(This story is dedicated to the memory of Neil Armstrong, whose courage and heroism will live on forever. ~ AK) . On January 20th, 1961, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States. At age forty three, he was the youngest president ever elected in American history. JFK […]

There was a little hummingbird in my neighborhood that usually perched on my windowsill. I enjoyed hearing  her sing, but I hadn’t seen the little hummingbird for several days. About a week ago, a bad storm came through and blew all the flowers away. I felt sorry for the little hummingbird. She must be hungry […]

Hello, Dexter here. I’m just your average ordinary neighborhood wasp. Before you go swatting me though, I think you should know that like everyone else, I too have a story to tell. At least afford me the opportunity to  get something off my wings before you swat me with your flyswatter. Please? It’s late October […]

BEFORE THE SUN had even broke across the horizon, young Larkin Wyley was anxious to start his day.  Larkin was confident he was going to make a paleontology discovery so big and so grand, that it would put his name in the Kid’s Hall of Fame. As his parents drove him to the digging site, it […]

IT WAS TWO DAYS before Christmas and young Maggie Dotson was already being told that her Christmas wish would not be coming true. Paxton she was told, would not be coming back. A year before that December day an injured baby deer had been abandoned in the woods behind the Dotson’s home. So weak was […]

The snow had turned the forest into a winter wonderland; and as the bears worked hard to get their den prepared for the long winter ahead, the ice on the trees snapped aloud. The hard work made the bears very sleepy, and their yawns could be heard from far away. There was one bear amongst them, […]

It was the Fourth of July and most folks were in town gearing up for fireworks, barbecues and the annual holiday parade. But not me!  My thoughts laid elsewhere; I was thinking about Sprinting Spencer. Who is Sprinting Spencer you ask? Well, Sprinting Spencer is a horse, and not just any horse; there was a […]

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on that Tuesday evening in Belvar. The local bowling alley was  packed for the 26th Annual Belvar Bowling Championship. Everyone was excited for the event to get started. “Okay, this is the last call. Is there anyone else who wants to register for the tournament before we […]

The cold wind blew past the geese with the weight of a freight train and the sting of a hundred bumble bees. It was a strong reminder of why they were migrating south for the winter. As the geese did their final stretches  in preparation for the long flight that lay ahead, Ralph, the flock’s […]

ONE CRISP AUTUMN MORNING a turkey named Oscar escaped from his farm. Thanksgiving was just weeks away and Oscar knew that his only hope for survival was to reach the petting zoo in Belvar. After crossing a large hill on his journey, Oscar came across a pumpkin patch that stretched as far as the eye  could […]