On The Fly

In this episode, Everything I Need to Know About Christmas–I Learned From a Little Golden Book. We are thrilled to present this year's (2024) annual Christmas episode for kids! The story has it: back in 2020, when we first launched On the Fly , one of Santa's helpers whispered a fantastic idea into our ear on Thanksgiving Day. “Wouldn’t it be fun to share children's books by sending an audio file to your nieces, nephews, neighbors, and friends so they can enjoy the story with their little ones?” So we did, and here’s the list of books and stories organized chronologically. Feel free to click the links and listen again, or maybe for the first time. Twas the Night Before Christmas Christmas Eve-Day How the Grinch Stole Christmas Frosty the Snowman The Story of Rudolph The 1939–Original Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Tracking Santa Santa’s Toy Shop My listening friends, choosing the right story has always been challenging, but the journey has been rewarding. It's our wish t...

In this episode, Decoding Doyle & Deduction–Legacy of Sherlock Holmes . . . This week, fiction fans, we explore the story of the world's most famous detective – Sherlock Holmes! But to understand Holmes fully, we need to crack the code of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Side note: Today's episode was inspired by my study of the science of deduction and how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle developed his character. I intend to revive my fictional character, Alister Peridot, and expand my series of stories, The Adventures of Peridot by Adamas Bontemp. These stories documented  my travels with GIA and provided a simplified way to teach gemology while incorporating a challenging and fun Sherlock Holmes-style twist. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wasn't always spinning tales of mystery. Believe it or not, he started as a medical doctor! But even during his rounds, Doyle harbored a passion for storytelling. He was heavily influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and the emerging detecti...

In this episode - Just the Way You Are . . . “Childhood lies at the very heart of who we are and who we become.” Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) What are you feeling this New Year 2021? Who are you? Do you feel hopeful, joyful, optimistic, or with the recent news events are you cynical, feeling scared, and ill-prepared for what’s to come?” That’s OK , “I like you just the way you are.” - Mr. Rogers “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor . . .” I’ll admit in 1969 whenever I heard that song I would jump up from the couch and change the channel on the television. In my kid world, there were more important things to watch on television . . . Batman, Superman, Gilligan’s Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, The Rifleman, to name a few. Watch Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, that’s a little kids show - “No way, I’m too old for that.” Huh, was I really? However, until recently, while recording poems and stories for this Podcast I began to wonder, “What type of stories...