

Our economy has recovered faster than it has in Europe.  Our economy has recovered faster than it did under Reagan (even though the recession was miles milder), according to Forbes Magazine and other recent stats I have seen.  The stock market is at an all time high.

Could it have recovered faster?  Certainly, although not instantaneously - we were in way too deep for that.  But the American people, in all its gerrymandered glory, decided in 2010 to send to Congress a TeaPartyAmerika controlled House, a group who is more interested in making the President look bad than they are in moving this country and economy forward.

We still have an American auto industry in this country thanks to the President and a Democratic Congress.

We have a President who has killed more terrorists than any other, including killing Osama Bin Laden.  He wound down our conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  But make no mistake.  The Bush/Cheney Iraq War was the most brutal and stupid military move in decades, if not all of American history, and that mistake will have effects on us and the Middle East for DECADES to come.

We are at least recognizing that climate change/global warming is the most serious problem on the planet, and is doing everything he can to pull us into the greatest battle of the 21st century, the battle to keep our planet livable.

He has lowered student interest rates.  He has signed into law the Lillie Ledbetter Act, an important tool in helping solve the great pay divide between men and women.  He has put into effect Financial Reform legislation.  He has created, led by Elizabeth Warren, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, designed to be a consumer advocate against the more exploitative acts by financial institutions.

He has accomplished the greatest health care reform act in a century or more.  Even as the name Obamacare continues to be childishly reviled, the individual things the Affordable Care Act is doing are becoming more and more popular. It is accomplishing everything it set out to do, and at a quicker pace than expected.  Unless, of course, you're in one of those hissy-fit red states that is fighting the law tooth and nail.  I'm talking to you, Georgia!  My conservative friends are disappointed as to how it's working in Georgia?  It's not working because the utter and complete choke hold Republicans have on this state won't LET it succeed.

You think the President is not compromising enough?  You've got to be kidding, right?  I have never in my life seen a President try to bend over backwards as far as President Obama has to try to include Republican ideas.  And it just doesn't matter.  The Republicans only goal is tell the President NOOOO, no matter what he says.

Could we have made more progress under McCain/Palin or Romney/Ryan?  Hahahahahahaha!  You can't possibly believe that.  How many wars would be in if McCain were President?  How much bigger would the wealth gap be if Romney were in charge?  Does anyone out there with any economic sense believe austerity measures get you out of a recession? Do you think social issues would be any different?  The American people are changing their views on those regardless of who is President.

I would have loved for us to do more.  I would love for us to have single payer health care.  I would love for us to reduce NSA spying.  I would love for the fatty parts of the defense budget to be cut.  I wish we didn't use drones so much.  I wish some of the bankers that brought us down would be tried and imprisoned.  I fervently pray that we do ten times more on combating global warming than we are doing.  I wish we would stopping messing with private for profit charter schools and rededicate  ourselves to public education.  I wish we would increase the minimum wage to the point that we can decrease our reliance on social safety net programs.

Yes, there is much that has been done and much left to be done.

But as long as Mr. Gerrymander rules over the House, as long as many congressional districts decide to send lunatics to that legislative branch, as long as there is no price to pay for Republicans to behave like stubborn spoiled children, progress towards a brighter future will be slowed, even stalled.

You say you are disappointed in that hopey-changey thing?  Then here is the most important thing you can do -

Vote for a Democratic Congressman and Senator.  Not because they're perfect.  But because you want to send a message - no more obstructionists!  Let's get the work of this country done!

Into the Contest Rode the 57

The deadline for the first annual Okefenokee Heritage Center Writer's Guild Writing Contest has passed.

We have a total of 57 entries, 56 on their way to judges.

This is not bad for a first year effort, and is comparable to the level of participation in the Ben Smith Art Contest, the winners of which will be announced at the same event as ours, on October 2nd.

The number of adult entries to secondary is fairly balanced.  The adults have 31 compared to secondary's 25.  The elementary group was a problem, with only one entry (which is why that one entry is not on it's way to a judge).  Hopefully, that can be addressed for next year's contest.

We still have a ways to go, getting the judges scoring sheets back, collating results, getting certificates of achievement ready, getting cash prizes ready, winners informed and announced, post promotion of winning entries.  But I am pleased with what we have done so far.

Success takes diverse hands.

I want to thank Leslie Crane and Robert Stewart for promoting the contest and bringing in entries from their prospective schools.

I want to thank Julianna Lacefield for have taken our entry forms and information to individual schools in Ware County.

I want to thank Barbara Griffin and Lamar Deal for securing the adult judges and devising the scoring system.

I want to thank Elizabeth Welch for her kind and generous financial donation.  Between Elizabeth, The Strait Line and entry fees, we have no trouble meeting the costs of the contests.

I want to thank Michael Lee and April Sheuring for their participation and support, especially at a time when I was feeling particularly battered and low.

I want to thank each and every guild member that participated and assisted, and everyone who took the time to prepare a story or poem for our contest.

I want to thank Steve and Betty of the Heritage Center for their kind help in collecting the entry fees, organizing our bookkeeping, and preparing the entries for the judge's packets.

I hope this is only the beginning.  I hope that as we learn from experience, and the contest becomes more well known, we only grow and have a positive impact on our community.

No Bookstore Escape Monday Musings

City lights bookstore in San Francisco.

Yes, darting off to the other side of the country to visit a progressive bookstore sounds like an ideal escape for a busy, busy week! But alas, there is no escape.

The writing contest deadline is today, and even though it looks the number of entries is going to be crushingly disappointing, I must soldier it on to its conclusion.  With the help of Steve Bean and other OHC personnel, the entries must be organized and judge's packets prepared and sent out. Once we know how many entries we have, then I will need to initiate the process of getting the elementary and secondary contestants certificates of participation. Hopefully the work that we have done will lay the groundwork for higher levels of participation in future years.

The WACT play that I am directing, The Dixie Swim Club, is also hitting a crucial stage.  Tonight's rehearsal is the first completely off book, no line prompting (theoretically).  There are still some props and staging that needs to be done.  Soon I need to introduce Alison and Benjamin into the mix, and get them started on their jobs helping. I must say, overall, that The Dixie Swim Club is about as far along as I have seen any play at this point in its rehearsals.

I have work stacked to the wazoo at my job.  We have made it to the corporate deadline of the 15th, but there are still non-profits to prepare, and my regular work to catch up.

I have jury duty on Friday, and a special assignment to do for church, so it will be the second Friday in a row that I will lose my major day to write fiction.  I am starting to turn a corner on some projects, passing the point where there is more done than is left to do, so I am anxious to get back to it.

I go back and forth on ISIS, between whether the President's response is appropriate, or whether it will make things worse.  The only thing I know for sure is that the McCain/Romney approach of over-aggression and multiple wars would be disastrous.  Yes, Bush/Cheney are completely to blame for this mess we're in, forever and ever amen, but we have to deal with it somehow.

Football was miserable this weekend.  Yes, the Wolverines defeated a team with one of the longest losing streaks in major college conference football.  The rest, however, was deflatingly bad.  It's early still, but it does not look promising.

We still have Sally, available for adoption.  She is going to make somebody a fantastic pet, so maybe she can find a home locally.  She certainly deserves it.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Sweet Sally is Ready For Her Forever Home!

Super sweet Sally is over her treatments and is ready to go!  Here is she, out in our backyard, one of her last times on the leash. Now she runs and plays and has a grand time.

She is a very pretty dog, and her brindle coloring is just breathtaking.  She is of modest size, with, we believe, some Corgi background.

She loves being around people, and responds well to commands.  Well, for the most part.  She is young and enthusiastic, but with a good heart and a desire to please.

Sally loves the indoors as well.  Here she is responding to Alison, ready to find a toy and play.

She is housebroken, particularly if she is able to go outside on a routine basis.

She is crate trained, and can spend short times in a crate if needed.

Making herself at home in the living room!  Mi casa su casa!

Can she be a lap dog too?  Oh, yez she can!

UPDATE @ 12/02/14:  Sally is now at the Humane Society where she can be seen whenever they're open,  We have a new foster named Hugo, who is finishing up with heart-worm treatments.  Sally is a wonderful dog and she deserves a loving home.  Please check her out.

Beautiful sweet Sally is available for immediate adoption!  Just contact the Okefenokee Humane Society at 283-4214.  

Color Streams Across A Hopeless Endeavor

i cannot cross the line
no matter how i pine

the glory does not come
just cuz you practice some

either the gray skies part
and burst a glorious start

or you wave a flag of glory
while no one reads your story

achievement can be won
but maybe not by this one

cherry red glow sticks
ivory crusted night picks

faith may light the way
but only connection play

see what I can do
juggling word stew

imagining into a vacuum
wording to an empty ruum

dust skorts past me
you don't even see thee

no matter what the noise I make
nothing will ever clumbing take

glen green recedes from view
fashionate fuschia is all a new

tender is the desperate sight
shall i cease without a fight

it seems so utterly useless
my efforts completely worthless

but i will not stop the never-ending battle
i will never quiet my ceaseless prattle

the glory may indeed never ever arrive
but that will not stop me from my strive

even if my successes are few
what else am i going to do

raspacious red colors the autonomous reginald dew
but for me there is nothing so blitch as my moody blue

Join the Fun at Poet's Corner Night!

Poet's Corner Night!

September 19, 2014

7 PM

Come share your original poetry in a relaxed, fun atmosphere!

Or just come and enjoy one of the most unique events in Southeast Georgia!

FREE COFFEE FROM ELLIANOS!!!!

Other snacks and beverages will be available!

Each poet will get up to five minutes to strut their stuff.

Those with original music compositions can perform, solo or with a musical instrument (individuals only - no groups, please).

Admission is FREE!
Donations accepted.

Okefenokee Heritage Center

1460 North Augusta Avenue

Waycross, Georgia

Back to Blogging Wednesday Wanderings

I have finished with my full time shilling of the Okefenokee Writer's Guild's first annual Writer's Contest.  I may repost a couple more times, bit it's pretty much WYSIWYG now.  The start is a little rocky, but I believe it will build and grow in future years.

Not that that will be the end of my shilling!

We have a second Poetry Night coming up September 19th.  I should have a flyer up about that in the next day or two.

The Dixie Swim Club is coming along.......swimmingly!  The cast is coming together quickly, and I believe it will be one of the funniest plays to hit the WACT stage.  It will be performed the first two weekends in October.

Flying Dragon has just had tryouts for Dracula, is finishing up Little Mermaid, and Flying Dragon After Dark crew will be doing Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I will have a blog entry posted soon about our foster, Sally.  She is a great dog, enthusiastic and friendly, and is going to make somebody a very happy pet owner.

Benjamin has joined the Pep Band!  I am very happy to see that!  That will mean a little bit more special transport as he stays after school some, but thank goodness he has Grandparents right here in town!

Work is picking up some steam, as we head to the final Corporate Tax deadline of the 15th.  I'm really not in the mood to deal with us, but when am I?

I just got the Fall TV Preview issue of TV Guide last night.  I hope to have an analysis soon on Ripping Good Yarns.  So far it looks like Gotham and a cloud of dust (left in the wake of The Flash).

How about them Detroit Lions?  Since it's just one game, it's difficult to say whether the Lions are that good, or the New York giants are that bad.  Only time will tell.

How about them Detroit Tigers?  Tied for first again, they are picking the right time to surge!

How about them Michigan Wolverines? .......ok, let's talk about something else.

The President is set to give a speech tonight regarding ISIS and the Middle East.  I don't want us to be dragged in too deep, but I recognize the threat, and I think, so far, the response has been appropriate.  Of course, the Republican party won't know what point of view to take until they hear the President's speech, but once they do, I'm sure, like magic, they will have an opinion opposite whatever the President takes!

Well, this a genuine "wandering", but it is good to get back to my routine.  Like a runner who can't get out to run for a few days, my whole sense of time and structure has been shaky.  For better or worse, this guy has gots to blog!

Happy Happy Hump Day!

Dona and the Vows

Dona sat quietly next to her sister, who was busy coloring in a Hello Kitty coloring book.  They sat together on a bench in the cold, sterile hallway of Dixon Medical Center.  Dona watched her sister busily coloring Hello Kitty pink, but could not concentrate on anything else herself.  She was too worried about her mama.

Dixon Medical Center was a small facility, a cross between a small hospital and a care center.  It was in a severe state of decline, and parts of it had been closed down.  When Mama took her most recent bad turn, Daddy had taken her here for emergency care, but then they had insisted that she stay at least for a day. 

Dona was trying to keep a brave face, but Daddy looked so worried and broken, it left her very concerned.  Dona was just thirteen, with teenage hormones and emotions, feelings that she could barely control.  She sat quietly, but her mind was whirring a hundred miles an hour.

Her sister, Tamara, looked up at her.  She was just five, a chubby bundle of energy.  "I'm hungry.  When can Mama come home and fix us some pancakes?"

Dona had to take more and more responsibility for Tamara the sicker Mama got.  She had been ill for months, but in the last few weeks, Mama could hardly get out of bed.  Dona was surprised that Tamara even remembered Mama making breakfast.  "Just finish your painting that picture, Tama.  I'll check with Daddy in a little bit and see if I can get some quarters for the vending machine."

"Do they got Little Debbies?  I loves Little Debbies.  'Specially that one with the creamy stuffing."

"I'll look later."  Whether Daddy would have vending machine money was iffy.  They came here in a hurry and money, even spare change, was a tough commodity to come by.  They gave Mama a tray, even though she couldn't eat.  Perhaps they could steal some of that.

Dona was a little chunky herself, just like Tamara was.  Mama had been outright obese, but had lost quite a bit of weight in the last year.  Part of their heaviness was genetic, but it was also due to a diet that over-emphasized starches and higher calorie foods.  They were cheaper than healthier choices, and their limited food dollars had to concentrate on getting the most bang for the buck.  Daddy worked very hard at Mather's Mufflers, but she got the impression they didn't pay so hot, and they sure didn't offer extras, like insurance or paid vacation.  He heard Daddy grumbling one time about they didn't pay extra for overtime like they were supposed to.  The woman whose husband owned the business was running for Congress.  She wished that lady would stop doing that, and instead tell her husband to treat her Daddy better.

Daddy came out of Mama's hospital room.  He was skinny and tall, a real contrast to Mama.  He had a moustache and thick black hair, but no beard.  His eyes were tearing up and his face was puffy.  "Tamara, honey, Mama would like to see you for a second."

Tamara took Daddy's hand and started into the room.  "Is it breakfast time?"

Daddy choked up.  "Not yet, sweetheart."

Dona waited anxiously on the bench, her mind frozen with fear.  What was going on?  Why would she talk to Tamara alone?  This couldn't be it.  She would know it if it was.  She would feel it.

When Daddy came back with Tamara, he had tears visibly streaming down his cheeks.  He said he had to go the restroom, and then he would be back to bring her in to see Mama.

Tamara sat back down and proceeded to start back coloring.  There was no emotion or stress on the little girl's face.  Somehow, that made it even more terrifying for Dona.  "What did Mama say, Tama?"

Tamara didn't even look up from her coloring book. "Oh, silly stuff."

"Like what?"

"You know.  Like, what I wanted to be when I growed up.  I told her I wanted to be a kitty trainer.  And she wanted me to be sweet and polite.  Ha!  I'm always sweet and polite!  Then I asked about breakfast, and she said it would be awhile.  So I said I didn't want to talk anymore. So I got up and left."

Daddy came back, his tears wiped away.  "Dona, it's your turn."

Mama had some IV's in her arms, and there were some machines making sounds, a little pulse like they were tracking her heartbeat.  The room was not a private room, and there were beds with three other patients, including an elderly lady with a balloon of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz attached to the railing on her bed.

Mama patted the edge of her hospital bed.  Dona sat down next to her, and Mama took her hand.  She looked at Mama's pained and pale face.  There were huge dark circles under eyes, and her skin color was yellow.  The flesh on her arms looked paper thin. "How are you, Dona, my sweet young lady.  Are you doing ok?"

Dona stammered out, "I'm ok, Mama.  I'm just worried about you."

She squeezed Dona's hand.  "Don't you spend a second worrying about me.  I'm in the hands of a higher power now, and I welcome him.  I want to tell you..."  Mama started coughing.  Daddy put a handkerchief to her face, and it came back a little bloody.  Dona shivered.

"It's all right, Dona.  It's all gonna be all right." She composed herself, and looked directly into Dona's eyes.  "I understand you want to be a nurse..."

"Well, actually, a game designer, Mama," interrupted Dona.

"Oh.  Like your friend, that boy, Davy Something?"

"David Roper, Mama."  He was a new boy, two years older than her, just a few trailers down at the trailer park, and one whom she'd spent more and more time with.  He was fascinated with a game he was creating he called To Crown a King and she was becoming more and fascinated with him.

"Well, whatever you decide to be, I want you remember the most important thing."

There was another pause as her mother turned her head and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"What's that, Mama?"

She turned back to her daughter.  "Remember to always be polite, honey.  Always say please and thank you.  Sweet always gets you farther than sour.  And it makes for an, oh, so much better world."

Dona was crying now, nothing left to hold back the flood of tears.  "Mama, please don't go.  Please let me see you again!"

Mama reached up with all her strength and stroked Dona's hair.  "That's not in my hands anymore."  She looked at Dona through watery eyes.  "I love you so."  Her hand dropped away and she closed her eyes.

"Mama has to rest now, honey," Daddy said.

Dona left the room, sobbing.  She ran down the hall, turned the corner.  She just wanted to run, get away.  She found a small room that had an altar and a chapel rail.  She kneeled at it, noticed the cross on the wall in front of her, and then she began to pray.

"Dear God in heaven," Dona plaintively began.  "Please don't take her!  I'll do whatever you want!  I'll go to church.  I'll pray every night.  I'll be good and caring to people.  I'll listen to Daddy and Mama all the time.  I won't do bad things.  I won't touch myself like I shouldn't. I won't think about David that way anymore.  I won't be mean to people.  Just brink her back!  Let her live!"

She waited for some sign that God was listening.  There was none.  But that wasn't going to stop her from trying.  She vowed to do her part.  And she could only pray that God would do his.

When she came back, she reached a corner where she could hear Daddy talking to somebody from the hospital.

"Sir, we'll have to move her out today.  We can't keep indigent patients if they're not in an immediate crisis.  And although she is very ill, I don't think there is much we could do beyond making her comfortable...."

"Yeah," answered Daddy bitterly.  "I wouldn't want you to go out of your way to do that."

The woman he was talking to looked flustered.  She was wearing a navy blue business suit with a white blouse.  She had a clipboard with her.  She wore glasses and looked intelligent, at least to Dona.  "Look, if I could write it up so she could stay, I would.  It's breaking my heart..."  She paused for a minute, looking down.  Then she raised her head, a grim look on her face.  "We can barely keep this place open.  What with the State refusing to expand Medicare, we just can't handle the extra cost burden.  I've seen your financials, Mr. Cooper.  I know Medicare expansion would help you."

Daddy nodded agreement.  "Yeah, I know.  That damn Obamcare is messing up everything."

The woman's frustration increased.  "No, it's Obamcare that's.....never mind.  I see so many, please don't take it personal, who could be helped so much more if they would come in sooner, and start treatments and prevention so much sooner."

Daddy started losing it.  "I know that!  Don't you think I know that?  I tried to get her in sooner!  But she was so worried about the cost!  By the time I got to come....it was just too damn late."

Daddy was crying again.  So was the woman.  So was Dona.  She didn't know how they couldn't hear her sobbing.  Little Tama sat with her coloring book, oblivious to it all. 

"I've worked my ass off, trying to get as many hours as I could and still be there for them.  We've tried to have fundraisers, but people just aren't as interested in an adult woman who they blame for...I mean what the hell, she's fat!  She's not some poster child cute little kid.  I don't even have the resources to bring in Hospice, for god's sake!"

They continued to talk, with the woman stating that she would reach out to Hospice and some charity organizations and see what she could do.  Daddy did not look or sound optimistic.

But for Dona, things began to come clear.  She knew what she would do.  Even though she liked David and game development, she had more important things to do now.  And being a nurse was good, but it just wasn't enough to make things work better.  Things had to change so people like her Mama got the care they needed.

Daddy was hesitant to let Dona back into the room again, but she seemed so determined that he let her in.

Dona waited patiently for her mother to wake up again.  When she did, Dona said, "Mama, I've changed my mind, but I promise you I won't change it again."

Mama looked at her, with half-closed eyes, a wisp of a smile on her face.  "What's that, darlin'?"

Dona looked at her mother solemnly.  "I'm going to be President of the United States."

Her mother, eyes wide open, looked at her daughter, not with skepticism, not with a sense that she had to humor her, but with a calm dead certainty.  "Yes, Dona.  Yes, you are."

They hugged.  It wasn't the last time Dona would hug her mother, although there wouldn't be many more times.  It certainly was the most meaningful, as their souls and spirits melted into each other.

Watch out, 2060!  President Dona Cooper is headed your way!

First OHC Writer's contest- Deadline September 15th

As of this updated posting, there are four days left to enter your story or poem!  Please copy the application here, or in a posting I have that only has the submission form on it.  I also have the entry guidelines posted....just follow the OHC Writing Contest label.

If you prefer, forms can be picked up at the Okefenokee Heritage Center, or the Pierce County Library, or Flying Dragon.  Contact the Okefenokee Heritage Center at 285-4260 or Tom Strait at 283-8778 for more information.

I want to thank some of our sponsors:  The Strait Line, Flying Dragon Arts Center, The Blackshear Times,the Friends of the Pierce County Library and Elizabeth Welch.

This is your chance to shine!  Enter your story and/or poem today!

Official Entry Form For OHC Writer's Contest

Okefenokee Heritage Center

First Annual Writer's Contest

Submission Form

This form must be attached to all story and poetry submissions.

Name:  ___________________________________

Address: __________________________________

               __________________________________

               __________________________________

Contact:  __________________________________

    contact can be phone number, e-mail, or school

Please check which contest your entry is submitted for:

          Elementary:  Story  _________      No Entry Fee

            (K - 5th) 

                             Poetry ________          No Entry Fee

          Secondary:   Story _________        No Entry Fee

            (6th - 12th)             

                             Poetry ________           No Entry Fee

             

           Adult:          Story _________        Include $10 Entry Fee

                              Poetry ________          Include  $10 Entry Fee    

Submission Deadline: September 15th

Winners Announced: October 2nd

Please submit this form return attached with your story/poem.  Please be sure you do not put your name on your story - only on the submission form.  Please deliver or send to:

Attention: OHC Writer's Contest

Okefenokee Heritage Center

1460 N Augusta Ave

Waycross, GA  31503