This n That - Travel Edition

Hey All.  It's been a helluva week, culminating yesterday.  I slept late today, which is weird because I don't like sleeping alone.  (It's okay.  Hubs is out of town on vacay.)

Hubs and I don't vacay together.  It's too expensive for us to go visit families at the same time.  Besides, who would take care of The Boyz.  So, he goes to see his family and I go to see my family.  It's all good.  

The Boyz are weirded out and wandering around looking for Hubs.  I keep telling them he'll be back soon, but all they know is he didn't come back with me, so I can't be trusted.

On the way to the airport, we almost hit an owl.  We had to leave at 4:15 to make the airport on time, so it's not surprising, but it shocked the shit out of me.  Driving along and out of the corner of my eye, an owl swooped down toward the passenger side of the windshield.  Thankfully, it swooped up at just the right moment and we passed under it.  Whew.  I think it was a great-horned owl, but I didn't get that good a look at it.  Flash of wings and breast feathers and it was gone.

We also saw a raccoon running down the shoulder of the highway, and a little buck standing in the ditch.  No animals were harmed, thank goodness.  

The sun was just coming up as I neared home.  Seeing the sun rise over the Ozarks was pretty spectacular.  I would've stopped to take a pic, but by that time, all I wanted to do was get home.  (I still stopped at the store for fried chicken and cinnamon rolls, though.  :snerk:)

I have plans for the week - cleaning like a madwoman, moving furniture, editing.  Yesterday, I rearranged the sun porch and I shifted Hubs' desk for maximum kitty blockage.  Sawyer liked to get beside Hubs' desk and attack his feet through the gap between the desk and the wall. Unfortunately, Hubs is trying to work when Sawyer does this, which makes Hubs' life difficult. I fixed it so Sawyer can't do that anymore.  We'll see if Hubs likes the new placement.  It is, after all, his desk.

Unfortunately, by the time I did everything else yesterday, I was totally not up for editing.  I did watch a shitload of TV, though.  I even watched a couple movies, but I can't remember what they are, I was that tired.  :shrug:  Anyway, onward and upward.

I'll make the 1.5 hour trip back up to collect him from the airport soon, this time during the day, so it's all good.  

Marketing Monday - Project Hermes

 Welcome to Marketing Monday.  This week's offering is Project Hermes.  

Starting today, PROJECT HERMES is free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get your copy of this political/medical thriller before it's too late. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 40

Week 40?  Already?  So, there are only 12 weeks left of 2026.  Wow.

The big news this week is that I finished the first draft of Old Magic.  Wait, the bigger news might be that I came up with a title for it. Or it might be that I think I have a title for DN3, too.  Anyway, Old Magic is now... :drumroll: Home is Where the Hex is.  (Do you capitalize 'is' in that or not?)  And DN3 will probably be Duke Noble, P.I.: Truth Be Told.  Anyway Pt2, HWH topped out at 66960 words for the first draft.  I think I have ideas for a sequel for that, which would make this a series, which the title for will be The Worthy Witch or A Worthy Witch (cuz Worthy is the surname of the family).  The plan now is to edit TBT, starting today, and maybe start writing HWH sometime soon.  Time will tell.

Marketing was done.  Crickets were heard.  September ended up a big ol' donut-hole.  October ain't looking any better, but it's early yet.  I might do something this week and I might not. Stay tuned.

I baked stuff this week.  I think I already mentioned the Choco-Nanner cookies, which are banana cookies with chocolate chips.  They're good, but a little weird.  I also made a chocolate oil cake with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream.  And I did a batch of twice-baked potatoes.  All yummy.  All not exactly good for my waistline.  :shrug:  

To combat the ever-expanding waist, I did three walks this week for a total of 3.2 miles.  I also did some cleaning, some grocery shopping and, of course, the lugging of water for the greenhouse.  Weight holding steady at 180.6.

Speaking of the greenhouse, I have flowers!  One pepper plant has one flower and the bigger tomato has at least 4-5 blooms.  The other peppers still have buds and the other tomato is working on it.  So, even though it's early October, I could still get vegetables this year.  The greenhouse will help keep everything warmer even if it freezes, so yay.

Speaking of temps, it's finally cooler here.  Okay, so yeah, we're supposed to get back into the upper eighties this week, but that's still cooler than those ungodly 100+ temps we were getting, so yay.  Unfortunately, the prediction for this year here is warmer than usual throughout the winter, which will totally harsh my time in the woods.  :shrug:  You can only do what you can do.

The rut is in its early stages here, so the deer are doing their things.  Yesterday, we had two yearling bucks clacking antlers in the side yard.  I think it was Scout and Ranger, but I'm not sure.  We also saw a fox for the first time in weeks, so yay.

Other than that, not much going on around here.  Stuff, junk, and yada yada.  How are things in your world?

This n That

 Yesterday was Thursday???  I was busy pretty much all day, so I totally blanked out on that one.

Tuesday, I took a recipe and Frankensteined it, creating what I call Choco-Nanner Cookies.  Banana cookies with chocolate chips.  They're kinda freaky and the banana flavor is getting more intense with every passing day.  And there are A LOT of them.  Wednesday, I made cake.  It was a boxed Devil's Food (because I got lazy) which I then slathered in seedless raspberry jam and then covered in vanilla buttercream.  Yummers.  Yesterday, I made twice-baked potatoes to go with the steaks Hubs grilled.  It's been a week of food, lemme tell ya.  I may have to put my arms out to see if I'm walking or rolling. In all seriousness, though, I've been eating less (via smaller portions) and walking more.  

Not sure if I already said this but I saw a bald eagle the other day.  Yay.

Gah, it's not Saturday!  I only say this, and so emphatically, because I keep having to remind myself that it's not Saturday.

I'm going to be bach'ing it soon as Hubs is going out of town for a few days.  I keep joking that while he's gone, I'm going to 1) demo the kitchen, 2) repaint rooms, 3) get a puppy, 4) get some more kitties, 5) replace the two kitties we currently have, 3) turn the spare room into an art studio.  None of these things will actually occur, of course, but it's fun to joke about.  Most likely, I will do some deep cleaning and watch a lot of TV.

There are lot of stupid people out there in the world, more so than there used to be.  I think this was planned.  Stupid people are easier to control.  

I just saw where someone in comments to one of my friend's posts said 'your an idiot'.  He corrected them to 'you're' and someone else pointed out that the commenter would never know the irony of his own statement.  ROFL

Some days, I laugh at the morons.  Some days, I just can't even.  Some days, I spend too much time blocking morons.  I can get lost in just blocking people and before I know it, dozens have been transported to Blockistan, and I've wasted too much of my valuable morning time.  :shrug: And that's just Facebook. Don't even get me started on X.

Okay, I suppose it's time to go fritter away my time on stuff.  Hopefully, some of it will be productive today.  ;o)

Marketing Monday - Dying Embers

 In a potentially-futile attempt to save September, Dying Embers is currently free and will be through Wednesday.  The hope is that people will pick up a copy of DE and want the other books, too.  :shrug:

Anyway, here goes nuthin'...

Today through Wednesday, DYING EMBERS is absolutely free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Grab your copy of this gripping suspense now. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TEQK7OU

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 39

 Hey All.  Yet another week has gone by.  Let's see what I've got to show for it...

Writing.  I added 4965 words to the WIP. (Old Magic is the working title, but I'm working on changing that.)  It now sits at 63805 words and I'm getting close to wrapping it up.  I've promised myself that I'll type THE END by the end of the month.  

I didn't market last week.  Thus, I moved zilch.  Dying Embers went on freebie yesterday, though, and will be free through Wednesday in hopes I'll finish out September with something besides zeroes in the $ column.  Zeroes are always disheartening and make me feel bad about myself, which never helps with writing.

On the baking front, I did another batch of OCC cookies.  Hubs likes them and they're easy, so there ya go.  I'll be making a cake this week.  And maybe some bread.  We'll see.

In activity news, I walked a couple times.  The plan is to start walking regularly again - like every day or every other day - but sometimes my legs won't cooperate.  We'll see how that goes, too.  I'm also still watering my greenhouse plants.  And I did some repotting of trees.  Weight: give me a minute... Ugh... 180.6

Speaking of gardening, the two cedars - Courtney and Chelsea - got bigger pots and should be ready to go in the ground later this fall.  The buckthorns are awesome.  The persimmon and the black cherry are okay.  I now have volunteer sycamores that are shooting up, so there's that.  In food plants: The Early Girl tomato died.  I tried to rescue a couple of the shoots that were still green and looked like they had roots, but I think those gave up the ghost, too.  The potatoes are toast.  My peppers are all looking awesome, though, and so are the beefsteak tomatoes.  We'll see if any of those flower and fruit now that it's getting cooler.  All of my garden beds are toast.  Between the heat and the critters, everything looks like crap.  I'm hoping I'll still have some things come back in the spring, but the hope is slim.

Nothing much else going on.  Like I said, it's finally cooler here.  It was like Autumn hit and nature went 'oh, okay, so we're doing this now' and the temps dropped.  Oh, and we're finally getting rain, which helps.  The fawns are pretty much spotless now.  I'm starting to hear geese migrating.  Life is good.

How's life in your neck of the woods?

Thursday This n That

What the hell is wrong with people lately?  Just skimming through FB makes me nauseous. I won't tell exactly you what brought this on, because no one else needs to hear that, but seriously...

And now I haz a sad.  I just found out another dog I knew had to be put down.  That's 4 dogs in the past two weeks.  They were all old, but still...  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for our neighbor's dog now because he's a 13-yr-old coonhound, and the bigger the dog, the shorter the lifespan.  If they lose Copper, I'll be a little bereft.

I'm not really in the mood now to finish this post, so I'll leave it short today.  Have a great day wherever you are and hug your pets.  :hugs:

Librarian No More

I received an email from Goodreads this week that my librarian status has been rescinded. (Which was weird because we were just talking about whether I was still a librarian and the next day, POOF, I wasn't.) Apparently, they're going through their librarians and weeding people out.  And I can't reapply because authors and publishers are no longer allowed to be librarians.  If we need help, we need to contact the librarian community.  

Okay, so I haven't been really active on Goodreads this year - or the years before that, come to think of it.  I get it, really I do.  It's kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.  

I was a little surprised to see that authors and publishers are no longer allowed to be librarians.  One would think that those were the most skilled at being librarians, so... :shrug:

I think that ever since Goodreads was taken over by Amazon, it hasn't been as good a tool as it used to be.  I know people seem to be reviewing books less there, like they're reviewing less on Amazon.  Maybe that's just a correlation that has no basis in fact, or maybe it's causation.  I don't really know.  

Anyway, to those I've helped in the past, sorry.  I can't help you anymore.  Hell, I'm not even sure I can help myself.  Time will tell whether it let's me do all the things with my own books that I used to, or if I'll have to bother someone else to do it for me.  That would suck.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 38

 Okay, so I was sleeping really good this morning when I went to roll over and pulled a muscle in my back.  Talk about going from snoozing to wide awake in .001 seconds.  That'll get ya up if nothing else does, but I don't recommend it.

Anyway, this week...

I wrote on 4 of the 7 nights for a total of 5863 words.  Unfortunately, I had to snip out 1558 of those words because they were in the wrong place.  I set them aside to be worked into a place closer to the end, so it's not a total loss.  The book is at 58840 words total.  I think I worked out a crinkle in the ultimate solution to who did what and why, and how to save the day, but it will involve weaving in some stuff earlier on.  Eh, that's what edits are for.  I'm not sure if this book will be awesome or not, but I'm enjoying the creation of it, so yay.

Marketing...  Ugh.  I did move more books than usual, but that was still only 28 books.  No sales at all yet this month and it's the freakin' 20th.  Blerg.

So, baking... I did a batch of Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies and a pizza - both on the same day.  That'll make you remember your arm muscles, lemme tell ya.  I also made a vat of chicken noodle soup.  Yeah, it's hotter than blue-billy blazes and I made soup.  Wanna make somethin' of it?

On the activity front, there was the usual watering the plants thing - picture me lugging gallon jugs back and forth between the greenhouse and the garage sink.  I also went for a couple walks.  AND I did some sweeping.  Then I scrubbed the front porch.  (Is it any wonder my back muscle went sproing this morning?)  Going from sedentary to active should be a slow process, I guess LOL. Weight: 180.4

The greenhouse is doing it's thing.  I lost the grape tomato and, as of yesterday, the early girl tomato was looking like it's on its last legs.  The original beefsteak is getting roached by the heat, but the offshoot beefsteak appears to be doing fine. (The offshoot is in a pot that has a water basin attached, so it was bound to do better in this heat.) This may not be a good tomato harvest year for me.  Derp.  The peppers are all doing well.  In fact, I think I might've seen buds on one of the pepper plants. Time will tell on that.  The trees are all doing fine.  The potatoes are toast and so are most of the carrots.  Better luck next year, I guess.  I'm still watching gardening videos.  They aren't helping right now, but I'm looking toward the future.

The fawns are almost totally spotless now.  A few of them have a few spots left on their hindquarters, but otherwise, they're just brown.  The does are all turning gray for the fall.  

And I think that's it for me for the week.  Time to go veg out and let my squonky back muscle chill out so I can do things later.  Have a great day and an awesome week!

Thursday This n That

 I'm up early and I remembered to write a post. That's one for me. You can thank the cats, darling little turds that they are, for getting me up.

Ut oh.  It looks like Sawyer is stalking my desk chair.  He thinks it's his kitty bed and he's more than prepared to oust me from it whenever the mood strikes him.  His standard operating procedure is to jump onto the back of the chair and then pat at my shoulders until I move.  If I don't move quick enough, he slides down the back of the chair behind me and thunder-butts his way onto the chair.  I usually give up and switch to my back up chair.  Life's easier when you just let him have his way.  Spoiled brat cat.

I haven't weighed the brats in a while, but I'm pretty sure Finn finally caught up to Sawyer.  I like big cats and I cannot lie.

I'm pretty close to the end of Old Magic.  (Not final title.)  I just need to scrap the last 1300 words I wrote and re-do that scene, then write the ending and the denouement.  I'm not going to try to guess how many more words.  It'll be what it'll be.  Maybe when I finish the first draft of this, I'll finally edit DN3.

The fawns are losing their spots.  :sadface:

This heat has got to go.  It's the middle of September, for pitysakes.  I mean, this is getting a little ridiculous.

And I walked away from the computer and forgot I was writing this, so an hour has gone by.  Derp.  I'm like that all the time.

Which reminds me, I've been watching Steven Wright videos.  He slays me.  If you don't know who he is, go forth and find him.  Watch the videos of him.  If you don't laugh, you're probably not going to get me either.  :shrug:

I've also been finding videos made from old footage of people doing things in the old way - an 80-year-old guy in Kentucky making a chair, a group of dudes in Finland building a log home.  Those two were made in the 1970s and they're pretty awesome.  Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.

Okay, I know I thought of other things to put on this post this week, but I can't remember them now, so they'll have to wait or remain lost to the recesses of my addled brain.  Have a great week, wherever you are.  :hugs:

Marketing Monday - Wish in One Hand

 Well, it's Monday again, and I decided last night that I would keep pushing the free books in hopes that I would then sell books.  I mean, it's worked before, so don't fix what ain't broken, right?  To that end, this week, I'm putting Wish in One Hand out there again.  It's the book with the most sequels and all told, the whole series equals roughly 1500 pages, which works out to some nice moolah if read in KU.  It's also nice moolah if someone gets the first one free and then buys the other 3, so there ya are.  There is a method to my madness.

Anyway...

Starting today, WISH IN ONE HAND is free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get a copy of this fun and snarky, paranormal mystery now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RVEF0Y

Here's hoping I move some books this week.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 37

Okay, I think last week was Week 37, but it's hard to tell.  Don't ask.  Anyway, here's how the week, whatever number it was, went for me.

I wrote some stuff.  Actually, I added 4656 words to my WIP, bringing the total to 54535.  Yep, that's right, I crossed the 50K barrier.  Go, me.  Yay.  I'm this > < close to the end.  Of course, then comes the editing, which I dread, but there ya are.  I still don't know the ultimate answer to the main question, so gah.

I did some marketing.  It didn't go very well.  And then Friday, I decided not to market at all because it just felt wrong.  I did move 18 copies of Fertile Ground, which sucks but is still better than previous weeks' numbers.  This week?  Well, I don't know.  I've given away 30 books this month and don't have a single cent sold to balance that in any way.  :sad trombone noise:  

Baking was done.  I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies and then two loaves of chocolate banana bread.  My ever-widening ass doesn't need the carbs, but there ya are.

Speaking of EWA, my activity level sucked this week.  I watered the greenhouse like 3 times, went grocery shopping, and vacuumed.  I haven't stepped on the scale because the baked goods ingested more than made up for the exercise accomplished.  I'm hoping to get more active as the weather cools, but you know what they say... hope in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one gets full faster.  (Okay, I paraphrased that, but you get what I'm saying.)

In greenhouse news, my two little potato plants died.  One day they were fine and growing along, and two days later when I watered again, they were gone.  Not just dead, but so dead, I had a tough time finding their little corpses laying on the dirt.  No clue what happened there.  The tomatoes and peppers are okay, but still not throwing blooms or fruit.  In happier news, the cedars have added to their heights by a couple inches each, so yay.  All the other trees seem to be holding their own.  They'll go into the yard/woods as soon as it's cool enough to do yard work again.

I'm not sure why I'm still blogging.  Only one person really comments anymore.  (Waves at Silver.)  I mean, it's cool to have a record of events, because my memory is so bad it helps me to figure out what happened when, if I have to look back.  But my memory is so bad, I forget to post most days, and that doesn't help keep fans in the seats, so to speak.  Hell, most days, I forget to comment on other people's blogs, too.  It doesn't bode well for my social levels.

Anyway, I'm still here.  Feel free to comment.  Or if you just want to stop by and read without commenting, that's okay, too.  I'll still be here.  Until I'm not.  

Have a great day wherever you are.  :hugs:

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.