Backwoods Boy

I enjoyed this story very much. Like the other readers, I agree that each story is better than the last. After years of supporting others, I'm pleased to see you writing. Having seen his work elsewhere, I know you have a great editor, too, and editors are extremely important in the creative process. Keep up the good work.

Good show, Chris. Nice short story and a timely collaboration. The origin of the "sweet, feminine voice" is an interesting subject for speculation...

I love all of your word-pictures, but this one I like best: "we’ll interrupt the waves in their conversation at our feet, and wheel in flying hearts with the gulls over the water;"

In the three years I interacted with him, Chuck's email was always from "Webmaster". He once referenced a "helper", but I seriously doubt that Pee Jay or anyone else has access. Everything spoke of a one-man operation. Unfortunately.

@chris191070 Likewise.

Thanks for following up on this, Chris. Chuck invited me to the site thee years ago, and was a pleasure to work with. I'm very sad to hear that he has passed - and also that he apparently had no succession plan. I suspect Hankster is referring to good old "nifty.org". The specific domain he lists is unused and "for sale".

On this topic, @Bill W, @Geron Kees, @Ajbt2001 - as the three of you have likely noted, Tickie Stories hasn't been updated since August 18. Any knowledge about that? I'm more concerned about the owner than the site itself, though I do wonder if it's one without a succession plan.

I was late to the party on this one, but I'm glad I got around to reading it. I found it to be an excellent story with a very positive ending - and quite realistic given the era and the cast of characters. Congratulations on another great "prompt" story. 👍

The recording is as delightful as the poem itself, which was a real treat to come home to tonight. Thanks once again for sharing your talent with words.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Wm. Shakespeare

I think the experiment worked perfectly. The couplet provides a teaser, or in more workaday terms, an executive summary, followed by the details. And, as expected, the details paint vivid, thought-provoking pictures. All three are wonderful, but the second hit a home run, reminiscent of seasonal changes with successive walks through woods.

I enjoyed this story, and the other that you did from a "words prompt". It doesn't seem like much to go on, as opposed to the picture prompts from elsewhere - a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I'm enjoying following the trail of breadcrumbs that @raven1 is leaving. These short stories are perfect for long summer days with so many other things to do.

Given the readership statistics presented and, as pointed out, the high cost in terms of time and effort - in an undertaking clearly devoid of benefits - it would appear that writers of Gay literature are the largest collection of masochists ever gathered together in one domain. Add to that the costs of non-constructive criticism, fear of rejection, domain "experts", and occasional outright abuse from a variety of sources, it's amazing that any of us bother. To further support that scenario, another GA statistic derived in full from the Authors listing indicates that of the 1026 authors with listed stories, 423 wrote only one story, and less than half wrote more than two. So, obviously, it's a dismal environment where only a few self-flagellating fools persist. However, the apparent assumption that unattainable fame and fortune are the only benefits to be pursued is fortunately in error, as the other half have learned. For most of us, this isn't a day job, but a hobby that reaps rewards such as friendship, knowledge, self-improvement, global understanding, and self-directed therapy in an environment where the members provide each other with support. It took me several years to figure all that out. I hope you get there sooner.

One thought that comes to mind is the saying that one can never "go home" again. Another is a personal experience "discovering" a cliff-dwelling high in the wall of a remote canyon. There is a time element to be added to "place" or "relationship" that makes it ever different. You are the first to experience it now, and "now" is not the same as 100 years ago or even yesterday. I haven't read many sonnets, but I love this one, and it gives me the urge to try out the form

Well, let me help your imagination - it's called "summer", or more accurately, "muse revitalization in the woods"

As I told Geron, it's on the winter-reading list. Not enough time to devote to it now.

This was the first of Geron's stories I read, and while there have been many other excellent ones since, this is still my favorite.

After reading both your story and Geron's of the same origin, I was curious enough to look for the challenge picture on the other site. I enjoyed both interpretations of the same picture - very different in content and style, but each one meaningful in its own perspective. Thanks for sharing your talent and perceptions with us - and thanks for "migrating" the story to GA.

A wonderful tale as always, Geron. Mrs. Danbury is a gem - what my sister refers to as a "choir Christian" - one who is there for the music. And once again, there is a quote which I dearly love: Slightly modified ("There will always be those who feel freedom is..."), it becomes a pithy aphorism worthy to be printed alongside those of other wise men - Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin come to mind immediately - there are others.

It was just as excellent (and emotional) as the first time. Having failed to provide a "reaction" five years ago, I was glad I had left a comment to remind me that I'd read it once That's one advantage of advanced years - everything old is new again

Thanks for a super holiday story, fun and meaningful, and as creative as always. And as much fun in July as December I was somewhat aghast at tree prices, having never purchased one. As an adult, I had a small artificial tree, eventually replaced by a smaller stuffed tree that sits on the table. During my teenage years, as the wanderer-in-the-woods, I assumed the task of finding a tree, always a Douglas-fir. Locating the best one was an all-year project. Almost all were open-grown from under the BPA power lines, so their removal was certain anyway - I just chose to be the agent for a few. In any event, they were always fresh and free

I dearly love this! It nearly gave me a rhyme-and-rhythm orgasm. A theme, a list of dances, and I bet hours with a thesaurus and rhyming tool, perhaps. Thanks for the bright uplift to the day

Well, once again it pays to follow @raven1 - a delightful short story for a warm summer evening. Thank you again for sharing your creativity this way. My uncle was always taking pictures at family gatherings, and of his nieces and nephews at college, hiking, etc. And distributing copies to all participants. His cameras always kept up with the latest technology. However, he was gone before the digital age, or he would have loved it just like Luke's grandfather did. I now find myself reviewing those pictures with great regularity - and remembering.

Thanks for this beautiful mid-year celebration of the world around us

I love this one, tim. Especially the last two lines. Often, we think soulmates simply "are". You make it clear they "become" as well. ❤️