A Very Wanton Christmas

Carolyn pulled James out the front door of McKeels Bed and Breakfast. Her gleeful laugh bought mirth to James heart, but he wished she would have given him time to put the toboggan cap on his head. He had never worn a stocking on his head before, but it was an early Christmas gift from Carolyn, and he had also been blessed with a matching scarf and mittens.  Homemade gifts had never been part of his family’s Christmas traditions. 

She dropped onto her back, right there in the front yard. Before his eyes, she started moving her arms and legs up and down as if she were doing jumping jacks on her back. After a couple of seconds he could see that she wasn’t having a medical episode and he reached down to help her up.

“A snow angel.” She flipped her hand over and pointed it toward the impression on the ground. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

“She is.” His dimples deepened as he gazed at her chilled face. He loved the rosy cheeks and red nose caused by the cold air.

“You make one.” She tried to pull him to the ground.

“No way. One angel is plenty.” He hugged her close. “Do you always get this much snow?”

“We do and more.”

“More?”

The scene looked like a Currier and Ives painting. A young couple standing in front of a Victorian-style house with a nice-sized, fully decorated Pine tree out front. The snow broken only by the couple, the snow angel and the red berries of a Holly bush. A red cardinal flew overhead and landed in the Evergreen tree. All the scene needed was a globe overtop.

Wanton, West Virginia is beautiful and serene on the surface, but along with the magnificentness rages discord and ugliness. You will see the full range of ups and downs in the novel “Stamp Out Murder” and coming next year “Cancel Out Murder”.

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Fourth of July in Wanton, WV

Fireworks, a parade and lots of excitement surrounds the Fourth of July in Wanton, WV. There's even a Dilly-Dunker where it's a tradition for Mayor Harold Benson to get dunked. The townspeople have been trying for years to get the sheriff to volunteer too, but he says, "No way."

Mayor Benson, one of the biggest men in Wanton, smiles broadly as he sits on the little padded seat. People are lined up to get a shot at seeing him fall and hearing the song, "Splish-splash" play each time the target is hit. He's there early to allow the people to have some fun, but he has to leave around lunch time to get ready for the one o'clock parade. Never fear, he'll return to the Dilly-Dunker right after he finishes the parade, kissing some babies, and judging the pie baking contest.   

Aunt Linda always wins the pie baking contest, but no one minds because she makes plenty of extras to sell. Linda leaves McKeel's Bed and Breakfast long enough to watch the parade, win the Blue Ribbon for her apple-rhubarb pie and to take a couple turns at dunking the mayor.

The local gossip is all about Aunt Linda and Mayor Benson. Have they rekindled their the love affair of their youth? You'd think with so much going on in this small town for the 4th of July there wouldn't be time to gossip. 

Hearts on Fire

Love is in the air and in West Virginia the groundhog did not see his shadow, so an early spring is expected. This is good news for James and Carolyn, because they love to walk along the Cheat River and it's been way too muddy. While waiting for the mud to dry up, the couple needs to find another way to entertain themselves.

James and Carolyn (like any new lovers) want to spend some time alone.

Carolyn has never been to an auction. James is very excited. Usually it's her that introduces him to new adventures, this time it will be him. Auctions may not be the best place to buy antiques, but sometimes there comes along a great value and maybe even something hidden within something else. Such as a valuable painting under a cheaper print. Once James' mom had bid pretty high for a frame she wanted and she got the bid. The print was a dark, slightly damaged picture of an old barn with a wagon sitting in front of it. Under that print was a sketch by Grant Wood.

A  very good reproduction of a William and Mary Antique end table was up for auction. It was a very dark wood. It was a little over two foot high by almost the same width. The auctioneer suggested  perhaps it could be used to hold cocktail supplies, in a spare room or even at a summer cabin. William and Mary style furniture was known for the dovetail design and for the lightness to the pieces. With this type of carving and construction the furniture was made in a slimmer, sleeker style than ever before. It started out at twelve.

Carolyn raised her hand. The auctioneer nodded, stated he had twelve and went on with twelve-fifty. The auctioneer continued barking. He yelled fourteen, do I hear fourteen-fifty. The crowd was electric, the auctioneer was excited and James felt a little worried. It was a nice piece of furniture, but it was getting into pretty high numbers. He hadn't known Carolyn that long, but he couldn't see her spending that much on an end table, no matter how nice the piece of furniture appeared to be. He leaned close to her and whispered, "Do you think that table is worth Fifteen Hundred Dollars."

She pulled her arm in close to her body and her voice squeaked, "Fifteen hundred?"

After they left the auction empty handed, James suggested they grab a bite to eat. They entered the little diner, seated themselves and snuggled together in the back booth. The waitress seemed hesitant to interrupt them to ask if they'd like to order something to drink. James never mentioned the auction and neither did Carolyn.

Read more about James and Carolyn in
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Snow, Snow Angels and Snowshoe

James had seen snow every winter since he'd been a child, but this year, experiencing it with Carolyn is entirely different. He tasted it, as it fluttered to his tongue. He felt the coldness and he examined each flake that feel into his hands.

Playfully, he pushed Carolyn to the ground and she made snow angels. He laid down beside her and made a big snow angel. He wanted to have a snow ball fight and to build an igloo. Carolyn made him feel like a child again. 

West Virginia has some wonderful spots that have deep snow and giant flakes, if you get a chance to visit here, please share your experiences. Snowshoe Mountain is one of those spots. If you don't get to come here, James and Carolyn still hope you get a chance to play in the snow and they wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. \

What do you like to do for Winter Fun? 

Read more about James and Carolyn and the other wacky characters in Wanton. 

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Coyote-the Four-legged Kind

Coyotes are very popular wildlife in West Virginia. They are a medium sized animal with large ears. The Eastern Coyote appears to have rounder ears than the Western Coyote possess.

Even though, the coyote looks like a dog, do not approach it. The canine can be as dangerous as many of the other animals found among the wild.

James and Carolyn went on the search of the West Virginia Coyote, because James wanted to take a photograph of one. He used his powerful zoom lens to capture this early morning photo. Often the coyote isn't as handsome as this big boy.




The Coyote below, which James saw from the attic room at McKeel's Bed and Breakfast, was what prompted the hunt.

James didn't want to admit that those glowing eyes were a bit frightening. If these animals were around Washington DC, he had never seen them. Carolyn laughed really hard, when James described the glowing eyes to her.

These coyotes are easier heard than seen, but if you are patient and look closely you will see them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX3cWUG1njg This video by 4jarda.

What do you think of Coyotes? Do you have any photos or coyote stories to share? 

Cher'ley Grogg Author and Friend

This is the new Banner on the fan page of Cher'ley Grogg Author and Friend. Among other things on this page are clips of the lives in Wanton, WV. Do you have a question about Stamp Out Murder? Do you want to know what James and Carolyn are up to or do you want to know how Linda and the Mayor are doing? So many characters, who is your favorite? 

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