Interesting article with links to a blog:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-mcbride/the-real-me_b_15...

Portia

Tomorrow starts the first day of my eighth decade. I'll celebrate by going to Fort Smith to visit a manufacturer of farm equipment. I'm not sure where I'll eat lunch. In the afternoon, I'll visit an advanced care organization that is surrounded by a hospital - nice people. They take care of post operative patients and patients recovering from serious illnesses. As far as celebrating goes, I'm not much for it. Maybe I'll celebrate if I make it through the next three decades with my mind and senses intact; so far so good.

I can't access stories from the home page. Anyone else? I need my Bike Fix.

Portia

Since this is the Masters weekend, I thought some might want to read my take on the tournament. The first 19 chapters are the best part. The next four are strictly an 'add on' and will probably morph into a complete tale some time in the future.

http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/20792/bobbie-and-glass-ce...

Portia

Thought everyone might find this interesting. This is one cool author. Copy and paste link if it doesn't work.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rhiana-maidenberg/transgender-...

Portia

I've been thinking about my latest posted story, Charli and the Girl Cave. As it is my prerogative, I deleted the epilogue. It didn't really fit, anyway. What should have been the epilogue is now truly the epilogue. I think it works much better this way. The part I deleted will become part of another adventure, yet to be written. I do have a number of ideas fermenting about the further adventures of all the young witches. There might be a story in a few months.

There have been some horrible crimes in Arkansas over the last few days. Domestic violence seems to be exploding and culminated in several murders and suicides, and suicide by police. This is a crime of another nature and the person who committed it is just as sick as any other murderer.

I know there are some sports fans and golf fans out there. If you are relatively new to this site, you might want to read Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling. The story belongs to the Cynthia Chronicles series and has many of the characters that were recently featured in Charli and the Girl Cave. The story takes place in a famous golf venue. In spite of what many may think, golf is not a good walk ruined.

I noticed the hit count for visitors is over 19,793,000. Wasn't just yesterday that we (I think I'm allowed to say 'we') hit 10,000,000. What a great job done by Erin and the others who know how to make this refuge so nice.

Portia

Thank you, everyone for reading the story, and commenting. The response has far exceeded any of my previous stories as far as kudos go. It's nice that something I enjoyed writing has been received so well. I posted Part 2 this morning, and there are five more parts to come. I think it would be best to get this posted before Christmas (It's not a Christmas story. I already wrote one of those two years ago.), so I will post each part on successive days continuing with Part 3 tomorrow. I hope the story continues to please.

Portia

Thought this might be of interest. I wish I could fly like this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/thailand-transgende...

Portia

Anyone else having this problem?

Portia

Just noticed this interesting tidbit.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/andrea-jones-transg...

They still can't decide what defines a man or a woman.

Portia

Many centuries ago in tsarist Russia, Tsar Rudolph sat on his throne in a dank and musty palace near the Kremlin. It was late fall, and the weather was dreary. His wife, the Tsarina, was peering out the window, looking across the bleak square.

"Rudolph, my liege, it is beginning to snow," she said with some conviction.

The Tsar, with nothing much else to do walked to the window to take in the scene.

"Catherine, that is just more of the same miserable rain we've seen for days."

"No, it's starting to snow. You can see a few flakes falling out there."

"It is only rain."

I just wanted to thank all my readers for their response to my latest effort, St. George and the Dragon. I was concerned that the reception might be considerably less positive than it was. Those of you who have been reading it know that the theme is not tightly tied to the TG experience; however, many of the trials one of the characters goes through are directly due to the homophobic beliefs of the people in the circle where she lives.

Four years ago I was getting up my nerve to sign on to BCTS. I found this to be such a warm and friendly place. Oh, there were a few soreheads and curmudgeons around; however, they were few and far between. A little more than three years ago, I decided to take the plunge and post the story I had spent several years writing. It was badly edited and proofed (by me); however, it was well received. Thankfully, Holly Hart took me under her wing. I posted two more stories before prostate cancer and some severely botched surgery knocked me on my rear for several months.

"So, I am dying. That sucks, but we are all going to die at some point. I believe it’s called ‘the end of one’s life’. I can remember thinking when I visited Gloria in the hospital many years ago that life invariably leads to death. That’s easy to say when you’re thirty. The impact of that statement has a little more import now that I’m 67, and know that my time is very limited."

Thought this might be of interest to many.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/walmart-adds-transg...

Kurt Weill actually wrote the music years before for another musical.

Three years ago, I finally got up the nerve to post the novels I had written up to that point on BCTS. Frankly, I was a bit apprehensive. September 2008 was a big month in many respects. About the same time I started posting The Heart of the Beholder I found out that I had prostate cancer. The night before I went in for what proved to be a horrible ordeal of three weeks in the hospital and three surgeries, I posted the last chapter of The Narragansett Fork. That one is still one of my favorites because that's where I found Fanny.

We set an all time record this morning for the warmest overnight temperature. It was 85 degrees. The temperature at 11:30 AM is 104. The all time high for Little Rock is 112. I remember when that happened. Record today? I'm not sure. I need to water the plants.

Portia

I'm a bit more than half way through writing a novel - 63,000 words so far - and I feel like I'm treading in molasses. I've written less than 3,000 words in more than a month. Yesterday, I wrote ONE SENTENCE! What's so frustrating is that I know the story right up through the ending. I just can't find the words. If anyone out there is wondering why I haven't posted anything lately, it's not because I've gone away. I think my muse has taken a sabatical, or she's just enjoying tormenting me. The story I'm working on is part of the California Saga series.

I can't seem to be able to sign in.

Portia

This was sent to me a little while ago:

Owed Two A Spell Cheque

Little Silky, the model for Randi Lewis Deere's familiar, managed to get latex house paint on her paws. I think she may have cleaned her brother off, too. He brushed against a freshly painted door. He avoided a barrier and brushed by the door. Of course she washed it off - not using the tap at the sink. I first noticed she was drooling a whole lot - drip, drip, drip. She's a bit unhappy with the painters tresspassing as it is, and knows of 20 more hiding places than we do. She's vomited several times, and is drinking a lot of water on her own.

The idiocy of this is beyond my comprehension.

http://www.parentdish.com/2011/05/19/city-bans-breast-feedin...

I wonder what F--- up in the development of society led to this mind set?

Portia

I think there is room for discussion here, and it may not have anything to do with the censorship.

Portia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/dossier-andrej-peji...

We were visiting friends last week, and were having an Easter feast outdoors in the mild weather. I happened to be with several of the wives, including my own, and we were discussing movies, past oscar winners and others. Several nice movies were mentioned, and Notting Hill came up. We mentioned The King's Speech, and I mentioned that I like Colin Firth in Love Actually.. One of the ladies said, "You keep mentioning chic flicks. You're a girl inside, aren't you?" I said I guess so, and my wife said yes, while nodding in agreement.

We were wakened the night before last at 2:00 AM by our little cat, Silky, trying to get our attention. There had been considerable lightning and thunder, not unexpected, for several hours. Suddenly, the wind picked up to a swirling gale. Small branches and hail pummeled the roof. We then realized that the power was out (not to return until 9:30 last night). The wind calmed down, then the tornado warning sirens began to wail. Power had not returned in the morning, but fortunately, we had natural gas for cooking.

Well, My six-year old Dell was showing signs of senility, so I carefully transfered my files to a Simple Drive and verified they were indeed there. Actually, I had been periodically backing things up by copying files to the drive. I thought every thing was going just right.