April 12th, 2024, Wichita, KS
Those of you who know me already know that the one chore I hate, loathe and despise is writing the Editor's page. Somehow,
after all the reading, deciding who gets in and who needs to try again, the corrections, the prep work and then making the
whole thing come together on the Internet, I'm usually not in the mood to write a bubbly, enthusiastic piece of fluff, just
to let everyone know I didn't die or decide to throw in the towel since last time.
I get to do most of this twice, because I do all the website work for our sister
mag, Yellow Mama, too.
I can't complain about the stories and poems I've been getting. You all
have made my job pretty easy lately. I haven't seen any real stinkers, nothing laughably inept or sadly broken. Good stories
and poems from a great bunch of writers always makes things a lot more fun, and the artists have been doing a great job, too.
Okay, so I've been grumpy
and I really need a motorcycle trip and my plan is to make that happen next weekend. Maybe next time we "go to press" I'll
be in a better frame of mind. Gonna ride down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a jaunt of a mere 300 miles. I like the town, the
roads are challenging and my favorite animal sanctuary happens to be there also. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is a
big-cat rescue outfit that I support with monthly donations, so I try to get down and see the kitties at least once a year.
Most of these big cats are from private owners and commercial "petting zoos" that have either run out of money, or patience
or been shut down by the government for failing to take care of the animals. This place just keeps getting bigger and taking
on more and more of other people's problems—people who should have known better in the first place.
So, I'm gonna do that and I'm gonna say thanks to all who contributed
your time and effort to make Black Petals a great magazine. Until next time, have a good read and I'll see ya on the road.
KJC
