Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
October 28, 2021
By Pat Edwards
This week, I’m putting the final touches on the 2021 Groundwaters anthology. It contains 177 wonderful stories and poems by over 75 local authors and poets. Here’s a portion of my preface to this book:
“This, the 7th annual edition of our Groundwaters anthology, will be my last. It’s not that I don’t love doing the intricate work involved in fitting so many pieces and elements together into one cohesive book—I do love it. But, I’m finding that it’s taking me longer and with the advancing years, I find that I’m not able to design, multi-task or figure things out nearly as well as I used to. I don’t want to reach that point where the quality of my work begins to noticeably ebb, because my goal has always been to showcase the work of our authors and poets in the best way possible.
“I wish I could have used all of the stories and poems that were submitted this year, but 200 pages is as large as I wanted it to get. We have been able to give almost all of our contributors a place to shine. You’ll find work from established, published authors to those who will be seeing their work in print for the very first time. That’s the way all of us who have published Groundwaters have intended it to be. Each of the pieces included represent the voice of someone who deserves to be heard…”
I’m having to try to get the book through review and sent off for printing in the next couple of weeks before our daughters, Gloria and Michele, and I will fly off to New Mexico to pick up a beautiful 8-week old (by then) English Mastiff puppy named Grizz to bring home. Grizz will never be able to replace Gloria’s Cappy, but he will provide the love, loyalty and companionship that has been missing since Cappy died. As a puppy, he will be able to grow up with Gloria’s little 2-year old granddaughter, Calliope, and become her guardian and friend.
We’ve always been a family that tends to adopt rescue dogs and cats, but with a breed like a Mastiff, it’s never sure if behaviors they’ve picked up in their past will work out with small children, especially. So, when a puppy in Texas was advertised, Gloria’s sister, Kelly, who has long been on the board of a dog rescue group, checked out the breeders, thoroughly, and they passed with flying colors. Because Gloria doesn’t want him flying in cargo on a plane, we will pick him up in a rental car and drive him home to Oregon with us. It will be journey we are all looking forward to making for a new furry family member, and Jim will hold down the fort at home.
Life is busy these days with lots of choices and decisions to be made… not all good. But it’s so important to look for the positives and appreciate the blessings.
All Things Lorane 