My Love Affair with Grocery Stores.

     I am NEVER bored. If I don't have something to do I will write a book, read a book, or go grocery shopping. I love pretending. I could walk around stores all day, or surf Amazon, just shopping, just...pretending. It's the same when I go online to shop for food. My obsession began some fifteen years ago or more even...I have no idea how long PeaPods has been around. It's a store you can go to online and order food to have it delivered, but I never actually lived anywhere near where they actually did their deliveries...I just created an account and pretended.

    So, I've been a closet grocery shopper for over a 100 years now I guess. I actually worked in a grocery store when I was in High School. Here's a fun fact, I was Oklahoma City's first "girl" sacker. Not that being a girl was really hard to do, but it was the title I had and I wore it proudly. I was hired a few hours before my classmate Lisa Gann, and together we worked the Humpty Dumpty store on 23rd and Rockwell..we are something! All the other stores had a bunch of boys doing the sacking, but Lisa and I...we were girls. (1978)  There may have been other girls doing it, but it was our actual title!

    Anyway, my love for food runs deep and wide and I will never apologize for it. I know it sound crazy, but if I need to calm down I just get online and buy $400 worth of food in my pretend world with my pretend money. I actually go to the stores to pick up the food rather than have them delivered. I just go online to look! Food porn!  I'm so guilty.

    When I get online and I start shopping, I buy anything and everything I ever dreamed of wanting or needing. There's no way it would all fit in my cabinets or my pantry, but I don't care. I'm shopping.  Aldi is one of my very favorite stores, but even Aldi doesn't have everything I need. Winco has more to choose from; their bulk section...to die for. I could spend $$$ just in that part of the store alone. Truth. No really - - go look.

    Tonight I had quite a good time pretending...buying, shopping, just picking things up and putting them into my cart. I must have filled that thing to the brim...$443!  Yep, but to be fair, it does also include dog food, cat litter, and other things I can't eat - - but I do reserve the right to buy my paper products from Big Lots...they're cheaper, come from good brands, and I trust the store to have them in stock. I could shop Big Lots most of the night too...yep, and Lowes, Home Depot, @Home, Target, Hobby Lobby - - I love shopping, but my favorite shopping....food.

    I get excited when I go into them too; just ask my bestie. She thinks its a chore to do her grocery shopping. I have never understood why. I go and think of all the dishes I'm going to make, and the smells....and the taste...yes, I love it. Dork that I am...dork that I will always be.  If I can load up at Aldi's you bet I can do damage at Kroger or Winco where there are delis and fish markets, and all that....all that bulk!! 

    The dreams I'll have tonight! I can't wait.

Photo Credit: Me....but at Aldi.com
 

Blue Baby Birds in the Box!

     Well, aside from being able to use alliteration, which always makes me merry...I was able to assist the communications guy tonight when he came out to fix our internet connection issue. We were experiencing outages left and right yesterday, and without good cause, so we put in a work order to have it checked. 

    We work from home and therefore, we have the best internet service possible; the fastest speeds, largest capacity, and all that. We have to, we don't want the boss(es) to complain and say we're not up to par with everyone else. My company, and I don't know about anyone else's, does have a minimum speed that a person working from home must have in order to work their job from the comfort of their own home. If you don't have it, you have to go into the office...no thank you.

    So, we have the best service, and with the VPN we work with, it was constantly going down and disconnecting, and really causing issues, so the internet provider sent their best to help.  Andre came over and parked his big van by the side of the house and grabbed his ladder to get into the nid outside the apartment that sits about seven feet off the ground.  The nid is a housing community for a small family of starlings, so I warned him before he pulled the front of the nid (box) off to expose said family and their nest.

    The nest was so impressive!! It was big, thick, intricately woven, and simply busting with blue baby bird eggs...with spots, tiny spots. They were adorable. I'll post a picture so you can oooh and aaahh for yourself. They are six of them. The parents were not in the nid, they were out looking for something to eat I imagine. I'm sort of surprised the momma bird wasn't inside but she wasn't.

    Laura reached in and pulled out the thick corner part of the next where the babies were resting and I held it for about 15-18 minutes so Andre could work his magic in the box. He determined that there wasn't anything leading to or coming from the box that warranted any repairs. It was all good. He stepped back so we could restore the nest. I just hope the momma and daddy birds come back and continue to help the babies hatch. I hope they don't reject the babies...I'll pray about it.

    The cables leading to and through the apartment were fine, the modem is almost new, and it's a really good one, it was fine. We have a good set up really and he confirmed that the VPN issue was probably on the end of the employer, not the internet provider, but he did say that any VPN will drain the usage of the service. Without the VPN being connected I was receiving a 948 reading out of 1000, but when I connected to the VPN it went down to 412.  Yeah...really nuts.

    But there you have it. Baby birds in the box and all my prayers will be directed to having God speak to their parents to make them understand that we really were trying to preserve and protect them.  I really do hope they come back and nurture the little ones. There are several nids outside and all of them have voices coming out of them...ours was the one with only eggs and no babies. I'm really sort of happy about that since if they were already hatched the parents may not entertain the thought of returning.

    Laura and I spotted one of the eggs pushing and moving in the nest while I held it. It's only a matter of time now. I really can't wait to hear the box talk. 

Photo Credit:  Me

MESA (19% Done)

 Nineteen percent done! That's such an odd percentage, but it is what it is. I typically write 86,000 words or so for my books, and I'm at 16,800 now. Woot!  It hasn't been easy either. I'm not as enthused about this one as I will be once I get into it. It's like driving down an old long dusty hot road without anything to look at on the way to where you're going -- which is exactly what the two main characters of the book are doing right now. they are driving down Route 66 in 1931 from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas, Nevada. I know...Route 66 doesn't exactly go that way, but they'll hang a right when they need to.

    On the bright side, I'm learning a lot about Route 66 and it's history. I'm learning a bit about each of their stopping points too. I'm able to spend a little time on each in my mind so I can pretend I'm right there in the Buick with the boys, as they fuddle their way through the badlands in order to find the bad guys. It's a process. I'm in the middle of it. I have at least one good end to tie up before heading overseas to see how Nick's wife and son are doing over in Scotland.

    Right now, the two lawmen are in Albuquerque and they'll be making their presence known to a group of law men who have similar cases to pursue. You just never know when one will help the other, and maybe two or three bad guys can be taken off the roster permanently. It could happen - - but then again, something could go south, and we could see a disastrous end to a good family man and lawman too.

    You can't tell with Nick and Ralph, they seem to find trouble when they're just relaxing at hotels or driving down the road. It could be a snake in the grass or a real snake in the real grass. Sooner or later one or the other of them will have to break the seal of that fifth of bourbon left to them by their good rancher friend and comrade. It will happen...sooner or later.

    With 19% done I'm almost to the point where I can freely write without worrying about too many details.  Once I get past all the introductions and the plot of the whole book, then I can get into the story itself and the characters can play a bit more. They can breathe and do what they do. They can live. I'm going to play down the roles of those over in Scotland in this book. This is a book about the doings and goings on in America. I'll mention the others, and I'll even dedicate one chapter to them to keep them in the loop but this is more about Ralph and Nick, and their close friendship as well as them becoming life partners in crime solving.

    I'll end up with 12-14 books in the series I'm sure. This is the 4th book, and though Ralph won't be in all of them the way he is in this one, he's a good and steady part of Nick's adult life. He needs to be seen, heard, and loved even if he is a Yankee. He can't help where his parents fell in love.

Photo Credit: MyAbandonedWorld.com 

MESA (FOUR!!)

 Before you think I'm too ignorant, I do realize that people who yell out "fore" are not yelling "four". It's a golf thing...I know. I have finished Chapter Four of "Mesa" and I just thought I'd yell a little and let the world know. This book is taking a bit to write, and I'm not really even sure why that is.

    I think once I get into the meat of it I'll be OK, but right now I'm in the awkward setting up the details of the stories and I'm chomping at the bit a little to get to the nitty-gritty. I can't get to the nitty-gritty yet though, I have to set it up really nicely and well before the characters can take off on their own. It's a must. I don't mind, but it is tedious.

    I wrote out the chapters one by one and what I think will happen in each, but as usual I am adding a lot more to each chapter, and though my keyboard says I'm on Chapter Four, I'm only partially through Chapter Two of my would-be skeleton for the outline. Yep...this could end up being a 50 chapter book! LOL.

    Actually, I can't make the book any wider than the others because I have a whole consistency thing going and I want to keep it that way. Each book being the same size means I know what they will cost to be printed. I pay $6.42 per book when I order them. If I ever get really mega rich I can order 100 of each book and then sell them for $14.00 online and make a better profit than I do now. I only make $1.40 each as it stands. BUT....If I bought them at $6.42 and sold them online for $14.00 (plus $3 shipping) I could make so much more. I don't want to do the  math.

    I won't do any purchases on my own for international shipping as that would NOT be feasible. It literally costs about $18.00 to send a book overseas to friends in Scotland. I have taken to just giving them whatever it costs to order the book, so they get the book for free. I wish I could order them under my name and get the discount and then have them sent where I want, but that's not how it works either....dang it.

    OK, so in Chapter Four the boys are driving through the Texas panhandle and run across an amazing land owner and rancher who assists them in their independent missions as they scoot about in the Buick across what will eventually become a full-blown dust bowl in terms of what is in store for them as they traipse across the desert toward their oasis in the neverlands of Nevada's lower country.  They'll make it up to the Grand Canyon for sure, but not for a while to come. They'll meet up with mules, snakes, men of valor as well as hoodlums when they get there; it's a party.

    Today was fun. I hope I can do it again tomorrow, except tomorrow they'll be talking about so many other things as they make their way through Native American reservations, hunting grounds, seriously dry and arid pathways, and finally find their way to real trouble...you know they're ready!

PHOTO CREDIT:  Wikipedia.com

MESA (Chapter 3 is DONE!)

 Thankfully, I am feeling like writing again. I get into these ruts when writing is the furthest thing from my mind, and that's really not the best thing to happen since I'm an author. I just don't want to be forced or nudged into writing if the writing isn't coming from a genuine desire; that's simple, right?

    So, I decided to do the whole put-the-toe-into-the-water thing, and I chose to write one chapter and only one more chapter. Tomorrow will likely be the same, and if I can keep this up for a few days I'll be more apt to write over the weekend. This being Monday, I have a few more chapters to write before Saturday takes over my brain. I'll probably make it happen. I can at least say that's the plan!

    Writing is fun and it always has been for me. I don't ever want to "have" to write. I want to enjoy it, and let it happen organically...you know, off the tips of my fingers and from the folds of the fleshy tenant inside my skull. It's not easy being an author when what you do is avoid writing. I did make up for the lack of writing out chapters by coming up with words, lines, thoughts, and plots to be added into the book at some point.

    I write out ideas, I add things to these ideas, and I pull up the NOTES from the computer for the book I'm writing and add as much as I can. My notes may end up being as thick as my books if I don't watch what I'm doing. I like the thought of having a book of notes, but what good would it do if no one would be able to make heads or tails of it? I don't exactly write my notes in any sort of organized fashion - - nope. I really don't.

    Chapter Three is in the can as they say. It's about Ralph Ferguson and Nick taking off for the great western deserts in the new Buick that Nick purchased a book or two back. He likes the car, he pampers it and takes really good care of it, so when he has to part with it --- oops...foreshadowing..." the jury will disregard that last statement".  Well, let's just say the car is a thing of beauty and worth every pretty penny Posh paid for it. ( that's alliteration, right there!)

    Chapter Three offers the reader a little insight into Ralph's past as well as Nick's. Ralph is a "junior" but doesn't go by that name. We'll find out later why that is. The reader finds out that Ralph's mother passed when he was young, and she couldn't be there for him during the hard teenage years or when he decided to sign up for the Army to escape the pressures he was feeling at home in Chicago; Nick's choice to join was foregone. He knew when he turned eleven that he'd someday wear the uniform of a soldier. His father wasn't pleased with his decision, but his mother knew it was the decision he would make.

    Chapter Three is just that; the third chapter of the fourth book in the Nick Posh Thriller Series. I need to come up with some thrills now I guess. I have them actually; they're all waiting for their turn to leap out from my head and onto the computer. I'm so happy I plotted and planned the whole thing from start to finish. I can just see myself jumping the gun, pulling the cart before the horse, and ending up head-first over the rocky clay cliffs of the Grand Canyon. I can do my characters harm if I let my head have too much of the rein.

    Tomorrow will be Chapter Four's turn. The boys will likely make it through the Texas Panhandle on Route 66 and be in Clovis, New Mexico. They'll find themselves lapping up the luxuries of a smaller hotel that sits right outside the boundaries and the newly paved parking lot of one of the more grandiose hotels either of the men had ever been privileged to see. They may take a closer look just for grins and giggles. I'm pretty sure I can arrange that. For now, for tonight and most of tomorrow, however, they'll have to be happy talking to the gas station attendant about how he was able to meet up with none other than famously funny funny-man Jimmy Durante, who just happened to be hopping the Southwest for promotional purposes.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Lee Ann McLane Goetz

Living Quarters...and or Dimes.

 If you know me, you know that I am not very materialistic, and I don't have to live in a huge place to be happy. In fact, for the past, oh...487 years of my life, I've been living in what some would say a smaller space. Yes, it's true; I am a cave dog. I don't need or even want something large enough to have to worry about heating or cooling costs.

    I live in an apartment, the one I've been at for nearly a decade, not quite, but to be 100% honest, I'm OK with it. It's spacious, has good plumbing, and most of the neighbors are good. I've lived with them any number of times, as this is my 4th or 5th time to live in these apartments and really, it's true, once you show up you don't leave...well, you come back if you do.

    Laura and I have been roomies for far too long, and it's time for the big split. We've been planning the big split for years, but we think this summer may actually see it happen. We've had to put it off for this or that reason, but now it's really starting to appear that one of us will get a new apartment and the other of us will stay in this one.  Here's how that's going to work; it's really rather simple. If a downstairs unit becomes open I'll get it, and if an upstairs unit becomes available, she'll move. Viola! Done.

    I want to be downstairs because I'm tired of taking the stairs any number of times each day when I take the dog for her walk. There are about 17-18 stairs and I'm really not into climbing them 7-8 times a day, but I do. I hope I find a good unit downstairs, and if it happens to be a two bedroom unit, (which would be impossible) I'll be really happy. If it's a one-bedroom I'll be fine...I have decided to remain content. It's a good choice to choose.

    I went pretending today so I could make believe plans for whichever unit I do end up with. The great thing about being in a relatively inexpensive city, is that you can spend more on furnishings!! This is going to be one heck of a transformation for me, I can guarantee that!  I will start with not taking much of any of the things I have now, and streamlining. The first three or four weeks in my new place, or this place if Laura leaves, will be spent with the barest of bare essentials. I have to keep all the work equipment; there will still be the home office.

    I went to Living Spaces, Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, Target, At Home, and Home Depot today to find pieces and things I would like to buy to add to the space I will call home. Living Spaces was great for some good solid pieces, but they are expensive, and if I can find those types of things elsewhere I will use them as a guideline. When I was there I turned to see the parking lot and literally nearly every car was an SUV. Dang. 

    Big Lots has a good couch for $400 or so, that's probably going to happen. I can get a medium gel memory mattress for about $160 there as well, but the industrial pole-style bed I want will be from Wayfair or Amazon.  I'm going for a full size to make a bit more room in the room. I only sleep on 17" of my bed anyway - - dang dog.  I will spend the money on great bookshelves and ornate pieces that are both useful and nice. I will get two hope chests for storage and seating. I don't need much. It really will be just me and Ginger.

    I will throw out all the old tableware, cutlery, kettles, pots, etc, and start 100% over -- I bought a rolling pin today just because I could. I'll practice rolling pizza dough tomorrow after I go to Trader Joe's to get the dough - - totally forgot to do that today! I'm also making ginger snaps, because I can. But the things I found that I really want are things like plants (if the cat doesn't kill them) and those will be purchased at Home Depot. I may ask the landlord to remove the fridge so I can buy the one I want to buy. It's only $600 and I like the look of it better.

    I went to @Home and picked out artwork, baskets, dishes, cutlery, pillows, patio furniture, and nice side tables, and I found that they have good candles, but Michaels can't be beaten for that one. They have 3 for $10 and I love them all.  I'll end up going to Big Lots for things like the vacuum cleaner, brooms, cleaners, rugs, sheets, small appliances, and most of the bath needs. I love that store.

    Pretending is fun. I think if I thought about it, I could be moving in about 6 weeks if all goes well. If I do stay here they'll have to replace all the carpet, the countertops, the sink, and like I said, take out their refrigerator so I can add my own. This is going to be AWESOME...I know I can go to Hobby Lobby for artwork too, but I can say that @Home is good enough and again, I'm not an art snob. I will probably end up buying Caity some paints and a few canvases and having her paint me some things. Yep...and Mom.

Photo Credit: Me. (www.athome.com)

Shopping Online

 I have turned into one of those people who goes online and clicks through a few things before I order, and then I order and have it all delivered to me. My niece and I laugh at ourselves online because we often see the Amazon truck driver and think "Oh, I don't even remember what I ordered". It's so true. I did that today. It was too funny too because I had just thought about the thing I bought, thinking how crazy it was that I got it for as cheaply as I did.

    I go to Amazon and type in "clearance" and things pop up. I like going to Amazon because I get free delivery. I'm so spoiled to it. I really am. If I order something from somewhere else now, and it doesn't come with free delivery, I pout! I really do. I say to myself, "No, I'll just pick it up while I'm out and about, I'm not paying for delivery." That's so dumb of me, so first-world! People drive their cars, trucks, and lorries to bring me what I want, and here I am boo-hooing about paying for delivery! Dang!

    Anyway, so I went to Amazon, and I typed in "clearance". One of the first things I saw just blew me away - - I hadn't thought about them, I didn't need them, but yes, I bought them. I bought 100 Tootsie Pop suckers for $20.00 and they are wild berry flavors. All really cool cool cool flavors and only .20 cents per sucker! Woo Hoo! Yes, it's absolutely worth it, and I'm not going to apologize.   Lorna agrees with me. Lorna is my co-worker and friend, and she absolutely LOVES Tootsie Pops so she'll be ordering her own box I'm sure.

    I'm going to go to Amazon right now, and see what is on their clearance sale for the day because they have "flash" sales too. I'm going to be really picky, but if I see something under $10 that I simply can't live without, or something I can get and give as a good gift -- I'm doing it. Let's see what it will be. I'll put you on hold, go there, and come back. 

    OK, I'm back. I didn't get anything, but here are three things that I thought would be good purchases.  First, long sleeved shirts are really cheap right now, as the weather is turning warm. The ones I found were normally $12-19 and they were on sale for $4-5.00.  That's pretty good actually. Then, sheet sets were $12-14 which are typically $19-30 depending on where you go, and the count. These were microfiber.  I didn't buy them because when I move I'll be downsizing from a queen-sized bed to a full. I'm doing that to make room but also just because I only sleep on 17" of the bed, and the dog commands the other side...and more.

    The last thing I looked at and almost bought because it was on sale, was an electric kettle that has a glass middle and an luminous LED light to let you know when it's hot enough. Love that. It was $15 and I may buy it just to have it for when I move. My daughter will more than likely keep the old one. Every house needs an electric kettle! Americans need to realize that. Anyway, the thing is, I like buying online and I think I like shopping online more than I do buying. I'll shop and look, and I'll think...and I'll add something (or twenty) to my cart then go through it a day later and delete most of it.

    What a strange bunch we are! I'm not really all that worried about porch pirates where I live, and besides, another benefit of working from home is hearing the beep-beep of the Amazon truck backing up...this is my clue to go downstairs with open arms and smile. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes you just find better things online than you do at the store. For me, it's another place where I can pretend! I pretend I'm already in my new place, and I decorate it. I spend LOTS of $$$$ in my mind, and then I delete them all - - saving myself $$$$$ in the process. LOL

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Travel -- It's All Perspective

 I can't say he's a "friend" of mine, but there's this particular guy who I follow musically, who happens to be traveling at the moment, and he's playing in a concert hall about 820 miles from where he kicks up his feet to watch the "telly".  He's from Edinburgh, Scotland, and he's playing somewhere in Sweden. I know the city, but that's not the point.  The point is, Sweden is about 700 miles or so (give or take) as the crow flies. If you're taking a plane, it's even less.

    It sounds so exotic, so romantic, so bougie to be able to say you go from one country to another to perform or to travel. It is cool, that's for dang sure, but when you think about it, traveling from state to state here in the United States, could be just as cool really - - especially when you count how many Scotlands you can fit in one Oklahoma.  Scotland is about half the size of the Sooner State. If you travel about 700-750 miles in any direction you'll cross at least two and sometimes three states unless you're going to Texas -- which is not nearly as far from us, but side to side it's massive.

    Most of my European (especially my Scottish) friends like to tell me just how many countries they've flown to, how many passport stamps they've collected. I have to giggle a little. I mean yeah, it's cool, I'd like to travel around that part of the world too, but how many of them can say they've visited 48 states? I know..I really should make a better effort to get out to both Alaska and Idaho!  IDAHO!! I can't believe I've never been there, but there's always the hope, right?  I may make it a point now that I can do more traveling again.

    Chicago is about 715 miles from Oklahoma City. I've been to Chicago maybe 15-20 times. New York? Yeah...another 15-20 times. Don't get me started on Dallas, Austin, Houston, or San Antonio. Los Angeles? Vegas? (don't ask) Oh wow, yeah, so I drove that twelve times that I know of, and flew in another 30-40. Florida? OK, that one is more sporadic. I've been to most of the bigger cities but haven't been through Tallahassee yet....don't know why. I've literally driven or flown into nearly every capital of every state, except Idaho and Alaska, and get this...I did it with a two-legged dog slung over my shoulders; try that in a small town! (I have)

    International traveling? Sure, I've done that too, but it's far less exciting than my Scottish/English friends who traipse all over The Continent. Most of them have been to anywhere from six to ten countries; that's pretty cool. I've been to England because I parked there and boarded another plane, and I've been to Scotland. That's it...wait, Mexico counts, right? Yeah, and I suppose now that I think about it, Canada counts too. I didn't realize I had even crossed into Canada when I did. We were in a limo (with the dog) and we couldn't get out of it since we didn't have her vet papers!! 

    I guess my point is traveling is good for you, it's fun, it's exciting, it's adventurous and it's entertaining. At least when I traveled the US I knew I could order dinner in the native tongue, and I'd pretty much understand most of the accents...there was this one bus ride in West Virginia when I thought I was in a completely different country, but I fuddled my way through.  I think we should get stamps in our interactive road passports to show which states we've been to, how many miles we've driven, how often we've flown and landed and woken up in a new city 1000 miles from where we were just the day before so we can shout "WOO HOO!! I'm traveling!!"  I guess we could do that.

    Faith (my dog) and I traveled over 300 times together by flight, and at least 3x that by car from one place to the other. That dog never tired of the travel -- me, when I hung it up I hung it up! I stopped going non-stop back in 2014 and now that it's been 10 years I think maybe I may do it again. I mean, I've traveled since then, flown overseas, and I've flown here and there, but we lived in the DFW and O'Hare airports at least 4-5 days of the week for quite some time.  We knew every employee I think - - at least they knew Faithy. 

    When my friend gets back from his singing gig he'll be happy to be home again; we were too. There's no place like home. It doesn't matter if it's the Capital City of Scotland or the Capital City of Oklahoma -- home is home. It's the place you breathe a little deeper, a little easier, and you don't have to feel "on" for everyone. You can be you...it may be time to do a bit more, I'll let you know.

Photo Credit:  ME.  (Faith and I spent time in Vegas)

MESA (First Two Chapters Written)

 Just as I thought it would go, I'm going to end up writing more than what I jotted down in the outline. Yesterday, I took a little over four hours and typed out the outline for the new book. I had taken several more hours beforehand writing down by hand what I thought would happen, but the typing of it just made more sense.

    I have the notes on the right while I type the manuscript on the left monitor.  I literally have chapters lined out and state what I think will happen in them. Then, when I do put my fingers to the keys I have a really cool road map to take and it just all depends on what happens inside my head I guess, as to whether or not I stay on the road or take a few detours. What do you think? The characters are literally driving on Route 66! There are a few detours.

    Before all the good stuff happens the characters will need to be set up to do whatever it is that they are going to do. Before Nick and Ralph can do their thing, they have to find out they're needed to do it. That's what the first two chapters are. First, Nick is requested by the guy who has been paying his paychecks recently, to go out into the greater southwest and track down a murderer - - if he's still alive.  When he accepts the challenge, Nick brings Ralph Ferguson into it, not only to have a companion to back him up but to get more time with his bestie!

    Ralph, for his part, is a newly appointed Sgt. up at Stateville prison in Chicago, but he sees the adventure as being still another feather in his cap for the future, and yeah, hanging with Nick always brings excitement. It's been that way since they were nearly blown up together in the war...the First World War. The book takes place in the summer of 1931.

    Today, I wrote about 3600 words, two chapters, and I'll try to make it my goal to write one chapter a night with two or three each weekend. It may take me about six or seven weeks to write the book, and that's fine. I'm not in any rush. I rather enjoy the challenges and the research that has been going along with it. I've already learned so much!! Did you know there were three partial solar eclipses in 1931, but not over America? We didn't see the total lunar eclipse either - Europe saw it.

    So, in the process of writing, I am studying, researching, and trying to find interesting tidbits for the readers as well as for myself.  I love how the characters decide to interact and make me do all the heavy lifting. I guess it's a fair trade-off. They do make me happy most of the time. I love how they are so endeared to me; to the point that I reach over and grab one of my own books to read about them. I'll have to keep it going so they continue to live in my mind and heart.

    The first two chapters are done. Tomorrow I'll gas up the Buick and head out from Oklahoma City to Clovis, New Mexico on Route 66. I'm pretty sure someone will have a great burger cooking for us, maybe some greasy diner with mismatched cups, plates, and cutlery, but I bet they have the best banana pudding this side of the Mississippi!

Photo Credit: The City of Albuquerque. 

I See You!! (and I Know You See Me)

 My kid, who is so much better at tech than I am, has set up my computer and/or settings on some of my social media platforms to run as an admin. He can tell me who has seen my sites and if they leave a comment with a name other than their own it can lead back to their ISP and he has "friends" in interesting places (think military) who can then run these ISPs and get information as to where they are, who they are, etc.  Think FBI, but he's not with law enforcement. It's the same sort of software probably, and only used for their use not my own but yeah, I get a nugget now and again.

    So, what I did was, ask him if he could run a few names and places to see if they match up with some of the "anonymous" visitors that I see were there, but I can't see who they were. He did and he told me. I wasn't surprised, either. Nope, I said to myself, "I knew it". I knew that a certain person was watching. I knew he was reading literally (nearly) every blog, and looking at nearly every Instagram and/or Facebook post, be it on the page or in the stories.  I knew it. I don't mind, I look at his too, and if he hadn't blocked one of my accounts, I would be watching on that one, but I watch on an alt...like the rest of the world. We all have alts...don't pretend you don't.

    What I think is hilarious is that he knows I am watching and reading up on him, and he knows I know he is doing the same thing so yeah, go ahead and unblock me buddy...be straight about it, and just watch...read...learn. You can even comment, I don't care. You can ask questions, you can tell me I'm wrong. You can be honest; that's the best part about having a friend. I am a friend, by the way, there aren't too many enemies out there praying daily for a person's wisdom, protection, blessing, and guidance. No, if I were not a friend I don't think I'd even give a rat's backside -- but I do.

    This blog is short, it's to the point, and if only 14 people read it I can have my son trace it to tell me who they are. I actually tell him to eliminate anyone's ISP from the United States because I know my "visitor" is smack dab in the middle of the ECC east of our favorite park in Edinburgh - - I have the address too; I won't post that. What I will say is,  now that you know, and now that you also know I've known for over a year that you've monitored me, just go ahead and admit you care. You can do it. Even if you tell yourself that  you're just reading to be sure I don't say something that could harm you; you know I won't. 

    If there is one thing I could tell you, and know you would listen to me, it would be that God has given you such great insight and talent; He knows your strengths and your desires. When you search Him, He knows you want to please Him. This is what I pray for. This is what I ask of Him when I lift you in my prayers. You don't have to accept me here on Earth, but you know, I bet you're one of the first people I see in Glory - - if for no other reason, God will allow it so I can see that precious and marvelous smile of yours. I will know then that you were held in the arms of our Savior - - it's enough to keep me in intercession for you. It's not an obsession, it's obedience. He asked me to do it, I do it.  You're welcome.

    Be blessed friend, and keep the faith - - I know you will. I see you, and I know you see me. There's a fun saying that I put in my last book, as a matter of fact. It goes like this..."I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see if I were looking back to see if you were looking back at me."

Photo Credit: Life,  Hope, and Truth.

    

"MESA" Underway.

 This evening I sat down and wrote out the first 15 chapters in an outline and that means I've written the ideas and skeleton for about 1/2 of the book.  It will likely be about 30-32 chapters and since I know I'll add more to the bones of this thing as I go along, I will say that yeah, it's 1/2 was planned. 

    Tomorrow, I'll do the same, and get the thing in shape to be able to say it's planned and ready to be written in genuine. I really haven't done this in the past. I wrote, then planned, chapter by chapter, and then wrote more, and planned more. This time I am putting the entire book in order and trying to make sense of it so that I can stay on track and maybe write faster than I would if I was trying to make it up as I went along.

    It just made sense to me to do it this way, so I did it this way. I'm cranking out the thoughts and putting them in some sort of order. Before I did that, I collected ideas from books, films, art, and internet searches. I wrote the notes in my handy-dandy "notes" file. I do that each time. I have a note file for each book, and I fill it with hundreds of bullet-point ideas that may make sense or they may not. I have quotes, thoughts, ideas, and even rough-edged maybes that could end up being a real idea. I'm all about getting the thought out of my head and onto the paper somehow, and that usually means through a note first.

    So far I'm happy about what I've written. I'm happy that I didn't just jump into the story. I lead up to it, and I flush out and flesh out the thoughts before they become conversations between the characters. There are a lot of things that these guys will experience, but they talk throughout the book as well and have conversations and communications with past characters from my other books. That's a string that passes through all of my books -- and will continue.

    I've got another 15-16 chapters to pen out in an outline tomorrow, then I'll start with Chapter One and write the first line. I have decided to dedicate the book to my daughter Laura, as this book has horses and the circus in it. She's into both. The next book, "Cask" will be decided by my daughter Caity, as it deals with more cunning and clever tricks and means of innuendo. The next book will be "Stollen" and as it is a family book or a book about family, it will be dedicated to my parents, my grandparents, my children, and my grandchildren. The book following "Stollen" is "Kingdom" and it will be dedicated to my son. It has a military blend and flavor, so that makes sense.

    I have a lot of writing to do, don't I? Well I think maybe I should get motivated and start the process!! Mesa is a wonderful book already, and I can already tell it will be fun to research and write. I'm already learning so much - - so very much; from all about moonshine to the way paint dries naturally on a canvas. Very interesting stuff, let me just say that. 

Laura and Kiss My Assets "Rocket"  2012.  Photo Credit: Me.

Mesa / Cask (The Planning Stages)

 I'm not exactly writing two books at the same time, but I am allowing one to bleed into the other. I shouldn't use the word "bleed" but it is a murder book series, right?  Nick Posh will find himself in the mesa...in the desert, chasing down the clowns and horses who (and that) lead him to other cases and casks. If you know anything about art you'll enjoy the "find" out in Vegas. It's an original Seurat painting; one no one even knew existed. The 31-year-old artist died in the late 1870s before either Nick or his friend Ralph Ferguson were born. Why the interest?

    Murder has a way of joining up with money. It usually follows that if you follow the money you'll find the killers. Well, in some cases art and the value of it can be just as sensually stimulating as cold hard cash -- and there is a certain "art" to printing your own cold hard cash. There's nothing funny about it; and yet, they they are, the two lawmen chasing down the forger and his printing press. 

    Those who dust off their feet in the desert can somehow find themselves sitting at the elite tables or visiting swank galleries where no one would know they had a day job..or in our muse's case, a night and weekend job. A cover-up on so many levels. One day you're dining and clinking fluted glasses with the upper crust, while the next you're entertaining them and their families right in plain sight, under their noses, and they know nothing of it. Such a circus!

    With "Mesa" coming before "Cask", it's not a giant leap to assume that one will carry over into the other, and then the next, which is "Stollen".  "Cask" will find our private eye seeking a clear and precise niche for himself; not only is he using his learned skills from his military days but also from the years he's spent working with and for others in order to break out completely on his own. He's not exactly hanging out a shingle, as he has no office to hang one outside of. The world is his board and the games he plays are usually for keeps.

    More art, more murder, more deception, and more sleuthing take place in "Cask" as our hero finds himself employed by his first private case; the finding and retrieving of a wayward bachelor son who has sprung the family coop too soon for the likings of his parents who hope to see their only son educated further in the craft he has long chosen. His absence from the family estate brings sorrow to his mother, and to his hopeful fiance. He must be returned at any cost.

    "Cask" will bring about the art form of the written word as well as the painted strokes of a genius talent; words color and stain any canvas as richly and as permanently as oils and pigmented hues. The two books will be written one right after the other. Right now I'm filling my notebooks with threads of commonality trying to pick what stories go into which book; who does what first, and how are they connected? 

    Stay tuned. It won't be long now. I'm getting the itch again, which means I'll likely make it happen sooner than I thought I would. I fool myself sometimes. 

Photo Credit: Pinterest (George Seurat's "Le Cirque" )

There are so Many Differences.

 I don't talk about my siblings much, I really don't. I was raised as the youngest child in a family with four children. I'm not saying I was the spoiled rotten baby, but yeah, I may have been the spoiled rotten baby. In hindsight, I can see that could have been a real possibility. It wasn't as if we had money growing up and I was spoiled in that sense; God knows we were dirt poor. But maybe I got away with more, or maybe I didn't get the evil eye as much as "they" did.

    I won't name my sisters but my brother's name is Michael. He won't mind me telling you a little about him. He's just such a strange and often over-the-top character; one that if I wrote him into one of my books folks would think I was stretching the boundaries, and that my creative license had just about reached its limits. He's not normal by any means, way, or form. He's out there. He's an open book -- even if you want him to close the cover! 

    Tonight I decided to call my only brother; he's one year and two months older than me.  He is one year and three months younger than our sister "L" and she is exactly one year and 25 days younger than our oldest sister "A".  You can see that Mom and Dad were quite busy, and we gave them as much love and trouble as you can possibly imagine. I called my brother to see how he was doing and he didn't need much goading to tell me exactly how he was; he could out-talk any woman I've ever met.

    When I say there are differences I'll start with the obvious ones. I went to college and earned a Ph.D. where my brother decided the 11th grade was just about all of the education he would ever need. He was a mechanic; worked with his hands and didn't need books or structure to get the money he needed to pay for his own place and to make a living. We are different in our politics but not to the extent that I could say he's a lunatic; he's just more fundamentally conservative than I am. He's not one to jump in his truck and join the party to protest, nothing like that, but he's stereotypical in some ways when you think of the rural-living sort of hillbilly who holes up in a lost cabin in the backwoods with his guns, his dogs, and extra canned goods. You know, the type to shoot out the "O" of a stop sign. I don't do that.

    We differ in our means of entertainment. He loves watching television; I can't stand it. He loves getting online and pretending to be someone he's not so he can get up and under the skin of someone who tries to scam men for money. He plays the game intensely and will keep it up for weeks before he pulls them out onto the virtual carpet to out the person for who and what they are. I am so not into drama of any kind. I just don't have time for it.

    He asked me how I would keep myself entertained if I didn't watch television. I told him I listen to my preacher once a day or almost every day, and I read books and I write books. I told him I create characters in my head and allow them to have full conversations so I can determine what they will do or say in the next book; this fascinated him. He wanted to know if that was normal...you know, to pretend you're talking to make-believe people in your head. Normal? Who knows. It's how I write. I create the characters and then let them go - - let them live.

    When I told him I wrote books he wanted to know if I ever thought about putting them in print. I paused...I literally stopped talking...I was that dumbfounded.  "Michael...I write books. I've written and published about thirteen so far. I mean, when I say I write books, I mean, there are books out there with my name on them. I'm the author. They are on Amazon, they are for sale."  He was quiet for a second, then said very solemnly..."Well, I mean, like a book book, one you can  hold?" I guess I know what I have to do now. I have to order a copy of each of my 13 books and send them to him - - except I don't know how he would feel about reading sex scenes written by his kid sister. That could be disturbing.

    We talked about his car, the one he had in high school. It was a 1970 Ford Torino.  I drove VW Beetle Bugs. He drove muscle cars. I went to Hollywood to write. He hung out in our town. I guess we just never thought about being close. None of my siblings are close to one another; it's sad really, but the truth.  We don't do "family" things; we stopped basically when my father passed. We just don't want to make the effort.  That's another thing that concerned me when I had kids, I raised them to be close. My three are still much much closer than I ever was with my own sisters or brother. That makes me smile.

    I guess I'm just saying it's OK to be odd, different, out of touch with family, or not interested in being a part of a family where you don't feel needed, wanted, loved, or united. I love my sisters and I love my brother, but we're not friends and if we weren't related I'd never even think of them. I say that, I will always think of my brother; he's crazy as a loon yes, but I do think of him and pray for him. He never asked for the trouble in his life, he was a "victim" of circumstance, never knowing when to walk away from toxic people who pulled at him constantly. I saw those types and either casually walked away, or ran like hell to put the distance between us.

    Funny, isn't it? We were both born to the same parents and lived in the same house for over two decades, but we just couldn't be more different in so many ways. At least, and I can say this about all of my mother's children, we all love Jesus, and we know how the story ends. (We didn't cheat and read the back of the Book - - it was purposely taught to us.) For that, I am very grateful. 

Reuben and Laura. Photo Credit: Me

Prayer Before I Work. (It Works)

I have to be honest and say that I really do love my new job. I wasn't sure at first, because I knew the pay was low and I would be expected to hit quotas and be on top of my game even through the training.  The good and bad news was that the training was literally only one week. I think we should have had more time; it would make much more sense to do that. We were given one week, and then "thrown in the mud to run in it" until such time we could learn to swim in the clear blue, I guess. 

    My job is not unusual, it's not really all that special. I am a recovery agent, and a subrogation specialist. I determine who is liable for damage and go after the damager for recovery of what it will take to indemnify our clients.  Sounds tough, and all that, but in reality, I'm literally just opening up a file, going through it, checking what I can, and making calls and sending emails to get to the person who pays the claims. Simple.

    The thing is, work is never simple. As employees we are expected to be "on" all the time. We are expected to pay close attention, and to not make mistakes or assumptions. It's not hard but it's certainly not perfect either. I need help and I know exactly where to get it. I pray.  I don't hold back from telling my employer(s) either (if they ask).  I pray about my day every day. I pray before I get started, and I thank God throughout the day when things work out and I can see His hand in the middle of whatever it is that's going on.

    I'll hear co-workers say how difficult their day was, or how they couldn't seem to get anyone on the phone to cooperate. I have an answer; in fact, I have THE answer. Pray about it. Pray that Jesus first blesses you with the wisdom to make those discerning decisions, and that He'll help you remain open, balanced, and fair about what it is that you're deciding. If someone is not responsible, I don't want to think or claim they are. If someone is responsible, I want to be compassionate, empathetic, and understanding. I do have to recover the funds, but I don't have to brow beat anyone.

    Most of the "damagers" I speak with claim they are not responsible, and they have lots of fingers to point in several directions. I listen, I even follow a lead now and again, but I'm not naive either; I can tell when someone is trying to get out of their duties to restore our clients' rightful claim. I stand firm, and I repeat my stand and my intention of recovering the money. I'm not a push over. But I'm not a tyrant either. 

    Prayer helps me be better so I can help someone else. Prayer reminds me that I am absolutely not in charge. I am not the end-all and what I say doesn't always go. I have a claim, it needs to be paid, and I find the damager. If the damager turns out to be someone other than the person I was told it was, and other than the person we've been pursuing, I am 100% open to discuss the matter. I also pray for wisdom, discernment, and and insight. He gives that to me.

    So, at work, I like to think of my little at home office as being an open door to Christ, so He can come in and sit next to me, and hold my hand while I write those emails. He listens to me when I make the calls to request that someone pay the claim. He watches me so I keep the right time, the right notes, the right details, and so I am giving my employer every minute of the hours of the day that I'm being paid for. Being an at-home employee, the temptation to take longer or extra breaks is there for most, but not for me. I time my breaks. I want to be as clear and honest as I can be so I know my prayers are answered.

    I know God doesn't "keep score" because if He did I would fall short every last time. I am so normal. I am so human. I am so typical. I hope to be a good example. I hope to be what He would be proud of. That's another reason I pray - - because I get a chance to both ask for forgiveness and to ask for blessings at the same time. To say "Jesus is my co-pilot" is so untrue - - He is the pilot, the Creator of the air, the Creator of the craft. He has graciously allowed me to sit with Him while He takes the wheel.

Photo Credit: Havenlight.com

 

MESA ...Plots and Planning.

 I've been working behind the scenes if you will. I know I haven't been motivated to write the book just yet, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about what I'm going to write. I am thinking about that.

    I sat down tonight to read another Perry Mason book and right in the middle of it I thought to myself, "Why not add a few of these lines to the book and twist them so I'm not actually plagiarising." I do that. I write and rewrite, but I won't take something that doesn't belong to me. In other words, since we know there's nothing new under the Sun, I can take an idea that Erle Stanley Gardner had and revamp it giving it a new look, and a new outcome. I just use other people's work as a springboard - - I don't swim in their pools of thought.

    I took out a new composition notebook and began taking notes about what I will have the characters say, and do, and how they will interact with one another. I decided to have Ferguson come down from Chicago to help Nick in the desert while he's chasing clowns and taming Mustangs. Ferguson's new passion for trading in the stock market will be helpful and even case-altering at one point.  Eoghan will understand the concepts in his own very unique way of thinking, and he'll come up with a means of mapping or tracing patterns in the various markets as they resemble music in his head. 

    There will be clowns, acrobats, crystal balls, fortune tellers, knife throwing, and even a sharpshooter act that places Nick in a rather precarious situation to be sure. There will be tigers, elephants, and bears...and yes, there will be murder. There is always a murder when Nick Posh is involved. His choice to leave Oklahoma City for this particular case will be the straw he'll need to break the proverbial camel's back when it comes to deciding whether or not to take a full-time desk job with the City of Oklahoma City. (What do you think he does?) :) 

    I've added every circus act you can think of and mixed them with a few side-show freak acts to make the thing that much more enjoyable. Laura traveled with a sideshow for a while and we got to know some of the motley crew who both performed for the side shows and some who brokered the show(s). It was fascinating from a logistics point of view.  I've always been fascinated by how things actually come together.

    Mesa is coming together - - I've written out a few notes tonight, and will do it again tomorrow. Maybe by the weekend, I'll feel like putting a chapter or five in the box. That could happen. I think this will be a good book -- fun and interesting.  I only wish I could be off work full time and make a real living as an author so I could just do that all day - - but alas, not at this time...maybe another day.

Photo Credit: Smithsonian Magazine