- Time now for the second Almost Annual Update on Paradise
Happenings I'll Probably Never Report About Otherwise.
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- This is the one where "Live! From Paradise!"
brings everyone up to date on people and places readers of this space have
been asking about. And gets me out of dutch with all those who've been
crabbing that I've left 'em in the dark.
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- So:
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- The Old Billionaire's Marriage. The O.B. may well have
had the kind of relationship with his secretary every wife dreads, but
he can't be certain because he's having another dreaded experience: coming
face to face with the possibility of dementia. For all his fortune, he
may not be able to get out of this jam. Like all the rest of us, the O.B.'s
going to need wisdom and courage.
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- Youngest Daughter Amber. Amber and her twin flame, The
Adventurer, are still together, but their 'round the world sailboat cruise
failed to launch. They're in Seattle now, deeply in love, saving the environment
and co-writing songs. For me this is a happy ending. 'Cept I know it's
not the ending at all. If there's one thing my life has taught me so far
it's this: Everything stops, but nothing really ends.
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- My Lawn Tractor. That fool machine was on the fritz all
summer. Refuses to shift gears. In June, I bought an inexpensive little
power mower (the kind you - gasp! - walk behind), and I've been using it
ever since. The clearing gets cut just as short, and I get a little cardio
exercise for not one penny more.
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- Bob the Very Careful Cat. Bob's become a real cat. He
spends every moment he can sitting on Gwen the Beautiful's lap and purring,
and even nuzzles me for some petting action when I come by. Trouble is,
when I oblige I very quickly end up with wet, watery, itchy eyes. Turns
out I'm allergic to the little guy. (Tip: Buy stock in whatever company
makes Benadryl. I'm about to make y'all rich.)
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- Norma, Daughter of Delly the Interstate Trucker. Norma
dropped out of college her first semester, but even though she said she
thought my advice was hooey she's back at school working toward a better
future after all.
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- The Cloud Creek Ranch Sweat Lodge. The sweat lodge is
history now, gone like so many things out in these woods. And with it Maya
the Good and all she brought with her. Another thing my life has taught
me: One person's destiny may be another's dark fate. Or, to put it another
way: No matter how much you want certain things, they may not be yours
to get.
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- Rosie the Sweet Arabian. With the healing help of J.L.
the Horse Vet and her own inner strength, Huck the Spotless Appaloosa's
lady love has recovered completely from last spring's injury to her leg.
The entire process took almost five months, and for three of them it could've
gone either way. But the great news - no thanks to Huck's continuing to
chase her around the corral every night -is that Rosie's alive, well, and
frisking again.
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- Gwen the Beautiful. The Mistress of The Mountain remains
healthy, brilliant, and filled with love. She and I spent much of the summer
traveling, both together and - due to unavoidable circumstances - separately,
and both of us learned quickly that together was better. Way more fun.
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- Whither the magic? Reports of the death of magic in our
life here in Paradise have proven to be highly exaggerated. Since I wrote
about my worry that the wonders I've seen and reported on were the product
not of supernatural wahoo but bad vision, Gwen and I together have experienced
things like seeing the brown purse she bought last month turn black, Emmy
the Bold go in and out of the house without ever having to open a door,
and - hooray! - more dancing stars zigzagging all over the sky.
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- And, for good measure, after years of suffering from
ticks, chiggers, and their icky ilk I've suddenly become immune to the
effects of any biting or burrowing into my skin.
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- That's right. Not a spot, bump, or speck. Nothing to
make me rend my flesh.
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- "Consider it your reward," the Universe said
when I asked, "Why?"
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- And when I said, "For what?" I felt the whole
planet sigh.
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- "You know I never explain the punchline," the
Universe said.
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- Mysteries! Got to love 'em.
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- After all, it's not like they'll ever go away.
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- Copyright C 2008 by Larry Brody. All rights reserved.
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- Author Larry Brody's weekly column, LIVE! FROM PARADISE!
appears on his website, www.larrybrody.com. He has written thousands of
hours of network television, and is the author of "Television Writing
from the Inside Out" and "Turning Points in Television."
Brody is Creative Director of The Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts, the
world's first in-residence media colony. More about his activities can
be seen on www.tvwriter.com and www.cloudcreek.org. He welcomes your comments
and feedback at <mailto:LarryBrody@cloudcreek.org>LarryBrody@cloudcreek.org.
Brody, his wife and their dogs, cats, horses and chickens live in Marion
County, Arkansas. The other residents of the mythical town of Paradise
reside in his imagination.
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