Me Abby hab new fing to amuse meshelf. I start out wif a piece ub paper and bat it all around and eberrryware. Din I get really froggy and crawl under the rugs. It nice and dark in dare and warm if dee air conditioner too high. It quiet too. Plus I can lay in wait and jump out at the human bean and dat Ebony sisfurrr cat too.

I Ebony hab a new game to play wif Abby. We sit at dee big windeer looking out on dee boidees, gecko lizards, buggs, and udder stuff like dat dare. Me and Abby sit rear to rear and our tails swish and twitch with delight and udder cat emotions. You kin read what a cat is sthinking from looking at dee tail, me meows dat furrr surely, of course. Anymeow, we are swishing our tails and our tails are beginning to fight wif themselfs. Finally, me and Abby had snuff of dee tails doing all sorts ub I don't know what. I batted Abby tail. Then Abby batted my tail. Well, I could not take that. Sews I swat hard at her tail again. Din she swats at my tail hard. Now diss is getting ridiculous, I meows, and pawslapped Abby's tale really hard. Abby sat up and done pawslapped my tail right back. Before a knock down drag out fight erupted, a big seagull boidee landed in dee yard right in front ub our windeer. Me and Abby studied dat boid and wanted to know what day taste like.

NP & GeoShop
NP is short for NetPublishers. Digital3 and my company called SIPCO are trying to have our grand opening on July 1, 1998. Sorry, no cake and coffee or free prizes. Artists are welcome to submit their works to be published and customers are invited to purchase these fine works. The internet address or URL is: www.digital3.net/NetPublishers.

GeoCities is now offering GeoShops at a reasonable price with lots of amenities. I am starting a GeoShop called AlphaOmega BookStore at the interent URL of www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/7458/. I intend to sell all my literary works there mostly in electronic form. I will feature and sell some of my friends' works as well. Stay tuned for the news.

Internet Stuff
Email Monster is a new program to address the scourge of the internet and email - spam. Spam is the unsolicited email that clogs up our internet mail boxes. The program works with everything except America OnLine [AOL] and Microsoft Network [MSN.] These two Internet Service Providers have problems allowing the Email Monster to work between the mail server and the mail customer. It was still a good product, and I planned on a good article recommending it. But the programmer is abandoning the project. So there is no need to give you the internet address. These things happen, you know.

Monolith Services offer many internet services, but the URL redirect is a nice feature and free. It gives you the opportunity to have an easy-to-remember internet address. To go investigate this service, please try www.ml.org. Our URL redirects are listed at the end of this journal. [This service no longer operates - 3.30.01]

Tony Spaar is an active graphics artist. His works are modern and interesting. He has provided me with graphics several times. As a matter of fact, he is more like my official graphics artist.

We have a group of people from many faiths, countries, and religions who have joined together to pray for any request given them. You may become a Prayer Warrior by filling out the form at www.geocities.com/les_novelist/webdoc1.htm. You may submit a prayer request at the same form.

Because of our good work due to Prayer Warriors, we meet some very nice people and groups else where. One such endeavor is from BMan himself. Hello, this is BMan, introducing you to HOT ILLUSTRATIONS. Every Saturday, I take a story from the book "Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks" (or its sequel, "More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks") and include with it, the application; the author's thoughts on the story. I then include "My Two Cents" at the end of the application. Interested? If so, write me at BMan2000@Juno.com and write the words "Subscribe: Hot Illustrations" in the message.

BMan here again. I have another offer for you. TAMITS. It's an acronym for Thinking About Morality in Today's Society. I write about a moral issue that is on my mind, to get your moral juices flowing. I follow this up with jokes and thought stories (as well as other things readers send me) that readers or mailing companies send me. Sign up today for the low low price of NOTHING!!! BMan2000@Juno.com is the address you need; with the message "Subscribe: TAMITS." Feel free to send jokes, thought stories, email pictures, prayer requests, birthday requests, etc... Whatever you come up with, I'm sure I can workout!!!

Hockey News
The most exiting time of the NHL was upon us in the Conference Finals. Those two series were fun and grueling. Detroit Redwings beat the favored Dallas Stars. Washington Capitals outlasted the Buffalo Sabers to move onto the Stanley Cup Finals. Washington played very well in the first three games, but lost by one point each time. The last game they just could not stop the Redwings. The Detroit Redwings repeat as the Stanley Cup Champions. They skated the cup around the rink and honored their friends who are recovering from a terrible car wreck. The most moving time in sports is the Stanley Cup being skated after a champion is crowned. I can't wait until next year for more hockey excitement.

Number One Son
I got a call from Jeff my son this month. He was able to visit my brother in Ohio. There he was able to hookup to the internet using his uncle's brand new computer. Jeff and I got to talk on the internet free of charge. We did not talk about much but did regain some sense of family. It made me miss all my children and grandchildren. I can only hope that they come to Florida in an upcoming vacation. I do live in paradise. That has to be some incentive. The most amazing thing was being able to contact and talk with a loved one without worrying about long-distance charges. I really feel that the $19.95 spent each month on the internet is very well spent and very cheap. Long distance would eat that up quickly. My brother and I use ICQ for keeping tabs on each other. We use PowWow to chat. Every program has its strengths and weaknesses.

Poetry Corner
More from the new collection called Moments of Life:

"Back When"
May 6, 1998

Remember when
We were so young
So alive, full of delight
In that great back when

Chin in hand
Studying life
O, but a tear
Here and there

Reflections in our eyes
That sparkle of love
In that great back when
And the song is sung

O, we do get older
Yes, weary and tired
Only memories fresh
And many children anew

Time when
We smiled
Laughed at
The great beyond

It was so far
But now so near
And melancholy
Fills the air

And every memory
Evokes new emotions
Even through happy tears
In the great back when

In The Park
I have really enjoyed this quiet time in the park. I have made friends with most of the permanent residents. I know they were out and about before, but it just seems as if they are more available or friendlier. It must be the quiet time. Why, you can even cross the Overseas Highway without waiting a half day for a hole in traffic. The purr of air conditioners is sweet music. It means that the sun is strong, hot, and bright. It is a bit too dry. We usually, or so I have been told, get rain of some kind every day, but not recently. Actually, we are in an extended dry spell. I need my yard, such as it is in a trailer park, to be wet before I can spray to keep little critters out of the cats' fur and off of me. Spraying really works along with monthly doses of Advantage. Spraying goes on the yard, the Advantage goes on the pets, if you are lucky and did it right. That reminds me that the cats are due for their annual visit to TED. TED is cat for The Evil Doctor. They are good cats and really like the vets, but they are not very enthused about needles and other such tortures the poor creatures don't really understand. Well, I have rambled on long enough.

"The Mountains of Ao"
Tears from Ao continue serialized each month in the Internet webzine (an electronic magazine) called The Outer Rim at the URL of www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/1225/ Tears from Ao is also available electronically on the Internet at the web site called The Temporal Doorway StoreFront at the URL address of www.infohaus.com/access/by-seller/The_Temporal_Doorway_Storefront/ I am working hard on The Mountains of Ao, specifically chapter 10 of 22 chapters. Existing proofreaders please contact me via email/snail mail to arrange for quick delivery of the latest version of the novel.

The Dull Stuff
Inputs and letters to this journal are subject to approval by Ebony. All inputs may be edited for content and become the property of Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company.

The address follows:
Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company
PO Box 501833
Marathon, FL 33050-1833
(305) 743-9648 voice/fax [fax: voice call first]
(phone charges billed to callers)

Internet URLs: http://RunesofAo.com
http://RunesofAo.com/aobp/
http://RunesofAo.com/ebony/
http://RunesofAo.com/abby/

Publication date: June 18, 1998
Author: L. E. Shaffer
Company: Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company &
Shaffer Internet Publishing Company
COPYRIGHT 1995 - 2008, 2009 L. E. SHAFFER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FIRST PRINTING.