Editor's Corner

By Mary E. Adair

Here we go with another month in the year of 2001. Time is scooting by very rapidly. Already a sixth of the year is finished with the demise of February taking with it most of the new year's resolutions and the ghosts of those that never got off the ground. When this month is gone, technically we will have expended one/fourth of the year's worth of time to work on our goals, to reduce our size or expenditures, to consolidate our earnings toward earning more worthwhile interest, to make up those quarrels we wish we had never begun, to break off with those unprofitable relationships that do not feed our inner selves, to advance in the spirituality that we have yearned toward forever - it seems.

A few of us start our path early in life toward goals that are important to us. One of my great grandsons has very recently marked a milestone for himself: he has gotten his Bear badge and crossed over to Junior Weblos. He also earned 1 gold and 2 silver arrow points for the Bear rank. He has done very well in Cub Scouts. He has 5 beltloops for various things like BB and Archery, Ultimate (a game), and Physical Fitness. He earned the World Conservation Badge, the only badge that can be worn on an adult uniform, and only has Jr and Sr. Weblo to complete before he becomes a Boy Scout. We are extremely proud of him!!

So, what can we do now to make March count for us in the most positive manner? Some of the material we are publishing might offer some ideas. Some will definitely offer some warnings. All will entertain you.

Start with our columnists:

Leo C. Helmer with his substitute recipe for potatoes to beat out ordering the 'to go fries' makes doing it yourself sound yummy;

LC VanSavage exhorts us to be the best we can in her inimitable fashion as she asks us to "Consider This;"

Connie Anast adds some thoughts on pro's and con's of trying again as discussed in "On The Other Hand;"

Dr. Sam Vaknin ("Taming the Beast") gets into controlling our need to control our diets so we don't slide into ways that create eating disorders;

Webmaster Mike Craner in "Mike's Place" adds some thoughts you may not affirm, but will never forget his 'take' on them;

Ted Floyd, our newest columnist ("Floyd Shares") discusses screech owls and the mystique they invoke;

Cassandra once again invites us into her beautiful "Cassandra's World."

These poets lend us the benefit of their experiences also:

From awakening with strange bedfellows ("Ode to a Flea" by the lateReita Martin) to knowing this is your long awaited "One Day" (Phillip Hennesy);

on through lessons of life - "In the Shadows of Life" (Michael Karolczak Jr) "Lost Toy," "Touch Unseen Ears," and "Just Musing" (LSeeker), and JoBi Wilson with "Cacophony" and "The Zen Years - Four Poems";

questions like "Is She Me?" (Jolene Overy, a native of Wyoming, who was attending college in New Mexico when this poem was written);

suggestions such as the one to "Calendar Makers," or "Spring;"

and reminiscing like "Polly" and "The Swinging Bridge of Osage" (Jim Echols, a new poet to PencilStubs - much thanks to Betty Swan for sharing her late brother’s poems remembering scenes from Osage, now covered by Keystone Lake in Oklahoma. Echols’ poem about the bridge, a shortcut for the school kids to the school on the hill, brings memories of another such bridge near Pineville, Missouri. Perhaps, since they shared the same period of time, they were constructed by the same bridge builders. Betty tells us that Jim was a clerk for the steel mills in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and though only able to return to Osage a couple of times, it lived vividly in his heart);

and finally, on to the end of the day with "Sleep" as offered by another new poet, D. Freeman.

D. Freeman also treats us to a short story "Weeds." JJ Feather brings us an exciting fictional piece on "Smoking," and promises future stories for our readers. Shell Heller returns to our pages with "Street Lovers." The true story "World War II Railroad Days" by the late Dorothy Layton was carried in our prior 3D publication, Hobbie$, Etc. and is only one of the varied experiences this gracious lady shared with our readers.

To keep us current with the happenings of the month, Leo C. Helmer gives us "Some True Tales And" some myths about Saint Patrick in his article. He said to share this link with our readers for more info on his subject: Will the Real St. Patrick Please Stand Up?

So, along with this assortment of reading material, we can add the information we gain from others, sift it and apply it to our own daily trials and joys, and try to upgrade our discernment. We hope this issue brings a few points you will want to add to your list for choosing the best path to travel through your life.

We hope your travels bring you back here again for next month. We will be here to greet you!