Curations from the Human Jungle
[Come February and the fabric of human society begins to fray. Bear, fox, and other mammals may be sleeping comfortably in their dens, but humans are clinging deperately to what they call "civilization." It shows. SB SM] Shunpike Seed Consortium February A shunpike is a side road used to avoid a major highway. In this... Continue Reading →
["Still Time" returns to Vermont, where winter rages. January "Henry, Henry." Grace, in a flannel bathrobe, is sitting on the bed, gently and patiently shaking her husband's shoulder. His eyes flutter open, and he answers with a murmur that morphs into a "good morning." "What's the worst news I could possibly give you?" "You're pregnant."... Continue Reading →
[This will conclude the backstory of Grace. Next, we return to Vermont. Here's another considered, but rejected cover. This one reminded me too much of "The King of Vermont." SB SM] At the Oasis ... Lisa Grace's mind is spinning on her drive home. Five million dollars? Dinner parties and lunchboxes? Good God. "Western sandwich... Continue Reading →
[I'm realizing that at the current pace, Still Time will take until Thanksgiving to complete. Thus, I am accelerating the pace to enhance your reading pleasure. SB SM] an early rendition of the cover: Captain of Direct Sales Lisa Grace parks her station wagon in one of the freshly painted "Reserved for Guests" spots outside... Continue Reading →
[Whoops, no introdution as promised to "Sweet Dreams from The Parsonage". Sandy wants to save it for a later date. But it's Sunday. Time to take a break from "Still Time." Have a second cup of coffee. SB SM] Favorite quotes from Kevin Kelly, the Cool Tools Guy: Here is another round of my favorite... Continue Reading →
[The saga continues as Grace's backstory is revealed. Tomorrow, and on the next few Sundays, we will take a break from the Still Time story to present the other literary work to emerge from The parsonage recently, Silverbelle Sandy's magnificent cookbook/memoir "Sweet Dreams from The Parsonage!" SB SM] Cobb Salad The women meet on Monday... Continue Reading →
[Silverback Digest exclusive interview with the author: SD: Where did the inspiration for this novel come from? Stephen Morris: I'm not sure I would call it "inspiration."] The Cross Campus, 1987 Grafton College in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, is built around a large rectangular green bisected by two concrete sidewalks that connect the four corners. Where... Continue Reading →
[It's impossible to market a novel these days. In addition to the fact that there are no more book stores, people just aren't reading fiction. They are especially not reading fiction by a Vermont writer whose claim to fame is that he has created a fictional "jungle" where he rallies a motley crew of fellow... Continue Reading →
[So what's this whole "Jungle" thing all about? My operating premise is that, despite all our modern conveniences and conveyances and conventions, we are essentially the animal critters who lived in the jungle 100,000 years ago, and the better we understand those creatures, the better we will understand ourselves. Forget the modern artifices ... we... Continue Reading →
[Bananas are great, so are chutes and leaves, but sometimes you are hankering for that taste experience that you've never had before. Here are some ideas. SB SM] 14 Flavor-Bomb Condiments That Rescue Boring Meals No matter how good a cook you are, there will always be days when you’re just not on your game.... Continue Reading →