Anticipation!!

     You talk about patience; I am learning it. I don't like it, either. I really don't get along with having to wait for something. It's just not my strong suit. I can do other things so much better than just sit around and wait for the clock to tick its way over to the time I need or want it to be.  When you have to use all your fingers and toes to count off the days until something happens, you may as well just wait until you only need one hand or one foot to do the counting. I hate waiting. My birthday is November 22, so around Halloween I start saying it's soon - and then I realize I have three full weeks to go! 

    Well, I have four days to go now!! Only four days until my birthday, but I only have to wait two days (less than that since it's nearly 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday) before Laura and I take full possession of our new house. We just can't wait -- but we have to wait!! It is just not easy to do.  We'll only drive out to the place on Thursday to pay for the down and get the keys. We're not moving into it until the next day. We're going to set off bug bombs, and we'll make sure it's all locked up before we kiss the house good night and return early the next day (Friday) with the first of two big loads.

    Talk about anticipation! We've been dealing with it for weeks now. We have 94% of everything in boxes and bags just waiting to be loaded into the big truck. We started weeks ago, doing just a bit now and then, and then we upped our game and put in more each passing day. We boxed, we labeled, we moved the boxes into the dining area, and began the collection process. Now, three weeks later, and with only 2 days to go, we've got just about everything in the same spot - waiting. Just waiting. Our computers are still up, and the desks, of course. I have to work right up to the last minute.

    The kitchen is packed. The living room is packed, but the big stuff goes on Sunday. The office is packed, and the bathrooms and bedrooms are packed. We are just so ready.  We even went out to eat tonight, so we didn't have to pull out dishes and silverware. We're in the groove!!  It's not just our house we're dealing with; we have horses coming to live with us in two weeks. That's gonna take a little planning as well.

    I have to buy the fence materials, and Laura has to put the dang thing up. I get off easy; I'd so much rather pay for it than build it. Laura's OK with the arrangement as well. She's been out of practice for ranch-style living. She's biting at the bit (to use an appropriate term) to get started on all this good ol' country living.  The fence is the first real piece of it. She's only putting in a couple of lines and a gate, but she's looking forward to it. 

    We've been to Tractor Supply online to do the shopping and put everything we need into the cart. We'll hit "pay" on the 20th and get that part of it started. They'll deliver the materials on the 22nd, and she'll start the process. We could bring most of it home in the car, but if they're willing to bring it out, we're willing to let them. The 8-foot gate, wire, six-foot t-posts, and wooden posts need a truck to do it right; no sense looking like idiots carrying that sort of thing in my little car.

    When the horses arrive, I won't see much of Laura for a few weeks, months, or even a full year if I know her like I think I know her. Sure, she'll have a job too, but the second she's off the clock, she's barn-bound, and she'd sleep there if I didn't force her to come into the house to protect me. I use that as an excuse, you know; I tell her she has to come into the house after 10 pm so I'm not here by myself.  She threatened to take me shooting again and to buy me another dog so she can stay out in the barn a little longer. I may let her if it's a Dachshund Beagle puppy.

    My horse, Jace, and her horse, Lady Sif, are safe now from the Kill Pen and waiting for us in quarantine up in Kansas. The man there is charging $15/day per horse for them to be there. We'll charge the same when she gets her place set up. She's decided to keep 2-4 horses on one section of the land to bring in enough to pay her portion of the mortgage. That girl's a thinker! As long as we still have 6-7 acres to ride on, I'm OK with her side hustle. She'll enjoy watching over other people's horses and making sure they get the care they deserve. She'll do it her way and not have to ask anyone else for permission. That's the #1 thing about this place - it is OURS.

    We did find out today who it is that is moving into our little rented house. I say little, it's the same size as our new house, but it's just not ours. We found out it's an old neighborhood acquaintance we used to live next door to. We lived next door to that family for eight years. I couldn't be happier for them; they deserve to be able to spread out and give their two kids a nice yard to play in and their own bedrooms. That'll make their Christmas so much more enjoyable than it has ever been. I'm super excited about that.

    As for us? Well, we're already planning that holiday too. We've got a fireplace with a mantel. We've got a big open window with an amazing view out onto the horses and our acreage. We'll line the windows with lights, decorate the big fake tree, and put bells and silly "ears" on the dogs. The cats really don't like our silliness, but they do tolerate us during this time of the year. Ginger has earned the right to watch more than to participate. She turned 13 on the 9th. We will celebrate her birthday on my birthday this year, so we can do it together in the new house. She didn't argue when I suggested it.

Photo Credit: Me.  Ginger pup.

    

Black Friday 2025!

     This month, the month of November, is my very favorite month of the year. It's not only my birthday month, but it's the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, and then we get great shopping values on Black Friday. That's right, I'm a big-time Black Friday fan. I don't, however, buy silly items that just happen to be flashy or have a reduced price. I also never stood in line waiting for doors to open, so I could fight my way through a throng of people to get to the big ticket items at the department stores. Nope, not me. I'm the one watching those idiots on live YouTube feeds. I will say, however, that since the invention of online shopping, there has been a dramatic drop in those types of vicious and videoed encounters. 

    Black Friday for me has not always been a pleasant experience. I had $$$ stolen from my credit card one year (at Target). I try really hard not to get out on that day to do any real shopping. I have been known to run to the grocery store for this or that, but I do my pre-holiday shopping long before Black Friday, usually, and even when it wasn't a cool thing to do, I shopped the clearance aisles for gifts throughout the year. That way, I could stash a gift in a box and forget about it, making it just as exciting when I open the box again, wrap it, and give it away. (Sorry, but I'm not going to get a black eye buying my friends or family something I could buy the week after Christmas the year before and just keep it under wraps!) I've worked this system for ages.

    Online shopping sales started this week for their annual "Pre-Black-Friday" sales. I think I'm catching on to how this game is played. I keep an eye on the clearance tab on Amazon just because, and when I see something at another store, or on another site, I check to see if Amazon has it. I've tried using the Capital One shopping gizmo as well, but I'm not convinced it's helped more than a tiny fraction in costs, and I'm not going to download their extension on my computer; nope.  So, it's Amazon to the rescue for me.

    This year, because I needed one and wanted one, I have kept my eye out for a good, manually operated recliner that is a name brand, of good quality, has lots of reviews, and those reviews must have a minimum 4-star rating. I have a budget, and I keep that in mind as well.  When I found exactly what I wanted today, I nabbed it. I didn't care if it was going to be delivered in 3 weeks; that doesn't bother me. I'm good with that, actually, but it is being delivered by Amazon - for FREE. They, and a handful of others, were willing to do that. Most places charge around $150 for delivery and setup. (Amazon is only going to leave it outside the garage.) Laura and I will have to use the dolly to pull the chair inside. We can do that.

    Signature Design by Ashley has always been a good brand. I've always had good experiences, and I assume others have, given that the rating was over 4 stars and the reviews reached the 23,000 mark - a good sign. JC PENNEY had it for $599 but $150 delivery. Wayfair had it for $549, and the delivery cost was $129. Amazon had it for $408 and free delivery! The only caveat was, it was dark brown. Oh no, dark brown? Really? Damn! Good thing my favorite color of all time is DARK BROWN!  I'm good. I bought it. Merry Christmas to me.

    We're moving the week before Thanksgiving, and my computer will be set up and ready to go, tuned in to some real-time hot and heavy fights over the latest and greatest electronic gizmos that Walmart has to offer. I'm done with gizmos. Give me a comfortable chair anytime. What would I stand in line for? A metal grab bar for the tub. Yes, you know you're old when you're shopping for one of those babies. Not the suction cup type; no, I want a good sturdy (very functional) type. I bet I can find one -- and I'll have my new handy-dandy handyman put it in for me. I haven't told you about him yet, but I will. I'm just waiting to get his permission to do so! 

    I have Laura to pop open jars and assemble the furniture pieces, but a good handyman is quite useful. I'll keep you posted. So far, we've charged him with building the dog fence, clearing out the barn, and taking the barn's awning and back panels off. He may pull the storm shelter out of the ground later in the early spring and fill up the hole with whatever he can find. I told him I'd stay quiet if he had a few bodies he needed to hide -- he laughed.

Less Than a Week!! (Gettin' Real)

     I woke up this morning, and I wasn't in my new house. It won't be that way next weekend. Next weekend I will wake up and be in my new house, on my new property, and I'll be surrounded by boxes and stuff; a lot of stuff! We're moving the stuff we can move by ourselves on Friday, and spending the night at the new place. Our last night in the old place will be on the floor as well, as Laura will break down the beds and have the frames ready for packing as soon as we can get up and around. We have plans! I think my plans are earlier than hers. 

    Laura isn't known for waking up early - she wasn't that kid who dragged me out of bed on Christmas morning. Nope, if left up to her, we'd be the last family on the planet to open presents if it meant she could sleep in a little longer. I will roll out of my bed around 8, and she'll open her eyes around 10. That's not the same thing as accomplishing tasks. It just means she's awake. We'll pick up the truck around 11 and load it for an hour or so, and take it out, unload it, and be done around 3 or 4. We'll take another load by car. That load will be the animals and whatever we can stuff in the trunk. 

    As it's becoming increasingly real by the day, I decided to take another trip out to El Reno today to see the place, just to confirm it's still there, you know. I was extremely happy to see the locate marks and flags that showed us where the facilities are. We're installing our fence from the 22nd through the 25th, or so. We don't want to drive a T-post in the ground and hit an underground facility. If that happens, I'll have to call Laura in six months or so and demand that she pay my company -- it's what I do. I don't want to call my kid for failure to use due care, but I will.

    I visited my favorite bargain store today and purchased a pair of end tables. They're new too. The bargain store has a mix of older items, similar to a thrift shop, and also offers a selection of new things. I spoke with the owners today about it; they told me they go to sales and clearance events to get things. The tables, however, belong to a guy in the area. He bought them and put them together, and then decided they were too small for what he wanted. My gain! He's happy because he got what he paid for them. I'm happy because they were already put together. It was worth the extra bit for that!

    I bought my refrigerator from the bargain store, and I found some new oven mitts and towels I'll pick up next week when I go in to get the little tables. I'm leaving them there until I move. That's another thing; the people are so good about things like that - they're not charging me storage. I love this place. I already love the people. I love that it's so quiet and nothing is happening. Many people might find it boring, but I find it lovely. Nothing means I can breathe, relax, move around, rest, and not be worried, bothered, or interrupted. I love boring.

    I went to Walmart again; I never go to the one in the city. I will go a lot in the smaller city because I'll get my steps in, and there's virtually no one there. I think maybe 50 people, if I had to call them all into one spot. That includes the cashiers. I'm not kidding, this place is so quiet. There's another grocery store that I recall visiting when I was a kid. It's still there, looks exactly the same, and that's been 50-55 years! It looks exactly the same.  I'm looking forward to shopping there too. They have a small food bar with meats, vegetables, and desserts that they offer between 11:00 and 2:00, and it's really nice. Many locals visit there every day for a "Special" to go, and yes, it's $5.99, and could feed two people.

    Six more nights. I'm not sure if I can stand it. I want the week to fly by. I want to get it over with. I'm not looking forward to driving the big truck, but I have driven one about 10 times in the past. I'll be OK. I'm not looking forward to all the hauling and unloading, but Laura is doing most of that. The big stuff comes on Sunday, and that's being done by my son Jonathan - Reuben's best friend. That is a HUGE blessing!! There's just no way we could have done that ourselves. He's bringing the couch, bookshelves, washer, dryer, cabinets, dresser, treadmill, boxing bag, and a few smaller things.

    One trip with his 15-foot truck should do it. One trip with our 10' UHaul and maybe 3 trips with the car. I hope I've calculated it correctly. I just changed my address on Amazon, too. From this point forward, all purchases will be directed to the new house. God is so good!! He is just so wonderful. 

Photo Credit: Me, (not taking the little saw) 

We Own Horses -- Again.

     Just like the move, I hope that this horse, the one I now own, is my last horse. I hope this is my last move. I hope this is my last job. I hope the Rapture comes, but yes, if it doesn't, I still hope this is my last horse! One of the nicest things about being able to say I'm a horse owner again, is that I really like the horse I bought. I don't think of her as a flip-horse, one I can buy, work, and sell for more money. I see her as my new friend. I hope she'll agree; and think I'm pretty cool too. 

    Jace is what I'm calling her. She's a sorrel and white Paint mare, and is probably in her mid-teens. We'll have to take her home to examine her mouth and teeth before we can be certain about her age. She's about 14.2 or 14.3HH tall, which is a good size, and she's pregnant. She'll foal sometime in the spring to early summer of 2026, and that baby will stay with us too. We're not selling it. Whether it's a boy or a girl, the baby's name is Harper. (Laura named it)

    Harper was going to be the name of Laura's new horse, a full-blooded Arabian mare whom we picked up at the same kill pen where Jace was. They were housed and/or brought in simultaneously. When I saw Jace, I wasn't immediately smitten. She was pretty, she was nice, she was dainty, and she was a good-looking horse, but I didn't say "Oh, wow!" We did that when we saw Laura's mare. You can't help yourself. The instant you see her, your mouth drops and your eyes bug out. Jace has a really kind eye, and she'll make an amazing horse. We're hoping the same is true with the Arabian mare.

    I don't know what Laura's going to call her. It was Harper, but that was before she thought harder about it. She wants to give her a name that she feels will live up to the grace and beauty of the animal. You'll see the pictures -- I'll post one here, and you can get an idea. But when we get her home and dress her up a little, she will shine! Bay Arabian mares can be so pretty in and of themselves with their high-held tails and dished faces; this one has the long tail and thick mane as well. She holds her head high and prances even when being ridden. She, too, is around 14.2 or 14.3HH, so she's a bit taller for her breed.

    I was gobsmacked that no one had paid her bail. She was only $875. No one was stepping up, and we couldn't figure that one out. Laura said, "OK, there has to be something really wrong with her," and we looked. Her knees are fine, her back is straight; she isn't injured, lazy, or dragging a foot. She's truly a perfect find; so why wasn't anyone jumping at the chance? We have no idea. When we realized that she was going to be shipped out today (11/12) if her bail wasn't paid, Laura gave me that look -- it's a familiar one. I'm not gonna lie and pretend I didn't know exactly what she wanted.

    Paying for the mare meant we'd have to sacrifice a couple of other smaller plans for the house, but if Laura is willing to put up the fence for the horse herself, that alone would save $1000, and that's the price of the horse and the transport to the QT. She sold a few things on Marketplace to cover the horse's transport to our house, and now all we have to do is hope I get paid a little extra between now and then to cover the board for both horses while they're up in Kansas waiting to come to our place. (It happened. I made Employee of the Month, and believe it or not, there was a little bonus that goes with that honor!) Jesus is just toooooo good to us.

    We own horses again! I gave up Ava in 2021. I think I can't remember. She was my last horse. She was a Foxtrotter. I think Laura's last horse was a Thoroughbred she could barely scale to get up on top of, and when she did, the thing tried to run her into things. No more nonsense! We're settling for two good broke and rideable horses, and a little newborn baby that I'm more than sure will come out spotted, but you never know. At least we know these horses will be spoiled completely rotten, and having them at our place means no one can judge us.

    If you don't know what I mean by that last statement, you haven't been around horse people. I like to say the best thing about horse people is their dogs! I mean that. Horse people can be so rude; we simply don't want anything to do with most of them anymore. At our place, it is OUR place. We don't have to wait to ride in the arena. We don't have to put up with barn drama. No one will steal our feed, our tack, or take our spot at the wash rack. No one will be there to tell us how we ride, or that our farrier doesn't know what he's doing. I could go on, but I've decided to smile, inhale, exhale, and thank God for our new place—and the horses. 

    Laura will be whole again. I know it.

Laura's mare: (not Laura on her, that's her at Peabody Kill Pen in Kansas)  

Murder is Real.

     I'm an author who writes about various topics, which always include romance, mystery, murder, crime, cover-ups, and more. I know where the lines are, and though I use a broad stroke with a fictional flair to it, I know the difference between actual violence and using words to describe a scene or scenario in one of my novels. I am forever grateful for the Second Amendment and the protective measures we have in our country to assist in deterring violent crimes; I believe in the right to self-defense.

    Why am I writing about this? Why am I suddenly sounding all serious and even a little macabre at the moment? Well, there's an answer. I'll tell you what I found out today, and you'll have to agree that I should at least address it, because I am now aware of it, and it did actually happen in real life to someone I know - two people, actually.  One of the people was someone I talked to on a weekly basis, though we never met. The other was my student in 2005, and not just my student, he was my favorite student. I had to call him that when we met periodically, for years. He would call me "Dr. Stringfellow," and I would respond with "Yes, (insert name), my all-time favorite student". That's just how it was.

    When my friend Randall Goya died in 2016 at the hand of a homeless man he had given refuge to, I was stunned. I was shocked beyond words when I found out who it was that killed someone who had only been good. Randall was my dog's webmaster and had been for over a decade. He called me one day out of the blue, asking if he could create and run Faith the Dog's website. He designed it, modified it, ran it, and maintained it. I told him he could monetize it if he felt he needed to, but he never did. He kept it simple and gave Faith all the love he could through his digital wisdom and extreme creativity.  He will be missed for many more years to come.

    Today, completely by accident, I found out that my favorite student, someone I hadn't heard from in a few years, had been murdered about a week or so after he last spoke to me. You don't think at the time, something like that happens, that you're never going to speak to them again. I just assumed he had gotten on with his work, his life, his friends, and that he had just simply fallen out of touch. That's not the case; it was murder. He was taken from us. He was murdered by a brutal, vicious, hateful man who had been let out of prison for virtually the same crime! The system failed again.  You don't have to guess what side of the aisle I lean to when it comes to keeping violent people locked up for life.

    I watched a show online about a gay man being murdered for no reason other than the fact that he was gay - how stupid is that? Well, it got me thinking about my student because he had a few "bad dates" and he had told me about them when we last spoke. Again, I assumed he was just busy with his life, but it turns out that one of the people he met on a dating app did, in fact, murder him, and even tried to cover up the evidence by setting my student's apartment on fire with his body in it. Not only would he have succeeded in destroying the apartment rented by my friend, but there were others living in units above and beside the one he set ablaze!

    I was truly hurt when I did a simple Google search to find my friend and realized he hadn't called or texted because he had been murdered. I read all I could about it, and found that the police had caught his killer pretty quickly after the event. That made me feel good - and the fact that his trial was fast and decisive also made me happy. The man literally said he killed my friend, my all-time favorite student, because "I do what I want to do", and then said "He asked too many questions", as if when they met on the dating app, all my friend was supposed to do was have fun and shut up; no questions! 

    Murder is a dirty thing; a terrible, horrible thing that ruins lives and forever changes nearly everyone touched by the callous act. I write about it, but I never really go too deeply into the effects and the affects it will have on the people who loved or knew the victim of the act. I think I'll do that in an upcoming book, and in that book, I'll add the two stories of my friends to make a point about how even outsiders can mourn for people who aren't too close, but close enough to know, love, and appreciate.  We just never know, do we? We just have no idea what can happen in a split second. 

    At first, I was upset with myself for not checking in on my student more often, but he was a grown man by then. He wasn't the 14-year-old kid I knew, who, yes, asked a lot of questions, but loved to smile, dance, surprise, and entertain me and the entire class. When he was given a good grade, he had to take a bow, and we loved it. Drama was in his blood, but sadly, the school didn't have a troupe! He would have been the star if it did. After sharing the news of his passing with a few people I know, I asked them if they had also not heard from someone in a while, and if maybe they wanted to check in on those who hadn't written or called.  Maybe it's something we need to do, but when do we know when it's time to do that if we're not really close? 

    Please know that when an author or actor is involved in sharing a story about murder, crime, or violence, that it is make-believe. It's not real. But when true crime happens, or real people are hurt, it's time to listen, time to open one's heart, and be a friend when they really need one.  The 3rd week of April used to be the week reserved to reflect on and remember the victims of violence in our country; however, September 25th is the day of remembrance for those who were murdered.  I try to remember to pray for and think about those who have been affected - and now I have more names to add to my prayers, not for him, but for those he loved and left.

    (I don't want to say my student's name. He was a rather private man.) 

Photo Credit:  Pinterest.com 

Starting to Take Real Shape.

     The whole move is starting to take real shape. I had to wait to be paid before I began buying what I needed, or paying those who were doing what they would need to do in order to make the move happen. You just don't realize how many steps and moves it takes. The thing has a lot of moving parts. Every last one of them has its own parts, starting times, and limits. I've been in anticipation mode for a while now, and it's starting to ease up just enough to feel good about the event! I'm moving!

    Laura and I have lived in the apartment complex we currently reside in since 2016 (early). Before that, we were in a house that got sold out from under us. Before that, we were in Indiana, and I can't tell you how many times we moved because someone didn't have the right to sell us something, or they overbooked, and we were the last ones to get the memo! We have had it pretty hard when it comes to living arrangements. We'll just say that. 

    The house we lived in from late 2014 to early 2016 was a little two-bedroom, one-bathroom, but it was cute, and we could afford it. That is, until houses in that area were being bought by a really greedy landlord who wanted to own literally every house on the block so he could run it. We were outbid, and even if we hadn't been, he's the type to have burned our house down to get us out. We could see the writing on the wall and moved to the apartments. We stayed in the same upstairs unit for about nine years before moving to the three-bedroom house we are in now, which is owned by the brother of the man who owns the complex. We're still considered a part of that complex.

    Well, as God would have it, since I don't believe in luck, we are now able to live in our own place! We thought we had it sewn up in Indy, but it didn't happen. It is happening now, and from the hoops we've jumped through recently, we've learned that no matter where you are, you will face issues and challenges when buying a home. It's just that way. I had to pay for the main inspection and a pest inspection. We had to negotiate with what was found in those two inspections. The sellers agreed to fix everything - so there you go! One major step forward.

    Yesterday, I bought the fridge; it will be delivered the day we move in. Today, I paid for the fence materials, and I'll pay the man the other half when he sets it up. It's working out!  We bought the bug bombs and cleared out the cabinets at our old place of things we don't need. I think we've taken 15 boxes to Goodwill, and that's not an exaggeration. I don't want to take anything over to the new place if we haven't seen or used it the entire time we've lived in this house. If someone else can use it, let them. I cleaned out the pantry as well - we could have used the food, but I'd rather not take it if I don't need to.

    We've got just about everything in a box that can go into one. When the day comes to load the truck, we'll do that, and if we have more to box afterwards, we'll find a way to make it happen. We have one day to move our smaller items, and then another day for the larger ones; one trip should suffice for each.  I think I could go into moving planning like some people go into wedding planning - but I wouldn't be any good at it, because it would have to be my way or no way -- I'm rather rude and nasty in that respect.

    From the moment you decide to buy a house to the moment you kick your feet up after the move, there are a million things that do happen, could happen, might happen, definitely going to happen, and so forth -- and the cost is unexpected from time to time. We're moving in and paying escrow, inspection, last month's rent, and the cost of the move. We have a fence to install, appliances to purchase, and a thousand pages of contract to sign and amend - over and over again. It's been a mess, but a good one. The sellers were unaware that they owned 14 acres. They thought it was 7, and that definitely caused an issue.

    We have 12 days to go — just 12 more days — and we can start loading the first truck with 85% of all we own. We'll drop it off, bomb the place, unload, put things away, rest, and do the big stuff 2 days later. After that, we breathe a little. We'll clean the old house to a certain extent, but with the hefty deposit I left, I'm not planning to make too much of it. They can clean it. I won't feel bad.  I was never going to see the deposit anyway; I may as well get my money out of it.

    A new chapter, a new beginning, and one that we get to write instead of having to obey all the rules that someone else wrote. Yes, owning your own home can be expensive. It is. I get that, but it can be so rewarding too.  We can paint if we want to, pull down the wallpaper, replace carpet, flooring, cabinets, and/or whatever we think needs to be replaced, repaired, or redone. It's going to take a while to do it, but it will be so pretty someday.

Photo Credit: Boston Magazine

Life is So Wonderful.

    Life is so good. Oh my goodness, life is wonderful. I am so very happy. It's just been too long, and I've gone through too much for me not to fully and completely embrace the loveliness of life and all that God has given to me.  You know how people say you can always find the silver lining in a dark cloud? I think you can always find joy in something, no matter how challenging or difficult it may be. Joy isn't happiness; it's different. You have to choose it. When you do choose it, it stays with you; it strengthens your resolve.

    It's the little things that make the difference. I'll run through a few of those things for you now, so you'll see what I mean. I work from home, so I don't leave the house to go to work. That means I don't need to wear fancy clothes. I literally gave all of my business clothes to Goodwill, along with about twelve pairs of dress shoes, tall knee boots, and purses. I no longer carry a purse. I literally don't need one. I don't wear makeup or feel the need to keep a million things on my side. I have a little wallet thing that holds my cash, license, medical card, and credit card. I may end up putting a tiny nail file in the thing. I do need those from time to time. I do need pockets to store the wallet.

    I wear pajamas to work; no one sees me, so I can. If we do have to have Teams meetings, I can throw on a t-shirt or change my top quickly. Again, no makeup, they get me the way I am. It is what it is, and I'm not apologizing for it. I do smile, but I don't apologize. (I will pluck my eyebrows and the little annoying hairs that tend to pop up around my mouth) I think I have three pairs of shoes now, and one of those is a pair of muck boots. (Wait, I do have riding boots, so maybe I have 4 pairs of shoes)

    When I went to the store today, I walked the aisles, thinking about all the things the store carries that I don't need. There's a lot of it. There was a time, and not so long ago, that I would spend more than I earned because I thought I needed this or that. It's surprising how much we spend on ourselves so we can either keep up with, or impress others at work or in our neighborhoods. It's a vicious cycle. Working from home, away from others, and without the need to dress for others, I've saved money and discovered that I don't require jewelry, new expensive clothes, the latest fashions, or shoes. I've also realized that I don't need all the accessories and trinkets that I once thought were necessary.

    In the kitchen, I don't need all the appliances I thought I had to have and use twice a year. I don't need more than a few throw blankets either. Instead of buying a bunch of decorative pillows, I can buy decorative pillow covers and store them so much easier than I can the big, fat, fluffy pillows that I used to buy for every season. I don't do that anymore. I think I'm learning!! It's only taken 64 years to do it, but it's working. It's sinking in finally. I bought a new pair of pajamas today and told myself they were necessary. I will wear them often.  (They have pockets too!)

    I love walking the aisles and seeing the colors. I love walking the aisles of the stores and seeing what is there, but I really don't need much of it anymore. I write, I read, I love on and spoil the dogs, and soon I'll be in the barn a lot -- I will need Tractor Supply more than I do any other store. With all the distractions in the world, it's good to have an interest in looking, but I don't need to spend my money on much these days. I do appreciate all the socks I get for Christmas! Since I don't wear shoes unless I'm outside, the socks are a daily necessity.

    I drove to El Reno today and filled up my tank for $24.90. Gas was cheaper there than in Oklahoma City. I was the only one at the station, too. I walked through Walmart at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday and maybe saw 50 people in the entire massive store. I ate at a sit-down restaurant, and there were 2 others there. I pulled into Dollar General to see if they carried something specific, and they did. The place was sooooo clean, and there were no boxes on the ground or out of place. I'm telling you, this little city is the best.

    I've decided that soon after the first of the year, when I've settled into my new home, I'll volunteer to work in the concession stand during the early afternoon baseball games or the basketball games, so the parents can go and watch their kids play. I'll volunteer for food drives and do what I can to integrate into the community as soon as possible. I think it's a great place to start and a good way to meet people. 

    Last week, I took 15 books I had written to give away at a local coffee shop. Today, I went inside the shop and found that only one book had been taken. I picked up a stack and walked around the store, passing out the books, offering to sign them if they wanted me to. I only had to swear to one person that I really had written the book.  A few laughed, but they all took the books!

    I like the wholesomeness and the honesty of the new town I'm moving to. It was started, of course, before statehood.  Fort Reno was established in Indian Territory in 1874, but the Cheyenne and Arapaho were there long before that. The area is vibrant, historic, and full of charm. It's seen danger, upheaval, and its fair share of crime, but it's a good, sturdy, strong, and compassionate town with deep roots. I love it. I have always loved it. As a kid, I wanted to live there, and now I will.

    When I say God is great -- I mean it. He is so good.

Ft. Reno. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

Simple is Good

    I am finally at a point in my life (FINALLY!!!) that I can relax a bit and know everything will work out for the best. I may not have the biggest house, the fanciest car, clothes, or shoes, but I have all I need. I have a lot of what I want too, and that's saying something. People often tend to live outside (way outside) their financial limits, but I won't do that. It happened to me; it wasn't something I meant to have happen when it did. There were too many times in my life when I had to borrow on credit just to survive. It was not fun. It was not good. It is over, and I thank God EVERY day for the peace I now have.

    I was sitting on my couch with my dogs today, just sort of closing my eyes and thinking about life. It wasn't too early; today is Saturday. I had my hot cup of mushroom coffee in my left hand, and I was petting a dog with the other. One or two more dogs were hiding under the blanket, cuddled up next to me, and still a fourth was at my feet, lying on the ottoman. Life is good.

    Within seconds, out of nowhere, sirens began blaring, and the roar of an ambulance raced down the street right outside my living room window. We live that close to a hospital. We live close to two, actually, so the sound of ambulances is more or less a constant, but they can still take me by surprise. I hate it. I said a prayer for the drivers, those on the streets, and of course, for the souls who needed their help. As I did this, I realized I was thinking to myself that it would be so much nicer not to have to hear those sirens on a daily, often multiple times a day occurrence. It gets under your skin.

    I went to Sam's Club today, too, and realized they had side-by-side stainless steel refrigerators with various gadgets and gizmos all over them. I don't need it. I simply do not need all the fuss. I went to a thrift store this morning and bought a used fridge that does the job for literally 1/5 the price. I'm not joking. The fridge I bought was $250 ($275 delivered), and the one at Sam's was $1349 (free delivery). How many times does $250 go into $1349?  (The answer is 5.39, but it's still close to being 1/5.) The guy I bought the fridge from is also really cool. He and his wife run the local downtown thrift store. I'm going back for nightstands, end tables, curtain rods, and other practical needs. (John Grisham books for $2.99) 

    I can shop at Walmart again after I move because it won't be crowded or full of would-be hooligans, thieves, and thugs. Moving to a small rural town does have its perks. I'm not saying that my new town has no criminals, but we're not crawling with them, and the crimes are different as well. Almost all of us in the rural township will own guns and be able to handle some of the situations. It's harder in the city - more complicated. Besides, in my new town I can have more dogs! They do have a limit, but it's rarely enforced unless it becomes extremely detrimental to the dogs or the neighbors. 

    Give me simple any day.  I walked over a mile today inside Walmart in the new town, thinking I must have moved to the sticks. There are actually 18,000 people in the city, but they don't all shop at the same time. I went aisle after aisle without spotting another person. I loved it. I loved it a lot. I went to a restaurant and ate lunch -- there were 2 others in the place. I didn't have to wait for service. I was waited on, treated like a queen, and again -- LOVED IT.

    I'll pull into my gravel drive, drive 100 yards to my house, park my car, pet the horses, and kiss the dogs before going into a place that has a great kid, plenty of space, good food, and almost complete silence. I say it will be silent, I can almost bet you'll still be able to hear the cicadas every evening. There's no getting around that, not in Oklahoma. Give me the simple life anytime. I will take it. I'll take the lower prices, less stress, greater community spirit, and the way folks work together to build each other up.

    Just last week, after the SNAP program had been shut down and more than 40% of my new town was affected, you saw the biggest turnout of folks gathering around at the churches and the parks with open truck beds, flatbed trailers, and trunks inviting people to take what they needed. Stores donated, people donated, and it was just so beautiful. It wasn't perfectly organized, but it came together. It was loose-knit, but tightly bound around the hearts of everyone who was there. Give me the simple, more beautiful life - anytime...every time.

13 days!!

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com (not my food!) 

I Sold A Book! (Actually, I Sold a Few)

     I receive an email every 90 days or so, informing me of how many, if any, books I've sold. The little report arrives, accompanied by the invoice for what they owe me for the sale. Sometimes, and I'm not kidding, I owe them. It's pretty sad when you realize that, from time to time, you owe the publisher and/or printer a little bit for having printed either one or only two books. It's an index thing, I believe, I could be wrong. It seems that when paper products are scarce and they have to print on demand for one book to be sent to one customer, they charge me as much as they pay themselves. Make no mistake, the publisher and/or printer will make more than I ever will on my books. That's the way it is.

    Well, today, again, minding my own business, I received an email stating that several of my books had been sold, and it wasn't the same as the other invoices. This one was either a special report or perhaps it was unusual because they were all purchased by one person, and the company felt that I needed to know. Here's how that went, because it made my day.  I had a really interesting day at the dentist's office, having half my mouth deep scaled. Coming home to read that I had sold a dozen books to one person somewhere in the United States made me smile.

    As an author, I don't write to sell my books. I love it when they do sell, of course, but I don't write to please anyone. I don't write because there is a deadline. I don't write because an agent or publisher expects me to. I write what I write, when I choose to write, about what I choose to write, and it literally makes me smile to think that anyone would be interested in buying one of my books. So, when someone out there bought 12 of my books - 12 different titles, that was something. I had to laugh.

    Of course, the report doesn't reveal the person's identity. I'll never know who they are unless they write to me and let me know. I sat around this evening thinking about that person, and I even said a little prayer for them. I asked God to bless their reading time, to help them understand me, appreciate me, and be kind even if they don't like what they read. I almost called my mom to see if she had been the benefactor, but I knew she didn't need to. I always give her free copies. Why would she buy them? Whoever it was bought all 12 books in print, not in digital format. They paid $$$.

    My newest book, "Amicus Curiae," was not among those that were purchased. That made me think that maybe the person has read that one and has decided to read the others. Whoever it is, they will read both the murder books and the romance novels. They even bought "Dion", which is both romantic and sort of creepy, too. I'm thrilled that they bought as many as they did, and I genuinely hope they like what they read. Perhaps they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

    My next book, "Cumberland", won't be written until after the first of the year. We're moving, and with the holidays and all the family-related activities, writing had to take a backseat for now. It's okay, I don't mind taking a break from my brain for a few weeks. I'll kick back into gear soon enough - and then I'll beat the clock with not only writing five novels in 2026, but I may put out another blog book after swearing Number 4 was the last. No, it can't be; I'm still talking!!  

Photo Credit: Me

Nose Gas, Please!

     Today was such a day! I mean to tell ya, I was sitting at my desk minding my own business, because that's what I do, you know; I mind my own business. I was sitting there, around 9:30 a.m., just thinking about what I was supposed to do that day, when a reminder text came in from my dentist. They do that up there; they remind you constantly that you made an appointment. They really want you to keep those appointments. 

    "Oh yeah," I said to myself, "I'm getting my teeth cleaned." I wanted not only to get my teeth cleaned, but also to discuss a certain spot in my upper gumline that felt as if air was getting into the nerve of tooth #9. That's right, I know how teeth are numbered in my head! I'm clever like that. I think I learned it in the 3rd grade or something, and I never dropped that odd and strange bit of information from my memory. It's in there. I won't ever not know how many teeth I had at one time. (The number has changed over the years.)

    So, tooth #9, the front tooth on the left upper side, felt as if air was getting to it, and although it wasn't causing pain, it was noticeable and nagging. I decided to talk to Dr. Bauman about it after my hygienist, Cathy, had her fun with my teeth. Little did I know that Cathy knows just about as much as Dr. Bauman, and when he's busy with dental work, she essentially takes over and handles the tasks without the pay raise. She's every bit as intelligent and knowledgeable, so I let her tell me the gory details of what was happening. When Dr. Bauman came in and said the same thing she had said, I fist-bumped her and told her she needed to ask for a raise.

    Well, turns out it wasn't a cavity, and it wasn't what I thought. It wasn't even tooth #9 giving me fits. It was the gumline between #9 and #10, as it was beginning to recede due to tartar buildup. Cathy took an X-ray and showed me. It was nasty - just nasty!  You may not realize how important it is to have all your gums and hidden areas cleaned at least every two years. It had been more than that. I'm too embarrassed to actually say how many years it had been.

    OK, now that I knew what it was, I decided to schedule an appointment. Lucky for me, Cathy tells me, their other hygienist, Gabby, had an opening at 3:00 today! Same day! Wow...OK, maybe that's good, I thought to myself. I'm already off work, I may as well make it a big, fat, fun-loving, scraping, pulling, sawing, pushing, drilling sort of day! Why the heck not? Let's do it. I scheduled the opening, and I went home. While I was home, I got another text reminding me that I had just made another appointment - as if I could forget.

    I took several of my books to give to the ladies who work at the dental office because none of them realized I was an author. To be fair, even though I've been going there for over a decade, I hadn't really talked about my writing. I took four different books, and now they want more. OK, I can do that. They do such a good job - all of them! I can't give them up when I move. I'll have to make the long drive twice a year for my semi-annual visits. It's a must. I love them all.

    So, 3:00 p.m. rolls around, and it's my turn once again to be the center of attention. This mouth required some heavy construction, which would necessitate the use of laughing gas. Sign me up. Don't even think I'm doing the deep scaling thing without the nose-mussle. Nope! It's turned up, and I want a little more Lidocaine than most people, too. I want my face to be NUMB when those shots hit my gums, and I want to be out of it when she starts the mechanized equipment. (She had a few toys to play with.)

    I sat down at 3:08 p.m. and she was finished at 5:21 p.m. She did the upper and lower left side of my mouth -- two quads, and maybe 8 shots, I think. I stopped counting. One hurt, the others I was able to breathe through without too much agony. That nose gas, though, makes you wanna close your eyes and causes you to wonder if the people working on you can hear your thoughts. I was inside my head wondering that, then another thought hit me. I couldn't tell if I was awake or not. I wondered if I had my mouth open wide enough -- I did.

    Believe it or not, I was able to tolerate the last bit without the nose piece, and because I was breathing real air again, my senses came back to me. Not my face nerves; no, they remained unfazed for another three hours, but I was able to suck down a soft pumpkin roll cake thing because it was sort of spiralled. You know what I'm talking about; the cream cheese thing. It was awesome. I'm living on Ibuphofen now, and will for the rest of the evening. I may substitute the last dose before bed for 5 or 6 children's 81mg chewable aspirin. The lidocaine and other drugs are wearing off, and I feel my nerves now.

    The entire event, both the cleaning and the deep cleaning, only cost me $153.00 after insurance. What a deal! I was so happy about it, I scheduled the other half of my face to be scraped and mauled on 12/30 - you know, to celebrate the end of the year! Woo hoo!! Party at Dr. Bauman's place! I'd say bring your own booze because (a) I don't drink, and (b) my lips couldn't hold anything - I'll have to pass on beverages at that point. Laura said she was going to give me a face piercing to see if I could feel it -- no, I'm good; thanks though!!

    If you haven't had the nose gas, I do recommend it. I recommend it because it allows you to relax. It allows you to not stress and not dig your claws into the arms of the dentist's chair. It allows you to stay tilted back in a weird position without giving a damn that you're tilted back in a weird position. It allows you to dream while you're awake - and that's worth every penny, right there. Do it. They now make the little nose covers smaller as well. I used to hate them, but I'm good now. I have learned to somehow talk myself through all the would-be fretting and say a ton of affirmations that not only get me through the experience, but some of them I actually believe.

    Such a day! Three to three and a half hours in the chair with people poking and prodding, scraping, scaling, and rough-housing under my gums! At least I know my teeth are clean, and half of my gums all the way up to my left nostril! I'll get the other done and feel like a completely different person soon. Joy of joy!! One of the affirmations I told myself is that in 2025, I have it so much better than Wyatt Earp did if he ever leaned on his good friend Doc Holliday to help him out with tooth/teeth issues.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com