Moonshine, Watermelons and Rock Salt

About the Book

This is a tale of a modern day Huck Finn named Ricky who was raised in the backwoods and hills of Southern Indiana. He is a curious, inquisitive, rambunctious lad, who wants to see and taste all that life has to offer. He gets into many adventures, some sad, some funny, some dangerous.

Many of these adventures were brought on by the consumption of moonshine, sometimes referred to as "White Lightening". This demon brew led death to Ricky on several occasions and it tried to wrap its long claws around him and drag him asunder. Old one eyed Dutch Turpin and the smelly witch Zelma Sprinkle tried shooting him. Old one eye scored a bull's eye and the witched missed. The killer train had him trapped on the viaduct and came within a breath of turning out his lights. The flooded White River drowned him. The cougar, bobcat, hornets, and boar raccoon tested his courage and nerves, but like the pink bunny he just kept going, going, going.

Alice Marie Sellers Sheetz, called Momma, is a special character. This banty sized woman single handedly kept us together through poor times and hardships. She's lived through some terrible times, a depression, five wars, saw her mother die, saw her murdered father pulled from a well, torn away from her sisters, abused by many. She watched three sons go off to war and return, buried a husband and a son. She is the ultimate survivor.

Billy Barnes is Ricky's Tom Sawyer. They are true blood brothers and his granddaddy, Moon, is the source for the moonshine that leads to most of their unusual undertakings.

About the Author

I was born and raised on a small farm in the hills of Southern Indiana, in a little community called Tulip. The population back then was 21 people. The only thing there was an old country store by the railroad tracks. As a child I loved to go there. It contained everything you might need food, hardware and many other items. It was a gathering place. There were two tables by the potbelly stove, one was for checkers and the other for cards and the game usually played the most was Euchre. It was a great place to listen to the old men when they sat around and played cards and talked about adventures they had had locally and faraway places. This kindled my desire to see these places and I did.

My story telling abilities were developed by my love to hear good stories and lies. I've spent many hours listening to some real characters at our country store, church socials, and down on the corners of the town square at Bloomfield, Indiana. At these corners were park benches and often time they would be inhabited by older retired men and boy could they spread the blarney. I went to high school for three years here and spent my fare share of time at the benches, which are fondly called the Liar's benches. As I got a little older and got up my nerve I even tried my hand at stretching the truth's there, but I was way out of my league.

The desire to see the world so consumed me that I left home at fifteen and a half and went to Cincinnati, Ohio where I finished high school by working for my room and board and staying in the boys dormitory. This was a private school called God's Bible School and College.

After graduation I joined the Navy to see the world. During my four years in the service I got to see many places, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and all but four of the states in this country. I made two tours of duty to Viet Nam which changed me from a carefree adventure seeking teenager to a man that looked out at the world and people with different eyes; it changed me and many others. In my case for the good some of the others not so good.

Over the next thirty-five years I've worked as a police officer, store manager, long distance truck driver, supply clerk, division manager, construction laborer saw operator in a saw mill, janitor, bartender and many other jobs. I did what ever it took to make money to raise my family. I raised three children in my first marriage. I even squeezed in three and a half years of college in during that time.

I am presently married to a wonderful lady and I am working as a communications officer for the Baldwin County Sheriffs office in Baldwin County, Alabama.