The Cast
Me
Artist, muse, & heroine of my own story. I love pretty much everyone but don’t push your luck, cha cha.
“Agent J” or “Jer”
Leading man and love monkey. Mechanical engineer by profession, craftsman woodworker at heart. Extremely logical and grounded in reality, but he loves to laugh ’til his sides ache. Sweet, handsome & sensitive. Avoids the center stage if at all possible.
“The Count” a.k.a. “Zub”, “JL”
Artist, photographer, writer & raconteur. We’ve known each other nearly a decade now and he’s my best friend in the whole world. We sometimes drive each other crazy, but it never takes long to work things out. He’s a frequent commenter on this site and if you listen closely you can hear his Southern drawl through the typewritten words.
“The ‘Rents”
My parents, Mama Dory & Daddy Bill. He’s retired, she’s not. As they age they are becoming more squirrelly than ever. (And trust me, they are so much like the characters Frank and Marie Barone that it’s frightening.)
Laura and Deborah
My older sister, Laura, who lives in Omaha and my younger sister, Deborah, who lives just outside of Denver. They are both incredibly smart, beautiful, talented and successful. (Just like their middle sister.)
Maizey a.k.a. “Miss Maizey”, “MaizeyCakes”, “MayMay”, “Chuckwagon”, “The Divine Miss M”
Without a doubt, the most cuddly, loving cat we have ever had the privilege to share our home with. She is absolutely angelic.
Randle P. McMurphy a.k.a. “The Great Randini”, “El Destructo”, “Damn Little Butt Monkey”, “Rocket Man”, “Snagglepuss”
Maizey’s baby brother and complete opposite. He likes to climb to the highest point in any room so he can spy on people, he’ll sit next to the stairwell and slap your head when you go down the steps, he will wake you up from a sound sleep by crawling down the front of your pajamas to snuggle and weasle some body heat. How could anyone not love a beast like this?
“Daddy Al”
Agent J’s dad. Very sweet, gentle and kind — to a fault. Widowed for several years now and is currently engaged to “Hot Donna”. To put it bluntly, his puppy-love, old-fool antics make everyone want to puke.
“Quackin’ Maggie”
Vibrant, extremely intelligent, and incredibly insightful young woman. She is one of my former students who has now become a dear friend. This girl has a bright future ahead of her; she’s definitely one to watch.
“Betty”
Betty is the ultra-cool ol’ timer of our neighborhood. She sees all, knows all, and speaks her mind. A very fiesty gal . Betty lives directly across the street from us and we love her to pieces. Agent J and I both needed an older, wiser, mother-figure in our lives and we consider ourselves blessed to have Betty in that role.
“Jake”
My sweeter-than-maple-sugar friend from the Toronto area. She is also a fabulous writer, a career woman, and a superb hostess! Whimsical and unpredictable. Likes a good cigar with a snifter of brandy now and then. Honestly, if I could have hand-picked anyone for a sister, it would have been Jake. I miss her terribly somedays and think of her more than she knows.
“Carol”
My good friend who lives here in town. We drifted apart for awhile, but are gradually becoming reacquainted with one another again, and I am happy about that. She is extremely intelligent and has a lightning-fast wit. She is also warm, playful and tender-hearted. You just gotta love this girl!
“Dr. K, The King of Shrink”
Dr. K is my long-time therapist. He knows more about me than anyone else on the face of the Earth. Fortunately, he also has the highest ethical standards and will keep his mouth shut.
Peripheral Characters in Past Entries:
“BlackCherry & Bumbling Bill”
BlackCherry is Marsha and Kurt’s mother, and boy, is she a MUTHA. Her driver’s license photo is a picture of a battle-axe. She has a penchant for dying her hair purplish-red (hence the nickname) and when angered, she emits a guttural screaming that sounds like something from “The Exorcist.”
Bumbling Bill is a hapless, ignorant doofus who openly admits that he had no idea his life would turn out like this when he married BlackCherry. He likes to run around outside dressed only in a pair of shorts during the wintertime. No shirt. No shoes. Just shorts. Go figure.
“Marsha” a.k.a.”The Babies’ Mama”
Twenty-something, billigerent, foul-mouthed and skanky. She is the unwed mother of The Brats Nextdoor. Supposedly engaged to their sperm donor, but somehow they never make it to the altar. Her favorite activities include swearing as loud as possible, drinking gin and pineapple juice, and partying with the local college football teams. Yeah, that’s right… she bad.
“The Brats Next Door”
Well, since Marsha finally moved out and took them with her, these monsters no longer live next door. They are some other neighborhood’s hellish nightmare now. We don’t rule out the possibility of them returning, though. They might need a refuge from their brilliant mother.
“Big D.” a.k.a. “Roebuck”
This is BlackCherry’s first husband, father to Marsha and Kurt. He’s also the father of Tyrell, a nasty little bully who used to like to poop on public sidewalks. (You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I’m not.) Roebuck used to hang around next door for free beer, free food, free babysitting and the party-like atmosphere. Don’t see him around much now. He gets along surprisingly well with Bumbling Bill. I guess they have a lot of horror stories to share about being married to you-know-who.
“Kurt”
Marsha’s brother. He’s an ex-con and has frequent run-ins with the police. Has at least two kids by at least two different women. Likes to beat up people smaller than he is. A real charmer.
