The BookShelf Magazine, July 2018

The

B O O K SÂ h e l f AUTHORS GUILD OF TENNESSEE MAGAZINE

FEATURED CRITTERS DON'T LITTER. SAMMY BEGINNINGS

TRAGEDY IN THE AIR DURING THE GOLDEN YEARS OF AVIATION

THE WRECK DISASTER OR MIRACLE?

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Inspirational Writings by Randall Carpenter

The Touch You Never Feel NO TOUCH IS FELT MORE THAN WHEN YOU TOUCH SOMEONE’S HEART WITHOUT KNOWING IT. IT CAN BE THE WORDS YOU SAY, THE THINGS YOU DO OR, THE SELFLESS WAY YOU GIVE OF YOURSELF. WHEN YOU TOUCH SOMEONE’S HEART WITHOUT KNOWING IT, THE LOVE PLACED THERE ONLY GROWS WITH EVERY BREATH THEY TAKE, EVERY SMILE IT CREATES, AND EVERY MEMORY THEY WILL NEVER FORGET. EVERY DAY, YOUR LIFE MAY TOUCH SOMEONE’S HEART AND YOU NEVER KNOW IT. WHEN IT DOES, THE LOVE THAT’S LEFT BEHIND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND THEY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. Copyright 2017 by Randall L. Carpenter and RanCath Writings All Rights Reserved

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Spotlights

Murder on Bedford Island

by Cheryl Peyton Mystery (Cozy) (316 pages) $15.00 Ebook $3.99

Lee Harvey Oswald: A Rogue KGB Agent: Volume 2

by Richard Cross Biography / History (256 pages) $15.00 Ebook $4.99

The Parable Patch: Stories and Songs to Grow on

by Cindy Leihkauff Children's Literature / Christian (34 pages) $16.95

Nick and Viola: A Kentucky Family Tragedy in the Tobacco Wars (1904-1911)

by Laura Derr Biography / History (194 pages) $12.99 Ebook $7.99

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Spotlights

The Last Senoobians

by Sam Bledsoe Science Fiction / Fantasy/Paranormal (325 pages) $16.00 Ebook $6.95

Bushido: The Virtues of Rei and Makoto

by Arthur Stewart Poetry (96 pages) $15.00

Teneriffe Embroidery II

by Joan Haines McIntee Crafts, Hobbie and Home/Needle Arts (20 page) $8.00

Trail Dust

by John Miller Western / Native American (233 pages) for $9.49 Ebook $2.99

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Spotlights

The Long Tale Mouse

by Jim Farmer Humor Fiction (70 pages) $15.00

Saying Goodbye to the Iris Lady

by Marilyn Smith Neilans Literary Memoirs (389 pages) $17.00 Ebook $5.00

Theories: Size 12: Go On, Get Mad, But You Know You Agree

by Jody Cantrell Dyer Humor (192 pages) $14.49 Ebook $5.99

Blossoms of Winter

by Don Pardue Narrative Non-fiction / Personal Narrative (457 pages) $17.00 Ebook: $2.99

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028

1 Randall Carpenter Inspirational writings

The

CONTENTS Book Shelf

AUTHORS GUILD OF TENNESSEE

The Book Shelf is a quarterly publication of The Authors Guild of Tennessee

7 Critters Don't Litter Sammy beginnings

Editorial Staff

10 Of Opossums, Rei, And Litter

046

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

12 Susan Kite Getting the groove back 13 Behind The Smile A true behind the scenes account of events during the golden years of aviation

15 S.M. McElligott A daughter remembers the love of her father

22 INDEX OF SUPPORTERS 23

Cheesecakes + More

24

American Commissary Books By Bobbi

25

Union Ave Books Engraphics

26

UPS Store

27

ATOL Solutions

Events where the public can meet AGT authors

President

NADINE RICHMOND SAM BLEDSOE

CONTACT US For Advertising Bobbi Phelps Wolverton at bobbiphelps1@gmail.com or 865-657-9560

Subscribe Online To receive The Book Shelf Magazine by Email: THE BOOK SHELF www.authorsguildoftn.org

Email:

18 Spirituality

28 Author Events

Bobbi Phelps Wolverton

Preferred Pharmacy

16 Jerry Morton

A demonstration of faith

Advertising

Bobbi Phelps Wolverton

RanCath Writings

The Wreck

Nadine Richmond --Editor and Designer Linda Fitzpatrick--Assistant Editor

ON THE COVER Adele A. Roberts, author of the Sammy the Skunk book series shares how Sammy and his friends became involved in an anti-littering and recycling campaign.

agtezine@gmail.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/authors guildoftn/

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EDITOR'S NOTE Nadine Richmond agtezine@gmail.com

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch This issue of The Bookshelf touches upon a very important topic that is vital to each and every person on the planet. That is littering.

In some way, each of us has contributed to the littering problem in this nation. Littering is a major problem because it leads to pollution.

The majority of us are unaware of the tremendous amount of trash we produce each and every day. We are oblivious to how this trash ends up in our oceans, lakes, and streams.

Have you heard of the great garbage patch? It is “a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is composed of litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. The patch is actually comprised of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between the U.S. states of Hawaii and California.” (1) Plastic is the major and most dangerous of substances found in the garbage patch because most of it is not biodegradable. It doesn't go away but breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called micro-plastics.

These micro-plastics are mistaken as food by

marine life and some birds which eat the tiny plastic and because it is indigestible they eventually die from starvation or ruptured organs.

If this problem is not corrected it will eventually affect the ecosystem of the entire planet. However, no country will take responsibility for this problem because the task is so great and cleaning up the mess we have created is not easy, though some people are trying.

The good news is that scientists and others have said that we can turn this problem around by limiting or eliminating our use of disposable plastics and develop more ways to make plastic biodegradable. We must also do more to recycle products we use on a daily basis. Another way is to help future generations by teaching our children about the effects of littering and pollution while they are young.

To read more on this topic visit the National Geographic website.

Reference: 1. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/greatpacific-garbage-patch/ Visit our website, like our Facebook page and share with people you know. We look forward to hearing from you.

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CRITTERS DON'T LITTER Sammy Beginnings by Adele A. Roberts I loved to tell stories when I was teaching elementary school. One day while teaching, one of the children asked if I could tell a story about a skunk. Of course, all the children laughed and I asked them, “What shall we call him?” One immediately spoke up, “Stinky”!

So began the journey of Stinky in a place called, “The deep woods.”

They loved the stories I told and one day a little boy asked me if I had the book so he could read the stories to his little brother. Of course, I had to tell him that all the stories were in my head. This got me thinking.

“Perhaps I could write them down.”

I took out my old electric Remington typewriter and began; however, my life was very busy at the time. In spite of this, I did manage to write the first story of how Stinky entered into this magical little place called the ‘deep woods’. However, I realized I didn’t have time to continue writing so I put the story away in a cardboard box that I marked, “My writings.”

I married and my husband and I moved several times. The story of Stinky was forgotten.

However, the cardboard box continued its journey with me. Forty years later I had time to unpack some of the boxes that had traveled with us throughout the years. I found the box with “My writings.” I opened it up and sorted through many aged, yellowed papers and I found the first story of “Stinky.”

As I read through the story my eyes filled with tears as I once again saw these precious children sitting quietly, listening with wide eyes to hear about a little skunk. I thought, “I have a computer now! I am retired! I have time to write these stories!” Although the children loved the name of Stinky I didn’t feel comfortable with the name. At lunch one day a friend and I discussed many names and we finally decided that Sammy was a good name for a little skunk.

In 2012 the stories began and six books were published under, The Adventures of Sammy the Skunk. Each book has three complete stories. At the end of each story, I write a "Life Lesson." The "Life Lessons" include a question for children to think about, a scripture verse, a truth about God, and a short message about the love God has for His children.

Perhaps you have heard the saying, “There are bats in the belfry!” Well, I had all these imaginary animals living in my head, and I saw and heard all their little adventures as I wrote the stories down. There were times when I laughed out loud about what was happening to them. One incident that happened in the deep woods was when Mrs. Porcupine lost all of her quills due to stress. Mr. Turtle found the cure that Dr. Possum suggested, elderberries, and she was cured of ‘quil-la-ti-tus-i-tus’!

In 2016 I was approached by a member of the Tennessee Department of Transportation and asked if I could use the characters in my series

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of children’s books, The Adventures of Sammy the Skunk, to write a book that would teach children about littering and recycling. I was given statistics to include in the book that explain what the state does each year to clean our country from litter.

The title of the book, Critters Don’t Litter was an idea given to me by my husband. I wrote the " Critters Don’t Litter" poem first and then began the story.

The book introduces another little skunk named Andy, a cousin to Sammy. Andy works for the Animal Environmental Protection Agency and his job is to teach all wild animals about littering and recycling.

Littering is not something we should learn about and then forget. It is a universal problem that we live with every day. It is not going away tomorrow or next week. Every adult and child should become aware of their responsibility to be part of a solution. I would like to believe that Critters Don’t Litter may help in this challenge.

We are in the developmental stages of creating a school curriculum for elementary schools. This should be available in the fall of 2018. In addition to the Critters Don’t Litter book, we have created decals to be displayed on garbage containers and posters to be displayed on roadways and offices.

To learn more about Sammy the Skunk visit the authors website: sammytheskunk.com

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OF OPOSSUMS, REI, AND LITTER Way back in 2005, I hurried into publication Bushido: The Virtues of Rei and Makoto, my second book of essays and poems [1].

The hurry-up effort was driven by my intention to dedicate the book to my dissertation research mentor, Professor Robert G. Wetzel, a highly regarded aquatic ecologist at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station. I didn’t quite make it. He died of lung cancer about a month before Bushido emerged.

Yet the book’s dedication remains: “For Robert G. Wetzel / who took the time to teach me / the art of science and to show me, / by example, how to get things done.”

The preface in Bushido explains in some detail the concepts under-pinning and origins of three Japanese terms: Bushido, rei, and Makoto. Bu – martial arts; shi – warrior; and do – the way. Two of the moral principles expressed through Bushido, rei (respect) and Makoto (truth/sincerity), are as worthy now as they were in the 1400s and 1500s when the Samurai warriors emerged as the elite ruling class in Japan.

By littering, we show disrespect – we disrespect the environment, and we demonstrate disrespect of others who may respect the environment. By littering, we show disrespect for the law. And we demonstrate disrespect for future generations, too – our children, and their children, and their children’s children, because litter, like all other matter, has to go someplace.

By Arthur J. Stewart I can tell you, with confidence and Makoto, that rei is the antithesis of littering.

Try this, the next time you’re working in Microsoft Word take a moment to use Word’s thesaurus to look up the term "litter." A word related to litter – disorder – when used as a noun, relates to confusion, jumble, clutter, and mess. A word related to litter – waste – when used as a noun, relates to trash, garbage, refuse, debris and rubbish. Scatter – a word associated with litter, as a verb – relates to spoil, strew and clutter. These words and the concepts expressed through them run directly counter to the concepts of respect, intent, and care.

Litter and the process of littering, in short, are anti-Bushido: they are anti-rei and anti-Makoto.

When a used water-bottle or crumpled bag of fast-food wrappings is tossed from a vehicle window to a roadside, they do not disappear. The roadside bag, in this case, contains a wadded-up napkin, an unused packet of ketchup and, nestled next to buncrumbs under the empty hamburger box, two French fries. The napkin is crumpled; the hamburger box is partially crushed.

These things do not disappear. Something happens. A day later, or a week, or a month, or in some cases, years later, little things happen. In the case of the crumpled fast-food bag, just one day after being tossed from a vehicle window, an opossum tears open the bag for the Continued on page 11

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french fries; he eats the fries, he licks up the crumbs and ignores the ketchup.

Residual roadside litter may be picked up by someone else, and get taken to a landfill. Or, if not plastic, bits of it may gradually become interred into the soil, where it slowly decomposes to carbon dioxide. If it is plastic – well, mass is conserved. add a few thousand years to The ever-so-casual, care-less ‘disposal’ the timeline. of litter, accomplished by a roll-downthe-window-and-pitch-it, lowestOr, in a Tennessee-famous intense rainfall event, more energy effort, hurts us all. Such action persistent plastic items may shows us, in no uncertain terms, that someone – another person – perhaps get swept up in a wetsomeone in our community, certainly weather stream, and get someone who drives the same roads carried to a creek, where, slowly, they are transported we drive – lacks respect. And thus, the by water, through rivers, to action of littering gives a tacit vote-bynumbers thumbs-up approval for the an ocean. idea that respect is not important: it offers evidence that the person is not The Great Pacific garbage Bushido. patch grows [2]. The point is simple: everything – At its roots, littering is a manifestation everything! – every bit of of the broken windows theory [3]. That good stuff, every bit of theory goes like this: if it’s OK for an useless stuff, and every bit unknown someone to litter, or to break of us, sometime, has to go a window, or spray-point their initials somewhere. That's a on a wall – well, then, it must be OK for fundamental law; each me to do it too. Community standards action causes a reaction;

drop another notch; everybody squirms, of course – just a little, mind you – and then they get back to doing what they were doing. They do not think about Bushido. They do not take personal responsibility.

But the wise old opossum understands. He knows. He shuffles along the edge of the road, making each step with intention. He blinks, he burps. It might have been better with ketchup.

He takes a breath, he exhales a few microliters of CO2.

References 1. Stewart, A. J. 2005. Bushido: The Virtues of Rei and Makoto.

Celtic Cat Publishing, Knoxville, TN. 80 p. ISBN 0-9658950-6-8.

2. Great Pacific garbage patch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G reat_Pacific_garbage_patch 3. Broken Windows Theory. http://sociologyindex.com/brok en_window_theory.htm

Arthur J. Stewart, a project manager at Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, holds a PhD. from Michigan State and specializes in aquatic ecology, Ecotoxicology, and effective science writing.

His writing niche is "science flavored" poetry, and he advocates including poetry as reading fodder for scientists and students as a way to encourage better science writing and encourages incorporating poetry into STEM classes, from K-12 on up through graduate school. He has authored six books of poems and essays (the most recent being Elements of Chance), plus numerous technical articles in the areas of aquatic ecology and Ecotoxicology.

Continued from page 10

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GETTING THE GROOVE BACK

By Susan Kite I think I might be getting my writing groove back. How did I do that? I’m not really sure.

Simply saying “I have more time” isn't the total reason. I have had more time since last May when I retired. Several people told me that retiring and walking out that door isn't the golden bullet that enables you to do all those projects you have dreamed of doing "when you had time." They also said it takes a while to settle into your new reality and new schedule.

In my case, the new reality included selling a house and moving halfway across the country, as well as dealing several health issues. Now that we have been in our new home for almost three months, I have a place to do my writing (the sitting room) and a place to work on my illustrations (a local wellness/senior center where they have classes), and a place to walk when I need to get the kinks out (a nice walkway in the community). It’s not a rigid routine, to put it mildly; many things tend to scream for equal attention, but my new reality is beginning to come into view.

Getting in the groove is an individual thing. I suppose there are some who do it quickly and there are those whose life issues don't allow them that opportunity. Then I suppose there are some who never find the groove even though they search or they become the excuses to never getting that groove. I only hope that I always have at least a small writing groove I can continue to work in, regardless of what my situation is.

Noki, a young Native American, finds his life changed forever with the arrival of the Spanish to his homeland in 1798. In the midst of the upheaval, he is drawn to a charismatic Padre and his new God.

Susan Kite is an Army brat; which means she grew up everywhere. She didn't begin to settle down until her dad did. She earned two degrees at Utah State University and began dabbling in writing. However, she didn't get serious until her children were grown. Now it is a contagious disease and she doesn't want to be cured!

Her first novel, My House of Dreams was written after several visits to the Mission San Luis Rey. A fantasy short story was included in an anthology published in 2013 called aMUSEing Tales. Another short story won second place in an online contest. A sciencefiction novel, The Mendel Experiment, was published in April 2015 by World Castle Publishing.

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TRAGEDY IN THE AIR

By Bobbi Wolverton

Transporting military families to and from Germany was routine for World Airways, the airline for which I worked as a stewardess. Many of our flights ended at the Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, the most active military terminal in Europe in 1965. On one of our flights back to the States, Army families crowded the plane with children, baby bags, and colorful toys.

After serving beverages and meals, I joined Greta on the front jump seat.

About two-thirds of the way across the Atlantic the call button chimed, illuminating the panel above a seat in the back of the cabin. Rike, Kathy, and Heidi, the three rear flight attendants, were alerted. A passenger needed assistance. In the forward galley I entertained a couple of children with card tricks while the aft crew handled the call.

“Is there a doctor on board?” Rike asked over the PA system.

No one came forward. With a plane full of military passengers, it was unusual not to have a doctor, nurse, or medic on board. Without a medical person, the flight attendants took over.

“Watch the cockpit and galley,” Greta said as she walked toward the rear of the plane.

She found a father supporting his twoyear-old son while the mother stood close by. The frantic parents said they couldn’t wake their son.

Tragedy in the Air is one of forty-two chapters in the book, Behind the Smile during the Glamour Years of Aviation, written by Bobbi Phelps Wolverton, president of the Authors Guild of Tennessee. She flew as a flight attendant for six years between 1965 and 1973. Each chapter is a story in itself and details what went on behind the scenes: babies born and died in flight, unruly passengers, and sexual escapades. She worked flights to Europe, the Orient, and Vietnam during the height of the war. Her book is an audio, an eBook, and a paperback, all available from Amazon.

For a signed copy, visit www.booksbybobbi.com.

Continued on page 14

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He had cold hands and feet, yet he was hot with fever.

Standing in the dimly lit galley with Rike holding a flashlight, Kathy checked the boy’s mouth for any obstructions.

The boy was not breathing.

Heidi placed a blanket on the floor near the aft door and Kathy gently rested the toddler on top. She tilted his head back, lifted his chin, and closed his nostrils. While Kathy knelt and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Rike pushed down on his chest. Crammed into the small space by the rear exit, the two counted.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, breathe. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, breathe.”

Greta notified Captain Rogers.

He planned to dump fuel and make an emergency landing as soon as the plane reached the mainland, more than an hour away. In the meantime, Greta suspended the beverage service and asked the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Southwick, about the child and his health.

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to the terminal, a waiting ambulance pulled up to the rear exit. A medic boarded and took the blanketed child in his arms.

Captain Rogers arrived at the rear Sitting in the front, Greta and I could hear the mother’s cries. It galley and listened to the parents’ concerns. He told them sounded so heart about his arrangements with the wrenching...sobs of pure grief. local hospital. “We’ll be making “Please don’t take him!” The an emergency landing just as was hysterical and soon as we reach the airfield,” he mother wouldn’t release her grip on the said. “Your son will be child. Mr. Southwick gently transported by ambulance to the pulled his wife from the medic. nearest hospital.”

The couple followed him down the rear staircase and climbed The three aft flight attendants into the ambulance. It raced steadily performed CPR on Brian. away from the plane to the Kathy, Heidi, and Rike alternated customs building and then on to positions and continued for the local hospital. Feeling another thirty minutes. Soon, shaken by the sad outcome, they were exhausted. Their knees none of us were in the mood to work the rest of the flight. But and backs ached. They paused work we did. We tried to smile and rocked back on their heels.

“Please don’t stop,” the mother and be pleasant as we attended to the needs of the passengers. wailed.

Brian seemed to be better, They decided to go ahead with the flight.

“I’m so sorry,” Kathy sympathized. “He hasn’t moved or responded since we started.

He still is not breathing.”

“I’ll tell the captain,” said Heidi and walked toward the cockpit.

Kathy wrapped the boy in a blanket. Rike moved passengers from the last row and let Mrs. Southwick sit by the window, “Brian has been sick for the hugging the covered child to her past two weeks,” Mr. chest. Her husband seated Southwick said. “We took him himself next to her, and they to an ER a few days ago. The cried and held each other for the doctor suggested we wait remainder of the flight. before traveling home.” Since it was only a suggestion and As soon as we landed and taxied

Six hours later we arrived at our base in Oakland. The dispatcher told Kathy, Rike, and Heidi that they were grounded for two weeks. The child had died from spinal meningitis. Our airline doctor wanted them at home in case they developed any symptoms from performing CPR on the sick child.

With prayers from friends, family, and crew, the three flight attendants completed their two weeks with no negative effects. Our airline released them and they soon joined Greta and me working another flight to Europe.

Continued from page 13

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A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS

BY S.M. McELLIGOTT splashed water from the night’s rain our way, and he took the brunt of it so I would stay dry. After a few minutes, we turned to hike the hill. We were both breathing hard when we got there.

I stood at our apartment window, watching the birds fly between our fire escape and the trees behind our building.

“Stop dawdling. Put your coat on,” yelled my mother. “Your dad has to get to work.”

I liked school but hated waiting at that bus stop on the hill. I was the youngest one there, the older boys menaced me, and it felt like the coldest place on earth when the wind was fierce like today.

“Come on,” my dad said as he helped me button up. “I’ll wait with you ‘til the bus comes. You won’t have to worry about those boys.” I nodded my head OK; glad to know he understood my fears.

He picked up my book bag as I grabbed my lunch box and out the door we went. Down the stairs, through the lobby into the gale. I kept my head down as we trudged hand in hand along the side road of the Parkway. The whizzing cars

I watched as the boys ran around, whooping and hollering and “accidentally” bumping into one girl after another who stood by the bus stop sign. My dad must have noticed my look of dismay.

“There’s no reason to be afraid.

They play a little different from girls that’s all. Plus it keeps them warm to run. You want to try it?”

I shook my head, no. I was too cold to think of moving away from my father’s comforting presence.

“Well then. How ‘bout you stand closer, inside my coat? It will help block the wind ‘til the bus comes.”

I smiled. My head alone peaked out from his navy camel coat as he quizzed me on my spelling words.

Warmth at last! The bus came soon after. He kissed my forehead and handed me my book bag as I climbed onto the bus. “Have a good day! Love you.”

“Love you too, daddy.”

My dad died at the ripe old age of fifty-seven. Now when I think back

to the things I most admired in him it’s the little things I remember. That he protected me from rain and wind. That he taught me boys weren’t villains to be feared. That he pulled my brother and me on sleds through the snow and bought us hot chocolates at a local luncheonette. That he quizzed me before tests, took to me church, and encouraged me to think for myself. That he helped our school principal become principal of the Year from Cousin Brucie by printing up thousands of postcards for us to sign and mail. He never did anything big, he never made a fortune, but those little things added up. He was a great father for a million little reasons.

S.M. McElligott grew up in New York before marrying an Irishman from Brooklyn and moving to the Midwest. An avid reader, chef and world traveler who recently celebrated her fortieth wedding anniversary, she is a proud wife, mother of four and grandmother of five.

Her biblical fiction about the Three Wise Men, The Gifts of Man, was published in August 2016. She holds a B.A. in History from St. Bonaventure University and currently resides in TN.

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THE WRECK

By Jerry Morton

It was a brisk spring afternoon. The drive into Knoxville, Tennessee, was pleasant. The traffic was light, not jammed up the way it always was on the two lanes going west every morning. The same was true for the westbound lanes on I-75/40 although that side of the interstate was starting to pick up.

It was definitely heavier than the eastbound traffic.

I wasn't paying attention to my speed.

Maybe I was doing 60. While I was in the fast lane, there really weren't any cars to pass in the right one. I wasn't thinking about driving. I just was. My thoughts were on how pleasant the afternoon was. I was on my way to meet some faculty members at the university. They were old friends. We had arranged the meeting about two weeks ago. It's always hard to match up with busy people. I was going to arrive a little early.

Then it was just seven miles to home. I'd get home a little early today. That's always nice.

Looking ahead, it wasn't right. What I saw wasn't right. About four miles ahead in the westbound lane there was a cloud of smoke.

It was at the end of the Paper Mill Road overpass bridge. The smoke was bluish white. Instinctively, I began slowing down. There was a car across the grass median on my left going west. After that, there were no westbound cars. There seemed to be a traffic jam behind the blue smoke. The cars were moving, but they were behind the smoke. No one passed the smoke. There was this big space between

the car that just passed my left side going west and the smoke. I slowed, even more, trying to make sense of it.

A car sped past me on the right. It just went on by. Glancing into the rearview mirror, I saw that the few cars behind me were slowing, too. The blue smoke moved beyond the bridge. As it did, a tracker-trailer truck moved with it. The eighteen-wheeler was moving pretty fast. Traffic to the rear of it slowed. The traffic jam was thick. Why didn't anyone pass the truck? It was in the fast lane. The lane to the right and in front of the truck was clear. Why didn't they pass?

My eyes saw it all. My mind couldn't make sense of it.

I continued to slow down as the mass came towards me. The blue smoke was in front of the eighteen-wheeler. My God! There's a car pinned against the front of the tractortrailer. The blue-white smoke is from his tires. The car's tires are sliding across the road, burning with the friction of being erased. Maybe some of the smoke is coming from the tires of the semi. I can't tell. They are moving fast towards me.

I am barely moving. If the driver of the car allows his front wheels to turn just the slightest, he's going to roll his car.

He's dead. He has to hold those wheels steady. If the trucker puts too much pressure on his brakes and ends up bumping the car, the car will roll. Both drivers have to do this perfectly or the passenger car driver Continued on page 17

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is dead. The mass is slowing ever so slowly.

Perfection or death, there is no other option.

I'm about at a stop when it hits me. If the car rolls, it will go into the grass median, down its little dip and then right up the slope into my lane. I will be part of the wreck. This thought brings my car to a stop. I stop right there. Right there in the fast lane on the interstate going east to downtown. I come to a complete stop.

The side-ways car sandwiched to the front of the eighteen-wheeler is coming towards me.

God, I can see it's a black man. A black man is driving the car. The trucker has to be white. There has been trouble here. Racial trouble carrying over from the late sixties is still here. A decade has gone by, yet it could reappear with little or no provocation. The black man is frozen. Both hands are on the wheel. He is fighting to keep the wheels steady as they slide sideways in perfect formation. They parallel the front of the semi. His tires are being erased. They could blow at any second. He will roll.

Oh Lord, please help! I see a woman in the front passenger side. Her mouth is open. She is screaming. Her hands are pressed against the window as if to hold the grill of the semi from pushing through. Death rides in the air.

I am frozen in place. These people are so close to death. The mass of metal is slowing to a stop. It gently stops. We are stopped beside each other. The black man instantly throws open the driver's door. He runs to the rear of the car and then towards the cab of the semi. At the same moment, the white trucker is opening his door, climbing down the steps of the truck and jumping onto the asphalt. Then he's running towards the

ISSUE 2 | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2018

driver. Oh no, I don't want a confrontation.

This could be a disaster on top of a miracle.

The two men rush towards each other as fast as they can run.

They collide into each others arms. They embrace each other. They rock in each other's arms.

Wiping tears from my face, I drive by them.

There's a meeting to attend.

Jerry grew up in a Coast Guard family who moved quite a bit. After high school, he attended Centre College of Kentucky. Upon graduating from Centre, he pursued an M. S. degree in school psychology at Miami University of Ohio. Within days of graduating from Miami U. he was experiencing basic training in the U. S. Army. He went on to complete Advanced Infantry Training and Infantry Officers Candidate School to become commissioned as a second lieutenant. Reluctant Lieutenant: From Basic to OCS in the Sixties is his memoir of that experience.

Jerry received his Ph. D. and began working for the Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative (LTVEC) assisting area school systems to develop their school psychology programs. One of those programs became the focus of the book Rosa Kennedy and he wrote, A School for Healing: Alternative Strategies For Teaching At-Risk Students. At this time Jerry is developing a collection of short stories that relate unusual and noteworthy experiences he had in his early life and into his adulthood. They all reflect some surprising displays of human kindness.

Continued from page 16

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A DEMONSTRATION OF FAITH

by Nadine Richmond

One day God showed me something about faith. My daughter was making homemade baked beans to take to work because it was the last day of school. She mixed everything together and then she put the beans in the oven to cook. She then went into the next room to work on her discussion questions for the classes she was taking during that time. Later when I checked on the beans to see if they were ready, I called her but she didn’t answer. When I checked, she had fallen asleep, she was so tired after working all day.

This is what God showed me.

My daughter was able to fall asleep because she was not worried, she had the assurance that me, her mother would take care of everything. She had the assurance that I would not let the baked beans burn, she had the assurance that I would take care of whatever needed to be done. She knew that I would clean up the kitchen and put away the dishes. How did she know this? She was confident in this knowledge because of her past experiences with me; she knew that I was faithful.

This is what God is saying about FAITH. He is a GOOD FATHER and we can trust him; we can rest and be at peace in the knowledge that whatever we are going through, whatever our current circumstances are, whatever prayers we have before him, we can know that he is faithful and that he will handle every situation. Jesus had this confidence in the Father; this is why he was able to sleep when the storm was raging all around them. He had a relationship with his Father and for us to have this confidence we also must have a relationship with God. Jesus said if we abide in him and his words abide in us we can ask what we will and it will be given unto us. St. John 15: 7. He also said if we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness he will supply all of our needs. Matthew 6:33. Praise God for his faithfulness.

Nadine Richmond has studied the word of God extensively for over 30 years. She accepted the Lord as her savior and became a Christian at the age of 19. Her passion is studying the Bible, she has a heartfelt desire for people to know who Jesus is and the relationship they have with him. She is a minister of the gospel and the Co-Founder of the organization The Church Readiness Ministries. Her book The New Birth: Going Onto Perfection is on sale now.

Purchase a copy today.

To read more from this author visit: revelationuptotheminute.org

FROM

MY MOTHER'S KITCHEN

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Having a LARGE family of EIGHT, plus, now their spouses AND LOTS of grandchildren, large recipes are a necessity.

Plus, for 7 1/2 years Jim and I were Co-chairmen of the monthly Town of Vonore Senior Citizen Potluck; and, we would have around 35 people in attendance each time. We always prepared the entree. The attendees brought side dishes. The most popular entree was my "Sloppy Joe Sandwiches".

It can serve up to 35; but, that depends on the appetites of those attending and the size of your buns.

(I.e. My teenage grandson would always tell me, "Grandma, I ate FIVE of your Sloppy Joes". I use this quantity of recipe for a family get together of 8. Because everyone wants seconds or more.)

If you are lucky enough to have "leftovers", they are actually better the next day; because they have had time to "marinate".

I make this a week ahead of time and freeze it for visiting hungry grandchildren and their parents.

Sloppy Joes Submitted by Joan McIntee 10 lbs. hamburger browned and drained 3 jars of medium salsa 1 large can crushed tomatoes 1 large onion – chopped 1 large green pepper – chopped 1 large red and/or yellow pepper- chopped 2 -3 large stalks of celery – chopped Brown and drain the hamburger Brown all of the other ingredients separately from browned hamburger.

Combine all of the other ingredients with browned and drained hamburger.

Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool. Best if “marinated” overnight.

Reheat; serve on your favorite buns. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

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Potato Bread Submitted by Laura Derr 2 ½ cups potato water ½ cup sugar ½ cup shortening ½ Tbsp. salt 1 egg 1 pkg. dry yeast 6 heaping cups plain flour

Hedy Wright Shaw Muntz, Laura Derr's mother was born in Millersburg, KY on a tobacco farm in 1922. She grew up eating whatever was in the garden or whatever had been canned from the garden. As an adult, she became a wonderful cook and loved to bake bread. She found this recipe in the Cynthiana Democrat after her kids were grown, probably during the 1970s.

Peel and dice 2 small potatoes. Cover with water and cook until done.

In the meantime, sift flour. In large mixing bowl measure sugar, shortening, and salt. When potatoes are done measure 2 ½ cups of potato water and pour over sugar, salt and shortening mixture. Stir to dissolve.

When cooled to slightly warmer than lukewarm, beat egg and add to mixture. Add yeast and stir until dissolved. Add 3 cups flour and beat until smooth. Add 1 cup flour and beat again with mixer. Add the last two cups one cup at a time by hand. Turn on board and knead by hand until dough doesn’t pick up more flour. Put in a greased bowl and let rise until double in size. You can let it rise twice but it is not necessary.

This amount will make three loaves of bread or two loaves and a six-roll pan of rolls. Butter tops of bread and pierce tops of loaves with a fork several times.

Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Bake rolls about 10 minutes.

NOMADIC

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LIST OF SUPPORTERS

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CHEESECAKES + MORE “Quality you can taste!”

Our mission is simple. We want everyone who tries our cakes and cookies to become a customer. To accomplish that we use only the best ingredients in everything we make. All of our cakes and cookies are made by hand. Just one taste and you will know the difference.

We are not a Cheesecake Factory Russ Fine, Author and Baker Crossville Outlet Center, 228 Interstate Drive Crossville, TN 38555 Telephone: 931-250-5354 or 865-208-6809 Email: cheesecakesplusmore@gmail.com www.cheesecakesplusmore.com

PREFERRED PHARMACY “Prescriptions, Boutique items, and Books” At our family of Preferred Pharmacies, it is our mission to provide our customers with the highest quality medication and medication services. It is our goal to offer personalized, knowledgeable medical advice in a caring and professional manner. We also strive to offer prompt, courteous, and reasonably priced products and services to improve quality of life to our customers.

Pharmacist: Jeremy German 101 Cheeyo Way (near Food Lion) Loudon, TN 37774 Telephone: 865-458-1113 www.preferredpharmacybenton.com/

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American Commissary The American Commissary, is a small General Merchandise Store with a big goal – our goal is to help create jobs by buying and selling products made in the United States of America.

We have been asked why the store is called “American Commissary”. First of all, the “American” stands for so many wonderful things – freedom, liberty, and justice for all – the country where anyone, willing to work, could have a job and could achieve the “American Dream”.

The “Commissary” is a part of the store name because it symbolizes, for us, the achievement of the American

Dream. America is a relatively young country however, in the past few years as we have looked around us, we have seen many of our friends and neighbors who have been unable to find and/or keep jobs because our economy has suffered greatly and our proud values have not been exploited.

1211 East Broadway (2 blocks east of light at Hwy. 321) Lenoir City, TN 37772 Telephone: 865-816-3519 www.americancommissary.com

To try and help, we decided to set up a store front to buy and sell USA made products.

Books By Bobbi “Humor, Adventures, and Worldwide Cultures.”

Telephone: 865-657-9560 Email: bobbiphelps1@gmail.com Website: www.booksbybobbi.com

Bobbi Phelps Wolverton grew up in Darien, Connecticut. She joined the airline industry after graduating from Pine Manor College and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. She joined World Airways after working as a secretary in San Francisco.

Her writing career begins with the book Behind the Smile.

Eager to taste adventure at age 23, Bobbi Wolverton became an international flight attendant in 1965. It was a more innocent and glamorous time of travel, when passengers dressed formally, smoking was permitted and the captain allowed in-flight visits to

the cockpit.

But there was another side to her profession. It was also hard, sometimes unglamorous, and often dangerous work.

In this memoir, Bobbi shares fascinating true tales that shocked her friends and parents.

Behind the Smile takes us on a roller coaster ride of laughter and drama, giving us a behindthe-scenes look at the joys and heartaches of working in the airline industry during its most glamorous era.

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Union Ave Books We’re a locally owned independent bookstore with a great selection of fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children’s books, all chosen with you in mind. And because our booksellers know books we can help you find the right books for you, your family, and your friends.

“Bringing Community to Book Lovers” 517 Union Avenue Knoxville, TN 37902 (865) 951-2180 mail@unionavebooks.com http://unionavebooks.com/

ENGRAPHICS “Sign making, apparel printing, name badges, and award engraving.”

Turn to a reliable sign and awards company for your signage and engraving needs.

Engraphics is the company to beat when it comes to sign making, apparel printing, and award engraving. Expect quick, honest, and reliable services from our experienced design team.

560 highway 321 North Suite B Lenoir City, TN 37771 Off Snyder Rd, next to Buddy Gregg RV Lenoir City: 865-988-8383 knoxville: 865-288-7058 engraphics@en-graphics.com www.en-graphics.com

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THE UPS STORE “Printing copies, business cards, posters, etc.

Graphic Design and Shipping.”

The UPS Store in LENOIR CITY is a locally owned and operated small business and we care about all of our customers. Our staff has the knowledge and expertise to handle all of your mailbox, packaging, shipping, printing and other small business services and we are passionate about what we do.

Stop by and visit us today.

We're confident you'll be glad you did.

875 Hwy 321 North, Suite 600 Lenoir City, TN 37771 Telephone: 865-988-5526 Email: store4526@theupsstore.com www.theupsstorelocal.com/4526

We are certified packaging experts and only The UPS Store® has the Pack & Ship Guarantee.

RanCath Writings "Books of Inspiration, Motivation, and Appreciation" Randall L. Carpenter has been writing since he was young teenager. He has written over 1700 separate writings, nationally published four books and writes a daily inspirational writing read by several thousand people every day. Most of his writings are on deposit in the Library of Congress. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

He became a Stephen Minister several years ago and his insights have helped many people better understand themselves and the world around them. Lastly, he served for over 10 years as the Senior Lay Leader for one of the largest Methodist churches in the United States. His words, observations, and insights will open your heart to the love of God. Telephone: 865-254-7405 Email: randallcarpenter@rocketmail.com www.authorsguildoftn.org/authors/randall-l-carpenter

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Photography by Cintabra ©

"ACTIVATES E-BUSINESS PLATFORM FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND PEOPLE NOW.”

Atol Solutions Atol Solutions can help you with strategizing your business, modeling your business, process, and governance, and enable the business on the web, commerce (shops), logistics and other tools. Together we do projects with a proven approach, lean and mean, that will succeed in your desired goals.

ABRAHAM P. TOL, 4921 Homburg Drive – Suite D2 Knoxville, TN 37919 Telephone: 865-584-2509 Email: abrahamtol@atol–solutions.com Website: www.atol-solutions.com/

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AUTHOR EVENTS JULY 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018

Bobbi Wolverton: July 27-29. Granger County Tomato Festival, 7480 Rutledge Pike, Rutledge, TN. Friday 27th, noon to 8 pm Saturday 28th, 9 am to 6 pm Sunday 29th, noon to 5 pm

Bobbi Wolverton: September 29-30. Knoxville House Tour, Knoxville. TN.

Cheryl Peyton: July 27-29 2018. Grainger County Tomato Festival, 7480 Rutledge Pike, Rutledge, TN Friday 27th, noon to 8 pm Saturday 28th, 9 am to 6 pm Sunday 29th, noon to 5 pm Jim Hartsell: July 27-29 2018. Grainger County Tomato Festival, 7480 Rutledge Pike, Rutledge, TN Friday 27th, noon to 8 pm Saturday 28th, 9 am to 6 pm Sunday 29th, noon to 5 pm

Kaye George: September 8. Thunder Road Author Rally, Maynardville, TN. 9:00am to 1:00pm Dick Cross, Laura Derr, Kaye George, Cindy Leihkauff, Stephanie McElligott, Joan McIntee, Cheryl Peyton, Nadine Richmond, Denise Sherriff, Jody Sims, Darlene Underwood, and Eva Wike: Friday, September 21. Lenoir City Library, 100 W. Broadway. 3:30 - 5:30 pm

AGT meetings

AUGUST 2018

Bobbi Wolverton: August 8-11. International Flyfishing Festival, Boise, Idaho.

July 13 at Mimi's in Turkey Creek. August 2 and September 6, Faith Lutheran Church, 225 Jamestowne Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37934. Meet and Greet at 10:30 a.m., Meeting 11:00 a.m.

Darlene Underwood: Sept. 29th, Be Renewed Women’s Expo. Colonbade, 264 Catoosa Cr., Ft. Oglethorpe, GA – 9:30 – 2:00 pm Jody Sims: September 8, 2018, The Chattanooga VegFest, 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

10:00am - 6:00pm

July 13, 2018, 6:00 pm - Speaker: Denise Sherriff: How Life can challenge our focus.

August 02, 2018, 10:30 am -Speaker Adele Roberts.

September 06, 2018, 10:30 am - Speaker: Joan Mcintee: Hints: When you need to do your own news release.

Books by AGT authors are on sale at these locations American Commissary 12 E. Broadway Lenoir City, TN 37771 (865) 816-3519

Locally Grown Gallery 109 Towne Rd.(Greenwich Mall) Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (865) 361-0197

The Book Rack 325 Gill St. Alcoa, TN 37701 (865) 983-7323

Preferred Pharmacy 101 Cheeyo Way, Suite A Loudon, TN 37774 (865) 458-1113

East Tennessee Discount Drugs 721 Hwy. 321 Lenoir City, TN 37771 (865) 988-0000

CitiFid-O Â 429 Union Avenue Knoxville, TN 37902 (865) 219-5127

Farragut Pharmacy 11424 Kingston Pike Farragut, TN 37934 (865) 966-9728

Ricki Pet Depot 11505 Kingston Pike Farragut, TN 37934 (865) 392-1151

Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts 5201 Kingston Pike, Suite 3 Knoxville, TN 37919 865-689-6545