Two Wonderful Days, and a Wonderful Anthology

        The school year has begun, and I have the best class I've had in a while. They are thoughtful with each other, they have enough spunk and squirrely-ness to keep me interested, and they're a cohesive group.

         What's that you say?  It's only been two days?  All students are on their best behavior at the beginning of the school year?

          Au contraire, mon cheri. There have been schoolyears when the first day assured teachers that it would indeed be a looong ten months. Last year was like that. Or so I've heard...

        Anyway, the week of working in my classroom until 11 at night to get it ready is over. Next week begins the first full week of school and I'm truly looking forward to it.

       Last Wednesday, on my only day off, I had lunch with two women in publishing (Becky Haigler and Barbara Rollins) and a powerhouse of published work--Linda O'Connell. It was a delightful afternoon, and I left the group loaded down. Loads of calories settling in around my gut, and a load of books cradled in my arms.

        Silver Boomer Books has released their most recent anthology--"The Harsh and the Heart"--and I have a story in it, as does Linda O'Connell. Becky and Barbara have several poems included in the book. Linda's poignant poem "Army Wives," gives readers a seldom-seen glimpse of what life was like for Army wives living in Alaska. My story, "Unable to Fight," is about my dad, who passed away last December.

        This book would make a wonderful gift for a father or grandfather who served in the military. Perhaps a Veterans' Day gift, or a Christmas present?