Words, Water, And Whatnot

So, what’s going on in our life? All kinds of things. Some of them good and some of them not so good.

The good news is that I talked to Kenny yesterday, and while he is still in pain, he says he is slowly getting better. But he’s off work for a week and bored to death. Kenny is the kind of guy who always has to be doing something, and idleness does not suit him. The not so good is that Terry has been fighting a chest cold for several days now, and it has really taken a toll on her. She told me that she thinks it’s starting to ease up a bit, and I sure hope so. I hate it when the people I care about are not doing well and there’s nothing I can do to help them.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing in my new Tinder Street book, over 6,000 words so far this week. As much as I love this series, it’s the hardest one to write because so much research is involved. I have to watch myself, because I’ll be looking at an old newspaper or online story from the past and the next thing I know, I’m going down a rabbit hole, looking for more stuff that I won’t use in the book but that I’m fascinated by.

Besides writing, yesterday I introduced Alli to the Oneisall 7 in 1 pet grooming system I ordered a while back. Anybody who’s ever been around a German Shepherd knows that name is not really correct. They should be called German shedders, because these remarkable dogs have a thick coat and they shed every day of the year, winter and summer. Our granddaughter Hailey is a pet groomer, but I don’t like to call on her all the time because she’s busy with her new baby and clients’ dogs, and I’m too cheap to pay her. In truth, she won’t take any money from me. Anyway, this is a great vacuum-operated system with everything from hair cutters to nail grinders to paw clippers. I knew Alli would be a little shy around it, but it has three speeds, the lowest one being not very intrusive at all. I won’t say she loved the experience, but she stood still and let me get a lot of hair off of her in the short time I used it. I plan to do a little bit at a time as she becomes more accustomed to the equipment.

One of the worst things about almost everywhere in Arizona is our hard water. That’s why in some places like Yuma and Tucson, they have water vending machines where you can fill up water bottles rather than deal with the stuff that comes out of the tap. Terry got tired of having cloudy iced tea and white mineral deposits on every glass or utensil she used, so she ordered a Bluevua countertop reverse osmosis water filter system from Amazon. It didn’t take long to set up, and after running the first few test pitchers of water and disposing of them as recommended until the various filters got settled in, she now has sparkling clean water that tastes a lot better.

Today I plan to be back at it, getting at least one more chapter written. I’m also going to try to put hose clamps on the gas line on the old Chrysler convertible, which came off a few days ago and spilled gas all over the garage floor. Even I should be able to do that. But then again, we are talking about me, so who knows what might happen?

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an autographed copy of The Ghost of Marlow House, the first book in the Haunting Danielle cozy paranormal mystery series by Bobbi Holmes, who was featured in a recent Author Spotlight. When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she’s never visited the property, Danielle’s not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn’t expect to find one of the house’s previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years—shouldn’t he have moved on by now? Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living—those who have their sights on Marlow House’s other secrets.

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.

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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. I’m a gun guy, but I don’t think I want to do any shooting at a range where they have signs in Braille.

Thought For The Day – Some people light up every room they leave.