Story Time-R - Softcover

Cooley, Jeanelle J.; Zawacki-Dorweiler, Cheryl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966694236 ISBN 13: 9780966694239

Publisher: Palmland Pub, 1998

Synopsis

ANNOUNCING!! STORY TIME-R, A collection of short stories crafted and presented to fit our modern life styles. One of the things that ties us all together, are the multitude of harassing factors today's societal environment imposes on us. Tops among them? Not enough time!

We book consumers are no exception. In fact, those who enjoy reading are often among the busiest of individuals. Finally, there is a book that addresses this problem. "STORY TIME-R"!! It is a book for readers with limited time to allocate to their love of literature. This collection of short stories has been classified by subject and by average reading time. Readers can select one to fit their mood and the time they have available. Someone seeking refuge from the crass, political corrupt world surrounding our daily lives, can find it this book's pages. The eighteen tales included in "STORY TIME-R" are all high quality entertainment. The emphasis is humor, but has its serious messages, as well.

The author, D.L. Havlin, is a master story teller. In this book he uses a first person, narrative style that creates a personal, intimate atmosphere putting the reader in the same room with him. Whether your eighteen or eighty, he'll make you laugh, he'll put a lump in your throat, and he'll make you think. He writes about things to which everyone relates.

"STORY TIME-R" is 272 pages of fast-moving enjoyment in soft and hard cover (0-9666942-2-8) in a standard 8 x 5 size. Individual Stories are divided by an assortment of one page bits of humor and wisdom, designed to solicit a chuckle or a nod. A special bonus are the creative and sensitive original drawings of Cheryl Zawacki-Dorweiler depicting scenes from some of "STORY TIME-R's" chapters.

A quick look at "STORY TIME-R's" Table of Contents, will peek your interest and curiosity. Titles such as, "If it feels good, don't necessarily do it," "The Witch," "Check your diet before you ride," "Your'n, Urine," and "The view through Mary Beth McGonagles window," are page turners. The stories are as rewarding as the titles are interesting.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

From, "The Witch" The sight before me chilled my blood. There was a large, wood burning stove, radiating heat waves into the hot Southern afternoon. On top of it rested one of the largest wash-tubs I had ever seen. We could hear the sounds of something boiling in the tub. Sitting on benches and tables around this center-piece, were all kinds of mystic contraptions fitted with cranks, handles, and levers. Displayed prominently on one of the tables was a set of gleaming knives. Lying on a wooden block table was a rusty hatchet. Next to it, a meat clever was sticking, upright, in the wood. The sight robbed me of breathe for a second.

I took a quick look at my companions. They were all staring at the interior of the shed as though hypnotized by it. Judging from their expressions, they weren't any more comfortable than I was. My curiosity was satisfied. Completely! I wondered if our little force would be open to a suggestion that we make a strategic retreat.

Too late! I heard the rear door of the house slam. My head swivelled around as if attached to a heavy spring. I pressed my eye against one of the spaces in the shed and peered through it. Mrs. Schmitz was not visible, but her voice was clearly audible, as was the barking and whimpering of her little dogs. Fear froze us all to our spots. I peered through the crack in front of me, not knowing what to do.

The shed door stood wide open. I could see the front portion of the old Ford framed in between its jambs. My vantage place let me observe as far back as the front edge of the driver's door. I heard one of the car's doors open. There was a loud thud followed by the excited barking of the dogs. The Witch muttered something to the dogs in a language I didn't understand.

At that point, Mary Lou made a little gasping sound. I looked at her. Our General had a look of abject terror on her face. She was farther off to the left and had a good angle to see what the Widow Schmitz was doing. This was not good. I returned my gaze to the threatening surroundings inside the shed, hoping nothing would appear, yet, afraid in some way, it would not.

Then, the skinny frame of the Witch of Palmetto Street appeared in the doorway. She was backing through the door, and was stooped over pulling something behind her. In her hands were the ends of a blanket. She was struggling as though there was something heavy on it. Finally, she successfully maneuvered the load onto the shed's concrete floor. Her dogs bounced into the shed, anticipating a party. The blanket and its mysterious load was completely inside the door. The Witch dropped the cloth which had previously obscured the object conveyed by it. From "Longfellow And The Tabasco" If there ever was a perfect model for a caricature of the basset hound breed, it was that dog. Longfellow's body was two sizes too big for the short stubby legs hanging out from under it. The breed is well known for their large, long, floppy ears. Ken's canine's were so big the dog had to keep his head up or they'd drag the ground. Every once in a while Mr. Elder would grab Longfellow's ears by their tips and hold them straight out from the dog's head. In that position it looked like the dog should have been able to fly away, if he had a little head wind.

Longfellow had a pair of the most mournful, drooping eyes I have ever seen. That's human or animal. When he looked at you with that sad but friendly gaze, you couldn't help liking him. The dog's fur was short and coarse. He had the breeds' brown, liver, and lemon spots splatter painted on a white background. His tail was about the same length as those stubby legs and thrashed anything close to him. Particularly if it were breakable. In fact, that was one of Longfellow's many problems. He was a klutz.

It seemed nothing was immune to his ability to smash or destroy. If he had been female, he never could have been named 'Grace'. When he walked, he wobbled and wiggled so much, he needed half his body thickness as clearance one each side, so he wouldn't endanger his surroundings. He flopped over like a tree being timbered when he decided to lie down. It also seemed as though he had a natural talent for picking the worst spots to make his earthquake landings. When the Elders were decorating their tree one Christmas, he demonstrated this trait. Mrs. Elder had just purchased four dozen glass globe ornaments. They were packaged in separate cartons, twelve balls in each, of red, green, blue and gold. She had removed the lids from the boxes and laid them on the floor so the family could select and mix the colors as they placed them on the tree. About that time, 'ole' Longfellow ambled in. He placed himself strategically, then plopped over on two of the open boxes. When Mr. Elder shouted at him, he rolled over and flattened the other two cartons. Only fourteen of the forty-eight balls survived.

Beside being a candidate for the title, 'World's Clumsiest Dog', he had a bad habit of selecting and chewing inopportune objects. Longfellow had developed a taste for left shoes. No one could ever figure out why. If there were three pairs lying together, he was sure to select all three left shoes, thereby ruining all three pairs. He did so repeatedly. Those of us visiting the Elders' quickly learned to stash our shoes where he couldn't get access to them.

One of his favorite areas to raid was the laundry basket. He was selective about what he chose to chew and destroy there, also. Turkish towels were good. So were socks. His particular favorites were the Elder ladies' bras and panties. You could tell when he was chewing on these. He would growl. It was the only time anyone ever heard him do this. Mr. Elder said he thought the dog was sexually frustrated.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palmland Pub
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0966694236
• ISBN 13: 9780966694239
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272
• Illustrator: Havlin D. L.