The Last Azawufe

The Last Azawufe by Rachel Helms

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While out for a walk with Thorn, her horse, Leona comes across a strange liquid. When Leona is transported to the world of Polyenses after touching the mysterious liquid she finds life to be very different. Women are wearing tunics, men carry swords, and everyone seems to be a bit more proper. There’s one thing that’s incredibly different about Leona though – she has the ability to communicate telepathically with Thorn, and every other animal for that matter. She soon learns that only an Azawufe has the ability to do that. But what is an Azawufe and how did she become one?

I gave this Young Adult Fantasy novel 4 Stars because – I Really Liked It!! This first time author has spun an exciting tale with an unexpected twist at the end of the novel. I finished the book feeling satisfied as the story reached its resolution, but its ending also left the door opened for an equally satisfying sequel.

A heavy wind went careening across the Oklahoma plains. The wind carried the rain of the heavens, sweetly enticing in its freshness. It swept across the crops of corn and wheat until it came to a large farm. The howling current of air slowed down in the presence of trees, but only somewhat, and then came to rest on a young girl who was brushing her filly.

I have always liked reading books written by Oklahomans, and I am especially intrigued by stories about Oklahomans. This book offered me both. That, and my love for reading fantasy made this novel a book I had to read. And I’m glad I did too, because this book is exceptionally well written and hugely entertaining.

I am acquainted with this author, if only casually. My wife and I have bought fresh vegetables from her many times at the local farmers market. This connection to the author made the reading a little more fun for me as it gave me a measure of insight into the protagonist. I chortled to myself when Leona said, “we had a huge garden. It was filled with everything: watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, corn, carrots, squash, peppers, and even more.”

I look forward to Rachel’s sequel.

View all my reviews

The Oklahoma Panhandle (Images of America)

The Oklahoma Panhandle by Sara Jane Richter

A complete pictorial history of the Oklahoma Panhandle, full of fun facts and “I didn’t know that” moments. Dr. Richter aptly states in one of the book’s many photo captions, “entertainment was, and sometimes still is, rather difficult to find. Obviously, Panhandlers can create their own fun.” So in the true Panhandle spirit, Sara Jane Richter has put together an informative and entertaining pictorial history of the “handle” of Oklahoma.

The Panhandle is Oklahoma’s best-kept secret and possesses a unique landscape, the highest point in Oklahoma. It bears a fascinating history and tenacious residents, from Folsom Man to contemporary cowboys. The Panhandle even once tried to become its own US territory. With photographs of the “Land That Time Forgot,” readers will discover tales of outlaws, college students, settlers, ranchers, native peoples, dust storms, immigrants, ghost towns, cattle, dinosaurs, lawmen, soldiers, and traders. The Panhandle has never been a mecca for settlement, but through the years, many heading for better days and other destinations have traveled across it. Mother Nature makes Panhandle residents work for their survival even today. She isn’t too free with her moisture but does like to hear the wind blow and see snow on the ground. “Panhandlers” pride themselves on their independence, resiliency, and friendliness. Once folks move in and get comfortable, they won’t be leaving soon.

Sara Jane Richter, PhD, has lived in the Oklahoma Panhandle and taught at Oklahoma Panhandle State University since 1985.

The Longest Suicide

The Longest Suicide by Scott Puryear is a not so average book about pigs, packinghouses, cowboys and Hemingway. It’s part prosaic, part poetry, and all insanity.

“When one is almost insane and one is going to kill oneself within a few days – in between flashes of brilliance and genius and philosophy, there are also issues of what could have been and what should have been.” ~Scott Puryear

Once you have followed the degradation of D. DeWayne Meyer to his bitter end, you’ll have a pretty good idea what it must be like to lose your mind, and your life.

“I’ve never said many quotable things. Probably because I’m too average.” ~D. DeWayne Meyer

Golly! Shazam!

13 down, and more to go…

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, Oklahoma District 1 DA Mike Boring’s Task Force (DATF) arrested 13 suspects in the culmination of a 4-month long undercover drug investigation. The dirty baker’s-dozen were allegedly engaged in the sale and distribution of controlled dangerous substances, AKA selling and distributing marijuana, cocaine and prescription medications.

“Operation Surprise” began in the fall of last year with an undercover agent buying drugs. On Monday, arrest warrants were issued for 12 Texas County suspects. While making these 12 arrests, cops busted a lucky 13th suspect when he was found to have drugs in his possession.

THIS VIDEO IS LOUD!

Guymon’s Chief of Police Eddie Adamson is quoted in the local media as saying, “We are glad to get these drug dealers off the streets here in Guymon and intend for this operation to be only the first in many joint operations to attack the local trafficking of drugs to our population, especially the students in our city. Removing these drug dealers from the streets will make a dent in drug distribution in our area.” Authorities have also indicated that the investigation will be ongoing.

Congratulations to the 31 law enforcement officers from the AFT, the Cimarron, Harper, Texas and Beaver County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Guymon, Goodwell, Texhoma, Boise City and Keys Police Departments for a job well done!

I would have to believe that as these unlucky 13 begin spilling their guts, more arrests can be expected.

Evan Dye to host Senior Recital

By Brittany Shears
OPSU Collegian

Goodwell, Oklahoma – Starting college, every student has one common goal: to finish and receive a degree—and after four years, students in every field are asked to show what they have learned while attending college at Oklahoma Panhandle State Univer­sity. This is done in different ways in different fields, but in the music department of OPSU, they put your talents and abilities in the spotlight. All music majors are required to per­form a senior recital their last year of school—and that is what brings music major Evan Dye to the stage on which he will perform several pieces including J.S. Bach’s Cantata No, 82, La Bonne Cuisin (common­ly called Four Recipes) by Leon­ard Bernstein, Votre toast, je peux vous le render (commonly called The Toreador Song) from Carmen by Georges Bizet, and the open­ing scene from Le nozze di Figaro (commonly called The Marriage of Figaro) by W.A. Mozart.

Being someone who suffers from a case of severe stage fright, I de­cided to talk to Dye about his se­nior recital and what it was about performing that he loved so much. However, I couldn’t help but start the questions with whether or not he ever got nervous, and to my sur­prise, he does. He said that taking a few deep breaths helps, but the best way for him to calm his nerves down is to get into character. In the end, it is all worth it; his favorite part about performing is connecting with the audience members and inspiring or moving them. When asked who he most aspired to be like while per­forming, multiple names came to mind and giving me the run down he answered, “That’s a tough one, but I would say my short list is Jussi Bjorling, Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Ray and Marcus Arbizu, Hein­rich Schlusnus, and Robert Merill in no particular order.” Dye also said that when it comes to small crowds versus large crowds, he prefers large ones—reason being is that the larger the crowd, the more energy in the room. While he says he has always enjoyed singing—however, maybe not always so publically—he fell in love with performing after being in a musical at the Guymon Community Theatre. While finishing my ques­tions, there was one more I had to ask pertaining to his music career and that was what his most embarrass­ing moment on stage is, which turns out to have occurred during one of his performances right here on cam­pus. “During a performance of Urinetown at OPSU, I somehow man­aged to skip a few bars of music and became out of sync with the band.” Dye is a music major studying vocal performance and mathematics with a minor in computer information sys­tems. After graduating from OPSU this spring, he plans to attend graduate school in applied mathematics or computer science with a prefer­ence to programs that merge the two fields. As for what Dye has to offer in terms of wise senior advice, he says, “For music majors I would say, `Practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more.’ More generally speaking, I would say, ‘Take all your classes seriously, even those you don’t think you’ll ever use.'”

All are encouraged to come. Let’s give Evan Dye a large crowd for the performance that comes down to what he has been working on his en­tire college career.

Dye will be performing February 13 at 7:00 PM in Centennial Theatre at OPSU

Evan Dye is the son of Tom & Rachel Dye of Guymon, Oklahoma.