Happy Thanksgiving (Yes, I'm a little late)

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

It’s a few days after Thanksgiving that I sit down to write this…and I’m still full!

I make a traditional meal (well, traditional for my family) – turkey, stuffing (my mother-in-law’s recipe which is fabulous), mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies and of course, desserts, but this year, it was a little different. My DH has been having some health issues so I made the same, just not as much.

Still there are leftovers—lots and lots of leftovers—my favorite part of the whole meal. There’s something sad about cooking all day only to have everything you made gone in twenty minutes or less but the leftovers? Love those leftovers! There’s nothing like staggering out to the kitchen for a midnight snack, bleary eyed, still full, but kinda hungry, too. My favorite? Turkey sliders made with King’s Hawaiian rolls. Oh so yummy!

I was fortunate enough to take some PTO from the day job and I gotta tell you, it was wonderful (if this is what retirement feels like, I’m ready!)! I did hope to sleep in at least one day, but that didn’t quite work—I was still up at four-dark-thirty (I guess, after getting up at that time for years and years, your body just gets used to it so sleeping in is next to impossible) but it’s all good. I did what I had planned to do, which was clean out closets (all of them…sheesh, I had no idea I had all that stuff!). I have several nice piles now to go to Goodwill…maybe someone can make use of the George Foreman grill that I only used once ten years ago).

What else did I do with my time off?

I was able to work on my latest work in progress and start two others (yeah, I know, I shouldn’t have started those other two stories, but when characters and the opening scene comes to me, I have to write it down…otherwise, it’s lost). I was pretty happy with my word count. I don’t write as fast as others (I’m a slow and steady kinda person) but I did some major damage to Wife By Surprise, which pleases me. I just might hit my goal of having it done by the new year. 

I should go. I hear that slice of leftover cheesecake calling my name, but before I do, there are a few things I should tell you I’m grateful for. As always, I’m thankful for family and friends, the roof over my head, and the food in my belly. I’m fortunate to have a job I love (even though I’m looking forward to retirement---four years, one month away now), but mostly, I’m grateful to you, gentle readers, for giving me the opportunity to share my passion for writing.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

 It doesn't matter who you are, reading is a sanctuary and everyone has a need and purpose to read.  

In the Kentucky Appalachians, Cussy Mary Carter is the Book Woman.  She travels by donkey with books, magazines, pamphlets, and any other reading material the local library can scrounge up and send to the hill people.  

Cussy Mary lives with her dear father.  Working in the coal mines, her father is fearful of an early death while he attempts to get a mate for Cussy.  Mating season in the hills is noted by placing a burning candle in the window.  A lit candle means an available bride.  

With little faith in the candle, she knows her unique blue skin places her status on the lowest rung of humanity.  Cussy's job as Book Woman gives her all the freedom she can hope for.  She teaches the mountain people to read and surprises them with materials of interest, when available, to keep them excited about knowledge.

On Cussy's route, Jackson Lovett settled himself in a cabin after traveling the country.  He appears to have an eye for Cussy, which she refuses to acknowledge.  No man of such wondrous standing would want anything to do with a blue woman.  

The local doctor repeatedly requests testing on Cussy's color.  Maybe there's hope to change from blue to white.  Or is the color of a person a vanity issue while the person remains the same?  Another problem for Cussy to encounter.

Jackson is held back from approaching Cussy, but he does show interest in simple ways when she approaches his home with her reading materials.  A bouquet of wildflowers confuses her.  Yet, does she sense his interest? 

Tragedy's are exchanged for hope.  Hope in life, reading, and love.  With each show of anger, jealousy, and prejudice, a page turns with strengthened friendship and love.  

Richardson's story is an intelligent, hopeful, and heartwarming tale.   It's easy to get involved with Cussy's life and wish her the best.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Parts of a Story

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, today, we’re going to discuss the parts of a novel—the easy and the not so easy. There’s the beginning, the middle, the end, the synopsis, the blurb…and the first love scene (if your story has one. Some don’t.).

Let me explain.

Starting a new story is wonderful. You’re excited. You’re happy because it’s something new. You have your basic storyline and maybe an outline (I do plot points. Others write by the seat of their pants). You get to introduce your hero and heroine, who they are, what they’re all about. I love this part. It’s fun getting to name your characters and build their traits and foibles. You feed in some of their past and where they are now. As I said, it’s exciting and sets up your story.

Then there’s the sagging middle. I call it that because the enthusiasm for the beginning has waned a little. It’s usually at this point that my brain betrays me and thoughts of “this is boring” or “why did I ever think I could do this” start cascading through my head. It takes patience and perseverance to get through this part (I’m certain other authors do not have this problem, but I seem to with every story I write).

I love writing the end. At a certain point, you find yourself on that downward slope. There’s no turning back now. You find yourself (or at least I do), writing faster and faster, rushing (not blindly though) to reach that happily ever after. You may cry as you write ‘The End’ or celebrate with a piece of chocolate or two.

Let’s talk a little about your synopsis (or as I call it ‘the dreaded’ synopsis). If you plan to submit your work to a publisher or agent, you must have one. Depending on who you are submitting to, the synopsis needs to be two pages or five pages or anywhere in between. I find it incredibly difficult to condense my ninety-five-thousand-word story into two or three or five pages.

Then there is the blurb, the short description on the back of the book that makes a reader look at it to begin with. It must be enticing with just enough information to interest the reader. This can be incredibly difficult for some (re: me), but really easy for others.

But I want to go back to the love scene, which is where I am right now in my story. I have read authors who simply blow me away with how their loves scenes are written and they make it seem so easy.

It isn’t. In fact, it’s darned hard (unless you’re lucky enough to have your characters do all the hard work…sometimes that happens and I love it when it does!). There are so many questions, so many possibilities for that first time your hero and heroine make love. Should their coming together be slow and sensual? Hot and urgent? Both? What about clothes? Are they wearing any or does each character need to be undressed? Who does the undressing? If the scene is hot and urgent, then they should both be ripping each other’s clothes off, right? Or is a tantalizing dance as one article of clothing is removed at a time? Are they talking to each other? What are they saying?

It all needs to be choreographed in such a way that the reader is there, seeing everything, feeling everything. And it needs to be satisfying to everyone—the hero, the heroine, the author, but most especially you, the reader.

So why do we do it if it’s hard? For me, it’s a need. I have to write (even if no one ever sees it). Despite the frustration, despite the tears, I have a story to tell and quite frankly, I am not the same person when I don’t have a story in progress.

And that’s all for me. I should go and tackle that love scene now.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Shiver by Karen Robards

 East St. Louis, Illinois is nothing like its step-sister, St. Louis, Missouri.  East St. Louis is where things happen and no one sees.  Samantha Jones lives in the shit-hole in Illinois, but she has the love of her life, a young son, and a job as a

night repo-woman.  

That's all she cares about, and she carries a Smith and Wesson to make sure she stays alive to care for her son.

Daniel Panterro is living a nightmare at the same time, only he's bound and bloody in the back of Sam's next repo job.  The classy looks of the BMW she drives her cranky repo truck to, holds him in the trunk when she pops the lid.  

Sam wants nothing to do with the streets of East St. Louis, and Danny cannot reveal his true identity.  Doesn't matter.  She's entangled in his troubles whether she saw who put him in the trunk or not.  

It's a crazy ride.  Danny takes Sam hostage, yet he protects her relative to the situation.  

Sam chastises herself for noticing Danny's good looks beneath the dirt and blood.  The fact that he doesn't want her dead is a relief, too.

Could it be more than just survival?  Could something good and loving come from a frightening hide-and-seek with the thugs after them?  Will Sam and Danny live to find out?

Robards delivers another one of her high-octane romantic suspense novels, and I recommend opening the cover!  

Happy reading,

Dawn

Fear the Blinking Cursor

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, it’s my turn to post to Happily Ever After Thoughts and here I am, staring at a blank page in Word and a blinking cursor, having, once again, no topic. Or maybe, I just don't have the words. This is not unusual. 

As a writer, that blank page and blinking cursor is intimidating and the bane our existence, but it happens more often than I’m comfortable with. Sometimes, as I already said, there are no words and the cursor just teases us (or maybe, torments would be a better description). And it doesn’t only happen when you’re trying to write a blog. It happens other times, too.

Sometimes, the characters in your current story refuse to talk to you, leaving you to figure it out. Sometimes, our muses simply disappear for a time (Hmmm, I wonder where they go. Are there muse conventions where all the muses get together and laugh at us mere mortals? Are there classes where they’re taught how to torture us? My muse must enjoy those classes quite a bit, as he seems to take particular pleasure in leaving me hanging while he’s off galivanting).  

What does one do? I don’t know about other writers, but for me, physical labor does the trick to break that log jam and get those words flowing. I’ve come up with some really good ideas while washing the dishes or scrubbing the floor (I keep a pad of paper handy though writing notes with wet hands isn’t something I would recommend).

I have, at times, simply tried working on another story but then, that can get you in trouble, too, because what if you like the new thing you’re working on instead of finishing the original thing? Hahahaha, that probably explains why I have over thirteen unfinished manuscripts sitting in my computer right now although I always eventually go back to the thing that was giving me fits in the first place).

Walking also helps…just putting one foot in front of the other without any clear destination in mind (Hahahahaha, I’ve walked miles trying to figure out how to get out of the corner I’ve written myself into!). The only problem with that is 1) you could get lost, 2) you could find that you’ve walked too far and now have to go home and frankly, your feet hurt, or 3) you just can’t remember everything that went through your head while you were walking. I could use a recorder to get my thoughts down but I sound like Mickey Mouse (in between the huffing and puffing). It’s rather embarrassing!

Hmmmm, I think I’ll go clean out the fridge…maybe that’ll get those creative juices flowing! Wish me luck!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Texas Hero's Homecoming by Charlene Sands

 A failing farm and a father failing in his ability to keep the farm together is a growing problem for Autumn Messina.  She has a dream of becoming a teacher, yet at the same time keeping the farm running is running her down.  

 On a frustratingly hot day while at work on the farm, Sam Russell appears.  Autumn is not in the mood for her former crush to show up.  

 Sam completes ten years of special forces and returns home.  He owes his life to Autumn's brother and intends on repaying the family. 

 

Sam left Autumn behind when she was a teenager, and her anger erupts in a fresh barrage of doing whatever it takes to keep him out of her business.  Although, he has a lot of good ideas.

Meanwhile, as Sam attempts to help the farm, he also joins a local group of veterans.  He learns how to help them through rough patches, which includes making them feel useful.  

Sam's knowledge of the farm, hardworking veterans, and continual kindness to Autumn start to crack her guard against him. 

It's only a matter of bumping into each other a few times, results on the farm, and a constantly changing plan that draws Autumn into Sam's arms for good.

Happy reading,

Dawn

PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Lexi Post on sale for only 99¢ until Halloween!

Passion of Sleepy Hollow

on sale for only 99¢

until Halloween

Recluse Braeden Van Brunt is not happy to be the Headless Horseman…until he meets Katrina Van Tassel, owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, whose allure bewitches him from the front desk into the bedroom. When he discovers Kat and the village of Sleepy Hollow are cursed to exist only in the present day for one weekend a year, he realizes the sacrifice he must make if he wants to keep her.

Katrina Van Tassel lives between slivers of time. She thought she was through grieving her betrothed’s death, but her dreams flare to life when his mirror-image arrives requesting a room. Drawn to Braeden, she is taken to greater heights of intimacy than she ever imagined, but she can’t be sure if her heart is with him or with the love from her past.

Knowing he must conquer both time and ghosts to keep the only woman he’s ever loved, Braeden must put the past to rest. But the dead won’t rest in Sleepy Hollow.

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N | AppleBooks | Kobo | 

Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA  

About Lexi:

 Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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Whooo-hoooo! It's Autumn!

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Whoooo-hoooo! It’s Autumn! I love this time of year! It means I have survived the blistering heat of another Arizona summer. There’s a briskness in the air, especially in the early mornings. Days are getting a little shorter. No, the leaves don’t change color in Phoenix and I miss seeing that, but one only needs to take a short drive up north to see those fabulous colors.  It means the holidays are coming up, too (my favorite is Thanksgiving. What’s yours?)

It also means that it’s time for fall cleaning—you know, that deep cleaning that’s far beyond the usual. Yes, I still do this (a carry-over from when I was young and helped my grandparents do their spring and fall cleaning. The windows get washed (which includes those blasted mini-blinds that seem to be in every window of my house…regular dusting/vacuuming of them just doesn’t quite do the trick), drapes get changed from the lighter, filmier ones of spring to the heavier ones for winter. The walls get washed (which is a kind of hassle because everything needs to come down then put back up). Cabinets get conditioned (again, regular washing just doesn’t quite do the trick). All the books come down from the built-in book shelf, too (they are dusted weekly but dusting doesn’t get into the little nooks and crannies).

Yes, I know. I might be a little insane, but it’s tradition and I just can’t seem to help myself (those lessons and traditions learned at a very young age are so ingrained, one just can’t ignore them).

I’m also not as young as I used to be though so doing all this takes time…a lot of time. I used to take the week of Thanksgiving off (I also take a week in spring) and do everything, including cook and bake for that Thanksgiving meal, but I’m older now and don’t have as much energy so…everything that needs to be done gets done in increments, room by room over several weekends.

And I started this weekend after meeting some friends for lunch. I’m tired already, but that’s okay. It's one of those things that needs to be done. 

Oh, and I still need to find time to write. It’s not a problem though as I usually write between 4:30am and 6:00am, my usual routine that I’ve been doing for years (before I head in to the day job). The book I’m working on right now, the third in the Wives of Bravado County series, is giving me fits (how many corners can I write myself into?) but I will persevere.     

Stay well! Stay safe! Remember to spread kindness wherever you go! And happy Autumn!

Marie

If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon

 You may wonder why I'm presenting an older version of a romance, yet the novel isn't quite in the classic genre.  I thought it would be fun to experience the difference in writing from the 1980's and now.  

If Tomorrow Comes was a best-seller just as there are many current best-sellers.  The story is fast paced, loaded with adventure, and what isn't better than romance ripping the seams out of any character's plans?  

Tracy Whitney has a career in Philadelphia banking and is engaged to a rich man with a rich family.  Their unborn baby will have a brilliant future.

When her mother commits suicide in New Orleans, Tracy abruptly leaves to find out why. She quickly, and kind of irrationally, comes up with a plan to get back at the men who she feels caused her mom to lose it.  

Her first plan against the local Mafia ends her up in prison.  Getting worse, her fiancé cuts her out of his life, and she loses the baby.  Tracy will never give up, though.

 A greatly imaginable scheme to break out of prison starts her new career as a thief.  She loves it, and she takes away money and assets from people who really don't deserve what they have.  

Jeff Stevens turns up repeatedly during her encounters for stolen goods.  Like many men, she doesn't trust him and thinks he wants to step in on her plans.  Surprisingly, he gives her tips as a co-thief.  Interest and a relationship begin to hatch.  They travel the globe as thieves until they decide to retire in South America.  

Granted, it's so much fun being bad!

Happy reading,

Dawn

ROMANCE & BOOKS New Releases, Discounts, and Freebies!

 

Check out the great new releases, discounted books, and freebies at Romance & Books!

Movies That Make Me Cry

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, my favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings (because I get up so blasted early and really, it isn’t fair to start running the vacuum at 5 in the morning) is to sit myself down (in the dark) and watch a movie. I try to find one I haven’t seen before and this past Saturday, I hit the jackpot. I watched Return to Me. It’s an older movie with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny but I had never seen it (which is a bit unusual, because I am such a movie buff). Anyway, the storyline was sweet and charming and surprising (Carroll O’Connor, he of Archie Bunker fame, played a loving Irish grandpa, which just tickled me) but the most remarkable thing of all was that the movie made me cry. Oh, not ugly cry, where I’m sobbing big tears, but some sniffles, throat constriction (you know what I’m talking about) and a few tears that made my vision blurry.

It made me think of other movies that do that to me (I am not a crier by nature—something has to really touch me) so without further ado, here is Marie’s List of movies that will make you cry (in no particular order):

It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve watched this movie on Christmas Eve (yes, it’s a tradition) for the past thirty years and every year, I say I’m not going to cry at the end and every year, I lie to myself.

The Other Side of the Mountain. The story of skier Jill Kinmont. Sat in a movie theatre with a bunch of friends and bawled like a baby. I was inconsolable though no one else seemed to be.

Steel Magnolias. The funeral scene. Need I say more?

A Star Is Born. Doesn’t matter which version (though my favorite is the Barbra Streisand one).

Forrest Gump. The scene where Forest meets his son for the very first time and asks if he’s like me. Gets me every time.

Homeward Bound, The Incredible Journey. You know the movie I’m talking about. The two dogs and a cat (voiced by Don Ameche, Michael J Fox, and Sally Field) who have to find their way home. Yeah, that one. My son was embarrassed (because we were in a movie theatre and I sobbed like a two-year old).

It also got me to wondering about books that make me cry (as an adult. When I was young, any book that was about an animal—dog, cat, horse—could make me lose it). There have been only two that come to mind. The first is Paint the Wind by Cathy Cash Spellman. I’ve read that book at least ten times and every time I cry. I know the scene that gets me is coming up and I mentally prepare myself, but that doesn’t work. I end up in tears anyway. The second is Jodi Thomas’s The Texan’s Reward. The ending was so sweet and so love- and life-affirming (even though I expected a happy ending), I burst into tears.

What movie or book has made you cry?

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

REVEALING THE VISCOUNT by Lexi Post has Released!

 

Revealing the Viscount (Marrying a Mabry: Book 3) has released. This regency romance is the third in a series inspired by Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I hope you enjoy!

Amazon  | Amazon UK  | Amazon AU  | Amazon CA  

Lady Mariel Mabry Beaumont is shocked to discover the man she loved, who died in the war, isn’t actually dead and has been in hiding for the last three years. Furious, hurt, and determined to have answers, she sets out to confront him, but the spontaneous, energetic man she used to know has truly disappeared, leaving her to face a cold, hardened stranger.

Marcus Stratton, the new Viscount of Blackmore, curses the fact his older brother died for many reasons, one of which is it has revealed him to society. Now there will be expectations, expectations he cannot fulfill, but what he can fulfill is his oath to bring the last of his men to justice…once he finds him. When the woman he hoped to avoid seeks him out, his true torture begins. Despite his love for her, or rather because of it, he must turn her away. She deserves far more than he can give her.

Yet unable to resist, he finds himself agreeing to Mariel’s proposition of a fake betrothal in which she’ll happily throw him over in mere weeks to avoid being pitied by the ton. But as they spend time together, his fear becomes reality and he falls even deeper in love, putting her life in danger. Now, the only way to end their façade is to reveal his personal war wounds, but will that be all that’s revealed?

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

 The season of witches, pumpkins, and black cats is looming.  Katherine Howe puts together a story rich with history, witches, paranormal, romance, and thriller.  

As a Harvard graduate, Connie Goodwin has the summer to create a dissertation for her doctorate.  The hard part is coming up with a topic.  Another hard part is created when her mother insists Connie clean up her grandmother's abandoned house near Salem, Massachusetts in order to sell it.  

Connie is overwhelmed with the work at the house, which she chooses to live at for the summer.  The topic of her dissertation, well, that is found among the old books and papers her grandmother collected.  

A centuries old Bible with a key and scrap of paper with the name Deliverance Dane enacts Connie's curiosity.  She finds out Deliverance was a witch from 1691, and her story is astounding.  Deliverance created the Physick Book of remedies.  All Connie needs to do is find the book and her dissertation is complete.

Many hours of consideration and wondering with a mind in need of information to fill the blanks, Connie meets Sam who's high up on a steeple.  Turns out he repairs steeples for historical buildings.  They become close friends, both interested in the history of Salem.

One other person with great interest in Connie's thesis, is Professor Chilton Manning.  his interest is exaggerated, and he pressures Connie to find the Physick Book.  He has ulterior motives, and the friendship and love from Sam is a great help in Connie's multiple projects, some of which are unknown dangers.  

Actual history of the Salem witch trials, a little magic, and intertwined romance produce an exciting read for the Autumn.

Happy reading,

Dawn

REVEALING THE VISCOUNT by Lexi Post on Preorder at 99¢ for only 3 more days!

Revealing the Viscount

(Marrying a Mabry:

Book 3) 

99¢ for only 3 more days

Lady Mariel Mabry Beaumont is shocked to discover the man she loved, who died in the war, isn’t actually dead and has been in hiding for the last three years. Furious, hurt, and determined to have answers, she sets out to confront him, but the spontaneous, energetic man she used to know has truly disappeared, leaving her to face a cold, hardened stranger.

Marcus Stratton, the new Viscount of Blackmore, curses the fact his older brother died for many reasons, one of which is it has revealed him to society. Now there will be expectations, expectations he cannot fulfill, but what he can fulfill is his oath to bring the last of his men to justice…once he finds him. When the woman he hoped to avoid seeks him out, his true torture begins. Despite his love for her, or rather because of it, he must turn her away. She deserves far more than he can give her.

Yet unable to resist, he finds himself agreeing to Mariel’s proposition of a fake betrothal in which she’ll happily throw him over in mere weeks to avoid being pitied by the ton. But as they spend time together, his fear becomes reality and he falls even deeper in love, putting her life in danger. Now, the only way to end their façade is to reveal his personal war wounds, but will that be all that’s revealed?

Buy Links:

Amazon  | Amazon UK  | Amazon AU  | Amazon CA  

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

Website

Lexi Post Updates

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I ONLY LIKE THE WOMAN IN THE BEDROOM!

 

Hey, gang, how the hell are ya?  Doing good here, just busy as all get out trying to work my way through Kickstarter and now BackerKit. But I’m getting there! 

So, today I wanted to tell you about what I faced last week at home…a dog.  To be specific, a little “wack-job” of a dog that can’t weigh even 20 pounds.  He’s (I think) a chihuahua / Jack Russell cross and is crazy as a goat that’s been loosed in an LSD lab.  Seriously!  The dog is a freak. Nothing this animal does makes sense. 

Okay, let me back up.  Here’s a cartoon picture of the little guy from a couple Christmases ago.  I know…he’s cute. Don’t let that fool you. He’s not all there, and he's a bad judge of character.  He actually belongs to my son and DIL, and he’s a total mommy’s boy…and the biggest fraidy cat I’ve ever seen. His name is Zeus.  I think they were hoping he would live up to that, but I honestly don’t see that ever happening. 

Anyway, here is where being a poor judge of character comes in…Zeus is afraid of me. Terrified, actually.  Or at least that is how it would appear to the casual observer. But the truth of the matter is…the dog just ain’t right.  He’s so terrified of me that he won’t let me catch him to go outside, so we have to leave his leash on him the whole time he is here…because he’s not smart enough to know that just because he’s under the bed, the leash is still out there where that woman can get to it. 

I have never abused the poor little thing, nor have I even threatened him and no one in the family can figure out why he has fixated on me. But Zeus has been part of the family for…hell, I think about eight years, and yet you would think every time he sees me that he is seeing some big, hairy monster for the very first time ever. They pull into the driveway, and he gets out of the car all excited to be here and I step out the front door and say, “Hi”, and he freaks the hell out. It’s the same routine every time and is so funny and weird that it has become the family joke that Zeus loves going to gramma’s house until he learns who lives there…because clearly, no one has ever told him before who lives at this house. 

Recently, he’s surprised us all, as he’s begun to warm up to me—well, sort of. His mom and dad will bring him and his sister, Zoe, by and leave them with me to babysit for a few days. Zoe…no problem. She’s in my lap the minute they are gone and, while she will cry a little bit over them leaving, she does great with me. 

Zeus, on the other hand, needs time to warm up to this stranger he’s clearly never seen before ever in his whole life.  Who could be so heartless as to expect a sensitive young man like him to just jump into the lap of a perfect stranger?! 

Well, the newest thing is that within an hour of his parents leaving, a switch flips in his brain.  He spends the first hour he’s here cowering behind a chair, peeking out to see if I’ve left yet. Then he just can’t stand it anymore and when he sees me sit down in the recliner in my room and Zoe getting all the pets, here he comes, launching himself into my lap. Scared the bejeebies outta me the first time he did it.  I saw him flying at me and worried that he'd finally snapped. 

So, once in my lap, he’s as happy as can be…stays glued to my side the rest of the day.  I sit, he’s in my lap.  I sit at my desk to work, he’s right behind me in the recliner…we are best buds…in my room, for the remainder of that day. 

Then he sleeps... 

Apparently, when he sleeps, his brain does a “clear storage” operation and he’s the living embodiment of 50 First Dates. I go to get them out of their kennel, and he is cowering in the back, avoids me like the plague all the way to the door, then hides behind a chair the minute I take his lead off and snap the short leash on him.  Yes, he still has to drag the leash because friendship is a very fleeting thing with this wackadoodle. 

This photo is the morning after he has just spent the entire day following me and laying in my lap.  Now, all this said, keep in mind that I do spend most of my day in my bedroom, working—either in the bedroom recliner or at my desk.  If I move into the living room mid-day, all bets are off…the dog that has just been in my lap all morning is now terrified of me again. I go to the bedroom, we are buddies.  Move back to the living room later and I’m dead to him. His friendship seems to be very location-specific…again, only with me. 

We have tried to sort it out and the only thing we can come up with is that he really only likes the woman in the bedroom.  Apparently, the woman in the living room is a terrifying, mean person that is NOT to be trusted. 

Have I mentioned yet that he is NOT right?

Well, that’s my story, weird and wacky, and I’m stickin’ to it. Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,  

 

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Dallas Trip Recap

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Oops! I missed posting when I returned from my trip to Dallas. My only excuse? I was recuperating. It was a whirlwind of places and sights and sounds! I was exhausted, but so very happy I had the opportunity to visit.

The Stockyards at Fort Worth was everything I hoped it would be and more. We did shop (how can you not when there are so many stores to wander in and out of?) and we ate (too much! I gained five pounds! Yikes! But that’s all right). I did not get to take that ride on a stagecoach but I did get to see that cattle drive down the street. That was exciting (and yes, a bit noisy). I never realized how big the horns on longhorn cattle are! They were huge! And in all different shapes and sizes.

The best part was staying at the Stockyard Hotel. Oh my gosh! It was beautiful and exactly how I picture the Possibility Hotel and Restaurant from my Wives of Bravado County series! Actually, stepping foot inside that hotel brought that fictitious place to life. I took a lot of pictures (lobby, saloon, restaurant, but unfortunately, my brand-new phone failed in that endeavor….it recorded one picture of every 10 I took….not sure how that happened). 

From my understanding, the Stockyard Hotel was built in 1907 and is
reported to be haunted. I didn’t see any ghosts, but as we were leaving at the end of our stay, the elevator kinda dipped a bit, like someone else was getting on though there was no one there. A spirit from another dimension leaving with us? Maybe.

        I didn’t get to see the Cowgirl Museum. Apparently, it has moved to Fort Worth proper, but the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame was fabulous. And we were able to take a tour of the John Wayne Exhibit (I’m a huge John Wayne fan! Love all his westerns!). Here’s a picture of me with the Big Man himself!

I did meet my friend for lunch. You know, it’s amazing when you haven’t seen someone in a long time and then you do, it’s like you’d never been apart at all. Yup, she and I picked up right where we left off and it really was so wonderful to see her! I think I miss her even more now!

The Tiki Cruise around the lake was lovely (there was a nice breeze coming off the lake, which was wonderful because it was so hot) then it was off to a slumber party! I haven’t been to a slumber party since I was a kid. It sure was fun! I even did karaoke, not something I would normally do (apparently, I can’t carry a tune in a paper bag, but you know what? I’d do it again. In a heartbeat!).

We also found time to visit David's Bridal and look for Mother of Groom dresses. Found one or two that I liked, but I'm still looking. I have time. The wedding isn't until April 2024 but we all know how times flies!

Just thinking about my trip and all the things we did makes me tired all over again. I think I’ll take a nap.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

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