The Velvet Bridge
by
Anita Stubbs
This true-to-life rags to riches tale, my first novel, is set during WWII and could have actually happened if not for one thing: Mattie Featherstone never existed, other than between the covers of this 381-page book. But the lifestyles, the culture of the time, and some of the places ring so true, you'll wonder. It's classic 1940's, Dallas, Texas, in and around Oak Cliff.
Too young to be
widowed and too pretty to be alone, Mattie Featherstone is both. Suddenly
impoverished, this confused, tormented woman abandons her children and seeks
refuge in an encampment for vagrants situated near the Trinity River on the
west side of Dallas during World War II.
When a twist-of-fate encounter eases Mattie out of destitution into the
genteel world of her paper doll dreams, she manages to conceal the truth
about her past from her benefactors. She even justifies - in her own mind -
the abandonment of her daughters.
However, everything changes when yet another unforeseen event turns her life
into sensational headline news, revealing more than even she could imagine.
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Visit me on EBay!
June 2007
CHARLIE STUBBS
Avid plant lover, landscape enthusiast, and friend to
animals
Just a few short years ago, there was nothing where our house now sits but six acres of dense hardwood and evergreen timber, poison ivy, knee-deep leaves, and rotted wood and debris. We even dug up more than a few mini-garbage dumps where someone dating back at least 50 years had disposed of their junk
Today, there is
a home here, and it's all due to the dedicated hard work and talent of
my husband. He not only cleared the land and constructed every
phase of our
house with his own two hands, he has single-handedly landscaped it. I think he and his efforts deserve to
be spotlighted here. Following are samples of his handiwork and projects, all labors
of love in progress.
Charlie hopes to develop his hobby into a business and is working
diligently toward that goal. But, as they say, when you labor at
something you love, it is never work.
These hydrangeas were obtained from cuttings and are thriving now in one
of the ever growing number of raised beds in and around our yard.
Charlie enjoys sharing and receiving starter plants of all kinds from friends and
other gardeners.
Charlie has several varieties of azaleas, including these pale and
brilliant pinks.
White crepe myrtle amongst the native trees.
Unusual passion flowers, so delicate in beauty and fragrance, are
beginning to spread along various trellises and fences.
Tacoma Bells
These Purple Shamrocks (oxalis triangularis) were started from plants which Charlie admired growing along the front border of Peggy and Jim Montgomery's home in Richardson, Texas last year, and they have spread rapidly in the raised bed beneath our dining room window
This is work now in progress, and is a stone walkway leading to the new
entry. Upon completion the stones will encircle the tree. A pergola will
cover the patio entry.
Noteworthy
. . . . . . . . . .
The word "set" has 192 definitions according to the Oxford English
Dictionary. That's the most of any word in the English language.
How many different meanings can you think of without looking it up?
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Father's Day was first observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. Mrs. John Dodd, of Washington, is credited with the idea. In 1909 she conceived the notion of setting aside a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran. Smart had been widowed when his wife died in childbirth. Mr. Smart raised the newborn and his other five children as a single parent. Not until she became an adult did Mrs. Dodd realize her father's strength and selflessness in raising his children alone.
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The ZIP in Zip-code stands for "Zoning Improvement Plan."
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Every part of the human body, except teeth, can repair
itself.