Nothing I Couldn’t Live Without

Kenny and I were planning to go to the gun show at the Show Low Elks Lodge yesterday, but it turned out to be a family affair. Tiffany wanted to go with us, and then granddaughter Hailey called to say she would meet us at the lodge with grandbaby Tyler. And just as we all arrived, so did granddaughter Britni and her boyfriend.

As I said in yesterday’s blog, if I did find something amazing at the show, it would have to be at a good price because my gun safe is full. As it turned out, there was nothing I couldn’t live without. There were two or three nice guns that I would have considered if I didn’t already have the same ones at home, but that was about it. But it’s still fun to look around and see what the market is today. One thing about buying quality guns is that if you get them at the right price, they are an excellent investment. I saw two different used guns that I bought in the $750 to $800 price range four or five years ago that are now going for over $1,100. Try getting that out of your savings account.

Back home, Terry and I ran a couple of errands, going to Petsense to pick up a few things for the critters, and then to Lowe’s for some soil to plant a tree. While we were there, Terry found a few plants she wanted, so they came home with us, too. All in all, it was a good day even if nothing exciting happened.

This is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an autographed copy of Tinder Street, the first book in my Tinder Street family saga. A simple trip to town, a chance meeting with a pretty young woman, and a few words were all it took for Lucas Wirtz to flee his family farm and the abusive father who dominated it. Following Rachel McNally to the big city, he had no idea how much his life and the world around him would change.

Chronicling the days leading up to World War I and the events that followed, Tinder Street is the first book in a saga that will take readers from rural farms to a major industrial city in the Midwest, across an ocean where German U-boats lurk waiting for a target to come within range of their deadly torpedoes, to the bloody trench warfare of France, and home again. Lucas was one of those soldiers, a man who hated the thought of killing, but did his duty. A duty that would haunt him long after the last shots were fired.

This is also the story of the simple working-class people who built America. Farmers, factory workers, streetcar conductors, midwives, and public servants. Their joys and sorrows, their wins and losses, and how these people who struggled together to build a better life for themselves and their children changed a place named Tinder Street to Tender Street, a reflection of one family’s devotion to their neighbors.

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 this 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. After 30 days, unclaimed prizes revert back to the drawing pool for a future contest.

Did you know that you can find all of my books and sign up for my free author’s newsletter on my website at www.nickrussellbooks.com?

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.

Thought For The Day – I love how you don’t let facts influence your opinion.