The Staying Power of Jupiterian Fropples

February 24, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Things have been pretty calm in Hollyhill. That's the way it is in the winter around here. If we don't have a big snowstorm, then nothing really happens in February. Just cold winds and days you think spring will never get here. School is extra trouble in February. Teachers must look at the calendar and decide we need to do twice the work since there are only 28 days in the month. Reports and more reports. All on boring true stuff like why Shakespeare poisoned Romeo and Juliet. Well, not really. That might be interesting. Not as interesting as one of Wes's Jupiter stories, but not as boring as drawing the digestive track for health. Eww!

So how about another bit from that book, Summer of Joy. Last week I told you how I figured out love could be shared without it getting lost when I told Robert why I love Wes. I was still a little worried about how what Wes would do when he met his grandson. I mean, I knew he wouldn't stop loving me, but I sort of needed to hear him tell me that. 

   I was already over being jealous of Robert. I'd lost that even before We told me that Jupiter love is stronger than ten grizzly bears, stickier than bubblegum in hair, and has the staying power of a Jupiterian fropple.

    When I laughed and asked what in the world a Jupiterian fropple was, he grinned at me and said, "Nothing in this world, for sure. A fropple is sort of like the frogs you have down here but some bigger with longer jumping legs. Fropples can hop all the way around Jupiter after eating two teeny little bugs. Never get tired. Never wear down. Never quit. Just keep hopping. Around and around."

   "But why are they hopping around Jupiter?" Seemed like something that would be good to know.

    "Now that's something nobody knows. Mr. Jupiter, he's had the scientists up there on Jupiter working on it for years. They can't figure it out. Of course, they did figure out that they could make rocket fuel from those little bugs. That's how come I'm down here on earth. Bug juice fuel."

    That makes me giggle thinking about it. Bug juice fuel. I'm glad that Wes loves me enough to keep telling me crazy Jupiter stories. Did you have a granddaddy or granny who told you silly stories?

     Remember about those giveaways. If you leave a comment here you might win one of the Heart of Hollyhill books. And you can visit that writer's website to find out about her book celebration giveaway. The deadline to enter is Friday at midnight. I love the prizes. A charm bracelet and a cute little dish with a bicycle and the saying "Take Joy in the Journey." Wow, that's I want to do.  That's what Wes does. All the way from Jupiter.

Jocie Shares a Scene from Summer of Joy

February 17, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky three days after Valentine's Day. It's been snowing and snowing. That's given me lots of time to think about all the different kinds of love and back to some of the things that happened in those Heart of Hollyhill books I'm in. 
 
You know it's funny that last Hollyhill book is named Summer of Joy because most of it happened in the winter time. We had a bunch of snow then too. And during one of those snows, Robert showed up out of nowhere. I didn't like him much. You know how I love Wes. I mean, Wes is my best friend and my grandfather all wrapped up in one. But he's not really my grandfather, not in any kind of real family kin. He's from Jupiter. I know. He's not really from Jupiter. I've known that forever, but that's what he's always told me. Then Robert shows up - his real grandson in the family kin way. That sort of worried me. I was afraid Wes wouldn't love me the same if he had Robert to love. Here's the scene out of the book where I go out to walk in the snow to think that through, and Robert hunts me down to talk about Wes.

    We walked along without talking for a little ways. I was thinking about claiming I was cold and saying we needed to go back to the house when Robert said, "Your father told me you and my grandfather are real close."
    I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say to that, so I just nodded a little and kept walking. We were almost to the end of the apple orchard, but Mr. Crutcher doesn't mind me walking in his pasture fields next door. Dad walks there all the time when he's praying through something for a sermon or whatever. 
    I thought maybe I should be praying through something. I just wasn't sure what. I wasn't sure why I had that spider crawly feeling inside and tears in my eyes that weren't there just because of the cold wind blowing in my face. Just because proof that Wes wasn't from Jupiter was walking along beside me didn't mean Wes had to stop telling me Jupiter stories. And even if he did, so what? I was too old for Jupiter stories anyway.
     "Tell me about him," Robert said.
     "What about him?"
     "I don't know. Tell me why you love him."
    "Why do you want to know that?"
    "So I can love him the way you do. Like a real grandson would."
    It seemed only fair, so I told him about the spaceship from Jupiter. And about the motorcycle and how Wes talked to the press to keep it running. I told him about the tornado and the tree falling on Wes. I didn't tell him why we were out in the tornado. I figured that would just confuse things. Last I told him about Wes being baptized in the river even though it almost made his ears freeze and fall off. We both laughed about that.
    By the time we walked back to the house, I'd passed some of my love for Wes over to Robert, but the funny thing was I didn't have a bit less inside me. Maybe love really is like a candle flame that keeps burning just as brightly no matter how many other candles are lit from the flame.

Is that how you think love is? 


By the way, I've heard there are some giveaways going on. You can check it out here. And there's a Goodreads giveaway too. Leave a comment here and be in a special drawing for a copy of one of the Heart of Hollyhill books. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?

  

Chocolates Spell Love

February 10, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Snow is still on the ground but the school buses are running again. I don't ride the bus. Dad takes me to school on his way to the newspaper office. Thank goodness. If I had to ride the bus, I'd be on it for an hour. That might be all right if I could read or sleep, but reading while riding makes me upchuck and I've been on buses a time or two. They hit every bump in the road. Way too bouncy for sleeping. Of course, my girlfriend, Myra, likes riding her bus since her boyfriend is on the same route. They sit together and get all moony eyed over each other. She'll probably get a fancy heart shaped box of chocolate candy. Sigh.

I don't have a boyfriend. Myra says I never will if I don't learn how to flirt a little. I tell her I don't care if I don't ever have a boyfriend if I have to go around batting my eyes like I've got sand in them or something. She says she doesn't do that. She just smiles a lot and lets Joseph know how cute she thinks he is. I didn't tell her, but Joseph would never be on my cute boy list. Then again, I don't have a cute boy list. Maybe I should make one and then I could study up on flirting. I do have guys I like to talk to, but I can't imagine holding hands with any of them. Eww! They're just buddies.

Still it might be fun to get one of those heart boxes. We ran this ad in the paper last week. Dad should get one for Leigh. He did get her chocolate once, but nothing as fancy as this. Just a big chocolate bar back when he was trying to remember how to be romantic. He said it had been a long time since he'd even thought about romance before Leigh began to bat her eyes at him. But I don't know if she's got much chance of getting one of those neat heart boxes of chocolates. Dad says you're not getting a very good return for your money on the candy inside. That it's all show. 

But even if I don't know much about flirting, I know that the return on that fancy Valentine heart is not what's inside the box. Leigh would like it. Dad spending that kind of money on a box of candy would make her feel loved. But he probably won't. Even if Zella tells him to. Dad is sensible. Maybe that's why I'm not a good flirter. I'm sensible too. Gee, that sounds horrible at my age. It's okay for Dad to be sensible, but I'm fifteen. I'm not supposed to be sensible yet, am I? 

Wes says not to worry, that I've done lots of silly stuff and I probably won't be really sensible for at least three years. He says on Jupiter girls my age have purple hair and instead of giggling when they see a boy they think is cute, they hop up and down like a bunch of crazy rabbits. I guess it's good I'm not a Jupiter girl. I don't think I'd like all that hopping although purple hair sounds kind of neat. Wouldn't that give poor Aunt Love a stroke? She'd be quoting me lots of verses out of the Bible, for sure.

But if you aren't so sensible and know about romance, you should buy your sweetheart something special for Valentine's. Or write them a love poem. Sigh. Now that I could do. If I had any boys on my cute boy list. 

So have you ever gotten one of those fancy boxes of candy for Valentine's? If so, maybe you can give me some flirting hints.


 

Thinking Joy in the Middle of Winter

February 4, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. First I have to let you know that last week was a disaster here in Hollyhill. A foot of snow and cold. Somebody told Dad that it was twenty below out on their farm. Wow! That's too cold to do anything except sit by the fire and hope you don't run out of wood or coal or gas or whatever keeps your house warm. We used to have a coal stove, but a couple of years ago Dad decided Aunt Love was getting too old to fix fires, so he put in a gas stove. Now we just have to worry about running out of gas in the big tank out back.


Did you miss me last week? I guess it was so cold it froze my brain and I forgot about making my report from Hollyhill. Nothing was happening anyway. Well, I mean nothing ever happens around here, but this was worse even than usual. Everybody stayed holed up in their houses and watched the snow blow around. I like snow, but when it's real cold you can't make a snowman or even a decent snowball and the sled runners sink down in the powdery stuff.

Sunday, Dad and the deacons called off church. That seemed weird too, but the church is out in the county and nobody could have driven there because the roads were drifted over. So we had church at home. Dad gathered us around the stove after breakfast and he read Exodus 33, where the Lord lets Moses stand in a cleft of the rock and covers him with his hand while he passes by to let Moses see his glory. After he read the verses, Aunt Love sang the chorus of "Rock of Ages." It did seem to fit, so I joined in and Dad did too. None of us can sing all that great, but Dad says as long as you believe the words in a hymn, your singing sounds good to the Lord. After we sang, Dad said we don't have to be on the mountain with God to see his glory. We can see it everywhere, even in the middle of a snow storm, but best of all, in the hearts and lives of those who believe.

Dad loves the Bible. He says he's proud of me for trying to read through the Bible this year. I'm still reading a chapter every night but I haven't gotten out of Genesis yet. 50 chapters in Genesis. It's going to take me more than a year get through the Bible unless I start reading more than one chapter a night. Dad says I might get bogged down in Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus, that they're books of law with lots of the rules for the Israelite nation. Like what you do if your neighbor steals your cattle. Dad says somehow Jesus turned all these rules into two. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

So now the snow is melting and March is on the way. That's when the third Hollyhill book will be out there for readers. Do you see me on the cover? What do you think about my picture there? I'm at Leigh's apartment playing her records. She's got some great 45s. Lots of Elvis. I think he must be her favorite singer. I don't know which I like best. "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog" or "Love Me Tender." Do you like Elvis? Which is your favorite Elvis song?

(Note from the future) If you haven't got the new book, Summer of Joy, it will be out in about twenty days. Before that you can check out this place on Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/79488-summer-of-joy, and sign up to maybe win a copy.

What Dad Believes

January 20, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from downtown Hollyhill, Kentucky. Exciting news today. Dad got contacted by somebody to do an interview. It's usually Dad interviewing other folks for a piece in the Banner, but this time the tables were turned and somebody interviewed him all about what went on last fall here in Hollyhill. You remember, don't you? Well maybe if you don't, you should read those Heart of Hollyhill books. You can find out a lot about Hollyhill and all of us in those books.

Dad was interviewed about the book Orchard of Hope. It's a good thing that writer person wrote all that down, else we might have forgotten it. Not yet, but someday. Like in fifty years or so. Dad says he thinks someday people won't pay attention to the color of a person's skin. He thinks that anybody will be able to go anywhere and do whatever they want as long as it's legal. If that person wants to eat at the lunch counter instead of in the back booth, that will be fine and there won't have to be sit-ins and Freedom Trains and so much trouble. 

I guess because Dad can see how things should be instead of how they are is why Miss Lamb decided to ask him about what he believes. One thing for sure, Dad doesn't mind talking about that. He says that every Christian should be that way and ready to share what the Lord has done for them. He studies the Bible to try to get answers out of God's Word. He talks about some of those answers over with Ms. Lamb.

Here's one of the questions Dad answered. 

(Her Question) Orchard of Hope is about hope in the midst of a turbulent era in the South. I’d love to hear what you think about what was going on around you at that time. Do you believe that the tensions that caused such strife could have been handled in a different manner?
(Dad's answer) Things have been wrong in the South for a long time before now, 1964. A man should never be judged by the color of his skin or his religion. The Lord loves us all and in our great country, we claim to believe all men are created equal. If we truly believe that, we should live that truth. So things did need to change, but change can be difficult and as you say, turbulent. Sometimes it’s easier to not stir up trouble, to just let things drift along the way they always have been. But the Lord can poke our consciences to open our eyes and see that changes need to be made however hard that is to do. He empowers a man like Martin Luther King Jr. with a gift of words to find a peaceful way to make people see that all men have the right to equal opportunities. I’m a peaceful man, as is Martin Luther King Jr., but there are times when a man has to stand up for what is right no matter the consequences. Sadly, I think the strife was bound to happen because there are so many people who cling to the old prejudices. That’s sad but too true. Being human is a messy condition. We are not puppets on a string. The Lord gives us freedom of choice even when those choices lead to sorrowful and sinful decisions and outcomes.

Now doesn't that sound just like Dad? Wise and thoughtful, I guess that's why the Lord called him to preach. So he could share some of that. You can read more of what Dad thinks at Fay Lamb's Inner Source. 

Don't ask me exactly what that is. I think I must have stepped forward into the future. Funny, huh. I mean funny odd. Not funny ha ha. Anyway if you leave a comment on Dad's interview and on that author's interview on Wednesday and her guest post on Friday, you'll have a chance to win a copy

of Orchard of Hope. If you already have the book, I hope you enjoy the story. But if you win a new copy, you can always give it to someone as a gift or maybe donate it to your church library. 

Pretty soon that last book will be back out. You know, the one where Dad is getting all mushy over Leigh in Summer of Joy. I caught them kissing out of the porch last week. Leigh turned red as a tomato, but Dad just laughed. He laughs a lot since he started seeing Leigh. I wish I had a picture of him to show you. Maybe I'll hunt one up. 

Anyway, right now there's not much summer. Winter grabs hold and hangs on with more cold and snow coming. If we keep missing school, we won't get more than a week's worth of summer vacation. But that doesn't matter. I'm not going to be gloomy. I don't care if it is January. Good things can happen in January, can't they?

Kids are Just Kids

Photo credit: The Roanoke Times, file photo, 1960.

January 13, 1965

Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. We had to go back to school after Christmas last week. The snow kept us out a couple of days but then it was back to books and teachers. 

School's not so bad. Not now that I'm used to high school and all. That first day last year when I had to start as a freshman and the school was integrating and nobody knew exactly what to expect - well, that day was one of those days that make the ants crawl around under your skin. But now I know where my locker is and where my classes are. I know the upper class kids can be jerks, but I can just ignore them and do fine. And I know that kids are just kids no matter what they look like. 

We hardly even think about integration these days. It's like we've been going to school together forever. At least, that's how it is with Charissa and me. Have I told you about Charissa? She's one of my best friends now. We're both PKs. That's short for preachers' kids, you know. And PKs need to stick together.

I can't believe we didn't know each other before the schools integrated. We grew up in the same town but we were never in the same places. But now we are. I've even been to her church to hear her father preach and she's been to mine to hear Dad. The churches are a lot different. When they sing at her church, they sound like they could keep on forever. When we sing at Mt. Pleasant, we sound like we just wish the song was over. I like the way her church sings better, but when I told Dad I thought we needed more oomph in our songs, he just laughed and said the way we sing hymns is fine. 

Maybe so. But I liked clapping my hands and singing at Charissa's church. Of course, if I tried that at our church, Aunt Love would have a stroke right there in the pew. She would. She'd think clapping hands in church wouldn't be reverent. Funny how people come up with different ideas of how to be properly reverent.

It's funny too how people thought we, Charissa and I, couldn't attend the same schools. Our skin might be different colors, but we're so much alike. Besides the PK kind of stuff. You know like we both like aqua. Not only for the color it is but also for the way the word looks spelled out. Charissa and I both like words. We like to run our tongue around new words we're just learning. We both like Blue Monday candy bars and soft drinks and we can keep a hula hoop going forever. And we both definitely know how it is for a whole church full of people to think you ought to never make a mistake because you're the preacher's kid. Either that, or they decide you get away with murder because you're a PK. 

Do you remember when your schools were integrated? You might think that sounds funny - to think about kids going to separate schools because of the color of their skin. And you know what? You're right. But back here in the 1960's we were just figuring all that out.

  

Snow in Hollyhill's Summer of Joy

January 6, 1965

Jocie Brooke reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. It's snowing! It's snowing! No school in Hollyhill tomorrow. I shouldn't be happy about that since we just went back to school from Christmas break last week, but when you get a snow day, you have to be happy. Aren't you happy when you get a snow day? I love snow. I do. 

In that book about Hollyhill, Summer of Joy, there are a lot of snow scenes. That sounds sort of strange for a book named Summer of something, but the story starts out before Christmas and ends in June. I guess when the summer started it was pretty  joyful in Hollyhill, but the snowstorm in that book was something. 

The weathermen had said flurries and so Dad and Leigh figured it would be fine for them to drive to Grundy so Dad could meet Leigh's parents. Leigh wasn't too excited about that. She said her parents were "different." She made quotes around the word when she said it. They wanted her to move back home with them instead of being her own person, but Leigh says sometimes a girl has to grow up and be a person on her own and not just somebody's daughter. Especially when she falls in love. You did know that Leigh has majorly fallen for Dad, didn't you? Majorly.

Anyway, Leigh says her parents aren't all that much in favor of her being crazy for Dad. He is a lot older than her since she's not all that much older than Tabitha. But she says age doesn't matter and maybe it doesn't because Dad has been really happy lately. I think he liked almost getting stuck with Leigh in the snow. 

Maybe you'll think it's fun to read a bit from that Summer of Joy book when the snow if falling fast and furious.

     And then they were out the door, stepping through snow over their shoe tops to the car. The snow crunched under the car's wheels as David backed carefully out of the driveway. He didn't want to have to pray himself out of the ditch right in front of their house. Once they were back on the main highway, the roads were still fairly clear. There wasn't much traffic. Just a car now and again. Some other idiot trying to escape his future in-laws' house.

     David was concentrating on driving, feeling every slip of the wheels, but at the same time, he was keenly aware of Leigh's silence in the dark beside him. He glanced over at her, "You okay?"

     "I'm sorry, David. They were even worse than I thought they would be."

     "Your mother wasn't too happy about our news, but you know, I'm not marrying your mother. I'm marrying you and you're happy about our news."

     "I am." Suddenly Leigh started laughing.

     "What's so funny?" David asked.

     "I don't know. Us. Them. The snow. Everything. I always have to laugh when I leave their house. All that laughter that I couldn't spill there gets piled up inside me and I have to let it out."

     And so they laughed and prayed their way through the snow back to Hollyhill.

Hope you liked reading that. Lots more happened during that snowstorm in Hollyhill. Dad had some surprises when he got home. We all did - thanks to Zella's meddling. You won't believe what Zella did. Well, maybe you will. After all, we're talking about Zella now.

Pretty soon Summer of Joy (March) will be back on the shelves and you will have a chance to read all about that snow storm and those surprises.