October 20, 2017
7:55 p.m.

Wow, this month has been passing fast.

Over the past year, I have been working on a new book, and it's about time for it to be released. It's kind of nerve wracking.

The first publication was fun. It was rather a case of "Why not?" with a gentle nudge from my son.

This one is more personal. There was a lot of me in this. Which is not to say that it's a true story; it is fiction. But it has elements of truth, and people who know me, the town I grew up in, and any of the family history will recognize some of those truths.

So it's scary, okay?

But it's coming. And I'm really hoping people will read and enjoy it. So, just to give you all a friendly nudge, here is a preview:

https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1233112

I hope you'll take a look and provide me with any feedback you think of. Thanks in advance!
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8:23 p.m.

Dad and I have colds, and we're both hoping Mom gets to skip it. Yesterday was rough on us, today we're feeling a bit better.

Cold season. Yippee.
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Having spent several weeks with my parents over the last year, I am getting a lot of exposure to westerns. My folks--especially my mother--love those old westerns. On weekdays, there's a lineup of shows that they watch almost every day on Starz Encore Westerns: Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Laramie, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Virginian. The Virginian replaced The Young Riders, and that made me kind of sad. I liked that one.

I don't always watch these, even though if they are home, I am home. I write, I do chores. Sometimes I watch stuff on Netflix or Hulu. But I've certainly viewed a lot of them, and I've made a few amusing observations.

For example: Did you ever notice how ridiculously well dressed and made up these western women are? Hairstyles so elaborate you can't imagine the time they must have taken; eyelashes OUT. TO. THERE. Dresses in colors that were likely unheard of in that era and in those locations. These gals are out on the dusty trails in Wagon Train and never seem to get dirty.

I'm sure if I had been 57 years old in 1967 and watching these shows, these things might never have occurred to me. But in 2017 it sure tickles my funny bone.

Did you ever notice that gut-shot cowboys in 1967 fare didn't bleed? They clutched their "wounds", made a pained face and fell to the ground, but...no blood! This actually is something I noticed even at age 7. Mom said the networks didn't want to unnecessarily alarm their audiences when I asked her about it.

Too bad that never crosses anyone's mind these days. 

Cheesy as some of those old shows are, there's something comforting about watching them. Who doesn't want to watch Steve McQueen get into trouble everyday as Josh in Wanted Dead or Alive? My dad gets such a kick out of this show.

Who doesn't want to see Edgar Buchanan guest star on practically every one of these shows with amazing regularity? I loved that guy. You remember him--Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres:

Did you know that he was a dentist? So was his wife, and he turned the business over to her when he went into acting full time. (I love trivia.)

Anyway, we watch a lot of westerns in this house, and it's a refreshing change of pace from the things I watch on my own.

This is not to say that everything I watch is new and up to date. Just now I am binge watching "Lost in Space". Nostalgia has me firmly in its grip.

Later on, though, I will probably watch something like "The Walking Dead". Because blood.

Hahaha!
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9:52 p.m.

Don't you just hate it when you're playing a game, you have a wild card and nothing--NOTHING!!--matches? Ugh!

Well, that has nothing to do with anything I am supposed to be doing. But I deserve a little break, right?
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Actually, I think I'll take a long break. You know, like overnight.

Until we meet again!

Ta!