Okay, my cable service is finally back on. I now have internet again. I’m sorry about the delay. That’s what you get when you live in a deed-restricted senior community that limits what services can operate in the area.
On March 1st, the Nokomis Firehouse was abuzz with some great stories. Our resident expert on the Roman Empire, especially Emperor Constantine, Ernie Ovitz, read part of his third book. December 14th, 324 AD, is an eventful day in history. Ernie writes of the commonplace things happening on that day as news of Constantine’s victory had not reached the citizens in the Roman as of yet. Junius Basus is having a bad day. Gloomy winter weather depresses him. In an attempt to cheer him up, his mistress proposes marriage. No, not now or ever?
Do you know anyone who had a stroke? Peter McNally has had two. He suffers from Gran Maul seizures, is nearly blind, and has lost most of his memory. He writes of what he can remember in his book Rewired. He writes of a lack of appetite, sleeping 15 to 16 hours daily, getting lost while walking around the block, and falling from exhaustion while trying to open his garage door. I have to admire Peter for fighting his way back. Keep it up, my friend.
Scott Anderson is a poet and a dedicated researcher in Lepidopterology. “What’s that?’ you might ask. Scott studies butterflies in Sarasota County and writes for the Lepidopterologist’s journal in Florida. Still, his love of these beautiful creatures took him to a butterfly farm in Aruba. Scott chose not to take sides in a debate about whether raising butterflies in a controlled habitat is ecologically correct. He talked about how much he enjoyed seeing the rare and colorful collection at the Aruba location. Plus, he read his Haiku, Rain.
A high-class brothel is a sight to behold, inside and out. Most of the places I’ve seen weren’t so high-class. In his short story, It’s Only Business, Don Westerfield writes about an establishment in San Francisco called The Landis House. Tonight he read the final portion of the story and revealed a surprise ending worthy of Don’s talent. Oh, I am not the expert in these matters that Don professes me to be.
Alternative history is probably the epitome of fiction writing. I find the genre fascinating, and Richard Cope brought us a scenario in which U.S. President Johnson pardoned Robert E. Lee. However, Confederate President Jefferson Davis calls Lee to Richmond after his surrender. Davis charges Lee with treason and orders him shot. The war is at a stalemate because the Southern generals continue to fight rather than face the same fate as their beloved General Lee.
Sandie Schagen and her husband, Ian, travel across Great Britain and hike long stretches of the country. On one such, Sandie tells of a unique solution to a perplexing issue. While on a journey requiring long hikes and train rides, they meet a couple making a similar journey in the opposite direction. Over dinner, they discuss the issues encountered on the trip. Once they complete their travel, they will be a long way from their cars which they need to return home. They strike a deal. Sandie will hand over their car keys to the other couple. They will then drive the Schagen’s car back to where they started and leave the keys with the innkeeper. At the next stop for the Schagen’s, they tell the innkeeper of their mutual arraignment. He replies, “YOU DID WHAT?”
A short story by Ian Schagen is humorous and quite inventive. Taking the plot from William Shakespeare, Ian, who is from Great Britain, takes a tongue-in-cheek view of American television commercials by naming all the characters and places in his story using the names of advertised pharmaceuticals. Advertising of this nature, banned in Britain, tickles Ian’s funny bone. Mine too.
Ever one to stir up controversy, Bruce Haedrich continues with his conversation with Gaia. Bruce is an excellent writer and makes a convincing case for his viewpoint. What will happen in the Next Eighty Years? I don’t know, and I won’t be around at 160 to find out.
Anne Moore read a poem by John Roedel, which has no name. She read it in memory of our late friend Peter Frickel. In its words, we could hear the passion and dedication so evident in Peter’s work. It was as if we had him back for a few minutes.
Rod DiGruttolo presented a reading of a first draft entitled, The Garden. A couple goes to work on a neglected garden behind their home. In tilling the soil, they uncover a forgotten headstone. The eulogy reads
A DISCIPLE OF THE DEVIL IF THERE EVER WAS ONE
HANGED A LITTLE TOO LATE.
It was a fun night, and we all enjoyed it. Our next meeting is at 6:30 on March 15th at the Nokomis Firehouse. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING.
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