Animal Stories

                    

Blue Mountain Lake in Arkansas is a place to relax, take long walks, and read. While my husband fished, I read three books last month—all relating to animals.

Orphan by Harry Haines, a fellow club member of Panhandle Professional Writers, has been on my reading list for five years. One aspect I found fascinating was how Harry intertwined local history and the business of quarterhorse racing into his novel’s plot. Author Diane Mowery, who homeschooled her youngsters, mentioned a fact not often included in book reviews: although the book is targeted to an adult audience, she can recommend it to teenagers. Here’s a suspense novel free of vulgarity and expressions that offend readers with religious values.

When our precious KittyCat died, my friend Suzi gave me and my husband Aubrey a copy of the book, Dewey: the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. That same day I gave Aubrey Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz.

I can’t say Going Home met expectations. It has not lifted the grief that has lingered for more than three months. But at least now I understand it.

  

You may have heard of Dewey, the library cat. Although he died in 2006, Dewey’s fame continues to flourish through his image on postcards, jigsaw puzzles, and especially sales and circulation of the book, Dewey: the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. It’s a moving story about a bedraggled kitten, rescued by librarian, Vicki Myron, after being left in the book drop of her town’s library.

Spencer, Iowa, was in the throes of an economic downturn when Dewey, almost dead, arrived on its library scene. Beginning with newspaper coverage of the contest that gave the kitten his official name--Dewey Readmore Books—the orange tabby garnered publicity.

As Dewey’s popularity increased among library patrons, the library evolved from a book warehouse to a community’s gathering place. His entertaining personality helped to revive the spirits of area residents fighting for survival in hard times. Stories about Dewey spread, at first from library newsletters to newspapers to national and then international media.

As an international celebrity, Dewey proved to be an economic asset as well. “When Dewey died in 2006 at the age of 19, his obituary appeared in over 250 newspapers, including the New York Times, USA Today and the Des Moines Register, and was announced on the national television evening news.”—www.deweyreadmorebooks.com.

“We still have 3 people (Kim, Joy and Paula) that worked at the library when Dewey was here. I was actually here the day he came,” said Kim Peterson in an email.

The sale of bookbags and other “Dewey” merchandize helps support library programs. Spencer’s adorable library cat continues to draw interest—daily emails, said Ms. Peterson, and “a few phone calls a month.”

Beach reading season is almost here. You can purchase the books through most book sellers or borrow them from many public libraries. All three books are available for loan from Amarillo’s public library system. Dewey (I give it two thumbs up) is also on a CD. 

© 2013, Bernice W. Simpson

Meet Diane Neal

          

In the July, 2012 issue of Accent West a magazine published in Amarillo, Diane Neal finished her article, Goodbye, Baby Dog with a heart-felt sentence. “Chumley was not born of my bone or flesh of my flesh, but in every other sense, he was my baby.”

You can learn a lot about a person by reading what they write. If you weren’t already acquainted with her, that article would tell you Diane is a person of intelligence, compassion and a woman you’d like to know.

I met Diane in 1997 at a Frontiers in Writing conference, the first for both of us. Diane had just returned from England, and was working on her thesis to complete her Masters of Arts degree. Since then, Diane has been an active member of Panhandle Professional Writers, and served as president.

The times may be tough for free-lance writers, but in addition to the moving story about her dog Chumley, Diane’s considerable publication credits include book reviews for magazines, her "Big Mother" series about growing up in Amarillo, and published in Accent West. She is also one of the contributors to Flash Tales: An Adventure in Words.

Visiting her critique group, I had the privilege of getting a sneak peek at some of her “Big Mother” stories. Full of humor and local color, I knew they would have a strong regional audience. But the writing of Diane’s I’ve enjoyed the most, has been her annual Christmas-time letters, complete with pictures of her husband; sons Herschel III, Terry, and Jarrod, and grandchildren.

“Writings not a big money maker.” Diane laughed as she said it. 

But writers write. If the primary motive for writers to spend long hours alone pecking at computer keys, we would miss the stories Diane has to tell. “I’m a morning writer, but once started, I work into the afternoon,” Diane said.

She tickled my curiosity with a few comments about a book she has on the back burner. When she’s ready to publish it, she may post a heads up on Facebook. – Just one more reason to be among the hundreds of Diane Neal’s friends.

Sonja Gross: a tribute to her mother

“Normally I love roller coasters,” Sonja begins in her latest blog http://hoppinthoughts.blogspot.com, but in comparing her life to a roller coaster, she says she is ready for less twists and turns than she has experienced this past year.

Sonja Gross on a roller coaster? Yes, but she referred more to her exhilaration than the sudden dives after climbs to ever higher peaks. This week two events mark the beginning of her most recent climb: Sonja was named as a 2012 Woman to Watch by Texas Business Women of Amarillo, and today as Amarillo’s Community Relations Coordinator, she begins a new job.

Sonja, who credits her mother for the recognition and success she has earned, gave me permission to share part of her mother’s story in my blog. The following is from Sonja’s speech, The Wind beneath My Wings.   

"The reason my mother is “The Wind Beneath My Wings” from a career standpoint, has a lot to do with my father. In 1976, my dad left a career as a truck driver in Iowa and moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia where he was promised a management job with Harper Brush Company. I was only 7 years old and I remember my mom selling most of the family belongings in a yard sale. So, when we got to Georgia, we didn’t have much—I remember sleeping on mattresses laid out on the floor.

'A full framed bed wasn’t the only thing we didn’t have. That job my dad was promised didn’t turn out as expected. As a result, my dad, along with a lot of help from my mother, stated Commercial Broom Supply, a janitorial service and supply company. They really struggled at first, but with everyone pitching in, especially my mom, they somehow made it work. My mom handled the bookwork duties, made mops using a dangerous machine with sharp wires and even sold brooms on the sidewalks in downtown Atlanta.

'When the computer age really took over the workplace in the early 80’s, my mom bought an IBM PC Junior against my dad’s will and taught herself everything about it. She learned how to design an accounting program for the company and later learned the ins and outs of QuickBooks. She did all of this and more on top of cleaning buildings at night, apartments during the day and raising a family, to boot.

'Those are just some of the reasons my mother is “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” The number one reason my mom is “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” though, is that she taught me how to work. She taught me that, like her, I could learn how to do so many things on my own—be self-sufficient. She instilled in me a work ethic, a sense of self-worth and a great sense of humor.

'For those reasons, and more, I will be eternally grateful to my mother as she is 'The Wind Beneath My Wings.'”

Learn more about Sonja on her blog: http://hoppinthoughts.blogspot.com

Below (on the left) is Sonja’s mother with Sonja’s older brother and sister making mops.