Short Stories by J Mel
by James M. Morris a/k/a J Mel
I was raised on a farm/ranch in Dickens County, Texas, marched in the Fightin Texas Aggie Band, secretly courted a professor's daughter at Texas Tech from College Station, whom I married, and then received my B.S. degree from A&M and worked as an Assistant County Agent until I entered and worked my way through law school, practiced civil litigation and criminal defense law for 40+ years, raised four talented rambunctious kids and survived 54 years of wedded bliss. I've got stories to tell! jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
Episodes
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Motivation
What would make you jump over a barb wire fence? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
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The Naughty Knothole Caper
A boy’s curiosity about girls is infectious. Self-education was the only remedy…if we could only see what was happening in the girls dressing room. We tried and caused quite a stir. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...
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The Real Satan
I knew that first day I had bitten off too much when he drug me around the lot. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
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My Moon Shot
We had asked new uniforms. The school board waited one year too long. Comedic tragedy resulted. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
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Saint Gunsmoke
The ranch owner said he was too young to be a show steer. The bond I had with him was evident from the start and grew progressively stronger. What happened will amaze you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...
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I Saw Santa
What it was like for me to actually see Santa arriving in his sleigh full of presents on Christmas Eve. 0I Saw Santa Issue No. 020 Welcome to Issue No. 020 of Short Stories by J Mel, entitled I Saw Santa. What I am about to tell you is true. You will not believe it. But it is true. I remember it...
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The Killer Kid Gang
This story takes you into the vivid imagination of two young country boys forming an outlaw gang, pulling off a bank robbery, and evading discovery by a passing car. Huh? The Killer Kid Gang Issue 019 Welcome to Issue No. 018 of Short Stories by J Mel, entitled, The Killer Kid Gang When Joe and I...
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Pewy Power
This is a true story that demonstrates the close relationship between farm life and nature while revealing the unique characteristics of a common nocturnal mammal in the Mephitidae family known for their stinky defensive mechanism. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...
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Blame the Daddy Genes
A short story based on actual events that teaches a farm-raised father important lessons about what to teach his urbanized child about operating a motor vehicle. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...
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Don't Wear Spurs
The calf-roping event at Roaring Springs Rodeo Arena represented very talented ropers with top-notch horses and years of experience rivaling the professionals. It’s not supposed to be a rodeo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to…
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Useless Information
Episode 15 is a true story about my first piano recital circa 1958 at Matador, Texas. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
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J Mel Alert 260607
I have two podcasts/newsletters - Fixing America with J Mel and Short Stories by J Mel. I have been publishing each podcast/newsletter weekly on Tuesday. In the future I will alternate publications - this week, June 9, I will publish another episode of Short Stories by J Mel. The following…
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The West Texas Shipwrights (Episode_014)
This story provides in graphic detail the arduous and painful process three country boys endured to create a sailing vessel designed to rival Columbus’s Santa Maria. Hindered by a lack of wood, corrugated sheet metal proved a poor substitute and may have contributed to the short duration of the...
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The Salvation of the Country Soul (Episode_013)
Episode 13 is a realistic glimpse into an adolescent country boy’s misguided, albeit nearing reality, impression of a typical service at the First Baptist Church of Afton, Texas, in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It highlights an event that happened at least biannually that reminds me of the Ray Steven...
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Our Historic Entrance onto the Gridiron (Episode_012)
Episode 12 is a story about junior high school football at a Class B school in the Rolling Plains of West Texas in about 1962. The incident it described may seem trivial to you, as it may in fact be. But the fact that it is a vivid memory to me after 64 years later says it was not trivial. It...
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The Great Escape (Episode_011)
This is a true story about the day we ran away from our new babysitter’s house by walking about one-half mile to the Patton Springs School, grades 1 – 12, where our mother was a teacher. My sister was 3. I was 5. It did not end well for me. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss...
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The Glow of the Cauldrons (Episode_010)
Episode 10 is the true story of my harrowing visit alone to the pig pen after dark to check-up on the day’s activities of Buck, the man hired to slaughter and dress out two hogs on our family farm. It is told 70 years later through the eyes of a 5-year-old country boy. This is a public episode.…
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‘Deadman Talk’ with My Dad (Episode_009)
Episode 9 is a true story about my father allowing me to drive the Massey Ferguson 65 tractor with a four-row implement attached to it, called a ‘knifer’, from the Lewis Place to the Home Place and what happened enroute that demonstrated my six-year old driving skills, or luck, and why we never...
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We Saved Three Bucks (Episode_008)
After being punished for a careless mistake, a country boy convinces himself—with the help of his friends—that bending the rules a little won’t hurt. A trip into town and a scheme to save a few dollars seem harmless enough at the time. But when things take an unexpected and painful turn, the real...
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The Blossoming Bosom (Episode_007)
A misguided prank involving a classmate quickly escalates into a trip to the principal’s office for two country boys. But what follows is not punishment for the act itself—it’s their inability to contain their reaction during a painfully serious lecture. Viewed from their split perspective, the...
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The Bank Robbery we Predicted (Episode_006)
This episode reveals how a past casual observational remark can be a source of learning in a law school study group years later and rekindle fond memories of a summer job with a friend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...
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Our Pietistic Amusical Trifecta (Episode_005)
I know you won't believe it, but this story is based on an actual event. I want to believe it shows this church's dedication to "singing praises to the Lord". Although it did not affect me that way. To me, it showed how stubborn country folks can be. You got your song - I got mine - you want to...
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Hare Mail (Episode_004)
Episode 4 is a true story. The names of the guilty have been changed, except for the author's. It tells the story of what teenage boys in the rural Rolling Plains of West Texas found exciting to do in a creative, albeit, sadistic-sort-of way, Try to picture it - 1960's, lush green wheat fields,...
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Hang it on a Fence Post (Episode_003)
Running a sand fighter is noisy. What a teenage country boy could be doing to preoccupy his mind so he fails to hear the clankity-clank of that implement? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...
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Dad's Rough Dismount (Episode_002)
This story taught me a valuable lesson on perspective. The fact that my dad was walking as we sped to his rescue did not mean he wasn’t seriously injured. What John Wayne did in movies does not reflect real life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers…
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All Shook Up (A tribute to Mr. Kelly) -(Episode_001)
This story relates a dramatic, unforgettable incident in English class that demonstrated our teacher’s dedication to teaching that invaluable life skill even to a resistant student. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...
About this show
I was raised on a farm/ranch in Dickens County, Texas, marched in the Fightin Texas Aggie Band, secretly courted a professor's daughter at Texas Tech from College Station, whom I married, and then received my B.S. degree from A&M and worked as an Assistant County Agent until I entered and worked my way through law school, practiced civil litigation and criminal defense law for 40+ years, raised four talented rambunctious kids and survived 54 years of wedded bliss. I've got stories to tell!
jmorrisakajmelss.substack.com
Hosted by
James M. Morris a/k/a J Mel