July 15, 2016
12:29 p.m.


This morning I learned of the sudden death of a very dear friend of mine. I worked with this woman for several years, and she was an example to live up to when it came to work ethics. She was a professional in all aspects, and more than willing to pass on her knowledge and skills to those who really wanted to learn.

She was also a fiercely devoted mother who raised her children to be strong, independent and unique. I know she was very, very proud of them.

I visited with her last month while I was in Wyoming, and I'm so very glad that I went. It would be terrible, in retrospect, to have been that close and not have seen her.

I'm stunned. I can't believe it. She wasn't old; she took care of herself. She took care of everyone, honestly. She worked too hard, certainly. But...I still just can't believe it.

Annette Haney, you were a great friend, a great parent, a great person. You will be so missed. Fly high, my friend.

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2:00 p.m.

So, I'm sad. I guess it's as good a time as any to remind everyone that everytime you see someone you love, remember to say "I love you," when you part, because you might not get another chance. We are not promised tomorrow, so make the best of each day you're given. Make your plans, certainly. Save your money, map out your future, BUT--don't forget to make the best of today. JUST IN CASE. Let those you leave behind say you had a great time the day before you left them.

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I think I've gone as far as I'm going to go for now. I just want to sit here for awhile and remember my friend.

Make it a great day! And just so you know, I love you.

July 3, 2016
4:21 p.m.

Well, once again Independence Day is near, and I am freaking out because I really am not a fan of the celebration.

Look, I'm as patriotic as the next guy--maybe even more than the next guy. I'm grateful to live in this country.

I never turn my back on the chance to eat a good barbeque dinner and spend time with family and friends. I even enjoy a well-organized fireworks show every once in a blue moon. Pyrotechnics are impressive when done right.

Unfortunately, this is generally not the way I spend the holiday. I usually spend it cowering in fear that one of my less-than-sensible neighbors is going to set fire to my house with their illegal fireworks. I also spend it worrying about any of my loved ones who might have to be traveling, because along with the barbeque, a lot of these celebrants are going to imbibe a lot of alcohol and then drive.

So...not a fan of the 4th of July.

Please do me a favor, everyone. If you're in an area that doesn't permit fireworks, follow the rules and be safe!

If you are allowed fireworks in your area, please use them safely. Be careful.

Take care of your pets. More pets are lost on July 4th than any other day of the year.

Don't drink and drive!!

None of what I have said here requires more from you than just using common sense. I know it's in you. Don't make me beg.
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 Ha ha. It just rained enough to make me go turn off the water. Guess I'll go turn it back on. That turned out to be a big ole tease!!
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Anyway, I know I sound like a big old grouchy grump who hates holidays, but I just want everyone to be safe. So fire up the grill and toss those salads, eat to your heart's content and visit with your loved ones. View a professional fireworks display--or stay inside and watch a good movie. Just have a safe and Happy 4th of July!!

How I came to write S23HF50.

June 30, 2016
11:45 p.m.

I wrote this little book last year, because I was challenged to do something science fiction-like. But, me being me, it really is about a woman who loves her family.

You see, I like a challenge as much as the next person. But as soon as I was asked to think of science fiction, I thought of abduction. And once that crossed my mind, I found myself in a "what if?" state of mind.

What if some strange set of circumstances took me far away from my family? What if there was no way to escape, and no way to communicate with them? How would I react? How long would I last before I went crazy or killed myself?

This brought to mind a lot of other scenarios, but I was grateful to have been presented with a science fiction challenge for this story. It was safer to explore this as an alien abduction, you know? The other course would be to examine an abduction by a human, and God knows that couldn't turn out well.

So I jumped into Beth Ann's shoes and explored the possibilties. Then I jumped into the aliens' shoes to try and figure out why...

I had some fun writing this, I'll admit it.

The book is available now at this site:https://www.createspace.com/6368727 It will soon be available as a paperback on Amazon. I hope you'll give it a try.

Of course, now comes the hard part: convincing you lovely people that it's worth giving a chance. And I'm not great at the self promotion thing. So I'm just hoping for the best, because once it was done, it was probably going to sit in my computer's document files forever if not for my son encouraging me to try this.

Come what may, thanks son!
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July 1, 2016
12:18 a.m.

Oh my gosh, it's July! Where has the time gone? Year's half over already!

It's raining out, and it smells really good out there. I know my roof is suffering, but I can't seem to care about that right now. I just want my lawn to get a good soaking, because it has gotten really dry really quickly.

Over the next few days I will be working on keeping my lawn wet, because apparently I live in the same neighbor as a few idiotic people who think lighting fireworks in city limits is a good idea.

There are rules, regulations--heck laws--in effect here that say they can't do it, but it's the same thing every year, and I live in dread that some damned fool is going to set my house on fire.

Yeah, it's a house with problems, but it's mine, and speaking as someone who has already had a home burn down, I do not want a fire!

No offense to the good old USA, but I am not fond of the 4th of July.

Rain all you want out there--I've got buckets!

Plus, my rose bush is really big this year! Hurray, rain!
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I'm going to watch some Walking Dead and then go to bed. You'd think it would give me nightmares, but I'm tough, man!

Good night!