Talk Radio (Harper Style)

We got this little radio station here in Harper. The studio is located in the Harper Lake Motel and you can drop by any time and watch the announcer or DJ as they perform their duties. The station manager is a second or third cousin of mine and is real creative. He has had shows that gave away trips to the Gulf Coast, free meals at local cafes, and occasionally a radio or TV. The sponsors foot the bill and use it for advertising purposes. One of my favorite shows is call Swap Column of the Air. People call in with things they want to swap or even sell. I had a friend down from Missouri and we were riding around Harper Lake. I was showing him the sights. He started fiddling with the car radio and came up on the Swap Column show. People were trying to sell or swap such things as washing machines, TV sets, and even cars. One fellow called in and wanted to sell some puppies. Seems his dog had a litter of eight and he was asking ten dollars a pup. He said they were pure bred beagles. The way the show works is to allow the seller and the sellee to discuss the transaction on the air. One caller inquired, "Do these dogs have papers?" "No need," replied the seller. "They is all completely house broke." My friend thought this was funnier than I did.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Paula Bear

We got this woman here, Paula Jean Smythers, who goes into her swimming pool every day, no matter the weather. She has been doing this for years. And with the approval, actually the encouragement, of her doctor. As far as I know she is healthy and seems to be doing better than most of the ladies here who have passed the seventy year mark. She has earned the nickname, Paula Bear, bestowed upon her probably by those who wish they had the stamina and courage to perform such a feat. This morning Dorothy asked me to drop off some pamphlets for something they are working on together, some church thing I guess. Dopsie, the Smythers live-in housekeeper, showed me in and took me back to the den where a fire was blazing in the fireplace. I wasn't there for more than five minutes when the sliding glass door that leads to the pool opened and there stood Paula Jean in her bathing suit. She was blue. And when I say blue I mean blue, not light blue or powder blue, but as blue as the mark of a blue crayon on white paper. She didn't say anything but stood in front of the fire wrapped in a hugh white towel. Slowly her body returned to its pinkness and the shivers stabilized. It was only then that she was able to speak. "How are you, Harvey Lee?" she asked. "Warm and dry," was my reply.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Moving On

This will be my 933'rd time to post on this blog. I have committed (to myself) to reach 1000. When I do I will stop this particular blog and move on to something else. I haven't decided what that something else will be but I have 67 days to decide. I will leave this blog up and will made enough entries to keep it active, whatever that may entail, so anyone who wants to go back and read older material will be able to do so. I must remind readers that the first blogs were written in my "storytelling voice" and later blogs were not. This was to please my wife, Dorothy, who felt the older ones were demeaning (her word, not mine). One of the main reasons I write a regular blog is to force me to think of something to write on a daily basis. Somedays it is harder than others. Today may be a good example of one of those hard days.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Fads

When I was a young fellow back in the fifties, pink and black clothes was all the rage (hope I chose the right verb). I resisted for a long time then finally broke down and bought a full outfit: sport coat, slacks, shirt, and tie. I found a pair of white buck loafers to set off my uniform. Within a few weeks pink and black was history. Over the years I have seen lots of things come and go. Everything from hula  hoops to diets to exercise routines. Fortunately most of these things came and went without costing a lot of money or causing a lot of pain or trouble. While watching the Super Bowl it occurred to me that tattooing of the body may be a fad. Back year ago about the only people who got their body colored up were sailors and quite a number of them did it while under the influence of alcohol. Today's young folks better hope this is not just a fad. To reverse their decision to decorate their bodes there will be money and pain involved.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Defeat

The Superbowl is over. I won't say it was the worse Superbowl of all time but I will say it was the least exciting. The reason it wasn't the worse was because for approximately half the fans it was a good game; the rest, not so much. One thing I thought was good was how the losing team did not blame anyone for the loss. In fact, I heard a lot of praise for the other teams defense.
Saturday, I attended a memorial service for a friend who lost a health battle far too early in life. During the eulogies I learned several things about this man that I did not know. He was a modest man and lived his life without the need to proclaim any deed as extraordinary.
For the losing team in the big game, life is not over. They will have next season and hopefully many seasons to come. For my friend, he will remain in the minds and hearts of many who loved him. Every time someone thinks of him he lives.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Oyster Day

Superbowl Sunday around here could also be called Oyster Day. I made a run to New Orleans and brought back several dozen oysters. Dorothy has a number of recipes using oysters as the main ingredient. My job is to get the pit ready. We have this hole in our back yard, down close to the lake, with a rectangle of metal over it. I build a fire in the pit and we put oysters in the shell on top and roast them. For those that like their oysters raw, Dorothy has prepared several sauces (my favorite is her cocktail sauce which has just the right amount of horseradish to suit my taste) and they are set around on tables under tents. The weather is not being cooperative and with fog early and rain predicted at game time so we will probably have everybody inside. Hollis is bringing over a couple of extra widescreens and will have them all hooked up in rooms that normally aren't used for TV watching. All in all we are looking forward to a great day. Some people will watch the game, but everybody will eat.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Cousin Maudie and Her Clothes

I got a cousin, Maudie, that lives over in the next county. She collects clothes. Her husband, we call him Forebearing Fred, has never put his foot down even though a lot of the family income goes to support her habit. He even built a large barn to accommodate her excesses. You would have to see it to believe it. The sad thing is a lot of her things have never been worn. The price tags are still in place and they are hung on long rows of racks with no organization that I can figure out. We were out there last week and Fred took me on a tour. He complained of not knowing how to solve this monumental problem. I was my usual frank self. I told him I was certain he did know the solution to his dilemma. It was a lack action not a matter of ignorance. He said it would make Maudie very unhappy if he forced her into any kind of temperance. I told him he was not thinking of Maudie's feeling but of how this would affect him. He got a little huffy but when I left we were on good terms. Think of all the good those clothes would do if they were hanging on the backs of needy people instead of all those plastic hangers in a barn.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)