The blog somehow fell by the wayside, with traces of my jet-lag lingering, and a visit from my dear cousin, Barbara Lynn, and her son, Adam. We caught up on old times and told lots of stories.
Woke this morning to more snow, though it's pretty light and not expected to stick. According to the weather report, we can expect rain and high winds later in the day. I don't remember paying so much attention to weather reports when I lived in Arizona. :)
Buck, my old horse, is getting better and better. A combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and a product called Stem-Tech seems to be easing his joints and increasing his energy. The other day, coming home, I was delighted to see him up at the far end of the pasture with the other horses.
Sadie and Bernice are on a special joint medicine, too. And they're getting cod liver oil, along with a daily dose of green tea. Sadie now weighs 36 pounds even, a smooth 8 pound weight loss since she began her program. I spent a few hours on Saturday mixing up her vet-recommended food--1/4 cup each of canned pumpkin (plain), veggies, lean turkey and her regular kibble, Instinct. God bless her dedicated veterinarians--Dr. Steve Bauer, at Latah Creek, Dr. Rosemarie Asperino, who administers the alternative therapies, and Dr. Harai, Sadie's gifted surgeon. Special kudos to Joni Bories, who has quite literally transformed my beloved dog to something resembling puppyhood--at 9 years of age!
I'm drinking the remainder of Sadie's green tea myself. Loads of antioxidants and a purported ability to speed up the metabolism. I draw the line, however, at cod liver oil.
Off to Austin tomorrow, to check the place out. Wendy will be there to meet me. All I've got to say about that is, YEE-HAW!
Look for a blog Thursday morning at the latest.
Lastly, the big day has really, truly arrived! "Tyler" is officially on sale, as of today. I've already gotten emails from some folks who managed to get it early, and they're saying they just wish there were more Creed brothers. Surprise! After next year's Texas McKettricks, be on the look out for the Colorado Creeds--as wild a bunch of cowboys as you've ever met up with.
Enjoy the day, and DON'T BE AFRAID. That's what our enemies want. Let's not give them that.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Oops! Blame Jet-Lag
I think I may have jumped the gun, as we say out west, by saying "Tyler" would be out now--it's always the last Tuesday of the month, and I just realized that would be the 31st. Sure hope I didn't send any of you to the store for nothing. :)
I've been pretty much a pajama-bunny since I got home, but I'm much better today. This morning, as soon as I woke up, an idea for the current story popped into my head, and while I was waiting for Sadie to come down the hall so we could make that all-important first run down to the back yard, I burst into song. "Come on people, smile on your brothers!" (We use the term 'people' loosely around here.)
Look out, folks. I'm back!
Alas, I leave for Austin, my possible new home, on Wednesday morning. As I've mentioned, the Texas McKettricks, Tate, Garrett and--Austin :)--live in that neck of the woods, so it's partly a research trip, too. And partly just an excuse to soak up some Hill Country sunshine and down a few margueritas. Daughter Wendy will be joining us, and I can't wait to see her again. The problem with grown children is that they have lives of their own--I've always thought it ironic that a woman carries them in her womb for nine months, raises them with constant attention and care for some eighteen years--all to prepare them not to need her!
Like I said, I'm jet-lagged. Ought to be more perky on Monday.
Have a great weekend, and make sure your fire extinguisher works. "Tyler" is one HOT book.
Don't say I didn't warn you. :)
I've been pretty much a pajama-bunny since I got home, but I'm much better today. This morning, as soon as I woke up, an idea for the current story popped into my head, and while I was waiting for Sadie to come down the hall so we could make that all-important first run down to the back yard, I burst into song. "Come on people, smile on your brothers!" (We use the term 'people' loosely around here.)
Look out, folks. I'm back!
Alas, I leave for Austin, my possible new home, on Wednesday morning. As I've mentioned, the Texas McKettricks, Tate, Garrett and--Austin :)--live in that neck of the woods, so it's partly a research trip, too. And partly just an excuse to soak up some Hill Country sunshine and down a few margueritas. Daughter Wendy will be joining us, and I can't wait to see her again. The problem with grown children is that they have lives of their own--I've always thought it ironic that a woman carries them in her womb for nine months, raises them with constant attention and care for some eighteen years--all to prepare them not to need her!
Like I said, I'm jet-lagged. Ought to be more perky on Monday.
Have a great weekend, and make sure your fire extinguisher works. "Tyler" is one HOT book.
Don't say I didn't warn you. :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Hitting the Wall
That old standby, Denial, has failed me. I'm STILL tired, despite all efforts to catch up on my rest. I hereby declare this to be Stay in Bed Day. I will cancel an appointment, doze, read, watch the programs that have been accumulating for weeks on my Tivo. I am wearing my warmest pajamas and I am swathed in Vicks Vapor Rub. I intend to eat Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup, too. I just love those little noodles.
On the good news front, "Dylan" is still selling like crazy. It's on the New York Times Bestseller list for the third week in a row--#9! And TOMORROW, "Tyler" arrives in book stores everywhere. Yee-haw!
Fatigue does very peculiar things to the mind. I seldom remember my dreams, but the first night I was home, I launched into a dandy practically the moment I closed my eyes. Sadie-beagle stole a Ford Fairlane and drove off in it, signaling a left turn at a stop sign. The vehicle must have had paw-controls, since she surely couldn't reach the gas pedal or the brake. :) Jenni suggested turning the image into a small piece of art, since it made us all smile, and I dashed off a preliminary sketch. When I get my strength back, I plan to start the project.
I will try to be more entertaining after this. Thanks for understanding.
:)
On the good news front, "Dylan" is still selling like crazy. It's on the New York Times Bestseller list for the third week in a row--#9! And TOMORROW, "Tyler" arrives in book stores everywhere. Yee-haw!
Fatigue does very peculiar things to the mind. I seldom remember my dreams, but the first night I was home, I launched into a dandy practically the moment I closed my eyes. Sadie-beagle stole a Ford Fairlane and drove off in it, signaling a left turn at a stop sign. The vehicle must have had paw-controls, since she surely couldn't reach the gas pedal or the brake. :) Jenni suggested turning the image into a small piece of art, since it made us all smile, and I dashed off a preliminary sketch. When I get my strength back, I plan to start the project.
I will try to be more entertaining after this. Thanks for understanding.
:)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Jet-Lag Rambles
Having slept for approximately as many hours as I spent flying back from Prague, then from Atlanta, then from Seattle, I feel somewhat human this morning. No guarantees that I won't be going back to bed after Miss Sadie leaves for her exercise day, though. :) If nothing else, I've learned that I'll come down with something if I don't rest.
They say travel broadens one. Literally speaking, it didn't. Sally and I did a LOT of walking--and I managed to resist the fresh strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. On a deeper level, though, Prague changed me in some profound ways, ways I find hard to articulate in this jet-lagged state.
The visit certainly gave me perspective. Times are tough here, and I won't minimize that. Too many people are losing jobs, retirement accounts and homes, and that's sobering, no way around it. In the Czech Republic, though, and places like it, hard times are nothing new. They spent 50+ years under Communist rule, after all. They soldier cheerfully along, glad of freedoms we have long since taken for granted. They are well-spoken and well-educated, and somehow, through the rise of the Nazis and then the Communists, they held on to their own culture, to their stories and their history. (There are buildings in Prague that were old when George Washington took office--and most of these stand on the foundations of their medeival predecessors.)
Prague is a city of beautiful squares and stunning structures--cathedrals and castles, former private homes with amazing facades. Ancient cobblestones line narrow streets, and one has to follow a lot of arrows to find a McDonald's--thank heaven.
The Czechs are a brave people, and a resilient one. Every place seems to have its own favorite form of execution--there, a surprising number of unfortunates have been pushed from high windows. Splat, right on the cobblestones. One lucky fellow landed in a huge pile of manure and thus survived--expect that to happen in one of my future books. :)
The signs were often amusing. Aboard our tour bus, there was one that read, "Keep the bus in the cleanness. Think of turists (their spelling, not mine) after you." Another, on the same bus, the driver's pledge to keep us safe: "I protect your lives on my own head!" A shopkeeper asked Sally, "What are you interesting for?" We chuckled over that one, coming up with a series of comical (okay, silly) answers, like, "Well, I crochet a little."
Strolling along behind a couple on a sidewalk, we delighted in the way a brochure in the pocket of the man's very tight jeans bobbed up and then down out of sight as he walked, with clockwork precision. In years to come, we figure that is what we'll remember, since castles and cathedrals tend to run together after a while. I expect to remember the look on Sally's face when her trout arrived one day at lunch, still wearing its head. I will remember how we laughed and shared confidences in our lovely room at the Imperial Hotel. I will remember taking a picture of a sign in the mall's food court, advertising "L.A. Finger Foods". (What appeared to be a veal cutlet on a stick--never saw THAT in L.A.)
I guess it all boils down to this. Every day is precious, whether that day is spent in Prague or Spokane--especially if you get to spend it with someone you love as much as I love my sister Sally.
They say travel broadens one. Literally speaking, it didn't. Sally and I did a LOT of walking--and I managed to resist the fresh strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. On a deeper level, though, Prague changed me in some profound ways, ways I find hard to articulate in this jet-lagged state.
The visit certainly gave me perspective. Times are tough here, and I won't minimize that. Too many people are losing jobs, retirement accounts and homes, and that's sobering, no way around it. In the Czech Republic, though, and places like it, hard times are nothing new. They spent 50+ years under Communist rule, after all. They soldier cheerfully along, glad of freedoms we have long since taken for granted. They are well-spoken and well-educated, and somehow, through the rise of the Nazis and then the Communists, they held on to their own culture, to their stories and their history. (There are buildings in Prague that were old when George Washington took office--and most of these stand on the foundations of their medeival predecessors.)
Prague is a city of beautiful squares and stunning structures--cathedrals and castles, former private homes with amazing facades. Ancient cobblestones line narrow streets, and one has to follow a lot of arrows to find a McDonald's--thank heaven.
The Czechs are a brave people, and a resilient one. Every place seems to have its own favorite form of execution--there, a surprising number of unfortunates have been pushed from high windows. Splat, right on the cobblestones. One lucky fellow landed in a huge pile of manure and thus survived--expect that to happen in one of my future books. :)
The signs were often amusing. Aboard our tour bus, there was one that read, "Keep the bus in the cleanness. Think of turists (their spelling, not mine) after you." Another, on the same bus, the driver's pledge to keep us safe: "I protect your lives on my own head!" A shopkeeper asked Sally, "What are you interesting for?" We chuckled over that one, coming up with a series of comical (okay, silly) answers, like, "Well, I crochet a little."
Strolling along behind a couple on a sidewalk, we delighted in the way a brochure in the pocket of the man's very tight jeans bobbed up and then down out of sight as he walked, with clockwork precision. In years to come, we figure that is what we'll remember, since castles and cathedrals tend to run together after a while. I expect to remember the look on Sally's face when her trout arrived one day at lunch, still wearing its head. I will remember how we laughed and shared confidences in our lovely room at the Imperial Hotel. I will remember taking a picture of a sign in the mall's food court, advertising "L.A. Finger Foods". (What appeared to be a veal cutlet on a stick--never saw THAT in L.A.)
I guess it all boils down to this. Every day is precious, whether that day is spent in Prague or Spokane--especially if you get to spend it with someone you love as much as I love my sister Sally.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Back in the USA
Just completed a 10 hour flight from Prague to Atlanta. Sally is at Panda Express--she's a picky eater and was hungry for "American" food. Go figure. I guess she made a better choice than I did, though--I'm in a smoking room, writing this blog. :) She came in, coughed pointedly, and left again.
We'll get as far as Seattle tonight, arriving around midnight. The plan is to--excuse the term--crash in a hotel room near the airport. In the morning, Sally will go on to Portland, while I head for Spokane. I will sure be glad to see all my critters and, oh, yeah, the people, too. :) With another week of exercise under her belt, Sadie-beagle must be looking downright svelt!
I LOVED Prague--it is beautiful, like a fairy-tale city, with all kinds of spires and minerets. I didn't paint or draw while there, but I sure got inspired! The people are so friendly--with the exception of one store clerk who seemed to miss the Communist regime and would make an excellent Russian border guard. :) The weather alternated between snow flurries and dazzling sunshine lighting up an impossibly blue sky.
As much as I enjoy traveling, though, it's always good to set my feet on home-ground again.
In only 4 days, TYLER will be in the book stores. Am I excited?
YES!
For now, though, I'd better go find my sister.
We'll get as far as Seattle tonight, arriving around midnight. The plan is to--excuse the term--crash in a hotel room near the airport. In the morning, Sally will go on to Portland, while I head for Spokane. I will sure be glad to see all my critters and, oh, yeah, the people, too. :) With another week of exercise under her belt, Sadie-beagle must be looking downright svelt!
I LOVED Prague--it is beautiful, like a fairy-tale city, with all kinds of spires and minerets. I didn't paint or draw while there, but I sure got inspired! The people are so friendly--with the exception of one store clerk who seemed to miss the Communist regime and would make an excellent Russian border guard. :) The weather alternated between snow flurries and dazzling sunshine lighting up an impossibly blue sky.
As much as I enjoy traveling, though, it's always good to set my feet on home-ground again.
In only 4 days, TYLER will be in the book stores. Am I excited?
YES!
For now, though, I'd better go find my sister.
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