Finally Done

I finally finished Big Lake Ranger, the 21st book in the Big Lake series. This is my 48^th or 49^th book, I really can’t keep track of them anymore, and my fifth new book this year. It came in at about 97,500 words, which will make it the second-longest book in the series. And it’s a doozy, with a lot going on in that little mountain town, including some things I never saw coming that will change some characters’ lives forever.

Today I will make corrections to the last three chapters I wrote, then print them out to give to Miss Terry to begin the editing and proofreading process. I was hoping to get it out before Christmas, but that will depend on how long the editing and proofreading all take.

Speaking of Christmas, the other day, our friend Jennifer brought us this beautiful Christmas wreath for our front door. A friend of Jennifer’s named Tina Eaton makes the wreaths and some other beautiful creations and sells them through her Etsy store at  https://www.etsy.com/shop/mamamingescrafts/. Thanks, Jennifer, we love it!

A while back, I told you that Miss Terry had planted some cucumbers and tomatoes in planters in our front yard, and boy, those cucumbers are growing fast! I snapped a quick photo of them this afternoon. I pretty much only eat meat and potatoes and chocolate, but Terry is looking forward to having fresh cukes along with the veggies she grows in her AeroGarden with her salads.

I guess we’ll file this one under better late than never – I received an e-mail from Ram yesterday telling me they had exciting news. The new Laramie I ordered in May and was told would be at the dealership by the end of July or August at the latest has finally been built and is awaiting final inspection this coming week before shipping out. I hope whoever ultimately gets it enjoys it, but I’m happy with the one we bought a week ago. Terry and I briefly joked about trading her Pacifica in on this one and being a two-pickup family, but I don’t see that happening. Well, if they made me a really crazy offer… 😊

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. This is another one from my friend Jim Harper, who seems to have a talent for finding these things.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Big Lake Scandal, the fifth book in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – How come men’s magazines don’t have articles on how to create the best holiday ever?