M-I-C-K-E-Y…

What is it a sign of when I wake up with the old Mickey Mouse Club theme song running through my head? M-I-C-K-E-Y   M-O-U-S-E! Mickey Mouse (Donald Duck) Mickey Mouse (Donald Duck). Forever let us raise our banner high, high, higher! Etc. There’s more. Anyway, who knows the reason for pop-up memories? In my work-in-progress, […]

Too Quiet

It’s awfully quiet in my little corner of the world this morning. A small breeze stirs the maple leaves. Nemo snoozes, the refrigerator clicks on, and even the birds are still. The dog walker strides up the hill, her furry, four-legged charge trotting to keep up. No lights shine from any windows besides mine. My […]

Dancing Saved Their Lives

This story/poem sold to Turtle magazine in 1990. Melody Mouse Melody, a small, gray mouse, lived inside a people house along with many mousey others: mother, cousins, sisters, brothers. “To be alert, you must be able. The cat may lurk by chair or table,” her mother told small Melody. “So, exercise; eat carefully.” Now, exercise, […]

Please and Thank You

How important are good manners? Pretty important, I’d say.  It all begins with self-image, to my way of thinking. How do you view yourself? If you have a pretty low opinion, it’s likely to come out in your language and actions. And others, watching, develop an opinion too. Manners are putting yourself in another’s place […]

Head of the Family

His hat hangs on a peg in my hallway. It’s not the Stetson he wore on special occasions. This one has sweat marks, and a small spot of oil. It’s the one he wore every day as he mowed lawns, drove to the sale barn, or any time he went out the door. He never […]

Learning Time

School has started in my neck of the woods–children and teachers returning to fresh adventures, seeing old friends and making new ones. Hopefully, this will be a fun-filled, safe year for all. I wondered, as I looked out at bird baths this morning, if birds need to learn bird-things from their parents, or if it […]