LIAR'S BENCH, CITY LIGHTS, SEPT. 4TH

Well, Kind Hearts, not surprisingly, it was another fantastic show. Mark Twain (Marvin Cole) told a marvelous story about blue jays that demonstrated that birds talked to each other; Nancy Reeder told a fable about a cat and a mirror; Eric Legge, a folk artist from Dillard, Georgia showed examples of his work and answered questions about what it meant to be a "compulsive painter;" Billy Norton and Steve Brady performed a song entitled "Dream of Proctor town," and I repeated my story about Bodine, the stuffed dog that has become a regular member of the Liar's Bench. Dave Brewin told a hunting story and I discussed the Pinocchio Award, which at the audience's request, I awarded to myself. Rumors have it that we will take Liar's Bench to Bryson City (Calhoun Inn) next Friday, and to the Jarrett House on Friday 17th where we will be joined by Barbara Duncan, Lloyd Arneach and possibly some volunteers from the audience. The next Liar's Bench will not be on the first Saturday of October since my play is opening in Highlands on that night. Please stay tuned for additional announcements about the October Liar's Bench which will be closer to Halloween and will probably include a few ghost stories/songs.

LAST WEEK'S PERFORMANCES

Well, Kind Hearts, it is over, and I am glad. It is always a nice ego trip to see my plays on the stage, and Elizabeth Westall was wonderful, as always. However, the production of these two plays were accompanied with a considerable amount of frustration. I think that I will retire to the porch now and try to focus on mini-dramas: the redbird wars, my chickens (two hens and two roosters - "segregated," of course), my annual war with the groundhogs who eat my sugar peas. Perhaps it is time to think about tomatoes and a few rows of corn. I would like to have one of those Egyptian "walking onions" this year! I'm hoping to doze off on the deck with a novel in my lap and I want to spend a lot of quality time with Jack, the jack russell and Booger, the quare cat. I'm not going out "there" much, as it has lost much of its charm. Maybe breakfast and brunch with my friends in Sylva, a trip to Asheville with Neal Hutcheson on the 27th and a Nance Dude program at the Haywood County public library on the 30th. That is enough of the world out "there." I don't know how permanent my attitude is .....let's wait and see. In the meantime, I have cancelled my phone service as well as my Verizon link to the internet. Can't pay the bill. I will go to the library each day and check my mail.....and maybe visit my blog.