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The Adventures of Tally-Ho

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Tally Ho spread 1_smWhile my husband was alive, we came up with a great idea to write a story based on the wonder of raising our kids in the country.  It seemed so right, like an apostolate. We knew we had been blessed in a mighty way, and that God had guided us to our little home and helped us to learn the amazing skills needed to garden and manage a mini-farm.  John took to homesteading like a fish to water.  Other homeschool dads used to call him “Our Amish Paul Bunyan.” So, it felt natural to share our joy and success with others. I wrote stories based on what we did every day: meals, working our little garden, nurturing nature, loving kids…loving God. John was going to create the illustrations since he had a wonderful knack for drawing.  Except he couldn’t.  Leukemia intervened, and that success was put off…forever it seemed.

After he passed away, I felt tugged to see our project through to completion.  But how? God has ways. I’m not sure if John was whispering in anyone’s ear, but somehow or another I met up with a wonderful illustrator who knew exactly what we had imagined. She put her talents to work, and the story unfolded better than I had imagined. It’s been published under the title: The Adventures of Tally-Ho. Tally-Ho was what John called our fourth daughter because she loved to gallop around the house on her imaginary horse. How we used to laugh about that.  What a wonder imagination brings to life!

As I state in the dedication to the story, John’s love made the stories true.  His vision is what made our real-life family possible.  As I contemplate the finished product, I wonder what God will do with this little book.  Surely, He has a plan. I very much doubt that it has anything to do with making money.  I pray it has something to do with loving families.

So Tally-Ho, like a new kid on the block, is finding its way in the world. I pray that it will be a light and joy to souls.  Perhaps it will be a vision of what might be…a hope, a dream, a longing that yearns to be fulfilled. Real dreams don’t die…they grow.

I think John would agree.

Novels by A. K. Frailey

Science Fiction

Last of Her Kind  http://amzn.to/2y1HJvg

Historical Fiction

ARAM http://amzn.to/2lTHVXR

Ishtar’s Redemption http://amzn.to/2kHKLtN

Neb the Great http://amzn.to/2kS1Ylm

Georgios I—Hidden Heritage http://amzn.to/2lscPWg

Georgios II—A Chosen People http://amzn.to/2lTK0mu

Melchior—Vengeance Is Mine http://amzn.to/2taeW2r

Children’s Book

The Adventures of Tally-Ho http://amzn.to/2sLfcI5

Inspirational Non-Fiction

The Road Goes Ever On—A Christian Journey Through The Lord of the Ringshttp://amzn.to/2lWBd00

The Lion’s Heart

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Treason

Treason – A Catholic Novel of Elizabethan England by Dena Hunt is definitely one of the best books I have read recently. This is a well-written account not merely of a historical time period (Elizabethan England) but a reflection on the lives and souls of people who lived during a time of terrible persecution. This is a close look at how lives are intertwined and how one person’s lie can affect everyone, even in the most intimate manner. There are really three stories here, more if you count the individuals, but the storylines mix together to form a whole picture that demonstrates clearly the hardship of trying to choose between loyalty to God, to country, to family, and even loyalty to self. The writing is beautiful and sensitive. Perhaps, as readers, we can see the struggles of souls a little more honestly, and pray a little more ardently.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1m8wtAo

The Lion's HeartThe Lion’s Heart, also by Dena Hunt is an equally exquisite story, though in a modern setting. There are many books I am hesitant to pick up simply because I don’t want to deal with another person’s hidden agenda. I had no idea what to expect from The Lion’s Heart though I was aware of the fact that it dealt with sensitive subjects. I was uncertain as to where Ms. Hunt stood on the issue of sexual attraction, so I was curious about how she would present her version of the truth.

What I discovered what truth itself! The Lion’s Heart, is a story of love, passion, lies, truth, deception, revelation and grace. What I really enjoyed about Dena’s work was her incredibly sensitive, intuitively honest, look at the human soul. I never sensed, at any time, that she had an agenda to pedal or a point to make. Rather, she took me on a journey through the lives of these two men. And what a journey! I met their families, was introduced to their professional worlds, and experienced their lives as they experienced it. As a Catholic, I have definite opinions about homosexuality, but I did not feel that my opinions were challenged so much as informed. Instead of meeting a topic, a conversation piece, an attitude, a moral dilemma, I found myself up close and personal with various faces of humanity.

I could not give this book a higher rating – it’s at the top of the charts. I thank Ms. Hunt for having the courage and the beauty of heart to see, feel, and love as she did—for this book is, above all, a work of love. May it be accepted as such.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1m8w40P

Home Management

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Warning—If someday you happen to be walking along and you cross in front of one your otherwise innocent-looking appliances and just happen to notice a bit of something, (could be dirt, could be a crayon, could be one of last year’s pasta dinner experiments) sticking out from underneath and you hear a little voice saying: “Maybe I should just check….”  Stop!  Think!  This could lead you places you do not want to go.  Trust me.

I just spent the morning facing things that I really didn’t want to know existed. There are more dirt & goo under appliances than are dreamt of in Man’s philosophy, Horatio!

The worst part is that even if you do happen to come out of the whole experience victorious, and you stand up again, (dirtier but still a semblance of your former self) sure, but there you are—facing a house full of other appliances looking at you…and now you know what they are hiding.

Listen while there is still time—Home Management isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.  Ignore that dust ball, kick the crayon further back, go outside, play ball with your kids, refresh your spirit with something wholesome.  Dirt exists, it is a part of life…and frankly…appliances LIKE to collect things.  Let them have their little fun.

May the best housekeeper learn her limits.