Petunia is a story about guilt, loss, and redemption. I wrote Petunia because it had been my professional experience that guilt and the difficulty in managing that emotion is perhaps the most ubiquitous bane of both children and young adults. In a sizable percentage of cases, the guilt acquired in childhood is still undiminished by those who have reached full adult and even older adult ages. Although guilt is experienced by most people at some time in their existence, there are simply too few guidelines when it comes to working through the discomfort that most feel when guilt becomes a part of their everyday thinking and feeling. One of the more prevalent challenges encountered in the education and care of today's child is the responsibility parents and teachers undertake as they struggle to impart sensible and lasting guidelines in behavior choices. The story of Petunia Rabbit provides an enjoyable matrix through which the caretaker has a basis for this undertaking. Petunia's story demonstrates that even in the most dire of circumstances, faith, structure, and tradition continue to be of lasting importance in the life of the developing child and ultimately becomes the sanctuary for the self-hatred felt by a surprising number of youngsters and young adults in all levels of our society. Many of today's children are overly protected in some venues but exposed to unacceptable (age inappropriate, pointlessly violent) material as seen in video games, on their computers, on television, and in films. The core event in Petunia's story is a huge flood that devastates her family's life and those of most of the characters included in the story. Using a natural disaster as the impetus for events was a purposeful choice in that most individuals are able to identify with those events that result in the probability of altered lives and fortunes. And while devastating, natural disasters are not the result of purposeful or directed cruelty. The story of Petunia provides an excellent basis of learning from models within the family and in society. Petunia's story demonstrates the following: 1. The necessity of a personal belief system to augment and strengthen individual coping abilities and societal structures, which are often lost during chaotic events. 2. The importance of fostering reliability, competence, caretaking, and self-respect 3. The value of developing an awareness of the feelings and struggles of others. 4. The risk and uncertainty associated with impulsive behaviors. 5. The ultimate worth of meaningful work, interpersonal ties, and education. 6. The value of paying attention. 7. The challenge of responsibility. 8. The value of and need for suitable mentors. 9. The importance of using resources wisely, including emotional resources. 10. The necessity of building a reputation for honor and integrity.

Follow the tail of Art the cat, through a fantasy flower garden adventure in this tale of feline hide-and-seek. It's a children's picture book, gardener's inspiration, art collector's treasure, and cat owner's delight.

Martha Sanders has always been the quietest and least understood of the orphans adopted by Edna Petunia Sanders, and she likes it that way. When she has the opportunity to move to her sister’s ranch and help her out with her growing family, she jumps at it. After all, she’s never planning to marry, so what difference does it make if she’s stuck in the country or spending time in town? When Andrew Ford moves to the McClain ranch, he has no idea he is looking for love. As soon as he spots his boss’s sister-in-law, he knows he has feelings. He’s ready to drop everything to marry the mysterious woman. No matter how many attempts he makes to get her attention, she simply doesn’t seem interested. Will her shyness put him off? Or will he break through her barrier to the Martha inside?

About the Book Seems like sometimes a feller has ta’ write ’bout stuff that coulda been, mighta been, shoulda been, probably didn’t happen, but would be funny if it did happen. So that’s what the tall tales in this book are all about. Ya see it all started out while attending New Mexico State University from 1962 through 1965. I spent quite a bit of time with a fellow agriculture student named Baxter Black. I reminisce on the times Bax and I sat together in the Ag Building café and told tall tales and made-up nonsense yarns. In 1965, I graduated and went on to pursue a Master of Science of Agriculture degree, and Bax left for Colorado State University to pursue a Veterinary Medicine degree. Baxter later left veterinary practice and made a career writing tall tales and cowboy poetry. One of his major writings was an article named “On the Edge of Common Sense,” which appeared in many newspapers and agricultural publications. Eventually, I worked for USDA and wrote a similar article called “Over the Edge” for the agency. I believe both of these articles were inspired by the many times we sat at the Ag Building café and spun these humorous stories. I kept all the stories I wrote, and after many years of pressure from friends and family to publish these stories of the adventures of me ’n’ Ol’ Joe, I finally agreed. So here to share with you is a collection of these humorous tall tales about two bumbling old cowboys and the not-much-brighter ranch owner who somehow went OVER THE EDGE! About the Author Born in 1943, Mark Finley lived in San Angelo, TX until 1958, when his family moved to New Mexico. Through high school and college at New Mexico State University, he worked part time on ranches and competed in and clowned rodeos to earn his way through college. After earning both Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Agriculture, he worked as a feedlot cowboy in Red Rock, AZ, then managed ranches in Southeastern New Mexico before beginning an Agricultural Management Specialist career with USDA. He later earned two appraisal accreditations with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and became a USDA Chief Appraiser for Arizona and Hawaii. After retiring from USDA, he opened his own appraisal business specializing in farms, ranches, and commercial ag properties. In 2022, he retired from appraising and began composing Cowboy Poetry and Humorous Cowboy Stories. He makes his home with his wife Maggie in Willcox, Arizona.