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There are a lot of uses for bed sheets past their prime.

They make great drop cloths.

Or anti-dog-fur-furniture-protectors.

Joined together with other old sheets, they make nice duvet covers.

Even torn sheets can be mended and used on smaller beds. (Especially if you sneakily conceal the mended bits by tucking them underneath the mattress.)

Since sheets are basically free fabric, handy folks can make them into curtains.

Or aprons.

Or handkerchiefs.

Heck, you can even tear them up and braid the strips into a rag rug. (All the rage in D.I.Y. circles.)

Yep.

Been there.

Done that.

All of it.

Because I believe firmly in upcycling.

It pains me deeply to throw perfectly useful things into landfills.

But sometimes.

Sometimes the sheet in question has lost its will to live.

Becoming so threadbare that holes open up when you just look at it wrong.

So yesterday I did the unthinkable.

I squashed such a sheet into the trash can and bid it farewell.

I am resolved.

Unless.

I can’t stand it.

And stage a rescue before the garbage man comes...

Time Off

I’ll be taking next week off.

Family stuff.

“Let’s Feel Better” Tour

I’m putting together a summer “Substack” tour of my poetry reading, humorous storytelling and harp music. It’s aimed at small venues like house concerts and book clubs and will rely on YOU, my readers, to tell me where you would like to come.

More background and details can be found by clicking on the Summer Tour menu header or using this button.

Summer "Let's Feel Better" Tour

If you would like me to come to your area, please contact me - either by hitting “reply” to this email or by messaging me here on Substack or posting in the comments.

I’d love to see what we can make together.

Books - great gift for Mother’s Day!

If you like my work there are two book collections of the comics/poems for sale. They make great gifts!

Buy Books

If You Are New Here…

If you are just joining us I’m so happy you are here!

You might want to click here to find out what to expect.

And consider poking around the archives - there’s some fun stuff.

Joy Shot

Images that make me feel better.

For a glorious month every spring my front yard comes alive as a myriad of bulbs burst into bloom.

Weekly Dose -

Works by other creators that capture our current moment…

Most folks are familiar with “1984” - George Orwell’s master work of dystopian prophesy. Perhaps less known, but equally insightful, is “The Last Battle” - the final book in the seven volume Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.

Lewis was well known for working Christian allegory into the Narnia series, and “The Last Battle” certainly has plenty if you are looking for it, but the narrative also brilliantly depicts a society in the grips of, not only a cult of personality, but a giant con game.

One especially powerful scene gives us a look into the minds of characters who have gone so far beyond the original con as to have now created their own reality. A reality which the other characters - even the messianic lion Aslan - cannot penetrate or recalibrate.

Growing up, I had an extreme dislike for the story. Its dark themes and outcome did not satisfy my childish need for a “happy ending”. (The ending was “happy” as far as Lewis was concerned but not as far as I was concerned.)

As an adult, I seem still to need to cling to a belief in happy endings. And therefore like the book even less.

But the parallels to the times in which we find ourselves are astonishing. It’s hard to believe it was written over seventy years ago.

If you have never read this masterpiece, I encourage you to do so.

Keep The Messages And Comments Coming!

I appreciate the feedback and knowing how often I have struck a chord with your lives.

A Pledge

I hereby pledge that all my writing, and other creative endeavors, are free of the use of A.I.

With the exception of Spell Check. And whatever other old fashioned proofing tools can be found in my eight year old version of Microsoft word. (I’m a lousy speller with suspicious punctuation skills. I need the help.)