Scroll down to order your copy of As the Crow Flies.
#1297 Blog Posts and Counting
- Stay Curious.
- Be Amazed.
- Tell Remarkable Stories.
That’s how I’ve gotten to nearly thirteen hundred posts on the Creekbank Blog. I’m always curious, easily amazed, and love hearing (and telling) remarkable stories.
It’s really that simple.
As we approach 1300 this week, we’ll take your requests on re-posting/linking your favorite Creekbank stories and tell some new stories too.
It’s an amazing journey from our start about fifteen years ago. (I’ll try to dig out our first post).
In the last 24 hours, nearly 900 of you have dropped by the Creek. Wow.
I hope you read or saw something that encouraged you on your journey.
Tell your stories.
Because every Journey has a Story.
As the Crow Flies
It’s about Redemption.
It’s about Reconstruction. Not of a region, but of a life.
It asks (and tries to answer) Missouri Cotton’s life question, “Can a person rise above their raising?”
It’s about a key era in the history of western Louisiana. When a feud broke out into a range war called the Christmas Eve 1881 Westport Fight that forever changed the area of the Pineywoods still called Ten Mile/Westport.
It’s also about the thriving town of Sugartown, now a deserted crossroad, but in 1881, known as the “Queen of the Frontier.”
Most of all, As the Crow Flies, is a coming of age story about a girl named Missouri Cotton who enters Louisiana’s No Man’s Land as a wandering girl and reaches its border at the Texas border as a growing young woman still searching for love and belonging.
It’s a story worth telling.
It’s a story you’ll enjoy reading. Order your copy today.
Each book is $15 each plus $5 shipping per order.
My Creekbank writing focuses on the history, people, and culture of the unique forested area of Louisiana known as “No Man’s Land.”
It’s where my people settled, and it’s where my stories come from.
___________________________________________________________________________________
The Proverbs Plan
I’m a firm believer in beginning my day in God’s word, the Bible. It lays a foundation for whatever I’ll face that day.
For most of my life, I’ve followed the Proverbs reading plan as part of my yearly study. It’s very simple. Proverbs, a collection of wise sayings mostly written by Solomon, is divided into 31 chapters. I read the corresponding chapter for the day of the month. When the month ends, I begin again with chapter 1. To keep it fresh, I switch often versions. Monthly, I learn something new from this precious Old Testament book.
Here’s a primer for today, September 25:
- First I listen to audio (“Listen to the Word”) of the chapter on Bible Gateway’s iPhone app:
2. Next, I read it from my Waterproof Bible* and take a screen shot for Facebook.
Proverbs 25 in my Waterproof Bible*
3. Then I write out the verse in my current journal among that day’s entries and scribblings. This ensures that I’ll re-read/see the verse throughout the day.
This ensures that I’ll re-read/see the verse throughout the day.
____________________________________________
4. Because I’m a wordsmith, and if a certain word in the verse that captures my attention, I’ll check it out. “Aptly” (in the context of Proverbs 25:11) means the ability to say the right word(s) at the right time. I don’t know if it’s gift, skill, or talent, but some folks have it, and I’ve known a lot who didn’t.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Speaking of Facebook, we need our friends @FB curtiles to migrate “LIKE our Creekbank/Curt Iles FB Fan Page here.
FB FRIEND pages can only take 5000 friends (I’m so grateful to have that many friends and a FB waiting list) but our Facebook FAN page has no limits. We need you to LIKE us. Simply type in “Creekbank Stories and Curt Iles” on your Facebook search bar and you’ll see the image below.
We need you to LIKE US at our Facebook Creekbank Stories/Curt Iles page. Soon, we’ll no longer post at the Facebook Friend page, so slip over to the Creekbank Fan Page and Like Us.
A word on these photos: That’s me (Curt) cooling my heels in a Chinese river in 2002. “Sunrise in the Pines” is one of my favorite photos. I cannot remember if I was using a real camera or iPhone. This is taken from the yard of our former home in Dry Creek. I love living near my grandkids but miss those pines and starry nights.
____________________________________________________________
Tomorrow’s Blog: # 1298 The story behind my waterproof Bible (and how Missouri Cotton got her own waterproof Bible and never lets it out of her sight.) We’ll have a book giveaway contest and an offer you cannot refuse on The Westport Trilogy.