The Mouse in the House and Other Stories from Mrs. AveryaEUR(tm)s Kitchen

By J.S. Rust

This book started with a mouse running across the floor in my bedroom. Before I knew it, I was jotting out several short stories that I felt might be interesting to youngsters. After sharing these stories, I decided to compile them into a short book. I can sum up my thoughts with this short poem and in the character of Mrs. Avery.

Protecting the Innocence of Our Children

The innocence of our children,

it knows no bounds to me.

Simple smiles and trusting eyes,

are reflections of their found memories.

To violate their gentle faith,

is a crime beyond compare.

Yet can we pretend when leaders

speak, our children don't really care?

I speak up for our children, let's

remember the heritage they will bear.

We must protect the values they're given, and

the innocence all children share.

by John S. Nash, Jr.

by John S. Nash, Jr.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638812814

Book preview

cover.jpg

The Mouse in the House and Other Stories from Mrs. AveryaEUR(tm)s Kitchen

J.S. Rust

Copyright © 2021 J.S. Rust

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2021

This book is a work of fiction. Although many of the stories are based on actual events or facts, the stories, poems, and their characters are products of the author’s imagination.

ISBN 978-1-63881-280-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-866-3 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-63881-281-4 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Mouse in the House

Angels in the Mirror

The Black Snake and the Mexican Hat Dance

Hands in the Cookie Jar

Fawn on the Lawn

Marvin the Star-Nosed Mole

The Bat in the Bedroom

Randy and the Rock Bass

Green Apples

Race of the Caterpillars

Quail in the Vale

Pies in the Window

Acknowledgments

Thank you to William D. Whittaker, DMin, Patti Hughes, artist, along with many others over the years who have encouraged the author to compile and publish this book.

Thank you and acknowledgment to A.E. Nash for her original artwork and Susanne Firestone for her help with enhancing the pictures for publication.

Poem

Where Do Our Values Lie?

John S. Nash Jr.

In these times of trouble, I have to ask,

where do our values really lie?

The values, those things we really need,

it seems they’ve been passed on by.

The first one, is our compassion,

passed on another’s deeds or thoughts.

The second, is the empathy we show others,

though their views be similar to ours’ or not.

We share a sacred honor,

to be true to one and all.

Together is how strong we stand, for

we’re warned to be divided, we will fall.

Our strength will be determined,

judged by our weakest link.

We’re bonded, trolled, and held together

as a family, despite whatever others may think.

The next is our determination

to always do what’s right.

The principles of our accounting, need

to be applied, for us to carry out this fight.

Betrothed to one another

in deed, effort, and thought.

Forget concerns of wealth or equity,

for true compassion can’t be bought.

Be honest my friend, be honest

in the value of your deeds.

Look at the products of your actions,

when evaluating other people’s needs.

Who is Mrs. Avery?

Mrs. Avery is a combination of several people including the author’s mother, two grandmothers, and several teachers. Her kitchen window describes the scene looking out the window on the farm the author grew up on. Most of the characters are based on several cousins and incidents or stories from the farm or related events that took place around the farm. Children are the one constant and staple in the lives of all the women that Mrs. Avery’s character is modeled after. Cooking and family chores are the focal point of family activities and these stories. Humor is the glue that keeps family and friends together as generations meet and intermingle. Mrs. Avery lives by a simple code or creed, stressing compassion for everyone. Her one hope is everyone will to get along and work together, doing what was right for all.

Poem Our Children, Then and Now

John S. Nash Jr.

Theirs are tiny hands,

theirs are tiny feet.

Each one has a special tune,

each one has a special beat.

Each one becomes,

and each is told.

How much they are,

like solid gold.

Nothing can ever

take their place.

For each one brings

a fresh new face.

When strong arms lift,

each one high.

Laughter can be heard,

up in the sky.

As years go past,

the voices change.

Those little hands

and feet are exchanged.

Now older hands

and feet appear.

They’re still the ones

we hold so dear.

The wonders wrought

by those hands and feet.

The paths they trod

make our lives complete.

Mouse in the House

Billy was cold! It was early November. The last three days had been very rainy, and the temperature had dropped forty-five degrees in those three days. Tonight, the temperature had dropped to fifteen degrees and Billy’s nest under the ground cloth beneath the deck was cold, so he went looking for a warmer nest.

Billy had been born that spring in early May. His mother had built a nice, warm, soft nest under a log at the edge of Mrs. Avery’s garden. The nest was warm and dry, made from soft grass, leaves, and moss. The log was shaped so it protected the nest from any rain or water from Mrs. Avery’s hose when she sprayed the garden.

By mid-July, Billy’s mom had chased him out of the nest so she could begin raising another family of babies. Billy was on his own to explore the great big world around him. A cautious young mouse, Billy spent his days expanding his territory as he moved in an ever-widening circle around the tree root he now called home. There was a big yard and a wood to play in. Billy had learned where to find food like seed, grass, and berries from his mother. There was plenty of food in the garden as the summer moved on.

Billy expanded his exploration of the wood, garden, and yard as the summer went on. He quickly learned to listen to the birds and squirrels that signaled the danger of the cats, hawks, and owls that hunted small creatures like himself. One day toward the end of the summer, Billy discovered