The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Photo Courtesy: pixaby.com A school in Kenya saved the life of a Baltimore, Maryland boy. Hard to believe, but it's true. Here is the story: Devon grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, as they say. The neighborhood was broken. Run down. Laden with drugs and violence. Survival required knowing where to hide when things turned ugly. His mother was a drug addict and his father an alcoholic.  This situation turned many children in the school district into angry persons. Devon's anger manifested itself in behavior issues at school. In sixth grade, he was suspended several times. Here is where the amazing twist in his life story happened. The principal of his school was told to find a way to move ten percent of the students, the ones who refused to learn or refused to behave, to alternative education. Once these students left the school, the overall student body had a hope to succeed. A recruiter from a new school foundation came to Devon's school. They pr...

Some of us like the dawning of the holidays. Harvest bounty leading into Thanksgiving and on into Christmas with a New Year's finale. Others feel like Scrooge. Humbug. My new release only days old is perfect for both sides of the fence.  With a paperback designed in the fashion of Dickens' Christmas Carol , this is the book for you. Consider this: What if Scrooge married, had children, and generations later they lived in the States. One family in Chicago full of city life, and the other in Montana where a view of the horizon is never obstructed by a building. Then suppose these families happened to end up at the same mountain lodge the week before Christmas. There would be more peace in a meeting of the Montagues and the Capulets than the Chicago Windermeres and the Montana Tuckers that week. This is the story. A Peace on Earth-Good Will to Man with a Twist of Romeo and Juliet Novel. High in the Rocky Mountains, the front door to the Windermere lodge b...

Photo by Mary Vee, Kinderdijk near Amsterdam This is an idea on steroids. Why am I especially excited about what I am about to share?  In my newsletter, distributed earlier this week, I took readers on a virtual tour of an old style windmill. We climbed the interior floors, touched the sails, watched the water pumped from the land out to the river. The water was then pumped out to sea. We had such fun. (You can get a copy of the newsletter and take the trip with me still by going to this link and signing up: Virtual Tour of Netherland's Windmills   ) Anyway, today's brilliant idea is the restoration of a famous painting. Rembrandt's Night Watch . Ah, I hear you saying, BORING.  Not so. This is different. Way different. The artist/s commissioned to do the work will begin July 2019 and work in full view of the public in the Rijksmuseum located in Amsterdam. Right on the main floor of the museum. Talk about ultimate pressure. BUT there is more! Th...

This week I would like to tell you about two exciting "new." I leave the period there because I don't want to spoil what they are before you look below... First, I found a new restaurant--the Old Christmas Station located in downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan. I walked in the main door on the side of the building and found myself magically stepping into Europe. Music from France, Germany, and Italy, played with interludes from a German radio announcer. My German is a bit rusty, so I'm not exactly sure what was said, and I didn't care.  This cozy restaurant transported me to one of many restaurants I'd visited in France, Switzerland, and Germany.  A waiter came to our table. He was dressed in a white shirt, black pants as many waiters do in Europe. He didn't carry paper and pencil but slighly leaned forward as if fully engaged in the dining experience. We listened to his question and while we considered what we would order to drink, he stood with ...

Today I will share yet another ghost story told on the River Rhine. When you think about it, most ghost stories technically are told like an Aesop Fable. They are short and have a lesson. The slight difference is: the fable's lesson is spelled out while the ghost story's lesson can be interpreted by the listener. So, here is the fourth ghost story I heard on the River Rhine: PHOTO by Mary Vee Vineyards along the Rhine River Once upon a time, seven beautiful virgins lived along the Rhine. Their beauty was known throughout the land.  They tended their vineyards in the day and celebrated life at night singing and dancing, never once inviting anyone to join them. Young men longed to see even one of these beautiful women and dance with her. None received the opportunity. Photo by Mary Vee Armor room in a castle on the Rhine River One day, seven Knights known for their kindness and heroic acts heard the story. They rode their ho...

Grand Rapids, Michigan is hosting Art Prize. It is a downtown event. Streets are lined with amazing art ranging in tens of categories. The exhibits are free to view. You only need a good pair of walking shoes. This particular entry captured my eye because I could also capture city buildings in the photo.  More than the interesting photo, the concept driving this piece amazed me. So creative. So inventive. So well executed. The artist interviewed random individuals in Grand Rapids, recording unique snippets. She chose short clips then printed the phrase on a piece of clothing. What I liked was how the clothing items matched something about the quote, for example: one spoke of older days. The message was printed on an early 60's pleated skirt. You might be able to zoom in on the next photo to read some of the sayings.  Hundreds of people walked through the clotheslines, reading messages, laughing for some, serious for others. This interactive pi...

As you know, hurricanes and typhoons are the same storm but are given different names based on the location. While  I had about three different ideas for today's post, my mind refused to walk away from these storms.  I've never lived or happened to visit an area during either of these storms, but I've lived through four tornadoes. Maybe you haven't experienced either of these but you've endured something else. It seems that every place on the earth has a unique issue either from earth, fire, or water. Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Fire, Such a list. Typhoon over the Philippines Photo Courtesy:  NASA user rights: labeled for reuse Hurricane Florence Photo Courtesy:  Department of Defense user rights: labeled for reuse At times such as these, we feel our dreams may not come true. Ever.  Much is lost. Much feels like it can never be regained. Doors slam in our face or collapse, s...