The Storyteller | Mary Vee

There are times when storms throw us off course.  I joined the gang of fallen hikers.  Not in the woods, or on the backroads. It happened 1/3 mile from home. The paved road portion. Where the black ice hides. Black ice forms when snow mostly melts followed by a freeze. Often snow will fall after the freeze, hiding the thin layer of very slippery ice. Boom. Naturally, I did the wrong thing by bracing for impact with my arm. My hands stretched out and took the force, breaking the distal radial bone. Smashed would be a better word. The surgeon was impressed. He put in plates and screws forming the letter "T" on the Xray. Look for a character in a future story of mine with a broken arm. I know now how to paint it realistically. :) When these storms come, though, I have found it very helpful to think of what is true, what is honest, what is just, what is pure, what is lovely, what is of good report, those things that have virtue and praise. Then I remembe...

Marksburg Castle, Rhine River Photo by Mary Vee Last week, a friend of mine mourned on the anniversary her brother took his life. He was in pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. And chose to solve the problem.  He was young. A teen. So much yet for him to live. So much to look forward to. But he didn't see it. Or Feel It. What he felt was pain. If only he truly understood how much his family loved him. How much they would sacrifice to help him...if they had only known his thoughts, the moment before the decision. A very different story happened this weekend, A weight lifter heard a crash outside his gym as.he turned off the lights for the night. He opened the door. Two cars had collided near his business. One man lay trapped against a signpost and under the weight of his car. Four people pushed, endeavoring to lift the vehicle and free the man, but the SUV weighed too much.  The weight lifter rushed to the scene wanting to help. He reached through the broke...

Photo by Mary Vee The power is out. Day three. I am thankful for the fleet of electrical power workers who are out in the wind and ice storm that is attacking our area.  On our backwoods American road, trees are down, a power line fell and ignited the road, and the power is out in our community. Temperatures are expected to drop throughout the day. At this time we are experiencing a whiteout (when cloud and snow on the ground meet and prevent visibility). Repair men and women are braving the elements to restore our power along with the power for thousands of others in the north.  Fleets of electric repair vehicles park at fire stations where crews change shifts and hopefully get something warm to drink. Photo b Mary Vee Perhaps the task wouldn't be as difficult if once the repair was finished, the restored area could be checked off the list. But ice ladened trees or their heavy branches continue to fall on power lines. It's like a whack-a-mo...

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...