Bridging Unexpected Twists of Fate and Fancy with Humor Category:  Essays Publisher: Raven Press ISBN-10:  097935321 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 120 Copyright: 2006 ISBN-13: 9780973795929 Raven Tricks – It’s All Wrong, Yet It’s All Right! is a feisty collection of magazine essays by Kelowna author, Barbara Shave. Raven Tricks: It’s All Wrong, Yet It’s All Right! is a self-published collection of lively articles, most of which were previously published in magazines.   They deal with those unexpected twists of fate and fancy which ultimately govern the course of all lives. Her content is reminiscent of both Robert Fulghum (for pondering) and Erma Bombeck (for humor). Lee Claremont, First Nation’s artist of international distinction, collaborated to create a knockout cover with her painting, “Raven Wears Red Robe With Iroquois Border Pattern.”  Often light-hearted and sometimes heartbreaking, these first-person vignettes deal with adjustment to the new truths that we all encounter as we age. The Raven Trickster of Haida folklore is responsible for wrinkles that muss the fabrics of our lives. He sees to it, for example, that when we can afford the things we need, we don’t need them anymore. When we reach an understanding with our VCR, the world switches to DVDs. When women finally develop full-figured bosoms, their faces are long-gone to hell. Raven Tricks shares lessons from the joys and sorrows and outrages and serendipities which remind us that even though life may not turn out as we planned or would wish (It’s All Wrong), it is nevertheless a great adventure (It’s All Right).   The points of view are timely and provocative for an aging population.  Excerpt WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SUGAR PLUMS? Yesterday I stowed my most recent Christmas gifts in the depths of my crawl space. There they will molder until such time as I need something cheapo for a club exchange. What happened to the Christmas sugar plums? When I cleaned out my grandmothers’ attics after they passed, I found every gift I ever gave them – boxes of soaps, body lotions and many little blue bottles of Evening in Paris toilet water – whatever I had purchased for these uncomplaining souls at the last possible minute with remaining pennies. Since I have reached that grandmotherly stage of life, I suppose I deserve to also be relegated to last-minute-incidental gift status. Along with pictures of themselves so that I can show off these progeny to other grandmothers, I get lots of floral-shaped hand soaps and body lotions. And scented candles in place of that old Evening in Paris standby. Just how much of this stuff can one use in a lifetime? Gads, I still have the accumulations of my grandmothers! Do young folks think that my generation has nothing better to do than to wash and lubricate our hides by candlelight? It’s like my grey hair plunked me into irrelevancy and I no longer warrant much thought or effort. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not about pricey presents; it’s about gifts that reflect some notice of my individuality and my interests. For instance, I would be thrilled to receive homemade coupon invites to Sunday dinners or to occasional family outings. I too want a mystery package under the tree. “It’s the thought that counts,” you say? I agree. It just seems to me that I deserve a smidgen more thought! “Christmas is for children,” you say? I cannot agree. It is the holiday that reminds us to take special notice of God’s children of all ages, to spend time with them and to present gifts as tokens of our love. By so doing, we also demonstrate our appreciation for the One who gifted us His son 2000 years ago. Sick of hearing, “It’s hard to buy for you,” I sent everyone a Christmas wish list last fall. It started with my big wants – time with my children and grandchildren, a portable CD player, a genealogy reference, and a bird-identification book – and worked its way down to a stocking stuffer. I got the stocking stuffer – a gizmo for opening stubborn jar lids. And more body lotion. And more soap. And scented candles. Once again there were no sugar plum surprises under my Christmas tree. But like my sainted grandmothers before me, I nevertheless graciously beamed and burbled when I unwrapped them, cleverly disguising thoughts like: "Do I matter to my family or am I just in the way here? Have I lived too long?" And when I recalled how I had also failed to consider the sugar plum needs of my own grandmothers, I stifled my cry of shame with, “Thank you. I really need this pretty soap!”

RAVEN TRICKS 'It's all Wrong, Yet it's all Right'
Drawn from personal xperience, “Barbara Shave searches for the wisdom or humor and usually finds both.... Smile along with her as she adjusts to life in a gated community, unwraps yet another Christmas gift of soap, or relives the kitchen fire that finally finished off the gingersnaps.... She faces up to the hard parts of growing older while celebrating the good. Pat Archibald, Editor of SENIORS CHOICE NEWSMAGAZINE, June 2006).

Raven Tricks: It's All Wrong, Yet It's All Right
“Shave has managed to address the inevitable issues that touch us all.… Shave’s style is smooth and has an easy rhythm, just right for a quick, entertaining read.” (T. J. Wallis, Editor of North of 50 Magazine, June 2006).”

Collection of Short Stories Great Reading
“Shave proves she is well-equipped to deal with some of life’s most paralyzing challenges with grace and a good-hearted laugh.” (Alison Belbin for the Kelowna Daily Courier, August 2006)