Monday, January 30, 2023

Milliron Monday: Milliron Pete

Kip Yates' photo of Milliron Pete at the 2013 Pickaway County Fair 

Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010
Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, Dr. Pete and Jody Smith. 

Milliron Pete 

Batavia, NY—Milliron Pete made his local harness racing debut for new connections last week after 19 days off and experienced an off-track and road trouble for his effort. But the Northfield Park invader more than made up for that outing on Saturday night (Aug. 27) when he won the $10,000 Open pacing feature at Batavia Downs in convincing fashion.

-         HarnessLink.com August 28, 2016

Sometime last year, I had the great opportunity to connect with Kip Yates. Kip is the proprietor of Yates Cabling, Hilliard, Ohio. In his spare time, he trains award-winning harness racers, including the acclaimed Milliron Pete. Kip was excited to share his story of meeting Milliron Pete for the first time…

I met Milliron Pete at the Hilliard Fairgrounds in 2012. Down the aisle Jason Borowski, a driver/trainer at the fairgrounds, had a nice horse he wanted to sell. The horse had been bred by Larry Hines and Doug Parker. We were sorry to learn that Doug passed away, and Jason became the new owner. Jason came over one night to our side of the barn and said he would take $1,000 for the horse. I looked at my partner at the time and laughed, “Give him the $1,000.” The horse’s name was Milliron Pete. I asked Jason how the horse got his name and he said, “My partner, Larry Hines, is very good friends with Dr. Pete Smith, a renowned veterinarian in Athens County. Larry named the horse Milliron Pete after Dr. Smith.”

The very first night I took Pete out to the track, he walked up the track to the top of the hill, spun around and brought me back down. I thought what have I gotten myself into with this horse? It was December of 2012 and I was going through a tough time in my life and I needed something to get me through; Pete needed something, too. His life wasn’t looking good. He was having difficulty finding his footing, so we settled in and I took my time with him. Finally, he started coming along about March. It seemed Pete never got tired, and he was fast - very fast.

Pete was a Kentucky breed horse, but I couldn’t race him in Kentucky because they hadn’t kept the payments up on him, so I had to race him in Ohio. In June of 2013, I took Pete to Circleville. The very first time I raced him there, he won, and he kept winning. Jason and Larry has a horse that I helped Jason train, her name is Come Along Sadie [an Athens County Fair winner]. She raced at Circleville that day. There were three horses in the race and she finished third. Pete was in the last race of the day. I raced Pete and won. After the race, I gave Pete a bath and walked him to cool him down. Larry was standing nearby and he looked at Jason and I overheard him say, “I think you sold the wrong horse.” I just kept walking.

At the end of 2013, I took Pete to Miami Valley to race. The very first night I raced him he won. At the old Lebanon Raceway, they called him Millie Ron. The next week I took Pete to Lebanon, I walked into the judge’s office and said, “Can you get me in touch with the announcer?” And they sent me to the announcer’s office. I said, “I am the owner of Milliron Pete. The name of the horse is Milliron Pete – look at the word, it’s all one word – Milliron." That night, the announcer slipped and first called him Millie Run then Millie Ron, then finally got it right the third time – Milliron.

I won seven or eight times with Pete. I never met Dr. Smith, but I met Larry Hines. Jason and Larry still race together. They own a horse named Straight on the Rocks, who is Milliron Pete’s half-sister. They are both out of the same mare. She looks identical to Pete; she is the same color, a little bit thinner.

My partner and I sold Pete in 2015. This $1,000 horse that was named for a vet in southeast Ohio made over $40,000 in a year and a half. We got an offer for Pete from a guy out of New York and the time was right. Tim Bojarski [Batavia Downs @ harnesslink.com] wrote an article about Pete right after we sold him. Pete won four races in a row. They sold him, and he raced for another two or three years and did well.

In harness racing there is one horse that stands alone as far as money made, and that is Foiled Again [2019 Harness Racing Hall of Fame]. He made 7 million in harness racing. He is retired now. They had a farewell tour and took him to all the tracks. I didn’t own Pete at the time, but they took Pete to Cleveland to race. Foiled Again was in the same race as Pete, and Pete won. Pete beat the richest pacer ever.

One day, I heard Pete was ill. I always had a soft spot for Pete and wanted him back just to give him a good home. I heard they put him down about two years ago. He won over 30 races in his lifetime, winning over $250,000.


Thanks, Kip, for sharing! 

More about Milliron Pete:



Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

 


Thursday, January 26, 2023

An Interview with Ohio Author Catherine Pomeroy

An Interview with Ohio Author Catherine Pomeroy

The author of two novels, The Gulch Jumpers and Four and a Half Billion People (No Bad Books Press), Catherine Pomeroy writes family-life fiction and thrilling scenarios that entertains and engages readers. Her debut novel, The Gulch Jumpers, “was an exercise in love – a love letter, really, to my “down on the farm” family roots, the power of music, what it means to be a parent, and my belief that law is personal. The story was also a fun way for me to indulge my sense of adventure, travel and the magic of a road trip.”

Welcome, Catherine!

GM: Happy New Year! What is your 2023 New Year's Resolution?

CP:  I’ve given this lots of thought! It’s certainly not a tough question, but I wanted to try to really reflect and answer honestly, for myself as well as for the blog.  The answer is to dig deep and connect with my “why.”  Why I make the choices I do in my personal and professional life. To connect writing and work to a greater purpose and use that as motivation.  In writing, finding the “why” seems linked to identifying the theme of one’s book. And for me, the theme is often not evident at the beginning or even mid-way in the writing process. So, in addition to finding the “why” I suppose my resolution is to keep going, keep trying, get up every day and work at it even while feeling lost, keeping some patience and hope that the “why” will surface and become apparent organically. On a much more mundane level, I also resolve to exercise, eat healthy, etc.  And, or course, to improve and strive to become a better writer.

GM: What is the premise for your new book?
CP:  Four and a Half Billion People, which was released in June of 2022, is a novel about a single mother in small-town southern Ohio grappling with the after effects when her neurodivergent teenage son is arrested for Vehicular Manslaughter. There are elements about the legal system and how juveniles are treated in that system. There are also some speculative elements. The book also includes a strong side story about bicycle touring, including the infamous Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), a two hundred-two-day ride from Columbus to Portsmouth and back that takes place annually in Ohio.

GM: What are you currently writing?
CP:  My current WIP is about how a handful of neighbors in an isolated housing development in exurbia start interacting with each other after a solar flare knocks out electricity and satellites. While that is the premise, I want it to be more of a family and human relations story rather than a disaster story.

GM: How do you maintain thoughts and ideas for new manuscripts, etc.?
CP: Reflective time for imagination, but also forcing myself to sit down and start producing something. Getting anything down on paper is a start. One can always go back later and tinker.

GM: Who is your favorite author?
CP:  It’s tough to pick just one. Some of my favorite authors are Homer Hickam, Charles Frazier, Jodi Picoult, Elena Ferrante, and Elizabeth Strout. I recently discovered Kim Michele Richardson who wrote The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I like anyone who writes well. I especially enjoy stories that are set in Appalachian regions.

GM: Do you have advice for novice writers and those looking to begin their first manuscript?
CP:  Start writing, and if you slip into your zone and a state of flow, keep going!  Later, when you go back to edit, email the document to yourself.  I do this because it allows me to read it on my phone in addition to on my laptop. I also print a hard copy. It’s surprising how many things you catch reading over a document in various formats.

GM: Authors say that writing is easy, but marketing is difficult. Do you have any advice for authors regarding marketing and promotion?
CP:  This is probably my greatest weakness. It is hard not to feel shameless about any self-promotion, but marketing is necessary to connect to readers. Word of mouth and appearing at author fairs and events has worked for me. Word of mouth has especially been helpful getting book clubs to take up my novels. If a reader reaches out with complimentary feedback, I know I should request them to write a review, but I struggle with overcoming my shyness to make that ask.

GM: When you're not writing, what do you like to do for fun?
CP:  I love cycling! I do solo rides and ride with a club when time allows. I set mileage goals for myself. I’ve been fortunate enough to see some beautiful places from my bicycle. I also enjoy going out to dinner and relaxing with a good book.
Catherine riding her bike

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...
CP:
  1. I grew up visiting my mother’s childhood home in Jackson County, Ohio, which is where Four and a Half Billion People is set. This was my grandparents’ farmhouse, and later the home of my aunt, who was also a writer.
  2. I’m a child welfare lawyer. My books incorporate quotes from Supreme Court cases.
  3. My inner geek loves the maps and historical information posted at highway rest stops.
  4. When I was a teenager, I twice completed the two-day two-hundred-mile bicycle tour (TOSRV) described in Four and a Half Billion People. I also biked from Cleveland to Mammoth Cave Kentucky and back when I was seventeen years old. The year I turned fifty, I biked from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh.
  5. Need to come up with a big idea as “sixty” approaches!
  6. Sometimes I go to hunt for a specific book or author, but I also really enjoy free form browsing at the library. There’s no cost to borrowing a library book so giving something unusual a try is literally a no-risk/no-guilt treat.
  7. During the pandemic, with my grown children living out-of-state, and other relatives equally as far flung, I started a private Facebook group where we can all post pictures of what we are making for Sunday dinner. Not everyone participates, and it’s a bit of a friendly competition, but a nice way to stay in touch.
  8. Sometimes I go months at a time without writing, and then get back into it.\
  9. I love music – live concerts, listening in my car, playing the violin. Researching various genres, artists and musical history for my first novel, The Gulch Jumpers, was enjoyable.
  10.  Donuts? Oh, yes. Yes, yes.

Connect with Catherine:
Twitter: catpomeroy
Purchase Catherine’s titles at www.nobadbookspress.com or on Amazon and other bookselling platforms.
 

Monday, January 23, 2023

Milliron Monday: At the Office

Dr. Pete Smith in surgery at Milliron Clinic, Athens, Ohio 

Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.:  June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010
Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021
Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, Dr. Pete and Jody Smith. 

"If you stay too late at work, you aren't organizing your work well enough. If you're here after seven o'clock - unless it's an emergency - I'm charging you rent."
― Jody's newspaper clipping with this memo

Every office has its hierarchy of personnel. It was no different at Milliron Clinic. Jody found it difficult not to intervene and send help when needed, if only in the form of a memo to staff. No one staff member is singled out. Now, it's only for engaging reading.

Memo to Staff: June 10, 1998

    I have one main objective in getting involved with this office - to keep it from getting over involved with my personal life. Example: I have several social and personal contacts of my own with people with horses and dogs. Ninety percent of the time, I hear how well everyone does at Milliron Clinic (sometimes against great odds). Occasionally, I get feedback of one employee being rude (inexcusable but understandable, considering how inconsiderate some clients can be).

    If everyone involved here could mainly be responsible for doing what they do best, things would run more smoothly and not overlap into personal problems as frequently.

    Dr. Smith is most eminently qualified as a surgeon, diagnostician, nutritional expert, animal health consultant, etc. His time should be free for these tasks and uninterrupted whenever possible. All other jobs should be assigned elsewhere - secretaries can and should screen out phone calls and be sure Dr. Smith is not interrupted when with a patient, client, etc. except for an emergency. He should return the call at his convenience, or if they prefer, particularly if long distance, they should call back at a designated time when Dr. Smith can be called to the phone.

    Dr. Smith must, however, be in charge of and be consulted on all vital matters of policy, as he is ultimately responsible - legally, financially, and morally - for everything that happens at the clinic. If in doubt about a policy, reason for procedure, whatever, consult the person in charge of that area. If not satisfied, gather all your facts, ideas, etc., then consult Dr. Smith and the two of you work out a reasonable solution to the problem.

    If you are assigned a task you cannot handle, get help, trade assignments, whatever, until you feel confident to handle it. (The maturing effects of this office on those who manage to survive are very impressive). We have all the talent we need here if we can just organize it and use it wisely.

    My main motive in all this is essentially selfish. I would like more of my husband to myself, uninterrupted by office matters, unbothered by financial worries, etc. I realize this will take time, but I'm willing to be patient - tomorrow is soon enough. Seriously, a little improvement every day, day after day, is what we're after.

    Three specific objectives:

    A. Communication improvements.

    B. Efficiency in every area - proper attitudes, proper equipment to get jobs done well and in reasonably good time, correct priorities, correct emergency procedures needed.

    C. Safety, welfare of man and beast; be sure your actions aren't causing more problems than they are helping. Lack of thought, a moment's carelessness can cost a child's life. Examples: medications, closed doors, barriers to children. 

    Each staff member must take personal responsibility (and hopefully, pride) for his/her own job. Wear nametags - nicknames, CB handles, whatever is reasonable would be acceptable.

Notes from staff:


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

  

Monday, January 16, 2023

Milliron Monday: Gumboots


Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.:  June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010
Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021
Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, Dr. Pete and Jody Smith. 

"If you haven't lost your gumboot in the mud, you haven't lived." 

There are different varieties of gumboots: green, yellow, black, low-top, high-top, insulated, non-insulated, etc. You may have a pair with flowers or maybe they’re pink. The heavy-duties feature rugged soles and reinforced toes. Throughout their lifetime, Pete and Jody went through dozens of gumboots.

I was thinking this morning about a recent scenario where I provided opportunity for a person, but they just weren’t satisfied, no matter how hard I tried. It came to mind that the project was like walking through my mud-deep corral and losing a boot – a gumboot. In the wintertime, this can be double the fun, especially with farm animals running for the bucket of cracked corn and molasses in your right hand.

Growing up a farm kid, I began with infant-size gumboots and have lost a boot more than once. Standing on one foot, the mud develops intentional sinking qualities that suck your boot right off, leaving you whirling in air to regain your balance. Sometimes the mud makes gross sounds, screaming, "Ah! I got your boot!" Sometimes the free-flying foot lands in the mud – sock and all – and your mother says, “Why are your socks covered in mud?” Maybe your sock fell off completely (depending upon how old and threadbare your socks are), leaving you barefoot and exposed.

And that’s what happened in my dealings with this person – I was sucked in, lost my boot and my sock, frantically trying to regain my bearings. Of course, I finally did, but nonetheless now I’m wary of future encounters with mud – and difficult people.

Then I began thinking about Dr. Smith (and all farm-call veterinarians). How many times did Dr. Smith lose his boot in the mud? Did he ever lose a sock (or two)? Maybe he did and he said a few (or more) choice words (ha).

These questions I can’t answer, but we can speculate that if I, being in the corral with my mare just to close a gate, lost a rubber boot to sinking mud, I am sure Dr. Smith did, too. His laundry must have been outrageously soiled; animal feces, ground in dirt, pharmaceuticals, innards, not to mention the smell.

To wrap this story up, when you go out on a limb for a person, be aware. Don’t lose your boot, sock, or anything else. In the end, your good deed was thwarted, and you find yourself avoiding these types of situations, being a wee less naïve – “little more than blindness to experience, a cognitive clumsiness.”

Jody told me more than once that it wasn’t the environmental hazards or animal ailments that caused Dr. Smith the most challenges – it was certain people.

So, here’s to 2023, that we keep our boots on and if we lose a boot, our sock stays put. Somehow writing this has helped to regain footing and to keep humor in crazy situations that create a hurdle from pressing forward.

  


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

  

Thursday, January 12, 2023

An Interview with Ohio Author Carl Nelson

 

An Interview with Ohio Author Carl Nelson


A playwright, director, poet, and more, Ohio Author Carl Nelson knows his way around the creative community. He has had “poems nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. Grinding his ax writing essays seems to keep him from ruining his poetry. His poems, stories, and essays have been published in such journals as the New English Review, Poetry Salzburg Review, Orbis, Atlanta Review, and the Lake. He spent twenty years in the Seattle theater community, during which time he wrote and produced plays, directed others, and performed whenever the talent was missing but a body still needed. Before that, he did stand-up comedy. Now he lives in Belpre, Ohio, where he moseys about and is the publisher and managing editor of Magic Bean Books.

 

Welcome, Carl!


GM: Carl, it was super nice to meet you at our recent book festival. Happy New Year! What is your New Year Resolution?

CN:  I would suppose it would be to continue my balance and strength exercises I began late this past year. I don't like taking those tumbles... embarrassing.


GM: Take us through a day in your life as a writer...

CN:  To backtrack just a bit, one of my resolutions has been to try and reverse my day's schedule so that I start writing first, while I'm most fresh. But I do like to read with my coffee first thing morning time.  So I walk out to my garage studio with my dachshund Tater after the morning's rituals and begin. I try to have both serious non-fiction and fun fiction on tap and try to alternate. I usually try to read whatever a friend has just published and purchase it new. At one time I tried a sensory deprivation chamber to see if my inner demons would swarm me. No. I just became very bored. And I realized that much of my thinking comes from ideas I have poured in and stirred. This bolstered the notion that reading a lot is important to one's writing. For example, it takes an enormous amount of information to craft a good metaphor. A good metaphor sits at a crossroads with a lot of information passing every which way. And Art is basically metaphors. But to continue, I am a bit OCD in my conscientiousness, so that next I check e mails and then do Facebook. Links are my current way of ferreting out the reliable and interesting new source material. And Facebook reply threads are a bit like playwriting... plus show and tell, so it's fun.  One of the reasons I haven't had much success at reversing my daily schedule is that it is a rule of my writing to go where it's fun. By the time of day I've done all the aforementioned, I usually have developed a pressing need to save and implement many of my thoughts so that the writing usually begins there. And my writing is usually a matter of saving what's alive and fun to read, and put them all together like a quilt.  I haven't a gift for narrative but my view is that a writer is in the main a real estate agent. The reader wants to live somewhere better, which exists ironically where they currently are.  The writer lets them use the key box and have a look around.   So, if they like where they find themselves then there they are! After all this I walk my dog, eat dinner and usually watch TV, as I'm too tired for much else. (I'm 73). The next day is much the same.  I really haven't much urge to travel or hike or fish or hunt or watch sports. Yardwork and home repairs are good for me. I swim at Camden Pool 3x/week.


GM: When you're not writing, what do you do for fun?

CN:  I've always liked to wander. Woody Guthrie and Johnny Appleseed were my heroes. I used to just take off hitchhiking and be gone for months. So when I'm not writing I usually chat and snoop and get interested in whoever I bump up next to. I like to visit odd venues, at times. I love country and bluegrass music.


GM: What is the premise of your most recent book?

CN:  The latest book I've published is titled "Become Remarkable" and is about Appalachia where I live. It's an interlarded mix of essays and poetry. This poem sort of explains it:


Become Remarkable


Live alone long enough

and you become fascinating.

What is this glamour composed of?

I don’t know, but it slowly accrues.


Like hair and nails growing,

it slowly becomes remarkable.

Ordinary, then remarkable

that anyone could do it.


Become remarkable, that is.

Inch by inch, bit by bit, day by day,

drawing our notice

and then our attention

and finally our fascination.


To gain a following…

hermits, mystics, monks

all have this frightening pull.


Consider the withered legend,

in layered coats with walking stick,

who would tread the five miles

into Ripley, West Virginia

and back

followed by her two dogs

and three cats.


GM: Do you base characters on family, friends, etc., or do you create your own character profiles?

CN:  I base characters on whoever I've found interesting. They usually morph a bit, and when the story needs a personality it will often supply its own... which is a wonderful thing to happen. I've always loved when a conversation will pull something in from out of the air. For example, I once drove a bus part-time. One afternoon this woman got on and said, "You look very tired. You must work very hard. How many hours a day do you work?" "Well," I said, a bit embarrassed, "I only work three and a half hours a day."  To lighten the cognitive tension, I added:  "If I work longer than that I get these terrible rashes."  "Oh!" She said, touching my shoulder. "My aunt had that."


GM: Are you currently writing anything new?  

CN: I am published regularly in the New English Review. So I usually have a new essay/poem mix being worked up for submission at a later date. I'm also trying to assemble another book of poetry as I have about 600 of them littering the office like bird droppings, presently.


GM: Does the current political climate impact your writing career and/or characters?

CN:  I stopped including any Black characters in my fiction writing years ago. (I'm white.) I did this once and was roundly criticized for hurtful stereotyping. It was plain that I'd have to give up any agency I had in writing most ethnic characters, so I don't go there. You might cast the character I've written as black, say, in a play - but I'm not going to define them so. We also are in such an astonishing moment in our nation's history, that it is really hard to pull oneself away from the day to day news and concentrate on one's own work.


GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

CN: 

  1. I'm very tall: 6'8"
  2. Married late.
  3. Have an adopted Thai son.
  4. Have an MD degree never used.
  5. Would love to write and sing country songs.
  6. Was raised surrounded by engineers.
  7. Have a cousin whose son became a billionaire while still living at home.
  8. My Uncle used to tutor the Kennedy's for $3.00/hour
  9. My mom couldn't read until the eighth grade when it suddenly became clear to her. And then she went on to teach language arts at Continuation H. S.
  10. My family homesteaded a farm in the Columbia Basin in the 1950s

Connect with Carl…

 

Carl with his dog Tater Tot


 

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Why Write a Memoir? by Ohio Author Joy MillerUpton

 

Why write a memoir?
by Joy MillerUpton

Memoir: Merriam-Webster: a narrative composed from personal experience.

Reading the definition of a memoir given by Merriam-Webster, it would seem anyone can write a memoir. For who doesn’t have personal experience? All you need now is a way to write down your story, right?

Well, kinda.

To write a memoir someone other than your family and friends would want to read takes effort. But a personal history for your descendants may be a good starting point. Would my great-grand nieces and nephews find it interesting, even astonishing, that their now-old aunt was once a young dreamer who roved the countryside on horseback? Would they be compelled by the fact that she was able to ride for weeks by herself, counting on her only companions, her horses and dog, to take care of her? I thought they might.

I also mused that people who thought they knew me well might learn more than they ever guessed about my aspirations, actions and abilities. But I also wanted a theme I thought might interest other groups of people—namely, women, horseback riders and those interested in adventuring.

People learning more about me was actually an uncomfortable thought. My journalism career has revolved around interviewing people—probing sometimes to depths they might not have expected to reveal and then telling their stories. But I have always considered myself a very private person. To be truthful, an introvert.

So why the heck put my own story inside the covers of a book?

To begin with, I am a writer. Most writers write about what they know about. Many novelists create characters based on their own personalities or on people they know. Over the years I have had a lot of ideas for fiction stories. Maybe I’ll write one someday. But I decided to start with what I knew most intimately—me and my stories.

Writing a memoir may seem like just plastering a page with words that flow from the gray matter through the fingertips. It can be that way to begin. But it is actually a lot of work. As I wrote, I realized my memory was supplying some pretty good stuff, but I wanted to be as accurate as possible. Here are some of the prompts I used.

· Notes and journals, of which, sadly, I had but few.

· Published stories I had written.

· Photographs, some of which miraculously came to light after nearly 50 years, and some for which I am still searching.

· Conversations with family, friends and even people I had not previously met.

· Google.

· Road trips, retracing routes of adventures.

These are just a few devices to help untangle that cobweb of the memory.

Back to the original question—why write about yourself?

Because you can. Anyone can. Everyone has had life experience that, although may seem common and unexciting to you, may be so different from others’ experiences that there is someone out there who would enjoy or benefit from reading about it.

If you have ever thought about writing, be it a short story, an essay or a book, it won’t ever get done if YOU don’t just “do it.”

 

Joy sets out on her 1983 ride mounted on Jubilee and leading Tony.

Connect with Joy…


 

 


J.A. Hall: My Mother's Poetry "Peter the Pelican"

  My mother, Clare Oxley, was born in Standerton, South Africa. She and her brother, Michael, lived on her maternal grandfather's planta...