Never Forget

At the end of June 2001, I moved with my daughter from Michigan to Florida.  I had a tough time finding work, but in early September, I'd finally gotten to where I was in the process of landing a job.  In fact, all I needed was for my blood test to come back clean.  I went, they drew blood (poorly because they popped a vein), and I waited.  Meanwhile, life went on.

On the morning of September 11th, I got Owl ready for school and saw her off on the bus.  Later, I hopped in the car and drove down to the Walmart, which was on the south side of Tallahassee.  It was about a 20-30 minute drive from my apartment on the north side.  I listened to my CDs for the most part, but every once in a while, I'd turn on the radio to see if they were playing anything good.  During one of those times, I heard a news report about a plane crashing into the WTC, but other than 'oh, that's too bad' and 'how stupid', I didn't think much of it.  In fact, I assumed it was no worse than the other time a plane crashed into the WTC - small plane, not much damage, etc.  I returned to listening to CDs.

At the Walmart, I proceeded to do my grocery shopping.  I did see people clustered around the TVs, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were watching.  I was on a mission to buy food.  I did that and got back into the car for the drive home.  No radio that time, so I was totally unprepared for what awaited me when I walked into my apartment.

During that particular time, I was living with someone.  I walked into the apartment, fully expecting him to help unload the groceries.  He didn't.  He was standing in the living room, glued to the TV.  No matter.  I didn't actually need help.  I got all the groceries into the house and then went to see what was going on.  My first view of what was on the TV was approximately 9:03 a.m.  

I know this only because I just looked up the timeline on that day.  At 9:03, the second plane hit the towers and that was what I saw in real time when I looked at the TV.

I don't remember much after that.  Not the specifics anyway.  I remember being worried because we lived not awfully far from the President's brother and that was a possible target.  I remember picking up Owl from school.  I remember crying.  A lot.  I remember being pissed and appalled that such a thing could and did happen.

In the days after, I started a campaign of writing letters to the editors of major newspapers all over the country.  I scoured the internet to find the email addys and then sent dozens of letters.  Several of them got published.  I was trying in my quixotic way to make people see that this could never happen again.  Never forget, everyone was saying, so yeah, I was trying to help with that.  

Slowly, life began returning to what we were coming to call 'the new normal'.  I passed my drug test and started my new job.  Owl went back to school.  Life hadn't really changed that much.  Not yet.

The changes would come later.  Little things.  I had to fly up to Baltimore and got to experience the new security measures first hand.  That sucked, but I figured it was the price we paid to be safe.  I also assumed that once everything died down, those measures would go away.  Yeah, I was that naïve.  Freedoms, once lost, are rarely regained.  

I was also naïve enough to believe that we, as a nation, would never forget.  I mean, enough people were saying NEVER FORGET, so it wasn't hard to believe.  Then the years went by and people forgot.  Oh, every September 11th, people would still thump their chests and tear their hair and cry NEVER FORGET, but they were no longer remembering the whats and the whys of 9/11.  The only thing they never forgot was to make a big scene about their sadness on the day.  

I remember.  Hell, I have brain damage, and I fucking remember.  This date... 'Patriot Day', she mutters with more than a little sarcasm... the anniversary of the day muslims hijacked our planes and flew them into the WTC and the Pentagon.  The day those brave people stopped the muslims from taking out a fourth target and instead took the plane into a field in PA.  

Even back in 2001, I heard mutterings from the slime that somehow we deserved it.  I was pissed then.  Since then, I've heard more and more often.  2977 people were murdered by muslims.  The religion of peace where the killings just keep right on happening.  They haven't changed their tune.  We've changed ours.  We've forgotten.

That there's a muslim mayor of the very city that was attacked on 9/11 is proof enough that they've forgotten.  It's disgusting that he was even in the running, let alone won.  

Day by day, inch by inch, we're being taken over.  They attacked us 25 years ago.  They're still attacking us today.  This time, it's not as obvious as planes being flown into buildings, but it's an attack just the same.  Either way, the goal is to eradicate us and our way of life.  

THIS is what we, as a nation, should never forget.  Sure, remember the events of that day and the people whose lives were tragically cut short, but the main thrust of your memories of that day should be that their goal is to eradicate us.  They want to wipe the world's slate clean of everything that isn't devoted to islam.  Don't let them do it.

NEVER FORGET.

Monday Marketing - Fertile Ground

It's Monday and I'm marketing.  Not sure if this is doing too much good right now, but it's got to be better than nothing, right?  

Anyway...

Well, crud.  Blogger doesn't seem to be letting me embed photos this morning, so no graphic.  This morning is shaping up to be a hoot.  First, I got up late, and now this.  

Anyway part 2...

Starting today, FERTILE GROUND is free.  (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.)  Grab a copy of this gritty suspense now.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FOPNE9Y

And now I'm going to crawl off into a hole.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week Meh

It's Sunday.  There was a week.  It had a number.  I'm too apathetic this morning to go see what # it was.  Despite my general malaise this morning, the week was actually pretty okay.

I did a pretty good job of writing this week.  6334 words and I wrote on 5 out of the 7 days, so woot.  I ended the week at 49879.  Yeah, I know... so close to 50K, but it didn't happen and I'm not kicking myself for it.  I'm still fighting with myself mentally about whether this book is crap.  Eh, if it's crap, it's crap.  I'm enjoying writing it, so there.  =op

Marketing went.  I moved 12 whole copies of UNEQUAL.  :toots tiny horn:  This week, we'll see if I can double that number with whatever book I choose between now and tomorrow morning.

I started reading a book this week.  Twice Shy by Dick Francis.  It's not really grabbing me yet, so we'll see. 

Due to the heat, I only baked once this week and that was a pizza.  Hell, even general cooking is at a low point.  Last night, we had fish (pan fried tilapia that took like 5 minutes) and salad.  Tonight will probably be pork and salad.  Because I am slightly deranged, I might make Irish Soda Bread this morning, while it's still cool enough.

In activity news, I was not very active.  It was all 'water plants', except for going grocery shopping and one little wander around the yard - which I had to truncate because it was too damn hot to be out there for too long.  (I'm VERY ready for summer to be over.)  Weight: 180.6 - one would think I'd be dripping the pounds right the hell off in this heat, but I'm not.  

Speaking of plants, the greenhouse is doing okay.  The peppers are going well.  The tomatoes are okay, I guess.  The two I repotted are struggling - especially the grape tomato - but the two beefsteaks are green, and one of those was a transplant off the other one.  I have hopes they'll fruit if it ever gets cooler.

Ugh, I just looked at the temps for today/this week.  It's supposed to get to 102F here today and still be up in the 100s through Wednesday.  This is NOT what I ordered for early September.  Meh.

And on that note, I have to go water the greenhouse while it's still in the 70s.  Not sure what else I'll do today.  Hide from the heat and try not to move around too much.  (Yes, we have central air.  It's set at 75 and I still get too hot.  Damn menopause.)

Have a great day wherever you are.  Stay cool.  Peace out.

Friday This n That

 It's... :looks at a calendar:... Friday?  Okay, if you say so.  In case you didn't notice from my Marketing Tuesday post, I've been off by one day all week, so you shouldn't be surprised I missed posting on Thursday again.  Derp.

Mmm, coffee.  Too bad it's not doing its job.  Lazy coffee.

I happened to walk around the yard the other day.  Between the heat and the deer, my outdoor gardens are all roached.  My poor irises... =o(

The cats are enjoying being allowed out onto the sun porch.  They're not allowed out there without parental supervision, though, so we scoop them up and bring them inside when we're done smoking.  With Finn, I just say OUT and walk toward him and he scoots inside.  Sawyer tries o hide under the tables/chairs to avoid being carried out.  Silly kitties.

I don't know if I said, but they re-chipsealed our road.  It's made the whole thing infinitely more noisy.  And dusty.  And for tailgaters, they're risking getting a stone chip to the windshield.  All in all, though, I guess it is better.  :shrug:

Speaking of tailgaters, I hate that.  I never tailgate.  (Okay, maybe when I'm in the city and you can't really help it there, but even then I leave more space than anyone else.)  Out here in the back of beyond, there's really no point in tailgating.  You'll never encourage me to drive faster that way.  In fact, I drive slower when I've got someone inches from my back bumper.  It's safer.  (And it pisses them off, which is an added benefit.)  Pass me, you dumb shit, and enjoy your speeding ticket.  I'm rarely in any hurry.

Yes, I am rarely in a hurry.  Yes, I still speed.  It's usually 5 over.  I don't know why, really.  It just is.  I'm not committed to it, though, so yeah, you'll also see me doing 5 under because it's a nice day or what have you.  If I ever get a ticket for it, I'll accept it as the price I have to pay for being a rebel.  

ROFL

Oookay, I should probably go start my day.  At some point, I have to hit the bank and deposit my check.  I might swing into the DG on my way home.  Exciting times, eh?  Have a great one, wherever you are and whatever it is you might be doing.  :hugs:

Marketing err... Tuesday

 Yeah, I didn't manage a marketing post for yesterday because, well, there wasn't anything going on.  It was the last day of the month and I was being anal.  Anyway, the freebie this week runs from today through Saturday - the perfect time to pick up a meaty read for the holiday weekend.  And what better book for Labor Day Weekend than BLINK OF AN I.

This fast-paced read is a glimpse of one possible dystopian future, and it shows what can happen when we lose sight of the individual in favor of the group.  Labor... group... Union.  It all flows, trust me.  Anyway, it's free, so read away.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079X142G2

I love this book.  People may say I'm biased, though.  You'll have to find out for yourself, and you don't have to pay a red cent to do so.  It's also available on KU, if you're already paying red cents for that.  

(Yes, I am writing this last night when I should be sleeping, so forgive any weirdness.  It comes out more when I'm tired.)

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 34

So, here we are again at the Sunday Update.  It wasn't a banner week for productivity, but life's that way sometimes.

I only wrote a couple thousand words.  I blame a combination of being too damn tired to stay up and write and a slight case of the 'this book is stupid and no one will want to buy it'.  The latter may also be part of the being tired thing.  I need to remind myself that I'm writing this book for myself and I enjoy it, and snap for anyone who doesn't like it.

Marketing was done and books ordered numbers were limp.  I moved 12 copies of RHI.  :sad trombone:  On a happier note, I did sell a book - AD.  Of course, that one is only 99c, so I made 35c.  Woot.  My total $$ for the month of August is sitting at $3.22.  

I'm still not reading much, but I stopped at the thrift store in town and bought another 8 books.  Some of those were NF and meant for our shelves - John Stuart Mill, TH Huxley, Living Free - but I also got a Louis L'Amour, a Dick Francis, and a couple of fantasies and a SF from authors I'd never heard of.  I'm calling it a win.  So far this year, I've spent $2.65 on books, which reflects how much money I'm making at writing.

I tried a different chocolate-chip cookie recipe.  This one has coconut.  The recipe said it made 48 cookies, but looking at the ingredient list made me think the batch was going to be huge - I mean, 2 CUPS of butter? Really? - so I halved it.  I still ended up with 48 cookies.  They're okay.  

On the activity front, I did stuff this week.  I watered the greenhouse 3 times, repotted some stuff, fell through the deck, did some cleaning, did groceries, ran errands.  It was a busy week.  Weight: 181.4 - so no, I was active, but not burning enough calories to offset the intake.  Blerg.

Speaking of greenhouse stuff, like I said, I repotted some stuff - two of the tomatoes and a couple of the trees.  The 'maters were looking peaky, so I figured it couldn't hurt.  If they die from the repotting, I'm not really losing anything, and they could come back and fruit this fall.  The trees had to be repotted, but after I crushed the pot they were in it was more crucial.  The beefsteak tomato is okay, but not producing flowers yet.  The bell peppers are all looking amazing, but no flowers yet either.  I have two potato little potato plants that appear to be thriving.  The carrots? I'm not holding out hope for those, but they aren't dead yet.

Oh, yeah, the 'fell through the deck' thing.  I bet you thought I wasn't going to talk about that.  It was embarrassing, after all.  Well, you see, the greenhouse was strategically placed over a couple of already roached deck boards.  I've been really good about not stepping on those boards when I'm in the greenhouse, but I was repotting tomatoes and when I carried the grape tomatoes in their new pot for placement in the greenhouse, I wasn't paying attention to where my feet were going.  I heard the board start to crack and managed to set the tomato pot down, but then my foot went through and I fell back.  I ended up on my ass with one leg dangling through the hole up to my knee.  I got myself out and upright, and finished my chores.  I'm bruised, but nothing's broken - at least not on me.  When I went down, I crushed the plastic pot holding my buckthorns and one little sycamore.  I also bent one of the struts on the greenhouse.  Derp.  Just call me Gracie.  

Okay, time to refill my coffee and get on with the day.  Have a great one, wherever you are.  :hugs:

My Trip to the Library

 I went to the local library on Wednesday.  The experience wasn't good.  I used to LOVE the library.  It provided me with my means of escape from the world.  What's not to love about that?  

When we first moved here, I stopped by the library to get a library card.  I needed two forms of identification and one of them had to be a utility bill to prove I was an actual resident.  Since I don't generally carry around utility bills, they wouldn't let me have a card.  They wouldn't take my checks as proof or my voter registration card. The first form was already my driver's license, so that didn't help.  After that, every time I went to town, I'd forget the damn bill.  Eventually, I gave up trying to get a library card.  Years past.  Recently, I tried to sign up for a card online, so I could get Hoopla.  

Yay, that worked!  I had Hoopla and I could use it to watch things on Roku.  Yay.  Then it stopped working.  Why?  Because my local library system which covers all but one of the local libraries here, had stopped their Hoopla contract.  Hoopla had raised their rates and were now too expensive.  Or so the librarian said.  

Unfortunately, I have no other use for the library.  I can't check out books because I only get up to that town every 90 days - when Hubs' prescriptions need refilling - which would mean I'd either get slapped with a boatload of late fees or I would need to make a special trip.  Derp.  

Anyway, the two gals at the library acted like I was bothering them.  There was no one else at the place.  I guess that could be understandable.  I was talking about Hoopla and they didn't care about Hoopla.  They tried to convince me to try their other services.  I didn't care about their other services.  It was then that I tried to find common ground.  Books.  

I mentioned that I was a writer and that I actually had books in their library at one point.  I figured they'd try to look me up in their computers, but no.  They looked at me like I was stupid.  (More so the one than the other.  The other was acting like I wasn't there.)  I was tempted to walk back into the stacks to see if my books were still on the shelves, but the girls were giving off a whole 'get the hell out of here, so we can go back to gossiping' vibe.  Finally, I gave up, shrugged, and waved.  "Thanks! Have a great day."

Thinking about it all today, I remembered that for the past 13+ years, they've been trying to raise money for a new building.  There's something somewhere that shows how much money they've raised toward their goal, so I know they have money.  And even though that money is slated for a new building, it burns my butt that they can't keep the Hoopla because it's 'too expensive'.  Who the hell is using the actual physical library?  There's never anybody there when I drive by.  Wouldn't their usage rates go up with Hoopla?  People around here could borrow ebooks and movies, etc.  It boggles the mind.

I don't expect to ever see a new building on the piece of land they already own for the new library.  By the way, the new library will have a whole huge bank of computers for the locals to use.  (That was one of the things they really touted up during a fundraising drive several years ago.)  Computers to use, but not more space for books.  Books are passe.  :shrug:  

Apparently, so are writers of those books.  I mean, I didn't expect fanfare, but a 'hey, cool' and a 'what do you write?' would've been nice.  

Anyway, that's my local library.  I was unimpressed.  Of course, I've been unimpressed with them for years.  The librarian who was there when I donated books wasn't impressive, and she spelled my name wrong when she put my book in her 'new at the library' section of the paper.  Derp.

It's all pretty sad, when you think about it.  I'm a writer.  I'm a reader.  Libraries and I should be like peanut butter and jelly.  Instead, we're like peanut butter and sardines.  Then again, libraries seem to be less about books these days than about the computers and other junk.  I'm an antique, I guess.  And libraries as I knew them are fossils of a forgotten, happier age.  =o(

Thursday This n That

 I remembered again.  Here's hoping I actually post this at a reasonable time.  

In my local paper this week, there was an article about 'social isolation', like that's a bad thing.  I read the article out loud of Hubs, and we laughed and laughed.  Yeah, we show most of the signs of this so-called bad thing called social isolation.  Know what?  We don't care.  ROFL

Speaking of social, I ran errands yesterday.  I spoke to several people - the pharmacy gal, the bank chick, the postmaster, the chick at the library, the gal at the thrift store and the one at the DG.  The day before I did Walmart and the feed store, and I was my chatty self at those places, too.  See?  I'm social.  Unfortunately, my social tank is now empty and I will happily go without seeing another person besides Hubs for at least a week.  Whew.

Speaking of the post office, I actually wasn't there to harangue the postmaster about our shitty service.  I went there to verify my identity so I would be able to access my own damn information on the Social Security website.  The postmaster didn't think I could do that at that location.  He even went to a different location himself, just last week.  Anyway, it turns out I can do it there, but I needed to bring an email code they should've sent me when I signed up for the site.  Except I don't remember getting any damn email code.  Gah.

As for the library, I went there to prove I was who I said I was because my Hoopla has been out since the end of June, and I figured it was a thing with my local library.  When I signed up with Hoopla, they did kinda hint that I should stop by my local library to finish the process, but I never did.  So, when my Hoopla went tits up, that's what I figured had happened.  Nope.  My local library system is no longer providing Hoopla.  It's too expensive or some such rot.  The gal had some suggestions - like inter-library loan of DVDs of programs.  1) I never did set up my DVD player.  2) I don't get to that town often enough to not incur late fees on borrowed library items.  :shrug:  I'll be trying to connect through another library for my Hoopla fix.

ARGH! Sawyer just filled the litterbox.  Man, can that boy poop.  His new name is StinkyButt.  (Not really, but you know how it goes.)

I did my yearly fall earlier this week.  Don't ask.  Anyway, I have some interesting bruises on my thigh and my upper arm.  I told Hubs he needs to start calling me Gracie Lardass.  (It's French - Lar D'ass.)  Anyway, nothing's broken.  To borrow a phrase from Toy Story... I'm into 'falling with style'.

Okay, that ought to be enough for anyone.  Have a great day wherever you are.  Peace out.

Marketing Monday - Rumor Has It

 It's Monday and I'm marketing, so it must be Marketing Monday!  Woot.  This week's offering is RUMOR HAS IT.  

Step back in time to the old, hard-boiled detective stories with RUMOR HAS IT. Right now, it's absolutely free! Pick up your copy today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZNXQKPC

I'd say more but it's hard to type.  I have ouchie hands this morning.  :shrug:  Go download the book.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 33?

 I think it was week 33, but what do I know?  Anyway...

Last week was not the best week by any stretch of the imagination, but it also wasn't my worst week, so what the hell am I bitching about?

I only wrote 1629 words last week.  Again, better than nothing.  Things happened.  I fell down a blackhole of not feeling good about myself.  And, as you can see from the last sentence, I'm having word-finding difficulties, which makes writing not good.  Also, I got it in my head that a couple of characters need name changes, and I got stuck on that hamster wheel.  (It's still spinning like the hamster is mainlining Red Bull.)

Marketing was depressing.  I moved 12 copies of SSS.  I did wake up this morning to two overnight sales - DE and WIOH - but that only gets me 70c profit.  "I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm a wealthy miser!"  But seriously... Not sure what I'm going to do for the coming week.  Something.  Nothing?  :shrug:

I thought about reading this week, but right now, I'm afraid if I pick up a book to read, I'll be less likely to want to write.

As for activity, I watered the plants 3 times, exercised twice, and spent some time reorganizing the spare room.  Let's not talk about weight.  I'm fat.  It's affecting my joints which lessens my gumption to exercise, which makes me hurt more, which makes me... It's a vicious cycle.  The short invective is I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT.  :mumbles:lazyfatfuckgetoffyourass

Speaking of being fat, baking happened.  I did a batch of OCC cookies, but being lazy, I turned them into bar cookies.  They turned out okay.  Then Friday, I made pizza.  Also last week, I did a vat of BBQ pulled pork that turned out pretty yummy.

In case you missed it, Lumpy died.  Hubs found her under the sunporch first thing in the morning, so we assume she died in her sleep overnight.  He moved her body into the woods using our firewood sled, so nature could run its course.  Nature is, of course, a bitch.  Trying to keep a more positive perspective, Lumpy's genes now run through the majority of this herd, which strengthens it and makes it better.  In this way, Lumpy will live forever.  Her daughter, Sissy, is now one of the leaders of the herd, and Sissy's twin, Sonny, is one of the leading bucks.  Sissy's son, Scout, is the new buck on the scene, and will be breeding next year along with his wingman, and probable cousin, Ranger.

In garden news, I had moved some plants out of the greenhouse and the garage to give them more sun and fresher air.  They were doing fine.  Then something started eating my redbud trees and digging in my carrots.  I put the trailcam out, and it was a fucking squirrel.  The redbuds are back in the garage.

The rest of the garden is okay.  It's been too hot for flowering or fruiting, but there's hope that once the temps drop, I'll start seeing peppers and tomatoes.  The heat killed my last potato, though.  And, like I implied, the carrots are pretty much toast.  Here's hoping next year will be better.

Okay, I think that's it.  Life is life, and all that rot.  Have a great day and an awesome week.  I'll try to be more betterer this week so you have something positive next Sunday.

Thursday This n That

I remembered!  And on the right day and everything!  Nothing's gonna stop me now.  (Crap.  I started this at 6am and now it's almost 11.  I guess I suffered from an excess of exuberance there.)

This morning, we heard what I think was a screech owl.  It was calling and calling and calling, and then it made this really weird downward trill and went silent.  Suddenly, it all made sense.  Fledgling was calling for its parents to feed it and when one of them arrived with food, it was really excited.  :shrug:  I could be right.  Anyway, against the early morning light, I think I saw one of them fly past.  

On another note, if you've ever heard a screech owl, you know why people thought there were such things as Banshees.  

Man, this heat is sucking the will right out of me.  I mean, yeah, we have AC, but we're still going out back to smoke, so there's that.  Okay, maybe it's all in my head and I'm just lazy.

The post office is pissing me off again.  This new guy they have on Mondays when my regular guy is off (he works Tues-Sat) is as bad as the last Monday guy.  Derp.  

Sawyer just tried to jump into my lap, missed slightly, and skewered my leg.  I love him, but dang, he's a spazz sometimes.

Like I said, I start this early and now it's late morning and I am bereft of things to add, so I'll just wander off.  Bye.

Marketing Monday - Song of Storm and Shroud

Another Monday, another week of a book for free.  It was asked in comments yesterday if I ever see residual sales from any of this. (Which I tried to answer in comments, but Blogger wouldn't let me comment on my own blog.  Turds.)  Short answer: Yes.  Longer answer: sometimes, but not always.  It's a crap shoot.  However, I see residual sales often enough to keep me doing this over and over and over, even though it's time consuming and sometimes a bit of a thankless (sales-less) job.  

So, here goes today's Marketing Monday...

Starting today, SONG OF STORM AND SHROUD is free.  (Always free with KU.)  Pick up your copy of this epic YA fantasy now!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W745M6P

Lumpy Watch 2026: She's no longer suffering.  Hubs found her this morning under the deck.  It looks like she died in her sleep sometime last night.  He'll transport her into the woods as soon as it's light enough for him to not trip over anything or run afoul of snakes.  Rest in peace, Lumpy.  You were a good deer and an excellent mama whose genes have spread and made one hell of a healthy herd.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 33

 It's been a hot week with more hot expected.  I've basically been hiding in the house, absorbing the AC.

Writing this week went well.  I mean, of course, it could have gone better, but still, 6923 words ain't bad.  I meant to write last night, but the will got sucked out of me, so when 9 rolled around and Hubs asked if I was staying up, the answer was NO.  (I should've just stayed up because sleep was elusive anyway.  Derp.)  The book is now at 40001 words.  Let's see if I can hit 50K by this time next Sunday.  Good lord willin' and the wrists hold out.

Marketing was lame.  Too many days waking up later than I should've for optimal marketing postage.  I only moved 20 copies of UWC, but that's better than a sharp stick in the ass, so yay, I guess.  Tomorrow, Song of Storm and Shroud goes on the freebie train.  

This week, the baking bug hit me.  I made cinnamon rolls, double-chocolate oatmeal cookies, and chocolate banana bread.  The house was hot, but the treats were worth it.  Yesterday, I made a vat of pulled pork drowning in BBQ sauce.  Yum.  

On the activity front... Did I mention it was hot?  I did manage to get out and get the plants watered (less often than I should've but they're all still alive).  I also braved the heat and did the groceries on Friday.  Something new on the activity list is that I'm trying to run through my simple set of exercises - 5 reps each, no weights - at least every other day.  It's nothing major, but it's a start on the road back to not being an atrophied lump of muscle covered in a generous layer of fat.  Weight: 180.6

The greenhouse... the tomatoes are looking a little pitiful, but I have hopes for better news once the temps take their downward turn.  The peppers are happy, if unproductive.  I have two potato plants left that are trying to survive.  The carrots are pathetic but not out of the running yet.  The little trees I have left are mostly happy.  I think one of the redbuds is pooping out on me.  Live, damn you, live!

Lumpy Watch 2026: She holed up under the deck.  I keep expecting to find her dead, but yesterday, she was looking up at me through the slats while I watered my plants.  I really wish there was more I could do for her, but I don't want to run afoul of the government.  The best thing we can do for her now is to leave her alone and let her die in peace.  She is pretty old for a wild deer, but all the same, nature is a bitch.  

In other deer news, the five fawns all seem to be doing well.  The circle of life and all that.  Yesterday, three of them were sleeping in the yard while they waited for Hubs to bring food.  There were also two does sleeping and waiting.  I'm glad they think of our place as safe enough to catch some Zs.  

The cats are good, the Hubs is good, and I'm good.  What else can a gal ask for?  I mean other than rising book sales and calorie free chocolate that still tastes good. ;o)

Have a great week, everyone.  Hasta la bye-bye.

Friday This n That

And it's Friday again.  This week, I was so turned around on what day it was, I didn't even think to say my usual Thursday morning 'talk to you Saturday' to mom when we finished talking yesterday.  I think I was thinking that yesterday was Wednesday.  Derp.

I'm one big, apathetic, atrophied lump.  To that end, I'm trying to do some basic exercises every day or every other to work on building myself pack up to normal.  Which reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where George gets the summer off (The Summer of George) and decides to do nothing, but then he gets hurt and his muscles are so atrophied from doing nothing that it's way worse than it should be and there's a long road of physical therapy ahead of him.  

Yeah, I've watched every single episode of Seinfeld multiple times.  It wasn't my fault, I swear.  Pre-Hubs, I was with two different guys for years each that were addicted to Seinfeld.  I haven't watched any of it since before I got married 22 years ago, but they're all still up there in my head.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, be really careful of what you let into your head, because it'll never come out.  I wish I could go back in time and walk out of the TV room where all the girls sat and watched Sybil together.  Horrible movie that's in my head forever.  Even the car accident couldn't knock that out.  More's the pity, I guess.

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.  ;o)

This morning, I heard a weird noise.  Well, a series of weird noises on repeat.  My guess is that it was some kind of bugs bouncing on the aluminum flashing we tacked up to keep the squirrels out of the eaves.  And every once in a while, the bug or bugs would miss the flashing and hit the wood instead.  Plink, plink plink plink, plink plink, bonk.  Once the sun came up all the way, it stopped, but it was weirding me out.  Not sure what kind of bugs, because I could see them from inside and there was no way in hell I was going outside to look.  Bugs... :shudder:

I'm really better about bugs than I used to be.  I mean, living in the woods cures you quick of being bug-jumpy.  Now, it's 'oh, look a centipede' instead of 'EEK! a centipede!'  I still don't want them on me, though.

This week, my daughter turned 33.  I still maintain that I am not old enough to have a 33-year-old kid, but there it is.  

A few days ago, I posted something to Facebook about being fat.  It was just a statement, followed by some personal thoughts on being fat and steps I could take to not be fat, but I suddenly had people telling me what to eat and offering support.  I went and re-read what I wrote and nowhere in there was anything that could've been construed as asking for help or feeling bad about myself.  :shrug:  I guess I was just trying to make a statement that others might find useful, you know if they themselves are feeling bad about being fat.  Anyway, it turned into a kind of sociological experiment.  Can someone just make a statement anymore without people offering advice and opinions?  I don't know.

Ugh.  I have to go grocery shopping today, but it's going to be like 100F.  The plan is to get out of here as soon as the sun reached a height where it won't blind me while I drive east, but it'll still be in the 90s by the time I get home.  Wish me luck.

And on that note, I bid you adieu.  Have a great day wherever you are.  Stay cool, my friends.

Marketing Monday - Up Wish Creek

 This week, it's time for Up Wish Creek to go on the free block. 

Starting today, UP WISH CREEK is free. (Always free with KU.) Get your copy of this snarky paranormal mystery now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVU03BV

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 32

 It's Sunday again.  How does this keep happening?  Yeah, yeah, time... social constructs... the inevitable march toward death... Wait, what?  Never mind.  It's time again to wrap-up the week, so here goes:

Writing went pretty well, but not great.  I got 4271 words out during 4 writing sessions.  Old Magic is now at 33078 words and 101 pages.  That title is subject to change.  I thought Hex After 50 sounded awesome, but then I googled it and saw that someone else has a whole series with a similar series title, so nope.  Hex in the Ozarks?  :shrug:  I'm not even sure if I want it set in the Ozarks.  Eh, it's neither here nor there.  Right now, Old Magic works as a title/filename.  I hate not having a title of some sort - hence my irritation with DN3 that still has no working title*.

Marketing occurred.  UNEQUAL moved.  Only 15 copies, but better than nothing.  And someone is reading UEQ in KU, so I've got that going for me.  This coming week, Up Wish Creek will be free.  After that, Song of Storm and Shroud will be free.  Then my KDP 90 days resets and I can start all over again.

No baking for me this week.  Hubs made a batch of my chocolate chip cookies on his very own, which is good.  The man wants to learn to bake, I'm not going to harsh his groove.  Otherwise, it's been too damn hot to bake.

On the activity front, last Sunday, we washed the windows out on the sun porch.  Just the insides and the storms, but it took the two of us an hour to do that.  It looks so much better.  I convinced Hubs he didn't need to climb the ladder to do the outsides.  Maybe when the temps drop sometime this fall, we'll revisit the outsides.  I also did a little other cleaning and the groceries.  Otherwise, it was a lot of greenhouse stuff, every other day.  Weight: 180.4

The garden is doing well in the greenhouse.  The beefsteak tomato is taking over, and has been named Audrey II.  As I told someone recently, Audrey II is encroaching on the peppers, but the peppers are mounting a counter offensive.  I planted carrot seeds and they're starting to come up.  One of the seed potatoes I planted is coming up, too.  If all goes well, I might still have a good harvest, but fall instead of summer.  Yesterday, we ate the fingerling potatoes I harvested last week.  I sliced them thin-ish and sautéed them in butter with a little black pepper, and we ate them with pork chops.  Yummers.  Next spring, I plan on trying to grow strawberries in the greenhouse.  And maybe a blueberry bush.  We'll see.

In deer news, most of the deer are doing well.  The fawns are getting big and they all look healthy.  We saw Sonny this week.  Yay.  We were pretty sure he didn't live through the last deer season, but there he was in the yard, looking awesome.  On the other hand, his mom, Lumpy looks like shit.  I'm pretty sure she isn't long for the world.  Her foster baby isn't with her anymore - although that could mean it's back with its own mom or transferred to another foster mom.  Lumpy is mostly just laying around in various spots, and when she has to move, it's the deer version of shuffling down the nursing home hallway.  It's sad to watch, but there's nothing we can do for her.  We figure she's probably about 9 years old, which is pretty old for a wild deer.  Still, it's tough to watch.  

On a happier note, the twin little foxes are doing well.  I need to come up with a name for them - Frick and Frack maybe.  Rusty and Dusty?  :shrug:  I'll think of something.

Other than that, not much is going on around here.  Life, the universe, and nothing (to riff off Douglas Adams).  How are things in your world?

*Maybe that's why I can't seem to get excited about editing that sucker.  It doesn't feel like a real book if it doesn't have a title. Derp.

Friday This n That

 Maybe I should just give up trying to remember to post on Thursdays.

I wrote 31545 words between 7/7 and 8/6.  Not exactly NaNo amounts, but hey, whatever gets words on the page, eh?  (It would've been more, but last night's storm put the kibosh on writing.)

I don't write during thunderstorms.  The idea of a power outage while I'm in the groove makes me nauseous.  It's not like I don't have autosave on, but it only saves every 5 minutes and when I'm in the groove and the fingers are flying fast, that could be a page or more worth of writing gone in a flash.  I'd rather not chance it.

Somewhere this morning, I saw where walking in the woods improves your immune system.  Between that and the benefits of drinking coffee, I should probably be immortal.

Yesterday, Sonny was in the yard.  We honestly thought he'd been taken during last year's deer season, so we were extremely happy to see him.  How do we know it was him?  Well, we don't with 100% accuracy, but between his tameness and his total level of comfort in our yard (not easily spooked and knew where everything was - went right to the food and water), we're like 95% sure it was him, which is good enough for us.  He looks awesome, by the way.  Go, Sonny!  

My beefsteak tomato plant has taken over the NW quadrant of the greenhouse and is starting to encroach on the peppers I have growing in the center.  I keep trying to tame it back into the spot it's claimed as its own, but I think I'll have to move the peppers.  I think I need to name it Audrey II.  (Bonus points if you got that reference.)

The fox twins are hanging out around here regularly.  They're so damn cute I just want to snuggle them both up.  Too bad they're wild critters and would probably run away before I could get my arms around them.  (Which is a good thing, I guess, because if I could get my arms around them, they'd probably bite and scratch the hell out of me.)

I keep seeing this old chick hanging out in my mirror.  I really do wish she'd find somewhere else to go.  

Good news from this week's election.  The chick who is our county prosecutor lost her primary and since she usually runs unopposed - both in August and in November - this is a good thing.  (I actually whooped when I read of her loss and scared the cats.)  I don't know how well the guy who beat her will do, but she's been so ineffectual, he'd have to work really hard to NOT improve on her work.  (I don't know if he's running unopposed for November, but around here, the R's take the race, so even if there is a D on the ballot, he'll win.)  

And on that note, I really should get back to work.  Marketing, doncha know.  Have a great day wherever you are, and stop back by on Sunday to get the weekly update.  Peace out.

Marketing Monday - UNEQUAL

 It's Monday, which means Marketing.  Facebook is a turd, which means it's not letting me market from my personal page today.  C'est la vie.  It's still letting me market from my business page, so nerts to them.  The pain about that is that my business page has less reach than my personal page.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't, eh?

Anyway, here's the deal...

UNEQUAL - a fast-paced, dystopian novel - is free now through Friday. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Pick up your copy today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LDVFWBS 

Sunday Update - Week 31

Sitting here right now, after waking up late, the past week is a blur.  Let's see if I can recreate it.

I only got out 4018 words last week.  That's three night's worth of writing.  Not great, but could've been worse.  I'll be working toward a better week this week.  On the upside, the writing I did get out is really fun.  I mean, it was fun to write, so it should be fun to read, right?  

Marketing happened.  I still only moved 10 copies of Sleeping Ugly.  FB being up to its usual tricks hampered some of it.  I think FB is also shadow-banning me.  Not much I can do about that.  I'm not in a position right now to pay for ads, so I guess I get what I get and I'd better like it.  Last month's sales totals were 4.73 books for like $9.43.  I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm a wealthy miser.  Umm, yah.

In baking news, I made Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies again.  Other than that, it was way too hot to turn on the oven.  

On the activity front, I mostly did stuff in the greenhouse - watering, moving plants around, repotting stuff.  I also did a bit of cleaning.  I weighed myself at one point and it wasn't good, so I didn't jot down of the exact number.  Weight: around 180.

Speaking of greenhouse activity, I harvested my oldest pot of carrots.  And :drumroll: there were no viable carrots in there.  Loads of greenery, but maybe a half dozen piddlin' things that wouldn't even qualify as baby carrots.  I tossed the lot of them into the yard.  Then I took an empty pot and planted a new batch of carrot seeds for fall harvest.  We'll see.  I repotted a couple of peppers, so they have more room to grow.  I also added more dirt to a few of the pots that looked like they needed it.  I'm watering every two days and everything seems to be fine.  I have flowers on a couple of my tomato plants, so yay.  Also, the beefsteak looked like it was growing roots on one of its branches, so I snipped that off and poked it into its own dirt.  Fingers crossed there.  Oh, one more thing, I harvested some more potatoes.  I got about 6-8 potatoes big enough to eat... fingerlings, so they're small anyway... and a few potatoes I can replant.

This week, we saw a mama raccoon and her 4 babies.  Yay.  The deer are doing fine, the fawns are growing like weeds.  Lumpy, on the other hand, is not doing well - which sucks, but there's nothing we can do about it.  She's an old deer.  I just hope her foster fawn does well without her.  Then again, we've done a death watch on Lumpy before and she's pulled through.  Time will tell.

Today, we're talking about cleaning windows.  yippee.  I know it needs to be done, I'm just not motivated at the moment.  I need more coffee to jumpstart my gumption.  

Okay, I should probably toddle off.  Have a great day and an awesome week.  

Friday This n That

 What the hell is wrong with me?  I totally didn't even think yesterday was Thursday, so I then totally didn't do a damn post.  This is becoming a regular thing with me.  Derp.

I saw a neat news story about a kid in Montana who lassoed a guy drowning in a river and pulled him to safety.  Awesome.  I like news about good kids.  It kinda makes all the bad stuff a bit better, ya know?

Speaking of good stuff, yesterday evening, we had four baby raccoons and their mama in the yard.  They were all just sorta hanging out together near the deer feed and munching on leftover protein pellets.  Then mom left.  A few minutes later, the four babies trundled after her in a line, following her scent trail like she'd drawn a line behind her.  She walked through the two water pans, so they walked through the water pans.  I mean, she was already out of sight when they went after her, so it had to be a scent trail, right?  They were so cute.  And yes, I know raccoons can be destructive little bastards, but we haven't had a problem with raccoons being destructive.  Ours are just cute.  :knock on wood:  And no, I didn't have my trail cam out.  I keep forgetting to put it up.

Growing old sucks.

I have been a total toad lately, especially about being active.  Thus, everything hurts.  I know it's anti-intuitive, but it's true.  The less active I am, the more I end up hurting.  Now that the temps are finally beginning to be not-gross, I'll get back outside and do some active things.  Maybe I'll take a walk today.

Speaking of toads, we had one in the garage.  Hubs saw it about a week ago, but he couldn't catch it.  I saw it yesterday and tried to catch it myself.  It was probably quite a sight to see this old lady bent over trying to catch a toad.  Anyway, it hopped under the Jeep, so I got the fishing net.  I'm happy to say the toad is now outside and no one got injured in the process.  (Okay, the toad peed on my hand.  That's what toads do.)

Yesterday, my Roku kind of freaked out and disappeared most of my saved programs, so there I was trying to figure out what was missing, which ain't easy for a memory like mine.  Later in the day, it showed that stuff again, so yay.  Except now it's trying to put all my programs back at the beginning.  It better fix that crap, because I have no idea what seasons/episodes I'm at in those programs, damn it.  I mean, MasterChef UK has a ton of seasons and each season has a ton of episodes, so it'll be a bitch to locate the exact one we last saw so we can watch the next one.  I think we're on season 4 or is it 6, and episode twenty-something... Argh.

I cut my nails yesterday and now I can't type.  Derp.

Okay, I probably should go do something constructive.  Have a great day, and drop some comments if you're of a mind to.  Peace out.

Marketing Monday - Sleeping Ugly

I wrote last night so, of course, I overslept.  It's a fine wire to walk, but I'll sacrifice on the side of marketing if I have to.  In the same vein as the book I'm writing - paranormal mystery - comes today's offering - Sleeping Ugly.  Now, this one is a lot more 'not safe for work' than the one I'm currently writing, but it's fun to read and it was a helluva lot of fun to write.  Enjoy!

Starting today, SLEEPING UGLY - a snarky, paranormal mystery - is absolutely free. Get your copy now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GM24Q48

Warning: this story of a supermodel struggling under an ugly curse is rampant with foul language and bad attitude, and it's oh, so much fun.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week :shrug:

 Hey all.  I just got back inside from tending to the greenhouse and now I'm sweaty, dirty, and tired.  I'll take a shower in a minute, don't rush me.  That pretty much sapped my motivation for the day.

Writing went pretty well this week.  7665 words during 5 days where I wrote.  Not great, but not bad.  Those two off days were necessary to my existence.  Anyway, OM is up to 23331 words as of last night.  I'm pleased with where I am and where it's going, so yay.

No marketing.  No sales.  Blerg.  Okay, fine, I'll so something markety this week.  Maybe.  We'll see.

I was baking this week.  So was Hubs.  I made pizza and a loaf of banana raisin bread.  Hubs made cake cookies.  Considering the impending furnace, I doubt I'll bake this week.  But hey, it was like 99F when I made the BR bread, so take that stupid heat.

Activity?  Well... it's hot.  Mostly, I tended the greenhouse by watering every other day.  I did some grocery shopping.  I vacuumed.  But I haven't weighed myself, so meh.  Again, it's hot and I am unmotivated.

As for gardening, like I said, I water everything every two days.  Today, I also harvest potatoes - mostly to get them out of my way.  I came up with about a half-dozen fingerlings, which is better than nothing.  And I replanted about 4 tiny potatoes that had started to grow roots themselves.  I'm hoping for a fall harvest.  The peppers are doing good.  A couple of the tomatoes are, against all odds and the heat, flowering.  Fingers crossed for those.  

Other than that, I mostly laid around in the AC.  Hell, the day I went grocery shopping was the coolest day and I still got it done early so I wouldn't broil.  Bake, yes; broil, no.  

The deer and the fawns are mostly doing well.  There's a dead doe about a quarter mile down the road.  I stopped the car and got out to see if I could recognize her.  I couldn't.  I know it's not Lumpy - she was here in the yard later that day.  It might be Lily.  Or it was that one skinny doe I saw last week.  I don't know if she was hit by a car or died because she was sick or the heat got to her.  Her body had already been fairly wrecked by the vultures, so no real clue.  Nature really is a bitch sometimes.

Anyway, I need to pour some more coffee down my gullet, have a smoke, and then take a shower.  Have a great day and stay cool*.  Peace out.

*That reminds me of when I was in middle school and everyone seemed to write 'stay cool' in everyone else's yearbooks.  Heh.

Friday This n That

 Yeah, I'm a day late.  I had intended to type up a post yesterday, but I was running late and then I got distracted, and well, you know what my father always said... "Intentions are for shit."  So, here I am on Friday again.  And I was doing so well last week.

I just saw a post on FB coming from someone who works at a university.  He recently received a letter from a university administrator, telling him that keeping books on his shelves is 'the unnecessary storing of combustible material.'  Think about that for a second  You can't keep books on your shelves AT A UNIVERSITY.  I'm seriously losing hope for this world.

Last night, I went to bed on time.  I've been really good about staying up to write every night, but last night I was tired.  So tired.  And guess what?  I still rolled around in bed like a damn gas station hotdog for hours.  Hubs keeps trying to fix my insomnia by giving me suggestions, bless his heart.  You know the ones - past a certain hour, stay away from the sugar (check) and the caffeine (check), cut down on the TV before bed (well, I'm writing before bed, so there's that).  I've tried listening to gentle music, nope.  It gets added to the mental jukebox that plays every song I've ever heard while I'm trying to sleep.  Mom has suggestions, too, and I've tried those.  I don't know what to think about it all.  Maybe my brain is just overly active lately.  I am writing a new book, after all, and the neurons are firing like Independence Day up there due to that.  Of course, the heat doesn't help.  If I could just get cool, I could get comfortable, and if I was comfortable, I could shut my brain up.  Maybe.  Eh, it's a theory.

I need to go grocery shopping while it's still cool.  It's supposed to get ungodly hot next week.  Problem is, I don't want to go grocery shopping today.  Meh.  I probably will, but I'd like it on record that I went under protest.

We have two yearling bucks hanging around the yard.  One is Scout, which is Sissy's fawn from last year.  The other we have named Ranger.  

Okay, I think that's it.  It's after 8 and I need to get my ass in gear.  Have a great day wherever you are and whatever you do.  :hugs:

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 29?

 I think it's Week 29, but I'm too lazy to check.  Anyway...

I wrote 8379 words this week.  That's writing 6 out of 7 days.  Woot.  I skipped Wednesday because I was frickin' tired.  I was frickin' tired Friday night, too, but I made myself sit down here and at least try, and I got 875 words down, so yay.  Old Magic is now up to 15666 words.  :muppetflail:  Last night, my brain decided to shift the title to a series title and try thinking up other titles.  I amused myself by remembering an old Bugs Bunny cartoon where he mixes magic words up... ABRACA-POCUS!  HOCUS-CADABRA!  So maybe I'll use one of those.  Teehee.

Marketing... Meh.  I did it, but it didn't result in too much movement.  Only 17 copies of WIOH went out the door, which sucks.  WIOH usually moves more copies than that.  :shrug:  This month, sales started out really well and went downhill fast.  I don't think I'm going to market anything this week.  I'll focus on writing instead.  Let's see if I can't get over 10K words out this week.

In baking news, I made a loaf of Banana-Raisin Bread.  Yum!  I also did another batch of OCCC.  And I did a vat of pulled pork.  Life is good.

On the activity front, I wasn't really all that active - mostly watering the greenhouse garden - then I did some cleaning yesterday and I moved some furniture.  I haven't weighed myself.

On the subject of moving furniture, basically, I rearrange the dining area.  I like what I did, except for the artwork.  When I moved the table, the big painting over it didn't look right anymore, so I put a couple smaller pieces up there, but it still looked wrong. Today, I might rearrange the living room.  We'll see.  

As for the greenhouse, it's still doing okay.  I'm watering every other day to keep everything happy.  The heat means I'm not currently getting produce, but the plants themselves are green, so that's a win.  We'll see what happens when the weather starts to cool again.  Last year, I got my best output from the tomatoes after it shifted toward fall.  Fingers crossed.  Oh, and I moved my last few redbud trees back out onto the deck.  They didn't enjoy being in the garage - mostly because I kept forgetting to water them.  They seem happier outside again, the rat is leaving them alone, and they're growing new leaves.  Yay.

The fawns are getting bigger.  Lumpy still has her adopted kid, which is still weird.  But it seems to continue to thrive, so :shrug:  Our little foxes are still coming around.  They're so funny.  We'll look out the window and one of them will just be sitting there in the yard, staring at nothing or scratching, and then it'll wander off.  It's so cool that they're comfortable here.

This morning, I clipped Sawyer's claws.  He was being a turd and trying to push me out of my chair.  Well, I usually let him do that, so I can't complain, but this morning I didn't want to give up my chair.  I grabbed him up and went to put him on the floor when something startled him.  He ended up perforating one of my boobs and an arm.  I swore a great deal and bled a little.  After I applied anti-bacterial cream, I wrangled him up and clipped those stilettos of his.  Later, I'll do Finn.  Ah, the joys of cat ownership.

Okay, I think that's all I've got on my hit parade.  How's things in your world?

Thursday This n That

 I've woken up after six every morning since I started writing again - even after the nights I don't write.  This isn't doing my marketing any good, but... :shrug:  I'd like to say it means I'm sleeping better, but it doesn't.  For instance, I didn't write last night.  9 o'clock hit and I was TIRED, so I went to bed with Hubs.  And I laid there, and I rolled around like a gas-station hot dog, and I got up several times to 1) take an Aleve, 2) use the bathroom, 3) get an antacid.  The last time was like 12:30 - then I slept 'til 6.  Anyway, by the time I'm alert enough to do anything, it's almost time to call Mom.  I could call her later or skip it, but then she'd worry.  She says she doesn't worry, but when I call later than usual, she always picks up and is all like 'what happened?', and then I feel guilty, so I don't call late.

Hel-LO, rambling paragraph.  

Sawyer's bugging me for treats.  He gets treats at 7, but he starts pestering around 6:15.

Coffee is awesome.

I have a pile of sticky notes for my WIP.  When I write whatever it is they're reminding me about, I toss them, but I've got notes for closer to the end that will sit here until I get there.  Underneath those are notes for Shroudlands #2.  I really should get organized, but I'm lazy.

My greenhouse has become a mosquito sanctuary.  I unzip the door and bzzzzzzz.  And those suckers are HUNGRY.  It takes me about ten minutes to water everything inside and in that time, I get at least a half-dozen bites.  I mean, at least they're not oak mites, but still.  They get inside through the slats in the deck and then I think they're too stupid to get out, so they wait and while they wait, they don't eat, which makes them ravenous by the time I walk in to water the plants.  I need to bug bomb the place, but I don't want to bug bomb plants that will eventually make food.

I'm constantly amazed at how stupid people are on the internet.  I shouldn't be, but I am.  Not that I'm not occasionally stupid, but I usually keep my stupidity to myself.  Or I treat Hubs with it.  I try not to broadcast it for the world to see.  Remember folks, just because you CAN say something doesn't mean you NEED TO.  Comments aren't always necessary.  Of course, if you're here and you'd like to make a comment, go for it.  If you accidentally say something stupid, I'll make sure it doesn't make it out to the world.  ;o)

Okay, I'd better get this cat a treat before he shreds my legs trying to get me to notice him.  Have a great day.  Peace out.

Marketing Monday - Wish in One Hand

 It's Monday, which means marketing, but I woke up late to find that one of the cats had puked all over the office floor.  Hubs cleaned it up some, but it needs my attention.  And it's almost time to call Mom.  Monday is being Monday, I guess.

Anyway, Wish in One Hand is free through Friday.  Go for it.  I'll stop back by later and put in a link and a graphic.  Right now, I gotta go.  

I'm back.  Here's today's copy and graphic:

Woke up late, posting later than I like to, but I didn't want to miss out on telling you that, starting today, WISH IN ONE HAND is free. Grab your copy now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RVEF0Y

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 28

 Well, it's morning.  I feel like someone beat me with a stick, and I didn't even really do anything yesterday.  =op

This was a banner week for writing.  I got an idea, I ran with it, wrote for 4 days straight and ended up with 7287 words I didn't have before and a brand new story.  I'm feeling pretty good about it.  Last night, I hit a wall physically and, instead of writing at 9pm, I went straight to bed.  I have been writing from like 9-10 or 11.  It's good work, but this gal is not used to staying up late. That first day, I also did two writing sessions during the day, which is weird for me, so I didn't do any other day sessions.  Night time is the right time... or the write time, I guess.  ;o)

Marketing this week didn't not go well.  Since I was staying up late every night, I wasn't getting up early and early marketing is the best kind.  Thus, I only moved 13 copies of Accidental Death.  :sad trombone:  Not sure what I'll do for marketing this week, if anything.  :shrug:

Let's forget about reading for the time being.

In baking news, I made another batch of OC³ (Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies) and one night I did stuffed chicken breast for dinner.  Yummers.  I'm thinking about teaching Hubs to make the cookies so I don't have to, but I'm a control freak in the kitchen, so probably not.

Not hugely active this week.  It's too hot for too much activity.  I did work in the greenhouse three days, but that's not really that active.  I also vacuumed the office, which involved moving furniture.  And I grocery shopped.  Weight: 179.0

In the garden, I've been trying to water at least every other day.  I repotted some stuff and moved some stuff around.  This isn't the right time of year for exciting gardening news.  It's too damn hot for anything spectacular to happen.  I've been watching a lot of gardening videos lately, and I have plans for a fall harvest, but that planting should be done at the end of July, so not yet.  I'm also thinking ahead to next year.  We'll see.  

The fawns are starting to come to the yard more often and they're getting more independent.  We know for sure we have four fawns, because we saw them all together.  Other than that, I think we might have at least a couple others.  If I were motivated, I'd take pictures of every fawn I see and compare spot patterns.  I am not motivated for that.

Other than that, not much going on.  The cats are well.  Hubs is well.  I'm well... well, other than being fat and achy.  :shrug:  This too shall pass.  Have a great day wherever you are.  Peace out.

Teensy-Weensy, Itty-Bitty Problem

 

Okay, so I'm typing along with wild abandon... or as wild an abandon as my ouchie hands will allow... and not really paying attention to the plot.  This morning, first cup of coffee in one hand and first cigarette in the other, when it occurs to me that I have now written stuff that ought to be so far ahead in the novel that I'm basically painting myself in a corner.

It's a problem, but an teensy-weensy, itty-bitty one.

I could go back, snip off all that and stick it in a file to use later.  I could just forge ahead and see what happens next.  

You know what I say about painting myself into a corner... build a window and climb out that.  Or a door.  Basically another means of egress.  Yah.

I haven't decided how I'm going to approach this yet.  I'll probably just say 'fuck it' and keep writing.  You know me.  I'm a linear writer, so I'll probably just forge ahead.  ONWARD!  When I left my intrepid heroine last night, she'd just gotten a shock and passed out at the end of a chapter.  I started the next chapter with her waking up, but I might change that a bit.  We'll see how it goes.

I'm doing a lot of brainstorming when I ought to be sleeping, but most of that seems to be sticking, so I remember it the next day.  I think I have a familiar for Lynette - a magpie.  She'll probably show up once Lynette (don't call her Lynnie, she hates that) gets home.  

Anyway, I'm still going.  Not as much progress last night, due to hand achies and junk, but I'm at 5630 words, so yay.

Thursday This n That

First off, I'm up to 4421 words. Not bad for two days work.  Secondly, my hands hurt.  I think the two might be connected.  ;o)

I never thought I'd reach a day where I was happy my hands hurt.

Yesterday, I went out to water the plants in the greenhouse and discovered the last time I went out to the greenhouse, I forgot to 'close' the door.  Usually, I unzip the floppy plastic door and, rather than mess with rolling it up and tying the roll, I flip the whole thing up over the top of the greenhouse.  Then when I'm done, I pull it back into place and zip it all up.  It was still all flipped up on top, and everything inside was super dry.  Drat.  I watered everything and now I'm crossing my fingers my tomatoes can recover, because the grape tomato and the Early Girl looked like crap. Derp.

I found a new place to get gardening videos.  The guy is calling himself The Millennial Gardener and he's pretty awesome.  Now that I finally figured out how to get YouTube on my Roku, it's super easy to watch videos like these.  I wonder how many other things I can learn.

We've been seeing Lumpy with a fawn.  Now, we were and still are sure she wasn't pregnant.  She doesn't have visible teats either.  So, we're wondering whether she kidnapped someone else's fawn or whether she's babysitting for Sissy.  I hope it's the latter because, like I said, she doesn't have milk and the fawn is young enough to still need a occasional boost from its mom.  One thing I know is that she will protect that fawn like nobody else could and being a grandma gives her something to do.  

I stayed up late writing last night.  Finn generously took it upon himself to make sure I didn't sleep too late.  Yay Finn. :grumble grumble grumble:

During my trip to Wallyworld, I accidentally bought decaf coffee.  I don't know about you, but for me, decaf is a crime against nature.  The bag is sitting on the counter, judging me.  Still, I'm thinking about keeping it.  Maybe I could drink coffee in the afternoons again.  Then again, why not drink regular?  I'm not sleeping well anyway.

Okay, time for me to get doing stuff.  Have a great day, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.  :waves: bu-bye.

Progress

Okay, so if you read yesterday's post, you saw that I got really excited about a new story idea.  I hit the ground running.  I did three writing sessions and wound up the day with 2780 new words.  

I'm loving this new character - Lynette - and the story is flowing out around her.  I decided first person POV was the best.  I don't know where her story is going - which actually works best for me - but I feel good about it.  

Heh, I'm walking around the house with the song Strange Magic stuck in my head.  I also caught a bit of the song Abracadabra for a while.  (I'd link to those, but I currently have marketing copy on my clipboard and I don't want to have to go copy that again.)  I'm taking this as a good sign.

Anyway, I stayed up late writing, woke up on time for a change at around 5:30, and I'm feeling pretty good about life in general.  If this is wrong, I don't want to be right.  LOL

"If the story feels good, baby baby let me hear you say... ah, ah, baby."

Yes, I do feel kind of manic.  Maybe I should change the name of the blog to The Manic Depressive Writer, but people who actually have that might get their undies in a wad about it.  And truly, it's all part of the spectacle of writing, isn't it?  I'll be depressed again later.  Trust me.

Speaking of depressing, I got an email from someone claiming to be an editor at Harper One (an imprint of Harper Collins), implying that they read and loved Accidental Death, and want to publish it.  It was a really positive email, gushing about the awesomeness of my book.  The depressing part is that it had to be AI and a spammer because editors at big publishing houses and their imprints don't reach out to authors.  :shrug:  At this point, I'm not sure if I'd want a big publishing house to publish any of my work anyway.  Liberal bastards that they are, doncha know.  I can't imagine what they'd try to do to my books.  

Anyway... I'm in a good place right now.  The words are flowing like they haven't flowed in years and for the first time in a long time, I feel like a writer again.  :happy sigh:

I'm Going to Write, Goddamnit.

So, there I was, trying to sleep and failing like I always do, when a story idea popped into my head like a buccaneer leaping onto the deck of a Spanish galleon - sword drawn and ready to do battle.  I dragged my sorry ass out of bed, staggered into the office, and wrote the idea down.  That's usually enough to make my brain stop fixating on it, so I can attempt sleep again.  But no.  This idea wasn't going away.  

I have a title.  I have a general premise.  I have several scenes ready to unfold.  And yes, I still remember them this morning.  

I have no clue if this is an idea that's been done before (or done to death), but it seems fresh to me.  Then again, I haven't really been reading a lot lately.  A hundred similar books could be out there and I wouldn't know it.  Still, I'm going to give it a whirl - if only to make the story stop pestering me like a cat who's meal time is approaching.

The story?  I'm calling it OLD MAGIC.  It's about a gal of witch ancestry who doesn't come into her magic until menopause hits her.  And things happen.  There's a curse, of course, and a line of young deaths in the family, so her granddaughter is at risk.  (Stakes, people, we've got to have stakes.  It also explains how she didn't know she was a witch or anything about how magic works.)  Sure, it's a trope that's been done before.  I think that's why they call them tropes.

Anyway, the plan is to get started today - as soon as I can manage it.  Right now, I'm doing marketing for AD.  In a little while, I've got my daily call to Mom.  After that, I might be able to get a good hour in - if the cats cooperate.  Then while Hubs is out spraying the lawn, I have cleaning to do.  After that, I could probably sneak in another hour.  We'll see.  I don't care.  I'm going to write, goddamnit, and that's all that matters.

Shroudlands #2 is paused.  I'll get back to it eventually.  This - whatever it is and whatever it will become - can't wait.  Strike while the iron's hot and all that, doncha know.

The point is, I'm pretty excited about this, so don't harsh my buzz, eh?  If you already know about a hundred books along these lines, keep it to yourself.  It's my book.  It'll be new and fresh, so there.  =op

Marketing Monday - Accidental Death

Well, I guess I'm back at it again with regard to marketing.  I wish I was as back at it with regard to writing.  Anyway, this week's offering is Accidental Death.  It does have a second book, but this one stands alone.  (So does the next one, but you get more out of it if you read them in order.  If you like this one, read the next one.  If I ever get back to writing like I ought to, there could be more, but I'm not promising anything.)

Now, unfortunately, the title alone may get me shadow banned or actually banned or bitch-slapped by the big FB.  We'll see what happens.  Feel free to share it around.

Starting today, ACCIDENTAL DEATH is free.  (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.)  Pick up this hard-boiled mystery now!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM6VJ9U

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 27

First off, Happy Independence Day!  A day late, I know, but it's still a valid sentiment.

The past week was one of my toady weeks.  I didn't write.  I didn't market.  I didn't read.  

I baked.  Earlier in the week, I made banana muffins.  Yesterday afternoon, I made a batch of Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Yeah, it was 90 degrees out, but Hubs wanted cookies... frankly, so did I... so I made cookies.  They were yummy.  And I have AC so what's the problem?  I also did a batch of BBQ pulled pork yesterday.  Also yummy.  

It was an active week, despite my toadiness.  I did yardwork.  I watered everything in the greenhouse a couple times.  We moved furniture in preparation for window installation, and then moved it back.  We tag-team mowed the yard.  Busy busy.  Not weight loss, however, which is kind of a bummer.  I'm blaming the heat and calling it water-weight gain.  So there.  Weight: 180.6

The windows were installed.  They did the big picture window in the front on Tuesday afternoon.  It was a bitch to get out, due to an abundance of silicon caulk.  (The previous owner/builder was big on silicon caulk.  He slapped that shit everywhere.)  Thus, by the time they got around to the broken window in the sunroom, it was already 5.  They took the storm window with them to fix at the office and off they went with promises to return the next day.  I took them at their word, and sure enough, they were there bright and semi-early on Wednesday.  While they were installing the window, I made muffins so I could give them some when they left.  They were very happy.  And I'm very happy because we now have no broken windows... well, except for that one in our bedroom, which I totally forgot about until after they were gone.  Oh well.  Next time.

The yard work was more of me de-weeding the front path.  It's about 75% done now, but now, it's too damn hot to want to finish it.  It'll get done.  Eventually.

Out in the greenhouse, things are going okay.  Despite the heat, the beefsteak is flowering.  Fingers crossed.  The other plants seem to be doing well.  The buckthorn is getting TALL.  I had to move it to the floor so it isn't hampered by the enclosure.  One of the peppers is also getting tall and was moved to the floor.  Fingers crossed I see some produce down the road.

I think that's about it.  It's hot.  I'm a toad.  Nothing new there.  Have a great day and an awesome week.  Peace out.

Thursday This n That

 I've been kinda absent this week.  My brain has been elsewhere, I guess.  Not surprising really.

I have new windows!  Funny story, though... When the gal called to tell me the installers were headed our way, I thought she was from the other company I'd called and was trying to set up an appointment to quote me new windows again.  So, I told her we already had made other arrangements.  Poor gal sounded totally confused.  As soon as I hung up the phone, a blinding flash of sanity told me what I had just done.  I called her back immediately, apologized profusely, and we laughed and laughed.  Hubs was staring at me like I'd slipped a gear, and I don't blame him.  He's really very patient with me and my crumpled brain.  Dude deserves an award.  Anyway, two guys came out and installed out new picture window.  Then they started on the broken window in the back (which was broken when we moved here), but by then it was 5 o'clock AND that window was going to be a PITA, so they said they'd come back the next day.  They came back the following morning - yesterday morning - and installed the new glass and the new storm window.  Awesome guys.  Awesome office gal.  Totally would recommend.  (Wouldn't recommend breaking windows... that's expensive shit there.)

While the guys were working on the back window, I made banana muffins.  They were ready by the time the guys left, so I sent them on their way with a half-dozen piping hot muffins.  They earned them.  Did I mention the windows were a PITA?  Yeah.

On a side note, I realized that I would rather spend a day with hard-working dudes like those two than a room full of intellectuals and academics.  Sure, I probably wouldn't discuss philosophy or metaphysics with the former, but if I want those kinds of conversations, I'll talk to Hubs.  And who knows? Maybe those guys were deeper than I assume.  You never know.  I would venture that people looking at me might think I'm pretty low on the intellectual scale.  (Actually, I'm just low on the 'give a damn' scale.)

I just saw someone posted pictures of quokkas.  Have you ever seen a quokka?  Too damn cute.  But I have heard that they throw their young at predators in order to escape themselves.  (Okay, I just read that they don't 'throw' their babies.  The moms relax their pouch muscle so the baby falls out on the ground, where it flails and cries until the predator eats it, thus allowing mom to escape.)  Cute, but not the best parents.

Speaking of animal parents, the deer are starting to bring their babies together in our yard.  Yesterday, we had four fawns hanging out and playing together.  Awesome.  Deer are not quokka.  They will stand and fight your ass if you so much as think about attacking their babies.  Those hooves are sharp.

And on that note, I'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled lives.  Have a great day, wherever you are.  Find something to laugh about today.  Every day should come with a little laughter.  Peace out.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 26

 Halfway through the year.  Woot.  It's been a better year so far than a lot of years, even with the Iran thing, so I'm calling it a win.

Writing last week wasn't great, but it was better than the week before, so yay.  I ended up adding 2218 words to Shroudlands #2 (Song of Dream and Dragon?  Dream of Demon and Shroud?  Song of Mage and Shroud? Meh.), putting it at 40970 words total.  I'll try to do better this week.  I really need to stop overthinking it and just get the damn dirty draft done.

Marketing was lame.  FB started the week by being turdy.  And it didn't help that this week sucked for sleeping, which meant I woke up last every damn day, which makes getting those important first-thing-in-the-morning posts impossible.  Anyway, I moved 19 copies of Thicker Than Water.  :sad trombone:  I don't think I'll do any marketing this week.  

Don't ask me about reading.  

In baking news, I made a batch of Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies on Sunday.  We tore through those by Friday.  Yesterday, I tried a different recipe for cookies.  I tried halving the recipe, fucked it up, and ended up with what I'm referring to as Retard Cookies.  They're tasty and we'll eat them, but they're kinda like a cross between a regular cookie and a florentine.  I also made a pizza yesterday and the crust was not right. Not as far off as those cookies, but still.  It must've been brainfart baking day.

On the activity front, I did active things on 4 days - yardwork, cleaning, gardening, groceries.  (And making pizza counts as exercise, so there.)  Weight: 178.4 - yep, lost a pound last week.  Imagine if I could lose a pound a week.  I'd be at my target weight by the end of the year.  Heh, like that'll happen.

Hubs just came in from feeding the deer and informed me that we have 4 fawns down by the pans.  Yay.  I love fawn times.  

Gardening... I harvested Pedro this week.  He produced 6 small potatoes.  (We ate them, sliced thin and sautéed with chicken and mushrooms. Yum.)  I checked the other potato plants and no more potatoes.  Several of those plants got pushed back into the ground in hopes they'll continue to grow.  Fingers crossed.  Nothing else is ready to harvest.  Nothing is blooming at the moment.  I think I need to re-dirt the tomatoes or refeed them.  The peppers and the carrots are doing good, so yay.

My path project is coming along.  I'm about halfway through weeding the front rock path than runs along the flower bed.  Meanwhile, Hubs has been weeding the whole driveway and he's almost done.  He works harder than I do, but then again, he's a dude.  He said he'd finish my project when he gets done with the driveway.  ENABLER!  Anyway, that usually gives me the kick in the ass I need to get 'er done, so expect to see that in my update next week.  

And speaking of that, the day's not getting any cooler.  Time to get dressed, get covered in bug spray, and get digging.  Have a great day and an awesome week.  See y'all soon.  Peace out.

Saturday Snaps

 I totally forgot to put the Trail Cam out this week.  And apparently, I forgot to blog this week, too, so I didn't want to leave this to another day.  Here are some snaps I've taken over the years from various locations.

I call this one 'We Three Squirrels' (taken 1/1/12 in Colorado):

Here's an interesting shot (Colorado 2/19/13) of a hawk and its prey, except the silly, and perhaps young, hawk doesn't notice the prey sitting right behind it:

This is from 2013, too, and it's a shot here if Scarlet and her baby Sammy:

Flash forward to 2018 - the year I hung oranges for the orioles, and wasn't disappointed:

(Every other year I've hung oranges, I didn't get any orioles.  Bummer.)

And with that, I'll let you go.  Here's hoping I get the damn trail camera up this week so you can see new pics.  I hope you still enjoyed the old pics.  Have a great, day.

Oak Mite Bites

 I worked on the rock path next to the front bed yesterday.  I was out there for about an hour.  Right after I came inside, I hopped in the shower and scrubbed.  This morning, I have no less than 8 new oak mite bites.  

Now, if you're not familiar with oak mites, they're not visible to the human eye, so you can't even pay them back for biting you.  Also, they don't so much bite as burrow.  Gross, I know.  Their bites are, perhaps, the itchy bites I've ever had.  Not sure how they compare to poison ivy, since I'm immune to that shit, but from the way Hubs reacts to his bites, they're pretty much on par.  

Unfortunately, our house is not only surrounded by oaky woods, we have a huge, old, white oak that overhangs most of the front yard.  And, you guessed it, oak mites hang out in oak trees - unless it's windy when they blow out or dry when they drop out on their own.  It's hard to go outside without being exposed to oak mites.

What does one do about the bites?  Well, pretty much every anti-itch thing on the market doesn't cut it.  (I've tried just about all of them over the years.)  In fact, Benadryl gel just makes the itch worse.  The only thing I've found to get rid of the itch is to take a fingernail, dig it into the center of the bite - which sometimes has a little blister in it - and dig it out.  Hurts like a bitch.  Then take a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol - the strongest you can find - and scrub the bite with it.  Stings like a bitch.  THEN take merthiolate and dab some of that on.  Burns like a bitch.  It's pretty much all bitchy, but it's better than the constant, overwhelming itch.  

You may have to repeat the process.  I guess that's probably because the first round didn't actually get the mite out of your skin / kill the mite in your skin.  

Sometimes, I have to wait until the bite is at its itchiest before I do the above or I really will have to repeat the process.  It all depends on how much itch or pain I can stand at any given moment.

Sure, the easiest way to handle an oak mite bite is to stay inside.  I've heard bug spray works, too, but I hate the thought of having to spray myself down every instant I stepped out of the house.  If you can't do those things, you can try my method.  Unfortunately, your mileage may vary, so I make no guarantees.  It's just something you can try to ameliorate the itch.  

Please note that merthiolate quite often leaves a mark, so accept that you might have a scar thing in place of an itch thing.  I have made my peace with that.  

Please also note that oak mite bites seem to be more susceptible to infection.  Pay attention to those things even if you don't use my method.  A simple scratched bite can turn into something nasty in a hurry.  Rubbing alcohol is your friend.  

Now, if you'll pardon me, I've only treated about half the bites I had last night - the ones that wouldn't let me sleep - so I have to go gouge, sting, and burn myself.