This week's column

"Join the dark side" was published today in the WIR.

I talk about shopping with the kids and a dark chocolate face mask...of sorts.

My son wears it better than I do. :-)

Enjoy!

Thought Train

On the right track ran in the WIR today. I talk about trains, and their effect on us. How they pull on us. I think it goes back to the 1800s. Up until that point travel was slow and often impossible for some. "Sure, I'd love to go west but the risk of dying is just not worth it." But then there were trains and, if you could afford it, you could be somewhere in days instead of months and everyone would listen to those train whistles and dream, wanting to follow. A pied piper of sorts. Sure, we have better ways to travel now but our souls still respond to those blasts.

Actually, I don't think we have better travel. For me anyway, as I get such horrible motion sickness. Car, buses, and airplanes leave me curled up in a ball wishing to be in a coma. But, when we lived in the UK you could travel by train and they didn't make me sick and they were so spacious! You've seen Harry Potter, their train with the individual compartments? Yeah, they are really nice, it's like sitting in a living room. And that's amazing, to be able to travel while sitting in your living room. :-)

Here are a couple photos we've taken down by the train tracks.

KAXE Northern Community Radio

You've read my words but now you get a chance to HEAR them! :-)

This Saturday, October 15th, you can listen to "Sock Hunting" on the KAXE program Between you and me with Heidi Holtan. I'll have a five minute essay on their program which airs from 10am-12pm.

I was at the station today recording my essay with the very lovely and friendly Heidi, who was kind enough to take my photo! She's amazing and I always have so much fun chatting with her.

Tune in Saturday, you can stream the station on their WEBSITE, and let me know what you think!

Trotting Turkeys

"Cloudy with a chance of turkeys" was published today in the Western Itasca Review. I talk about the Yellville, AR annual tradition of dropping turkeys out of airplanes, which yes...I did attend that Turky Trot Festival as a child. But to me the beauty contest seems even stranger a concept as it's called Miss Drumstick and the women are judge on their legs alone!

Here's a photo off the Yellville, AR Turkey Trot Photo Gallery of the contest.

Gotta love the camouflage background...

No shirt, No service - Giveaway!

Shuck your shoes was published in the WIR today. I talk about the custom here of taking off your shoes when you enter a house, which was a little unnerving to me at first.

And while we are on the topic of apparel I'm excited to announce that I have two t-shirts to give away!

The first one is a Quietly Contrary shirt! Our very first one!

The second one is from KAXE Northern Community Radio! I'll be contributing to their program soon, which is really exciting news! I can't wait to come back with more details about this so you can listen to Quietly Contrary on air!

Both shirts are a size large. To enter to win all you have to do is leave a comment on my FACEBOOK page and I'll pick a random winner on October 13th.