Lisa R. Howeler's Blog, page 86

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 23

As always, this is a continuing/serial story. I share a chapter a week and at the end of the story, after I edit and rewrite, I self-publish it. To catch up with the story click HERE. To read the rest of the books in this series click HERE. Let me know in the comments what you think.

Chapter 23

“I thought I told you to take the day off.” Ben stirred creamer in his coffee as he watched Judi walk in the front door wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and a cozy blue sweatshirt. “You don’t seem to listen very well.”

She tossed her purse on top of the reception desk. “I’d rather be working right now, actually.”

Ben blew on the coffee as Judi sat down and immediately opened the filing cabinet.  

He’d heard about the accident with Jerry from his parents and when he found out Judi had been on scene, he’d called her immediately. She hadn’t answered, but called him back later, explaining her phone had been left at Tanner’s Farm Store and she’d had to wait to get it until after she made a statement to the state police about the accident. He’d told her then to take the day off, rest, try to relax and not to worry about work for now.

She had agreed then but had obviously changed her mind overnight. He knew why without asking. He’d been there more than once in the last three years.

 Stay idle too long and thoughts would race.

Have racing thoughts for too long and the need to calm them with something to make the mind and body numb would become overwhelming.

“Did you get any sleep?”

She shrugged a shoulder and started typing. “Some.”

Yeah, “some” was most likely code for “in between the nightmares.”

She’d been through a lot last night from what his dad had said. She’d waited with Jerry Spencer until the ambulance had arrived and Jason Tanner, a member the volunteer fire department, had given her a lift to the store for her phone and then back home. His dad heard about it through the church prayer chain when Rena asked for prayer for both Jerry and Judi. Max had passed it on to Ben for prayer and information so he’d be aware Judi might need some time off.

Now all everyone could do was pray and wait and see if Jerry would pull through. He’d been alive when they’d taken him to the hospital, but he’d lost a lot of blood and his pulse had been week. A quick call that morning to Matt McGee gave Ben some details of the accident, mainly that there was alcohol involved. Matt hadn’t been the primary investigator on scene, since the accident happened in state police jurisdiction, but he’d driven by the accident scene on the way to his parents. The information was all unofficial and off the record, Matt reiterated, adding that it was also off the record that Judi had barely spoken while she waited for police, even when her parents arrived to sit with her.

Ben knew her family was an excellent support system but it took another recovering alcoholic to know how bad that urge to reach for a drink to numb the pain would be. He’d asked Judi about it before they hung up. She’d denied having any urge to drink, told him she was tired and quickly hung up. He hoped she’d been telling the truth.

“You want me to make you a cup of coffee?”

She shook her head and turned the computer on.

“Okay, I’ve got a lunch appointment at noon. I’ll be in my office until then. Let me know if you need anything.” He paused in his open doorway. “Like to talk or . . . anything.”

She didn’t respond and that worried him. Where were her quick comebacks? Her smart mouthed retorts? The fact she’d been so quiet lately wasn’t a good thing and he knew it.

When it came time for his lunch appointment he hesitated leaving, but Judi insisted she would be fine. The meeting was in Spencer and he flipped the radio on to drown out his racing thoughts on the 30-minute drive there.

Choosing booth in the back of the diner, he popped his brief case open after the waitress brought him the glass of tea he’d ordered. He’d suggested the location for this meeting because he felt like it might make the client, an octogenarian farmer he knew lived close to the Tanner’s, feel more relaxed. It was a simple finalization of the man’s will and a sale of part of his farmland. It shouldn’t take long.

Glancing up from the paperwork he watched Molly walk in and find a table close to the front window. He laid the paperwork down and found him studying the woman who he’d dated in high school when she’d been a girl. Like the last few times he’d seen her, including in church, she carried herself with much more confidence than she had in high school.

Her reddish-brown curls hung loose down her back and her green eyes focused out the window as she propped her chin on her hand, her elbow on top of the table. When he’d known her, she’d worn her hair pulled back or up on her head to keep it out of the way while she worked in the barn.

She’d never really been interested in dressing up or putting on make-up or even wearing clothes most females would. That was until a couple years ago when she started dating —

The front door opened again. There he was.

Alex Stone.

The man who had stolen Molly’s heart and was now walking into the diner with a confident swagger, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt with the name of Molly’s favorite band, Needtobreathe, on the front, and a black cowboy hat pulled low to his brow. He was sporting a five o’clock shadow along his rugged jawline and a smile crossed his lips as soon as he spotted Molly.

Sitting in the chair next to her, he looped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her against him. She looked up at him expectedly and within seconds he’d lowered his head to kiss her mouth. Ben knew he should look away, but somehow, he couldn’t.

He was happy for Molly, even happy for Alex, though the guy did seem to be a bit of a show off with those well-toned arms and all that swagger. Mixed in with the genuine happiness was a fair amount of jealousy, though.

For the last four years he’d pushed aside his desire to be loved by a woman, to hold her in his arms and have her look at him the way Molly was looking at Alex. He’d focused on his career and opening the law office, getting himself back on his feet and crawling out of the bottle.

He’d walked away from friendships he knew would only lead him back to the bar and he’d focused on rebuilding his relationship with his parents and siblings. Focusing on not wondering how Angie and Amelia were doing had been hard these past four years, but he’d distracted himself with court cases, paperwork, an occasional game of pickup basketball downtown with a couple of other lawyers and a few guys he’d met at church.

At night, though, the memories crept in; memories of soft lips trailing a path from his ear lobe to his neck, then back up again to find his mouth. He remembered his arms around a shapely, slender figure, pulling a warm body against him until he couldn’t tell where he ended, and she began.

During the last four years, he’d had a lot of time to think. Too much time really. He’d thought a lot about how his relationship with Angie had started all those years ago, how it had been about sex and physical attraction more than anything else. Over time it had become much more, but he hadn’t realized how connected he was with Angie on more than a sexual level until it was too late — until she was gone, and he was left alone with empty arms and an even emptier heart.

Alex and Molly had pulled apart from their kiss as the waitress walked over to take their order. Ben realized he hadn’t even been seeing them, his mind clouded with memories of a past life.

The diner door opened again, and an elderly man limped his way around a row of tables, toward Ben, who moved his attention to his approaching client. He stood to greet the man, offering his handshake. “Mr. Bradly. Hello.”

The handshake was firm, even if the hand was thin and frail. “Young Mr. Oliver. Good to see you again.” Jacob Bradly sat in the booth across from Ben. “Sorry for being late. Cow went into labor and it got stuck half way down. Had to take care of that first.”

Ben glanced at the man’s stooped form and long, thin, frail looking arms. “By yourself, Mr. Bradley?”

Jacob laughed. “Been doing it for 75 years, boy. Why would I stop now? Delivered my first calf at ten years old.”

Ben shook his head. There were no retirement years in Jacob Bradley’s future, apparently. Even with his son Mark almost completely running the farm now, Jacob hadn’t slowed down or backed off much at all. Sometimes Ben worried he’d hear the man had been trapped under a tractor like Robert Tanner had been a couple years ago. Robert had been lucky and had made it out alive with a limp. With his small frame, Jacob wouldn’t have the same luck.

Driving back to Burkett an hour later, Ben thought about how he could have clients with city backgrounds, city worries, and city money on his roster if he’d stayed in Philadelphia or New York City to practice. It might have lined his pockets faster, but it wouldn’t have kept him from comparing himself to his father any less. Max Oliver had worked his way up from paralegal in his uncle’s office to his own law office and eventually to county district attorney. More important than what accomplishments he’d reached were how he reached them, which had been with more dignity and respect than Ben had ever had as a young lawyer.

He was trying now, though. Trying to be a better lawyer, but also a better man. If he worked hard maybe he could earn the respect Maxwell Oliver had earned over the years. And maybe he could make up for all the damage he’d done to himself and his family on his way here.

Spooky Season Cinema: The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas was the next movie in the Spooky Season Cinema series Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I are doing and The Boy and I watched it last night. As I have been doing in this series, I have to again point out that “spooky” or Halloween-related movies aren’t really my thing so this has been a bit out of my wheel well. We have not watched anything too gruesome or dark, thankfully, though.

I am going to be upfront and say that when I first heard of this movie, I didn’t relish the idea of what I see as a dark holiday like Halloween taking over what is a very happy and light holiday for me and my family.  In the end, though, I was relieved it wasn’t as dark as I feared.

Here is the Google description of the movie:

“The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.”

My son really enjoys this movie, so he was very excited to watch it with me and because he was excited, I did my best to also be excited.

I love being able to spend time with him. As he grows up, I sometimes feel like we are growing apart so I’m always looking for things that we can bond over. I don’t know that this is the movie we will be doing that with again, but that’s okay. We are two different people with very different interests. His interest runs more in line with his dad’s and that’s okay too.

(I say all this while weeping a little and eating chocolate, but alas, I will be fine…eventually.)

This is a movie directed and created by Tim Burton, which if any of you know his work, you’ll know it’s a bit weird. This movie, however, is much less weird than his other work.

First the Claymation and stop motion in this movie is outstanding. It is crazy to think that they had to photograph, slightly move figures, then photograph them again, until they could combine all the images and create moving characters and scenes.

The Boy likes how the movie is made and has watched documentaries on the process of creating it, including the fact they had 400 heads for Jack because every time he opened his mouth they had to film a new head.

I liked the concept of the movie more than I thought I would.

I liked how walking into Christmas Town made Jack feel light and happy, which shows me that even Tim Burton understands that Halloween is the dark holiday and Christmas the light.

Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) ©Disney Enterprises, Inc.

I like how he progresses from being depressed about organizing Halloween every year to being excited about organizing Christmas.

It seems to take him a while to understand that real Christmas (not the commercialized version) is organized by people who are filled with joy, love, and hope.

I’d rather stay in the light as much as possible, which is why Halloween is my least favorite holiday.

I’m more of a “fluff” and “lighthearted” person when it comes to movies, books, and life. So, it was nice that there was a little bit of light in his movie, which is called by some fans a Halloween movie and some a Christmas movie. I lean more toward it being a Halloween movie for a variety of reasons.

 The movie is a musical of sorts, with Jack doing almost all the singing.

I didn’t like some of the imagery, especially when the one character was made of bugs and maggots, but I did like the overall story and how Jack finally found joy in the job he was called to do and stepped aside from a job he knew wasn’t his calling.

To read Erin’s take on the film, you can click HERE.

Finishing up our Spooky Season Cinema will be:

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Classic Creature Feature)

Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Johnny Depp version)

And Halloween from 1979.

Other movies we watched in this series included:

Clue

Shaun of the Dead

Young Frankenstein

Hocus Pocus

The Addams Family

You can find my impressions of these movies by using the search feature on the right over there on my page.

Honestly, though, it looks like we’d have to write about Halloween after Halloween so…I’ll probably drop that one because that is when I’ll be in Christmas mode. *wink* Ha! Ha!

Hodge Podge: The brain edition

This post is part of the weekly Hodge Podge feature with Joyce from From This Side of the Pond.

Thursday (Oct 13) is National Train Your Brain Day. What do you do to keep your brain in tip-top shape? Is it helping?

I don’t have any specific activities I do to keep my brain in shape – like crosswords or Sudoku or something similar, but I do try to read non-fiction books and watch documentaries. I’m also homeschooling my children, which keeps my brain working every day, but sometimes it also turns it into overwhelmed mush.

2. You can sit with anyone in the world and ‘pick their brain’…whom do you choose? Tell us why? 

Can they be dead or alive? Because if it is dead it would be C.S. Lewis to ask him what convinced him that there was a God when he believed there wasn’t one for so long.

If it is someone alive it would be Jordan Peterson because he is absolutely brilliant, and I’d like to ask him what the heck he was thinking with some of his Tweets over the last several months. Ha!

3. What’s something happening in the world (or your corner of it) right now that you have trouble ‘wrapping your brain around? 

 I’m not going to go political here, even though I want to, other than to say we need to protect the minds of our children, especially during the puberty and young adult years where they are heavily influenced by social media, the general media, celebrities, and very skewed ideas of what is normal. There are ideas and ideology being pushed at our young children which can ruin their entire lives.

What I can’t wrap my mind around are adults not standing up and helping to guide young people who are lost and being told actions that will harm them physically for life will cure them from feeling like they don’t fit in.

4. On a scale of 1-10 where do you fall in the pumpkin fanclub? (1=blech, 10=make it all pumpkin all the time) Tell us something delicious you’ve tasted recently that had some pumpkin in it somewhere. 

I’m probably a five in the pumpkin club. I can take it or leave it. I like it as pie, but I’m not a fan of pumpkin spice in everything from coffee to cereal to bagels, like the ones I picked up last week on clearance when I was grocery shopping. And no, I didn’t eat them. My husband did, however.  Not sure what he thought. I would like to try pumpkin soup someday and I don’t mind pumpkin spice candles.

5. Share a favorite song, book, or movie with an autumn title, setting, or vibe. 

Anne of Avonlea is a book I read not too long ago and I remember a lot of it taking place during the fall. The first book, Anne of Green Gables, though, is where the famous quote that every Instagram bookstagrammer uses every autumn is from: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” The full quote is: “Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”

6. Insert your own random thought here.

In honor of Angela Lansbury, The Husband and I watched two episodes of Murder She Wrote last night and we have more than a couple of questions. Two of our biggest are: how many nieces and nephews does this woman have? She’s always visiting a niece of nephew somewhere. Also, does anyone else notice that someone dies no matter where this woman goes. If I was one of her many nieces or nephews, I’d ask her to please not come visit, out of fear one of my friends might drop dead.

Sunday Bookends: Colorful views and different genres for books this week

Welcome to Sunday Bookends where I ramble about what I’ve been reading, doing, watching, writing and listening to.

What I/we’ve been Reading

This past week I finished The Uncertainty of Fire by Stephanie Daniels and posted a review HERE:

I then jumped back into High Adventure by Donald Westlake for something different and am splitting my reading time between that and You Are The Reason by Mary Felkins.

In case any of you are interested in either book,  here are their descriptions:

High Adventure:

One man’s quest to make history—and a lot of money: “High entertainment” from the three-time Edgar Award–winning Grand Master of Mystery (Elmore Leonard).
 
Kirby Galway may be a low-level marijuana smuggler in Belize, but the man has a dream—to make lots and lots of money. So when a local official offers him a back-jungle tract of land he swears would make a perfect cattle ranch, Kirby jumps at the opportunity. Unfortunately, he lands himself in a swamp—that he now owns.
 
Kirby begins selling homemade “artifacts” from his property to American museums and witless tourists, even building a fake ancient temple and recruiting a tribe of Mayan Indians who know a good scam when they see one.
 
But his cash-cow paradise soon attracts the attention of two snooping New York reporters, a beautiful archaeologist from UCLA, and a troop of Guatemalan guerillas just itching to shoot somebody. Kirby is going to have to talk fast, move faster, and pull out every dirty trick he knows if he’s going to get out of this alive . . .

You Are The Reason:

A reluctant heiress.

A driven contractor.

An abandoned house in want of a family.

CPA Everley Scott knows exactly what she wants. Status quo. But when her inheritance of Moreland, an 1846 manor house, is at risk of being razed, she agrees to fulfill her mother’s final wishes to restore the house to its former glory and hire her contractor of choice.

Historic restoration specialist, Gabe Bellevue, is in need of a big contract to buoy his reputation as New Orleans’ go-to guy. Stunned at his hefty price, Everley is cornered into involving a high-profile production company that offers funding in return for rights to film the project.

Production’s strict schedule pressures Gabe to rush the job, but his refusal could cost him the deal of a lifetime … and his last shot at satisfying unrequited love for Everley—his high school crush.

The discovery of an impassioned plea penned in the 1800’s by a former Moreland heiress might be the key to unlock Everley’s heart and enable her to embrace the historic treasure. Especially when it comes with a highly capable—and increasingly irresistible—contractor.

Will Moreland, once again, enjoy the sound of love and laughter within its walls?

At night Little Miss and I finished Anne of Green Gables and moved into Anne of Avonlea. During the day we’ve been reading The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill and we will be finishing that Monday. I haven’t decided what we will read next for school.

The Boy is not reading anything right now other than textbooks.

The Husband just finished Robert Galbraith’s The Ink Black Heart and really enjoyed it. He is now reading Kill Me If You Can by Mickey Spillane and Max Collins.

What’s Been Occurring

This week the leaves really started to change, almost at what felt like overnight.   

I took some time Thursday to drive around our area a small distance and take some photos and then took a few more on our way to and from gymnastics yesterday.

We didn’t do much this week other than school and grocery shopping.

What We watched/are Watching

This week we continued to watch Brokenwood and are now on the seventh season.

We also watched Young Frankenstein as part of the Spooky Season Cinema feature I am doing with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.

I started a detective movie called The Kennel Murder Case from 1933 with William Powell on YouTube, but didn’t finish it. Hopefully this week. It is one of several movies focused on the character of detective Philo Vance developed by author S.S. Van Dine in the 1920s

I also started to rewatch the Pride and Prejudice BBC mini-series with Colin Firth (who is the definitive Mr. Darcy.)

What I’m Writing

I’m working as often as I can during the week on Shores of Mercy so I can finish the first draft and have the final draft to The Husband for editing by early or mid-November.

This week on the blog I shared:

Book Review/Recommendation: The Uncertainty of FireFiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 22Spooky Season Cinema: Young FrankensteinBook Recommendation: Mama, Sing My Song

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Book Review/Recommendation: The Uncertainty of Fire

Book: The Uncertainty of Fire

Author: Stephanie Daniels

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Description:

What price will she pay for following her heart?

Chicago, 1871. Sixteen-year-old Whimsy Greathart would rather fight against Chicago’s child labor practices than attend her privileged family’s high society events. And a very public social blunder only strengthens her resolve to use her influence for good.

On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her tenderhearted choice leads her into danger and results in life-changing consequences.

With her world turned to ash, she must rely on the mercy of poor relations to rebuild her future and is forced into the very labor system she wished to fight against. As Whimsy staggers under the weight of street gang violence and hazardous working conditions, a chance at deliverance persuades her to make a promise. One she intends to keep. But now she must determine whether it’s God’s heart she’s following or her own.

A Top Faved Christian story on Amazon’s Kindle Vella. Now available in paperback and e-book.

My Thoughts

The Uncertainty of Fire is a book full of excitement and intrigue wrapped around a well written and researched story based on events that happened during and after the great Chicago fire of 1871. The book follows Whimsy, a young woman with a compassionate heart who faces unthinkable trials.

The characters are rich and well developed and easy to love – or hate when necessary .

Once you start, be prepared to be unable to put the book down without blazing your way through to the end to find out what happens. Whimsy’s life takes so many twists and turns you’re never quite sure what might happen next.

While there is heartbreak in the pages of Whimsy’s life, there is also hope, healing, and joy.

Daniels does an amazing job pulling you into the story and never letting you go. I’m looking forward to her next book, which I’m sure will be just as enthralling as this first one.

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 22

As always, this is a continuing/serial story. I share a chapter a week and at the end of the story, after I edit and rewrite, I self-publish it. To catch up with the story click HERE. To read the rest of the books in this series click HERE. Let me know in the comments what you think.

Chapter 22

If Judi was going to go to dinner with Evan’s family, she should bring something with her. At least she figured she should. That’s what her parents had always done when they went to someone else’s house. She’d rarely been invited to parties where booze wasn’t the expected gift to bring so choosing something non-alcoholic to add to the evening was new for her.

If she was going to find an edible contribution worthy of the McGees, she figured she’d better drive out to Tanner’s Farm Store and maybe pick up some of their baked goods, which sadly she’d become addicted to since returning to the area.

Her phone rang as she pulled onto the main street out of town. Glancing at the caller id she scowled, but since she was already having a bad day, she picked it up anyhow.

“Finally! Judi, where have you been?”

Seline’s tone sounded more concerned than annoyed, but that didn’t stop Judi from feeling annoyed.

“I’ve been working, Seline. I took another job at a lawyer’s office. I told you that.”

“I know, but you haven’t been picking up your phone. Listen, I’m sorry if I pissed you off when I gave your number to that lawyer, but Alicia needs some help in her case and —”

“Are you friends with this girl, Seline?”

“Yes, I am, that’s why I called you.”

“Then why didn’t you warn her about Jeff? Did you just let her walk into the lions’ den, or did you try to stop her?”

“Hey, what’s with the accusations? And the Bible references? Your sister must be rubbing off on you.” Judi heard a door slam. “For your information, I didn’t know she was seeing him.” Seline’s tone had definitely slipped into a tense, angry tone. “A friend told me later she’d seen them talking at a party. I tried to warn her, but it was too late. I’m trying to help her because I feel guilty. Okay?”

“I don’t feel guilty.” Judi tapped the hands-free feature on the dashboard and shrugged. “He’s got a reputation. I’m sure she heard about him before she started seeing him. She should have known what she was getting into.”

Seline scoffed. “You knew his reputation too, Judi. What was your excuse?”

Judi chose not to respond, instead glancing at a tractor drift across a corn field and wishing she’d never answered the call.

Seline huffed out an aggravated breath. “So, you’re not going to help then?”

Judi leaned back, propping her elbow on the open window and tapping a finger against the rim of her sunglasses. “I don’t know yet. I have to find out what this lawyer wants me to do.”

She heard honking horns, voices shouting, and the click of heels on a sidewalk. “He wants you to make a victim impact statement and maybe testify the day of the trial.”

Judi rubbed a finger along pain building up above her right eye. “I’m not interested in seeing Jeff again. He’s already called me and —

“He called you?”

“Yes. This weekend.”

“He must be out on bail. What did he say?”

“Normal Jeff stuff. He threatened to tell my family I was a slut if I testified against him.”

“But you’re not a slut.” Seline’s earlier annoyance had disappeared. “Sure you made out with guys but you didn’t sleep around. He’s an idiot and if he wasn’t so rich there is no way he’d be out on jail. He probably paid the judge off. ” Her voice was muffled for a moment. “A vanilla chai with soy milk and a blueberry scone. Thank you.” Her normal volume returned. “Besides, your family wouldn’t believe any of what he said anyhow and even if they did, based on what you’ve told me, they’d love you anyhow.”

When a farm tractor loomed ahead, Judi slowed down, propping her elbows on her steering wheel and smoothing lip balm on her lower lip. It was true that her family might say they love her no matter what, but that probably wouldn’t stop them from simply seeing her as the family screw up again if they found out about the situation with Jeff. 

“Listen, Seline, I’m driving out into the middle of nowhere. I’m going to lose service. I’ll call you back when I get home.”

Seline laughed softly, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Calling it home now, are you? Sounds permanent. Does that mean you’re never coming back?”

“I don’t know.” Her eyes focused on the rustic wooden sign at the top of Tanner’s store. “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with my life right now.” She swallowed hard, wishing she could go somewhere and get drunk like she used to so she wouldn’t have to think about the fact her life was currently going nowhere but down. She pushed the thought away with a shake of her head. “Hey, call you later, k?”

She slid her finger over the end call button before Seline could respond, dropped her phone in her purse and headed into the store. She needed to focus on something other than her past life, and her murky future, right now. She headed to the bread aisle. Bread was always a good thing to bring to a dinner. Unless someone was gluten intolerant. Maybe she should bring veggies and dip instead.

She looked around for the veggie aisle and only found crates of fresh vegetables and fruit in the middle of the store with no labels. Sliding her hand into her hair at the top of her head, she held it there for a few minutes and sighed. Trying to be domesticated wasn’t as easy as she thought.

“Judi! Surprise seeing you here!”

No. It couldn’t be.

She turned to find the source of the voice.

“Mom?”

Rena Lambert reached out to her daughter and pulled her into a warm hug. “I’ve been trying to reach you for a few days and now here you are right in front of me. How perfect.” She pulled back, hands still on Judi’s shoulders. “I was hoping you’d come for dinner tonight. I hate to think of you in that apartment eating garbage every night. A homecooked meal would be good for you.”

Judi rolled her eyes. “Mom, I know how to cook for myself, you know.” That, of course, was a bold faced lie. “I don’t eat garbage all the time.” Just most of the time.

Rena wasn’t deterred. “Well, still — come for dinner tonight. At least you won’t have to cook for yourself.”

Judi’s muscles tensed as her mom’s hands remained on her upper arms in a vice grip. “Actually, Evan McGee asked me to come for dinner at his family’s tonight, so I can’t.”

Rena’s eyebrows raised, eyes sparkling with what Judi could only call a delighted smile crossed her lips. “Oh. Matt’s brother?” Judi inwardly cringed at the way her mom’s eyes lit up. The poor woman clearly had thought Judi would never get married and yet, here was the possibility it might actually happen one day, at least in Rena Lambert’s maternal mind. That was what life was like in this small town. Mothers anxious to marry off their daughters to good, hardworking men and have grandchildren. Lots of grandchildren.

 Her mom could forget it, though. Judi wasn’t even remotely interested in marriage and having children made her stomach clench with dread. The mere thought she was going to have to see a baby at this gathering made her want to run home and lock her apartment door.

For her whole life, she’d hoped and expected that Ellie would be the one to give her parents grandchildren. What a cruel irony that Ellie couldn’t have children now that she and Jason were married.

“Rebecca McGee is an amazing cook,” Rena said finally letting go of her daughter and adjusting her purse strap on her arm. “You’ll be getting a homecooked meal tonight then. A very good one. Okay, then, how about you come to our house tomorrow night or Wednesday?” She smiled in a conspiratorial way, leaning forward and lowering her voice. “Then you can fill me in on why Evan invited you to dinner.”

No chance, Rena, Judi wanted to say, but didn’t. Instead, she reminded herself that her mom was trying hard to show Judi how much she was loved and cared for her, no matter Judi’s efforts in the past to distance herself from her overly friendly, overly religious family.

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to see what my work schedule is.” There was no way she was telling her mom about the situation with Lonny.

Rena’s delighted expression didn’t fade despite Judi’s unwillingness to commit to dinner. “That’s fine. Just let me know, okay? What brings you to Tanners?”

Judi shrugged her shoulder, hesitant to admit her real reason for stopping. “I guess I thought I should take something to dinner. Their whole family is going to be there.”

Rena gestured at the glass covered display case behind Judi. “Oh! You should get one of these amazing bread bowls and spinach dip. They are amazing and so trendy.”

Judi didn’t have the heart to tell her mom bread bowls with dip in the middle hadn’t been trendy since the late 1990s.

“Oh. Yeah. That’s an idea.”

And at the moment it was also the only idea she had.

Rena picked up the handheld shopping basket she’d dropped to hug Judi. “I’m going to grab some of that chocolate milk and the homemade butter your dad loves and head home. I’ve got a ladies Bible study at Ellie’s at 7.” She leaned over and quickly kissed Judi’s cheek. “Hope to see you later this week, hon.”

Judi rotated her shoulders back gently to loosen the tension her muscles had taken on while talking to her mother and headed toward the bread bowls and dip. The offering might be an outdated one but at least she’d feel like she had made an effort. After choosing a bread bowl and dip and searching the baked good aisle, she heard her name being called again.

“Judi!”

What was this, a family reunion?

Ellie was next to hug her. Looking down as her sister stepped back, Judi noticed Ellie was wearing a black Tanner’s Farm Store t shirt, paired with a pair of dark blue jeans. She must be working the register today.

Seeing Ellie in more casual clothes had taken getting some getting used to, but Judi was glad to see that Ellie could at least loosen up when working at the farm store, if not in other areas of her life.

“What brings you here?” Ellie’s smile was as broad and perky as Rena’s had been.

Judi quickly explained her visit, like she had with their mother, and hoped Ellie wouldn’t develop the same delighted expression at Judi’s being invited to a dinner by a man from an upstanding family.

 Her hopes were dashed the second Ellie winked at her and said, “Ooh. Evan McGee, huh?” She pinched Judi’s arm while Judi looked at her in horror. “He’s got his brother’s good looks. So, is there something going on between you two?”

Ellie folded her arms across her chest and tipped her head, a ridiculous mischievous smile crossing her lips.

Judi made a face. She was ending this conversation as quick as it began. “Okay, that’s enough of your weirdness.” She raised a hand outward in defense, as if she could block any more questioning. “I’m going to head out now.”

Ellie laughed as she hooked her hair up into a tight ponytail on top of her head. “It’s not weirdness. I’m happy for you. Evan’s a good guy.”

How did Ellie know if Evan was a good guy or not? Anyone could pretend to be a good guy. Judi had learned that the hard way a few times.

Brad Tanner walked through the back door carrying a box of vegetables on his shoulder, drawing Judi’s gaze away from her sister. It was one of the few times she was grateful for his appearance. At least she could change the subject now.

She tipped her chin up slightly in his direction, shifting the dip into the crook of her arm. “What’s he doing here?”

Ellie glanced over her shoulder. “Uh, he’s a Tanner, so he’s working. He picks up deliveries for the store. You know that.”

Judi glowered in his direction. “Yeah. Must stink having to see him so much.”

Ellie waved away the suggestion. “Nah. It’s okay. He apologized months ago about the accident. I told you that. He sort of stays clear of me, though. Gets his work done and gets out.” She glanced over her shoulder, her brow dipping in concern. “He’s actually been really quiet lately. I’m a little worried about him.”

Judi scoffed. “I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s a big boy. He can handle himself.”

He’d certainly handled himself fine at that bar a few months ago when he couldn’t keep his hands off either of the Lambert sisters. Judi still felt a twinge of guilt that he’d come to the apartment to see her when Ellie had driven him home, which was what led to the accident in the first place. If Judi hadn’t been passed out drunk in Ellie’s spare room, she might have driven Brad home herself. She knew Ellie’s accident could have been worse, but it had been a scary time for their family and Jason.

“Back to work,” Ellie said grabbing Judi for another quick hug. Judi didn’t understand why Ellie felt like she had to hug everyone so much. “Come on up and I’ll check you out. It’s time for Molly’s break.”

Checked out and in the parking lot, Judi caught sight of Brad in his truck next to her as she opened her car door. Her muscles tensed as he climbed out.

Please don’t come talk to me. Please don’t —

“Judi, hey! Weird question but can I get a lift?”

She set her bag on the passenger seat and slid behind the steering wheel. “What do you mean a lift? You have a truck right there.”

“It’s not starting. It’s got a bad battery and I haven’t got it replaced yet. I was hoping you could drive me up to the farm to get the jumper cables and then drop me off on your way back to town. I took the cables out when I was cleaning the back of the truck out last night. Unless you’ve got a pair?”

She really needed to have stuff in her car in case something like that ever happened to her, but, “No, I don’t have any.” Plus, she wouldn’t know how to use them if she did.

Brad looked over his shoulder, across the parking lot. “I’d ask Molly. but she just took off with Alex.” He smirked. “Probably to go make out at the overlook again.” He leaned down, his arms folded on her open window and grinned. “They think no one knows about their make out sessions up there. Anyhow, I’d really appreciate it if you’d give me a ride. I’ll even give you gas money.”

Judi’s shoulders slumped. She really wanted to tell Brad to get lost, but he didn’t have the cocky demeanor he usually did today. He genuinely seemed to need a lift. She glanced at her watch. She still had a couple hours before she needed to be at Evan’s.

Tipping her head back briefly, she sighed, sliding the key in the ignition. “Okay, yeah, I guess.”

“Thanks.” As he walked in front of the car, his dusty blue jeans fitting him nicely and matching a dark blue shirt that pulled across his well-toned chest and abs, she remembered why she’d agreed to go to a few bars with him when she’d got back to town. He was good looking. A good looking, alcoholic jerk, but still good looking.

He slid into the passenger seat and stretched his long legs out, then pulled them back again when he realized there wasn’t room. The Tanners grew big boys, much bigger than the Oliver’s, since Ben was the last one to sit in the seat.

“There’s a button on the side of the seat near the bottom to move the seat back,” she said, sliding the car into reverse.

Brad slid the seat back and rolled the window down, laying an arm between the two seats, across the back of Judi’s, obviously making himself comfortable. “Missed you at AA last week.”

Judi pulled out onto the dirt road that led to the Tanner’s. “Had to work late at the grille.”

Brad tapped the back of her seat in time to the music, looking out the windshield. “It was a good meeting. They’ve actually been helping me. That and my sponsor. I haven’t had a drink in three weeks.” He tilted his head to look at her. “It’s going good so far, but I’m guessing it’s going to get harder. Am I right?”

Was he right? Just because she’d wanted a shot of a whiskey all day long to numb her emotions didn’t mean it was still hard, did it? She snorted a laugh. “Yeah, it’s definitely going to get harder, Tanner.”

“How is it going for you?”

Was she hearing his tone right? Did he really seem to care? Because it certainly sounded like he did. She glanced at him, reaching for her sunglasses in the center console and sliding them on with one hand. She wasn’t about to have a heart to heart with him, no matter how sincere he sounded right now. He was probably just trying to find a way to get her in bed, not that he had succeeded in anything more than heavy petting in the past.

“Doing fine.”

More lies. It was easier than the truth.

“Not struggling with wanting a drink?”

“Nope.”

“Liar.”

He knew her too well.

She downshifted as she passed a tractor on the left. Robert Tanner waved at her, but she ignored him and simply sped up and yanked the car into the lane.

Brad chuckled. “All right. Keep it to yourself then.” She could feel his eyes on her and out of the corner of her eye she saw his gaze slip from her face down the length of her. “You look good sober, Jude.”

“Don’t call me Jude. My name is Judi.”

“How come you’re so cold to me now? You used to be warm to me.” He rubbed a hand across his chin and grinned. “Really warm to me.”

“You sending my sister’s car into a creek doesn’t ring a bell?”

“I apologized for that. Ellie forgave me. Why can’t you?”

She didn’t answer him, pushing her foot on the accelerator instead. She flicked her finger across the volume button, turning up the music, hoping he’d take the hint.

He didn’t. “You didn’t mind checking me out last year at my grandmother’s birthday party when I was splitting logs with Alex and Jason.”

She scowled at him, not sure if she should swear at him or laugh. “Yeah, and I’m sober now. What does that tell you?

Brad laughed softly. “Ouch. So, I’m only good looking when a woman is drunk?”

She didn’t even bother to look at him, see that cocky smirk on his face. “Yup. Pretty much.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth a streak of dark blue shot around the corner ahead of her, swerving into her lane. She jerked the steering wheel to the right to get out the truck’s way, but it kept coming. Any further and she’d be head on into the trunk of a maple tree. The crunch of metal on metal drowned out her scream and Brad’s shout. When colors began to blur into a whirl of movement she clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the steering wheel and slamming her foot on the brake.

Within seconds silence sliced into the noise and everything came to a dead standstill. Judi gasped in a breath and opened her eyes. Her car was leaning to one side, against an embankment, facing the opposite direction she’d originally been driving. The blue truck that had swerved into her lane was 60 feet away, upside down in a field, smoke pouring from the back, the wheels still spinning.

“Holy hell!” The words hissed out of Brad and were followed by a stream of curse words. “What was that guy doing?!” He unhooked his belt. “You okay?”

Tremors shuddered through her limbs and her breathing didn’t seem to be able to keep up with her heart rate, but she wasn’t hurting anywhere so —

“Yeah, I think so.”

Brad flung the passenger side door open. “I better go see if the other guy is okay.”

Judi nodded slowly, her gaze still focused on the mangled brush her car had flown through. She knew she should follow him, but her car door was smashed into the embankment and she didn’t her legs would support her yet if she tried to climb through the passenger side.

Taking slow, deep breaths, wishing for that shot of whiskey again to calm her nerves, she watched Brad jog down the road, through the broken fence and into the empty corn field. He kneeled down to look into the truck cab.

“Hey! You okay! Jerry? Is that you?”

She could hear him but a strange ringing in her ears overtook his words. She didn’t remember hitting her head, but this must have been how Ben had felt after hitting the tree. She swallowed hard, shook her head quick, and forced herself to let go of the steering wheel and move toward the passenger seat. She moved slowly across the slanted front seats and climbed out the passenger side door, gripping it as the earth gave way slightly beneath her.”

“Judi! You got your cellphone?” Brad had cupped his hand around his mouth and was shouting to her. The ringing had subsided, and she could hear him clearly again. “We need an ambulance.”

She glanced at the console. No phone. It must have fallen on the floor. She searched for it but when she came up empty, she opened the back door and grabbed her purse. It must be in there.

It wasn’t.

Where was her phone?

She pushed a hand into her hair and clutched a handful at the top of her head. “Think, Judi. Where is your phone?”

She couldn’t think of anything other than the sickening sound of metal on metal, the way her legs were still shaking and the fact she needed alcohol as soon as possible or she was going to start screaming.

She pictured her phone in her hand at the Tanner’s store and it hit her. She’d laid it down to slide her debit card through the card reader at the register. She must have left it laying there.

“No phone!” she shouted back at Brad. “Where’s yours?”

He jogged back toward her. “In my truck. Forgot it.” He jerked his head back toward the truck. “It’s Jerry Spencer. He’s in bad shape. I think he’s still breathing but there’s a lot of blood. I’m going to run down the road to Uncle Robert and see if he’s got a phone on him.”

Panic surged inside her chest. “Don’t leave me here. I’ll go.”

Brad’s gaze slid down the length of her to her shoes. “You’re wearing high heel boots. No way. I can move faster. Go up and wait with Jerry in case he comes to, okay?”

She rubbed her hands across her bare arms as Brad jogged back down the road, took a shaky breath, and headed toward the upside down truck.

She had no idea what had happened and how she had ended up here, but she did know that this accident wasn’t her fault. Jerry had come out of nowhere. She’d had no time to get out of his way. He’d better not blame her when she got up there.

She had nothing to worry about, though. Jerry wasn’t blaming anyone. Brad could have warned her how bad it was.

Jerry was laying in a bed of glass, on his stomach, his neck bent at an unnatural angle, one leg twisted underneath him and his right arm bent the opposite direction of how it should be bent. She clasped a hand to her mouth and stopped walking. She didn’t want to go any closer. He’d clearly flown through the windshield. It was a miracle the truck hadn’t landed on him. Then again, maybe it would have been better if it had. Based on the deep throated, agonized groans coming from him, it might have been better if he’d been killed on impact.

She took two slow steps forward and the groaning slipped into an unnerving moaning that made her want to turn and run as fast as she could back to her car, or anywhere where she didn’t have to hear what she worried were the sounds of Jerry dying.

“Hey, um, Jerry. Brad’s gone for help, okay?”

She had no idea if he could even hear her. Now that she’d stepped closer, she could see dark red blood pooling underneath him. She still hadn’t seen his face and she didn’t want to. For all she knew there was nothing left of it.

His body convulsed for a few seconds then went still and she hugged her arms around herself.

“God, please,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be here for this.”

She hadn’t talked to God in years. Probably not since her ninth-grade year. It felt weird to do it now, but she didn’t know who else to talk to. She couldn’t call anyone. Brad was gone and Jerry — Her throat thickened with emotion.

A haunting whisper came from Jerry, almost like a hiss. She’d read somewhere that the body did weird things when a person died.

“Tell her . . .”

Those had definitely been words. She shook her head, looked over her shoulder and rubbed the skin under throat, laying her hand against it, slightly encircling her throat, wishing she could shut off the air so she could pass out and wake up when it was all over. “Brad. Where are you?”

“Tell her.. . .”

The words came again. Judi stared at Jerry’s motionless body and took another step forward. “Jerry?”

Another whisper, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

No. No. No. She did not want to get any closer. Her foot crunched on a beer can and then she noticed the ground was littered with them. A sickly sweet smell stung her nostrils.

“Help is coming, Jerry.”

He moaned again. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and dropped her hands at her side, clenching them. She opened her eyes and took another step forward but when a twig snapped under her shoe she gasped and stopped walking.

“I don’t want to  .  . .”

She took another step. “I don’t want to either, Jerry,” she said softly.

She moved closer, inching forward, keeping her gaze on Jerry, knowing that at any moment she’d be able to see his face or what was left of it. Bile caught in her throat at the blood pooled under his head. She’d been right about his face. It wasn’t in good shape, but she knew somewhere under the cuts and gashes Jerry was there.

She took another shaky breath and lowered herself to the ground near him, careful to stay back from the blood.

He looked so helpless, laying there, unable to move, shallow breaths gasping out of him. This was the man who had snapped at her more than once during AA meetings, leered at her through his truck window when he drove by on the street, judged her life decisions when he couldn’t even get his own life together. He couldn’t do any of that now, though. She wanted to feel happy about that, point an accusatory finger at him and laugh at his misfortune.

But she couldn’t.

 “Dear God.” She’d said it again. Prayed it again.

She couldn’t wish for anything worse on Jerry Spencer than what was happening to him now. She couldn’t help him. Maybe not even the EMTs would be able to help him. Maybe all he had left was God.

“Dawn.”

“No, it’s Judi Lambert, Jerry.” Then it hit her. His wife’s name was Dawn. “Dawn’s not here right now. Brad’s gone to get help.”

“Tell her . . .”

“Don’t try to talk, Jerry.”

His voice was barely audible. She had to lean forward slightly to hear him and when she did her foot slipped from under her and she fell forward on her hands. Class cut into her palms. “Tell her I loved her.” Something gurgled in Jerry’s throat and Judi sat back again, looking at her hands, trembling and bleeding. “I’m sorry,” Jerry whispered.

Her eyes burned and everything began to blur. “You can tell her, Jerry. Don’t worry. You can tell her when she gets to the hospital. It’s going to be okay.”

She choked out a sob. “It’s going to be okay.”

A cold chill settled over her as she sat back on her heels and clutched her knees, her shoulders shaking. “It’s going to be okay.”

The lie sat bitter in her mouth, but she said it again and again, a silent plea to the God she’d walked away from long ago to make the words true.

Spooky Season Cinema: Young Frankenstein

When I was in elementary school, though I can’t remember which grade, one of our teachers plopped us in front of one of those big TVs on a cart with a VCR on a shelf and thought we would enjoy a movie called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Not only did I not enjoy the movie, but it gave me nightmares, mainly because of one man and his crazy eyes.

Just watch this scene and tell me he’s not a psychopath.

It took me another 20 years to actually try that movie again and the eyes still haunted me, but I made it. Imagine my discomfort when, as a young, newly married woman, my husband said to me one night early in our marriage, “Will you watch one of my favorite movies ever with me? It’s called Young Frankenstein and it stars Gene Wilder.”

I’m sure I visibly shuddered, drawing images from my childhood of that man’s terrifying eyes, but eventually agreed.

That was many years ago so I didn’t remember much of the movie, which is why watching it last night with him again as part of the Spooky Season Cinema Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs, was almost like watching it for the first time.

Wilder’s eyes don’t frighten me as much anymore (total lie) so it was easier to watch it this time around, even with Marty Feldman’s eyes now freaking me out (not a lie at all).

The movie, for those who have never seen it, is a Mel Brooks film and is complete ridiculousness from start to finish. There are numerous classic scenes from the film, or at least they are classic to me because my husband has quoted so many of them over the years.

The film is a parody of all the old black and white horror films of the 30s and 40s and was made in 1974. The story follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, of the Mary Shelly book fame. He insists everyone call him Fronkensteen, rejecting his ancestor, who he calls a lunatic during a lecture at the American college he works at. He doesn’t even want to be reminded of what his grandfather did.

When Frederick is given his great-grandfather’s will, he travels to Transylvania, leaving behind his fiancé (Madyln Kahn) and joining Eyegor (not Eegor/Igor), portrayed by Marty Feldman, and his attractive assistant, (Terry Garr), and the housekeeper, Mrs. Blucher played by Cloris Leechman at his great-grandfather’s castle. It’s there he finds his grandfather’s notes about reanimation and decides he’s going to try it again, but this time he’ll do it the right way, by putting a brilliant scientist’s brain in the body of a dead man.

Sadly, Eyegor drops the brain of the brilliant man and picks out one that is abnormal, which is when all the craziness — well, gets crazier and the monster, played by Peter Boyle, is brought to life.

“By the way, that was just one big sex joke,” my husband said during the reanimation scene and, well, he was right.

There are a few innuendos throughout the movie. “They got away with quite a bit for a PG-rated movie,” my husband pointed out.

According to Wikipedia, Young Frankenstein “was No. 28 on Total Film magazine’s readers’ “List of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films of All Time”, No. 56 on Bravo’s list of the “100 Funniest Movies”, and No. 13 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 funniest American movies.” ‘

It was more fun than scary, which is why I’d put it up there with one of my favorite “spooky season” movies that we’ve watched so far, other than Clue.

Up next in our series of movies for this feature:

The Nightmare Before Christmas (this is replacing Transylvania 6500, which we decided we just couldn’t watch)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Classic Creature Feature)

Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Johnny Depp version)

And Halloween from 1979.

Book Recommendation: Mama, Sing My Song

Book Title: Mama, Sing My Song

Author: Amanda Seibert

Genre: Children’s

Release Date: September 2022

Description:

Mama, Sing My Song  is a children’s book about God’s big love, giving families affirming words to shower on their kids, revealing the bright joy, deep care, and unending love they have in their hearts. Amanda Seibert, founder of Mama Sing My Song, the popular company that creates personalized songs for parents to gift to their children, knows that the words we speak over our little ones can shape them for years to come. 

When we look at our children, we see those one-in-a-million grins, their crinkled noses, and sweet eyes looking back at us, which soften our hearts. God designed those babies uniquely, and Mama, Sing My Song is a celebration of all that is lovely and true about your child. Let your little ones know they are safe, loved, and cherished in your family.

This affirming book for 4- to 8-year-olds.

My review

This beautiful children’s book captured my heart and my and 7-year-old daughter’s attention with the beautiful words and beautiful illustrations. The message was heartwarming and instills such an important message in our children — that they are God’s work of art. No matter what others say about them, they are made in God’s image and God loves them, protects them, and watches over them.

I absolutely love how the front and back of the book provide spaces to personalize the book to your child with headings such as “wonderful qualities I see in you”, “my hopes and dreams for your life,” “the special meaning of your name,” etc.

This isn’t just a children’s book. It is a child’s keepsake, something I feel like children will hold on to remember that their parents love them, and God does as well.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Sunday Bookends: Little Miss turns eight and a trip “up north”

Welcome to Sunday Bookends where I ramble about what I’ve been reading, doing, watching, writing and listening to.


What’s Been Occurring

My post is late today because today is Little Miss’s birthday and we took a trip to a small restaurant near us after holding a birthday party at home for her yesterday. Between running all over and getting interrupted today, I didn’t have time to finish this post for this morning.

There were seven kids tearing around our house and jumping all over the neighbor’s trampoline for several hours yesterday. Little Miss had a blast.

Today she wanted a family dinner out with her family. Originally she wanted to go to a restaurant to sit inside but this morning, after cuddling with Zooma the Wonder Dog, she decided she wanted to go somewhere we could eat outside so we could bring her furry best friend with us.

There is a restaurant near us that encourages customers to bring their pets and even sells meat bowls for them so we decided to go there. That gave Zooma an outing too and she was so excited to be a part of our day. We’ve been heading out places lately without her and it’s sad to leave her home.

Earlier in the week, we left her home for over eight hours when The Husband was at work, and we drove two hours away to see my 89-year-old aunt who will be going into a nursing home very soon.

Today we went to the restaurant, ate outside, admired the lovely covered bridge by the restaurant, then stopped at a local trail where The Husband and the kids hiked a little bit and I stayed at the van because of a bum knee and because I don’t do well at hiking these days.

I thought the trail was going to be a lot smoother than it turned out being. I hadn’t been there for years and did not remember the trail going down such a steep hill with so many rocks and tree limbs sticking out.  I would have liked a little bit more sun during the day, but it still turned out to be a very nice day.

As for the trip to my aunt’s, I hate driving long distances, but my mom doesn’t drive much anymore, and my dad has been driving a lot lately, so I volunteered to drive and actually did much better than I expected. It helped that I know the route there better than some and that it’s pretty much a straight shot up a couple of major highways. My aunt lives in Upstate New York, which is the part of New York most people don’t know exists. It’s a mainly rural area in the part we are closer to, with a few bigger “cities” like Binghamton, N.Y.

There is a three-lane highway that bypasses the city of Binghamton and it’s always a little crazy for this country girl to drive on. Cars are flying from off ramps on one side and people are switching lanes and it is in those moments I long for a tractor to get stuck behind. I did well on that stretch on the way to my aunts but on the way back it was rush hour and there were cars coming in and out and passing me on the right to get around a slow truck and aack! In the middle of all of this, a spider ran across the top of the windshield and I sat for a moment trying to figure out if it was inside or outside.

It didn’t take me long to realize that line of thought was stupid considering I was driving at 55 mph and there was no way a spider could hold on like that on the outside. So here I am trying to maneuver through this year while a spider is running up and then down the windshield and then disappears along the side of it. At that point, I have no idea where this thing is going to pop up. My mom, who was sitting in the front seat with me, told me to focus on the road and not on the spider. I did my best to listen to her and eventually I forgot about the spider. Luckily, he stayed hidden the rest of the drive.

The weather this week was similar to last week with a few days where it rained for a little, then the sun came out, then it rained again, then the sun came out, then it rained…well,  you get the idea. My poor cats were totally confused during the day and were either crying to get out or crying to get in. Zooma the Wonder Dog got wet a few times because I let her out and then didn’t realize it was raining again.

The weather was the same on the drive to and from my aunts and during the visit with her too.

During our visit there The Boy decided to stress me out by climbing a really tall tree in my aunt’s backyard. They are selling her house when she moves so it will probably be the last time he climbs that tree.

My aunt’s friend stopped by before we left and when I told her the story she said boys never grow out of climbing trees because the other day she caught her 49-year-old son up her tree. She’d gone out in the backyard and couldn’t find him. That’s when she heard him calling to her from above. He told her he’d just wanted to see if he could still do it.

It will be hard for us not to see my aunt in her home after all this time. I’ve never visited her in any other home and I know this move is very hard for her and for her daughter. We hope to visit her in the nursing home when she moves in. It will be a little bit of a further drive then.

What I/we’ve been Reading

This week I finished The Uncertainty of Fire by Stephanie Daniels.

Description:

What price will she pay for following her heart?

Chicago, 1871. Sixteen-year-old Whimsy Greathart would rather fight against Chicago’s child labor practices than attend her privileged family’s high society events. And a very public social blunder only strengthens her resolve to use her influence for good.

On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her tenderhearted choice leads her into danger and results in life-changing consequences.

With her world turned to ash, she must rely on the mercy of poor relations to rebuild her future and is forced into the very labor system she wished to fight against. As Whimsy staggers under the weight of street gang violence and hazardous working conditions, a chance at deliverance persuades her to make a promise. One she intends to keep. But now she must determine whether it’s God’s heart she’s following or her own.

A Top Faved Christian story on Amazon’s Kindle Vella. Now available in paperback and e-book.

I had read part of this book on Kindle Vella last year before I had the dreaded virus and was a little too out of it to finish it after the dreaded virus so I was glad to have it in book form to read now. It is well written and a very interesting read, especially with all the history thrown in. The characters are rich and well developed and easy to love – or hate depending on the character. Stephanie will be releasing a second book in this series in the future and I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have a larger review on this later in the week.

I also continued reading A Quilter’s Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini and picked up another book by her during a recent library visit.

A Quilter’s Holiday is part of the Elm Creek Quilt series.

Description:

For the Elm Creek Quilters, the day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the quilting season, a time to gather at Elm Creek Manor and spend the day stitching holiday gifts for loved ones. This year, in keeping with the season’s spirit of gratitude, Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson Cooper is eager to revive a cherished family tradition. A recent remodeling of the manor’s kitchen unearthed a cornucopia that once served as the centerpiece of the Bergstrom family’s holiday table. Into it, each Bergstrom would place an object that symbolized something he or she was especially thankful for that year. On this quilter’s holiday, Sylvia has invited her friends to continue the tradition by sewing quilt blocks that represent their thankfulness and gratitude.

As each quilter explains the significance of her carefully chosen block, stories of love and longing for family and friends emerge—feelings that are also expressed in the gifts they work on throughout the day.

As an early winter storm blankets Elm Creek Manor in heavy snow, the quilters find new meanings in their best-loved traditions and new reasons to be thankful. A Quilter’s Holiday is a story of holiday spirit, in its truest, most generous sense.

I hope to finish reading a book I started a while ago by Donald Westlake this week or next, but with the way I’ve been reading lately – interrupted constantly by life and writing – it will probably be sometime later in October.

The Boy is reading a lot of text for history — a book on Medieval History By Susan Wise Bauer and is waiting for a new copy of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells after Little Miss’s slime got stuck to the book he is reading.

Little Miss and I are reading The Year of Miss Agnes during the week and The Golden Years from the Little House on the Prairie season at night. Yes, we’ve read it before, but she asked for it again so…sigh.

The Husband is reading the latest Robert Galbraith, The Ink Black Heart.

What We watched/are Watching

This past week The Boy and I watched Hocus Pocus, which I wrote about on the blog for Spooky Season Cinema.

I also watched a lot of Dick VanDyke this week which I do when I am having a stressful week, which I did, but mainly mentally rather than other ways.

What I’m Writing

I’ve been plugging away at Shores of Mercy and hope to have the first draft of it finished in the middle of the month. I announced on social media this week that the book will release January 2023. I also revealed the cover on the Fiction Friday post.

On the blog this week I shared:

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 21Spooky Season Cinema: When my son and I asked ourselves if we were in hell while watching Hocus PocusLittle Miss’s Reading Corner: Silly, spooky, and grasshopper books

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 21

I thought I’d share an update that I hope to have this book out on Amazon in January. It will be called Shores of Mercy and I revealed the cover this week as well.

Here is Chapter 21 (for blog purposes anyhow. The chapters often change in the final version).

As always, this is a continuing/serial story. I share a chapter a week and at the end of the story, after I edit and rewrite, I self-publish it. To catch up with the story click HERE. To read the rest of the books in this series click HERE. Let me know in the comments what you think.

Chapter 21

“There is no way I would steal from you and you know it, Lonny!” Judi ignored Lonny’s attempt to quiet her with the way he was lowering his hands and placing a finger against his mouth. He stood and walked to the door of his office, shutting it.

Judi flinched at the door clicking closed and hugged her arms around herself briefly before letting out a breath and letting her arms fall to her side.

“Judi, all I know is that I have a guy who has worked 15 years for me telling me that you’ve been taking money from the till. I can’t have you working here if I can’t trust you,  understand?”

“I didn’t take money from you. I’ve been working a second job.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say —”

“I’m working for a lawyer in Burkett. Ben Oliver.”

Lonny snorted a laugh. “You? Yeah right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lonny shook his head and laughed again. “What lawyer is going to hire someone like you?” He leaned forward in his chair and propped his large, hairy arms on the desk. “Come on, Judi. No need to lie anymore. Just leave your keys and apron, get out of here and I won’t press charges.”

Judi narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together, wanting to fling a series of curse words across the desk at the heavyset man with hairy arms and black bushy eyebrows, but at the same time knowing it wasn’t worth it. It was over. She’d be leaving this job with a reputation as a thief, but at least it wouldn’t be going on a permanent record.

She flung the door open, slamming it back against the wall of the office, and started at the sight of Hannah standing in the doorway. The woman she thought had been her friend gasped and jumped back a step.

“Get an earful, Hannah?” Judi snapped, pushing past her.

“Judi, wait —”

Judi whirled around, hands at her waist. “I don’t want to hear a thing from you. We were supposed to be friends. How many shifts did I take for you when you had hangovers or had been out partying too late the night before? How many times did I cover for you when you were out back making out with your boyfriend instead of working? Now you stab me in the back? For what? More money? A fling with Lonny? What?”

Hannah’s mouth fell open but then closed again. Her gaze shifted to the floor as Lonny stepped into the doorway of his office and pointed at Judi. “Get out, Lambert. You’ve been nothing but trouble since you started here. Go be a pain in the butt somewhere else.”

Since the bar wasn’t open yet, it was only staff that watched as Judi left, tossing the restaurant front door keys and her money apron onto the front counter on her way out. She didn’t care who heard when she ripped her car out of the parking lot and headed back toward her apartment.

She ignored her cellphone ringing when she parked the car outside her apartment building and started to walk in. She didn’t care who it was. She wasn’t in the mood.

“Judi!” She turned at the sound of her name being called. “Hey!”

The tall, lean figure jogging down the street toward her transformed her scowl into a relaxed smile. Wearing a dark gray shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, Evan looked even better than he had the day he’d looked at her car. She turned from where she’d been about to walk up the stairs to her apartment, folded her arms across her chest, and leaned a shoulder against the building to watch his progress. It was a nice view.

He winked as he reached her and propped his arm close to her, against the wall of the building, pushing the cowboy hat he was wearing back on his head so the sun hit his face when he smiled. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Where you off to in such a hurry?”

She returned his smile. “Having a bad day so I’m headed up to my place to drown my sorrows in a pint of ice cream.”

Her gaze trailed across his unshaven jawline, drifting to a cleft chin before sliding back to his green eyes with flecks of brown and gold in the iris. “Want to join me?”

The words startled her. She’d just invited a guy she’d barely seen since high school — when she’d made out with him under the bleachers — up to her apartment. He was either going to run for the hills or —

“I’d be glad to. Got any chocolate?”

Her throat tightened as she smirked as an answer and turned to head up the stairs. She hoped he knew she was only offering ice cream and a chat and that he was as polite as his older brother. Then again, if he wanted another make-out session it would be a nice distraction from Lonny’s lies, Hannah’s betrayal, and that voicemail from Seline she knew was waiting on her phone.

Since she’d moved into the apartment, it had either smelled like apple cinnamon candles or all things feminine, thanks partially to Ellie and partially to her own likes. Dropping her keys on the table next to the door and catching a whiff of Evan’s masculine cologne caused her to suck in a quick and quiet breath. She gestured toward the small loveseat in the equally small living room as she headed toward the kitchen.

“Make yourself at home,” she said, walking to the refrigerator, and into a kitchen that was essentially part of the living room.

When the front door clicked closed behind him, a chill shivered through her, but she brushed it off and opened the freezer door.

“Can I get you a drink to go with your ice cream?” She smiled over her shoulder. “Non-alcoholic only.”

“Water is fine,” Evan said from the couch. “What was your bad day all about?”

She huffed out a sigh. “I got accused of stealing money at my job and got fired.”

Evan winced then laughed. “Ouch. That is a bad day.” She heard his footsteps behind her and the muscles in her entire body stiffened. “Can I give you a hand?”

“Sure,” she said with a quick smile as he stood next to her. She pushed the carton of ice cream across the counter. “You can dip out your own ice cream if you like. Bowls are in the cupboard toward your left.”

“No problem.” He opened the cupboard and took the spoon she handed him. “So, how did you even end up back in Spencer? I heard you were loving it in the city.”

“And who told you that?”

Evan shrugged. “Through the grapevine.” He grinned as he dipped the ice cream out into the bowl. “Jessie Landry is usually the source of the grapevine.”

Judi rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Jessie. Yeah.” She put her carton of ice cream back in the freezer, then took his carton as he handed it to her. “We used to hang out a lot. She wasn’t as interested in hanging out when I told her I wasn’t going to be drinking anymore.”

“What led to that decision?” he asked as they walked back to the couch. “The drinking one?”

Judi hadn’t expected that question and wasn’t sure she wanted to answer it. At this point, though, she also didn’t care who knew why she’d stopped drinking. “I got tired of waking up with major headaches. That and one day I woke up and realized I’d poured half of my life down the drain.”

She’d worried about how he’d respond to her openness, but she looked up to see him nodding in apparent understanding.

“Makes total sense. Alcohol has never been my vice, but then again, I’ve probably only had a couple beers my entire life.” He made a face. “Just never got used to the taste or the way it made me feel.”

She dug into her ice cream and curled her legs up under her, thinking about how this was the first time she’d ever sat next to a man on a couch, simply talking. She also wondered what Evan’s vices were. Or was he as put-together as his police officer older brother?

She watched him take a bite of his ice cream, her gaze drifting to his lips, which she’d once kissed but knew she needed a refresher course on at some point. That make out session had been a long time ago.

“How long are you home for?”

“Not sure yet. Couple weeks at least, but my boss offered me a full month.” He placed the bowl on her coffee table and laid an arm on the back of the couch. “Tell me about this job of yours? Was it what you really wanted to be doing?”

Judi laughed. “Yeah, sure. I wanted to spend my whole life waiting on tables and getting hit on by old drunk men.” She took another bite of ice cream. “I haven’t grown up yet, Evan McGee. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Do you?”

He shrugged a shoulder, his gaze meeting hers. “Not really no. I like driving truck. It’s a lot of fun to see so many different places and not get stuck in the same old every day. I don’t  have to be tied down to anything.”

Judi nodded. “Or anyone, which is good. Being tied to people can be very draining. I love my family but in the city, I didn’t have to deal with family issues as much. I was my own person, not Ellie Lambert’s crazy sister or Tom and Rena Lambert’s black sheep daughter.”

“You think you’ll ever go back to the city?”

The city held a lot of temptations, a lot of danger, but “Yeah. I think I will. Spencer really is too quiet for me. I feel stagnant here.”

He laughed softly, reaching up to push a strand of hair back from her face. “Yeah, I get that. I feel the same way.” The smile faded into a more serious expression. “It would be nice to be stagnant with someone else for a little while.”

Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned his head toward hers. She hadn’t expected him to move in for a kiss so soon, but she’d take it. She’d love to think about something other than everything else going on in her life right now. A warm mouth on hers might be just what she needed right now.

His lips were as soft as they looked. She was used to hard, urgent, sloppy, and drunken kisses. This one was nice, slow and easy and he was keeping his hands to himself other than eventually cupping her cheek as he continued to kiss her.

“Sorry,” he whispered leaning back a few inches, his mouth still hovering close to hers. “I’m probably moving a little too fast.”

A smile tugged at her mouth as her gaze fell to his lips. “Fast isn’t always bad.”

When he kissed her again, she slid her hands in his hair at the back of his head and felt softness between her fingers. Even as she moved closer, he kept his hands above her neck, in her hair, didn’t try what other guys had.

The kiss was tender, not full of wild need and it ended a few minutes later when his phone rang. He let his lips linger a few seconds longer before reaching for the phone in his back pocket.

He frowned as he looked at the screen. “Family is calling. I promised I’d be there for a family meeting of sorts this evening and I’m supposed to be helping my mom set up.” She sighed and slid the phone back in his pocket. “My sister and her kids are coming over and Matt’s coming with Liz and the baby.” He reached up and twirled a piece of her hair around his index finger. “Mom is cooking up a storm. I’d better not miss it.” He let the strand fall and trailed the same finger down her arm. “Hey, you wouldn’t want to come, would you? I can swing by and pick you up around 6.”

A family gathering with a loving, religious, and perfect family? Her stomach churned at the idea. Those were the types of places she didn’t fit in, but those green eyes were focused on hers and that finger was sliding across her skin, making tiny circles on the back of her hand. It didn’t hurt that his mouth was still looking insanely kissable too.

“Yeah, why not? I don’t have to work for Ben until tomorrow and all I was going to do tonight was drown my sorrows in the rest of that ice cream anyhow.”

He grinned and leaned in for another quick kiss. “Great. I’ll see you then.” She stood as he did. “Looking forward to it.”

He was looking forward to it, but she wasn’t sure she was. Quiet family gatherings weren’t really her thing. Time to sit and chat and talk about her life didn’t exactly appeal to her, especially since so much of her life wasn’t worth talking about.