A Few More Days

If the weatherman is to be believed, we should have a few more days of this blistering hot weather with triple-digit temperatures and high humidity before things start to break on Monday or Tuesday. He says that early next week we will see the 80s again, and possibly some rain. I can’t wait. I am so over this hot weather.

Of course I know it’s the same just about everywhere right now. Friends from Florida to Michigan to the Pacific Northwest are telling me how miserable it is where they are, too. Anybody who doesn’t believe in global warming must have their head in the sand, or stuck someplace else, if you get my drift.

The only time it has been comfortable outside is early in the morning, and we all know that I’m not a morning person. However, my dog is, and every morning she needs to go out between 6 and 6:30. She does her thing and comes back inside, and I go back to bed for a while. I will admit that the sunrises can be pretty that early in the morning. I caught this one a couple of days ago, with a wisp of fog still hanging in the air.

The good news is that I’ve been getting a lot of work done in my next John Lee Quarrels book, knocking out a chapter a day. Terry has been proofreading chapters for me as I go and she says it’s going to be another winner. I sure hope so.

Somebody else who is working, no matter how hot it is, is a gentleman named Lamar, who runs a company called Pest Mans Pest and Lawn Service. Lamar was referred to me by my friend Donald Hann, and this is the second time he has sprayed our house and property for creepy crawlies. The fact that he’s 75 years old doesn’t slow Lamar down a bit, and he has loyal customers from north of here all the way south to Gulf Shores. He told us he doesn’t do any advertising, it’s all word of mouth. That’s the best kind of advertising you can get.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of my friend Suzie O’Connell’s Starlight Magic, from her popular Northstar Holidays romance series. Can the magic of the stars heal a tormented soul? Single father Brodie Dunn aims to find out by putting his heart on the line. Recently widowed artist Celeste Dawson desperately needs a tranquil place where she can rebuild herself. Two months after her husband’s violent death her career is in jeopardy and she can’t engage in the art that was once her escape from the world. She hopes a trip to Northstar will help her find peace. There’s no place better for healing, especially after she meets her charming new neighbor, ski hill owner Brodie. He suspects Celeste is going to be trouble right from the start, but he can’t ignore the pain in her eyes. On the saddest night of his life, he made a promise under the stars to laugh instead of cry and to help any wounded heart he comes across. He’s sure that philosophy and maybe a little starlight magic will do wonders for Celeste…if his apparent inability to take anything seriously doesn’t drive her mad first. A tale of forgiveness and hope, Starlight Magic will grab you by the heart.

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 and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed. After 90 days, unclaimed prizes revert back to the drawing pool for a future contest.

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. Jim Harper sent this one to me, and if you’ve ever seen National Lampoon’s Vacation, you will get it.

Thought For The Day – Happiness is a direction, not a place.