After Wednesday, the week just seems to slide downhill. This was esepcially true when I worked in the real world. Weekends meant something then. Well, they still mean something but its a different something. Anyway. That brings us to today. Thursday. And that means thoughts. Sometimes I don’t want to brain. Sometimes I just want things to be easy. And sometimes I get lucky and the Universe drops something into my inbox that just fits the bill. The following is a little tip and reminder for all of us. And let’s face it…we can ALL use a lot more joy in our lives.
Here’s a tip, Silver, on how to bring absolute joy into your life faster than it may otherwise arrive:
Every day, in some small way, even secretly if you like, look for a chance to help someone else.
Who’s already ready for a nap? Yeah, me too. Maybe later. In the meantime, I have coffee. And that is always a joyful event in my life. And y’all. Dropping by each day. Thank you for the joy you bring. I hope I can reciprocate.
It’s that time of the week again. And I luckily have new words. Since I’m still trying to incorporate all the random scenes into some semblance of order, I’m trying hard to not create more random scenes when I take the Thursday Threads challenge. This is the second week where I was able to expand (sort of) a previous scene. Yay me! Luckily, the prompt fit well with a series of events and fit in nicely with one of the previous snippets. All I can tell you is that the Four Monsterteers (aka The Scooby Gang) are beneath the city on a hunt. Here’s the prompt: *”At least not at this level.”*
**** The four men walked single file, Sinjen still leading. He paused when the tunnel branched. The others huddled behind him.
Caleb sniffed the air, sneezed and rubbed at his nose. “Not that way.” He waved vaguely at the right-hand branch.
Nikos stepped forward and peered into the darkness. His eyes flashed silver and he backed up. “I agree. Not that way.”
“Why not?” Ariel dodged out of the dragon’s path. “It looks no different—”
“How can you not feel it?” that from Nikos.
“I can smell it.” The werewolf reared its head in Caleb’s terse declaration. “That’s some bad juju down that way.”
Sinjen took three step that direction, paused, his entire body on alert. After a long moment, he backed up and walked three steps into the left-hand tunnel.” He shook his head. “She’s not here, at least not at this level.” His vampire senses were on high alert yet he could tell nothing. “Magic,” he spat. “There is some sort of spell masking her presence.”
“But you are sure you felt her when we came through the door?” Ariel hoped his fear didn’t leak into his voice. Aisling would be with Sade and he could not yet admit his feelings.
The vampire eyed him. “Can you not feel the magic, Fae? Can you not control it?”
Ariel shook his head. “No. It is wild. It…”
“It hunts.” Dragon and werewolf spoke simultaneously.
“Yes,” Sinjen agreed. “It is time to turn the tables. We are the hunters now.” ****
Do you think the “Boys” will find what they are looking for? Writers, enjoy the prompt if it sparks your imagination. Readers, are you claustraphoic? *bwahaha*
Sometimes, a writer or a reader just needs to kick back with a big cup of coffee (or glass of milk) and a plate of warm cookies. This is Only’s favorite cookie. They come out huge and soft, as long as you don’t overbake them.
Giant Snickerdoodles
Dry Ingredients: 4 1/2 cup Flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt
In bowl, stir dry ingredients together.
Wet Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup Crisco 2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel 1 cup buttermilk (1/2 cup sugar & 2 tablespoon for coating)
In large bowl, beat Crisco with mixer on medium-to-high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until mixed, scraping sides. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla and lemon.
Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Cover bowl and chill at least 4 hours. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Use a 1/4 cup measure or a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop. (Lightly coat scoop with non-stick spray to help prevent dough from sticking.) Scoop dough, roll in sugar/cinnamon mix to coat. Place 3″ apart on cookie sheet. Gently press cookie to 1/2″ thickness. Bake in preheated 375° for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms are a light gold. Transfer to rack to cool. Makes about 24.
This sounds like a lot of work, but trust me, the cookies are well worth the effort!
Tip: You don’t want to overbake, but don’t underbake either. Underbaked cookies crumble. Just sayin’. The way to avoid this is to pretty much “precisely” measure the dough into “balls.” I use a rounded Kitchen Aid brand 1/4 cup measuring cup and don’t overfill it This results in almost perfect 4″ cookies perfectly baked (in my old oven it takes a bit longer). I also use a thin metal spatula to move them from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
I don’t remember where I found this recipe but I’ve used it for years. There’s a sandwich shop chain here that makes giant cookies and Only always wanted to eat there–not for the sandwiches but for the giant cookies, and yes, especially the snickerdoodles. At some point, I tumbled across this recipe, gaved it a try and it became a treasured staple–even to the point that I make them for Stormy’s school auctions each fall. I’m featuring MOON SHOT as this week’s title because I can easily picture heaped platters of these cookies at every gathering of the Wolves, their mates and the kids. Click on either picture with the cover or the title and you’ll be whisked off to Books2Read where you can find your fave on-line bookseller. After all the secrecy, betrayal, running, and fighting, they finally find their place in this book and there’s nothing like a platter of warm snickerdoodles to say “Welcome home.” What food says that to you?
There’s always someone who is a morning person. My mother was one of those. She she woke up, she wanted the whole house to wake up with her. She’d bang doors, pans in the kitchen, whatever would make noise. Dad would just ignore her until he was good and ready to get up. I wasn’t so lucky. I have this unfortunate tendancy to stay awake once I’m awake. Don’t get me wrong, as a teen and in college, I could sleep in on weekends like a champ! Unless something woke me up early.
The James Gang gathered Saturday evening to celebrate fathers, uncles, birthdays, mothers, and just family in general. We met at a favorite BBQ joint early because we’re quite the crew–six adults (one in a wheelchair), one pre-teen, and two massive dogs. Luckily, we beat the crowd, had the back room pretty much to ourselves, and enjoyed visiting. The food was good, the dogs were good, USA and OU both won.
Y’all probably heard that I fired last week. Between the biopsy report on Jake (the grown on his tail was cancerous) and my Friday fall, the week mostly sucked. Jake seems to feel fine, his tail is healing from the amputation, and we are alert to any signs of reoccurence. The vet is hoping that by taking most of the tail, the cancer won’t spread. Then I tripped and went down hard on concrete in the doorway between our Florida room and the garage. I did bleed a lot for a bit and my head is still tender. My poor left knee hates me. I have no blue why I keep listing to the left when I fall but the last three times have all been on that side. *sigh* This week will be better or else!
I’m making a little headway on catching up to my Goodreads reading challenge. I’m 13 books behind schedule on reaching my goal. I finished off the 3rd book in Ilona Andrews’ Edge series, FATE’S EDGE, and I’m about halfway through the last book, STEEL’S EDGE I finished off Andre Norton’s WEB OF THE WITCH WORLD. It was her Witch World series that whetted my appetitie for both SciFi and Fantasy when I was a kid. Next up is Nathan Lowell’s THE WIZARD’S BUTLER. It’s a relisten becauese the next book, THE WIZARD’S CAT, just dropped. It’s a fun almost cozy paranormal/urban fantasy with a very likeable MC who has not a drop of magic.
I did manage a negligible bit a writing but hey, something is better than nothing, right? I keep thinking I should pull out one or more of my “shelved” books that are finished for all intents and purposes but I never got ready for publishing for various reasons and putting them out there just so I have something new published. It’s something I’m toying with. No decisions. One part of me says I should finish Ariel’s Damn Book first, then get one or more of the others ready while it’s being beta read/edited/etc. Decisions, decisions. Nothing concrete decided.
It’s not as hot today but it’s muggy with a chance of rain. It was mostly hot and really muggy over the weekend. One of our weather gurus calls this kind of weather “mugly.” I tend to agree. Lots of the state got copious amounts of rain. We didn’t get a drop. There’s a 70% chance of rain today, which means we probably won’t get any. Trust me, I wish it would rain buckets. We need it!
No plans for this week beyond the usual duties and promises to myself to work on the dang WIP. On that note, I need coffee, the dogs want in, and I’m really wishing I could go back to bed. On a happier note, yesterday was the Summer Solstice, which is longest daylight day of the year. I admit I’m rather fond of the Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes when light and dark are perfectly balanced. But that’s just me. Have a great week, everyone.
My garden statue Nessie was mentioned earlier this week and I let it drop that she had a long story. Some old-timers might remember but that goes back years and years. So, because this has been one of those weeks and I’m feeling both a little sad and nostalgic yet hopeful, here’s the storied tale of Nessie.
The first pic was taken yesterday on a grey, cloudy day. The last picture was taken back in 2020 after a heavy snow. Nessie didn’t always have lights. In the beginning, it was just Nessie. It all started way back when. Only was playing travel league softball. We were in Arkansas for a tournament and driving down the hightway, we saw a roadside…well…garden statuary store. We stopped because they had a giant Nessie (aka a sea serpent aka the Loch Ness Monster) out front. By giant, I mean the head was as tall as me and I was 5’7″ at the time. I fell in love. Thing is, we weren’t in a truck, it was a long way from home so shipping would be a pain, and then we asked the price. That place was pretty darn proud of their cement. We got in the SUV and headed off.
I stated on the look out for another Nessie. I found one in a catalog but then discovered it was barely a foot tall. Cute if I was putting it into a landscaped back garden with flowerbeds and paths and the like. Fut my heart was set on a Nessie that would make a statement!
A couple of years later, I was headed to the airport and took a weird way due to an accident on the highway. That route took me by a local statuary place. I almost had a wreck because I was staring at all the items they’d set out. Seems the car in front of me was also staring and had hit their brakes. I hit mine just in time to leave a little rubber but no kissing of bumpers. I dropped off some stuff at the airport fire department and came home the same way. Yes, I stopped. Yes, I asked the price. And yes, I called Lawyer Guy to see if he could leave work and meet me there. He could and did. Money exchanged hands, there was much huffing and puffing as we loaded that first Nessie into his truck, followed by more once we got home.
Back then, Nessie had a head, one hump, and a tail. She also didn’t have lights, except at Christmas time. She’s had red, green, blue, and multi-twinkles. Every Christmas. The little kids loved her and some would sneak into the island so their parent could take a picture. It was all good. One year, I even put a wreath around her neck. Life in the driveway island was good for Nessie. For several years. And then…high school.
Only hit high school age and there were kids in the neighborhood. Boy-type kids. One post-Halloween day (like the morning after), we awoke to a Nessie who’d lost her head. The hump and tail remained but the head was gone. The window in Only’s bedroom (which is now my office) looks out over the driveway and island. Sadly, she was spending the night with friends after a party so nobody heard or saw anything. We had our suspicions but couldn’t prove anything. I did fill out a police report.
Sadly, the stuatury shop had no more Nessies. I told them my tale of woe and they promised to see if they could find a replacement. Then the place went out of business. About a year later, I noticed the store had reopened. I stopped in right as they were unloading a truck that had just arrived from a supplier they had in Mexico. I saw a tail. I saw a hump. And then I saw a head. NESSIE! I asked if I could by the head and explained why. I got a nope but they would give me a deal if I bought a whole Nessie. Hey, thought I. TWO HUMPS! And…two tails, which would look ridiculas. Still, I made the deal, called LG, and we now had a two-hump Nessie. Having learned, LG drilled a hole in her base, “cemented” in a big eye bolt, attached 1000 lb test oilfield chain and secured the chain around the oak tree with a padlock. I added the lights, to be left on her permanently so that anyone messing with her would be visible.
Our tale is about to come to an end. “What of the second tail?” you ask. At the time, one of our neighbors had two Dachshunds who dearly loved our big goofs. The weiners would dig under the fence to come play. We finally buried the tail “under” the fence that was their favorite place to dig. The couple eventually sold their house and moved off with the weinies and while I haven’t checked lately, that tail is still buried in the back yard. Some day, years from now, somebody will get a head-scratching surprise.
Oh, one last note. Someone did attempt to steal Nessie’s head a year or so after her revival. That oilfield chain worked like a charm. Have a great weekend, all. And Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there.
When the following popped up in my inbox, it resonated with me as a writer. Romance novels, no matter the subgenre, must have all the feels. Sometimes love huts. Sometimes love heals. Sometimes hearts are so full, we have to cry to relieve the pressure. And sometimes, hearts are so heavy we cry because the burden is so great we feel we might buckle beneath the load. Creating characters who feel that much and putting them into situations where they will feel that much is the challenge. A lot of people disparage the Romance genre, including those of us who write it and our readers. They think anyone can throw words on a page, add some kissing, and voila! One Romance hot off the presses. It doesn’t work that way. I would counter with “Anyone can write a Thriller/Mystery/SciFi/Fantasy/Western, Take a good guy, pit ’em against bad guys and blow up stufy/add clues/add technology/add magic/add horses.” Boom. One fiction book hot off the presses. The difference is, those of us who write Romance understand this message from the Universe:
Do you know why happy tears taste the same as sad tears, Silver?
P.S. Ahoy, Silver, love ahead… and hey, nice dinghy.
Today, my tears are mixed. We got the biopsy report back on Jake. The tumor was cancerous. It has come long medical name that ends in “carcinoma.” It’s agressive and goes for the lymph glands and then the lungs. The vet hopes that by amputing his tail several inches above the growth that maybe we got lucky and cut it off at the pass. So far, none of his other lymph glands are showing signs of tumors. The vet offered chest X-rays but if there were signs there, we’d be offered chemo. He’s eleven. That’s OLD for a giant breed dog. The chemo could be worse than the disease. It’s a terrible position. I won’t even think about the cost. I couldn’t sell enough books to pay for it. After a full range of tears, we’ve decided to just wait and see. We know the signs to look for and trust me, we’ll be checking for them daily. For now, we will love Jake and give him his best life for as long as he is with us. I pray it will be many more years, but if not, I’ll look back on this bit of knowledge from the Universe. And I will taste both the sweet and the bitter of my tears.
Once again, we have arrived at midweek. It is Wednesday and I have words. Sadly, I did not win, place or show in last week’s Thursday Threads flash fiction challenge. That’s okay. I’m just happy I managed to get some words written and for a change, the words weren’t some random scene I would have to figure out later. I managed to “attach” it to a previously written random scene so now I have a long random scene instead of two short ones. Anyway, here’s the prompt: *“He couldn’t do it.”* I can’t tell you exactly where the following fits, but it does. Trust me.
**** Bran took a mental step back. How did Ariel know Orin’s true name? He grabbed the back of Orin’s leather jacket just as the man lunged toward Ariel. He flexed his magic and Orin stilled.
Sliding off the boulder, Ariel faced the two Unseelie Fae. His expression remained neutral, showing no emotion, though power reverberated through his words. “Do not get in my way, Bran and keep your minion leashed.” His gaze flicked over Orin dismissively. He allowed a cold smile to stretch his lips briefly before he added, “Tell Mab her time is coming.”
The other Fae sneered at him. “Tell Oberon the same. My queen will return, despite the Seelie Court’s decree.” Bran pivoted and walked off.
Orin stood staring at Ariel for a long moment before he, too, turned and sauntered after Bran.
Ariel flexed his fingers as the two slipped into the tree line, leaving the glen empty. His palms itched to grip his sword and loose his magic. If he was prudent, he would follow and take them down in an ambush. Orin’s demise would cause no regrets. But Bran? He couldn’t do it. Bran had once been a friend.
He walked the opposite direction, his head ringing with the words he knew both Titania and Oberon would be flinging at him. He easily imagined their diatribe but it was Sade’s voice that rang loudest, “This will bite you in the ass, Ari.”
“Yes,” he muttered. “I will come to regret not killing them.” ****
If you don’t know the drill by now, you much have bounced in here by chance. If so, welcome! At this point, I tell the writers who stop by to feel free to grab some inspiration from the prompt and go with the flow. As for the readers in the bunch, I ask a question, hoping for comments because yeah. I’m needy like that. But this time, no question. It’s a request (or an order…*bwahaha*): Name one thing you couldn’t do yesterday.
Since we’re coming up on lake weather and backyard eats, I thought I’d share a quick and easy dip recipe that looks a lot swankier than it is to make. It’s also tasty. It’s been a while but I’m thinking I might need to add the ingredients to my next grocery list because…yeah…did I mention tasty?!?
Total Time: 50 Min. Prep Time: 15 Min. Cook Time: 35 Min.
22 servings, 2 Tablespoons each
Get your shellfish on with this tasty Hot Crab and Corn Dip recipe. Hot Crab and Corn Dip goes great with toasted baguette slices or tortilla chips.
What You Need 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing 3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided 1/2 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided 2 green onions, sliced, divided 1 can (6 oz.) lump crabmeat, drained 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped 1-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels, divided
Let’s Make It 1 – Preheat oven to 375°F. 2 – Mix cream cheese and MIRACLE WHIP in medium bowl until blended. Add 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan; mix well. 3 – Reserve 2 Tbsp. onions for later use. Add remaining onions to dip along with the crabmeat, peppers and 1 cup corn; mix lightly. 4 – Spoon into 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining mozzarella, Parmesan and corn. 5 – Bake 30 to 35 min. or until dip is heated through and mozzarella is melted. Sprinkle with reserved onions.
Kitchen Tips Tip 1 – Variations: Prepare using thawed frozen corn, and substituting mayonnaise for the MIRACLE WHIP. We’re a Miracle Whip family so…
Tip 1.5 – Splurge an buy fresh green onions. They do make a big difference.
Tip 2 – Note: This easy-to-make recipe can easily be cut in half. Just prepare as directed, cutting all ingredient measures in half, and reducing the baking time to 25 to 30 min. or until dip is heated through.
Tip 3 – Food Facts: You will need to buy about 2 medium ears of corn to get the 1-1/4 cup measure of corn kernels needed to prepare this delicious hot dip.
Tip 4 – Serving Suggestion: Serve with toasted baguette slices, pita chips, club crackers, or tortilla chips. Oh heck. Just serve it with whatever you like to dip with.
The gals in Boston put their heads together and reminded me about this dip. It’s a thing up there on the Cape, evidently. At least, that’s what they tell me. Oh, wait. Kathleen has just reminded me that this dip is her specialty and she fixes it all the time whenever they’re headed out to the beach. Her mate, Devlin, approves! Personally, I’m just all about crab dip and I’m a fan of corn so I’m all over this. If you haven’t met the mates from MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON, you can click on either pic with the cover to head over to Books2Read to find your favorite on-line bookseller and grab a copy. What about y’all? Are you a fan of hot seafood dips? Even in the summer? I’m a fan of anything that is ooey gooey and goes on crunchies.
We’re almost halfway through June. It seems like I go to sleep and when I wake up, four days have passed. Weird. I remember when time dragged and th stuff I looked forward to would never get there.
We had rain early Sunday morning. Evidently it was just over an inch and a half. By the time I got outside to feed the birds, I couldn’t tell. Thirsty ground in these parts. There were big storms in the northern part of the state, in Kansas and Missouri, including tornado warnings. True story. I’m sitting here at my desk (typing this on Sunday afternoon) and I keep hearing this thigh pitched…siren-like sound. I mute the TV to make sure it isn’t background noise there. Nope. Not the TV. High-pitched, wailing, distant. Like the storm sirens across the city limits. I’m like…”But…but? It’s cloudy but with sun. What?!?!” Before I went into a full muppet flail, I finally recognized the sound–the vacuum cleaner. LG was running it in the opposite end of the house. 🤦🏼♀️
Speaking of the rain/storm, when I went out to feed the birds and squirrels, I found a large, opalescent blue, plastic egg out in the driveway island, near one of Nessie’s* humps. I “harvested” it and brought it into the garage. Then I checked the security cam footage. At one point, during the heaviest rain, it scooted across the street but I couldn’t tell you where it originated from. At that time it was intact. At some point, it jumped the curb and split into it’s two parts. Little late for the Easter bunny so who knows? 🤷🏼♀️
Sadly, those two events are the highlights. I did update my word count on ARIEL’S DAMN BOOK. I’m almost to 48K now and I actually made progress last week and over the weekend. Here’s hoping for leaps and bounds this week. Hoping, but not holding my breath.
OU shut-out Alabama at the College Worlds. They play tomorrow night in their winner’s bracket. West Virginia plays later tonight. Go Mountaineers! Hey, they’re Big 12 and we always support the teams against “outsiders.”
I’m still working through FATE’s EDGE. I’ve finally reached the 50% mark. I am sooo far behind on my Goodreads reading challenge. Oh well. I’l catch up or I won’t. I have some newly relased books but I’m just not in the headspace to listen to them yet. One of them is ARCHANGEL’S ETERNITY, the final book in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter/Archangel series. It’s been a favorite series of mine and I’ll admit to being a litttle sad and nostalgic that the series is over. That’s the reader in me. The writer totally gets it!
So, there you have it. That’s my life at the moment. Anyone reading a good book? Progress on your own projects–whatever they might be? Seen a good movie? Did something exciting? I’m nosy. Also, have a great week! The only thing on my agenda is a return visit to vet with Jake on Wednesday. And hopefully, movement on AsDB! 🙄
*For those who don’t know, Nessie is my concrete sea serpent garden statue that resides in the island of our cicular drive. Her head and tail are about 3′ tall and her three humps are 2″ tall/3″ long.
Here. Have a 6 minute vacation on me. Hint, this is who Aisling could be if she ever figures things out. Also, if I could manipulate AI like these folks, I’d have some AMAZING book trailers and videos! Have a great weekend, everyone.
Silver James 