Have you ever been tricked? Fooled? Bamboozled? Certainly everyone has experienced being deceived at least once. And usually it’s not a very pleasant feeling. It can be rather frustrating, and, well, humiliating. That being said, have you ever tricked someone else? Again, most people have. That’s probably why there are so many stories about people being tricked. Today we have brought you a few of those stories from tellers like David Holt, Donna Washington, and James Bruchac.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“The Chenoo” by James Bruchac from When the Chenoo Howls (9:18)

“Mexico City Subway” by Rick Huddle from Citizen of the World (4:17)

“Why you Never Hear Rabbit Play Banjo” by David Holt from Why the Dog Chases the Cat: Great Animal Stories (7:44)

“Ti Jean and the Donkey’s Egg” by Priscilla Howe from Chickens! And Other Stories for Young Listeners (3:19)

“Anansi and the Turtle” by Donna Washington from Live and Learn: The Exploding Frog and other Stories (7:26)

“Foolish” by Lyn Ford from When the Gourd Broke: Common Sense Stories (11:38)

Radio Family Journal: "Three Dates at Once" (5:13)

On today's Apple Seed Extra, a song by David Tamulevich and Michael Hough, the duo of musicians that make up Mustard's Retreat. This is a live recording of their tune "The New Pioneers."

Road Trip! From The Odyessy to Finding Nemo, some of the best stories are about journeys. Journeys take us to new places, both physically and emotionally. They’re great for finding new friends...and new enemies. They take us all around the world yet somehow we always end up back home again. Today’s episode is indeed a wild adventure full of everything from Biblical stories humorously brought into the present day to language barriers providing comical mix-ups. They’ll be races, songs, and stories from far, far away, so buckle up and embark with us on this journey of a thousand stories.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“Moses of the Mountain” by Adam Booth from The Mingo Black (10:40)

Daily Mix: "Bearskinner" with Paul Ricks (7:00)

“Paca and Beetle” by Heather Forest from World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder (4:28)

“Generous People: Birth of the Southern Order of Storytellers” by Betty Ann Wylie from Pass It On: A Storyteller’s Journey (7:41)

"A Walk Around the Block" by Bill Harley from The Best Candy in the Whole World (5:18)

“A Story of Signs” by Ruth Halpern from She Set Out to Seek Her Fortune (8:28)

Radio Family Journal: "Long Drives" (5:06)

How do you feel about failure? It’s not something many people enjoy, yet it is something we all have to deal with. Absolutely everyone fails at something at some point. Maybe there are some people who don’t ever seem to fail, but they definitely have moments you may not know about that are less successful. With all the failure in the world, we might start to think that things aren’t looking too good. But is there another side to failure? What are the benefits to losing? As it turns out, failure is the way we learn. If you talk to successful people, they’ll often describe their first attempts as being failures, but they learned and kept going. Feeling the occasional pain of failure allows us to appreciate fully the joy of success. Here on the Apple Seed we have put together a few stories that may not seem like successes at first, but things turned around with some new ideas and a little work.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“The Diffendaffer Taffy Cafe” by Laura K. Deal from The Diffendaffer Taffy Cafe (8:17)

“Two Bears” by Laura Simms from Four Legged Tales: Animal Stories from Here and Away (4:36)

“Armadillo Recon Unit” by Bil Lepp from The Divine Bovine (6:01)

“When the Cat Came to Mohammed” by Pam Faro from Andalusian Trilogy: Stories of Jews, Christians, and Muslims of Medieval Spain (4:53)

“The King of the Clams” by Bill Harley from Blah Blah Blah (14:53)

Radio Family Journal: "Second Day of College" (6:04)

It's been a long time since we could really get out and see live entertainment, shoulder to shoulder with friends and neighbors. Such times will surely come again. In the meantime, here's a visit to a show performed by the Castle Valley Acting Company, a children's theater company you're sure to enjoy rubbing virtual shoulders with. The recording was made back before the pandemic, reminding us of times that were, and will come again.

We always hope that the stories we share with you on The Apple Seed spark memories for you to share with the people that you love. Sometimes those memories are sparked by listening to personal stories, and other times by listening to tall tales and fairy tales. So sit back, relax, and get ready to have the memories wash over you as you listen to stories about music, a magic ice cream maker, and the most precious thing in the world!

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

"The Big Music" by Kevin Carr from The Big Music (13:28)

"The Magic Ice Cream Maker" by Priscilla Howe from The Ghost with the One Black Eye and Other Stories (7:25)

Daily Mix: "Turn to Stone" with Mark Wait (7:00)

"The Most Precious Thing in the World" by Karen Golden from Pass It On - A Journey Through the Jewish Holidays In Story and Song (10:32)

"Abu Ali and the Donkeys" by Mark Binder from Classic Stories for Children (6:15)

Radio Family Journal: "A Time and a Place" (4:43)

On today's Apple Seed Extra, an poem written in 1885 that lots of children still recite today. It's called "Little Orphant Annie," and it's the poem that gave the red-headed heroine of the comic strip and the Broadway musical her name. It also gave a name to the Raggedy Ann doll. It's read for you on today's Apple Seed Extra by Laurie Allen.

Holidays are wonderful! They bring us closer together and create memories that last a lifetime. However, they’re also a lot of hassle and sometimes can even be really stressful. Do you love holidays or do you not think they’re worth it? Dolores Hydock tells us how her father was a holiday fanatic who went all out for every occasion. Her mother, on the other hand, never cared for them...except for birthdays. Tune in to hear Dolores Hydock tell her personal tales of various holidays because whether they’re good or bad, crazy or peaceful, or beloved or dreaded, they sure are memorable.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“Birthday Gift” by Dolores Hydock from Holidazed! (11:34)

“13 Quilts” by Michael Reno Harrell from Grit & Wit (6:48)

“Jaguar and Hare” by Simon Brooks from Second-Hand Tales (7:58)

“Wilde Roses” by Ann Rutherford from Habit of Joy: Stories of Living True to Ourselves (14:45)

“Bill Greenfield and the Big Old Bear” by Joseph Bruchac from Adirondack Tall Tales, Volume One: The Bill Greenfield Stories (4:07)

Radio Family Journal: "Sponge Balls" (4:44)

On today's Apple Seed Extra, a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This one takes place around Christmas time, and involves a Christmas Goose. As he year turns, we're happy to bring it to you. It's performed by The Acting Company: Suzanne Christensen, Noah and Leah Kershisnik, and our host, Sam Payne. They read the story before a live audience, back when we could all get together in one room.

It’s time for a special episode of The Apple Seed, filled with stories for you and your family, celebrating the passing from one year to the next. And what a year this has been. We’re looking forward to the hour with you. We’ll think together about the unpredictable nature of a year’s journey as we enjoy a story from Kevin Kling about riding the rails is search of great seafood. We’ll acknowledge the difficulties of the year in a snatch of a story as old as 1889, written by Jerome K. Jerome. We’ll think about the setting of goals and the making of resolutions as we hear the story of Kyle McDonald about his audacious adventure in trying to trade a single red paperclip for a house in Canada. We’ll talk about the New Year’s tune Auld Lang Syne, written by Bobby Burns and sung each year all over the English-speaking world to send the expiring year into the past. And we’ll even have a little party with Bear and his animal friends in a story from Bill Harley.

On today's episode, enjoy the following:

"Train" by Kevin Kling (8:31)

"Goodly Knights" by Jerome K. Jerome, performed by Sam Payne (2:48)

"Red Paperclip" a conversation with Kyle MacDonald (13:22)

"Come on Out and Play" by Bill Harley, performed live in The Apple Seed studio (12:08)

"Auld Lang Syne" by Stewart Foster (3:33)