To be honest I wrote most of everything I know about myself on the home page so I’ll just make up a story for you to read while you’re on this about page.

there was a 65 year old, 5’ 3” little widow lady named Ms. Gertrude sitting on her porch swing watching the sun rise on a Thursday morning during the beginning of spring on march 16th, 1967.

Ms. Gertrude was a content woman, quite patient, not surprised or worried about anything. sometimes a neighbor boy who none of the other neighbor kids wanted to play with would come over with his Hulk toy and talk to Ms. Gertrude for 2 hours on average about every other day.

She would greet the Boy with a hello as she saw him coming and that’s about all she would ever say before he started talking. He’d always walk up and stop at the edge of her porch and talk from there. she wondered why he didn't ever come up but she found it amusing so she never told him he was allowed up. the boy made for good background noise while she daydreamed. she began to think of many things, none being of any concern, but many of curiosity and new perspective, like heavenly gardens, risky adventures, past memories, and what the boys name could be.

somewhere in the midst of her daydreaming, the boy had ran off and she was left thinking to herself. The thoughts that had the most affect on Gertrude that particular day were a mix between heavenly gardens and risky adventures.

Ms. Gertrude had said to herself, “I never expected myself to live this long… so by technicality I guess these remaining years are bonus!”

That was the moment Ms. Gertrude realized something about herself… She had lost all concern for what happens next… she gave thought towards her quiet, stress free life and concluded that a spontaneous disruption in her routines wouldn’t result in anything consequential, being that she is already retired and the neighbor boy with the hulk toy is the only person who may ever notice a difference in her morning schedule…

So Ms. Gertrude decided to do something she previously thought to be foolish. She collected a 2 and a half week wardrobe including various accessories, money she had stored in a duffle bag from the last 14 years filled with pocket change, gift cards, birthday cards, money leftover after groceries and bills, a personal hygiene bag, a couple fine point sharpie markers, a pocket sketch book, ninja stars, nun-chucks, a wonder woman comic book, a pack of gum, 2 pairs of aviator sunglasses, a zippo, lighter fluid, a handsaw, deck of cards, an ugly yellow 3 foot tall stuffed bunny rabbit, a bag of oranges, a bag of apples, a bag of pairs, a bag of limes, a bag of carrots, and a hair clip.

Ms. Gertrude was prepared to go anywhere and do anything . She proceeded to load the trunk of her 1960 Chevy Suburban Carryall before filling her tank and hitting the nearest highway.

while at the gas station, Ms. Gertrude put one of her small yellow t-shirts, stocking caps, and aviators on the yellow 3 foot tall bunny rabbit and buckled him up in the passenger seat after writing the name “Carson” on the front pocket of the T-shirt she had put on him with one of her fine point sharpies she had packed. she kept the sharpie in his shirt pocket to give Carson a job while they travelled because she planned on grabbing a map while paying for gas. she grabbed a map from inside the gas station and once their tank was full they were both ready to hit the nearest highway. she insisted on using the map only when needed because she didn't want it taking away the excitement of the spontaneous feeling . She drove for hours until she needed to fill the tank again so when she paid the cashier she could ask them where she was and locate herself on the map. the first tank of gas was purposed to take her somewhere unfamiliar as a true starting point. after their 2nd gas refill, Ms. Gertrude drove for 3 and a half more hours before finding herself in franklin Tennessee, deciding to park for the night at Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary to see what the open landscape might look like during its sunrise.

That next morning as the sun kissed her eyelids with a blanket of peach and gold skies, her eyes bloomed open to see Carson glowing bright while looking just as tired of she was. through the half inch crack of her driver side window, Ms. Gertrude could hear the field ahead of her leading an orchestra of soft winds pouring over the wall of trees to greet one another for an unseen slow dance.

When she lifted her head off her right shoulder, she saw proof of the winds dance on the wave pool of grass waving right to left across the open field, where heaven had been invited to shine upon the earth.

Ms. Gertrude gazed at the 15 ounce sunrays as they helped a small boulder war against its own frigid core for 6 minutes before taking a slow deep breath and concluding … “ I need some coffee Carson, what do you say “. Of course Carson didn’t say anything because he’s a 3 foot tall stuffed ugly yellow rabbit but Ms. Gertrude prefers to respect him anyways because he doesn’t complain about anything and she can relate to that.

Ms. Gertrude went into town 20 minutes away and found a café just a block away from main street. She went inside, bringing Carson and some fruit with her . there was an older man eating steak with an untouched piece of pie to the left of his coke bottle, a young college aged waitress talking to the owner about the owners husband, and in the far back corner there was 3 boys with a camera, around the age of 14 years old bickering with one another while looking intently at notebooks and loose pieces of paper . Ms. Gertrude and Carson sat side by side in a booth. Ms. Gertrude bought a cup of coffee and mixed a square of butter and a table spoon of honey into it. she wanted Carson to have the opportunity to drink a cup of coffee at least half as good as the one she had, so she pulled out her pocket sketchbook, borrowed Carsons fine point marker, then drew a quick sketch of a warm cup of coffee for Carson to hold while they sat there.

Across the small café, Jackie, one of the 3 boys, noticed how weird Ms. Gertrude was, and took notice of her ability to draw. Jackie brought her to his friends attention because they were struggling to find a female character for the movie they were writing .

Jackie was a short Mexican boy wearing his older brothers hoodie, big round glasses, ripped jeans, he had fluffy hair, and a chill tone of voice . He convinced his friends that Ms. Gertrude could potentially be a great candidate for playing a couple roles since she is wise with old age and is unashamed of being creatively different than others within her age group. They agreed but told Jackie that he has to be the one to go talk to her because they all found her to be an unpredictable character .

Jackie confidently smirked, grabbed a camera, and walked over with rhythm, showing his friends his confidence, hoping that it highlights their social anxiety, making himself seem fearless. he reached the edge of the table where Ms. Gertrude and Carson sat, then said, “Hey. I’m Jackie. Yall care if I ask you a few Questions?“ Ms. Gertrude replied, “Please Jackie, take a seat.”

Jackie climbed in the booth across from Ms. Gertrude and asked her what she did for a living . She told him how she was retired and that her and Carson are currently on a spontaneous traveling adventure. Jackie looked over at Carson to confirm that she was telling the truth. Carson didn’t move an inch while staring back at Jackie through his aviators for a full 25 seconds. Jackie broke eye contact out of intimidation and looked over to his 2 friends, Craig and Fabio, with their heads tucked down, side eyeing him nervously, wondering why Jackie just got a nervous look on his face. Jackie’s head turned back quickly to Ms. Gertrude as she asked him, “why do you ask, Jackie?” he took a breath and passionately began telling her all about the movie him and his friends have written out, asking her more questions related to their needs for a female character.

as he rambled on about why he thinks she’d be a great help to them and how he understands if she really isn’t interested, she interrupted him by saying “show me what you boys have come up with.” Jackie got wide eyed in excitement and they moved over to the table where the boys had been working . Jackie introduced Ms. Gertrude and Carson and they all spent a few hours discussing the movie plot and plans to film. Ms. Gertrude was humbled to be invited and more than happy to help.

The movie was a low cost sci-fi about colorful costumed heroes waring against a crime boss that works in the shadows of a city. the boys had spent the last year setting up everything they could with where they were at and what little they had. in the early stages of their preparation and exploration of their small town, they discovered a large empty concrete construction site a few acres from Craig’s house on the edge of town. the construction site had a number of tunnel systems and rooms running between each buildings and to their surprise the electricity worked in the basement area of the warehouse building, leaving the boys to assume that while the project was abandoned decades back, it was forgotten and left on. there was no main roads anywhere near the construction site and it was all over grown, being hidden by a few acres of woods. with Craig’s house already being on the edge of town where the housing is a bit spread out, it gave the boys a private place to hangout. The boys had a good number of buildings, rooms, and forts setup throughout the woods and the construction site, and also mapped out unused sewer tunnels mostly around the outskirts of town with a few rooms as well. in the process of learning so much about the underground layout of their small town, they came up with the idea of the crime boss villan who worked in the shadows for their movie.

The boys guided Ms. Gertrude on their bikes to their basement hideout while she followed in her truck . they told her to go park ten blocks from where they were at and wait for them to catch up on their bikes so they could lead her out there in secret.

at arrival, they had her park in the gap of clustered evergreen trees, then Ms. Gertrude and Carson got out and opened her trunk to grab her pack of gum and gave each of the boys a piece while they were crowded around her on their bikes. they were all curious to see what she packed for her adventure with Carson. before chewing her own piece of gum she brushed her teeth, grabbed her wonder woman comic, and followed the boys to their basement hangout.

at the stair entry going down into the basement, there was a 3 foot concrete wall, acting like a fence keeping people on the first floor from falling into the entryway. on the middle overhead wall, the boys had taped up the cover of action comic no. 241. it was a superman comic titled “Fort Superman”. it was the first comic that introduced superman’s secret hide out, the fortress of solitude.

reaching the bottom of the staircase, Craig plugged in the extension cords for the lights. they had 3 spools of white Christmas lights keeping the room well lit, a neon open sign, and another neon “diner” sign. looking around with a proud smile, Ms. Gertrude was in aw of the boys creativity. they had a TV and game system, a record player with records, various genres of comics, and action figures on a few shelves they built with materials that had been abandoned, a 3 legged metal bench with couch cushions and the 4th leg replaced with stacked bricks, car seats and a bench seat they took out of a junk yard truck, a bird cage filled with snacks hanging between the 2 couches, a shop fan, a bulletin board, posters hanging everywhere, tables and chairs, curtains breaking the room into separate sections, and so on. the boys made it into such a home that they often tell their parents that they’re spending the night with one another but actually stay at the hangout.

Ms. Gertrude said, “boys this place is amazing! this truly is a fortress of solitude!“ Fabio said, “we’ve all done everything we could this past year, kind of obsessively, helping one another with ideas for the place while keeping resourceful. thrift shops, pawn shops, yard sales, the auto salvage, and junk yards have helped tremendously. we’ve created good friendships with a hand full of shop owners around town that’s led to getting our hands on a some good supplies.” while saying all this, Craig and Jackie pulled a big wooden box they built out from beneath the metal bench that holds most of their costumes and props.

The boys believed it would be another year or more before they would meet a female at school by chance that would lack pride enough to find any interest in their movie script and make way for filming to begin, but now that Ms. Gertrude has appeared, they’re anticipation has come to a promising end, and its about to be so much better than they had anticipated.

the boys put on their colorful hero uniforms built from painted sports and motorcycle armors, thrifted boots and fabrics, helmets, and handmade masks. in the process they also unpacked their large variety of props made from dismantled toys and game consoles, supplies, and equipment, and as they did so, Ms. Gertrude made the observation that as far as hand props, film equipment, and costumes, the boys have done amazing but with such a fantastical storyline, they’re slightly lacking in proper set design for the fictional scenery some scenes will require. the boys had initially given up on the idea, for they thought it would be too much for them to accomplish with a lack of finances and artistic skills but luckily for them, Ms. Gertrude had finances, resourcefulness, art skills, and of course the help of her 3 new friends with locating all the materials she would need for building the perfect atmosphere for each shot.

The name for the hero Jackie played was striker, a white and blue colored crime fighter. the composition for his costume was composed of a painted motorcycle helmet, football shoulder pads, knee pads, with boots and gauntlets he had designed to look futuristic and powerful. his character has the ability to shoot blue power blasts from his boots that allow him to leap incredible bounds and gauntlets that shoot the same blasts from his gauntlets to fight off foes. the characters personality is much like Jackie’s, cool, stylistic, and laid back .

The name for the hero Fabio played was Talen, a gold and brown colored defender. His costume consists of a cardboard helmet with eyes resembling a stern hawk painted to look futuristic, a pair of golden wings, a trench coat with high tech patterns painted down the sides, homemade body armor with a logo of 2 claw marks across his chest, knee and elbow pads, matching gloves and boots, and a pair of silver claws he carved and put together using wood and hardware for his weapon of choice.

The name for Craig’s Superhero character was mustard, a yellow costumed vigilante. his costume consists of a tied overhead ninja mask layered with the top half of a yellow hoodie cut around the chest area, black shirt tucked into black pants, a large yellow utility belt stocked with an inventory of useful crime fighting inventions he carved out of foam and strapped together using a weight lifters belt, bulky painted boots with cardboard customizations, yellow gloves, and a backpack weed killer sprayer modified with two bottles, each with a hose running the length of his left and right arms made to look more sci-fi. mustard is a scientist who created 2 yellow pastes that he blasts at his opponents. one that quickly solidifies when sprayed, holding them captive, and one that acts as an acid that melts through metals and concretes.

Ms. Gertrude’s role was the crime boss named misteress mist who worked behind the scenes in a fantastical futuristic city called trinity city. Her Character wore a long sinister looking purple cloak with sharp shoulders, a black tube mask spanning from the top of her nose down to the collar of the cloak, covering her mouth. her hair remained in a bun with a sharp spike protruding from it, and her eyes were covered by a large pair of purple pearlescent shades. mistress mist has the powers to create a fog that turns into living objects and evil soldiers that obey her every command.

Ms. Gertrude followed the boys all around town from resell shops to junk yards. she bought a number of odd car parts, cardboard boxes, paints, and as many bed sheets and curtains as she could to create fantastical backgrounds and stage props. they used drawings on her sketch book and pictures of the characters as stop motion animations for the more difficult scenes.

for the next 3 weeks Ms. Gertrude stayed at the hideout with Carson day after day until her and the boys had finished their movie titled “the super powered battle against misteress mist!!“

the story began with the origin of how the heroes got their powers and dawned their vigilante costumes before learning about one another through encounters with their shared foe, Mistress Mist. the climax of the movie revolved around the heroes coming together as a team to take down mistress Mist and her goons side by side.

The boys and Ms. Gertrude celebrated their success for a week while the boys promoted the film and even got to show it for a number of nights at a comic shop. the boys kept secret their filming locations saying that much of it was filmed in a garage.

After all this, Ms. Gertrude spent a bit more time with the boys, exploring surrounding towns and getting to meet many friendly faces in Franklin, then she and the boys exchanged phone numbers before her and Carson went off to continue their journey.

Ms. Gertrude was so Happy. The joy that serving and fellowshipping with others Introduced her to was so abstract and pure. Her soul spoke out that the importance of her adventure was just that. She hadn’t been able to see how much she had to offer others all those seasons of being in her neighborhood.

She then went on traveling from place to place, making money doing artwork and often gifting it out. Serving in whatever way she could, making friends in all atmospheres. She truly was a vessel for Jesus Christ. Her impact on the people she met left a trail of breadcrumbs and widespread story telling, making her sound like a legend to those who hadn’t met her in person.

Ms Gertrude ended up in numerous newspapers, a couple television interviews, and became friends with numerous celebrities and people with great influence. All the while she stayed humble and on the move, planting seeds everywhere she went. Seeds of encouragement, Hope, Joy, color, and freedom giving truth (gospel).

The end for now.

♡◇:•.°.•:•.°.•:cartoon kid:•.°.•:•.°.•:◇♡