Merkin

This is a charming story and I smiled all the way through it.

This is valuable stuff, James. Keep it coming.

I wonder if it would be useful to reach out to more recent contributors to the CW forums to see if they might have suggestions or even nominations concerning CW site management. If they have been faithful as CW readers they might have a lot to contribute to this conversation.

It will be difficult to identify someone to take over Codey’s World who possesses Cody’s compassion and Colin’s commitment to keeping the site true to its principles and aimed toward a youthful audience. The operant word here is youthful. I’d rule out fogeys like us or even gay writer/editors over the age of, say, twenty-five or thirty. I think that what CW needs to successfully attract its particular readership is a manager who has one foot still planted in contemporary youth culture and who can be expected to maintain and grow a site aimed particularly at that culture.

Cole, you never fail to leave your readers satisfied yet longing for more. This has been a most uplifting (and instructive) journey, filled with as many twists and turns as a French Horn. Thank you.

I'm happy! I'm happy! Just a bit suspicious rhat the ol' music master is leading us astray.

Yeah, I was too. Auditioning to a prerecorded backup kind of rules out the nuance associated with interplay and the subtle mutual adjustments that mark true mastery.

I agree. Let’s not try to fix what isn’t broken. Stories told through serial release have been a big hit with readers ever since magazines became popular and easily accessible to a literate public. Charles Dickens established the form for English readers with The Pickwick Papers in the early 1800’s. Much of European and Russian literature was first published serially, including works by Alexandre Dumas, Flaubert, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. Most writers who set out to construct a lengthy narrative tend to handle the passage of time and the development of their characters through episodic reveal, and they unwind their plots in the form of chapters. Publication in a staged format is not only familiar to readers, it is often built in by the writer to support the pace of the tale he is unfolding.

Well said. Who we become is a composite of who we have been, and various music becomes an underlying theme for our memories.

Freddy is bold as brass because he has a lot of brass: an F Horn has about 13 feet of tubing, while a B-flat Horn has 9 feet of tubing, hence a double Horn like his is over twenty feet of brass tubing. Alas, my poor trumpet was only about 5 feet long, uncoiled.

Climate, climate, climate.

Duck, Duck, Goose would have been my choice for #1, too, except When He Was Five was the first of Cole's stories I ever read and it broke my heart. It's still my #1.

How cool would that be! Canadians would gain a heck-of-a seaport, and we'd be able to hear Oh Canada! at all the Yankee Stadium baseball games.

Yes! A great story line, plus an impressive look into this boy's thought processes, despairs, triumphs, angst, and achievements. A few tears are involved, too.

That list--what a treasure! I hope Mr. Parkes seized the moment.

I agree, Camy. But I'd rather be sitting and rocking on that porch with Meredith. This goes to show how one great evil leads to another great evil exacting revenge--but wait, here comes another one, and so the world ends.

Our forum titled 'The Raccoon's Den" was started by Wibby and when he was active here it was noted for his sly humor and sharp wit.

We had a big black Lab named Bailey who weighed in at 130 pounds at his final vet visit. Unfortunately he suffered epileptic seizures and had to be kept medicated. He had been raised on a farm with goats before we got him and often exhibited goat behavior, including leaping straight up into the air when he was excited. He was loving and gentle and slobbery and a difficult house dog. Luckily we lived in the country at that time.

I offer without comment this article I found this morning in Politico: "Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration" . https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/20/donald-trump-allies-christian-nationalism-00142086 I also remind you to take another look at https://www.awesomedude.org/douglas/please-come-with-me/please_come_with_me.htm

This is a wonderful story, and should be assigned reading for all secondary school teachers.

https://storiesbydriver.net/

I remember this story. It's by Driver, and not only is it a scary Hallowe'en story that will stick with you forever, it also builds on his well-known themes of community, family, and personal commitment.

Hi, John. Are you interested in a story for Valentine's Day, upcoming, or is it too late for you to consider it? I have a "refreshed" story I derived from a longer version that appeared on AD back in 2010. This one is called "Jesse's Valentine" and runs a little over 3400 words. If you don't have room for it I will certainly understand. My problem is I don't see any way to attach it as a Word .doc to your new writetome.net message system. Plus the system wouldn't send this text on to you. Please advise if there is another way to get a .doc file to you. I stand in awe and admiration at all you have done to pull AD back from the brink and into an accessible site again. Sincerely, James Merkin.

Solid and Moving, James. I've seen that dog, and you got it right. Best wishes. Merkin

Hear, hear! John's selections have been really geat and a nice trip down memory lane.