A Shelter in the Rain

We would like today to say a few words about an online friend who has been kind enough to give our story site a plug in her journal. She is a state affiliate for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illnesses) and as such is closely involved in all aspects of the organization’s activities. She conducts frequent seminars and has recently printed and assembled a quantity and variety of documentation for use in the seminars. She is responsible for, as NAMI’s promotional material states, support for, education of, and advocacy on behalf of those with mental illnesses and/or brain disorders, and their families.

This is, we think you’ll agree, an exceedingly important service, and one that not everyone can successfully provide. It requires at the least organizational and interpersonal skills and a discipline that many of us, sadly, lack. Our hearts go out to those whom she serves, and our hats are off to Deb, a marvelous lady who takes on a difficult and demanding task in stride and with pride. Thank the Creator that there are selfless people, like Deb, willing to shoulder the burden of helping those who often feel powerless.

Peace.

Wow

We have astonished ourselves. We have just now posted Chapter 8 of the Dark Rambler saga, only three days after Chapter 7 was posted. Please do not expect this to be a common occurrence, it happened only because Francis wished it to.

Thanks are once again due to Deb and Nikki, Nikki and Deb, for their invaluable input, and we unabashedly thank Kathy for the plug in her personal journal.

If anyone should spot an Oxford mouse gamboling about in a mortarboard while clutching a tiny diploma, please send her home. Thank you.

Peace.

Just a Thought

When two young punks start potting at each other with lethal weapons in the middle of the global village, it's a good bet that sooner or later, every family will in some fashion suffer. Can't we all just grow up?

Peace.

Thank Yous

Thank you, Deb and Kathy, Kathy and Deb. Your separate but equal contributions to the newest Dark Rambler chapter (that would be chapter seven, out of Word via the magic of copy and paste and into virtual reality on the Dark Rambler site - sorry about the shameless plug) are hereby gratefully acknowledged, and we hope you're both happy with the result.

And a blushing thank you to Nikki for her generous plug in her own journal - Nikki, we'll be as happy as cheese-filled mice to have you critique us any ol' time.

If anyone happens to see this and is intrigued enough to visit the Dark Rambler site, we hope you enjoy the show, and remember, it's only a story.

Peace.

Just a Quick Note

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, most of our recent creative endeavors have been directed toward the ongoing story of the Dark Rambler. For those who care, the fifth chapter was posted on July 4th and the sixth chapter was posted in the early hours of this very morning. If you wish to acquaint yourself with Francis Collinwood Jr., his story may be found here:

http://journals.aol.com/b4i8clover/HunterandHuntedTheDarkRambler/entries/430

We have decided to no longer post the chapters in our regular journals, since we consider the story to be displayed to best effect in its own home.

Peace.

Nikki's Tags Part 2

Back in April, I devoted an entry to a number of tags that Nikki had designed for us. I have renamed that entry to better reflect the contents, and now include the second part, because Nikki has seen fit to grace us with more. If you'd like to revisit the original entry, you may access it here.

This first tag recelebrates my predilection for crossword puzzles. I have made a desultory stab at creating an actual crossword for the journal, but a program dedicated to crossword creation would, I suspect, make things much easier. Maybe someday ...

This tag is just damn cute, and was probably created before I found it necessary to reveal my offline name.

Here we are, folks, in a nutshell (well, a teacup). Thanx, Nikki, for these marvelous creations.

And, because we are proud of our newest website, we wish to include the URL here. Because our Dark Rambler stories seem to have taken on a life of their own, we decided to move the tales to a showcase of their own. The URL will take you to the Introduction, and from there you can access the various chapters if you wish. Any new chapters will be posted at that site first. "What might this have to do with Nikki?" you may inquire. She offered the graphic that graces the Introduction, and we eagerly accepted.

Enjoy the day.

Peace.

Independence