The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Photo by Mary Vee A cornfield by summer, snow and wind playground in winter Like many folk in the northern parts of the United States, I have stayed inside and watched white swirling winds drop the temperatures far below 0 today.  Yesterday was freezing, but today is, well, a good day to be inside. I plan to have a warm, hearty meal for my hubby who is working in the Emergency Room. Kudos to all the emergency services who are on standby for us. Don't forget the homeless. The shelters are crowded. I am going with a group on Sunday to spend the afternoon and evening at a rescue mission, talking, keeping them company, being their friend. The one issue that amazed me with this polar vortex is an odd problem in Chicago. The train rails are so cold they are malfunctioning. CNN and ABC posted an article about this situation. The link is below. The sub 0 temperatures cause the metal rails to contract and separate. The separation pulls at the bolts holding the rail...

Wouldn't you love to see a space ad blocking these stars? Photo courtesy: Pixabay.com I visited Russia years ago. I came home with many observations. One of the biggest observation was the lack of billboards along the highways. To qualify, there were billboards encouraging the people to work, but I did not see ad billboards for products like we have in America. Not that long ago in America, neon signs could not be placed near expressways and busy highways because they'd distract drivers. It was thought by those who had the policy that accidents would increase. Today, I see neon signs, busy neon signs with flashing lights and colors near expressways and busy highways all designed to grab my attention. Against a black sky, they do more than get my attention, the stark light contrast hurts my eyes. I don't read those signs. I don't know who does.  A simply lit roadside ad, especially one that calls my attention to a product I want, gets my attention much fa...

Photo by Mary Vee Community on an international scale has proven it doesn't matter which side of politics one stands. When people need help, the community steps up. TSA workers currently are in the forefront when it comes to those needing help during the government shutdown. Their salary is not very high, but the workers make a living doing their job.  In one family, both parents are TSA employees. They work opposite shifts so one parent can be home with their young children throughout the day and night. The community in their city are helping by providing an important staple for them: diapers. According to recent articles in USA and other wires, locals drive to the airport and drop off trunkloads of food for needy TSA workers. Vendors in the airport provide free lunches and transportation assistance to the airport. Canadian air traffic controllers buy pizzas for their American counterparts. Banks offer discounted or no interest loans to tide the workers o...

Photo credit: Pixaby.com Today we stop in New York City and are standing across the street from the New York Times Building. From the sound of such an environment, you would be correct in assuming this is prime property. Any small business that had its start in 1917 and found its way to this location would logically struggle to stay solvent when surrounded by mega companies.  Such is the true case of a bookstore. A bookstore so amazing it received a Tony honor for excellence in 2011.  So why is such a famous store struggling? Manhattan rent increase. Prime property. The law of economics. The bookstore is called The Drama Book Shop and has been a family-run store since its beginning in 1917. Success enabled the owners to move the store to bigger buildings with better locations until it finally landed on 40th Street. After the bookshop settled there, The New York Times building sprouted across the street. As did other large companies. Of course, online book buyin...

Perhaps you have been asked the usual New Year Question, What is your resolution? Perhaps you asked yourself before anyone else did. Usually, I play the game and answer with one of the standards that everyone else says then find myself failing by February. This year I chose to make annual goals. That way I have the whole year to complete the tasks instead of expecting to fulfill one resolution every day. How about you? What is your resolution for this year? ## I'm one of those who enjoys sending snail mail Christmas cards. I do it because I want to receive Christmas cards. There is a doorway in my home where I tape the cards. When the tree comes down, I take down the cards.  Some of the cards include Christmas letters.  Traditionally, Christmas letters serve as a year in focus. A friend tells what happened in their family's life over the course of the previous year. One friend had an interesting closing paragraph. She described for me what she chose to...