I received a phone call from somebody at our local Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealer telling me that the new Laramie pickup truck that I had ordered in June and was assured would be delivered between late July and the end of August last summer, had just arrived on the lot. He asked when I wanted to come […]
When we bought our house back in 2016, it didn’t take us long to find out that just getting furniture delivered was incredibly expensive. Except for the soft items (couch, loveseat, recliners, mattresses), everything else we bought was second-hand, most of it antique. But no matter what we bought or where we bought it from, […]
We watch a lot of true crime television shows because even though they have a lot of inaccuracies; showing a picture of a revolver when they’re talking about a semi-automatic pistol, for example, I do occasionally pick up an idea to use in one of my mystery books. We were watching one last night showing […]
Getting an e-mail like this, especially from someone like retired police officer TW Robinson, who wrote The Retirement, will make any author’s day: “I am almost done with Dog’s Run. I can see why you are a bestselling author. To date, this is one of the best books I have ever read. I love the […]
A while back Terry and I were at Lowe’s in Port Orange, Florida, and as I was opening the door of our Pacifica for Terry, I noticed an elderly lady with a flatbed cart with a case of bottled water parked near us. So once Terry was in the van, I walked over to ask […]
There was a time when gas cans came with a flexible metal spout that made it easy to fill a tank with. But, in their infinite wisdom, someone in the government decided that if something is working, they must find a way to screw it up. So they did, by mandating a new non-flexible “safety […]
Terry and I don’t really do Christmas, in terms of giving each other gifts. We buy things for the grandkids, and we always buy a bunch of toys and food for the holiday drives for the needy in our area. But when it comes to each other, if we want something we usually just buy […]
We have a small blocked in flower garden area attached to the front of our house that has been home to a few flowers and some scraggly bushes. Terry has wanted to get out there and do some work on it once things cool down and decided she wanted some kind of a garden cart […]
What do you think is the most powerful word in the English language? At one time, I thought it was “love.” But, of course, back then I was a starry-eyed kid head over heels in something for the pretty long-haired blonde girl that sat next to me in biology class. But over time, I’ve come to […]
I have always enjoyed driving and I usually do most of it when we are on a trip. But after this trip, I may never drive again. Back on February 8, I was getting tired when we were about 100 miles from Phoenix and Miss Terry took the wheel. She is an excellent driver, whether […]
For the last few days I’ve been working hard on my new Big Lake book, knocking out over 20,000 words in three or four days. Yesterday alone was over 6,000 words. That, coupled with the fact that Miss Terry hasn’t been out of the house much at all since her surgery two weeks ago today […]
When I was a kid, I was so accident-prone that my father used to say I should probably get a job in a mattress factory. Then he would think about it for a minute and say no, I would more than likely knock a stack of mattresses off on top of me and smother myself. […]
And on the windshield, and the hood, and the bumper, and the grill. No, we’re not talking about some kind of wild orgy where people are doing the nasty anywhere they can. This is an orgy of love bugs, a phenomenon that anybody in Florida is familiar with. It happens every year, in the spring […]
We spent several hours at the rehab facility with Beverly yesterday as they put her through her paces and showed us how much progress she has made since her major surgery last week, and explained what the follow-up plan is when she is released from the hospital next week. From everything I can see, she […]
Some blog readers have asked how it’s possible for a guy my size to fit into a small car like a Mustang. A couple of people have said I should have bought a convertible because with the top down it would be much easier. One smart Alec suggested the only way I was going to […]
Because I get a lot of e-mails from blog readers asking about RV financing, I thought I’d brush off this blog from March, 2014 and run it again. I hear from people all the time who have a good credit rating, have found the perfect RV for their needs, and then run into trouble when […]
I wish you could have met my father. He was quite a character. He could play any instrument with keys or strings, though he never had a lesson in his life and couldn’t read music. He loved books, he was a fantastic storyteller, and he had a wicked sense of humor. I guess I am […]
Another strong round of thunderstorms came through the area yesterday, which cooled things down a bit but made it impossible to do anything outside. But that’s okay, I had plenty to do to keep me busy inside. I spent much of the day writing and knocked out a little over 5,000 words in my new […]
We were up and out the door earlier than usual yesterday because I had an appointment to drop our Ford Explorer off at Leon’s, a local family-owned garage that does all of our automotive repair. Last week our 2005 Ford Explorer’s check engine light came on. It was running fine, but I like to take […]
I’m a nice guy. Really, I am. If you don’t believe me, ask any of my ex-wives. No, wait a minute, on second thought, don’t ask them. Ask their mothers. No, that might not work out either. Ask Miss Terry’s mother. She’ll tell you what a nice guy I am. Maybe. Unless she’s still mad […]