Outskirts Press, INC.

A Delightful Tale of Turkeys and Tribulations

A rogue turkey is making life miserable for the residents of Whisper Wood, an idyllic retirement community nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Plagued by abandonment issues,the bird asserts his right to respect by ripping screen doors, devouring heirloom roses. and chasing elderly ladies. A slow moving bureaucracy and onerous regulations stymie neighbor’s efforts to rid themselves of this dangerous pest. Now, five men in their golden years will conspire to break the law in order to restore peace and safety to their community. They soon discover that getting rid of the bird is no simple task. In the process, each will realize something about himself that will leave him forever changed. Part modern day range war, part kidnapping and part road trip, this brilliantly drawn novella takes a wry but compassionate look at the culture of retirement communities across the nation as they interface with rural America. "Humorous with plenty of fun characters, The Trouble with Tom is not to be missed" Midwest Book Review

For a time, happy in our fancy cottages, we looked out our windows or sat on our porches to contemplate the peaceful view of manicured landscaping. We were charmed by the serenity of the setting. We were not the only ones to feel so fortunate. Richard Donaldson, the new on-site Administrator of our village, came straight from two years in a horrendous position with the same company. He considered his transfer to Whisper Wood a soft landing. He was a tall man with sandy hair who looked as if he had stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting of a Boy Scout saluting. And, like that Boy Scout, he sincerely wanted to do the right thing. As Donaldson strolled the perimeter of the village, relishing the serenity of it all, he did not see how there could ever be any problems. Passing a corner house with a wide lawn, he noticed a woman spreading seed from an old coffee can. "Good morning," he called out. The old woman stopped what she was doing and peered at Richard over clear plastic rims. "Yes? Something I can do for you, young man?" "Oh. Sorry. I'm Richard Donaldson. I'm the new administrator here." "Well." She rested the coffee can on her stomach and wrapped her arms around it. "I'm Esther Dultz, and I have been here for three years. One of the first in, as a matter of fact. Now, is there something I can do for you?" No...I...just wanted to introduce myself." He would have told her that the gardeners could reseed her lawn for her, but she had returned to spreading the contents of her coffee can. He smiled and waved just as if she was still looking, but he felt as if he were slinking off. This is not a problem, he told himself, and he made a mental note to speak to the gardeners. Mrs. Dultz had long spread spread bird seed on her lawn. The turkeys, a grateful lot, rewarded her with the finest grade nitrogenous material between here and Plymouth Rock. As the corners of her lot turned a deep tropical green, the birds frosted white on gray thank-you notes on the sidewalks nearby.