The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs: The Mischiefteers

By Ed Christie

The Mischiefteeers is the final volume in the series, The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs. As in the previous three volumes in this series there is happiness, sadness, joy, fear, and excitement in this refreshingly wholesome fiction book of childrens adventures that occurr on their grandparents Oregon Ranch.

It is the fourth year Grandpa and Grandma Christie have invited five of their grandchildren to spend summer vacation on their cattle ranch. Each of the children has their own unique adventures, in which the others may also play a part, including a calf riding accident, a near drowning, a sighting of Bigfoot, a mysterious paintball fight, encounters with wild animals, domesticating and training wildlife, and participating in a program for disabled and underprivileged children,.

Through these adventurous experiences, Zach, Avery, Ryan, Morgan, and Mia, ages fifteenn to seven, learn life lessons that include integrity, love, selflessness, discilpline, work ethic, and honesty that exemplify the values that will help mold their characters for the rest of their lives.

Cover Graphics/Art Credit:

Linda Christie Fabrizius and Joshua Thomas Smith

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491794814

Ed Christie

With the completion of Volume 4 The Mischiefteers, the final volume of the series The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs, Ed Christie looked forward to taking some time to visit and spend time with family. At the age of eighty-three, he had lived a full and varied life. He had been a cattle rancher, a merchant seaman, a sailor in both the Navy and Coast Guard having served in WWII and the Korean conflict, and a pilot. For thirty years he was in law enforcement in California. After retiring he became a corporate security supervisor and anti-terrorist instructor in South America, North Africa, and Russia (Siberia). He was so proud of his growing brood, and he had written four fun, adventurous fictitious books, each including the names of his different grandchildren. His immense love of family and the passing of tradition, values, and to strive to live a life of integrity, were most important. With all of his love, he dedicated this series of stories to his family... but most especially to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our beloved dad and grandpa, Ed, was diagnosed with cancer and passed a few months later on February 26, 2011. He was the first to say that he had very few regrets and had lived a full and fascinating life. We are so blessed that he left us with so many fun-filled and entertaining memories and, of course, The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs.   With love, Teresa, daughter

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Teresa Christie Jones.

Illustrations by Joshua Smith

Cover by Linda Christie Fabrizius

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-9480-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9481-4 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 08/05/2016

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

PROLOGUE

About the Series Title

We have often been asked how we came up with the idea and the main title for the book series.

Once retired, I became interested again in my lifelong hobby of writing poetry and short stories. While visiting and reading some of my past poems my daughter, Teresa, suggested I pursue my passion in writing. Therefore, encouraged by my wife, Jane, I decided to start writing a fictitious book series about my grandchildren’s wild and crazy summer adventures while visiting Jane and I on an Oregon Ranch.

We asked the grandchildren to submit suggestions for the title. When the different choices were submitted we asked the family to vote and the winner being one created by granddaughter, Cami, titled, The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs.

When questioned about how the idea originated, Cami explained she came up with the idea due to a memory from the family visiting our small ranch in California before we moved to Oregon. The water in the lake nearby smelled like rotten eggs from the sulfur in the area, and the odor permeated the air; however, upon arriving at the ranch they were greeted by the sweet fragrance of alfalfa, and other pleasant ranch odors. Therefore, she thought the title would represent the fact that although the smell coming into the ranch could be quite pungent at times, it was well worth it because of all the sweet memories all the children made while visiting the ranch.

Thus the idea of the adventurous series was created, and I brainstormed ideas for my grandchildren to learn about not only the respect for nature and life on a ranch, but also about important life lessons, values, and morals through personal situations and circumstances they otherwise may not experience.

It became even more of a family affair when our daughter, Linda, sketched illustrations for the first two volumes and our grandson in-law, Joshua, sketched some of the illustrations for the second two volumes. The addition of the sketches by these two talented artists enriched the stories.

It is with great appreciation that The Sweet Smell of Rotten Eggs came to fruition due to the love and support of my family.

— Ed Christie

CHAPTER 1

T he five grandchildren were helping their grandparents round up some of the cows with calves so the calves could be branded. Grandpa’s two Border-Collie dogs, Jack and Peggy, were also helping. It was hot, dusty work but the kids loved it.

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They had each taken horseback riding lessons near their homes in California before they could come to the ranch for the summer. By the time they arrived they were already good riders.

These five of the Christie’s grandchildren were excited to follow in their siblings’ and cousins’ footsteps and spend their three-month summer vacation on the ranch. The others, five at a time each summer, had already had their turn.

The day after the kids arrived, they had chosen the horse they wanted to ride as their own for the summer, and by now all of them thought they were real cowhands.

The Christie’s closest friends, Jim and Helen Stanton, visited each Saturday. Jim was the resident forest ranger, and Helen was a schoolteacher. They had met here on the ranch two years before, fell in love, and were married.

On Saturday, the day before the children arrived, the four of them were sitting on the front porch of the ranch house enjoying the gentle summer breeze and a refreshing glass of ice tea and a fresh batch of delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Helen asked, Which kids are coming this year?

Jane answered, Our son and his wife, Cameron and Sandy, are bringing the last five of the grandkids this year. Morgan, their son, is nine. He is the quiet one but very studious and sharp as a tack. Cameron’s nephew Zachary, or Zach as he is called, is the oldest of this particular group at fifteen and the responsible, logical one. Zach’s brother, Ryan, is ten and very smart and articulate, as you will learn when you have a conversation with him. Their nephew, Avery, is eleven and very creative with a quick and humorous wit. Mia, their niece and Avery’s sister, is seven and the only girl in the group this year but she can easily hold her own with her cousins and brother. She is a social butterfly with a sweet and outgoing personality. It’s hard to believe all of the things the kids have gotten into each year. Maybe we should write a book about them.

That’s a great idea. I would even help you with it but who would believe it? Helen said with a laugh.

On Sunday a large motorhome turned off of the highway onto the mile long gravel driveway, which led to the ranch house and buildings.

Leaving a long trail of dust, it quickly arrived at the ranch yard in front of the house.