... by the reception Mike and Ashley has received. I guess it just proves that a story that has lasted a thousand years still has some value. I just hope I did it justice. Thank you, dear readers, for your support.

For several years I have wanted to write a story based on an old tale from about a thousand years ago. I had been sitting on it until a week or two ago when my muse gave me a figurative kick in the ass. I quickly wrote a summary of the story and then got to writing it. It has taken me only a week to put together almost 22,000 words of what I think is a very nice story. I'd thought at first it would be a bit longer; however, I think this length was right. I'm interested to see if anyone will identify the ancient story. It is quite popular in some artistic circles.

We fly to Europe fairly frequently; however I think I will continue to take the train to Birmingham. That's not a runway, that's a rollercoaster.

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/01/21/airliners-struggle-to-...

In tonight's posting of Love's Shame, Love's Salvation I introduce a wonderful piece of music (my opinion): Mahler's Second Symphony, The Resurrection. It is a profound work, and I encourage you to listen to it, if only the last movement. I know what they say about opinions; however, in my non-professional music opinion, it ranks among the greatest symphonic works of the late 19th century. Even if you don't read my story, please click on the link(s), sit back, and enjoy.:

This is so sad. Ignorance kills.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/31/transgender-teen-leela...

This was my repost of a story I wrote quite a while ago. The last time I posted it was four years ago. I still think it's a nice story that takes place in a universe not much different than ours; just that there's more magic.

http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/24037/cynthia-and-chri...

I sort of promised I would post my last novel in the California Saga series before the end of the year. Somehow, I managed to do it. It has been a struggle to say the least. It has take nearly a year and a half to write. The problem with writing a story that is happening simultaneously with four other novels is making sure that everything is happening in the right order. Thank heavens I had a pretty good time line to work from.

The US military has a long way to go; however, it's a step in the right direction. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/10/24/report-finds-a...

I had PM'd Karin about some things, and she explained a bit more about the story. I hadn't realized what it was about. It's an interesting allegory. It's quite interesting what she did. If you haven't read it, you should. If you did and missed the allegory like I did, read it again. The clue is the bridge and what was there before.

I think there are two or three of you out there who might have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in almost six months. It’s interesting how easy it is to slip below the horizon when you are not actively contributing to the literature. It’s not that I haven’t been writing. It’s just that it’s becoming more and more difficult to produce anything more than a few hundred words at a time. I am still working on what may be the last novel in the California Saga series.

Unlike Katie I've been watching another number at the bottom of the page. It won't be too much longer before BCTS hits 33,333,333 reads - WOW! I wonder what will happen when BCTS hits 66,666,666?

I had to go to Wal-Mart a few weeks ago because I can get some things there at a better price. Wal-Mart is never an enjoyable experience, but I endure it. As I was leaving with my stash I heard a voice to my left. "Sir, I will give you a hundred dollars if you will take me to the VA Hospital." He was in his thirties, close cropped hair, and he had a severe limp. His head was scarred. He was thrusting a hundred dollar bill in my direction. He had a large suitcase on rollers. I knew immediately that he was the real thing.

My sister sent this to me. It hits some very important points by a very successful writer. Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for Writers

In the last year we've lost Holly Hart to pancreatic cancer. Since her death I've lost a good friend, and the husband of my first cousin to the same scourge. This is such a horrible disease because by the time it's discovered, it is usually too late for the victim. Let's home they can find a solution and cure soon.

For more than 40 years my wife and I have been trying to figure out the name of a movie we had seen on late night television in Little Rock in the late 60s.. One of the stations stayed on all night. That was a big thing then. After the last late night show was over, they'd play old movies. This was before we started going together. There was a particular movie that we saw several times. It had a music theme that was built around a piano concerto. It may have been Rachmaninoff or Grieg.

And Why? It was there, and now it's gone.

I am sure many of you are aware we are part time antique dealers specializing in silver. We had done shows for about 20 years before my prostate surgery. For the last five years we've been doing only on-line auctions; however, a few months ago we decided to rent a showcase in one of the nicer antique malls in the area. It basically is giving us a chance to sell a rather large accumulated inventory. We had aske the operators of the mall about getting a larger showcase, and a couple of weeks ago one became available. Two weeks ago Saturday we moved our inventory into the larger case.

Saw this article this morning in the local rag. I wonder if they have Dormice safaris?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-mct-bc-sl...

Read this rather nice story this morning.

More than six years ago I discovered BCTS. What a wonderful discovery it was. Because my CRS, I will probably forget to say anything about my sixth anniversary of being an official member of this wonderful place when the time rolls around a few weeks from now. Strike while the iron's hot. It will be six years near the end of this month that I tentively made my first official ventures as a participant here here. I've met some wonderful people. Unfortunately, too many are departed. Thank you everyone for your wonderful contributions. Thank you for reading and commenting on mine.