Digging Myself Deeper

In the past, I’ve always had some friends handy whenever I started running my mouth and digging myself into a deeper hole, who would say, “Shut up, Nick.” Unfortunately, they’ve all died off and I’m the last man standing. So I’ve been digging some holes lately.

Terry had purchased some rose bushes from Lowe’s that she wanted planted, so the other day I dug three holes for them in the front, where we have some other rose bushes already. Fortunately, a heavy rain the day and night before had made the ground soft, which made the digging easier. But in this part of Arizona, for every shovel full of dirt you dig up, you’re going to get two shovels full of rocks, and this was no exception. A few times, I had to resort to a pick to break the ground up enough to get rocks the size of a large softball out. But I got the job done and Terry got the bushes planted.

The next order of business was to dig a larger, deeper hole in the backyard to plant a magnolia tree. Back on Arbor Day, Subaru was giving away free trees, and we picked up a nice magnolia. It was replaced to a temporary home in the greenhouse ever since, but it was time to plant it in its permanent home.

The ground in back wasn’t nearly as easy as the ground in front, and I had to resort to using my Earthquake rototiller to get the job done. The first 6 inches or so weren’t too bad. All I had to do was hold the tiller in place and let it go. Then I hit hard clay, and the thing bounced around so much I thought my arms were going to fall off. But eventually, I got deep enough that Terry could plant the tree, and it’s doing very well out there. And not once did anybody say, “Shut up, Nick.” But I’m sure I’m going to need it said sooner or later.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an autographed copy of The Guatemala Reader by Mark Walker, who was recently profiled in an Author Spotlight. Join Mark on an epic journey through this fascinating yet often misunderstood Central American neighbor. The author has studied and written about Guatemala for fifty years, and this book focuses on some of the extraordinary people of Guatemala and their amazing stories. Given the crisis of democracy in Guatemala and the continued turmoil on our border, this is the time to understand the human realities better and take action to secure a more promising future. Guatemala draws up to 1.8 million tourists per year, whose visits start in the largest city in Central America with brief visits to ancient Mayan ruins and contemporary Maya villages, which provide a partial folkloric understanding of Guatemalan society. Over the years, Mark has traveled to places most Guatemalans have never seen and  use encounters with ordinary Guatemalans, profiles, and stories from local Mayan leaders, advocates, writers, and poets to bring a new appreciation and understanding of this amazing country.

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. 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’ve come to accept the fact that the closest I’m going to get to an African safari is seeing a camel toe in cheetah print leggings at Walmart.