It was incredibly hot yesterday, and today doesn’t look any better, with a forecast of a high temperature of 94°. And of course, we didn’t get the rain that we had hoped for. When I went out in the morning, the plants in Terry’s raised garden beds were drooping from the heat. I put on […]
We were up early yesterday because we had a busy day ahead of us. I started my day with the usual routine of posting the blog to Facebook, recording my current weight (down another pound!), putting food and fresh water out for Declan, the porch cat, and getting Alli fed. Speaking of my weight loss […]
I spent much of yesterday talking to bank loan officers, trying to get a handle on the best way to pay down the loan on our house once we get the proceeds from the sale of our house in Alabama. I thought I could recast the loan, which we did with the house in Alabama, […]
I always tell new authors that writing a book is the easy part. It’s after you finish the last chapter that the real work starts, and that’s what we’ve been doing the last few days since I finished Debt Collector, the fourteenth book in my John Lee Quarrels mystery series about a small town Florida […]
Here’s another tale from the Nick Happens file, a collection of true stories about my adventures and misadventures over the years. We all know you can save a lot of money by doing your own vehicle maintenance and simple repairs. I even suggest it in my book The Frugal RVer. The problem is that there […]
In spite of the fact that we had rain instead of snow, we had a wonderful Christmas Day with our daughter Tiffany, her husband Kenny, and their family. It’s the first time we have been here to celebrate the holiday with them since we went on the road as fulltime RVers in 1999. There’s no […]
I missed a couple of days of writing because we had medical and veterinary appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I was back at it yesterday. I started out by making all the changes that Terry had suggested to the latest eight chapters of my new book, Big Lake Parolee. After I finished that, I […]
Note: This story is from my book Highway History And Back Road Mystery. The United States and Canada have enjoyed a long and friendly relationship. Our boundary with our neighbors to the north is the longest unguarded border in the world. But there was a time when a lowly pig almost brought the two nations […]
On a narrow two lane back road in Gloucester County, Virginia, we discovered the tiny cottage in which one of the most famous medical doctors of all time was born and spent his earliest days. A small sign and historical plaque were all that marked the home. It seemed a modest tribute to such a […]
For a brief time when I was a youngster my father’s work took us to southern California. We didn’t stay long and I don’t remember a whole lot about it, but one memory that stands out is of a bearded man who stood alongside the road waving at people as they drove into Laguna Beach. […]
Note: This story if from my book Highway History And Back Road Mystery II. Just outside of Mount Airy, North Carolina, we discovered the final resting place of two of history’s most famous medical oddities, Eng and Chang Bunker, known to most people as the Siamese Twins. Born near what is now Bangkok, Thailand (then […]
We’ve gotten a lot accomplished in the last couple of days but we’ve still got a long way to go. The first thing we did Thursday morning was to go to Chase bank in Tuscaloosa to arrange the wire transfer for the closing funds on our Arizona house. They make you jump through a bunch […]
I have shared this information before, back during our days as fulltime RVers, but since I know men have short attention spans, I thought it might be time for a refresher course. Okay, fellows, this is for your eyes only. If your beautiful bride spots this we’re both in big trouble. These helpful hints are […]
I have always thought that Burl Ives had me in mind every time I heard his old song, Mr. In-Between. In my days publishing small town newspapers, about half my readers thought I was a draft card burning, long-haired hippie, bleeding heart liberal. And just as many of my readers thought that I was an […]
The day comes sooner or later in all relationships, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. As time goes by, we all change. Things that were important once don’t always seem that way a little further down the road. Our needs change or interest wanes, and the best thing we can do is say goodbye. […]
I’m back with more questions from blog readers, this time about my writing activities. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally. Q. I just finished Big Lake Misfit and wow! The ending totally blew me away. I never saw it coming. I read the sample chapter of the […]
Terry and I did something different yesterday, something neither of us has ever done in our 72 years on this earth. We went to a political protest, the Hands Off rally in Tuscaloosa. It was part of a nationwide effort by people protesting Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s actions since he took office. There were […]
We all know a lot about George Washington, the Father of Our Country, but how much do you know about his mother, Mary Washington? Would she be called the Grandmother of Our Country? Born November 30, 1708, in Lancaster County, Virginia, Mary Ball was the only child of Joseph Matthäus Ball and his wife, Mary […]
When an old cowboy searching for stray cattle wandered into a 150 foot deep canyon in the middle of the Wyoming prairie and looked around him at the rugged landscape of alkali marshes, ominous caves, and steep cliffs, who can blame him for thinking he had stumbled into Hell’s half acre. From his perspective, it […]
In yesterday’s blog I mentioned that the wired remote control for my Golden Chair recliner was not working properly and that I had ordered a new remote control from Amazon. I forgot to mention that the second remote control, which covers the heat and massag modes, had stopped working some time ago. I seldom use […]