This is the aspirational note wrote from Lois Fowler Barrett that inspired her to start up her Chicken Scratchin’s Article, on the Internet, once again.

It’s time to revive Chicken Scratchin’s, a column begun in the early ‘70s when my daughter and I teamed up to make a noticeable mark on the minds of readers of the Daily Register of Harrisburg, IL.

She, being the cartoonist, drew all the appropriate OLD HEN caricatures to accent my meanderings into the realm of “what’s happenin’?”

We copyrighted the entire compilation.

It would be wonderful to have her here now to assist in this new endeavor, to take part in these e-zine messages, but she died before computers came into our lives. She was 31, and carried the pride of being the first born. However, she would not like me doing anything negative, so that will be that.

Recently, I had my first novel published—WHEN THE EARTHQUAKES SPOKE—and I know she would have been proud. Her photo stays ever before me, and it has been 15 years, to remind me of that ever-present happy smile always on her from birth.

She has two sisters, a brother, two nephews, three nieces, and a grand-niece. She only knew two of my grandchildren. The others were not born before she died. She had no children of her own, having lived only eight months after marrying. She would have only spoiled them with love and presents, just as she did her brother and sisters, and the first nephew and niece.

By the way, every character in my book, good or bad, has a little of me, my family, friends, etc. in it, but I like to believe, like Julie, that everyone is good, some just need more discipline. She felt that way working as a correctional officer. She hated no one, held no grudges, saw good in the unloved, and always, always smiled.

Enough for now. If you want to hear news about maybe earthquakes, etc., not about the above, you will, because there will be no more reminiscing. Until then…….