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.  

Marketing Monday - Thicker Than Water

Hi.  It's early.  I got like 3 hours of sleep last night due to cats, bug bites, and thunderboomers.  But at least I can get a jump on the marketing thing, so yay. 

Starting today, THICKER THAN WATER is absolutely free. Get this throwback to the old, hard-boiled crime novels of yesteryear before it's too late. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F88QQ2P4

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 25

Okay, so it's Week 25.  Imagine that.  It makes sense, though, since we're about halfway through 2026 and half of 52 is 26.  Look at me, mathing in the morning and junk.

I was a slug this week.  I only wrote once for 909 words.  I could make excuses, but meh.  Marketing also didn't go well, but even so, I moved 57 copies of DE.  People must not read much in the summer because my page reads are way down.  :shrug: I'm halfway between marketing a book this week and not bothering.  Tune in tomorrow to see what the choice ended up being.

No reading.

I made a batch of my Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies this week.  We finished them yesterday.  6 days for 2 people to demolish 35 cookies.  I might make more cookies today - only because I'm tired of paying for cookies.  Then I'll get tired of making cookies and go back to buying them again.  It's a vicious circle.

This past week, I did all sorts of active things.  I sewed the cover for the cat bed I made, took two walks, did stuff with the greenhouse garden, worked in the yard, and went grocery shopping.  I don't think any of that was particularly calorie-burning, though.  (Maybe the yard work.)  Weight: 179.4

I'm not sure if I talked about the cat bed I made a couple weeks.  I took a 'feather' topper for a queen-sized mattress, folded in half, and stuffed into a queen-sized flat sheet that was folded in half and safety pinned.  Well, one evening, Sawyer being Sawyer, discovered the safety pins and decided to attack.  I had to remove them so he wouldn't hurt himself.  The next day, I sat down and sewed the seams where the safety pins had been.  Then Hubs and I wrestled the topper back into it.  It looks good and the cats enjoy it, and now it's safe.

The greenhouse garden is chugging right along.  Still only two tomatoes - both of them ripened and we ate them.  I learned this week that carrots don't like it hot, and it's hot in the greenhouse, so there ya are.  The tops of the carrots are still pretty small and I'm not seeing the shoulders of the carrots yet, so I'm not harvesting, even though that pot has been growing since early March.  The potatoes... same.  The two surviving green peppers from last year that got munched... One is thriving.  The other is pathetic.  The three peppers I rescued from the feed store are doing okay.  Some of the trees are getting big, but I had to give the last rites to two oaks and a hickory.  I don't think pot life is good for those species.  The redbuds in the ground - Randy and Rudy - are trying to live, but critters aren't making it easy for them.

Working in the yard... Well, I had planned to go out and start digging up the rock paths to remove weeds, etc., but Hubs was out picking up sticks left by the last few storms.  I ended up helping him and then I got the idea that it was about time to prune back the cedars, so we did that.  Then we had to go around and pick up all those limbs.  By the time we did all that, I was tired, so the weeding project got put on hold.  We're starting that this morning - me on the paths and Hubs on the driveway.  Gah, the driveway... we haven't hit those weeds in years and it's so bad that you can hardly tell where the driveway is.  It all looks like yard.  None of this will be done in a day.  Tune in next week to hear how well we progressed.

The fawns are coming into the yard more often, but I keep forgetting to put out the trail cam.  Maybe I'll remember today, so I can post pics next Saturday.  

And I think that's about it.  Busy busy... or at least the illusion of busyness.  Have a great week wherever you are.  :hugs:

Thursday This n That - Late Again

After waking up late yesterday, I started this post, then got distracted and called Mom, then went grocery shopping.  Woke up this morning to see I'd never completed nor posted this post.  Derp

I read something last night about carrots - they thrive best between 60 and 70 degrees F.  Oops.  The inside of my greenhouse these days has to be topping 100.  :shrug:  So, they either steam or they get eaten by critters.  I'm letting them steam.  We'll see what happens at harvest time.

Today's bird is a Barred Eagle-Owl.  Weird looking dude.  Possibly stoned.  Could be an extra in Disney's The Sword and the Stone.  

If you're into super-intense crime shows, check out Line of Duty - a UK show about a special group of police officers who investigate police corruption.  It's so intense I sometimes have to take a break in the middle because the villains are PISSING ME OFF.  But it usually works out in the end.

I'm calling the little fox Reynard. (Rey for short.)  It's after a mythological fox figure I reached while writing the Once Upon a Djinn series.  Yes, I am a nerd.

This morning, I read a neat story about a dude who'd just gotten out of prison and was on his way to a job interview when he saw a car accident.  He got off the bus and saved the man who was trapped inside, thus missing his job interview.  Online donations afterward gained him over $50K and three job offers.  As Hubs said, this is what sites like GoFundMe were created for.

I have encouraged Hubs to jump on some type of social media so others can benefit from his sparkling wit, canny insights, and wry humor, but he'd rather douse himself with gasoline and play with sparklers than use social media.  I can't say as I blame him.

While I was out and about yesterday, I stopped at the local store to pick up smokes for Hubs and I.  There was a brand-spanking new cashier there - like first hour of first day new.  I'll call him Jay.  Anyway, I told Jay I needed two cartons of smokes and the types, and he went over to the rack.  After much assistance on my part, he finally located what I needed.  Then he rang everything up and told me the total.  It was about half what it was supposed to be, so I let him know he hadn't rung up both cartons.  After we went through the whole 'first time processing a check' thing, Jay thanked me for being honest.  It's a sad world when pointing out that a cashier hasn't rung up all the items is worth a thanks because honesty is shocking or something.  I'm glad I caught it.  The guy seemed nice and I didn't want him to get fired.  Also, it doesn't help local businesses when they don't get paid for their products.  While my smokes are the cheapest smokes a gal can buy, they aren't cheap in the scheme of things.  Miss ringing up a candy bar?  Eh.  You're out a couple bucks.  Miss a carton of smokes and you're out anywhere from $30 to $80.  After I left, I mused about it being nice if they'd given me an 'honest customer' discount, then I laughed.

Okay, time to get this post posted and let you get on with your day.  Have a great one!

Marketing Monday - Dying Embers

It's Monday, so that must mean Marketing Monday!  :throws confetti:  Today, I'm offering Dying Embers in all its glory.  It's a helluva book.

Starting today, DYING EMBERS is free through Friday. It's a fast-paced story of justice and revenge with a satisfying ending. I hope you all enjoy it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TEQK7OU

Sunday Update - 2026 Week... :shrug:

 I've been up for 2 hours and the coffee still hasn't kicked in.  This does not bode well for the rest of the day.  Anyhoo...

I wrote stuff early in the week and then I tweaked my wrist, which made writing ouchieful which got me out of the habit so after the wrist was better I still didn't write.  Still, I got out 2578 words out, which is better than nothing.  I'll try harder this week.

Marketing occurred.  Near the end of the week, FB started being less of a turd, so that was something.  I'm also trying to shift all of my marketing from my personal page to my business page.  The problem with this is that my personal page is shown as a top contributor to most of my marketing groups.  Starting over with my business page, without that 'top contributor' thing, means I'm climbing my way up from the bottom again.

Reading also occurred.  I'm making progress through Leadership by Rudy Guiliani.  Unfortunately, I've been reading this same book in tiny spurts for months now.  It's not the book.  It's totally me.

No baking.  It's too hot and I'm too lazy.

On the activity front... well, like I said, I'm lazy.  I did some gardening, some cleaning, and some shopping - but not nearly enough to make a difference in my health or weight.  I did weigh myself... Meh.  Weight: 180.0

If you were paying attention yesterday, the big news in my week was the broken picture window.  It hasn't fallen out yet, but Hubs has covered the front porch in plastic, so when it does fall, it'll be easier to clean up.  

In gardening news, I picked my first tomato.  It was a grape tomato, so nothing spectacular.  Not even enough for a small salad.  There's another tomato ripening out there that's bigger.  It might give us enough slices to adorn two hamburgers.  There are loads of tomato flowers, but no more fruits yet.  The taters are huge and bushy.  The carrots are growing right along.  I had to put two tiny oak trees out of their misery, but loads of other trees are still doing fine - including several of the ones that the critter munched.  Randy and Rudy Redbud are... wait for it... still alive!  Hubs was in the yard and noticed that while all their leaves were eaten, the stems were solid and now they're starting to grow new leaves!  Yay!  

Last night, we had a humdinger of a storm.  Actually, we had storms throughout the day, but last night's was larger.  And it came with two tornado warnings within minutes of each other - neither of which was actually close to the house.  Eh, it's better to be alerted about these things than get blindsided, so there ya are.  Between the day storms and the night storm we lost power probably 4 times.  I hate resetting clocks.  I hate flashing clocks more, though, so there ya are.

The does are all post-pregnant, I think.  I saw the first set of fawns yesterday.  Yay.  I still have no pics of fawns, though.  

And I think that's it for me.  Here's to a stress free week for us all.  Feel free to drop a comment and tell me how your week went.  

Saturday Trail Cam Snaps

 I didn't put the camera out at all this week.  Unfortunately, the sheer size of the files is making my computer drag.  I'm deleting a bunch of stuff today, so it's back to working right again, but egads.  Who would've thought that you could fill up a 120GB harddrive so fast??  Okay, I should've but that's beside the point.

Anyway, I did take some snaps with my trusty ol' Nikon, but they're not happy pics.  Here's the story (as posted to FB yesterday)...

Hubs is out mowing the lawn. I was in the kitchen getting ready to spell him when I heard a sound like a huge balloon popping. I walked into the living room to see WTH it was, when suddenly it sounded like it was raining REALLY hard, and the front window looked like it was awash with water.  I looked at the window harder, because there was no way it could've been raining that hard on the front window, which looks out onto a covered porch.  It wasn't raining and that wasn't a balloon popping.  The lawn mower had chucked a rock into our front picture window and the tempered glass was blossoming into a spiderweb pattern like you wouldn't believe.  Thankfully, it's a double pane and only the outside pane is damaged, so no glass will be falling all over the living room floor.  Unthankfully, the nearest glass places might maybe get someone out here today or next week or on the 24th, and glass being delivered is 2-3 weeks out, if we're lucky.  

Addendum:

Local glass guy made it out already - which puts him way ahead of his competitors - and gave us a quote in no time.  It is not good, but I already got a ballpark from the internet, and it's in the middle there, so it could be worse.  Still, if you want to help out, buy an ebook (or two) or a paperback (or two) to help offset the costs.  Or if you have Kindle Unlimited, you could read a bunch of my books without any extra cost to you, but $$ for me.  I'd really appreciate it.  Thanks.

And now for the pics:

Closer up:

It kinda looks like the stained-glass filter in my image editing software, but it's for-realzies.

And now for the artsy shot...

That one kinda looks like birds... or a shot through an electron-microscope of dermatitis. It's through the glass looking up at the wood ceiling of my porch.  

So, we're dealing with that.  Then I go to move the curtains and the damn rod came apart - easily fixed, but irritating.  Then Hubs is making lunch and the top comes off of the mustard while he's squirting it on his sandwich - messy, but annoying.  Derp.  THEN, after I took those pictures and downloaded them, my computer slowed WAY down and kept giving me the 'not responding' message.  It was not a banner day in the Sanderson household.

I spent a hour deleting photos late last night and I've been at it again this morning, so that's getting fixed, but come on...

And that's me this morning.  I hope your day is awesome and nothing harshes your day.  Peace out.

Thursday This n That

 You know how people say they can predict the weather by the body parts that hurt?  I've decided it's not the weather, it's the barometric pressure that causes previously broken bones to ache.  Yeah, I've been thinking about this because the ankle that I probably broke (but never went to a doctor for) a few years back is shrieking at me.  Oh, and my broken bones scream at me in reverse order - newest to oldest - which is why that ankle is taking the stage ahead of the foot, the pelvis, the thigh, or the collar bone.  Actually I'm kinda thankful the pelvis breaks are being quiet.  When those hurt, it feels like someone kicked me in the crotch.  Not fun.

Potatoes.  The package of seedling potatoes I bought says 90-120 days from planting to harvest.  Several sites online say you harvest potatoes after the green parts turn brown and die back.  I need to research this further because why would they die back if they're happy and well-fed in the greenhouse??  But if that's not the key indicator, how will I know if they're ready at 90 days or at 120 days or somewhere along the way?  It's not like I can see the potatoes growing under the dirt there.  I told Hubs I need ground-penetrating radar, like they use to look for bodies, but small so I can look for potatoes.

I've been procrastinating about going shopping, so I really have to go today.  I have Old Mother Hubbard's freezer.  There's one chicken breast and one container of soup.  Oh, and a boatload of frozey-pops.  This does not bode well for a yummy dinner, so off to Wallyworld later this morning.  The cats are also down to one can of food, which is tragic.  Or will be if I don't get them more food today.

Hubs just came in with the coffee pot to refill my mug.  I picked it up and hovered over it like Golem, saying 'my precious'.  We laughed... well, I laughed anyway.

Roku 'monsters' channel was having an Abbott and Costello marathon yesterday - A&C Meet Frankenstein, A&C Meet the Invisible Man, A&C Meet the Mummy.  I watched part of the first and part of the last.  (The Invisible Man one was never my favorite.)  I used to have the mummy one on VHS.  I do love me some Abbott and Costello.  

Speaking of The Mummy, the best book of that sub-genre is Anne Rice's - The Mummy (or Ramses the Damned).  I think it's her best book, but that's me.  

Okay, I'd better get back to marketing.  (Not that it's doing me much good, but it's better than nothing.)  Have a great day wherever you are.  Peace out.

A Whole Lot of BS

There's a whole lot of BS going around the internet lately, and I don't mean me*.  So let's address some of it...

I've been seeing people talking about how we can't be allies with Israel because they attacked the USS Liberty back in 1967.  First off, that's stupid on its face.  We've become great allies with freakin' Japan, for petesakes.  One ship in 1967 is a drop in the bucket compared to what Japan did.  Second, from what I understand, and I understand quite a bit, the attack on the Liberty wasn't intentional.  No, I'm not going to list my reasons.  Go do some research of your own.  And this has been refuted before.  Many times before.  But any of the many people who irrationally hate the Jews trot this out when they feel the need, hoping people will buy the BS.  (Maybe because so many people do buy the BS.)

Then there's the Karma-low Anthony thing.  The whole defense of this killer is a pile of steaming BS.  In fact, the whole set-up where the other kid got murdered is BS.  KA went there to start something - in a totally premeditated way - and while I'm not of a mind that he went there with the express purpose of killing someone, it was the foreseeable outcome of bringing a knife to a track meet and then inserting oneself into somewhere one wasn't supposed to be and then instigating BS.  He wasn't responding to being bullied or to being attacked or to some kind of racial nonsense.  And since when did someone saying something turn into a justification for ending their life?  That's a whole 'nother level of BS right there.  

Speaking of a whole 'nother level of BS, what kind of hell has the UK descended into?  I mean, it's leaders sunk it there, but this is getting ridiculous.  Immigrants commit a shitton of atrocities and get slaps on the wrists, but you say anything that might maybe be construed as racist - or lied about as being racist - and you're in deep BS.  Or dead, as the case recently was.  And now Ireland is burning because some sick freak immigrant tried to behead a guy who was not only mentally deficient but also partially deaf.  I don't think legal residents of any country should have to put up with anything from squatters and illegals.  

And then you've got the BS where a family in FL had their horses stolen, only to find the corpses of their beloved family pets butchered for ingestion.  Yep, some immigrants from somewhere that they eat horse, decided they would steal a family's pets and cut them up, so they could sell them for other people to eat.  Gross.  

Or there's the bitch who decided that she wanted to stab a bunch of highly-trained, barrel-racing horses right before the competition.  That chick should get lynched.  I'm not sure if she wanted her horse to win or if she just wanted the attention (she claimed to be the one who discovered the horror and wanted to help), but really... what kind of BS is that?  Freak.

It's BS all the way down.  Some mornings, it doesn't pay to get out of bed, put your feet on the floor, and step into BS up to your knees.  Blerg.

*Cuz my initials are BS.  Get it?

Marketing Monday - Project Hermes

 It's Marketing Monday again.  Today's offering is Project Hermes - my political/medical thriller.  What can I say, I was channeling my inner Crichton.  Or maybe my inner Flynn.  

Anyway...

Starting today, PROJECT HERMES is absolutely free.  (Always free with KU.)  Get your copy of this fast-paced, thrilling ride now!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

I designed that graphic this morning in hopes of bypassing the silly FB rules about certain words being verboten. I'm hoping not using anything with d-e-a-d in it will work.  :shrug:  ETA: Nope, FB is still harshing my day.  One post and when I tried for a 2nd post 25 minutes later, they said I couldn't post anymore.  Turds.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 23

Well, here we are at the start of another week, which means wrapping up the week before.  Lemme warn ya, though, it wasn't that exciting of a week...

I did write.  I got out 3025 words over 3 days.  Then I fell into the lazy pit.  I think I have a title for the book now, though - Song of Dream and Dragon.  Although, that doesn't feel quite right.  The dream part feels right, but the dragon part... not so much yet.  And the song part?  Meh.  Dream of Dread and Dragon, perhaps?  We'll see.

Marketing went rather crappily this week as FB twisted the rack on me.  When I switched marketing images to one without the word 'dead' in it, things went easier, but for pitysakes, how does one talk about FB's forbidden subjects without using any of the forbidden words?  Nope, still don't have the funds to pay for marketing, so there ya go.

Not much reading this week.

In baking news, I made Irish Soda Bread, which is so insanely easy I wonder why I never tried it before.  Oh, yeah, buttermilk.  I never have buttermilk in the house and I thought making my own would be a PITA.  Turns out, it's not, so there ya go.  I made chicken stew to go with the bread.  Mmmm.  And yesterday, I made pizza.  Yum.

On the activity front, I was pretty much a toad last week.  We did get one walk in and I did some stuff in the greenhouse, but other than that, nope.  Weight:? - don't ask.

The inside of the greenhouse looks like a rainforest.  Still only two tomatoes, but plenty of flowers on all three plants.  I planted the three peppers from the rescue I did at the feed store.  They're doing okay, but they came with issues, so I'm not holding out too much hope.  I thinned the carrots again.  Then I watered everything and fed the food plants (with store-bought food this time... the weed tea stinks so bad I'm giving that idea up.)  I'm thinking about taking more of my potted trees and transplanting them back into the wild - to free up space in there and to give them all a better chance at thriving.  As long as the deer don't eat them, that is.

Speaking of deer... The deer are pretty much all post-pregnant and they're starting to bring their babies to the yard.  Yay.  In Boo news, several of the deer have developed a taste for my irises.  When I see them eating my irises, I go out and chastise them, but they don't care.  One of the does looked up at me with an iris leaf hanging out of her mouth and then proceeded to munch it whilst I was scolding her.  On the upside, they haven't bothered my second redbud tree - Rudy - yet.

Not much else going on around here.  I'm hoping for a better writing week and to up my activity.  Tune in next Sunday to see how that goes.  Anyway, thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to chat about your accomplishments in comments.  Peace out.

Saturday Trail Cam Snaps

 Here we are again at Saturday, so it's time for some Trail Cam Snaps.  Let's get to it...

I call this one "Racoon Butt":

And here's a better shot of said raccoon:

Incoming squirrel!

Attempted Murder...

Deer Standoff:

We'll see what next week brings.  I'm hoping to catch some fawns.  Fingers crossed.

Thursday This n That

FB sucks.

X is pretty okay, but I haven't figured out how to use it for marketing.  (Not free marketing, that is.)

We have fawns!  Yay!

Chex Mix Bold is addictive.  Unfortunately, my intestines do not enjoy it as much as my tastebuds do, so I stay away from it.  Additionally unfortunate, Wallyworld had a big ol' bag of it on sale and right there by the checkout.  Thus, I couldn't stop myself from buying it.  Also thus, I am paying for it.  But it's soooo damn good.  Especially when you add a handful of mixed nuts to a bowl of it.  Yummers.

Getting old blows.  I used to be able to eat whatever whenever and never worry about it.  Now?  I look at wheat the wrong way and I get into issues.  Stupid.

The inside of my greenhouse looks like a jungle.  It's scary in there.  And hot.  When the tomatoes finally fruit and are ready for picking, I'm not sure how I'll get back there to pick them.  The potatoes are taking over.  I expect them to reach sentience any day now.  Oh, and I picked up three new bell pepper plants, because they were free, so now they're in there, too.  If I disappear, it's entirely possible I got lost in the jungle.  Send help.

It seems like everyone I know is neurodivergent, which begs the question 'if everyone is neurodivergent, is it really divergent?'  Think about that for a minute.

I made Irish Soda Bread for the first time, and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  It's a super simple bread to make, too.  Messy, but easy.

For a woman who enjoys making bread, I have a weird quirk.  I can't stand having dough on my hands and I have to get it all off or I feel like I'm wasting food.  This is not a problem when I'm making a stiff dough bread product, like pizza crust, but for a wet dough... GAH!

Also, enjoying making bread and having issues with digesting wheat definitely do not go together.  Good thing Hubs enjoys eating bread, so there's less for me.

Okay, that's probably enough out of me.  Have a great day and feel free to drop some of your own observations about the world.  Peace out.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 22

Here we are again at another Sunday.  It's the last day of May, which is my favorite month, but all good things must come to an end, eh?

Writing went well this week.  I wrote every day Monday-Friday and added 4758 words to my manuscript.  I think I'm finally in a place where I can tell you what I'm working on... :drumroll: The next book in the Shroudlands series.  It's up to 32240 words now, so yay.  I'm not laying out a whole shit-ton of words each day, but it's enough.  No clue when it'll be finished.  The point here is that I am writing again.  And once I get comfortable with being a writer again, I might finally get back to editing Duke Noble #3.  

Marketing occurred.  Not a lot of it, but it happened.  I moved 29 copies of Early Grave and someone bought a copy of Fertile Ground, so yay me.  May wasn't the best month this year, but it was better than nothing.

Reading... don't ask.  Despite my reading slump, I bought 8 new-to-me books last week, because I am a book-buying addict.  I picked up some NF books we didn't have and a Ken Follett I haven't read before.  Woot.

On the activity front, I wasn't too awfully active, but I did get some stuff done.  I vacuumed and dusted the whole house - 1700 sq ft worth - so go me.  I also did some gardening stuff.  And yesterday, we took a walk.  Weight: 178.6 - which isn't as low as I'd like, but better than I feared it would be when I stepped on the scale.

As for gardening, we planted two of my redbud trees in the ground - Randy and Rudy.  By the next morning, Randy was gone.  I haven't checked Rudy today but I am not holding out hope for his continued survival.  (Yes, I could surround him with wire, but if a critter REALLY wants to eat him, they'll get to him no matter what I do.)  Inside the greenhouse, everything seems to be thriving.  I need to repot some green peppers, now that I have two vacant bigger pots.  I still only have two tomatoes, but there's hope.  The potatoes have taken over.  

In exciting news, we've seen the first fawns of the year!  Brand new, still wet off the factory floor, baby deer.  New deer are so tiny!  (Of course.  They have a small door to go through when they first enter the world, so that have to be tiny.)  They grow fast, though, so we've already seen one that's less tiny.  Some of the deer were still pregnant as of last night, so there's more to come.  

I think that's it for me today.  Other things happened, but nothing of note.  Have a great day out there and a wonderful week.  :hugs:

Saturday Trail Cam Snaps

 First off, I did not have the trail cam out when something ate one of the redbud trees we planted yesterday.  It also wasn't out when the mama deer brought her brand new, teeny-tiny baby past the house this morning.  I swear, I'd need like 5-6 different cameras to catch everything.  

Anyway...

Here's another version of "Is that a camera?":

And here's a shot that's a bit blurry, but it gives an excellent view of a doe's pregnant belly:

This is Mr. Possum:

And Rocky Raccoon:

And a turkey:

Finally, here's the money shot I've been waiting for - a little fox!

Tune in next week to see if I catch any fawns on the Trail Cam!

Thursday This n That - Late Again

I blame Monday's government holiday for making me forget about yesterday's post.  I even had it started and everything.  Derp.  Anyway...

I think I might've figured out FB and their damn bots.  It's all about those banned words I've mentioned before.  If I use the words 'killed/kill' or 'murder/murderer', it's more likely to slap me with a content warning and tell me I'm a spammer.  Fuckers.  I'm talking about a MURDER mystery where people get KILLED and there's a KILLER on the loose.  I've already told FB their bots are insane, but since it's only bots reading the complaints, I doubt it'll get anywhere.  I'm not going to hide those words, but I may have to reword some stuff for future marketing.  Turds.

It's been raining here for about 24 hours.  Okay, Mother Nature, that's enough.  Thank you.  Go drip for a while at Mom's house.  Her plants need watering and if you do it, it means my sis doesn't have to.  

Copied from my FB post yesterday: "Hubs and I were out on the sun porch having a smoke, when we heard a fawn bleating. Actually, the dang thing sounded like it was shouting "MOM! MO-OM!" at full volume. Within seconds, a doe comes charging up the hill hell-bent for leather and ready to fight, with another doe close behind her. She stops just inside the neighbor's backyard and a fawn runs up. He (it had to be a buck fawn making that much of a fuss) immediately starts nursing like nothing much was going on. She allowed it for a couple minutes and then wandering off down the hill again, with him trailing along behind her."

I hate when FB changes my font and I can't figure out how to make it stop, other than inserting new paragraphs and moving the changed text up so unweirded paragraphs drop below it.  Frankly, it's a pain.  On the other hand, the font adds interest.  

The trail camera is awesome, but all those pics are filling my harddrive.  I mean, one night I got like 350 pics.  The next, it was like 650 pics.  At 1-3 megs each, those things fill my 'puter up fast.  Yesterday, I went through deleting, which, if you know me, you know I can't stand deleting pics even when they're blurry.  Anyway, I did it, and I'll have to continue to do it or face the very real reality of running out of space.  

Running out of space on a computer harddrive... I'm one of the old souls who maxed her computer out regularly, so I had to go through on a regular basis and delete shit.  It was either wipe it out of existence or move it to floppies.  And since my deletion anxiety stems from back then, you can imagine I had a LOT of floppies.  (3.5s aren't really floppy.  I remember the real floppies.)

Anyway, I have a lot of pics and some of them are pretty cool, so tune in tomorrow for that.  If I remember...

Peace out.