"Would you believe, downstairs I have a concubine in my harem whose sole duty consists of stamp collecting. It is really not all that difficult. She must peruse each day the mail that comes to the house. Her task is to cut off stamps that seem unusual. She then tosses these stamps into a drawer in a desk upstairs. I should at this point also mention the scullery maid for pots and pans, and another specialists for loading the dishwasher.

The most inspiring concubine, yet the most demanding, requiring careful and constant effort on my part, is the Political Lady. Her depth of information leaves me in awe. Her refusal not to be uninformed leaves me ashamed. The shadow cast by this Iron Lady is long and my entire harem and I live within it.

What a challenge, what joy to have and know my harem. Today of all days I must reflect on the joy of kinship on the joy of love one for the other, all within my harem. I ask: Please won't you all be my Valentine?"-from the short story "Harem in My House"

Jeff, hero, anti-hero, becomes aware of himself pitted against the world, his world of Three Forks, Montana, 1923. His saga, his journey started in real time, then in his "time machine" goes back to his life of wonder with his Grandparets on their Homestead.

Then back to reality vs his Time Warp. Each like a new adventure carries him forward and back with joy and hope. He never gives up his marvel of life. Sailing without a rudder through his ocean of wonder he had no direction until tragedy tempered his shapeless goals to awaken in him meaning and direction for living. Once motivated he never loses sight of his tethered goal. His trail becomes steep and rocky but deters him not as each new day still is a new adventure to wet his joy for living.

"Would you believe, downstairs I have a concubine in my harem whose sole duty consists of stamp collecting. It is really not all that difficult. She must peruse each day the mail that comes to the house. Her task is to cut off stamps that seem unusual. She then tosses these stamps into a drawer in a desk upstairs. I should at this point also mention the scullery maid for pots and pans, and another specialists for loading the dishwasher.

The most inspiring concubine, yet the most demanding, requiring careful and constant effort on my part, is the Political Lady. Her depth of information leaves me in awe. Her refusal not to be uninformed leaves me ashamed. The shadow cast by this Iron Lady is long and my entire harem and I live within it.

What a challenge, what joy to have and know my harem. Today of all days I must reflect on the joy of kinship on the joy of love one for the other, all within my harem. I ask: Please won't you all be my Valentine?"-from the short story "Harem in My House"