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INTRODUCTIION
The girls pulled their
resources together to get me a comfortable oak rocking chair,
one that was definitely oversized, complete with a definitive
creek every time my large girth moved forward or backwards. Jenny
and her girls made many families feel at home for years with
excellent home cooked meals, great conversation, and a down home
environment, complete with the uniform of the day "Bib overalls".
As I push close to half a century, I recall wearing bib overalls
as we worked in the hot sun of North Carolina plowing dirt, picking
tobacco, eating watermelon, fried orca, corn on the cob and southern
fried chicken topped off with apple pie and sweat tea.
Times haven't changed
much, people have, the environment, color television, satellite
radio, babies are born in hospitals, soda pop in a can, politics,
and the population. Bandits still rob trains, pursuits have become
costly with gasoline headed over $3.00 per gallon and Mc Donald's
is downsizing french fry orders for your health. Country music
fills the air at Jenny's telling stories much like my daddy,
my grandpa, and his daddy before him had told. My life was now
one of those country songs that cried about poverty, lust, and
liquor, nowhere to call home, no car, no furniture and of course
I was flat broke.
The 30th of July last
year I came to this valley with a rented pick up truck, some
clothes, cowboy boots, tennis shoes, and wisdom. The wisdom from
books that lined cardboard boxes that rode in the bed of the
truck headed to a new home to help me in my quest for a new quality
of spirit filled life, adventure and restored faith in my ability.
Making the 100 mile
journey from the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean to a new paradise
was Charlie Ragpicker "Rags" for short, riding shotgun.
Rag's has endured pain; verbal assaults, silence, darkness and
from time to time I have even locked him in the closet. Rag's
has been with me for well over four decades. His wisdom has been
an inspiration in people lives from coast to coast and now Rag's,
has his own rocking chair, compliments of my extended family
at Jenny's.
As Rags and I settle
in for retirement life in the valley perhaps some of our travels
will bring smiles to the faces of newfound friends as well as
critics and of course the skeptics. If you are ever in Hesperia,
Ca. stop in and see Rag's and I at our new home, the locally
world famous Broadway Cafe where we will be sittin, rockin, and
sippin and don't forget the prime rib.
Excerpts
From Novel
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