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Halloween Showdown

It had been a week in coming and just about everybody knew there was trouble brewing in Tombstone.  Yes sir-ree.  See, there was these two young cowboys, Quickdraw and Sureshot, who just couldn’t get along for love nor marbles. But they’d agreed on one thing, by golly, and that was to have a showdown right in front of Big Nose Kate’s on the last night of the month of October – which just so happened to be Halloween.  

Dustin and Ole Blue

  

One thing about Ole Blue, he speaks his mind, or Dustin’s, that is. For the past six years Dustin and Ole Blue have talked over a lot of subjects. Dustin feels like he can trust his pet rat. He has often told Ole Blue that everyone needs someone whom he can confide in.

Depression is a visitor who comes for breakfast and stays through dinner. Often this unwanted guest would visit Dustin. Like a black cloud over a long awaited picnic, depression would come and pester Dustin. Knowing that he had one true friend, Dustin would turn to Ole Blue for comfort.  

Lessons Come to Cotton’s Place

I was dismayed when I arrived at Bella’s stall and she stood alone. But I could sense that Blue was nearby or at least, had been.  I turned and nearly screamed to find Blue standing behind me! How did he keep doing that?

“Hi.” I managed to squeak “I - I came to help. If you want, that is…” my voice trailed off.

Blue merely nodded and handed me a brush as his gazed lingered on my face long enough to make me blush.  It was my first encounter with Bella since that fateful night and when he saw my hesitation, Blue gave a nod of encouragement and we brushed in silence for a while. 

Beanie’s Not Afraid

Haunted Forest

I’m not afraid of bats, neither is Frito. It’s just that things that fly around in the night that are small and dark and not a bird, look a little scary. But I don’t think about that on Halloween because I’m a Ninja! Ninjas don’t get scared and they share their candy—especially with grown-ups. Frito can’t have any candy ‘cause he’s a dog and might get sick, so he gets special dog treats when I have special treats like candy.     

Me and Frito take a flashlight when we go out in case there’s no moon and things look dark and different, like bony fingers waving or crouching bushy bears. The flashlight shows it’s only trees and plants and so we’re not afraid. Besides, I’m a Ninja. Can you guess which one I am?

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Stream Pebbles

Reflections...

A much favored summer event in the southwest is not even a holiday, but a long-awaited and often miss-predicted season of rejuvenating rain which can transfix or terrorize, depending on where a person happens to be during a powerful storm. Still, we wait all year for monsoon and once it begins we become avid daily sky-watchers, each of us hoping it’ll rain at our house.

July is most certainly America’s month, most notably the 4^th of July and all it stands for. I’m surprised we don’t celebrate the entire month! But let’s not forget other historical events such as Neil Armstrong landing on the moon (1969), the US Postal System was established (1775) and the Rosetta stone was discovered (No, not the language-learning program) by an officer in Napoleon’s army (1799). 

 

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a 1600 pound slab of black granite, inscribed in three different languages, was an important key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and thereby revealing hitherto unknown history. The stone was appropriated by the British and has remained the most visited object in the British Museum ever since.  Though the name Rosetta Stone basically applies to any key to a mystery, the language-learning program company uses it as registered trademark term.   ancienthistory.about.com

Disneyland celebrates another birthday in July! In fifty-eight years the entrance fee has risen only ninety-eight dollars! Not too awful when you think of it that way, huh? In addition to all the rides and attractions there are numerous fun facts that you might not see no matter how many times you visit. For instance, did you know real human bones were used for the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride? Some still remain.  Walt Disney’s opening speech: “To all who have come to Disneyland, welcome…” is continuously played in Morse code near the train station.  What will you discover next time you go?   Sara Tennant - suite101.com

It is National Recreation Month, folks. And we’re probably going to need it after we celebrate days for Fried Chicken, Chocolate, Sugar Cookie, Ice cream, Lasagna and Cheesecake! Good thing we can enjoy all this while celebrating aunts, uncles, parents, cows – and pot-bellied pigs! I’m sure we’ll all

give a thought to Cheering up the lonely (11^th), I know I will.

As always we appreciate your comments and submissions and look forward to sharing your summer adventures! Until next time, enjoy this edition of Streampebbles!

diedre Knight

streampebbles.com

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

~ Emilie Buchwald

Beanie's Backyard

Sneaky Lizard

Sometimes things just get lost; a pencil, toy or shoe. And sometimes you find them when you’re not even looking! Discover how Beanie finds a lost toy and just what helps him do it!

 Available Now at:

booklocker.com/books/6485.html

amazon.com/books

barnes&noble.com

April at Streampebbles.com

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Welcome to April at Streampebbles.com! In this issue the story resumes at Memory Lane of Richie’s Footsteps through life in an orphanage to joining the military, Leon Stewart offers a story we can all relate to in Maybe I shouldn’t have… Three friends find they have more to learn in The Principal’s principle. And much more for our younger readers!

Spring has gloriously sprung in southern Arizona! Vibrant colors have exploded in backyard havens and along less-traveled roadways; artfully re-decorating winter’s drab terrain for as far as the eye can see; beckoning butterflies, delighting Bees and Hummingbirds while offering that special palpable sense of newness that only spring can share! And I know I’m not alone as I embrace this seasonal splendor with watery eyes and rejoice between sneezes! 

In the New England/Great Lakes area the Native Americans call April the month of the Pink Moon for the abundance of pink wildflowers. Looks like we can look forward to a Pink Moon in southern Arizona as well!

April celebrations include a few of my personal favorites such as National Poetry Month, Library Week and Children’s Book Day. And isn’t it fitting to have a National Lawn & Garden Month along with National Straw Hat Month? They’ve reserved an entire week for Read a Road Map. Does anyone even own one anymore? Can you just imagine how the world would sound on International Moment of Laughter Day? I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the idea of National Honesty Day is embraced by those who should. And a big shout out to every persevering, miracle working, secret keeping, fact & file finding expert on Administrative Assistant’s Day!

April is a promise that May is bound to keep ~ Hal Borland

Happy April, Everyone!

diedre Knight

Creating Beanie

It’s surprising how many times I’ve been asked how I came up with the name ‘Beanie”. Truth is the inquisitive young character came to be long before he ever had a name! He’d made discoveries, laughed and cried and even named his own dog before it occurred to me that my little adventurer did not yet have a name!

The subject consumed me for weeks while I fretted about what – and even whether – to name him. Nothing seemed to fit, no name seemed right until one day I mentioned my dilemma to a workmate who may not have been a fan of children’s literature but was kind enough to listen. Balling up a candy wrapper and making a dramatic bank shot into the trash can he said simply “Beanie.”. I thought about it for a good long minute before I knew that was it! 

In fact the naming of Beanie (at last) resulted in the decision to compile his adventures into his own chapter book: Beanie’s Backyard.