For us, today’s all about kids’ open houses. We have four children in the house, so mama will be heading into town three times to take kids to meet teachers and pick up schedules and school T-shirts. We had good news yesterday that our kids won’t be the only ones wearing masks! I know some locals are upset about that (I’ll never understand why, but I won’t get into the politics). All I care about is that three of the kids will be able to resume in-person instruction, somewhat safely, or at least, more safely. The three oldest are already vaxxed. We’re praying the youngest will get hers this fall, so we don’t have to be quite so fearful for her safety.

It’s weird to me the things people get upset about. I don’t get it. Maybe it’s because I’m an Air Force brat and an Army vet. I’m pragmatic. I understand duty. I remember getting a mystery shot while I was stationed in the Middle East during the Gulf War. Turns out it was for anthrax. Did I balk? No, I rolled up my sleeve.

But I said I wouldn’t get political, and I think maybe I already have, but I hope you know it comes from a good place. I love my family. I want them to live long, healthy, happy lives. And I’m beyond excited for the kids being able to return to school. Yes, we managed to thrive through at-home schooling for the first year-and-a-half of the pandemic, but it was draining, too. My dd and I are ready to get back to having some “us” time to catch up on so many things we haven’t had time to pay attention to because we’ve had kids underfoot who required supervision and entertainment 24/7. As much as we love them, we’re hoping the mask mandate will enable our schools to stay open rather than having multiple, roving lockdowns for COVID spread.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please, no rants. I’m just really curious how other folks are preparing for the new school year! Are you upbeat? We’ve had fun shopping for school supplies and clothing!

Open Contests

1. Desiree Holt: Protecting Susan and The Protectors series! (Contest) — This ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Pool or Beach? (Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Help me build my “Workout Playlist” (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Michal Scott: One Good Wreath Deserves Another (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Delaine McLafferty!
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Wait, what? One good wreath deserves another? Isn’t that supposed to be one good turn deserves another? True, that’s how the old saying goes. A good act leads to another, and thus goodness is spread. Well, this year for me this came true this past Christmas. Let me explain.

I go all out decorating my house inside and out for Christmas. With the uproar and upset caused by waiting for the 2020 election results I decided to started my Christmas decorating in November. I wasn’t alone. My neighbors were doing the same.

The good feeling then extended through the neighborhood to the beginning of the new year. I didn’t want the feeling to end so for the first time I created a wreath for New Year then decided to leave it up for the whole month of January. As February approached, I wanted to keep the positive vibes going through Black History month as well. Needless to say, Women’s History month and St. Patrick’s Day couldn’t be left behind.

Nor could I slight Easter in April. I then created a wreath with the May flowers brought by April showers and the rainbow created by the showers of love in Pride Month.

I was on a roll, so I made a July 4^th wreath for my house and for my sister too, as well as a special wreath in honor of my 32^nd wedding anniversary.

I’m up to August, celebrating summer and designing a birthday wreath for reaching the 65^th year milestone.

You see what I mean? I’m such a regular at the Dollar Store, Michael’s, and Hobby Lobby I ought to look into buying stock. I’m looking forward to keeping the good feeling going to the end of the year as ideas for wreaths for the remaining months are on the drawing board. The additional benefit is all I need to do is rinse and repeat these wreaths in 2022. So for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card, share in the comments how you honor or celebrate special days or seasons.

The Patience of Unanswered Prayer from Cowboys
featured in Cowboys

A feisty businesswoman about to become the next victim of Post-Civil War revenge receives rescue from an unexpected source

Excerpt from “The Patience of Unanswered Prayer” 

Eleanor Taylor lay on her side, kinks knotting her back, cramps burning her thighs. Her muscles strained with each attempt to ease her discomfort. Instead of relief, the movement tightened the rope pinning her arms to her body. The blanket beneath which Sheriff Radcliffe concealed her smelled of horse sweat. Its scratchy wool surface set her cheeks afire.

Dirt coated the cloth he’d stuffed into her mouth. She moaned, unable to avoid swallowing the grit now smeared across her teeth and tongue. Afraid she’d wretch, she raised her head, an action that forced the grimy gag further down her throat.

“Keep still, you uppity mulatto bitch.”

She shuddered at the menace in Radcliffe’s tone. The same menace glinted in his icy blue eyes when he’d entered her cell and tried to violate her. He’d covered her mouth, but she’d sunk her teeth into his hand, eliciting a satisfying pain-drenched yowl from the bastard. A well-placed kick to the balls had laid him low. His groan flooded her huntress spirit with joy.

If his deputy hadn’t rushed in, she’d have gotten away.

The coppery tang from Radcliffe’s blood renewed her desire to be the hunter, not the hunted. Tapping carefully into that desire had enabled her to thwart the hostilities all independent Black business owners faced in this post-Reconstruction era. Acting on that desire now, however, could lead to her death. She had to find another avenue of escape before that desire resurfaced and revealed what no one should know about her.

“Seems your fears about the jail being overrun by her foes was misplaced, Sheriff.”

Radcliffe snorted. “Better safe than sorry, Jim. Something could’ve happened before we got her on the stage in the morning.”

The sounds of horse hooves clopping, drunken laughter, and saloon music had faded long ago. Only chirruping crickets, croaking bullfrogs, and Sheriff Radcliffe’s lies penetrated Eleanor’s covering. Where were they taking her?

The wagon wheels creaked with every rut they hit. Eleanor wheezed, desperate for fresh air. Nausea roiled at the base of her throat. Would she die choking on her own vomit? Fear squeezed her chest as yes flit through her mind like a lightning bug.

The wagon lurched to the right. Her nausea intensified.

“Mind how you go there, boy. We don’t want to be accused of mistreating the prisoner.”

Being arrested on false charges didn’t count as mistreatment? How about being abducted by ones sworn to uphold the law? Eleanor’s agony mirrored that of Christ’s on the cross.

My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

She moaned, her spirit smothered by despair. The pressure at the small of her back eased only to be followed by a sharp jab to her spine.

“Shut up, damn you,” Radcliffe snapped. “Your days of troubling me will soon be over.”

“What was that you said, Sheriff?”

“Thank God this trouble’ll soon be over. We’ll have delivered her safe and sound to the county seat tomorrow.”

“Safe and sound,” Deputy Jim Flyte said. “Thank the good Lord.”

His tone, full of innocence and ignorance, penetrated Eleanor’s cloth prison and killed all hope that he’d be of any help. She stifled a groan lest her tormentor kicked her again. Flyte was too young to know that safe and sound to Sheriff Hobart Radcliffe meant only one thing: Eleanor’s death.

Pre-order COWBOYS at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3iwUhkN

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
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So, it’s time to shed some pounds!!!! Not because I want to be slim. I don’t. I’ve done that, and it’s too much work to maintain. I just want to feel better, less sluggish. Simple as that. I figure 30 pounds ought to do it.

I loaded the Weight Watchers app on my iPhone. I filled the fridge with healthy, nutritious snacks like celery, hummus, cottage cheese, eggs… There are sardines and crackers in the cabinet. I like snacking, so I try not to sabotage myself with chips and nuts (Gawd, I love nuts!). I’m a salt person, not a sweetaholic. My dd already cooks nutritious dinners, so I just have to navigate every other meal throughout the day. I’ll count the points!

What I have to do is up my activity. Yeah, I love the pool, but I like to float. I can do some lunges, some kicks holding onto the pool noodle…all that…no problem, but I figure if I add music to my housecleaning/organizing, I’ll be more apt to dance while I do it. You know, something fun instead of the old treadmill.

So far, I have “Walk This Way” by Run DMC and Aerosmith, “Happy” by Ferell, and “Wild Things” by the Troggs. So, help me fill out my playlist to get my a$$ in gear to work up a bit of sweat.

I love Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, and some Pop. Suggest away for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, and if you have suggestions for low-impact exercises, feed those to me, too!

UPDATE: The winner is…Shirley Long!
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This post will seem a little strange to some of y’all. Or maybe you’ll just think I’m really, really old (although my dd feels the exact same way!). Today, our family decided to do away with our landline. You know, the old-fashioned phone you plug into the wall that never lets you down, power or no power. After all, we have five cell phones in the house that have proven they work and connect in the worst of conditions.

You’d think we would’ve cut the cord long ago because, at $40 a month, it’s not an expense we need to pay. We never used it except when we (okay, I) called my cellphone number to find the damn thing.

However, that landline, with that number, holds a lot of nostalgia for our family and extended family. My parents had that number since the ’70s. When it was first installed, I remember we had a “party line.” For those who’ve never experienced it, a party line was shared with neighbors. When you made a call, you lifted the receiver to listen to know whether someone else was using the line. It was a pain in the ass when one neighbor hogged the line. You’d be polite the first time you picked up and quietly disconnect. The second time, you might clear your throat. The third or maybe fourth, you’d butt into the call and ask how much longer she would be. Fun times.

My mother was the hub for family information and reunions for the extended family. Everyone knew our number and would call regularly to chat. When my brother and I were stationed all over the world, we’d call that number to let the folks know how we were doing or when we’d be coming home for a visit. That line, that number, is part of our family history.

But today, it is no more. I’m heaving a big, heavy sigh.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, is there some object or service you had trouble letting go of because of the memories attached to it?

It is a thing, actually. And it’s celebrated the first Sunday of August.

To those of us who have sisters, and love our sisters, this is a great time to remind your sibling that you love them!

So, to my beautiful, talented sister, Elle James—Happy National Sisters Day!

Here’s one of my favorite pictures of the two of us together. I’m sure it was some Romantic Times convention pajama party, and of course, we went in polar bear pajamas and animal slippers rather than negligees!

UPDATE: The winner is…Rita!
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I’ve talked about scents on this blog before. Favorite scents. Mine is the scent of oranges. It always makes me happy and energizes me. Now, I want to talk about scents that invoke a memory because, you know, your brain uses scent to anchor memories.

One of my earliest scent-memories is the aroma of a certain vintage perfume, “Evening in Paris.” My father gave my mother a gift of a set of “Evening in Paris” perfume and cologne as a wedding gift, and she used it only sparingly because it was dear to her. They didn’t have much money then, so every gift he gave her was something she treasured. And he was a romantic at heart—he never forgot an anniversary or Valentine’s Day (except once, but that’s a story for another day). No matter how strapped they were for cash, or how far apart (he had many tours of duty during the Viet Nam War), he always managed to find something she would love, even if it was only flowers and chocolate.

I’m sure Mom’s “Evening in Paris” would have survived the length of their marriage (sixty years), except for the fact they had a nosy, sneaky daughter—me. I loved opening the precious bottle and just rubbing the cap on my wrists so I could enjoy that smell.

For one of her last Christmases, I found a store that specialized in vintage, popular perfumes and bought her a bottle of “Evening In Paris.”  Of course, I had to open it first and draw in that scent. So many memories came pouring through my mind of me when I was a kid, of sneaking it from her dresser to anoint my wrists. She had to have known, it’s a strong and distinct scent, but she never chastised me. I still wonder why.

Contest

Share a scent-memory for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
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So, day before yesterday, my dd and I went phone shopping. Mine and hers were several years old and beginning to glitch. Her phone case was cracked. Our top priority was picture quality because we use photos for everything—TikTok, FB, Pinterest, Etsy, etc. Although it was #2 for picture quality, all the other features of the phone were tops, so we purchased Apple phones. Good Lord, the price! Mine’s blue—just like the picture!

And of course, I was also looking for a new watch. All of my Citizen Eco-Drive watches (all four!) are kaput. So…

So, yeah, phone is in hand, an Apple watch is in the mail… Add that to my Mac Air, and I’m a convert. However, my main computer remains a hyped-up HP (it’s a gaming computer with super speed and storage, which I need). I don’t actually play games on it.

I didn’t port over my contacts or files to the new phone. I figured it was a great way to clean everything out. I spent a damn day adding apps, redoing passwords—because I couldn’t remember passwords. The 16-year-old is an old pro with iPhones, so she helped me figure out how to do “stuff”. I’m a slow learner, she says. 🙂

So, the question for you is, are you an Apple girl/boy? Is there some feature you love? Or just tell me what you love about your current phone/tech for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!