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2025 Spring SongfestThis is a collection of songs from several stories that we have recently shared on Appaloosa Radio. Enjoy the 2025 Spring Songfest. Selections include:·       Shadows and Silhouettes·       Whimsey Lullaby·       Weight of Goodbye·       Middle-Aged Hippie·       Coyote·       25 is Too Slow·       Jar of Sand·       My Love is a Sonnet·       Strong Enough·       Barefoot Morning·       Grandma’s Rules·       Warm Hearts and Calloused Hands·       Beer, Cigarettes, and Stress --- My Life is a Mess

25 is too slowBy Eureka Wallace Sign says 25,that's a snail in disguise. I'm a rocket on wheels, not a cloud in my skies. Got dreams in the trunk.Ambitions on my dash. Speedometer screaming, gotta move fast .25 too slow.Can't cage my flow. Road's a canvas, that I paint.Gotta let it show.Gotta let it show. Gotta let it show.  Wheels spinning symphonies, heartbeats in tow Ain't no limit when you got places to goAin't no limit when you got places to goAin't no limit when you got places to go

Regarding a MurderPart 4 of 4By Stan MorganPrivate InvestigatorA True Story A private investigator revisits an old murder, one that impacted him directly when he was a child.“It was November 18, 1947. I had just turned eight and was in the Third Grade at Wayside Elementary School in the southern edge of Bakersfield. Every day, my younger brother and I walked the three-quarters of a mile from our house in the Southgate area to the school. To avoid walking along the busy Casa Loma Highway, we crossed the irrigation canal on a narrow cement bridge, a hundred yards south of the Highway. It was near there that the grisly event occurred. A kindergartener, a five-year-old girl was murdered the night before, battered innumerable times, the radio said, with a hammer.  Every time the radio re-told the story, a new set of shivers would go up and down my spine. I was afraid, pee-in your-pants afraid.To make matters even more fearful, she was murdered in our pretend ‘pirate’s cave’ just steps from the concrete

Regarding a MurderPart 3 of 4By Stan MorganPrivate InvestigatorA True Story A private investigator revisits an old murder, one that impacted him directly when he was a child.“It was November 18, 1947. I had just turned eight and was in the Third Grade at Wayside Elementary School in the southern edge of Bakersfield. Every day, my younger brother and I walked the three-quarters of a mile from our house in the Southgate area to the school. To avoid walking along the busy Casa Loma Highway, we crossed the irrigation canal on a narrow cement bridge, a hundred yards south of the Highway. It was near there that the grisly event occurred. A kindergartener, a five-year-old girl was murdered the night before, battered innumerable times, the radio said, with a hammer.  Every time the radio re-told the story, a new set of shivers would go up and down my spine. I was afraid, pee-in your-pants afraid.To make matters even more fearful, she was murdered in our pretend ‘pirate’s cave’ just steps from the concrete

Regarding a MurderPart 2 of 4By Stan MorganPrivate InvestigatorA True Story A private investigator revisits an old murder, one that impacted him directly when he was a child.“It was November 18, 1947. I had just turned eight and was in the Third Grade at Wayside Elementary School in the southern edge of Bakersfield. Every day, my younger brother and I walked the three-quarters of a mile from our house in the Southgate area to the school. To avoid walking along the busy Casa Loma Highway, we crossed the irrigation canal on a narrow cement bridge, a hundred yards south of the Highway. It was near there that the grisly event occurred. A kindergartener, a five-year-old girl was murdered the night before, battered innumerable times, the radio said, with a hammer.  Every time the radio re-told the story, a new set of shivers would go up and down my spine. I was afraid, pee-in your-pants afraid.To make matters even more fearful, she was murdered in our pretend ‘pirate’s cave’ just steps from the concrete

Regarding a MurderBy Stan MorganPrivate InvestigatorA True Story A private investigator revisits an old murder, one that impacted him directly when he was a child.“It was November 18, 1947. I had just turned eight and was in the Third Grade at Wayside Elementary School in the southern edge of Bakersfield. Every day, my younger brother and I walked the three-quarters of a mile from our house in the Southgate area to the school. To avoid walking along the busy Casa Loma Highway, we crossed the irrigation canal on a narrow cement bridge, a hundred yards south of the Highway. It was near there that the grisly event occurred. A kindergartener, a five-year-old girl was murdered the night before, battered innumerable times, the radio said, with a hammer.  Every time the radio re-told the story, a new set of shivers would go up and down my spine. I was afraid, pee-in your-pants afraid.To make matters even more fearful, she was murdered in our pretend ‘pirate’s cave’ just steps from the concrete bridge acr

Science FictionThe Wine of Frogs by Anthony Marcolongo Indefinite longevity. Lengthening human life spans to millennia instead of decades. The firm had been working  for years and had finally achieved a major breakthrough. However, its founder had other, more sinister plans. This story was originally published in the anthology, The Moving Finger Writes...

Tattoo An original story for Appaloosa Radio Last December before Christmas he placed third in the Regional Finals for the Mr. Perfect Body competition. The year before, he had placed second, just seven tenths of a point behind the winner. Then, to celebrate he had an artist tattoo a full-color version of Leonardo DaVinci’s “Last Supper” across his pects and abs. It cost him nearly a thousand dollars and took the artist nearly a full day, and the pain was so intense that he couldn’t do a full workout for nearly three weeks.He told everyone that he did it to show his love for God because without His love he would be a nothing. God treated him special and protected him. The tattoo was an act of worship. An act of thanksgiving.However, when he placed third last December, one of the coaches told him that the competition’s  judges did not like the tattoo. It had probably cost him a full half a point, the coach said.Now, every time he looked at the tattoo, he realized that he had gone from being almost

Edge ClingingFor Appaloosa RadioAs we age, we lose both our mobility and our self-confidence, and in losing our self-confidence, we stick very close to the edge of the pool.

Appaloosa Radio Online offersAlligator A story from Nell Trustmon’s Magazine “Broken Tree Tales” In rural mining communities like Boyce, Colorado, the arrival of the “Alligator Man” created a community-wide celebration. How could any of the Lithuanian miners continue to work in the deep, hard rock silver mine when there was a real, live alligator in town? Gotta see that!Alligators were hardly rare in places like Florida or the bayous of Louisiana. And almost anyone who visited a zoo in one of the major eastern cities could see a tropical display featuring gators. But, here in the high western Rockies, the alligator was a very rare sight.The alligator came courtesy of a showman and promoter named Clyde Chantt who claimed to have a Ph.D. in reptile herpetology from a university that no one had ever heard of. “Professor” Chantt (as he preferred to be called) travelled among the mining towns of the West driving a 1917 Ford Truck, pulling a large, brightly painted metal tank filled with water and c

Appaloosa Radio presents an original musical story Surprise Valley The hippie resort of perpetual happiness Here is another great song from Act 2 of the musical. You can download the full show on Appaloosa Radio Online.

Peace and perpetual greetings! Featuring new tie-dye songs in the hip style of the early 1970s.Appaloosa Radio presents an original musical story Surprise Valley The hippie resort of perpetual happinessHere is a favorite song from ACT 2!

The Road of Life Has Many Detours A very personal story by Gisela Butler The pick-up truck came over the center divider and became airborne. I could see the wheels of the truck coming in my direction.  I just said, “Oh my God, please…” Instantly, I ducked towards the passenger side. Then I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my ribs. I lay there in pain going in and out of consciousness. That’s all I remember. I later woke up as my clothes were being cut from my body. Lying on a gurney on my stomach, I figured I was at the hospital. Later, my husband came in. The doctor gave me morphine for my pain. I was not talking much, just sleeping a lot. Every time I woke, I was in lots of pain but got medication immediately. Pain was my reminder that I was still alive. I knew I had been in a car accident but had no idea how badly it affected me. I also knew my husband was there in the ICU almost all day.  ======This story originally appeared in the anthology, From a Writer’s Finger to a Butterfly’s Wing, pu

Do you love Interactive Collaborative Fiction?Interactive Collaborative Fiction is the art of jointly shaping a narrative through collective storytelling.Appaloosa Radio Online, in collaboration with the Sacramento Suburban Writers, is launching an exciting new forum for Interactive Collaborative Fiction (ICF) and is seeking “Story Pilots” to guide the journey. ICF is a process where narratives are shaped collectively, not by a single writer, but by a community that evolves the story over time. Think of it as modern-day campfire storytelling, now facilitated through platforms like Instagram.We kick off our ICF forum in February 2025 with three captivating story starters:Code: Turquoise: A political thriller set in contemporary times, revolving around the assassination of a newly elected U.S. President just ten days into office by a foreign power that had previously supported him.Chambray: A fantasy romance where Princess Lis is kidnapped by a brigantine she-wolf pack and taken to Quericus, where she is fo

The Devil is in the Details --- The Art of Deception An original story byThomas Hessler It really wasn’t a wild prank. Nobody got hurt, some were entertained for a while, and the incident displayed a principle of human characteristics. I would do it again, and I think if you asked those who know me, they would say, “Uh, huh.” Every so often I pick up a book about writing. I mean, some of the authors might really have something to say that is helpful. One author was explaining that no matter how unbelievable the plot might be, you sell the reader by plying them with details. The author provided several examples. And, I remembered a novel that I had read. The back cover’s summary of “the Invasion” said that in this story, the Chinese invaded the United States and created havoc in doing so. Now, this was twenty years or so ago, and the Chinese military and technology were not as robust as now. So, I scoffed. It would be hard for me to believe. Nevertheless, I read the novel and, bit-by-bit, induced

Most Despicable BruteAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series“If Noble Son Dusko Rarrko, the Second Son of the 19th Great Nobleman of Sassko were ever to write his memoirs, telling about his entanglement in the world of espionage, he could tell of great schemes involving the greatest of empires and nations. He could also tell of well-planned assassinations that were eons in planning and implementation. He could tell of technologies stolen, and of other (even more secret) technologies created to solve the most difficult problems. He could tell of those he loved and those he had to sacrifice. But he could also write of brutish individuals who met even more brutish ends.He might tell the tale of Chil-ezz, a minor figure in the larger scheme, but one whose brutality was beyond despicable.To be truthful, neither Dusko Rarrko nor the Dominion of Sassko were directly involved in the killing of J*X*Z.alpha Chil-ezz. Nonetheless, they both celebrated it. And it led to a mos

On the Morning Commuter BusAn original storyFor Appaloosa Radio CHAPTER 3Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.

On the Morning Commuter BusAn original storyFor Appaloosa Radio CHAPTER 2Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.

On the Morning Commuter BusAn original storyFor Appaloosa RadioCHAPTER 1 Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.

TravellingbyPamela Hummel-Morgan This week we visited some friends in Monterey. They had recently returned from a seven-week trip driving across Europe, putting over 6,000 miles on their rental cars.

TautologiesBy J. J. Mounts-MillerFor Appaloosa RadioOctober 2024 I have been thinking a lot about something I read in a magazine. I had read: “Brain waves spike during death.”Researchers found that in the process of dying, brain activity increases. When it is graphed, it represents a distinct series of sharp, upward spikes. Before these spikes, there is usually a period of low-level dormancy, typically a relatively flat line of limited brain activity. Then, during death, brain wave activity spikes.This has taken me into an extended philosophical meditation about logical truth and the nature of consciousness.

Here are four micro-stories that I worked up for the Summer 2024 Micro-Write Challenge. All are extremely short, ranging from 116 to 465 words.They are:·        Shoes – a basketball story·        The Man with the Perpetual Cough – a western character sketch·        Risk Averse – taking risks as a senior adult·        My English Teacher was a Space Alien – a fictional memoir Enjoy!J.J. Mounts-Miller

Appaloosa Radio offersAn original musical storySkirts Swayin’ Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style  for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.This is Mollie’s story.  Act 1-           Deep in the Heart of Texas  ##-           Panhandle Rag  ##-           Thanks for Your Letter ##-           Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye  ##-           Oh, Miss Mollie               ##-           Star Spangled Banner 

Appaloosa Radio offersAn original musical storySkirts Swayin’ Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style  for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.This is Mollie’s story.  Act 1-           Deep in the Heart of Texas  ##-           Panhandle Rag  ##-           Thanks for Your Letter ##-           Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye  ##-           Oh, Miss Mollie               ##-           Star Spangled Banner 

Appaloosa Radio offersAn original musical storySkirts Swayin’Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style  for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.This is Mollie’s story. Act 1-           Deep in the Heart of Texas  ##-           Panhandle Rag  ##-           Thanks for Your Letter ##-           Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye  ##-           Oh, Miss Mollie               ##-           Star Spangled Banner  ##-

Cherry Blossoms at Nighta biological warfare mystery thrillerAppaloosa Radio is pleased to offer a dramatization of the first chapter of Brandon Michaels’ forthcoming novel, Cherry Blossoms at Night --- a biological warfare mystery thriller. In 1945, the Japanese military ordered Operation PX, the release of biological weapons on civilians inside the United States in retaliation of the incendiary bombings of Tokyo. The designated targets were San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.  World War II ended in August of 1945, or did it?  This story captures the reality that an apocalyptic event can easily happen and for similar ill-conceived reasoning. COVID was just the beginning.Author Biography Brandon Michaels is an Award-winning American author.  Brandon, an extremophile, has run marathons and mountain climbed on all seven continents. He has traveled to the four corners of the world visiting over 100 countries.  Brandon is a retired homicide detective of 28+ years, and a licensed CA Private Investig

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 10 On Making Bad Choices An itinerant musician gets off the Sacramento light rail train and brings his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group of frustrated and perspiring  bus riders wait in the hot August sun for a very late eastbound bus. He announces, “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.” Then, he  adds “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”It surprises no one that he is killed while riding on the Interstate highway in the dark.But then, the inexplicable adventure begins. =====================================A ten-chapter audio story with original music.

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 9 Lorraine An itinerant musician gets off the Sacramento light rail train and brings his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group of frustrated and perspiring  bus riders wait in the hot August sun for a very late eastbound bus. He announces, “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.” Then, he  adds “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”It surprises no one that he is killed while riding on the Interstate highway in the dark.But then, the inexplicable adventure begins. =====================================A ten-chapter audio story with original music.

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 8Tearing it into Little Pieces An itinerant musician gets off the light rail train and brings his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group of frustrated bus riders wait in the hot August sun for a very late eastbound bus. He announces  “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.” Then, he  adds “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”It surpirses no one that he is killed while riding on the Interstate highway in the dark.But then, the inexplicable adventure begins.

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 7 Radio SurfingAn itinerant musician gets off the light rail train and moves his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group has gatherer waiting for a very late eastbound bus. Bicycle Guy began the conversation. “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.”“In May, I rode over the Rocky Mountains, all the way from Boulder, Colorado to Salt Lake City. I did it in just four days. Once I get started, I just keep going.”Bicycle Guy loaded his bike onto the front rack of the bus, put his fare into the fare box, and grabbed a seat in the middle of the bus. Then, he shares for all to hear, “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”Mr. Hawaiian Shirt is incredulous. “You’re going to ride at night? Maybe you should camp out until it gets light.”“I like riding at night. It really fo

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 6rode that bike like a maniac "Once we were in the rustic cabin, I began. “Mr. Kirkby was killed last month. He was riding on his bicycle up the freeway to Truckee from Auburn. It was dark. I don’t believe he had any lights on his bike. A vehicle hit him. Probably, not the driver’s fault. Apparently, Mr. Kirkby swerved suddenly out in front of the vehicle.”‘Crooked Leg’ Andersen looked saddened by the news. It was hard to see his face clearly in the dim light and he was still wearing his cowboy hat. After a couple of minutes, he spoke. “I’m not really that surprised. He rode that bicycle like a maniac. Just like he did everything else.”

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 5My Place is at the End of the Road"In the morning in my hotel room, I looked through the local phone directory to see what else Mescalero had to offer. I also wanted to cross-check the phone number that Stan had given me. In the slim phone book, I found two listings under “Andersen, Robert.” The first was just a phone number and a post office box number. The second was for “Anderson, Robert, Apache Cattle Buyers Association.” The two numbers were different, and both were different from what Stan had given me.Since it was after eight in the morning, I decided to call the Cattle Buyers number. I used my most professional voice. “Hello! I would like to speak to Mr. Robert Andersen.”“This is Bob. How can I help?”“I’m looking for the Bob Andersen who used to be a music performer, known as ‘Crooked Leg” Bob Andersen. Is that you?”There was a long pause. “It may have been a long time ago. Why do you want to know?”

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 4Not on a CruiseAnyone in his right mind would want a five-day cruise sipping Margaritas next to their really sexy girlfriend (in a bikini no less). Far more preferable than a trip to the empty deserts of New Mexico. A trip for some poorly defined purposes. However, at this point, I was no longer in my right mind. I left early the next morning, following my GPS south.I was a hunter fixed on my prey. I was going to New Mexico, no matter what.

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 3  Winds of the Roaring PlainsStan, my private investigator friend, finally finished his two massive chili burgers, gulped down a 22-ounce Coke, and then shared the results from his latest investigation.“They are a country-western group, but they are not called Winds of the Plains. No, they named themselves the Winds of the Roaring Plains. By all accounts they really roared! A bunch of old rockers, perpetually on drugs, and living wild, playing what they called ‘red dirt Texas music.’ They thrived on live concerts and recorded only when they felt like it.”He continued, “Remember the old rocker, Bob ‘Crooked Leg’ Andersen, well he started the band to rebuild his own career.”“’Crooked Leg’ Andersen. Wasn’t he a headliner back in the Woodstock era?”“The very same. According to the band’s former agent, Andersen formed it to re-start his own career. It was a hybrid of old-time rock and Texas-style ‘red dirt’

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 2 News Story Two days later, I was reading a local newspaper when a small news item caught my attention.“Transient killed riding bicycle at night on Interstate 80.”Not much more. The driver of the pick-up was not at fault, said the California Highway Patrol spokesperson. The bicycle had swerved unexpectedly into on-coming traffic. The article did give a name DAVID WAYNE KIRKBY and said that the transient carried an expired driver’s license from Tennessee.The whole affair should have ended there. I should have returned to my normal life. I had a moderately well-paying job, a great girlfriend, Terri, and a very playful Golden Retriever, Roger Dodger. Really, I had a pretty comfortable life. Sure, I griped about some things (OK, a lot of things!), but overall, my life was pretty good. I should have been satisfied.Nonetheless, after meeting David Wayne Kirkby, I found that I was having sleepless nights worrying about him. Why had he r

NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEEAn original story from Appaloosa RadioChapter 1 The Bicycle Guy An itinerant musician gets off the light rail train and moves his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group has gatherer waiting for a very late eastbound bus. Bicycle Guy began the conversation. “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.”Mr. Hawaiian Shirt had information that the Bicycle Guy did not. “There’s no way that you can ride your bike up to Truckee. It is over 7,000 feet and the only road is Interstate 80. No bicycles allowed.”Bicycle Guy drew deeply on his cigar. I can’t stand the smoke, but I have been pulled into the drama. “In May, I rode over the Rocky Mountains, all the way from Boulder, Colorado to Salt Lake City. I did it in just four days. Once I get started, I just keep going.”Mr. Hawaiian Shirt was not impressed. “There is only one way up to Truckee. On the Freeway. Lots of trucks.

The note was all too brief. It had been placed where they believed it would be readily found, under the cairn marking the exploration of the region by an earlier expedition. The note simply read:“25th, April 1848. Her Majesty’s ships 'Terror' and 'Erebus' were deserted on the 22nd April, 5 leagues North, Northwest of this spot, havIng been beset since 12th September, 1846. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of Captain F.R.M. Crozier.Sir John Franklin died on the 11th June, 1847; and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been to this date 9 officers and 15 men. (Signed) JAMES FITZJAMES, Captain H.M.S. Erebus.(Signed) F.R.M. CROZIER, Captain & Senior Officer and on tomorrow, 26th, start for Back's Fish River.” And on tomorrow, the 26th, we start for Back’s Fish RiverWe start for Back’s Fish River.Consisting of 105 souls105 souls105 souls.

My True Love is a SonnetA Story and a Song Taken from  Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Just the Facts“He had done this hundreds of times while working on hundreds of cases. The grizzled, veteran, police detective sergeant checked his notepad for details, and then he turned to the eyewitness to confirm the facts. His job was to confirm the facts. “Just the facts,” as the fictional radio detective Sergeant Joe Friday did every week on the show, Dragnet.”The police dectective believes that there are facts. Discoverable, evidence-based facts. Hard facts, as the detective sergeant would say. Facts. Not fictions. Facts are as real as bullets, burglaries, bullies, and bastards.Facts are discovered. Uncovered. Revealed. They are not made up. Not mere possibilities. Not speculation.Put all the facts together and you have a whole picture. You know what happened. You know what really occurred. You have the facts. Yet finding the facts is more obtuse than it seems. In truth, it may not even be possible. Determining which purported events occurred and which did not may ultimately prove fruitless.

A Love LetterBerlinJanuary 1945 This letter was never mailed. It was found in 2011 neatly folded inside a family Bible. Ingrid’s father had been the Director of one of Berlin’s most prestigious hospitals which had provided care for many of the Nazi elite. After the War, he was sanctioned, but not imprisoned.The family moved to Dusseldorf where he again worked as a physician.In 1948, Christa Vogel applied for a secretarial position with the municipal government. To obtain it, she had to certify that she had never been a member of the National Socialist (NAZI) Party.Kurt Schneider was mobilized soon after this letter was written and was killed by the advancing Russian forces in mid-February 1945. Hans-Gunther Keller-Vogel, Ingrid’s brother, was also killed in February 1945 when his anti-aircraft battery was struck by a Russian bomber, destroying the battery’s ammunition bunker. MUSICNight Vigil by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/Creative

Escape!A work of fiction based on a true storyPart 4 --- Surrender and Return Nearly 23,000 American soldiers were captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Among them were three G.I.s from Western Pennsylvania serving in the 422nd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division who were captured on December 19, 1944. This work of fiction tells about their escape from the notorious Stalag IV-B P.O.W. prison and their eventual (and eventful!) return to the medical amenities of Camp Lucky Strike.The events included in this part occurred northeast of Leipzig, near Sieben-Arm-Säule during early April 1945.It is a work of historical fiction based on the actual experiences of Vernon J. Cumberland, Bruce Waldo, and Horace Catheay, to whom it is dedicated.

Escape!A work of fiction based on a true storyPart 3 --- A Bluff Nearly 23,000 American soldiers were captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Among them were three G.I.s from Western Pennsylvania serving in the 422nd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division who were captured on December 19, 1944. This work of fiction tells about their escape from the notorious Stalag IV-B P.O.W. prison and their eventual (and eventful!) return to the medical amenities of Camp Lucky Strike.The events included in this part occurred northeast of Leipzig, near Sieben-Arm-Säule during early April 1945.It is a work of historical fiction based on the actual experiences of Vernon J. Cumberland, Bruce Waldo, and Horace Catheay, to whom it is dedicated.

Escape!A work of fiction based on a true storyPart 2 --- Time to Go Nearly 23,000 American soldiers were captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Among them were three G.I.s from Western Pennsylvania serving in the 422nd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division who were captured on December 19, 1945. This work of fiction tells about their escape from the notorious Stalag IV-B P.O.W. prison and their eventual (and eventful!) return to the medical amenities of Camp Lucky Strike.The events included in this part occurred northeast of Leipzig, near Sieben-Arm-Säule during early April 1945.It is a work of historical fiction based on the actual experiences of Vernon J. Cumberland, Bruce Waldo, and Horace Catheay, to whom it is dedicated.

Susan Abrams gives us a short story about one of her favorite kitchen utensils, an older ice cream scooper with a yellow, fluted handle.

Gladys Patricia Symington by Jeannie Turner originally published in From a Writer’s Finger to a Butterfly’s WingAn anthology by the Sacramento Suburban Writers Club Jeannie Turner shares a brief poem about her favorite travel companion.

Escape!A work of fiction based on a true storyPart 1 Nearly 23,000 American soldiers were captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Among them were three G.I.s from Western Pennsylvania serving in the 422nd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division who were captured on December 19, 1945. This work of fiction tells about their escape from the notorious Stalag IV-B P.O.W. prison and their eventual (and eventful!) return to the medical amenities of Camp Lucky Strike.It is a work of historical fiction based on the actual experiences of Vernon J. Cumberland, Bruce Waldo, and Horace Catheay, to whom it is dedicated.

Three times a week, Owen Namura drove his mother from her mobile home to the pond in the park. He would unload her walker and then assist her to walk the 200 yards to the stone wall surrounding the pond, and then help her to sit on it.Once she was situated, each would smoke a cigarette. He used to smoke a cigar, but she did not like its smell. So, he chose mentholated cigarettes instead.They would look at the pond, but neither would speak. Then after twenty minutes or so, Owen would help his mother to stand and then assist her as she slowly walked back to the car. As he drove her back to her immaculately maintained mobile home, surrounded by thousands of carefully tended flowers, they would sometimes converse in Japanese.

Club Crazy  by Bryson Kilmer Presented in collaboration with the Sacramento Suburban Writers.Humor.Bryson Kilmer tells about the zany meeting of one crazy club.

Moral Obligationsa 191-second audio storyfrom Appaloosa Radio

The Lies of a SalesmenByMarkus PlaceA One-hundred-and-91-Second Story  On Appaloosa Radio A retired super-salesman ponders the role of lying and falsehood in business relationships.

Dying Friends, Syvilla and BodeA 191 second storyFrom Appaloosa RadioMy best friend from college, Scott, now lives in Southern Oregon in the Illinois River Valley in a house that he built himself. For the last dozen years, every morning he did a run along the river with his ever-present friend, his dog Bode. This morning, Scott texted me that Bode had died. His fast-growing cancer had overwhelmed him. Scott included a picture of Bode lying in his bed, with a caption saying that, Bode was resting after doing a very short run. Scott’s message said that was his last run.

My Father Beat MeA 91-second StoryCreated for Appaloosa Radio From a ---Private Journal EntryJune 17, 1973 My father beat me. Not just the occasional swat. No. He used his leather razor strap to hit me multiple times on my legs, on my hips, and on my back. He would do it three or four times a week. I remember that when I was thirteen, he beat me eight times during the same week. That’s right, twice in the same day.

Don’t Touch Anything! By Jody Carnes-HartFor Appaloosa Radio I have recently retired from my position as the Chief Technology Officer for a large, California State agency. I am now spending much of my time, sharing stories about how technology has impacted us. This is a story from my husband, from a summer job that he had in 1968.That summer, he worked in the collating room at a company that produced a unique product, the so-called “secret” book of listings that every real estate agent carried with them. My husband’s company had contracted with the various Boards of Realtors across Southern California to produce new books every week. Here’s how it worked. A local board of realtors would type up a 3 by 5 card with all of the particulars of the property’s listing, and then a “photographer” from my husband’s company would pick up the card and then photograph the property using a specially designed Polaroid camera. At the company, the Polaroid  photograph and the card would be photo transfer

Eve and PetroRocky Mountain SwallowsBy Edith M. Patch By training and occupation, Edith Patch was one of the world’s foremost entomologists. She was the premier “bug lady” of her time, a serious scientist who contributed hundreds of papers to her field and who eventually became the first-ever-woman President of the Entomological Society of America.She was, also, a scientist who wanted to excite children’s interest and enthusiasm in natural history by writing engaging stories about the many creatures she had studied and had come to value.She often said that her stories were designed for “younger” elementary-aged children. Yet, a century later, we find a consummate naturalist with the voice of a poet whose work resonates particularly well with the ethos of our own time.Most certainly not just for children!~~~Appaloosa Radio is pleased to webcast stories from Edith Patch’s 1922 classic LITTLE GATEWAYS TO SCIENCE: BIRD STORIES, which was originally published with the incredible illustrations by Ro

Don’t Touch Anything! By Jody Carnes-HartFor Appaloosa Radio I have recently retired from my position as the Chief Technology Officer for a large, California State agency. I am now spending much of my time, sharing stories about how technology has impacted us. This is a story from my husband, from a summer job that he had in 1968.That summer, he worked in the collating room at a company that produced a unique product, the so-called “secret” book of listings that every real estate agent carried with them. My husband’s company had contracted with the various Boards of Realtors across Southern California to produce new books every week. Here’s how it worked. A local board of realtors would type up a 3 by 5 card with all of the particulars of the property’s listing, and then a “photographer” from my husband’s company would pick up the card and then photograph the property using a specially designed Polaroid camera. At the company, the Polaroid  photograph and the card would be photo transfer

Biscuits and GravyAn original audio storyWritten for Appaloosa RadioIt was Wednesday morning and that always meant a massive plate of biscuits and gravy at Dee’s Skillet, a breakfast joint on Highway 101. And it always meant that Jim would join him.They had worked together on a construction job some twenty or so years ago. Both were electricians. Both had come to Silicon Valley to make the really good wages. Both loved NASCAR. Most importantly, both were from Texas. To be sure, one hailed from San Antonio and one grew up in Corpus Christi, but hell, that didn’t matter, they were both Texans! And both were named Jim.

Where did the rabbits go? A 91-Second StoryWritten for Appaloosa RadioIn the late 1940s, a four-year-old lives near his grandparents in an old lumber camp on Lake Ballenger, Washington. Each day, he puts on his red rubber boots and follows his grandfather down a scary path to feed the rabbits that the grandfather raises. Once a month, a truck comes and takes some of the rabbits away, but the boy never knows where the rabbits go.Then, when he is ten, an older cousin takes him hunting and he learns the truth.

HummingbirdsA 91-second audio storyWritten forAppaloosa Radio Have you ever thought about a (non-human) species adapting to a new technology?

Appaloosa Radio offersAn original audio storyBy D. R. Nichols Furious"You hate him, you really do."

Bear or Steer –Steer or BearA 91-secon storyWritten for Appaloosa RadioHiking can be dangerous!

THE FIVE WORLDS OF LARIEBy Edith M. Patch By training and occupation, Edith Patch was one of the world’s foremost entomologists. She was the premier “bug lady” of her time, a serious scientist who contributed hundreds of papers to her field and who eventually became the first-ever-woman President of the Entomological Society of America.She was, also, a scientist who wanted to excite children’s interest and enthusiasm in natural history by writing engaging stories about the many creatures she had studied and had come to value.She often said that her stories were designed for “younger” elementary-aged children. Yet, a century later, we find a consummate naturalist with the voice of a poet whose work resonates particularly well with the ethos of our own time.Most certainly not just for children!~~~Appaloosa Radio is pleased to webcast stories from Edith Patch’s 1922 classic LITTLE GATEWAYS TO SCIENCE: BIRD STORIES, which was originally published with the incredible illustrations by Robert J. Sim.

Dog, a Man, and a CessnaA 91-second Storyfrom Appaloosa Radio

Waring Windowsby Paul LawrenceA 91-second Story

My Best Friend Wrote a Bookby Allen S. GrahamA 91-Second Storyfrom Appaloosa Radio

GolfA 91-seond StoryWritten for Appaloosa Radioby Paul Lawrence

New KidA 91-second storyWritten For Appaloosa Radio

NOT MY KIDSBy Gloria de la Rossaa 90-second story

The Worst DayBy McNeil AimmesAn extremely short story

RewindBy Dianne PollarinoA 90-second Story

Appaloosa Radio is now webcasting extremely short fiction stories, i.e., stories running about 90 seconds long.

Appaloosa Radio PresentsAn original Audio StoryThe Ride In June 1979, two brothers drive an electrical contractor’s work truck up to the Mojave Desert from Huntington Beach, California. They could not be more different. Professor Tomar Hinton is an “up and coming” philosopher now teaching at an exclusive private university in North Carolina. His younger brother, James, is an electrical contractor leading a crew which is constructing huge windmills on the crest of the desert’s mountains. Tomar has returned to his parents’ home to facilitate the funeral arrangements for their father. James offers his older brother use of the contractor’s work truck, but still needs a ride up to the work site. The trip up to the desert worksite will take three and a half hours and begins at an “ungodly” hour in the middle of the night. There is no radio in the old truck, and the brothers are forced, as a result, to talk with each other.An intimate, yet powerful story, of communicating across vast differences.

A Most Decrepit Ferry and the Magic of Chiku Shan As re-told in Rarrko’s Celebration SpeechAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Representing his father, the Nineteenth Great Nobleman of Sassko, Noble Son Dusko Rarrko has been asked to re-tell the exciting adventure story of the escape of the Chiku Shan people from the tyranny of the brutal Nata-Vavra. The escape was aboard a decrepit ferry craft that was captained by a former smuggler, M N P Farfalla Cronbo-guuch, Falla’ as he was always called. The escape would not have been possible without the active intervention of the Ukimonogakari warrior monks and their special magic of silence.A heroic escape from wicked oppression. An escape using the most unexpected means. The speech highlights a day of celebration and remembrance for the Chiku Shan people of Ruch-858. ============This story was inspired by reading Sid Fleischman’s 1954 novel, Blood Alley  which tells of a small Chinese village escaping from Ch

SaucedAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series “Luscious Lell by the ever-lovely Lake . . . .  Satisfying your every pleasure is our only business.”“Within the world of espionage, they often call it a “honeytrap.” A sweet opportunity to trap an individual, to compromise them, to procure information, to elicit on-going cooperation. The enticements often include sex, drugs, special status, and money. Once an individual falls into the honeytrap, they are particularly vulnerable to blackmail, extortion, and exploitation.In the posh international, resort city of Lell, which hosts guests from a million different sectors, there were many such “honeytraps.” However, there was one of singular brilliance, one that featured opulence beyond imagination, one with its own unique crystalline pavilion displaying unparalleled views of the magnificent Lake of Many Colors. Where only individuals of the greatest significance were personally invited. The Événement de la s

City of 4000 SpiesThe BeastDusko Rarrko, the second son of the Nineteenth Great Nobleman of Sassko, was probably Lell’s most recognizable spy. He was handsome, athletic, and ingenious. He wore flashy high-end fashion and drove a speeder that broke 1.75. He was seldom seen without a bevy of beautiful females and was often described with that old-fashioned word “playboy” (although no one seemed to know what it meant).He looked the part of a spy. He moved in the nuanced way that spies moved. If you asked him, “what is your occupation?”, he would smugly smile and say, “I am a spy, of course.” If you would follow up with another question, “who are you spying for?” he would again smirk, “Who ever pays me the most.”However, he was already wealthy beyond imagination.”Recently, his routine changed. Now, every morning, he rose early,and took the pleasure boat out to the small Island in the remarkable Lake of The Many Colors. He brought with him a sack lunch and a hat to protect him from the int

Posited MurderAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series ~~~Rarrko:“Thank you PNB7Q for locating these for me. I have wanted to resolve the matter for some time.”PNB7Q: “The documents that you had sought were difficult to find. They had been hidden in a bunker in a long-abandoned military base. It took some bribery and duplicity to obtain them. [long pause] I notice that they are from a war that has been over for nearly forty-five quants.”Rarrko: “Yes from a war that almost everyone has forgotten. A small war of insignificance. A mere ruffling of the feathers of the major powers. Less than ten thousand dead. Compared to the hundreds of millions in subsequent years, it was a small event indeed.”PNB7Q: “I also noticed the seal of the Kingdom Gje.”Rarrko: “Well technically speaking, it really was not an affair of the Kingdom Gje. It was an enterprise coordinated by one of the many sub-contractors that they Kingdom used, an enterprise designed to allow th

Appaloosa Radio OffersAn original audio drama From the City of 4,000 Spies Series Information is ExpensivePNB7Q knew Noble Son Dusko Rarrko from many eons of clandestine work together. Their relationship was as close as a data device and a sentient being could be. The PNB7Q knew that what was left unsaid was often more important than what was spoken. Many times, a whiff of intuition had more value than volumes of specific, and detailed information. There was a reason why Noble Son Dusko Rarrko wished to travel to Lell without informing the PNB7Q. Intuition told the PNB7Q that this was not a need for recreation, down time, as Rarrko had called it. It was a trip where Rarrko wished to travel incognito. Not hidden from others, but, rather, hidden from the PNB7Q themselves.Remember, the PNB7Q was a set of separate data devices organized into a single, systematic vehicle for sharing necessary information among agents and designated decision-makers in real time. Sharing was the operational word.  Anyone with t

Trip HomeAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series~~~On a on a very hush-hush assignment of an unspecified nature, Noble Son, Dusko Rarrko is in the very distant Ganna 40 Sector.He is working for a sponsoring entity that carries out actions of an indeterminate kind.Then, he receives a secret message from PNB7Q. “Return home immediately on first available transport.”Unfortunately, the only available transport is a very slow cargo klunker, designed for carrying extremely heavy loads to and from the mines. It carries passengers only as a necessary courtesy. Sixteen seats. No food. No drink. No entertainment.Rarrko must spend the next 96 earth revolutions trapped in a 20-meter by 20-meter, very bare-bones passenger comparment with fifteen strangers, bound together by their boredom and monotony. It turns out to be, as he says later, “a most eventful trip.”This audio story also pays partial homage to the 1954 film, The High and The Mighty, probably one of the finest

Welcome to Season Three of Appaloosa Radio!This season will focus on one continuing series of audio stories. We offer the City of 4000 Spies science fiction series featuring Noble Son Dusko Rarrko, the director of undercover information gathering activities and espionage for the tiny (but resource rich) Dominion of Sassko. The Dominion or sassko is frequently pitted against the two principal powers, the Empire Sha Yot and the venerable Kingdom of Jay-Gee. To maintain its independence, Sassko remains avowedly neutral, while actively gathering information and clandestinely acting on its own national interests.During this season, Appaloosa Radio offers six distinct stories:·        The Big Chief – a multi-part story·        The Mineral of Information·        I am JooN-ie·        Information is Expensive·        The Trip Home·        The BeastCome to the resort city of Lell and its Lake of Lake of Many Colors. Lell, where every recreational opportunity, drug, potion, or experienc

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies SeriesPart 9Conclusion In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgen

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual manner

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual manner

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Part 6In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual m

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Part 5In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual m

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series  Part 4In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Part 3In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual m

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Part 2In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual m

Big ChiefAn Original Story by Appaloosa RadioFrom the continuing City of 4000 Spies Series Part 1In addition to his very public royal duties, Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Great Nobleman, operated his nation’s undercover information-gathering activities, its chief spy, as it were.After the gala dinner celebration honoring the newly arrived Ambassador from the Gela-im Sector, he sat in his private lounge holding a message. It appeared to be a routine message that had been transmitted through the usual clandestine channels. It was from one of his most trusted agents. A very beautiful woman that he had recruited, trained, and placed in a key position. She was a woman that Rarrko had great affection for, one that he had made love to many times. Her network was one of the most productive that he had ever built. She learned things other agents could not. Intelligent. Resourceful. Very skilled. Very trusted.Rarrko read the message again. “To the Director of Special Operations (DSO). Most urgent. Usual m

Appaloosa Radio offersContemplating EvilAn audio storywhich includes original, period-specific musicperformed byThe Howlin’ Wolf,Vernon Dalhart,And Billy Murray He drew a lungful of smoke from his ever-present pipe. He was now 87 years old. He once estimated that he had spent over two-thirds of his life with a pipe between his teeth, filling his lungs with burning Prince Albert pipe tobacco. To be more precise (since he was one who valued precision and accuracy), his estimate had been that he had spent 68.2 percent of his life with a pipe in his mouth.He came from a generation of Southerners who believed that smoking a pipe was genteel, the sign of a contemplative gentleman, one who measured life carefully, and reached conclusions only after the consideration of all the available evidence.He sat on his back deck looking at the hills behind his property. Just the merest hint of fall color.  If it does not rain, in a couple of weeks the hills will be aflame with all the seasonal colors, and the looki-lews w

Appaloosa Radio offersAlligator A Nell Trustmon Story In rural mining communities like Boyce, Colorado, the arrival of the “Alligator Man” created a community-wide celebration. How could any of the Lithuanian miners continue to work in the deep, hard rock silver mine when there was a real, live alligator in town? Gotta see that!Alligators were hardly rare in places like Florida or the bayous of Louisiana. And almost anyone who visited a zoo in one of the major eastern cities could see a tropical display featuring gators. But, here in the high western Rockies, the alligator was a very rare sight.The alligator came courtesy of a showman and promoter named Clyde Chantt who claimed to have a Ph.D. in reptile herpetology from a university that no one had ever heard of. “Professor” Chantt (as he preferred to be called) travelled among the mining towns of the West driving a 1917 Ford Truck, pulling a large, brightly painted metal tank filled with water and containing a 15 foot alligator. He charged patrons

Cle Curbo’s fable . . .“Virginia, you are the youngest and most wise of your siblings, so I will tell you about your mother's family. Maybe you will recognize her in the story of Seven Witches.”

Roomies Original College Humor Going away to college and residing in a dorm is an opportunity to learn to live with differences. Roommates can learn how to accommodate the needs of others. However, what happens when the roomie you are assigned to live with proves so different that it almost seems as if he came from another planet. You ask for help in dealing with Seth, but the university can’t provide any.“OK, if the University won’t help me, then it is up to me. Be ready, Seth, for total war.I have long been a fan of the James Bond 007 movies. So, my first plans turn to slicing Seth up with a powerful space laser, or maybe filling our dorm room with saltwater and then bringing in a bevy of very hungry tiger sharks. Alligators would work too. Maybe even piranha. Then, there’s that great Clint Eastwood movie where he climbs a mountain with a group of men who, one by one, mysteriously keep falling off their ropes. He didn’t know which one was his target, so, one-by-one, he eliminated them all. Long

The General StrikeFeaturing O.ss.K.ar 44-070-256, Lauren’s personal EeKK//.Imagine a time (in the not-too-distant future) when EeKK//s do all the work.In this episode, Lauren joins a "General Strike" to protest a grave social injustice, and O.ss.K.ar 44-070-256 has to take swift action to prevent harm. The prime task of organizing and coordinating Lauren’s “strike” adventure fell to OSKAR, Lauren’s most personal Eck. OSKAR kept her calendar, managed her health and finances, facilitated her communication, and managed and organized all the other Ecks who supported Lauren’s life. When Lauren first added the event “general strike” to her calendar, OSKAR was not familiar with the term. It was not in his native vocabulary. From game play, he knew about “striking an opponent” but that did not fit the calendar entry. He also knew about “strikes” in bowling. Sometimes Lauren bowled with friends, and OSKAR kept score, but again the term did not seem to be about bowling. Still, it was on her ca

It is Just BaseballAn Appaloosa Radio Original Story When Beck was in sixth and seventh grade, he played Little League baseball for the Mayfield Pirates. They wore uniforms that looked just like the major league Pittsburgh Pirates, but (like their major league counterparts), they finished last in their division. In fact, Beck’s team lost every game in both of the seasons he played. Beck himself had only three hits and one walk over two years. “Easy out!” became his opponents’ habitual taunt. Still Beck loved the game and felt compelled even as a 31-year-old adult working in a dead-end job in the corporate copy room to follow the major league Pirates assiduously. He used to tape Pirate games so he could re-play them when he came home.  Then one day, Beck’s closest friend, Woody (who was a real computer guy), created a pocket player that picked up the wireless signals in the building. He also tuned the pocket player to receive internet radio and the Pirates radio network. So now Beck could hear th

The GatekeeperAn Appaloosa Radio Original Story1958He graduated from Florida State University where he had majored in being a fraternity brother. After his college experience, he drifted into what for some types of people is the easiest of all jobs --- selling.Tony Bochs was a natural. People instantly trusted and liked him. He was not handsome, but he had an easy boyish smile and he always looked at you directly, never turning aside or evading. Easy to trust. Very likable. Please sign here. Lots of places to sign, way too much paperwork to read it all now. So, sign here and here and her.Congratulations! You are now a Florida property owner. Lot 117 C of the Whispering Pines Senior Resort Community. Have you thought about what kind of mobil home that you would like us to move onto your property? Our affiliates over at Action Manufactured Homes have just the one for you. The one that you have always dreamed about. If you wish, I’ll drive you over now and help you get the process started.They gave him award

Meeting CelesteAn Appaloosa Radio Original Story When things were going well, when the computer code poured itself freely into its allocated slots, when the iterations, runs and routines worked to perfection, when all the bugs and jinks had been banished. That’s when he took off his shoes, his socks and his shirt and wrote code au natural. He told his colleague and life-long friend, Mike, that when his feet felt the “reality” of the surfaces of the floor, it stimulated the neurons in his brain, made things clearer, opened options that he had not seen before.In the early 1980s, computer programming was still an activity of white shirts, Snap-On ties, and pocket protectors full of a miscellany of pens.That was not Rick. It may have been him once, back when he worked in the Department of Defence, running massive IBM behemoths, but it certainly was not him now. Now, he was running his own operation, creating computer schools for kids.  The best idea that he ever had. Creating computer schools for kids! Th

Murder at the Gas PumpAn original audio story for Appaloosa Radio Coughlin, California has only had one murder. Bernard Winslow Schlafer (the Third) was a scion of one of the Central Valley’s richest and most important families. Yet, when the time came for him to assume responsibilities in the family businesses, he left Coughlin for Los Angeles where he eventually produced a sleazy reality game show entitled, “Seduction!”Barnie S. (as he now prefers to be known) returned to his hometown to seek additional funding from his maternal grandmother for his television endeavor. On his way back to LA, he stops for gas and lottery tickets at the Log Cabin Liquor and Gas. While he is filling his car, a white sedan enters the parking lot. A man emerges and shoots Barnie S. with an AR-15.The assassination took less than five seconds.

A Woman of SubstanceAn original Audio Story for Appaloosa RadioIn dedication to Mrs. Kay Fetner Eugenia was just thirteen when her father married her off to an older man. This is the story of a girl from Charly, Arkansas who drove her Model A Ford to freedom and a new identity, to become a woman of substance.~~~ I was playing with some of my cousins and my younger brothers up by the big chestnut tree, the one my Pap always refused to cut down. The tree had the blight and should’ve been cut down and the stump burned. But my Pap liked that tree. He would never cut it down.To us kids, it did not matter that it had the blight. It was ours to climb on and to hide in. We were glad that he’d never cut it down.Anyways, I was playing with my kin up by that big tree. Then, I heard my Pap say, “Eugenia!” He said it loud with a stern voice. I knew to come runnin’ when he called me like that.He was sitting on the porch next to a gentleman wearing his best Sunday go-to-meetin’ dark suit. The gentleman had som

Souvenirs I Still CherishHelen Stanberry’s Storyas read by Lindsey Beth HummelChapter 5Breathing SmokeThey say that there is a forest fire burning just east of Deep Gap. The wind is blowing the smoke over here to Todd.We should not be having forest fires; the mountains always get plenty of rain, especially in the spring. But this year has been different. Almost no rain in March, April, or May. And temperatures have been really hot, above 90 every day last week.I’m noticing the fire because my lungs are so bad. I can smell the smoke whenever I walk outside. It just cuts into my lungs. I am keeping the windows closed, but it still seeps in through the cracks.If I have any regrets about the life I have lived, it is my addiction to cigarettes. Now my lungs are so bad, and the fires over in Deep Gap just make things even worse.I have smoked cigarettes since I was sixteen, well before it was considered proper for Southern women to smoke. Some of the men I dated smoked, so I did. There was no reason why.  Neith

Souvenirs I Still CherishHelen Stanberry’s Storyas read by Lindsey Beth HummelChapter 4                  "1968 and Times are Changing"Let me tell you a secret. It is a secret everybody knows, but no one ever talks about. It is a secret you will never see in a history book. It is a secret that no one would ever tell an outsider. An ‘outsider’ (by the way) is anyone whose great-great-great grandpa came from someplace else, outside the county.The town we now call Boone, was originally named Councill’s Store.  Mr. Jordan Councill came up to the mountains and started a store even before Daniel Boone charted the road that now leads to Tennessee. Here’s the secret. When Mr. Jordan Councill came to the mountains, he came with his two wives and six children. Both his wives were black. They had been his former slaves, and he had a growing brood of children with them.  It didn’t matter much to Daniel Boone and the earliest settlers. None of them cared much for owning slaves (they couldn’t affo

Souvenirs I Still CherishHelen Stanberry’s Story as read by Lindsey Beth HummelChapter 3: RalphRalph Norris, my cousin, and the driver for the trip, was to my mind a rather handsome young man. He often seemed like Erroll Flynn, jumping into the car without opening the door, climbing up trees to get me a bird’s nest that I had fancied, and swimming out into a lake to retrieve my hat that had blown off. Regrettably, he was one of those handsome young men who believed that he was a handsome young man. Often as he was driving, he would reach across the seat and touch me. Not in a friendly cousin-to-cousin way. There was no doubt that his hands were prowling into forbidden territory.Sometimes (maybe more like often), his prowling hands did not bother me. In fact, his touch was rather pleasurable, and much more interesting than the scenery on some parts of the trip. All I had to do to stop it was to do a quick shiver, and the hand would be withdrawn.The chaperone, Mr. Eggers was in the narrow seat in the back

Souvenirs I Still CherishHelen Stanberry’s Story as read by Lindsey Beth HummelChapter 2: Travelling I had carefully planned the trip. We would begin in Abingdon, Virginia where my father’s mechanic was making certain that everything on the blue Cord automobile was in perfect running condition. It gleamed in the sun and purred like a kitten. The original car had been a hard-top coupe, but my father had the mechanics convert it into a retractable top convertible.The only mechanical trouble that we had on the trip was once when the new convertible top got stuck, but Ralph was able to rectify the situation by removing one bolt and replacing it with another. After his fix, it worked perfectly.We began in Abingdon and drove up the Shenandoah Valley to Charlottesville where we toured the historic University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello.Our next stop was George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. Then on to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the West Point Military Academy.He

Souvenirs I Still CherishHelen Stanberry’s StoryChapter 1Spoiled Rich GirlI was a rich, white girl who had never chosen to marry. Many of my fellow Southern women would have called me a spinster. I was Miss Hellen Elizabeth Stanberry when I was born and that is how I died. But lonely, I was not. I lived a satisfying (and sexually fulfilling) life of my own choosing. And I did it while teaching school in Ashe County, North Carolina, a forlorn place of high poverty, and limited vistas in Southern Appalachia.I was a rich girl, the oldest daughter of the lumber baron, S. O. Stanberry. He had sawmills all over western North Carolina, was a partner in the region’s principal railroad, and owned our town’s only bank. He drove either a flashy Packard and or a dependable Cadillac. Our neighbors (and employees) drove old rusted Model T trucks. We had a large, three-story white frame house with central heating and three large bathrooms. Our neighbors (and employees) lived in shanties with potbelly stoves and outhou

He Done Her Wrong ---Alma shoots JoeA Nell Trustmon Story from her magazine, Broken Tree Tales In June 1909, the daughter of one of California’s first ‘gold bugs’ shot her fiancée, the son of a wealthy Portuguese fruit grower.  Alma Pike shot Joe Armez. “Flying over the pretty little mining town of Auburn, California I immediately saw the Courthouse. It is situated on a hilltop that can be seen for miles. Its classic dome gleamed in the afternoon sun. Even from the air, I thought it was an immense showpiece. When it was built in 1898, the building included four state-of-the-art jail cells. The four cells were adequate for a courthouse that typically handled only a dozen criminal cases a year. What no one ever thought of was that maybe (just maybe) the Courthouse might have to sometimes house a female prisoner. When a criminal case involving a woman charged with murder occurred in the summer of 1909, there was no place to house her. So, the County created a special cell for her under the main sta

The Church-Going HorsesA Nell Trustmon StoryThe very first so-called western “ghost town” that I ever actually visited was Columbia, which was dubbed “the gem of California’s mining towns” by the local Chamber of Commerce. My husband’s family owned some property nearby and there was considerable discussion about turning the old, nearly abandoned town into a California State Park. He wanted to go up and see what was happening.So in May 1941, he flew his small plane up from our home in Newport Beach to the small airport in Jackson, and he invited me along with the proviso that I bring no luggage. I stuffed some nylons and extra undergarments in my purse and off we went. We were able to hire a car from the local Ford dealer and spent three days sniffing things out.Always the newspaper reporter, my husband, Nolan Trustmon, used the trip to interview some of the old sourdoughs and then wrote a very nice piece about the lynching of one bad hombre named “John Barclay.” (I say “nice” because my hu

Appaloosa Radio OffersThe Day They Hanged an ElephantStory by Joan Vannorsdall Schroeder published in the May-June 1997 issue of the Blue Ridge Country  magazineavailable online at:   blueridgecountry.com/archive===Featuring the Ballad --Mary the ElephantPerformed by Chuck BrodskyFrom his album   Tulips for LunchAvailable through YouTube and Spotify=== Using original source material drawn from the Archives of Appalachia (housed at East Tennessee State University), Joan Vannorsdall Schroeder tells the story of Mary the Elephant who was hung for “murder” in the Clinchfield Railroad Yards in Erwin, Tennessee during September 1916.Mary was the star of a two-bit traveling circus that toured the reconstruction-era South. Charlie Sparks, the owner of Sparks World Famous Shows, claimed that Mary the Elephant was "the largest living land animal on earth,” three inches bigger than Jumbo, P.T. Barnum's famous pachyderm. At 30 years old, Mary was five tons of pure talent. She could "play 25 tunes on the musi

Appaloosa Radio OffersAn original audio drama from the City of 4,000 Spies Series Information is ExpensivePNB7Q knew Noble Son Dusko Rarrko from many eons of clandestine work together. Their relationship was as close as a data device and a sentient being could be. The PNB7Q knew that what was left unsaid was often more important than what was spoken. Many times, a whiff of intuition had more value than volumes of specific, and detailed information. There was a reason why Noble Son Dusko Rarrko wished to travel to Lell without informing the PNB7Q. Intuition told the PNB7Q that this was not a need for recreation, down time, as Rarrko had called it. It was a trip where Rarrko wished to travel incognito. Not hidden from others, but, rather, hidden from the PNB7Q themselves.Remember, the PNB7Q was a set of separate data devices organized into a single, systematic vehicle for sharing necessary information among agents and designated decision-makers in real time. Sharing was the operational word.  Anyone with t

Appaloosa Radio OffersMotorcyclesOn the Express Bus 73 AChapter 13 At a mountain cabin for a guys-only weekend away. Larry:“You know, Charles, sitting here by this fire, I’m wondering about you and your background. What brought you into your studies and what caused you to start doing your graphic novels?”Charles:“Well, you know that I am British. Before I came to the United States, I was a teacher. I taught literature at an exclusive private school. Very posh. Upper end. Ties and jackets always. At Oxford, I had studied medieval literature, focusing primarily on the time before Chaucer. And I had served in the Army. I was in Korea just after the so-called Korean War, monitoring the Demilitarized Zone. In Korea, I studied a holistic approach to Mahayana Buddhism of the so-called wonyung school. One of the key insights that I learned there is that any individual thing (person, object, force, or phenomena) exists only within the total nexus of reality. Its existence depends on the total network of al

Appaloosa Radio OffersThe CompendiumOn the Express Bus 73 A:  Chapter 12 As I thought about my experiences, I wondered whether the bus was in some way creating the transferences, moving me from my Larry self to the self of others. I asked Charles about my speculation.Charles provided a thoughtful response. “In my research, I haven’t found evidence that inanimate objects have power over conscious beings. I believe you are being invited by a person. It just happens, that you and the other self are on the same commuter bus. Your self recognizes a commonality. The other’s self responds. The commonality creates a special bond. One that you both recognize. So, there’s a special bond, and they welcome you in. It could have just as easily happened anywhere. Maybe at the bus stop. Or in a grocery store. Or even here at work.”Charles was right. The transfer of my self from Larry to the elderly Linguistics professor occurred the moment I saw him, walking toward me, at the bus stop. He was walking slowly,

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A -- Chapter 11:    I Never Knew Charles “Larry. Even though you and I work in extremely close proximity, I don’t think you know much about me. My avocation is writing, and drawing comic books, or, as the publishing trade now says, graphic novels. My specialties are stories about parapsychology and paranormal experiences. I don’t create fiction. Instead, I research events, events that have actually occurred, and then produce my own graphical works from them. Over the years, I have gathered thousands of stories.”I think that you have been experiencing self-transference.Your self leaves you and moves to another. “ ~~~In this Chapter, Larry and his two colleagues, Charles and Doreen, explore the impacts of self-transference after Larry returns to his original self from that of the transfer of Senora Guadalupe Valenzuela.Larry’s original had moved the self of a hard-working single parent attempting to raise her kids. Had Mrs. Valenzuela had worked her

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A -- Chapter 10:    Easy Ed’s LiquorIn this Chapter, Larry’s original self transfers into a hard-working single parent attempting to raise her kids. Mrs. Guadalupe Valenzuela is on her way to a new job when Larry thoughtfully intervenes. Had Mrs. Valenzuela had worked her regular Friday night shift at Easy Ed’s Liquor and Convenience Store, she would have been murdered during the robbery.   ~~~Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, c

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 AChapter 9:           It Could Have Been MeLarry ruminates on a terrible accident that happened when he was a member of the Sailing Club.~~~Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A -- Chapter 8:           GiftsIn this Chapter, Larry transitions from the Major Tim Augustine self back to his previous Larry self, but everything has changed. He now has unexpected skills and his attitudes about many things have changed. He feels like a stranger in his own (original) body. Even Doreen, his previously infuriating colleague, has become a friendly supporter. Just plain weird.~~~Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classi

On the Bus 73 ExpressChapter 7 -- GravyDr. Neire     “Do you remember Major Tim Augustine?”Larry   “Yeah. It seemed so real. Like Larry was gone. Completely replaced by Tim. I was him. Not me.”~~~I now think of my self, the me that I am, as connected, tied together, unified. A collective, not a solitary unity.The best metaphor I can use is music, really beautiful, well-played music.My roommate in college was a music major, and he used to play his CDs in our room. I was probably the most non-musical person he could have roomed with. I was an accounting major. I never played an instrument. Never sang in a chorus. I didn’t listen to music. I played video games.Anyway, he had one CD that I really liked. I asked him for its name. He said Dvorak’s String Quartet, called the “American” because it was written while the composer was in America on a visit. I liked it so much that I bought my own copy.For years, before our company built its new headquarters building, back when I still drove to work

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Bus 73 Express A multi-episode original story Chapters 1 to 6 RE-CAPMany contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

“Hack”A fictionalized docu-drama In 1930, the Chicago Cubs’ centerfielder, Hack Wilson had what has been described as the greatest season ever for a National League baseball player.He led the League with a 356 average, hit 56 home runs, and produced 191 R.B.I.s. He scored 146 runs and drew 105 walks. In his career with the Cubs, he made over 400 putouts, and he had a throwing arm that rocketed the ball directly from the outfield to Homeplate without a single bounce.He was often called a right-handed Babe Ruth. Like the Babe, Hack led the league in both homeruns and in strikeouts. For one season, Hack Wilson was actually paid more than Babe Ruth.By his appearance, Hack Wilson should never have been a professional baseball player, much less the one player who was paid more than Babe Ruth. He was slightly less than five feet five inches tall and had short (really short) legs and tiny feet. In contrast to his short legs and tiny feet, he had a massive head, probably one and a half times the size of most

Appaloosa Radio offersReflexology An Unsolved Murder Mystery The small business sat in an Austin strip mall between a pizza place and a nail salon, three doors down from a Japanese Sushi restaurant. On its red neon sign was the single word “reflexology.” The proprietor specialized in what he called “oriental foot massages,” stimulating the nerves, and improving a body’s health. It was 5:45 in the evening, and in mid-December, it was already dark. The red neon “reflexology” sign was visible across the whole parking lot. None of the signs from the other businesses had yet switched on.In the foot-massage client waiting area, the proprietor sat on one of the chairs, looking intently at his phone. After five or six minutes, he got up and walked outside. In front of the sushi restaurant was a bench where customers of the Japanese restaurant sat while they waited for their to-go orders. He sat on the bench and lit a cigarette.He finished his cigarette, glanced at his phone, and then stood up.Thirty

Shoe-Makers and RaincoatsA Lies & Detection EpisodeJonas interviews Soviet Master Spy Leopold Trepper Jonas builds this episode from The Great Game the 1977 personal memoirs of Soviet Master Spy, Leopold Trepper. In the interview, he explores how Trepper created a believable covert identity in spite of language issues and close scrutiny by the police. The interview also details how Trepper was able to generate the Red Orchestra spy network from nothing, building it even in the face of active opposition from his Soviet spy bosses.Finally, the episode tells how turncoats (trusted friends and devoted colleagues) destroyed the Red Orchestra organization from within.By 1941, Soviet spies had penetrated the German military intelligence service (Abwehr), the German Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Propaganda, the Foreign Office, and the administration of important German cities, including Cologne and Berlin. In other countries which the Nazis then controlled, Soviet spies had penetrated both the national and the

Appaloosa Radio OffersLILLIAn original audio story There had been no food in the house for a week. No rice. No fish. No vegetables. The chickens had been killed last season. Even the chickens’ coarse feed was long gone.Yesterday, Mother found some garbage scraps. Rancid. Smelly. Covered in creatures. She boiled it to make a soup. But not enough charcoal for the fire to heat it. Mother asked the children to eat it. They tried, but soon became sick.Father had been a relatively wealthy man. In his business, he bought saddles and bridles from the Portuguese traders and re-sold them to the Chinese. His was a well-known business. Many customers came from far away to buy his leather goods. Finely tooled with excellent designs. A quality product for any many who rode a horse. But Father no longer had money. His business was closed. He had been a man of distinction. A man who made his family proud. No.  He was a failure, one who could not feed even his own family.It was not opium that did him in. No. He never tou

Appaloosa Radio offersUnfamiliarityAn original audio story“With light wings, I did o’er-perch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold me out.” When I was in high school during the 1960s, I believed that I wanted to write. During my sophomore year, I took a Creative Writing course as my elective. Three weeks into the course, we shared our first stories. Mine did not go well. Or at least that is what I thought then. I had attempted to write a horror story based on a visit to a restaurant that I had made the summer before with my slightly older cousin. I remember being shocked that my cousin went behind the lunch counter to cook her own meal. I also remember that the place was run-down, greasy, and downright filthy. A regular pigsty! I remember saying to my cousin that I would never go there again.In my story, I described the “deplorable, rancid, and greasy” ambiance of the place.As the class critiqued my story, Mrs. Cornaby, our instructor asked me some really hard questions that I could not answ

Psychiatrist A Lies and Detection EpisodeFeaturing an interview with Soviet Spymaster, Leopold Trepper Jonas Chartogaro is the pseudonym of a recently retired Federal Agent. During his career, he served as a government polygraph examiner with over 25 years of experience. Prior to his Federal service, he worked as a New York police officer, investigating arsons, robberies, and murders. He possesses a Masters degree in American History and now teaches Cryptologic Security at a regional university.Appaloosa Radio offers stories from his docudrama series LIES and DETECTION. He uses his skills to interview historical people to determine the truth and expose lies. In this mini-series, Jonas interviews Leopold Trepper.Leopold Trepper was the so-called “Big Chief” of the extremely successful ‘Red Orchestra” network of Soviet spies which operated in Nazi occupied countries during World War II. At its height, Trepper’s “Red Orchestra” group of spy networks operated in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerla

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A  --- Chapter 6:   Re-activation A multi-episode original story Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A  --- Chapter 5:   Secrets A multi-episode original story Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A  --- Chapter 4: Jokes and More Jokes A multi-episode original story Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A  --- Chapter 3: Where Possibilities BeginA multi-episode original story Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 A  --- Chapter 2: Not My ShoesA multi-episode original story Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio OffersOn the Express Bus 73 AA multi-episode original story- Chapter 1: Unparalleled View Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Mr. Larry J. Connors is just one of the many. Larry is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose speciality is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analysis, and generating cost-to-price determinations. Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As our story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old, classic movies on television.One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life and he is a stranger in his own body.

Appaloosa Radio offersDead Man’s SuitAn Original Short Story Every time he wore it, he thought it had a strange odor. It had been dry cleaned multiple times and no one else noticed any sort of odor. In fact, his wife, Wilma thought he looked “spiffy” in it and loved to see him in the double-breasted, brown suit with the faintest of gray pinstripes. “He looks like a movie star,” she proudly told her sister Grace Lynn. Far better in that suit than in the greasy dungaree overalls that he wore most of the time. But truck mechanics don’t wear suits to work in. They work in greasy overalls. The brown suit was for Sunday church and extra special occasions, like when they had gone to the casino and had a steak dinner for their tenth anniversary.For their anniversary dinner, Wilma had worn a Kelly-green dress with lots of sparkles that matched the brown suit perfectly. She had even insisted that he pay the $5 to get a special color photograph of them together in their finery.Harlan Royce was a big-chested

Gambler’s BootsThe Robbery of the Overland Express TrainAs re-told by Officer JAMES H. KINKEADThe officer who arrested the perpetrators In this episode, we share an original historical document. It has not been fictionalized. Former Washoe County Undersheriff, Officer James H. Kinkead died June 9,1912. Among his papers and effects, Jim Kinkead’s family found a pencil-written manuscript telling about the robbery of the Overland Express Train # 1 on November 5, 1870, and about Kinkead’s role in apprehending the perpetrators.Central Pacific’s Train No. 1, the “Overland Express,” carried bags of newly minted gold coins for the monthly payroll of the Yellow Jacket Mine. The train robbers believed that they were stealing a haul worth over $60,000.The manuscript contained a poignant note. “Of the many officers who took a prominent part in the arrest and conviction of the train robbers, all are now dead save me. I was the one who followed the faint, small-heel footprints through the mountains until th

Appaloosa Radio offersCall Her AmandaA Nell Trustmon Short StoryTaken from her magazine Broken Tree TalesNell retells the story of red-haired “Amanda” who may have been the first woman in the mining boomtown of Bonanza, Idaho. In the story, a poker player wagers his wife (“Amanda”) against his previous losses, but the gambler loses.“Amanda” is won by a miner, but another steals her away. She escapes and seeks refuge with a third miner. Three miners each pointing their guns at each other!While the story has humor, the real woman “Amanda” died in 1908 in the infirmary on the Challis County Poor Farm.  She was not yet 50.Not yet 50. Used up and discarded like many of the old boom towns themselves.

Appaloosa Radio offersAlligator A Nell Trustmon Story In rural mining communities like Boyce, Colorado, the arrival of the “Alligator Man” created a community-wide celebration. How could any of the Lithuanian miners continue to work in the deep, hard rock silver mine when there was a real, live alligator in town? Gotta see that!Alligators were hardly rare in places like Florida or the bayous of Louisiana. And almost anyone who visited a zoo in one of the major eastern cities could see a tropical display featuring gators. But, here in the high western Rockies, the alligator was a very rare sight.The alligator came courtesy of a showman and promoter named Clyde Chantt who claimed to have a Ph.D. in reptile herpetology from a university that no one had ever heard of. “Professor” Chantt (as he preferred to be called) travelled among the mining towns of the West driving a 1917 Ford Truck, pulling a large, brightly painted metal tank filled with water and containing a 15 foot alligator. He charged patrons

Furious D.R. Nichols has integrated rap and narrative fiction to tell of a “demon” driver and his red sportscar. “You hate meYou know you doYou’d blast me with rocketsMachine gun me to utter annihilationDemand the fates pelt down fierce brimstoneIf you couldIf you couldReally,If I would Let you catch meLet you catch meBut you can’tNo, you can’tNo oneNobodyCan ever catch me.I’m uncatchableI’m remarkableI’m unbreakableI’m unshakeable I’m unstableThe legendaryTerror of the roadFuriousInfuriatingInsultingFast driving PunkI drive the Japanese sportscarThat bright red one with the big pipesThe one that cut you offDarted in and out, back and forthLane to laneAll the sameMade you breathe my fumesMade you listen to my Social Distortion tunesYou hate meYou know you doYou’d blast me with rocketsMachine gun me to utter annihilationDemand the fates pelt down fierce brimstoneIf you couldI do 90 in a 35 zoneWhiz through the orange conesLike I ownThe roadEndangering your stabilityAnd tranquilityAn

Roomies Original College HumorGoing away to college and residing in a dorm is an opportunity to learn to live with differences. Roommates can learn how to accommodate the needs of others. However, what happens when the roomie you are assigned to live with proves so different that it almost seems as if he came from another planet. You ask for help in dealing with Seth, but the university can’t provide any.“OK, if the University won’t help me, then it is up to me. Be ready, Seth, for total war.I have long been a fan of the James Bond 007 movies. So, my first plans turn to slicing Seth up with a powerful space laser, or maybe filling our dorm room with saltwater and then bringing in a bevy of very hungry tiger sharks. Alligators would work too. Maybe even piranha. Then, there’s that great Clint Eastwood movie where he climbs a mountain with a group of men who, one by one, mysteriously keep falling off their ropes. He didn’t know which one was his target, so, one-by-one, he eliminated them all. Long w

Special Monkey MagicFeaturing Jiminy, the Organ Grinder’s Monkey and the Carousel Cartoon Company of Chicago In October 1934, during the very worst of the Great Depression, Jiminy, the ever-inquisitive, always impulsive, and incredibly funny Organ Grinder’s monkey died. He died because the company that his three creators had founded to give Jiminy fun things to get into had failed. The Carousel Cartoon Company of Chicago was no more.To say that a cartoon character died may not be accurate. To die means that you once were alive. Some would argue that Jiminy was just some India ink lines on a sheet of transparent celluloid. He did not have blood or lungs or a heart. He only did what his animators made him do. He had no will of his own. Alec, Hugh, and Charles would strongly disagree. Jiminy may have not had a heart or lungs or blood, but Jiminy most definitely had a will of his own. He had strong opinions, strong preferences, and equally intense dislikes.Jiminy was easy to draw. Once a gag had been create

City of 4,000 Spies: Trip Home After a short hiatus, Appaloosa Radio has begun production on Season Two of its Podcast. We begin Season Two by offering a new story from the City of 4000 Spies series.This time Noble Son Dusko Rarrko is in the very distant Ganna 40 Sector on a very hush-hush assignment of an unspecified nature He is working for a sponsoring entity that carries out actions of an indeterminate kind.Then, he receives a secret message from PNB7Q. “Return home immediately on first available transport.”Unfortunately, the only available transport is a very slow cargo klunker, designed for carrying extremely heavy loads to and from the mines. It carries passengers only as a necessary courtesy. Sixteen seats. No food. No drink. No entertainment.Rarrko must spend the next 96 earth revolutions trapped in a 20-meter by 20-meter, very bare-bones passenger comparment with fifteen strangers, bound together by their boredom and monotony. It turns out to be, as he says later, “a most eventful trip.”Th

City of 4,000 Spies: Trip Home After a short hiatus, Appaloosa Radio has begun production on Season Two of its Podcast. We begin Season Two by offering a new story from the City of 4000 Spies series.This time Noble Son Dusko Rarrko is in the very distant Ganna 40 Sector on a very hush-hush assignment of an unspecified nature He is working for a sponsoring entity that carries out actions of an indeterminate kind.Then, he receives a secret message from PNB7Q. “Return home immediately on first available transport.”Unfortunately, the only available transport is a very slow cargo klunker, designed for carrying extremely heavy loads to and from the mines. It carries passengers only as a necessary courtesy. Sixteen seats. No food. No drink. No entertainment.Rarrko must spend the next 96 earth revolutions trapped in a 20-meter by 20-meter, very bare-bones passenger comparment with fifteen strangers, bound together by their boredom and monotony. It turns out to be, as he says later, “a most eventful trip.”Th

25th Episode!The Appaloosa Radio Podcast has just posted its 25th episode, bringing Season 1 production to a close.We have shared some new stories and some old favorites, including Nell Trustmon’s Broken Tree Tales, Jonas Chartogaro’s Lies & Detection, and a newly re-written City of 4000 Spies. Take your choice: western ghost towns, nefarious atomic spy rings, or Dusko Rarrko, the second son of the Nineteenth Great Nobleman of Sassko.We threw in OSKAR 44-070-256, Lauren’s “EeKK//” and a real-life police show, and several terrific personal dramas from the “Through Panes of Glass” collection.A very diverse first season! We are also pleased that the Appaloosa Radio Podcast can be accessed through: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podfriend, Castro, Castbox, and Overcast.We are busy developing stories for Season Two.As always, we welcome story ideas and audio scripts. Jim Mounts-Miller, our Principal Creative Producer (PCP) enjoys receiving your comments and suggestions. Here is his per

He Done Her Wrong ---Alma shoots JoeA Nell Trustmon Story from her magazine, Broken Tree Tales In June 1909, the daughter of one of California’s first ‘gold bugs’ shot her fiancée, the son of a wealthy Portuguese fruit grower.  Alma Pike shot Joe Armez. “Flying over the pretty little mining town of Auburn, California I immediately saw the Courthouse. It is situated on a hilltop that can be seen for miles. Its classic dome gleamed in the afternoon sun. Even from the air, I thought it was an immense showpiece. When it was built in 1898, the building included four state-of-the-art jail cells. The four cells were adequate for a courthouse that typically handled only a dozen criminal cases a year. What no one ever thought of was that maybe (just maybe) the Courthouse might have to sometimes house a female prisoner. When a criminal case involving a woman charged with murder occurred in the summer of 1909, there was no place to house her. So, the County created a special cell for her under the main sta

Original Genius of Pure BrillianceNew York, 2017 International Association for Mathematics conference“Ladies and gentlemen. The International Association for Mathematics announces its Lifetime Achievement Award to a gifted mathematician whose work has revolutionized nearly every branch of contemporary mathematics. When I say “W. H. N. Goldman” you know I speak of virtuosity, of original thought, of insightful breakthrough logic. When I say “W. H. N. Goldman” you know I speak of one of the modern pioneers of our discipline, a thinker without whom we would not be able to do contemporary mathematics. When I say “W. H. N. Goldman” you know I speak of an individual of extraordinary brilliance. A mind of unlimited capacity. A master mathematician.We are pleased this evening that Dr. Goldman is joining us for a talk.”A tall woman wearing a pure white sarong and with extremely long gray hair trailing below her waist comes to the platform and accepts the microphone from the host. Her voice is both con

Appaloosa Radio ProductionsOffers An original audio drama Thief!My cousin, Danny, is a thief.  I know that is not a nice thing to say about a relative, especially a close relative like my Aunt Vivien’s only son. I am Italian and we just don’t say bad things about family. Unfortunately, the truth is, my cousin Danny Mariano was a thief. I don’t mean, an occasional thief, one who steals ever so often. Nor do I mean an opportunistic thief, one who steals when a chance situation presents itself. No, I mean a perpetual, life-long, unrepentant thief, one who steals from everyone, all the time.He could have been so much more. He was tall, strong, and extremely good looking. Intelligent and very likeable. He could sell anything to anyone.But he was a thief. It damaged him and nearly destroyed our family.Now ---“Danny Mariano is a thief who is dying. He cannot undo what he has already done. He cannot now become someone other than who he is.  Still, I think he is seeking, seeking your forgiveness and your

City of 4,000 Spies:  Episode 3I am Jooonni Rona:“Cadet Squad Leader Rona EN Beelzie reporting as requested, Sir.”Commander:“You may stand at ease Cadet Squad Leader. “I have been reviewing the performance of this epoch’s graduating class. I am pleased to share that Squad CVZ-678 had the overall highest marks, and most importantly, the highest rate of graduation success of any cadet squad. “Congratulations on your excellent leadership.”Rona:“Thank you, Sir. We have worked extremely hard to perform at the level that the Empire Sha Yot expects for its military officers.”Commander:“Based on your outstanding performance at the Military Tactics College, I believe you will prove to be an excellent officer for the Empire.”Rona:“Thank you, sir. Your commendation means a great deal to me.”Commander:“I see that your specialization is intelligence.“Cadet, you are about to receive your very first military assignment. It is an assignment that is of utmost importance to the Empire. It is a

City of 4000 SpiesEpisode TwoThe BeastDusko Rarrko, the second son of the Nineteenth Great Nobleman of Sassko, was probably Lell’s most recognizable spy. He was handsome, athletic, and ingenious. He wore flashy high-end fashion and drove a speeder that broke 1.75. He was seldom seen without a bevy of beautiful females and was often described with that old-fashioned word “playboy” (although no one seemed to know what it meant).He looked the part of a spy. He moved in the nuanced way that spies moved. If you asked him, “what is your occupation?”, he would smugly smile and say, “I am a spy, of course.” If you would follow up with another question, “who are you spying for?” he would again smirk, “Whoever pays me the most.”However, he was already wealthy beyond imagination.”Recently, his routine changed. Now, every morning, he rose early,and took the pleasure boat out to the small Island in the remarkable Lake of The Many Colors. He brought with him a sack lunch and a hat to protect him fr

Appaloosa Radio offersHank’s MurderBased on an actual murder case, fictionalized for this audio drama“I am Allen Nehering, a retired Detective from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. I was the Lead Detective for the investigation of Henry Triffitti’s murder. On August 12, 1974, we received a 9-1-1 call.”“My son-in-law, Hank, has been murdered. His head has been cut clean off. There is blood everywhere. I mean everywhere. He was murdered.”“I knew immediately that whoever killed Hank Triffitti had to be a massive man. Hank was nearly six feet tall and weighed 179 pounds. I believe that Hank Triffitti had been killed with a single blow. One blow with a sharp weapon that both took off his head and sliced through his left forearm.”“The owner of Hank’s Gourmet Market he built it into a considerable success. He was now very wealthy. His wife Kailiani and her lover Malachi Taub had the most to gain from his murder.

City of 4000 Spies Episode One- The Mineral of InformationIt was not his first time visiting the City-by-the-Lake. Indeed, he had been coming to Lell ever since be began his career as a professional spy, some many assignments ago.But, this time, it served his purpose, to appear to be a first-time visitor, a wide-eyed provincial from the distant, rural sectors. He even chose a cover name that aptly expressed his new identity. His identity device now gave his name as Bruzch Jes Bumpkin, a purveyor of exotic materials, traveling from a sector of no military or economic value. A nobody from a nowhere place.On many previous trips, he had been easily recognizable as Dosko Rarrko, the second son of the Nineteenth Great Nobleman of Sassko. His arrival was always a media event. He wore the latest, very flashy, high-end fashion. He was nearly always accompanied by a bevy of beautiful females. He moved in the nuanced way that spies moved. He was frequently seen at the gaming tables, wagering many hundreds of thousands

The Denver paramedics were there in just a few minutes. They begin to provide the homeless woman with medical car, and then the loaded her onto a gurney and rolled her into the ambulance. They grabbed Beckie’s coat and threw it over the homeless woman.I expected Beckie to speak up, to say, please leave my coat. She didn’t. Later, when I asked her why she had not spoken up, asking the paramedics to leave her coat, she simply said, she needed it more than me.Here was Beckie Blake standing in the cold, at night, watching her nice coat go away. I could see her shivering, but she did not say anything.A couple days later, Beckie went to a second-hand store and bought herself another coat. This coat was not nice. It had tears and stains, holes in the pockets. It had a wild floral, almost hippy pattern. Certainly, not something that a woman as conservatively dressing as Beckie Blake would wear. The worst thing about this coat was that it had a distinctive smell. We all could tell immediately whenever Beckie cam

Beckie had come to Arvada to be close enough to her sons so they could visit her on weekends. Unfortunately, the visitations did not go well.Beckie’s tiny studio apartment was crowded and in a not-too-nice area. Everyone was crammed into a small space; two of the boys slept on the floor. The youngest shared his mother’s bed. She did not have cable TV, video games, a basketball court, four-wheel drive ATVs for whizzing through the forest, or a pool with a diving board for doing tricks. Beckie did not ski or snowboard. She drove an old car. Most importantly, she cooked food they no longer liked. Beckie still like to fry eggs in grease, make baloney sandwiches, and serve chocolate milk.It was a pain for any of the guys to spend the weekend at their mother’s place. They complained often and loudly. They were disrespectful to her, calling her names to her face. Once she become so angry that she slapped one of the guys. None wanted to come back to her house ever again.As the visitations diminished, Beckie be

Dry Wheat Stubble -  Chapter 4 – Lousy LawyersBased on a true story. Six chapters.Mrs. Beckie Parnell Blake thought she was married for life with the perfect husband and three incredible sons. Then, one day while at her job she received an unexpected phone call. One that changed her life.“Mrs. Beckie Blake, I am Lisa Paternino and I am in love with your stud husband. He loves me too. So, we’re going to get married. He’s going to divorce you, so he can be all mine. He has such a great body. So warm. So sexy. I just love it when he touches me . . . .”Sitting in a darkened room monitoring their sixth conjugal visit, prison Sergeant Jeff Blake, overcome by intense emotion, decided to act. As Lisa Paternino started to leave the visitation center, he handed her a note. It simply said, “Call me and we can get together.” It gave her his home phone number. ~~~Jeff Blake reached for her hand and gently brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Miss Lisa Murray, will you marry me?”“Mr. Jeffrey Robert

Dry Wheat StubbleBased on a true story. Six chapters.Mrs. Beckie Parnell Blake thought she was married for life with the perfect husband and three incredible sons. Then, one day while at her job she received an unexpected phone call. One that changed her life.“Mrs. Beckie Blake, I am Lisa Paternino and I am in love with your stud husband. He loves me too. So, we’re going to get married. He’s going to divorce you, so he can be all mine. He has such a great body. So warm. So sexy. I just love it when he touches me . . . .”In the thousands of times that Beckie Blake mentally replayed the call from Lisa Paternino, she said she always heard the conversation end with a distinctive witches’ cackle.Of course, that wasn’t true. Lisa was not a witch. She had no magical powers. She didn’t have a caldron in which she mixed special potions. It was Beckie’s mind playing tricks on her. Beckie would never call another woman a witch. That would not be a Christian thing to say. But, deep in Beckie’s innermo

Dry Wheat StubbleBased on a true story. Six chapters.Mrs. Beckie Parnell Blake thought she was married for life with the perfect husband and three incredible sons. Then, one day while at her job she received an unexpected phone call. One that changed her life.“Mrs. Beckie Blake, I am Lisa Paternino and I am in love with your stud husband. He loves me too. So, we’re going to get married. He’s going to divorce you, so he can be all mine. He has such a great body. So warm. So sexy. I just love it when he touches me . . . .”In the thousands of times that Beckie Blake mentally replayed the call from Lisa Paternino, she said she always heard the conversation end with a distinctive witches’ cackle.Of course, that wasn’t true. Lisa was not a witch. She had no magical powers. She didn’t have a caldron in which she mixed special potions. It was Beckie’s mind playing tricks on her. Beckie would never call another woman a witch. That would not be a Christian thing to say. But, deep in Beckie’s innermo

Dry Wheat StubbleBased on a true story. Six chapters.Mrs. Beckie Parnell Blake thought she was married for life with the perfect husband and three incredible sons. Then, one day while at her job she received an unexpected phone call. One that changed her life.“Mrs. Beckie Blake, I am Lisa Paternino and I am in love with your stud husband. He loves me too. So, we’re going to get married. He’s going to divorce you, so he can be all mine. He has such a great body. So warm. So sexy. I just love it when he touches me . . . .”In the thousands of times that Beckie Blake mentally replayed the call from Lisa Paternino, she said she always heard the conversation end with a distinctive witches’ cackle.Of course, that wasn’t true. Lisa was not a witch. She had no magical powers. She didn’t have a caldron in which she mixed special potions. It was Beckie’s mind playing tricks on her. Beckie would never call another woman a witch. That would not be a Christian thing to say. But, deep in Beckie’s innermo

Magnetic Woman - A Lies & Detection EpisodeJonas interviews Juliet Stuart Poyntz"There are people who literally are magnetic, who wherever they go or whatever they do, they draw others to them. My guest for this episode is a genuinely magnetic person.I believe it is because of her personal magnetism, that the Communist Party came to flourish in the United States during the years before World War II. I now believe that without the presence and the work of Juliet Stuart Poyntz, the Communist left in the US would have remained a sorry collection of complainers, dreamers, and cranks. She was the co-founder of the American Communist Party.  She brought discipline, focus, organization, and key people to it.Much later when she began her secret career as an active Soviet spy, she proved herself to be the most effective KGB/GRU spy working in the Americas.The Encyclopedia Britannica lists her as: a ·        Suffragist·        Feminist·        trade union organizer·        socialist·       

In Josie’s BibleGlued inside a grandmother’s Bible is a newspaper clipping with a poem on it. During the Second World War, when the conflict and rationing made many things scarce, some women shared poems clipped from the newspapers instead of sending greeting cards or letters. An investigation leads to the discovery of the poetry of James J. Metcalfe, the most popular of these newspaper poets. In the early 1950s, Metcalfe’s poems were read by more daily readers than other newspaper stalwarts, including gossip columnists Walter Winchell, Hedda Hopper, and Louella Parsons; the cartoons of Dick Tracy and Little Orphan Annie; and the advice columnists Ann Landers and Dear Abby. Yet today he is wholly unknown.From Portraits by James J. Metcalfe To Bear My Cross I turn to You, almighty God . . . In this my time of grief . . . I do not beg for comfort . . . I do not seek relief . . . I only seek the courage and . . . The strength to bear my sorrow . . .That I may fulfill my place . . . And carry on to

Appaloosa Radio’s “Seldom Seen” ChallengePrincipal contact:  [email protected] The urban video poem runs –The bus was too fullSo, I couldn’t get onI could not go where I always goMy usualMy consistentMy regularNot possibleCould not go where I always goSo, I took a walkTo places often passed byBut never seen Appaloosa Radio is issuing a challenge to its listeners. Find a place “close by” but “seldom seen.” A place in your immediate neighborhood or close to your place of work or your school. A place that is close by you physically, but for whatever reason is a place that you seldom see or visit. Your ordinary, your habitual, your regular means that you go another way.So, our challenge is to find a place, close by, that you seldom see.  Once you have found such places, we invite you to share the stories that you find there with us.Again, these are places close by, but because of your routine, you never interact with. Jim-J is the member of our staff who will be coordinating

In this light-hearted story, Nell Trustmon talks about the Sazerack Lying Club, an invention of newspaper editor Fred D. Hart. His 1878 book outsold all of Mark Twain’s.“This purports to be a book on lies and lying, but it does not treat of the lies of politicians, stock-brokers, newspaper men, authors, and others, who lie for money; neither does it touch on the untruths of scandal, mischief, or malice, but only on those lies which amuse, instruct and elevate, without harm. It is a record of lies told in a club known as the Sazerac Lying Club, whose objects, as its name implies, are lying. A chapter is devoted to the rise, progress, and history of this club, interspersed with these lies. The book contains a number of sketches of odd characters in Nevada, and local narratives of life in Austin, written by the Author, and published from time to time in the columns of the AUSTIN REVEILLE, of which paper the writer has for several years been editor, and which have been clipped from the files of that journal,

Queen of Lies --- Queen of SpiesA Lies and Detection Episode Miss Elizabeth Bentley walked into the New Haven FBI Offices and told the agents that she feared for her life. She said that she had been a spy for the Soviet Union, serving both as a courier who had completed over a thousand dead drops and as the coordinator for multiple networks of spies, working in New York City and in Washington, D.C. However, the NKGB (the predecessor to the KGB) had determined that she was no longer sufficiently reliable. “I knew they no longer trusted me. They no longer needed me. They certainly did not want me. I knew too much. My life was clearly in danger.”During their interviews, the FBI gained her trust, and she began to provide them with detailed information.“Hello, I’m Jonas Chartogaro, a government polygraph examiner with over 25 years of experience. I am also a former New York police officer. AND, I’ll be interviewing Miss Elizabeth Bentley. She was a former Soviet spy whose confessions to the FBI played a

In this episode, Nell Trustmon tells the story of “George” a western piano man who worked closely with the notorious gambler and boxing promoter, Tex Rickard. Tex made his first fortune in the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 1890s, running saloons and gambling houses with his long-time partner Wyatt Earp. With a fortune in hand, Tex Rickard arrived in Goldfield, Nevada where he built Nevada’s largest saloon which he called the Northern. The Northern was so large that it had three stages and forty gambling tables. It also was next to Nevada’s largest brothel which Tex Rickard secretly owned. However, Tex Rickard is most remembered today for staging in September 1906, the prize fight between Oscar “Battling Nelson” and Joe Gans. In so doing, he did what many said was not possible. In less than three months, he put together a championship prize fight that is, today, still regarded one of the greatest ever. And he staged the prize fight just a block from his Northern Saloon in Goldfield, Nevada. To do

Appaloosa Radio is pleased to introduce Nell Trustmon and her collection of Broken Tree Tales Nell Trustmon was a prolific, Western author who journeyed over 300,000 bumpy miles during the early 1950s to gather stories about the forgotten ghost towns of the Old West. She published many of her stories in her own magazine, the Broken Tree Tales. She pushed her red 1947 Mercury (which she named Old Bess) through washed out gullies, up sandhills, and along long-neglected wagon trails. Her only companion in her travels was her collie dog “Prospector.” Nell camped under the stars when the weather permitted or slept in Old Bess when it rained or snowed. She recorded her stories wherever she happened to be on her dependable portable Royal typewriter.Appaloosa Radio has been granted exclusive rights to Nell Trustmon’s Broken Tree Tales. =========The old and very rough pencil sketch is getting hard to make out. It shows a woman’s body lying on a wooden floor. Her pantaloons have been pulled down and she has

The General StrikeFeaturing O.ss.K.ar 44-070-256, Lauren’s personal EeKK//.Imagine a time (in the not-too-distant future) when EeKK//s do all the work.In this episode, Lauren joins a "General Strike" to protest a grave social injustice, and O.ss.K.ar 44-070-256 has to take swift action to prevent harm to her.

Appaloosa Radio is pleased to offer Lies & Detection featuring Senior Polygraph Examiner Jonas Chartogaro.Jonas Chartogaro was a senior government polygraph examiner with over 25 years of experience, who had previously been a New York police officer. He uses his investigatory talents to interview historical figures to ferret out lies and to discover the truth. In this podcast series, Jonas interviews infamous KGB spies of the 1940s. This time he interviews  Soviet Spymaster,  Major General Walter Krivitsky

Appaloosa Radio offers Contemplating Evil An audio story which includes original, period-specific music performed by: the Howlin’ Wolf, Vernon Dalhart, and Billy MurrayAn elderly college professor contemplates the nature of evil after he finds an old photograph proving that his own father had been an instrumental participant in the lynching of Leo Frank, one of Georgia’s most notorious vigilante murders. FICTION.

The morning fog had begun to lift around the pier, and the weekend tourists were starting to leave their hotel rooms for a day at the beach. The one-armed guitar player opened his guitar case and carefully removed his Les Paul Deluxe 3 E X model from its well-padded home. He put one foot on the small bench and then rested the instrument on his knee. Some would say that it was remarkable that he could do so much with only his left arm, but for him the routine was ordinary. He held the guitar close to his chest with his chin and then fastened the strap. Once the guitar was secure, he lowered his foot to the ground and stood erect, checking to make certain that everything was comfortable.It was time to begin his daily show. He plugged the guitar to his battery-powered amplifier. Speaking softly to his guitar, he said, “Time, my sweet, for beautiful music.” He began a soft jazz riff matching his mood and the weather.

I was a rich, white girl who had never chosen to marry. Many of my fellow Southern women would have called me a spinster. I was Miss Hellen Elizabeth Stanberry when I was born and that is how I died. But lonely, I was not. I lived a satisfying (and sexually fulfilling) life of my own choosing. And I did it while teaching school in Ashe County, North Carolina, a forlorn place of high poverty, and limited vistas.I was a rich girl, the oldest daughter of the lumber baron, S. O. Stanberry. He had sawmills all over western North Carolina, was a partner in the region’s principal railroad, and owned our town’s only bank. He drove either a flashy Packard or a dependable Cadillac. Our neighbors (and employees) drove old, rusted Model T trucks. We had a large, three-story white frame house with central heating and three large bathrooms. Our neighbors (and employees) lived in shanties with potbelly stoves and outhouses built right over their creeks.My father was a high order Mason, so he was known, and welcomed ever