When I saw the title of this piece, I knew I had to listen. A long time fan of worms, I wrote a play, in 6th grade, about a worm family protrayed with white socks. The play was popular enough that it was performed for all the classes at New Hope Elementary School in Oklahoma City. (It was a simpler time.) Then I married a man, who as a boy, helped his family with a worm farm - really!!! He has shared with me, many time, the trials and tribulations of packaging Red Wrigglers for shipping.

As a small child, perhaps you remember seeing, after a heavy rain, worms crawling up out of the earth onto sidewalks, only to quickly dehydrate in the sun. Yes, worms, the very stuff of life, are of interest to me and I believe this piece would be of interest to other listeners out in public radio land.

"Disturbing the Queen Worm" is informational and it's funny. I did have to get accustomed to the conversational tone of the piece. I learned that people are required to test the muck before erecting a building. This piece would fit in around Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. The first north night that comes up, you'll find me on the mossy side of a tree, shovel in hand, looking for a worm nest, listening for the hiss of that queen worm.

Thanks for the smiles and the memories.