Sand Pilarski
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News
Spring Plantings on the Wharf
San Francisco's spring flowers
Babe in the Big City
Touring San Francisco on your own
Manteca Police Dog Trials
K9 units compete in Manteca
Santa Cruzin'
Part one of a three part series on dining and vacationing in Santa Cruz, California.
Santa Cruzin'
Part two of a three part series on dining and vacationing in the idyllic coastal town of Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruzin'
Part three of a three part series on dining and vacationing in Santa Cruz, California.
Thank God It's Over! Party
Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo, throws a TGIO party in San Francisco every year, and guess who he actually knows exist?
Waves at Pacifica
Winter storms have been chilling the West Coast. Intrepid reporter Sand makes sure the wines and appetizers are weathering the winter okay.
42nd Annual Camellia Cavalcade
Second weekend in March -- time for the Camellia Show!
Happy 16th Anniversary!
Goodness, it's hard to believe that the Managing Editor used to be that much younger...!
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Comics
Sere Poesey
Cartoon art a la Kliban
Fever Dreams 001
Forget about Burt's Bees. It's Bert's cockroaches you need to worry about.
Fever Dreams 002
Dog collars generally don't count when the invitation reads "Black tie only."
Fever Dreams 003
Howard Hughes: Aviator, movie producer, billionaire, turned scary old guy. Still has a way with the women, though.
Fever Dreams 008
Vintage Fever Dreams! Edwin slips a few last-minute gifts into his mother-in-law's carry-on to ensure a memorable flight.
Fever Dreams 006
Maybe Reading Rainbows should not include "Fear of Flying."
Fever Dreams 007
An inexplicable paranormal phenomenon made Mr. Smith's secretary disrespect him.
Fever Dreams 009
Behind the scenes at the Percy Platypus Puppet Place, the infamous dictator makes a decision to improve TV ratings...
Fever Dreams 011
Jeb and Marv find a solution to the age-old question of, "Is it dead, or is it just playing dead?"
Fever Dreams 012
It was only when he began to invite his friends that Babs minded her cat watching her take a bath.
Fever Dreams 013
Fashion fantasies versus the grim realities...
Fever Dreams 014
The number one reason to never flush small reptiles into the sewer.
Fever Dreams 015
Mysteries of the deep.
Fever Dreams 016
Midway through the Jones contract, did a bee fly into Ms. Barnes' blouse, or did she simply decide to seek employment elsewhere? We report, you decide.
Fever Dreams 017
Little Red Riding Hood hires Nunzio to be her new best friend.
Fever Dreams 018
Playing Dungeoness and Dragons.
Fever Dreams 019
The origins of war.
Fever Dreams 020
Mr. Smith should have known better than to get his secretary the good paper shredder.
Fever Dreams 021
Casual Fridays in the Antarctic.
Fever Dreams 022
Why kangaroos should never wear garter belts.
Fever Dreams 024
Kitty learns not to play in the fish tank.
Fever Dreams 025
Elves only get the week after Christmas off for vacation.
Fever Dreams 027
The Man in the Moon and Raiders receiver Randy Moss gets a message.
Fever Dreams 028
The only reason crocodiles buy vegetables.
Fever Dreams 029
Some appliances speak the secret language of animals.
Fever Dreams 030
A zebra's question ruins a beautiful friendship.
Fever Dreams 031
Billy Bob done saved us all!
Fever Dreams 032
Another fashion statement. Don't they look in a mirror?
Fever Dreams 033
Even the captain of the Nautilus had days where he muttered to himself, "Stupid squid."
Fever Dreams 034
Playing dead won't get you out of housework.
Fever Dreams 035
Commemorating the inventor of product warning labels.
Fever Dreams 036
The Future of Medical Help
Fever Dreams 037
A serious case of ponies envy...
Fever Dreams 038
The last not-so-funny joke by the royal sculptor Dumbhotep
Fever Dreams 010
The day indoor plumbing became cost effective.
Fever Dreams 039
Combatting the Rising Costs of Medical Care
Fever Dreams 040
Unmarketable Toys
Fever Dreams 041
Normally, Little Red Riding Hood knew better than to check the mail before breakfast.
Fever Dreams 042
Trapped in a relationship...
Fever Dreams 043
When unicorns quit smoking ...
Fever Dreams 044
The problem with teenage girl mummies ...
Fever Dreams 045
Flamingos with nothing better to do.
Fever Dreams 046
On impulse, Rhonda decides to spend the extra fifty and have the hairdresser kacked
Fever Dreams 047
Summer in the Jungle
Fever Dreams 048
Flying Fish
Fever Dreams 049
An injudicious mouse about to find the answer to his question...
Fever Dreams 005
Vintage Fever Dreams! It was an exceptionally hot summer in Pillsbury, and the doughboy went bad.
Fever Dreams 050
What suicide bombers don't seem to understand
Fever Dreams 051
It's no different in the insect world...
Fever Dreams 052
Bethie has no idea how to solve her ant problem.
Peek of the Week 01
Our image of the week - a photo of fortnight lilies.
Fever Dreams 053
Wrong time to lift the camera ...
Fever Dreams 054
The mathematics of cat ownership!
Peek of the Week 03
Oil painting, portrait of Babe and Howie
Fever Dreams 055
Junk Dogs of Two Types...
Peek of the Week 05
A red dragonfly visits the garden
Fever Dreams 056
Some studies show that thought processes differentiate between males and females at an early age.
Fever Dreams 057
Now we know why the rent was so cheap!
Fever Dreams 058
The tragic delusions of small appliances
Fever Dreams 060
How your cat sees you.
Fever Dreams 061
Mabel was naive enough to believe that Zeke would never change.
Fever Dreams 062
Lucy has found the best beach in the entire world.
Fever Dreams 063
Despite their dismal record, ticket sales at Oakland remained brisk.
Fever Dreams 064
A disguise that almost worked ...
Peek of the Week 013
Stunning intricacy of an anemone.
Fever Dreams 065
There's a new girl in town, and she's turning heads at the Monster Party!
Fever Dreams 066
Sure, they call him the "King of the Jungle" but you know his secret ...
Fever Dreams 067
Of course she's a real psychic...
Peek of the Week 016
The "Angel Trumpet" flower emits a strong fragrance -- but only between dusk and dawn.
Peek of the Week 017
Monarch butterflies cling to a eucalyptus branch at Natural Bridges State Park, California.
Fever Dreams 068
At dinner, Herbert realized his wife was right -- Junior did marry a pig.
Fever Dreams 070
Each year, Marge decorated with her favorite symbols of the Christmas season.
Fever Dreams 071
Sometimes you just have to call 'em as you see 'em.
Fever Dreams 072
Rattlesnake Christmas
Peek of the Week 022
Kwanzaa celebrates the richness of Pan-African family, community, and culture. Digital photograph of an oil painting (1985) by Sand Pilarski.
Fever Dreams 073
After the holiday dinner, Madge is unfortunately reminded of the old adage, "You are what you eat."
Fever Dreams 074
On New Year's Eve, it's easy to make all kinds of resolutions. Two days later, though, it's much easier to take a nap.
Peek of the Week 024
A memory of summer's warmth reflected in the colors of a turk's cap lily.
Fever Dreams 076
Although she knew it was wrong, Mr. Smith's secretary still often fantasized about him.
Fever Dreams 077
Bad backyard birding tips: Mr. Smedley has found a way to attract the elusive ferruginous hawk to his yard.
Fever Dreams 078
Shoes for pinheads, 2006
Fever Dreams 079
Mrs. Gott trudged to fill her bird feeder every winter day, accompanied by her faithful kitty.
Fever Dreams Valentine
The worst question you can hear from your sweetie ...
Fever Dreams 080
Although she told co-workers it was just a minor case of spontaneous human combustion, Zelda finally had to admit she wore too much perfume.
Fever Dreams 081
The futility of gang warfare.
Fever Dreams 082
Prozac laundry day.
Fever Dreams 083
Why do sandhill cranes dance?
Fever Dreams 084
Another unexpectedly successful experiment in the search for clean energy.
Fever Dreams 085
An April Fools' Day joke about to go very wrong ...
Fever Dreams 086
Horace the Fly grew spider plants just for the ego trip.
Fever Dreams 087
Passing thoughts -- insights or insults?
Fever Dreams 088
Pterodactyl Poetry.
Fever Dreams 059
Aarrr ... can't ye tell it be Monday? (Originally appeared 2005-09-19)
Fever Dreams 075
Harold decided to do what his wife told him and take out the trash. (Originally appeared 2006-01-09)
Fever Dreams 004
An aerial view of a "big" showdown. An obese woman is surprised by a cat.
Fever Dreams 089
Despite assertiveness training, Hans the Rug could not keep people from walking all over him.
Fever Dreams 090
A woman must dress in a professional manner to succeed in business.
Fever Dreams 091
Kickoff of the summer games, and the little guys are winning.
The Many Faces of George 01
George Washington, the graffiti series: Angry George!
Fever Dreams 092
Despite many years of responsible wage earning, Gerald got no respect.
The Many Faces of George 02
George Washington, the graffiti series: Goofy George!
Fever Dreams 093
During Summer, Mort regretted being a ninja.
Fever Dreams 023
Thoughts of the mysterious praying mantis revealed!
The Many Faces of George 03
George Washington, the graffiti series! This week, Worried George.
The Many Faces of George 04
A child with an unspent dollar bill and a big imagination can find someone to talk to -- maybe even the Big Guy himself.
Fever Dreams 094
Different styles, different opinions. Do you like what you see in the mirror?
The Many Faces of George 05
George Washington knows that in matters of love, men must stick together. No matter what happens.
Fever Dreams 095
Deer in the headlights moment vs. Skunk in the headlights moment.
The Many Faces of George 06
"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." Yes, George Washington really said that. Maybe he wouldn't approve of how we view hemp nowadays.
Fever Dreams 096
Never rush the artist.
The Many Faces of George 07
Some men don't look good in certain beards. George receives one that he finds unflattering.
Fever Dreams 097
Fashion design meets public safety.
The Many Faces of George 08
George was around in the Sixties, wasn't he? There were a lot of fans of cannabis then, but they didn't call it hemp any more ...
Fever Dreams 098
Don't let appearances fool you -- they're tougher than you think.
Fever Dreams 099
It's always tough to wrap around all those Monday morning workloads.
The Many Faces of George 09
At times, you can be assured, George Washington is a master of disguise ...
The Many Faces of George 10
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," they say. Especially a woman with a pen.
Fever Dreams 100
Pink is the new black?
The Many Faces of George 11
Uncompleted graffiti provides inspiration for a working student of the arts.
Fever Dreams 101
How flies seem in August.
The Many Faces of George 12
Ohhh, Incognito George!
Fever Dreams Classic
Maybe a reading rainbow ought not to include "Fear of Flying."
Peek of the Week 056
Playing with the colors of a dragonfly is fun!
The Many Faces of George 13
George, sometimes you should know when to keep your advice to yourself.
Fever Dreams 102
The early beginnings of the hard core women's liberation movement.
Fever Dreams 103
At the restaurant with the woman who wears too much perfume.
The Many Faces of George 14
Ooh - la - la, George!
Peek of the Week 058
A double red hibiscus catches the afternoon sun.
The Many Faces of George 15
He who does not read comic books is condemned to be in one...
Fever Dreams 104
How toad phobias get started
The Many Faces of George 16
Ahoy, maties, there be a great Captain on board!
Fever Dreams Classic
Fever Dreams Classic Captain Nemo
Fever Dreams 107
Sometimes people can't even see what's in front of their faces.
Fever Dreams 108
The Woman Who Wears Too Much Perfume will live a long life.
Peek of the Week 063
The heart of a rose
Fever Dreams 109
Mondays in Cartoon Land
Fever Dreams 110
According to folklore...
Fever Dreams 111
Prime time TV Land...
Fever Dreams 112
That sweater appeared out of the darkness...
Fever Dreams 113
Due to unexpected injury, the left hand of the artist submits a guest cartoon
Peek of the Week 069
Fall color in California -- Gaillardia
Peek of the Week 074
What better way to start the year than with a cute puppy?
Peek of the Week 077
Sun warms a winter lemon.
Fever Dreams 118
Why divas always perform with arms upraised.
Fever Dreams 119
One last snort...
Fever Dreams 120
A valentine for an unseasonably warm day.
Peek of the Week 082
Almond Blossoms in Ripon, California
Fever Dreams 121
How love happens...
Fever Dreams 122
The woman who thinks she's better than anyone else gets a visit from the mirror fairy.
Fever Dreams 123
Mixed messages at the dinner table.
Fever Dreams 124
Before there were teeth-whitening strips, there was ...
Fever Dreams 069
Nerdak picks the wrong end for first contact. (Originally appeared 11-28-2005)
Peek of the Week 089
Tiger Swallowtail in Spring
Peek of the Week 094
A view of the intricate cluster of blossoms on a palm tree.
Peek of the Week 098
A young kildeer photographed while following his parent along the sidewalk.
Peek of the Week 101
A stormy summer Wyoming evening sky.
Fever Dreams 126
Billy knew his life had changed when his oatmeal became sentient.
Peek of the Week 102
Rain on the droughty Pennsylvania roadways
Fever Dreams 127
Careers in advertising for today's youth.
Peek of the Week 106
Morning light catches elderberry blossoms.
Peek of the Week 107
Hot air blloon on a summer morning.
Peek of the Week 110
A flamingo feeds at the Sacramento Zoo.
Peek of the Week 113
A mockingbird peers in a studio window.
Peek of the Week 117
Along Interstate 80 between Rawlins, Wyoming and Salt Lake City, Utah, amazing rock structures stand in the desert.
Peek of the Week 123
A Christmas Goldfinch
Peek of the Week 126
Brilliant colors adorn an ornamental pear leaf.
Peek of the Week 128
The toad appears again, usurping the place of the groundhog in announcing the coming of spring.
Peek of the Week 131
Droplets of water ornament a fern pine.
Peek of the Week 134
Cherry blossoms in California.
Fever Dreams 128
Ducks on Sunday afternoons.
Peek of the Week 143
Alstromeria in the garden look as though they were lit from within.
Fever Dreams 129
There was a reason that the Munchkins were so fond of Glinda ...
Fever Dreams 130
Why some countries serve fried cat.
Peek of the Week 146
A California poppy closes its petals at sundown.
Peek of the Week 150
A dragonfly rests, poised above the shell of her immature phase.
Peek of the Week 154
Closeup of a clarkia blossom.
Peek of the Week 158
Hot air balloonists test the propane burner in the darkness before dawn.
Peek of the Week 162
A morning glory in the evening sunlight.
Peek of the Week 168
Sunset illuminates a breadfruit leaf.
Peek of the Week 174
Finches feed hungrily in the winter in the Central Valley of California.
Peek of the Week 179
An unexpected treat from the heavens -- hail in Central California.
Peek of the Week 183
Almond blossoms take center stage in Ripon, California.
Peek of the Week 190
Painted ladies on photinia blossoms.
Peek of the Week 197
A novel in progress.
Peek of the Week 202
An unusual dragonfly visits the yard.
Peek of the Week 233
Macro of moss on a springtime log.
Peek of the Week 235
Almond blossom time in the Central Valley of California.
Peek of the Week 239
Freesias in first bloom in spring.
Peek of the Week 243
Killdeer eggs in an open nest.
Peek of the Week 247
Tadpoles dine on spinach leaves in a small aquarium.
Peek of the Week 254
Petroglyphs in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
Peek of the Week 258
A visiting moth gives the photographer the chance to see its fur.
Peek of the Week 261
Bracken on a dried bank has a beauty in its form.
Peek of the Week 265
A wooly bear caterpillar predicts a normal-to-mild winter for Pennsylvania.
Peek of the Week 268
Flames of a fall campfire.
Peek of the Week 278
Reflections after a winter rain.
Peek of the Week 282
Study of sunlight and shadow.
Peek of the Week 287
Almond blossoms in Ripon, California, USA, 2011 crop.
Fever Dreams 131: With No Announcement
Birdwatching surprise!
Peek of the Week 296
Ants help pollinate a lemon blossom in the Central Valley, California, USA.
Peek of the Week 301
Dietes bloom in morning light.
Peek of the Week 305
Artichoke blossom, close up!
Peek of the Week 307
A dragonfly suns himself in summer morning light.
Peek of the Week 328
Nandina berries drip after a winter rain.
Peek of the Week 338
The sweet spring blossom of a snow pea, a promise of winter's end.
Peek of the Week 343
A California poppy furls its petals at sundown.
Peek of the Week 352
Who likes peppers? Observe the classic charm of the leaf-cutter bee.
Peek of the Week 358
Behold the destructive power of this garden monster!
Peek of the Week 361
A red dragonfly sparkles in the evening light.
Peek of the Week 364
Back yard tightrope walker!
Peek of the Week 367
The marks of time tell a story of meatloaf, cakes, and a beloved kitchen utensil ...
Peek of the Week 373
A close look at the weathered bark of a eucalyptus tree.
Peek of the Week 381
A western scrub jay stops by to share breakfast.
Peek of the Week 386
Winter color in California's Central Valley -- cedar waxwings.
Peek of the Week 390
It's that time again in the Central Valley of California: almond bloom!
Peek of the Week 392
Droplets turn to gems in the morning light on a nasturtium leaf.
Outhouse of Light
Was it the source of his inspiration? Did he run out of ideas? Or was he just trying to demonstrate that some people will buy anything? (Originally appeared 2004-03-27.)
Peek of the Week 396
Spring's promise of fruit to come.
Peek of the Week 401
And what's the first thing you'd like to see in the morning?
Peek of the Week 406
Late-season ferns at Del Valle Recreational Area near Livermore, CA, USA.
Peek of the Week 411
Close up photograph of a deceased tiger swallowtail butterfly.
Peek of the Week 413
Amazing to be on the scene, to hear the "boom" that signalled the winner of the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup on the San Francisco Bay!
Peek of the Week 416
A sailboat sweeps beneath the Bay Bridge on San Francisco Bay.
Peek of the Week 420
Autumn, and another beautiful sky.
Peek of the Week 423
Golden hibiscus lights up the shadows.
Peek of the Week 432
A young tourist in San Francisco, California, USA.
Fever Dreams 106
At the late night laundry scene...
The Visual Art 04
A Spring portrait of welcome guests.
CATS FROM MARS!
Just when you thought you were safe...
Fever Dreams 117
Maurice liked to throw pieces of fish to his wife's cat.
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Short
The Aser Stories 03a: Descent to the Underworld
An Aser short story: a darker tale of dreams and symbolism
Memory of Wehr
A science-fiction short story. A symbiotic relationship, an eternal love.
Fire Night
A fire sweeps along the grasslands, bringing destruction. Nature gives and nature takes away.
Orange Sky
Moms used to shop while dads played a quick game or two at Bill Harry's grocery store and bowling alley. A little bit of everyone's lives changed the night it burnt down.
The Traveler
A planetoid comes on an irrevocable path of collision. Where will you go when the world ends?
The Aser Stories 36a: Madly In Love
Judging from the looks of things, Danner really must take a long look at her apprenticeship to the wizard Cloudraft... and whatever else is going on in his castle laboratory.
Just Passing Through
Gotta keep movin' when you're on the road...
Uncle Edgar's Fishface Story
Another of the Memoirs of Edgar Macassar
The Aser Stories 40a: Customary Behavior
An Aser story about foreign customs, forebearance, and fabrications.
Aser Writes a Letter
Time for a letter home to let the relatives know everyone is still more or less alive.
The Greatest Horse in Racing
From the Memoirs of Edgar McCassar. Uncle Edgar remembers the most exciting Triple Crown of his life, when Secretariat won the hearts of horse lovers everywhere.
Cherylness
It's the story of a murder story, gruesome, sordid and inexplicably based in Des Moines. Again. An entry in the "Write Fiction Like Cheryl" contest, wherein the goal was to write a tale like assistant editor Cheryl Haimann would if Cheryl ever wrote fiction. Which she doesn't. And after reading this selection, we may just know why.
Blossoms
Amada's stories of her father made the winter's cold more painful. But Spring is coming, and with it, a new bloom.
Ghosts of Christmas Present
Dorothy Hall found three more children to add to her family. The only problem with that is that they're in the garage, and have been dead for ten years. At Christmastime, even ghostly kids could use a mother who cares about them ...
Uncle Edgar and the Mountain Storm
Uncle Edgar was watching the evening weather with me the other day, and told me not to worry so much about the freakish unseasonable rains we've seen this Spring. "You want weather to worry about? I'll tell you what kind of weather you'd need to worry about!"
When We Were Pirates
The "Calcutta Sly" was known in every port from Amsterdam to Mombasa by her distinctive flag and powerful sails, and no finer ship ever rode the indigo swells or carried a finer crew.
Color in the Garden: The Hopseed
The hopseed bush can be grown into a nice tree, and adds color and texture to warm-climate gardens.
NaNoWriMo 2006: Turning Point
Writing a novel in 30 days? That's insane. The voices inside you head are all to glad to tell you what a thankless, silly challenge NaNoWriMo is.
Finding a Snowberry
What was the strange bush in the back yard when I was a child? The leaves were soft, it had no thorns, and in the summer I'd find grape-sized berries as white as snow ...
The Aser Stories 01: Popping the Big Question
How can I tell if I have a big ass? The first of the Aser stories.
Nom de Plume
The prospect of writing stories that could be seen publicly might scare the bejabbers out of you. The only solution? A pen name.
The Aser Stories 02: Soup du Jour
Why on earth would you ask a hedge shaman for recipes?Ya think she's Betty Crocker or something?
A Little Love
A cold and dreary day dawned, with only laundry and the sound of her own footsteps to keep her company. No wonder Sarah was ready to fall in love.
The Aser Stories 03: The Labor of Love
Aser and her Twosday night beer are interrupted by a lizardman. A lizardman with love on his mind ...
The Aser Stories 04: The Wrong Question
Sometimes having the right answer doesn't help at all when you weren't supposed to actually respond the question.
What the Heck Has Been Up with the Press?
Explanation of the difficulties we had from February 24th, 2007 to March 9th.
The Aser Stories 05:Habit and Stubbornness
Relationships, undergarments and long-dead lechers mark keep Aser company along the road.
Just Family
You know, there are things you can say when it's "just family" and then again, there are things you might say that are "just too much."
The Aser Stories 06: Judge, Jury, Shaman
Illiteracy is a curable ill. Aser encounters a town in which the malady is preferred to the consequences of the cure.
The Aser Stories 07: Crosspasses Market
Take a deep breath -- there's something on the breeze. Must be the Twosday Market in Crosspasses.
The Aser Stories 08: Raising Children
They're not pets, they're not a different race. You've got to take into consideration their future and what's good for them, or some shaman might have a talk with you.
Out in the Cold
In the middle of suburbia, a murder-suicide leaves a house haunted by the weeping of a baby, and a garage as cold as a tomb.(Originally appeared 11-07-2005)
The Aser Stories 09: On A Roll
What do you do with too much money?
The Aser Stories 10: Awards
Have you ever wandered around an art show and tried to figure out the rationale of the judges? Have you ever made a work of art so wonderful you were sure you deserved a prize?
Fevered Dreaming 01
He was everywhere; she could not escape him. Then she found her fortune and knew what she had to do. Short fiction based on the Fever Dreams comic.
The Aser Stories 11: Rabbit From a Hat
Aser and Danner manage to unload some cash, score some authentic minestrone, and meet a wizard and a griffin.
The Aser Stories 12: A Question of Nudity
Cloudraft the Wizard is eager to begin his vacation -- and my, won't he love to meet new people at the Nudist's Faire. Who knows, maybe he'll meet the broad and greasy sisters Knifeheart, Thiefheart, and Wolfheart ...
The Aser Stories 13: The Price of Freedom
What are you willing to give up in order to do what you want? Will you sacrifice your time? Your morals? Your money?
The Aser Stories 14: A Mile Toward Change
Ase Ur-Jennan receives a letter asking for help, and remembers an incident in the woods ...
The Aser Stories 15: Moguls
It's the ever-popular question: "Why me?"
Fevered Dreaming 02
Yet another time that a war was begun over a lovely woman ... but this time the war will end with a defeat, even though Bert will call it "a truce."
The Aser Stories 16: Easy Street
Fat, dumb and happy? Aser and Danner get it their way, right away, and it ain't over 'til the dwarf in the coconut bra dances the hula...
The Aser Stories 17: Point of View
If you're hot and thirsty, the best thing in the world is a glass of ice water. If you're stranded in the snow, you'd just as soon be having your eyebrows scorched off at the seat next to the fireplace.
The Aser Stories 18: On a Silver Platter
Win every bet? Make money hand over fist? Sounds good to some of the Jennan Clan, and they don't want to give up the opportunity, even to the point of war ...
The Aser Stories 19: The Difference Between Men and Women
Is it just societal molds and preconceived attitudes that make men and women seem so different? Are we all just pawns of the system?
The Aser Stories 20: Families and How They Are
At family get-togethers, why do relatives pick and snipe when what they really need is to make great harmony together?
Fevered Dreaming 03
She was an expert on office efficiency, but she had one thing more going for her: she was psychic.
The Aser Stories 21: Gourmet Dining
Who eats this stuff, anyway?
The Aser Stories 22: Is As Does
People will judge you based on what you look like, but they can be very wrong. The truth is found when your actions do the talking.
The Aser Stories 23: Image Is Everything
Hoke the Horrible is hard at work, and Margot the Troll nearly trips over someone who is going to change her life.
The Aser Stories 24: Crime and Punishment
If you teach your children how to behave properly, they might not have to face the consequences of having someone else teach them the hard way.
The Aser Stories 25: Rose-Covered Cottages
What kind of house suits you?
The Aser Stories 26: Junk Mail
Why don't littering laws apply to your mailbox?
Just One Rule
An Aser story.It's not always wrong to hide your emotions, and sometimes it's even a good idea to let people know when you're upset. However, if your job is to be attentive to patrons, then perhaps personal drama ought to take a back seat to making sure that the people who pay your wages are taken care of ...
The Aser Stories 27: Dynamite
Whether one cheats on taxes and gets away with it, or nicks the neighbor's tomatoes in the dead of night when no one sees, the deeds are still wrong, just like the big stuff of robbing and plundering and getting away with it because no one is willing to stop you
The Aser Stories 28: The Ghost of Garfer Miller
A courtroom drama! Which cousin really inherited the mill? Sometimes it's better not to know ...
The Aser Stories 29: Raccoons
Some experiments are better left undone. Raccoons are cute, but they lack certain social skills.
The Aser Stories 30: The Perils of Sympathy
Be very, very careful when you listen to someone's tale of woe. Maybe you should even tape your mouth shut.
The Aser Stories 31: Money Talks
Rocklift the Mage is using a potentially disastrous tool to make money, not caring what she ruins or hurts along the way. If money is her only measure for good, then nothing Aser can say will convince her that her business plan is a mistake.
The Aser Stories 32: Whose Fault Is It?
For some, pain is their mode of communication and their way of obtaining what they think they need.
The Aser Stories 33: Legal Torture
Most of the time you're not allowed to cause discomfort or pain to people around you. But there is one nasty, notable exception ...
Let's Do the Zombie Shuffle
Bad boys should know better than to mess with the girl whose mother knows the ins and outs of voodoo ...
The Aser Stories 34: Common Language
When you camp for the night, and get ready to have your evening meal, you really ought to make sure you know with whom you're about to share your fire.
The Aser Stories 35: Endangered Species
Rocklift the Mage is on a mission to make certain that fools who interrupt her cash flow become extinct.
The Aser Stories 36: Harsh Words
What can you do with the unrepentant and unrelenting Bad Guy? Aser and Danner face the consequences of messing with the malevolent mage Rocklift.
The Aser Stories 37: Dumb Animals
Sometimes you need to ask before you fix a baboon's problems.
The Aser Stories 38: Taking Sides
"Taking Sides" -- The idea of conflict over the results of weather really annoys a shaman.
The Aser Stories 39: Working Dogs
Tied to your job and wish you had another?
The Aser Stories 40: Happy Endings
"And they all lived happily ever after..." Now just how does that work?
Postcards from the Past 1: St. Valentine's Day
Winter needs some kind of break from its cold and dismal days. After weeks and weeks of staring at the cold walls and hearing people cough, a little warm breeze and an unexpected smile can make a young woman's heart remember Spring ...
The Aser Stories 41: Funny Business
A golfer gives up his favorite game, Lady Seaguard no longer gossips and complains, and deception is daily routine. What the heck is that all about?
The Aser Stories 42: Natural Selection
Office politics in action on the trail with an eight-foot troll, a talking dog, and two educated baboons.
The Aser Stories 43: Adding Insult to Injury
Cloudraft the Wizard gets on Aser's last nerve and everyone runs right out of sympathy for his plight.
The Aser Stories 44: Courtesy Call
An Aser story. Drinking extra beer and crying outrage, Aser and Danner show Margot the troll what being a hedge shaman with a mission is all about.
The Aser Stories 45: Hot Stuff
Aser, Danner, and Margot the Troll find a really excellent tavern -- but it has a nasty secret, and not just that a certain bartender has a thing for trolls...
The Aser Stories 46: Take My Shaman ... Please
Staying mad at each other is easy until you realize how silly you look doing so. Cloudraft the Wizard and his hot former apprentice let two angry empaths trade insults for them.
The Aser Stories 47: Just Thievery
An Aser story. A legal question besets the company: is conjuring an object the same as theft? And just to keep things interesting, is "demanding"a tip for
delivering a message the same as theft? Do chickens really count as "theft"?
The Aser Stories 48: On the Fly
Okay, so maybe blowing up the evil wizard Fellmount's house wasn't the smartest thing Aser and Danner ever did. The clans of Ur suggest they not let the door hit them on the ass on the way out.
Bonfires
The encounter was just chance, but both of them knew that there is a fire that can be sought when one is cold and alone. Sometimes the world seems so cold, and a life can seem like such a lone spark in a vast emptiness, that finding fire is the only solution human eyes can see...
The Aser Stories 49: Run for Cover
An Aser Story: The evil wizard Fellmount has every intention of tracking down the two shamans who exposed his wicked deeds -- now Aser and Danner have no choice but to pay their respects to certain deceased relatives.
The Aser Stories 50: The Friend in Need
Moonlight, a graveyard, and who can you turn to and call your best pal?
The Aser Stories 51: No Words For It
An Aser story. Is there anything sicker than an entire community of mimes? First appeared 2003-11-29
The Aser Stories 52: Stinkin' Kids
Kids never believe their elders about anything. Is it any wonder we can't stand them?
The Aser Stories 53: In a Spirit of Healing
Part of a shaman's work is to tell how things are with the world of the Unseen. Spooky? Maybe. But sometimes being the Voice of a ghost is pure job satisfaction.
The Aser Stories 54: Letting Go
An Aser story. Planners, loggers, coopers, and whores -- this isn't your usual cast for "Singin' in the Rain."
The Aser Stories 55: Small Comfort
Just what you need when you're feeling left all alone to face the music is one more crabby ghost griping about desertion.
The Aser Stories 56: Oz Can Keep Them All
Once again Aser and Danner are snatched from the evil wizard Fellmount's clutches in the nick of time. Whose stupid idea was this anyway?
The Aser Stories 57: Animal Tracks
Still on the run from the treacherous wizard Fellmount, Aser and Danner make a risky side trip to try to find the magical baboons Narsai and Guillaume. How do people get so attached to animals, anyway?
The Aser Stories 58: Knowledge is Power
Aser and Danner take one last break among the Ghost-folk and find that fish-breath and spectral lounge-lizards inspire them.
The Aser Stories 59: Ace in the Hole
Cornered between the deadly river and the fields of Kaladang the Axe, Aser and Danner get to insult the evil wizard Fellmount one last time.
The Aser Stories 60: Fish Story
Recent history gets tweaked as Dan Ur-Jennan relates how she single-handedly defeated the army of Kaladang the Axe. Well, of COURSE there's lots of beer involved!
A Story-teller of Shaddir
In the great square of the western plaza in the mountain city of Shaddir, a story-teller gives a history lesson that may or may not be largely hearsay. So what does a crowd want, the McNeil-Lehrer Report?
The Aser Stories 63: Second Thoughts
Well, yeah, we knew what we were doing! Or did we? Good intentions sometimes have to backtrack for practicalities. Oh, and did we mention that wizards are jerks?
The Aser Stories 63: The Second Step
You know how they say "The first step's a doozy?" Well it's a piece of cake until you decide to put the next step in front of the first.
The Aser Stories 64: Second Chances
Sometimes you start out on the wrong foot, and hope for a way to put things right. And if you can't, you at least hope no one has anything to throw at you.
The Aser Stories 65: Taking a Shot
Aser and Margot are trying to figure out what to do with their tagalong Melody. The only problem is, Melody wants to figure this out for herself.
The Aser Stories 66: For What You're Worth
Set yourself on the auction block. What is it that makes you a marketable item?
The Aser Stories 67: The Simple Life
No liquor, no elf sex, and no worries. Sometimes you don't need all the extra stuff that complicates your life and gives you stress-wrinkles.
The Aser Stories 68: The Silk Fable
Ask a smartass Ur-Jennan a question and get an involuntary education. Aser expounds on the origin of silk.
Fevered Dreaming 04
Tommy had eyes only for her, a passion, a partner ... a purpose...
The Clans of Ur
A prologue to all the Aser stories. The lands of Ur, the seven Clans, and a creation story about the origins of birds and their gifts.
Fevered Dreaming 05
They told me it was the best thing I could possibly do for myself, and yet it took literally years before I could find the motivation to make the Big Step...
The Aser Stories 69: Fire in the Hole
When family members visit, there's bound to be griping, gossip, and conversations about "what-is-your-hand-painted-on-so-you-can't-write-more-often?" But when the family member is also your boss, you know something's up, just like when you smell smoke, you know there's a fire somewhere ...
Rat in the Attic
If you hear it, but don't see it, is it really there? What if it's just too cunning to be caught?
The Aser Stories 70: Dinner Dates
Good table manners aren't just a formality -- bringing uncouth guests to a dinner date really annoys people.
Fevered Dreaming 06
He knew the sound of the doorbell at that same time on certain days -- on the other side of the threshold was that which no man should have to face at the end of a busy day ...
The Aser Stories 071: House Call
Don't you just hate it when the worker at the next desk flumps down with two boxes of tissues, throat lozenges, cough syrup, a bottle of aspirin, and a sore red nose and says, "Yuck, I can't remember when I've been this sick! I was up all night coughing my guts out!" Ooo, so does Aser.
The Aser Stories 072: Starve a Cold
If your main concern is profits and not the health of your hired help, the neighborhood shaman is probably not the most auspicious person to ask for assistance -- unless you want what is really coming to you.
The Aser Stories 73: Elspeth, Ad Nauseam
A ring around the moon is a sign to the weather-wise: a sign that says, "Get your old bones moving and get out while you can." At least that's what Aser is about to find out.
The Aser Stories 74: Flying Monkeys
There are lots of tales worth telling, but few worth losing a beer over.
BassAckwardYastronomy
A familiar constellation is slipping away as the Northern Hemisphere oozes into Spring.
The Aser Stories 75: Coalition Forces
Banding together, people can accomplish more than they can on their own. What if a dragon shows up on your doorstep? Who are your allies then?
The Aser Stories 76: A Bone to Pick
It's high time for the ghost of Garfer Miller to move on from the planter in front of Aser's door. Unfortunately old Garf isn't looking forward to what waits for him in the next world — or who.
The Aser Stories 77: "Are We There Yet?"
Excitement! Adventure! A glittering creature of myth and legend to travel with! Who could ask for a better vacation than that? Dudalos the Dragon is about to help Aser find out.
The Aser Stories 78: Judgment Call
A dragon centuries old might impart the Mysteries of the Ages, and traveling with him, Aser might have the adventure of a lifetime. Sure. And Aunt Tilla might have shown up naked for other reasons than bad decisions on her part.
The Aser Stories 79: Just Don't Say It Before Spring
There is a time of year when it's better to hold your tongue unless you want to set out on the road early, hungover, and on the outs with those you love.
The Aser Stories 80: Cabin Fever
The visit was lovely, the company so welcome -- until the snow and ice made visitors into residents. And even suddenly fellow residents are fine -- that is, until the beer runs out.
Pecking Order
It's not just the chickens that do it ...
Fevered Dreaming 07
The monster lurked in its cave, waiting for Tristan to turn his back ...
Fevered Dreaming 08
Ted Gnarles made preparations for care for his exotic plants, even though he was 85 years old.
The Aser Stories: Sidelong
Another trip with Margot the Troll, but this one is starting differently. Looks like Aser did something unexpected, and not at all appreciated ...
String
If you knew civilization as you know it was about to end, how would you prepare? If the end of civilization took you by surprise, how would you survive? Piker Press staff and contributors hope you enjoy our various stories about post-apocalyptic times.
With No Announcement
Suddenly the pieces of an relationship all fall into place ...
A Rose By Any Other Name
The message was clear and frequent -- someone had a greeting for Barney ...
Hiding Something
An Aser story. Headed North towards Centaur Country, Aser finds that her companions still wonder what she was up to before their journey began ...
Uncle Edgar and the Troll Under the Bridge
It was about this time of year that Uncle Edgar stopped by with one of the stories that led to the publication of The Memoirs of Edgar McCassar. Maybe Edgar was prone to the sampling of his father's still as a child ...
The Forgotten Boy
Part One of Five. The traveling shaman Aser finds more at the edge of field than a good night's sleep...
The Forgotten Boy 2
Part Two of Five. A child, forgotten and alone, yearns for someone to talk with. Does it matter if he's dead?
The Forgotten Boy 3
Part Three of Five. Sometimes a journey goes quicker when there is company -- even if you have to carry him in a sack...
The Forgotten Boy 4
Part four of five. Targold the ghost is about to see something he never imagined in life...
The Forgotten Boy 5
Conclusion. On a whim, Aser decided to carry off the remains of a boy to take care of his ghost. A simple enough task, but one thing makes it difficult...
Get Political: Secret Strengths
He was her helpmate, her support, and her secret. And no one knew, especially not the constituents.
Object, Flying, Unidentified
What could be more profitable than a catchy line of merchandise and a UFO convention?
The Accursed
All the troubles in the world -- where do they come from, and whom should we blame?
Place Settings 01
December, 2007. Oh, yes, the year the recession hit home hard...
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Nonfiction
Do It Yourself Canine Trials
Kids, try this at home.
Tales No Taller Than Ourselves
Percy and the Ghost
Proud Projects
An Old Dresser for a New Bedroom
Revenge of the Tent Dwellers
How to make a gorgeous outdoor bedroom. Including a 05-08-04 update to the original article.
Tales No Taller Than Ourselves
Spiritual Intervention
God's Favorite Macaroni Salad
When God makes macaroni salad, he uses this recipe
The Last Monday in May
An essay for Memorial Day, recalling a time when all of Mifflintown knew its veterans by name.
What They Should Have Said
Born, died, buried. Now what ghost could be content with that kind of story?
My Father's Ghost
Was it an omen to steer two boys clear of a life of crime, or just an interdimensional rift that made this ghost appear?
Piker Pets: Babe
The first thing you think when you see Babe is "BIG" and the second thing is "TEETH." Really, he's the best sweet honey-bunkums ...
Tortillas y Tacos
Cover story.
Peek of the Week 09
A water lily blooms in a shaded pool.
Peek of the Week 11
Light and shadows in the morning sky
Peek of the Week 028
A seagull rests in the sunlight at Santa Cruz.
Peek of the Week 030
Almond blossoms announce the arrival of Spring in the Central Valley of California
Golumpki, or Cooking Under Pressure
My husband's Polish family gave me the gift of a recipe for golumpki, a cabbage roll that will undoubtedly be served in Heaven.
Peek of the Week 033
A nasturtium that survived the winter.
Peek of the Week 037
The skeleton of last summer's papyrus and a rainbow combine to bridge the seasons.
Peek of the Week 041
Red, white and blue flowers in nasturtium, carnation, and lobelia.
Peek of the Week 043
We remember Flanders Field and all the places our servicemen have given their lives to preserve the peace of their citizens.
Peek of the Week 045
A choppy San Francisco Bay tosses the sailboat "French Kiss."
Peek of the Week 047
A juvenile scrub jay comes back for seconds when the food is peanut butter.
Peek of the Week 053
California poppy illuminates the garden.
Peek of the Week 066
A white-throated sparrow stops by for the winter in the central valley of California.
Oatmeal Cookies
Sand recalls a favorite recipe, and a family tradition, from her childhood.
Easy, Easy Nachos
Getting ready for the big game? Just looking for a tasty snack to take the edge off winter? Try some delicious and trouble-free nachos!
The Lowly Bean
A simple soup, easy to prepare and quite delicious, can be made with the greatly overlooked Great Northern beans.
Grocery Shopping: Pantslegs or Plastic?
Excess fabric in the closet, too many plastic grocery bags in the world. There's a inspiration there, and a wholesome direction to take. Making your own grocery bags isn't that difficult.
Simplicity: Spinach Soup
An easy Lenten soup with lots of flavor? Try spinach soup and you'll be ashamed at how delicious a meatless meal can be.
Winter Color: Tecomaria Capensis
Tecomaria Capensis -- brilliant orange flowers in winter in temperate zones, rich growth -- and about as welcome as ants at a picnic.
The Lettuce Habit
Some people are willing to admit addiction to the mundane and wondrously crunchy iceberg lettuce. Sand Pilarski details her habit.
Bacon-Wrapped Mushrooms: Barbecue Appetizers
Managing Editor Sand Pilarski shares a favorite barbecue appetizer: bacon-wrapped mushrooms.
Chicken Wings Made Easy
The main problem with this recipe for chicken wings is that it's very difficult to make enough of them.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a rich and delicious entree, and not all that difficult to make, either. Here's how ...
Turn Off the Main Road: Color The Skies!
No other sound is like it -- it's not a hiss, it's not like the sound of the wind; though loud, it is nothing like a shout or an explosion. The sound of purposeful flames leaping out to heat the air, to make the air lighter than you ever thought it could be -- that sound is a jubilant roar, the sound of a dragon exulting in power, the power to make people fly ...
Ohh, Pesto!
There is nothing to compare with pesto made from fresh basil, right out of the garden. This is an easy recipe for a delicious pesto.
Learning About Creation
It's not about perfection, not even about the finished product; Creativity is never still. A child's sketches have a lot to teach ...
Turkey Soup: Love Those Leftovers!
Sand Pilarski shares a savory soup recipe for the last of the leftover turkey.
A Transformation
In winter you treasure the memories of summer past, and the hopes for summer to come...
Gazpacho: A Summer Soup
Tomatoes, cucumbers, crisp white onion -- add juice and seasoning, and presto! a delicious and refreshing cold soup!
Brunch Casserole
Here is a recipe for a very hearty and delicious breakfast or brunch casserole -- and it's easy, too!
Banana Bread: An Old Favorite
A sweet treat to share with family and guests: banana bread.
Legendary Pumpkin Pie
"What the heck is that?" ask the guests. "It's a pumpkin pie," I tell them. "Just shut up and try a bite. Oh, so now you want the whole pie for yourself? Tough, you're going to have to share!" An heirloom recipe from my father's family brightens our gloomy winter season.
Lima Bean Pot Pie
Food of the gods - recipe and history.
Remembered Flavors: Tony's Salad and Firehouse Chicken
Half a century later, a cook learns how to make some of her favorite foods...
Minestrone At Last
Somewhere, out there in the wide world, there was a minestrone just waiting to happen...
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Opinion
How Almonds Are
An essay on the life cycle of the Central Valley almond tree.
Mortal November
November is for taking stock of mortality. A look at death and the cycle of all things.
129th Kentucky Derby Un-coverage
Sports coverage of the Derby? Where? Where? Noooo, not NBC!
Anybody's Field: The 2003 Belmont Stakes
He upset the race in the Kentucky Derby. He won the Preakness by nine lengths. But bad weather and two big colts ended Funny Cide's run for the Triple Crown.
T-3, A Must See Summer Movie
Whether you want them or not, Sand and Bernie give you their opinions on Arnold's new movie Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Still Waters Run Depp
Sand and Bernie hit the theater again this weekend, and review Pirates of the Caribbean. Say, sweetheart, who's shivering ye timbers now?
Lack of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Save Your Cash
Oh, dear, another day over 100 degrees, and off Sand and Bernie go to the movies again. We love you, Sean, but it's time to put an icepack on your head and cover your ears...
Seabiscuit: A Big Movie That Included the Little Horse
Bernie and Sand sneak off to the movies again, to check out the Triple Crown horseraces' hype of Seabiscuit. Was the little horse really that much of a superstar?
Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2: Lara, Please Shoot the Director
Bernie and Sand slither off to the movies again to see if Tomb Raider 2 is really as bad as some critics have claimed.
Pinot Grigio - The Reality Series
How do I love the dry white wine called Pinot Grigio? MMmmm, let me count the ways!
Secondhand Lions: Old Fashioned Fun at the Bijou
Sand drags Bernie off to the movie theater again. "Look honey, this one has horses and fish and shotguns in it! I call that a Must See!"
One Market Restaurant: A Review on a Rainy Friday Evening
We've been wanting to try this restaurant for years. At last we had the time to spare, at the right time of day, and the properly dressy clothes -- time to check out the fabulous One Market Restaurant!
The Smell of Fear
Run for your life! Hold your breath! Get the gas mask! Weapons of Mass Destruction, move over! When perfume allergies can cause you to cough until your throat bleeds, trying to get people to ease off the Eau du Paris is worth raising a stink.
Fifth Anniversary Issue
Welcome to the Piker Press, now celebrating our FIFTH anniversary as a weekly ezine dedicated to keeping writers WRITING. Five years go by very quickly, and it was with a good bit of surprise that I realized how far we've come on this merry adventure.
Notes From the Office
A new feature from the Press: information and maybe a little opinionatin'.
Notes From the Office 03
The winds are bringing about a change in the climate of writing ...
Notes From the Office 06: The Eatin' O' the Green
The Piker Press Staff considers, remembers, and instructs about salads.
Anniversary Number Six!
Founded in April of 2002, the Piker Press got its start with a tiny band of writers who, having giddily written their first full-length novels during National Novel Writing Month in November of 2001, found themselves eager to write more, but with no venue willing to take a chance on unknown, unpublished authors. What this has meant is that the Piker Press has had one goal from the very start: encouraging writers to keep on writing.
Notes From the Office 09: Mondays
Managing Editor Sand Pilarski weighs in with an explanation about Mondays.
Rough Times Café: Housing
When your job suddenly ends, or is summarily suspended for an ambiguous length of time, what do you do when the house payments simply can no longer be made?
Notes From the Office 14: Admissions and Submissions
Things look a little different, and don't seem to work? You call this progress? Well, yes ...
Notes From the Office 15: Birds on the Brain
What's coming up in the future? A "Birds" issue?
Notes From the Office 16: Comments Redux
The latest news from the desktop of the Piker Press.
Notes From the Office 18: Look Out! It's the Aliens Issue!
Yes, it's late, but it's worth waiting for! The Staff of the Piker Press comes through with all kinds of ideas that have just been waiting for the right moment ...
Notes From the Office 19: Oh, No, Not Again!
It's almost time for the annual writing challenge, ten thousand words written over Labor Day weekend: 10K For Labor Day!
Notes From the Office 20: Words, Witches, and Time Travel
Upcoming themed issues include October 19: Witches, and January 11: Time Travel.
Surrogates: Man, That Would Save A Lot of Time Not Shaving My Legs
Sand Pilarski escapes the heat wave the usual way -- to the movies! This time the film is "Surrogates."
Notes From the Office 21: Singing on a Keyboard
If you love to write, then write is what you should do, and stop worrying about whether it will win awards or make you rich.
Notes From the Office 22: Welcoming New Authors
Welcoming new authors Paula Petruzzi and Effie Collins.
Notes From the Office 23: Delays and Vacations
Excuses, excuses. Oh, wait, dog barf?
Notes From the Office 24: Time Travel
Notes From the Office 24: Time Travel
Notes From the Office 25: YO IS OLD! YES, WE IS.
With this last issue of March, my mind is already beginning to spin at the thought that the Piker Press is coming up on EIGHT years as a weekly ezine.
Notes From the Office 26: Alternate Realities
What a fine, fat issue for the 8th Anniversary of the Piker Press!
The Shame of What We Are: Book Review
Sand Pilarski reviews Sam Gridley's novel, "The Shame of What We Are."
Notes From the Office 27: The New Year
News, news, news!
Notes From the Office 28: February 2011
Notes in February from the Editor's Desk.
With No Other Announcements, Either
Well, if we told you what was going on, we couldn't say that it was ...
Ninth Anniversary of the Piker Press
From April of 2002 to the present, each week a new set of wonders appears ... in the pages of the Piker Press.
Destructo-Week
Yes, we noticed that we were dead in the water for a week! Now we're back ...
April Fools' Day!
A day of suspicion, a day of wariness ... who knows what foul villain is going to trip you up just because it's the first day of the fourth month!
Captain America - The Winter Soldier: Movie Review
While Bernie gets back in line for more movie popcorn, Sand sneaks in her review of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
Mr. Boardwalk: Book Review
"Read this book!" A richly told coming of age story set in pre-casino Atlantic City, "Mr. Boardwalk" by Louis Greenstein is a brilliant mix of humor and heart.
Birdman: Movie Review
Finally the local theater gets around to showing "Birdman," an Acadamy Award Nominee for Best Picture...
The 13th Anniversary Issue
How many computers have I used up in the past 13 years?
Drifting Too Far from the Shore: Book Review
Charlotte "Muddy" Rewis is getting up there in years, and knows how precious memory -- and life -- are. Her own memories seem more real to her than the world around her in Niles Reddick's book "Drifting Too Far from the Shore."
Super Sport: Book Review
The Editor doesn't often review books, but a new one by Ralph Bland? The Editor couldn't wait to read it!
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Poem
Fishface Poetry
Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water... From silly limericks to hymns of praise, a collection of poetry dedicated to the fish face phenomenon.
Peanut butter and ritz cracker sandwiches
Poem
Wicked Mother
Poem
Celery and Peanut Butter
Poem
Solstice Time
Poem.
Peanut butter and raisins on saltines
Poem
Oh, Tom -- With Greatest Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Let's celebrate "Can't stand Tom Cruise Week" with a sonnet from a Piker Geeze! "How do I loathe thee ... ?"
Spring Thaw
Woman Can Translate Bird Languages
A woman can listen to the flocks of sparrows and understand what they are saying. Is it about the tragedy of global warming? About the pollution of the air?
When I Dream
Mysteries of Toenails
In the Trunk
A ride in the trunk is what this woman needs ... and the secret, savory destination ...
Retrospective, At The End
This lover meditates upon the end of All, and the loss of the Beloved. Originally appeared 2006-03-06.
No Tracks
cooties
You know them when you see them, and you can never forget how some people have them...
Porch Chickens
... Young
On my doorstep --
So different --
After so many years ...
Remember This, Girls
...
She called to them from darkened windows,
promising passionate embraces ...
Wings of Tale
Write a complete story in just under one hundred words ...(Originally appeared 2002-07-05.)
A Future in Vegetables
What other hidden food delights did Mom and Dad hide from their daughter's plate?
Write
...
What whispers in the dark?
stars in the night, white on black ...
Bzzz-ness
An illustrated poetic treatise on politics and the flies of summer.
My Little Life
The value of life, in verse.
The Ballad of Jimmy the Rat
The historical chronicling in lighthearted verse of Jimmy the Rat and his run-down motel.
Artisan
Not only is it April Fools' Day, April is also Poetry Month.
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Serial
Dreamer 01
Solange Ambris fell in love with Mr. Wrong. And oh, now the scumbag has trashed their marriage and disappeared. Sully recalls her life and the healing help of dreams. Book I -- Fish and Froth.
Dreamer 02
Book One -- Fish and Froth: Musing on her dreams, Sully also ponders whether or not her sister is a little golddigger.
Dreamer 03
Book I -- Fish and Froth: Sully describes her two greatest passions -- dreaming, and Adam. One has been the best thing to happen in her life, and one -- oh, guess which one -- the worst. Adam is the one nightmare she doesn't want to wake from...
Dreamer 04
An ocean of overlapping memories with a sky painted with dreams... Sully talks about bathroom dreams, dreams about falling, and falling dreamily in love with the handsome and hormonal Adam.
Dreamer 05
Meeting Adam was like a dream come true. You know the kind of dreams we're talking about -- the ones you never tell your mother.
Dreamer 06
Desire, death, and destruction! When you play with fire, expect to get burned. When you play with Adam ...
Dreamer 07
The heart of the matter: Adam, and Sully's faith. If you leap from the top of a tree, but have true faith, will you fall? What if you're leaping for the most attractive man in the world?
Dreamer 08
It's Moving Day for Sully, whose memories of how much she loved Adam exist side by side with the sense of loss when he divorced her. New place, new town, new life.
Dreamer 09
"Mommy, Mommy, last night I dreamed I was the leader of commando assassins!" But wait, isn't that just what a kid needs to get through grade school? And wouldn't it be helpful knowledge to get through some adult days, too?
Dreamer 10
Sully walks into a bar and sees Adam with a pig under his arm. "Where'd you get the pig?" she asks. And the pig says, "He pulled into town this afternoon..."
Dreamer 11
Poor suffering Sully gets the chance to wallow in the lap of luxury while she sorts things out -- unaware that what she will learn at the Estate is going to change her perspective on life completely.
Dreamer 12
Crossing new thresholds, Sully remembers learning that her attraction to Adam was more like an addiction, she admits to a reliance on her religion, and parasails above the Aquaducts of Roth.
Dreamer 13
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: The death of Sully's father is unexpected, untimely, and leaves the boulders of the mountain grieving along with his family.
Dreamer 14
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: How the heck did Sully's little sister get away with digging up the back yard when they were kids? Aha, Dad figured out a way ...
Dreamer 15
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Bodie and Andersol next door are like Siamese twins -- but joined at the mind, not the body. Sully, curious about allegations of incest goes next door to check it out.
Dreamer 16
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Did the lady who leads the singing at church really sound like a three-year-old with fingers up his nose?
Dreamer 17
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Sully's mother wants no one's help and no one's sympathy, even in the face of her husband's death. Her life has been steeped in disappointment, leaving her as strong and bitter as coffee brewed far too long.
Dreamer 18
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Nightmares by night and by day -- sometimes the only place you can battle feelings of despair is in your dreams.
Dreamer 19
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: The sorrows of the present have their foundations in the past. Sully recalls her mother's sucesses at bartering garden goods and forgery for hire.
Dreamer 20
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Enjoying the security of a dog with Very Big Teeth, Sully once again asks prying questions about romance in the lives of her neighbors.
Dreamer 21
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Some dreams don't mean anything; they're just for fun. Sully's subconscious mixes snakes and figure skating, and in waking hours, Sully mixes a little Cheech and Chong with a game of marbles.
Dreamer 23
Sully flashes back to the kind and easy days of simply indulging in neighborhood gossip, pondering parents and children, and whether Mary LeMay's son is really a major league jackass.
Dreamer 24
We dream of knowing the future so that we can win the lottery or know which stocks to buy. What if what you saw in the future was a nightmare? There's a flip side to the phrase "a dream come true."
Dreamer 25
Sully makes a leap of faith and relies on her closest family -- her brother-in-law Charles, who has only the tiniest clue about life without riches. His children have a better grasp on what tears should be for.
Dreamer 26
Sully's mother has a will of iron. Have you ever heard someone say that they'd rather die than accept help from someone else?
Dreamer 27
Sully and her sister Jesse start sorting out their feelings about their mother's death, with five children snuggled around them. Sully tells of a dream of seeking fanciful creatures in a barren place; in her dream is she hoping to find some good in the face of loss?
Dreamer 28
Sleeping in a tent can make you wonder why on earth people ever built houses. Sully finds that camping out with five nieces and nephews under the age of ten can be enough fun to nearly make her forget that she never had any children of her own.
Dreamer 29
Single and childless. Not what Sully had in mind for the rest of her life when she met Adam. Musing on her attachment to her sister's children, Sully reminisces about coming to terms with Adam's infidelity and her own middle age.
Dreamer 30
Both parents died. Now the daughters have to go through a houseful of personal effects. Sully doesn't want to face what she'll find out about her mother, and she's not quite sure how to face her sister Jesse, either.
Dreamer 31
Book Two: Seeking Sanctuary Pity the poor child who thinks she could have prevented her mother's death. Will anything ever expunge that sense of guilt?
Dreamer 32
Book Two: Seeking Sanctuary A burden of guilt and a sense of isolation put Sully into a sad spiral downward into self-disgust and depression. Where are all her friends now?
Dreamer 33
Book Two -- Seeking Sanctuary: Bodie and Andersol left suddenly, and have returned in tears. Sully's grief over the deaths of her father and then her mother is heightened by hearing that there are worse ways to become an orphan.
Dreamer 34
"It was the worst year that we could ever remember," Sully would say in later days. "By the end of the summer we were nearly afraid to let anyone we loved out of our sight." The death of her brother-in-law makes Sully reexamine her own life, and gives her the resolve to lay some ghosts to rest.
Dreamer 35
Autumn leaves, spring blooms; summer's greens and snow scattered all about -- marble and granite and flagstone: images of remembering the timeless Dead.
Dreamer 36
Every action that we make contributes to the edifice that we become, like bricks building a foundation or tower. Sully dreams of houses unfinished, and houses with pink walls, and of a heart that has to answer to no one.
Dreamer 37
Book Three -- Remembering At Last: "I was ready to put up a sign in my front yard," Sully said. "One that said 'No solicitors, and that includes anyone who tries to fix me up with single friends and relatives.'"
Dreamer 38
In a small town church congregation, you can run but you cannot hide. Sully does not want to meet John. John does not want to meet Sully. Mary LeMay traps them in the church where they have to at least pretend to be nice to each other. Well, mostly.
Dreamer 39
Bodie and Andersol and Sully join forces to plot a day of total irresponsibility. They're going to shirk work, avoid family, and party till they fall down. Yes, sounds like a plan!
Dreamer 40
Bodie Talles has arranged a play-day in the city of San Francisco with lots of food, drink, and fun. But is there an ulterior motive, and is that a hint of romance in the air?
Dreamer 41
"Just what I wanted for the holidays," Sully muttered to herself sarcastically. "A hysterical sister and all five of her kids in trouble. Merry Christmas to all."
Dreamer 42
After Jesse's five children take on the schoolyard bully and break his nose for him, Jesse has a Christmas gift for Sully -- she gets to pick up the pieces and sort them out. "I don't even worry about it," says Jesse. "Sully just eats that kind of crap right up."
Dreamer 43
Sully's sister has decided that she loves to visit Sully often -- as long as the next door neighbor hunk is home. "When her husband was alive, I practically played her role as wife. Now that he's gone, I'm just about playing her role as mother," Sully grumps. "Am I a faithful sister or am I just stupid?"
Dreamer 44
Change comes running through peoples' lives like a freight train whose schedule includes no stops in the near future. Standing in the middle of the tracks with your hands on your hips, saying, "No, I don't think I like this" gets you exactly where?
Dreamer 45
The Bride and Groom are closeted, the wedding celebration is done. What is left to do besides lure a single man off to the wilderness to look at wildflowers? "Get your mind out of the gutter," Sully says. "You people all have sex on the brain."
Dreamer 46
Sully, you are so up-tight that you squeak when you walk. Why not take a walk on the wild side with the dude from the East Coast? You know he's hot.
Dreamer 47
Why is the one who wanted to keep the vows the one who is considered a dope? When did integrity become a liability? Why is an abandoned wife supposed to hang out a flag that says, "For sale by owner?"
Dreamer 48
The children decided that they had had enough of private schools and uniforms and strictness, and arranged to go to public school. They didn't request the change of schooling from any of us adults, didn't ask for our input, preferences, requirements -- none of that. They planned their campaign and went directly to war.
Dreamer 49
"In my dreams," Sully said, "my sister is always still a child. That's probably because I think she's evaded her responsibilities as a mother. If her second husband didn't like the kids so much, she'd probably have sold them by now."
Dreamer 50
"You can only turn down a free summer on the Riviera once before everyone you know calls you an idiot for the rest of your life," Sully said. "So I went. And while I was there, away from friends and family, I found out what I missed, and what I didn't miss."
Dreamer 51
"His mother, my sister, my best friends all wanted me to jump into John LeMay's lap. Maybe they wanted me to do that so that they didn't have to worry about an old maid. But maybe they should have asked him first who all he was keeping company on a late Saturday night," Sully says irritably.
Dreamer 52
Sully finds estate life very easy -- until she finds out that her sister and her in-laws find her sex life to be a matter of speculation on a daily basis. Worse yet, the kids overheard everything.
Dreamer 53
Does Sully really want to know the truth about the woman in John's apartment? The truth is that Sully didn't want her to be there, and has only just figured it out.
Dreamer 54
Sully has been the proverbial paragon of virtue since she married Adam so many years ago, even after he deserted her. Everybody knows that, even her admirer, John the romantic policeman. Fate knows all about virtue, too, and is not always sympathetic.
Dreamer 55
Sometimes it's only when you're about to lose something that you realize how valuable and necessary it is. A dream symbol of a silvery sky makes Sully shimmer suddenly.
Dreamer 56
Okay, for five years Sully has pretended not to have any interest in John LeMay. Now she knows, he knows, his mother knows, their friends know -- duhh -- yes, there is an interest. And ohh, Sully does remember that she used to be Hot Stuff.
Dreamer 57
First John backs away from Sully in the kitchen, then Sully walks off and leaves him in annoyance. Are these two never going to figure out what they want?
Dreamer 58
"Blame it on him nearly getting killed. Blame it on a mid-life crisis. Blame it on me, I don't care," Sully says. "I'm not passing up the chance to spend a weekend alone with the Romantic Policeman."
Dreamer 59
The paragon of virtue, Aunt Sully, has feet of clay. She knows that, and can live with that weakness ... but can she explain away that weakness to the kids? And we know she can't hide from it in her dreams.
Dreamer 60
There has got to be no worse time in history to have a lover who's a New York City policeman that on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Sully and John are dropped into the crucible of the disaster, and must find a way to keep their relationship intact -- or admit that it would never have worked out, anyway.
Dreamer 61
Sully remembers at last who she is, and why she is, and what she has to do. No one is going to like the solution much, but the symbols of Sully's dream are inescapable.
Dreamer 62
John and Sully are ready to pay the price for being "right." It's a high price, but no where near as valuable as being able to say the word "love."
Dreamer 63
Oh, my goodness, there really is a counted cross stitch panel with "John + Sully" in a heart on a tree! Is it really time for Sully to consider that her life should mesh with that romantic policeman?
Dreamer 64
Oh, Patient Readers, it's The End, and someone named Adam shows up at Sully's front door ...
Dreamer 22
A tall, dark, handsome man and hundreds of white roses -- the redhead who wouldn't tell her name -- Sully's mother recounts the tale of her romance. Too bad it had to end this way. (First appeared 2003-10-20)
Time Traveler 01
Chapter One of Time Traveler, a novel by Sand Pilarski. It should have been a lazy, romantic morning, full of smug memories from an evening of lovemaking. Instead, it wound up being the moment the rose-colored lenses fell away, revealing a battered woman living in a cage made partially from her own permission. For better or for worse, this is the moment one woman begins defying conventions to make paths of her own choosing. But the less traveled path is always the rockier one. *Parental Advisory*
Time Traveler 02
Part Two of Time Traveler. No one really knows how Life, the Universe, and Everything came to be. Origins are lost from memory, even the origins of the people we come to be ...
Time Traveler 03
Augusta accepts a lunch invitation from the phallus-obsessed Radigan, and finds heavenly food and a disconcerting observation by a tall, dark stranger. "I wasn't looking for anything more than food," she says. "Maybe it would have been better if I had just gone hungry."
Time Traveler 04
Why is it time to think of romance? Is it the sound of the waves against the cliffs? Is it the caress of the fleece blanket against Augusta's cheek? Is it missing the old familiar face of Moersgard, or can it be -- the thought of something new?
Time Traveler 05
It's the social event of the season, and for the first time in nearly ten years, Augusta doesn't have a date for the occasion. In fact, her ex-lover Moersgard is going to show up with his new hottie ... but that's not the most disturbing incident of the evening ...
Time Traveler 06
Paperwork, paperwork, and every second has to count to get through the day. But what if your concentration is broken by an arrangement of flowers that puts you in mind of a phallic symbol? Quick! Think about something else!
Time Traveler 07
And now Augusta finds out: Valentine is not only handsome and talented, but is charming as well. "Where have you been all my life?" he asks, and what her heart might answer is, "In the dark and alone."
Time Traveler 08
In class, the discussions turn to Heaven and Hell. But this week, the teacher is the one who cannot pay attention. Hell: the handsome violinist hasn't called. Heaven: he's sent a note. Hell: it was sent last Friday and Augusta has only received it now. Heaven: Augusta is getting more and more involved with this captivating young musician. Hell: sweet as it all seems, Augusta knows better to fall into a trap like this. But it seems she's about to anyway.
Time Traveler 09
In the classroom, the topic is Purgatory -- getting rid of the old earthly baggage before beginning a new existence in the afterlife. Roman Catholic shedding of earthly sins. New Hebrides shedding of pigs. Outside of the classroom, Valentine shows up to court Augusta sporting a fat lip and a cut-up face -- the scars earned shedding an old relationship. Does this mean he intends to embark on a new relationship with Augusta? Despite her best efforts, this flirtation doesn't seem to want to stay casual.
Time Traveler 10
Since Ariadne fell for the mostly naked Theseus and gave up both the magic ball of string and her virginity, people have been doing foolish things for love. Augusta still recalls when "good girls" didn't call boys on the phone. Now, with a first kiss that couldn't be more romantic or tantalizing, she's left contemplating the change over her lifetime of sex -- from something that decent people simply didn't do outside of marriage to something that professors were almost certainly going to do with handsome young musicians they had only recently met.
Time Traveler 11
He'll show her his if she'll show him hers ... but this is a more adult show and tell, with unspoken issues clouding their views.
Time Traveler 12
It's all about Time. Time the vast distance, Time the villain. Augusta could travel back in Time to tell herself how good life has become, and how to avoid the mistakes that were made. But if she did, she wouldn't grow up to become Augusta. Ah, but maybe that would have been better and she would have missed Time's cruelest trick of all.
Time Traveler 13
Images of the children she babysat while in high school press against Augusta's brain. Every single one of them is older than Valentine. When she began her affair with Moersgard, Valentine would have been a boy of sixteen! What should have been romance has become a horror story.
Time Traveler 14
If Valentine promises to love her until the end of Time, will Augusta believe him? Will she lose her resolve to leave him? And will she follow through on her decision to be honest with him?
Time Traveler 15
What would you be willing to give up for the person you love most? Riches? Power? Everything, you say, but what if what you had to give up were your fears and preconceptions?
Time Traveler 16
At last, a rainy night with no conflicts or worries, and only one thought in common. The door opens, and Valentine steps across the threshold.
Time Traveler 17
Love is patient, Love is kind ... Love is selfless, Love makes life worth living. Doesn't Love overlook our faults and rejoice in our differences? Doesn't it?
Time Traveler 18
Where is the playful lover who kissed from her hand all the way up her shoulder and neck to find his way to her lips? He's not in Augusta's bed, or her arms, or her kitchen, and she no longer knows where to look for him.
Time Traveler 19
Heartbroken, Augusta turns once more to her best friend Kimsky. But Moersgard, her former lover, shows up on Augusta's doorstep for a visit. Is it enough to take her mind off of Valentine?
Time Traveler 20
The phone rings. But the voice is not the one Augusta most wants to hear, and she limps back to Ohio, to Kim and Burlie's home remedies for heartbreak. Hope there are plenty of munchies!
Time Traveler 21
"I read books about older women and younger men; I talked about what it was like being in love with a younger man; and I thought about the younger man almost all the time, except when I was cooking or stoned," says Augusta. "Kimsky said I should get a prescription for medical marijuana and become a chef."
Time Traveler 22
Neil Radigan is new and improved, and a date with him actually starts out with fun and laughter, but then Fate steps in to rub Augusta's face in her heartbreak.
Time Traveler 23
Why does knowing that it's better this way hurt so damn bad?
Time Traveler 24
The lusty Moersgard has some revelations for Augusta, and a tentative job offer.
Time Traveler 25
It's showdown time, and Valentine and Augusta are both furious -- but they're angry about things that don't even exist.
Time Traveler 26
Augusta makes her plans for escape, but Jacob Moersgard has plans of his own, and is a manipulative mastermind who knows just what buttons to push.
Time Traveler 27
The bittersweet conclusion of Time Traveler. Augusta speaks to her class of karma, not as retribution, but acceptance of self, acceptance of consequence and release. A return to true love's arms doesn't mean happily ever after, but sometimes to break the cycle, you have to accept the reality of self.
Transitions
This week in the Piker Press, we begin a new serial fiction feature: "Transitions." Told from Owen Reich-Ambris' point of view, the story recounts a season of changes that occurred in his family's household, and how one weekend of the past summer affected them all ...
Transitions 02
The Five have collected information from their most recent sortie -- but now they have to figure out what it all means.
Transitions 03
There's a room in the mansion that belongs to Owen alone ... and it holds a precious secret.
Transitions 04
Blended families tend to have an overabundance of uncles and aunts unrelated to one by blood. Owen's family is like that, too. It's just about like having your own personal standing army hanging around ...
Transitions 05
Who understands each other best? Twins, and people who are truly in love. Who is there to understand you when you're neither a twin, nor in love?
Transitions 06
The reasons for Aunt Andersol's odd behavior are unknown, but certain things don't look too good ...
Transitions 07
Marca makes a dangerous decision to try to solve the riddle of her aunt's strange behavior. It's one step closer to understanding, but not enough ...
Transitions 08
Drama at school, drama at home ... the only thing left is to go outside and take a walk. But good luck with that, with a monster storm raging.
Transitions 09
Both Aunts arrive at the mansion, but they act very differently from one another. Owen has been stationed to greet them and get as much information as possible.
Transitions 10
Mysteries are no longer important when the family has to hear the bad news ...
Transitions 11
Things are settling down a little in the house, enough so that Owen's mind is free to find things to get into ...
Transitions 12
Aunt Sully finds out that there's much, much more to the mansion than she ever knew before. Owen has plans for this unexplored territory ...
Transitions 13
He sweet-talks the aunt, he sweet-talks his mother -- is any wonder Owen's oldest sister feels she must thrash him now and then?
Transitions 14
The rest of the weekend is at peace. Monday, however is going to knock someone's socks off!
Transitions 15
The mysteriously-behaving aunt returns, but the situation is anything but improved ...
Transitions 16
There are concerns, and there is family drama, but what really matters is whether the pretty girl is going to smile at him ...
Transitions 17
The week is much like any other week for the older Reich-Ambris kids: school, activities, formal dinner ... yet their age is starting to catch up with them, and they are no longer the cute little kids in adult style clothing...
Transitions 18
While Aunt Andersol throws a fit, bad news is just waiting to be found out...
Transitions 19
What a way to begin Fall Break -- the dog is gone, and Owen's secret identity is revealed ...
Transitions 20
How do you get through the day when the girl you always imagined dumps you before she's even your girl?
Transitions 21
Years have gone by, the estate always being the same for the children. As they've grown older, the gap between 'outside' and 'inside' has grown wider.
Transitions 22
Fall Break has begun, the family has gathered, the feast is served -- yes, what everyone needs is a surprise and a shock to kick things into high gear.
Transitions 23
The big secret is out -- but once again, eavesdropping is the only way for the kids to find out the whole story ...
Transitions 24
They got away with the goods -- now, what to think about the knowledge they've accrued?
Transitions 25
The eavesdropping has been moderately successful ... but there's a cop in the house and the Five could be busted for their crime ...
Transitions 26
Suddenly all those riding lessons make a whole lot of sense ...
Transitions 27
Rachel manages to hold her own with the ebullient Reich-Ambris clan, with the help of John LeMay, Sully, and the legendary scrapple.
Transitions 28
Sometimes what is supposed to seem like an important experience is just everyday stuff. But then, everyday stuff is kind of comforting, isn't it?
Transitions 29
Even for a rich kid, can't a friend just be a friend?
Transitions 30
Riding again with his aunt, Owen gets a lesson in land management.
Transitions 31
A hinge is beginning to turn, creaking a door open. Things are changing more rapidly now, and who knows what will lie beyond this door?
Transitions 32
A growth spurt and the unexpected invitation of Andersol to Claire's rooms give Owen the opportunity to learn something new ... something that has his grandmother interested.
Transitions 33
Owen breaks open his journal to clear his thoughts, and finds more questions than answers.
Transitions 34
A roaring fire, a powerful storm, hallways darkened but for flashlights -- excitement! Adventure!
Transitions 35
If the touchiest hothead in the house is hungry and pregnant, maybe it would be a good idea not to make her angry ..
Transitions 36
Having lived a life of relative luxury, the family is becoming aware of the many benefits of electric power when they have none. But at first, the darkness and simplicity and ways of coping seem like an adventure ...
Transitions 37
Without heat, the house is damp. With damp comes mildew. What the hell is up with being rich and having to put up with that?
Transitions 38
It's time for heroic efforts! They'll clear the road! They'll ride over the mountain for supplies! High adventure for the whole family!
Transitions 39
Oh, so this is what real work actually is?
Transitions 40
Riding off to rescue on her snowy white pony sounded exciting enough, but once again, the Five are reminded of just how hard work can be ...
Transitions 41
From hard work and cold, the family moves into town where electricity and comfort are again available. However, along with the ease of take-out food comes the complications that arise in 'normal life'...
Transitions 42
Warm and dry once again, the kids nevertheless must re-enter the dull and inevitable world of school ...
Transitions 43
The change in the household is accelerating, and Owen is aware of the future coming towards him faster and faster ...
Transitions 44
The family is back on an even keel with one another, but the changes that are about to happen to the estate may shake things up ...
Transitions 45
Things are getting ready to change in the Reich-Ambris household, and Grandmother is the first to take action over it.
Transitions 46
In which a reporter snaps a picture of the family, and Andersol begins to worry about being seen in the newspaper. The family is going to have to come up with a plan.
Transitions 47
Once again, Owen becomes aware that he and his siblings have led anything but a normal life as children ...
Transitions 48
Plainly times are changing for the Reich-Ambris family. What has been a blessedly private existence is about to become a family under the magnifying glass of the public press ...
Transitions 49
A spy is discovered, and only increases the need for a plan of action ...
Transitions 50
This year has been all about change; and now Owen has to realize that change is about him, too.
Transitions 51
Multiple big changes have come to the Estate; the Five mostly are trying to stay out of the way, but the changes will affect all their futures...
Transitions 52
Owen is counting down the days until the change in the household takes place -- will he find satisfaction in his new status, or disappointment?
Transitions 53
The family is breaking up to separate continents, but what is on Owen's mind is ...
Transitions 54
With most of the family in Italy, Owen is finding communication to be changing in his life, and perhaps it's time for him to share some of the words his father handed down ...
Transitions 55
The mansion is very empty, but all that quiet provides a space for a lot of thought ...
Transitions 56
Sure, Owen and Rachel have been pretending to be engaged, but what about when real feelings start to surface?
Transitions 57
Owen, John, and Sully discover a secret in the mansion that has been kept since Owen's father's death years ago ...
Transitions 58
There's more to the Estate than just the estate. Knowledge of that could change the way the family sees the world ...
Transitions 59
Travel is broadening, they say, but does it also set the travelers apart from what they have known?
Transitions 60
As spring moves in, the changes in the family relationships are moving more and more quickly ...
Transitions 61
The new suite is finished, and it is time for Owen to move to the third floor. Yet doesn't that move of a few steps put him a lot farther away from the comforts of his childhood?
Transitions 62
News has come from Italy -- but this time it's of a rather disturbing nature for a son filled with concern about his mother.
Transitions 63
They're not little kids anymore, and the events of the past months have put the Five into new molds. Things will be changing even more soon ...
Transitions 64
Four children have been born. Half-siblings, siblings once removed --? What are the new babies supposed to be?
Transitions 65
Owen may be the upcoming Man of the House, but that doesn't mean he won't make mistakes ...
Transitions 66
Summer brings Owen yet a few more steps out of the world of his childhood...
Transitions 67
Summer is hot, and so are the situations one can get into ...
Transitions 68
Christine shows up to heat up a summer morning ...
Transitions 69
Owen finds anger lurking in his adolescent body, first for being too young, and then for being old enough to face some new responsibilities.
Transitions 70
Conclusion.
Going Hungry
Serial fiction set in the time of the 2007 economic crash. Gloria Melton finds out the rocky truth behind her parents' life.
Going Hungry 02
In disbelief at her late father's secret life, Gloria runs head-on into her mother's reality.
Going Hungry 03
Gloria's mother's time to act was apparently years ago -- and she missed it.
Going Hungry 04
Food and shelter -- those are the important things, right? Unfortunately, to get them, you have to have money...
Going Hungry 05
There is a chance -- if they can manage to find jobs, they can keep the house. But where do you find a job when times get rough?
Going Hungry 06
Gloria thinks she can keep the family together in their own house because she's got common sense and a work ethic...but her education in the real world is just beginning.
Going Hungry 07
There's a good reason your mother taught you to be nice to the people you meet...
Going Hungry 08
Will has made it through his first day in the orchards, Philli found full time work -- but will it be enough?
Going Hungry 09
This is it -- the pivotal moment, can they keep the house or are they on the street? Or is it?
Going Hungry 10
The gardening service, the newspaper subscription, the cleaning lady have all been eliminated from the budget. Even the boyfriend is gone. What else can they do without?
Going Hungry 11
It's easy enough to open a bank account...but do you have any money to put into it?
Going Hungry 12
Gloria knows she can do whatever job she has to in order to keep her family in their house...and now is the time to prove it.
Going Hungry 13
The recession of 2007 is all too real for Gloria. No money, no jobs, no security...
Going Hungry 14
You've learned that you're in dire straits financially. You've learned that there are no jobs out there to bail you out. The next lesson is finding how to survive on what little you still have...
Going Hungry 15
Gloria and her mother are back on the same side again, but there's only one thing that will keep them side by side in their own home...
Going Hungry 16
Just when Gloria thought her prospects had darkened, a second chance at the job of cook's assistant arrived. It's a chance she mustn't screw up...
Going Hungry 17
Well, it's a job...
Going Hungry 18
In a gleaming commercial kitchen, Gloria expects magic and culinary wonders. But maybe even the rich just put their pants on one leg at a time...
Going Hungry 19
After the shock of the first day of work, Gloria can't help wishing for the life she used to have...
Going Hungry 20
Starting a new job, cooking for the family, managing the bills...Gloria thinks that should be enough to earn her some breathing space. Wait, it's not?
Going Hungry 21
Gloria is beginning to understand the real value of money -- that's how you pay for food. And if you don't work, you're not going to be able to eat...
Going Hungry 22
Observing Maria the cook in the kitchen is something of an eye-opener to Gloria. She keeps learning things that she'd never want to do...and doing things at home she never thought she'd have to.
Going Hungry 23
Two days off? Two days to prepare for the whole next week, but at least the Meltons will have some family time. Really?
Going Hungry 24
Gloria has learned how to take charge of the family finances, how to deal with teen drama, and how to effectively shop for food. The next rite of passage awaits her...
Going Hungry 25
You cook, you clean, you get through another day...
Going Hungry 26
A month ago, they were just three bereaved kids. Now they've become something more...
Going Hungry 27
The Meltons have found a new meaning in life -- keeping a roof over their heads. And for Gloria, it's actually becoming less about the paycheck...
Going Hungry 28
No more trips to the mall; no more dinners at the chain restaurants. Gloria must not only re-think spending money, she must also learn to think about food in a different way...
Going Hungry 29
"An easy day," Maria had told her assistant. "Just one meal." Gloria finds out what one meal can contain...
Going Hungry 30
Interesting perspective, working for people who have everything they need, as much as they want, and a future that's certain. Wait, didn't Gloria used to live like that? How quickly we forget...
Going Hungry 31
The Melton household is in flux; her lifestyle is suddenly solitary; but there is one place that Gloria is starting to feel comfortable...
Going Hungry 32
The Melton kids have taken over their household, but don't they still have a mother to watch over them?
Going Hungry 33
Taking a job as a cook's assistant wasn't the career that Gloria had anticipated, but there's a lot to be learned in a kitchen, and not all of it is about the food...
Going Hungry 34
Gloria has accepted her role, and Will's, as wage earners. Can their mother?
Going Hungry 35
As much fun as Gloria is having with her job, the backdrop is still a hungry, hurting economy...
Going Hungry 36
The Melton kids have rolled with the punches and taken on things they never thought they'd have to do. And yet, their old lives still have a lot to contribute...
Going Hungry 37
Just when Gloria thought her job was getting easy...
Going Hungry 38
Another week gone by, another day off. With the mortgage paid again for another month, Gloria can just let her mind relax...
Going Hungry 39
The mother-daughter relationship is wearing thin between Philli and Gloria, but they still need to respect each other to get through their economic crisis...
Going Hungry 40
In spite of the economic down-turn, Gloria is grateful for the new way of life that is keeping food on the table. Life can be good even if money is tight...
Going Hungry 41
Maria is gruff and grumpy to most people, but she does know when to kick the chicks out of the nest...
Going Hungry 42
Three days to prepare for Maria's departure. And then Gloria will have to take a big leap of faith in herself and land on her feet...
Going Hungry 43
So her late father's mistress has come to live in the Melton household. The mistress her father supported financially is now going to be supported by his widow and kids? How wrong is that?
Going Hungry 44
At any time, Lolo could walk into the house. The only solution? Get out of there!
Going Hungry 45
With Lolo in her mother's house, and Maria in the hospital, Gloria has to find her footing again in her own kitchen...
Going Hungry 46
Gloria has faced the worst she can imagine -- meeting Lolo face to face. And she made it through that horror. But she has to make her way through every day after, too, and where the on earth is Will?
Going Hungry 47
This is it, Gloria's in charge. In charge of the kitchen, that is...
Going Hungry 48
And when does life ever go on the same way, every day?
Going Hungry 49
Will has moved out, made a little home for himself elsewhere. What is "home," anyway?
Going Hungry 50
Will is gone. Gloria and Ben can take up the slack in the household chores, but are they close enough as siblings to ride out the changes coming?
Going Hungry 51
Gloria has just found out that her mother is thinking about moving the family out of their house. Is this what a day off is supposed to be like?
Going Hungry 52
Death and financial loss changed her family's life forever. Gloria faces another change -- this time from inside herself...
Going Hungry 53
And now Gloria can see Lolo with different eyes, ones that aren't looking through a red haze of anger. Are people ever what you think they are?
Going Hungry 54
Good food, fellowship, peace in the household ... until the anchor of the family begins acting strangely...
Going Hungry 55
Since Will left home, Ben has been on his own -- all too long?
Going Hungry 56
Philli is up to something, but she's not telling what it is. Steve is looking awfully good, but is that really the right thing for Gloria to see? And Will -- he's happy...is younger brother somehow leading the way?
Going Hungry 57
When everyone pitches in, a party isn't an expensive affair...and when the party's over, it doesn't have to be an ending.
Going Hungry 58
In an autumn full of changes for the Meltons, change itself has become the new normal...
Going Hungry 59
Ben and Gloria have been trying to figure out what their mother is up to with her secretive behavior. Sometimes secrets reveal themselves...
Going Hungry 60
So dear old Mom has a boyfriend. Why would she want to keep him a secret from her kids? Not like Gloria's keeping Steve a secret...
Going Hungry 61
Gloria realizes that she has to take Steve seriously. Her brothers are working every chance they can because they're taking money seriously. Why can't Philli do that with motherhood?
Going Hungry 62
Conclusion. The relationship with Steve is solidified, and now they just need to keep on going. But is the destination really finalized?
Out with the Trash
Emily has been married to Mark for many years, and life has treated her well enough. But New Year's Eve is about to reveal to her some things she'd rather not see...
Out with the Trash 02
After that outrageous New Year's Eve party, Emily is more than ready to just settle down and try to forget what she saw. If only she hadn't drunk so much! Oh, the if onlies...
Out with the Trash 03
With the dawn of New Year's Day, Emily has destroyed thousands of dollars' worth of her husband's prized antique statuary. But there's nothing to do but keep on going...
Out with the Trash 04
Emily has spent New Year's Day feeling ill while cleaning up the house after the party the night before, and she's just about done with it all...
Out with the Trash 05
Emily has had a rough start to the new year. But surely that's all behind her now...
Out with the Trash 06
January 2 has turned out to be much better than New Year's Day, and Emily is ready for life to turn happy again...
Out with the Trash 07
The secret forest friends may provide entertainment for Emily, but they're a more dangerous secret than most. She could cover up a broken statue, but there's no covering up the smell of skunk. But maybe Emily is luckier than she thinks...
Out with the Trash 08
About to run to her father for help, Emily remembers how she met her father's wife...
Out with the Trash 09
Remembering how Middi had come to be a friend, Emily heads for haven in Santa Cruz.
Out with the Trash 10
Safely in Santa Cruz, Emily can begin to relax a little -- but only a little...
Out with the Trash 11
The Shroeder dwarf wasn't what he appeared to be, and now Emily must chart a new course...
Out with the Trash 12
Emily returns home from her father's house to find something she would never have expected...
Out with the Trash 13
Something is not adding up in the Fatzer household. Secret keys and secret skunks and secret papers...maybe someone needs to be straightforward?
Out with the Trash 14
Mark now knows his dwarf is a phony, and he's pretty mad about it, but Emily still wants to find out what's up with the Michigan connection...
Out with the Trash 15
Once words are said, they are out there in the universe, echoing forever, and you can't put them back in your mouth. Maybe Mark should have remembered that and kept his trap shut...
Out with the Trash 16
Emily has rebelled and bought herself a computer, a new secret to match Mark's secret communications with the university in Michigan. And she's willing to give Mark enough rope to hang himself...
Out with the Trash 17
Emily has made things easy for her husband to continue his mysterious plans. Is she right about her speculations?
Out with the Trash 18
Unnerved by the prospect of an FBI investigation, Emily must still face the ongoing mysterious behavior of her husband...
Out with the Trash 19
The photo that Emily has found is troubling, but not completely damning. If it is another piece of the puzzle, then Emily doesn't know how it fits...
Out with the Trash 20
Alternating between dismay and fury, Emily begins to take stock of what her life has become...
Out with the Trash 21
With Mark gone halfway across the country on his mysterious errand, Emily has had some time to take stock of her life. There is no choice but to keep moving forward...
Out with the Trash
Mark is gone, visiting his parents in Michigan. Back in California, Emily and her investigative partner Spoon are going to search for more clues...
Out with the Trash 23
Confronted with seeming proof of Mark's misbehavior, Emily must begin to make her way past it, or through it, or...?
Out with the Trash 24
Shaken by her discoveries, pushed to her emotional limits, Emily grabs her wooden spoon and takes a step -- is it in the right direction?
Out with the Trash 25
Mark is still keeping his real purpose of his trip to Michigan secret, and Emily follows suit by keeping secret all that she has found out about him. Life has changed...
Out with the Trash 26
Things just don't make sense. And while Emily has to admit she's been deluded, there still ought to be a way to put all the clues together...
Out with the Trash 27
Her latest round of espionage lands Emily and her car in an icy ditch. Can she accept a rescue?
Out with the Trash 28
Was a car wreck the best part of Emily's week?
Out with the Trash 29
Much makes sense to Emily now, but there are still connections to make...
Out with the Trash 30
So much is now so clear about what went on at New Year's; but the journey isn't over yet...
Out with the Trash 31
It doesn't matter that the skunk back-tracked Emily to her house; and who cares if the skunk sprayed the neighbor's cat? Emily has only begun to imagine the solutions she needs...
Out with the Trash 32
Conclusion. This author rather wishes that Emily could stick around longer, but it's time to say good-bye...
After Life
Everything happens so fast, and you can't make it go away again...
After Life 02
They were out to kill her boyfriend, but Roj got in the way. But that wasn't the end of it...
After Life 03
Roj has found out for certain that she is dead. But not completely gone -- and apparently there's a few things she can still do...
After Life 04
They killed Roj, they killed Danny Chuster ... but weren't they gunning for Matt?
After Life 05
Roj is heartbroken that Matt can't recognize her, even though he heard her speak to him, but after all, she wasn't there to idly chat...
After Life 06
Roj left Matt sleeping, and trashed Garrison's pristine office. What else does a disgruntled ghost do?
After Life 07
Pleased by Garrison's reaction to the state of his office, Roj continues her investigations...
After Life 08
With Garrison's credit card information safely tucked away in the Personnel Department, Roj is ready for wider investigations...
After Life 09
It was such a satisfying lunch date with Garrison that Roj simply must learn more...
After Life 10
In shooting the thug, Roj may have saved Laurella's life and family, but what will it do to Roj's soul?
After Life 11
Trashing Garrison's office had been fun for Roj, shooting Thug Boy had been disturbing, but trying to figure out how to be properly dead ...
After Life 12
There are voices out there in the world of the spirit, and they are bothering Roj. Surely they can't be right, can they?
After Life 13
Spending Garrison's money was entertaining, but Roj has some real business at hand...
After Life 14
Roj doesn't think of herself as a ghost, even though she's dead. On the other hand, who's there to teach her about being a ghost?
After Life 15
Finding Matt drunk with a loaded gun by his bed is not going to make Roj any more sympathetic to the man who wants him dead...
After Life 16
He's not the biggest trout in the pond, but Roj knows that Garrison is up to a lot of fishy business...
After Life 17
Roj has done her best to ruin Garrison's plans, but somehow, that's not all she's here for...
After Life 18
Inexplicably, Matt's gun is reloaded -- even though he's passed-out drunk. And yet, that's not the only mystery Roj has to solve...
After Life 19
Gerry has been driven away by the revelation of her less-than-stellar spirit. What has Roj got left to do but spy on Duchamps?
After Life 20
Roj and her hauntings have begun to make a number of people uneasy. It's time to up the ante...
After Life 21
Bashing Hammer was satisfying, and haunting illegal drug production was okay, but Roj knows there's more to learn...
After Life 22
Having learned painfully about the choices she made in life, Roj turns again to Matt's dilemma...
After Life 23
Along with the satisfaction of getting the corrupt Hammer in trouble, Roj has managed to get Matt to safety. But is it enough?
After Life 24
Matt is awake and sober for about ten minutes before someone tries to kill him. What's it going to take to save this guy?
After Life 25
Roj has seen how love changes a human being into a new creation. Did she and Matt have that, or was that stolen from them by her death? What more must she understand in order to save him?
After Life 26
Learning so much even after being murdered has Roj ready to play hooky from school, and Hennessey is an easy target for her to tease. And let's not forget Garrison! But sometimes play goes a little too far...
After Life 27
Having irrevocably destroyed the trust between Hennessey and Garrison, Roj spies on Duchamps to see his organization crumbling, but she's gone too far...
After Life 28
Roj has learned a tough lesson about teasing the wrong people, but that's not going to get her the answers she needs...
After Life 29
Gerry the ghost's memories have given Roj something new to think about: a life spent in relationship with God. But Roj has no life left, so now what?
After Life 30
Gerry has disappeared, and Roj has had an interesting review of memories with Desai. Something is still eluding her, though...
After Life 31
Gerry the ghost found some answers of her own, and passed on her wisdom to Roj in a way Roj could finally understand ...
After Life 32
Conclusion. "All things have a purpose," Desai says. What is the purposeful key Roj must find to open that one last lock?
Place Settings 02
With her mother about to leave widowhood behind, Gloria Melton must reassess her own footing within the family...
Place Settings 03
Time for Maria to set out the Sunday Baker feast, and ponder the changes in her life...
Place Settings 04
Now let's see Sunday morning through Gloria's eyes...
Place Settings 05
Is it worth worrying about? Or is it just that it's dark and damp and ugly...?
Place Settings 06
Gloria is comfortable working with Maria in the Bakers' kitchen, but that doesn't mean there are no surprises...
Place Settings 07
Gloria has her life under control, or thinks she does. At least it seems that way as long as no one else is around...
Place Settings 08
A make-shift room in a barn...is that the secret to happiness?
Place Settings 09
Being hired to work in the Bakers' kitchen was a life-changer for Gloria; with the job, she was able to keep her family off the streets. Renting a room in Maria's house...how is that going to change things even more?
Place Settings 10
The Melton siblings still have their secrets...
Place Settings 11
And then there's Ben...
Place Settings 12
Maybe we should have a look at another side...
Place Settings 13
How long did Maria live alone? With Gloria in residence, things may begin to change...
Place Settings 14
In one day, Maria got rid of every bit of the upstairs furniture in her house except for Gloria's room. Why?
Place Settings 15
Finally, some breathing room in their lives, finally, a reunion...
Place Settings 16
Love is in the air in the Bakers' kitchen, sharp and sweet...
Place Settings 17
It's nearly Christmas, and inevitable that moms expect family to be home for the holiday...
Place Settings 18
Ah, the Downfall of the Americas...
Place Settings 19
A week off from the Bakers' kitchen! Celebration time, indeed...
Place Settings 20
Gloria is hosting her first Christmas potluck...
Place Settings 21
Tom had his secrets, Philli had hers; Gloria keeps some secrets from her brothers, and Ben -- well, Ben keeps some secrets, too...
Place Settings 22
Love is rarely simple...
Place Settings 23
Steve's getting transferred, and maybe that gives Gloria some breathing room for other important things...
Place Settings 24
Something has to be done for Lolo, to be sure, but right now the task is bringing Maria's house into the 21st Century...
Place Settings 25
"Just a little something for sandwiches," she says...
Place Settings 26
Finally, a chance to just sit and talk...
Place Settings 27
Food can make a lasting memory. Gloria thinks she's found a bridge to get by her mother's wrath...
Place Settings 28
The holiday is approaching -- why not have a party...
Place Settings 29
Lolo is safe for the time being, and Maria wants to eradicate the memories of her bad marriage...the solution?
Place Settings 30
Lolo is safely at work, and a rainy day makes Gloria think about food...
Place Settings 31
A rare visit by Will brings the Melton siblings together again, and sparks memories...
Place Settings 32
The hailstorm is past, but has left some unexpected benefits...
Place Settings 33
It's the end of the year, time to take stock of what is in the kitchen, and what is important in life...
Place Settings 34
A house party is perfect for a rainy holiday ...
Place Settings 35
A peaceful afternoon after a tumultuous morning. The house party could use a simple, fun day...
Place Settings 36
Life is so good when there's more to it than just enduring...
Place Settings 37
There's a time for grief, and a time for remembering...
Place Settings 38
Conclusion. You have to know where you want to be, and you sometimes can't do it unless you take a stand...
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Unknown
Practice Pieces
Cover Story
Fever Dreams 105
Mr. Smith never should have made his secretary arrange his vacation travel.
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Essay
10 K for Labor Day
What? Some of the Staff of the Piker Press have gone missing? Maybe they're sitting at their keyboards, trying to figure out how to stretch "And then a giant gopher came up out of the ground and ate them all" into say, 500 words or more? Looks like it's that time of year again ...
A Bouquet for Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day this week! Our cover story is dedicated to mothers everywhere, a bouquet of exotic blooms from the Modesto Tropical Plants Show held on 14th and 15th of April, 2007.
Into the New Year
You wake up in the dark, wondering if the dog or the cat or the alarm is going to be the first to force you to get up. Everything is silent, and you don't move, not wanting to stir up the household by blundering about the room in the dark to look for a clock. And in the misty musings that tangle thoughts in the night, you remember that the date is going to be December 31st, the last day of the year. New Year's Eve. A thrill races through you: by this time tomorrow, dawn will be about to break on an entirely new year.
Notes From the Office 08: Fairy Tales
Once upon a time, there were a bunch of Writers who had all kinds of words trying to pour out of their heads, through their fingers, and into print. Having little opportunity to get published, the Writers felt sluggish and sad, like highways with a magical traffic jam. Then one day, a tall blonde editor with a silver sword and an imagination like a wizard par excellence appeared, struck a computer with a spell of coding, and made The Piker Press appear ...
Seven Years of Piker Press
April of 2009 brings the Piker Press another anniversary as a weekly ezine. To kick off our eighth year, this issue presents the thoughts of some of our writers about their writing itself. Many thanks to all who have contributed to the Piker Press in the past, and best wishes to all who will share their words and images in the Piker Press in the future.
The Half-Crazed Hedge Shaman: Featured Blog
If only birds could read, we'd put warning labels on the patio door...
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In This Issue
A quick overview of this week's Press.
In This Issue
A quick overview of this week's Press.
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