Editor's Corner

By Mary E. Adair

Dear October chose to end with two Capital H experiencies:
Halloween and Hurricane. The first brings primarily anticipated fun, fellowship, building memories together, family fun. The second wreaks destruction and despair and inevitably tons of debt incurred both medically and for clean up, repairs, and rebuilding. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jamaica and Cuba, the areas most devastated.

Our authors had completed this month's bounty of compositions before either of those inevitabilities occurred, so readers can anticipate Pencil Stubs with pleasure. We are presenting another article by Ara Parisien, one of our former columnists. It is titled "Missing Persons Cases."

Our friend Walt Perryman's three poems are "How to Start Your Day," "Rerun Reminder," and "Our True Story." Bruce Clifford sent "Lost In You" then shows a change of mood in "Olive." Webmaster Michael Craner's "Dreams, Memories, Dreams" may awaken some such for you.

Happily showing three poems by my mother's sister Linnie Jane (Joslin) Burks, who served over 40 years as a missionary in Nigeria alongside her husband Dr Edgar Burks. One, "Twilight in Kentucky" was composed while on vacation while "Getting Older" came after they retired from the field. "Life at Three" was penned while thinking of her brother Rex Edward Joslin whose birthday we celebrate in November.

Our friend, John I. Blair, recently underwent complicated surgery but now home from Hospital and rehab, shares three poems. The encores "Don't Leave Love for Tomorrow," and "Don't Be Fooled By The Sunshine," appear with his "Almond Eyes" which is new to our pages although composed a few years ago.

Marilyn Carnell's "Sifoddling Along" recalls her weddings and mentions some financial comparisons with such rites currently. "Woo Woo" columnist Pauline Evanosky pens an interesting piece on "Acceptance." Melinda Cohenour's recipe for her Chicken Al Fredo is detailed in "Cooking with Rod's Family." Some primary info about tracking family DNA using online documentation sites, is shown in Melinda's "Armchair Genealogy." Judith Kroll author of "On Trek" is discussing the last thing we most likely do.

Mattie Lennon of Dublin, Ireland, gives the reviews for two popular new books: "Not Making Hay" and "Out of The Blue...Pink." While Thomas F. O'Neill's column "Introspective" discusses his former occupation: Teaching in China. Mike Craner does his "Mike's Place" column with his unique style. Welcome always, Mike.

Here at home in our western Texas desert area, we face November hoping for a mild temperature season known as Fall. We are always happier with sunshine and only a few fluffy clouds, but have learned it isn't our wishes that determine the weather, so we stick to doing something lovely like this issue of "Pencil Stubs Online."

With the continued excellent guidance and support of our esteemed webmaster/co-founder Mike Craner, we shall