1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:09,880 The shark deck. Did you hear about the skateboarding pig? I'm Johnny Mack 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,720 with five good news stories lots unpack here. Alison was all happy when her 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,079 husband floated the notion of expanding their family. Okay, that sounds great, 4 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,839 so husband Vince shared that he had a long time dream of owning a pig. 5 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,839 Alison wasn't immediately ready to commit, but they figured out a compromise. 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,640 It's four years later and now they live with Norbert, the one hundred and 7 00:00:31,719 --> 00:00:36,079 fifty pound a pig. They also love a rescue rabbit who's mow and all 8 00:00:36,119 --> 00:00:40,719 over the dog. Norbert knows how to skateboard, so now he's a TikTok 9 00:00:40,759 --> 00:00:45,000 account and Instagram following the post more than sixty one hundred fans. Vince thinks 10 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,920 that Norbert has the intelligence of a three to four year old, which has 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:52,600 forced him and his wife to put locks on cabinets and the refrigerator. Sometimes 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:56,759 Norbert opens the fridge and goes to town on the fruits and vegetables. Vince 13 00:00:56,759 --> 00:00:59,079 said, I knew would get some looks because we live in the suburbs and 14 00:00:59,119 --> 00:01:02,200 we have a pig, But I like seeing people's faces light up. It's 15 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,000 been a positive experience all around, just being able to share Norbert's happiness and 16 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,920 positive vibes of everybody. Norbert is litter box trained. I know you were 17 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,359 wondering. Alison has warned people it can be a lot. People are like, 18 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:15,879 I want a pig and I'm like, no, no, you don't 19 00:01:15,719 --> 00:01:19,159 take special people and commitment for the growing pains. Temperaments change and he's like 20 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,519 a three year old. He has temper tantrums. You have to learn to 21 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,200 curb that. A board pig or a frustrated pig gets destructive. So what 22 00:01:26,239 --> 00:01:30,439 you do is he teach them the skateboard right. Vince started training Norbert on 23 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,560 a miniature skateboard when the pig was less than a year old. Norbert needs 24 00:01:33,599 --> 00:01:36,760 fifteen to twenty minutes to pick up verbal commands. Vince said that led to 25 00:01:36,799 --> 00:01:40,359 a week's worth of thirty minutes skating lessons when Vince would use his foot to 26 00:01:40,359 --> 00:01:44,159 guide the skateboard as Norbert followed behind. Once Norbert learned to put one of 27 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,760 his hoofs on the board, it wasn't long before he got on the board 28 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,560 and used his back legs to propel himself forward. Now and Vince tells Norbert 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:55,480 to get on the board. The skateboarding pig wises. Vince has tagged skating 30 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:00,599 legend Tony Hawk and videos and social media posts in which Norbert becomes Tony Hog. 31 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,719 Good news for Francesca Teal. She lost her ring in the ocean. 32 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,960 The ring had once belonged to her great grandmother. She figured she never see 33 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,280 it again. You listen to the podcast, do you know how this is? 34 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:14,599 Imagine? I just teld you The story was, Yeah, she lost 35 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:15,520 her ring and that's it. And I signed off and I was like, 36 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,240 there's no happy resolve here. That would be a twist anyway. She had 37 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,479 been wearing the family ring while sass like a football with her husband at North 38 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,960 Beach and Hampton, New Hampshire. The ring fell off her finger. They 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,639 spent hours searching the water for it, no luck. She posted a plea 40 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,840 on her Facebook page, Hey anybody's seen her ring? Turns out a guy 41 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,919 with a metal detector saw her social media plea for help, and he somehow 42 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,840 found the ring. Leu ASKI strapped on a wetsuit and a headlamp. He 43 00:02:42,879 --> 00:02:46,800 went looking for the ring. First two days nothing, he said, I 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,039 don't take failure all too well. I wanted to go back and give it 45 00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:53,280 one last shot. Day three bingo. He posted it and said, please 46 00:02:53,319 --> 00:03:02,199 tell me this is the rings I can finally get off this beach. I 47 00:03:02,199 --> 00:03:07,680 am Patty Callahan, Henry, I am Mary Kay Andrews, I'm Kristin Harmel, 48 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:12,639 and I'm Kristy Woodson Harvey. Friends in Fiction is led by four longtime 49 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,840 friends, the four of us, with more than seventy five published books between 50 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:21,280 us. Through end depth conversations and interviews, we discussed the books we've written, 51 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,319 the books we're reading, and the art of storytelling. We are here 52 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:30,240 with endless stories to support indie bookstores, authors, librarians, and readers just 53 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:37,120 like you. We are always seeking innovative ways to introduce dynamic voices and trends 54 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,039 in publishing. On this channel, you will find hundreds of episodes with some 55 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,599 of your favorite authors, including the four of us, with our new releases, 56 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,039 as we reveal the stories behind the stories, offer writing tips, and 57 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,159 talk about the creation of novels, memoirs, and nonfiction titles. So if 58 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:58,639 you love books and you're curious about the writing world, you are in the 59 00:03:58,759 --> 00:04:10,639 right place. You can listen to friends and fiction on any major streaming platform. 60 00:04:10,719 --> 00:04:14,319 Hey, nice job by Vernon Jackson. Interesting name there, because that's 61 00:04:14,319 --> 00:04:16,120 a subway stop on the seven train in New York City. You know where 62 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,399 I grew up, but I went through that stop almost every day. I'm 63 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:20,920 not making fun of your name, and mister Vernon Jackson, I just didn't 64 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:26,480 put that together until right now anyway. Vernon Jackson he owns a Cincinnati barbershop 65 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,199 and he takes care of his VIP clients, which are children with special needs. 66 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,160 He says that's something he's done since twenty twenty one. I was hearing 67 00:04:32,199 --> 00:04:35,519 so many horror stories that parents were going through with other barbershops, and the 68 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:40,079 barbers or stylus had no patients with their kids. I figured I'd compromise by 69 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,639 coming in on my day off, so there'd be no other barbers or stylus 70 00:04:43,759 --> 00:04:46,639 in the shop and I could give them the full attention they need. He 71 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,240 says having an empty shop helps some children who were sensitive to new environments and 72 00:04:49,319 --> 00:04:53,519 sounds his goals to help the children get acclimated to the barbershop so they can 73 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,199 feel comfortable coming in when other employees and clients were there. Jackson says, 74 00:04:57,199 --> 00:04:59,360 when I first started promoting that I was going to come into my day off 75 00:04:59,399 --> 00:05:01,439 to do haircuts children with different needs. A friend of mine just randomly inboxed 76 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,279 me and said, hey, vern, can I sponsor a haircut? Then 77 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:08,519 more and more people asked donate money for haircuts, and Jackson started to go 78 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,519 fund me. He says. Their parents that would pay any amount of money 79 00:05:11,519 --> 00:05:14,199 just for their child to have an experience like any other person. At the 80 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:15,920 end of it, I could tell them it's covered. They say I gotta 81 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:17,920 give you a tip, and I say, nope, trust me. This 82 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,600 is part of the Gifted program. This is a gift from the community myself. 83 00:05:20,639 --> 00:05:25,480 Please receive it. More Facebook. An adopted woman found her mother using 84 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,600 a DNA site in Facebook after decades of searching that allowed her to meet her 85 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:34,120 grandmother just days before grandmom passed away. Rachel Ruiz always knew she was adopted. 86 00:05:34,399 --> 00:05:38,240 When she turned eighteen, she was given a handwritten letter written by her 87 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,199 birth mom for her future daughter, saying she hoped one day they would meet. 88 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,079 It had limited information, Rachel said, I didn't feel like I needed 89 00:05:45,079 --> 00:05:47,199 to find answers to complete myself, but I'm so happy I found my birth 90 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:51,560 family. She's now thirty five. She turned to ancestry dot com that helped 91 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:56,480 her filling her biological mother Angie. When she found the fifty two year old 92 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,639 Angie on Facebook, she knew instantly was a match because they looked so similar. 93 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,360 Her parents had prepared to give her the package when she turned eighteen. 94 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,040 They said, they had this beautiful crocheted blanket she made me. She had 95 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,120 a baby ring when she was born, a beautiful gold ring, and a 96 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,959 written letter which said you were here with me for nine months. I will 97 00:06:10,959 --> 00:06:14,160 never forget you. I hope one day we will meet. That did meet 98 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:15,639 up, and they went over to meet Grandma Mary, who passed away three 99 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,680 days later. She said it was like her final life mission. I went 100 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,240 to the funeral and I met my cousin's aunts and uncles. Rachel feels blessed 101 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,240 to have two families, including a half sister who lived a few minutes walk 102 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:29,879 away from her house in Utah. Wow, and all right, little Nellie, 103 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,879 we're onto you. You see, Nellie's parents had just painted the wall. 104 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,639 Mom came by and noticed some handprints on the wall. Who do you 105 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,319 think did it? Mom said, I just moved and started painting the walls 106 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,639 white. I didn't realize for an hour or so that she did it, 107 00:06:46,079 --> 00:06:48,319 so she asked the little girl, Hey, you know anything about these handbrits 108 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,399 on the wall, and little Nellie said, oh, yeah, the dog 109 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:56,480 Winston did it. Mom said, I just moved and started painting the walls 110 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:58,639 white. I didn't realize for an hour or so that she'd done it. 111 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,720 I didn't expect Nellie to blame the dog, but I knew I had to 112 00:07:00,759 --> 00:07:03,120 record a reaction to my question as to who did it, as I knew 113 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:08,399 it would be amazingly funny. Poor dog, you know, Nellie, humans 114 00:07:08,519 --> 00:07:13,480 and dogs have different pawprints. That's your five great news stories for today. 115 00:07:13,959 --> 00:07:16,639 Follow a show for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you 116 00:07:16,639 --> 00:07:18,360 get your shows. Have a great day.