Kate Collins's Blog, page 264
June 18, 2012
UPDATE: Colorado Wildfires, near Fort Collins, CO
by Maggie Sefton
Thank you for all your supportive comments, everyone. I sincerely appreciate them. And I thought I would give you an update on the Wildfire’s progress near Fort Collins, Colorado.
We do have good news, lots of good news to report, as well as sad news, too. There are now over 1600 firefighters here in Fort Collins assigned to the “High Park Wildfire,” and the fire is now 45% contained as of Monday morning, June 18th. Unfortunately, the wildfire has now grown to over 54,000 acres, and 181 homes have been lost.
But. . .here’s the good news. . .thanks to the bravery of these courageous firefighters, the majority of all the homes threatened have been spared. Firefighters did an unbelievable job of saving homes in neighborhoods all over our canyons. We heard that early after the fire’s discovery near Rist Canyon Saturday, June 9th, wind-whipped flames shot over a ridge and advanced down into Poudre Canyon on the other side. This is the Cache La Poudre Canyon which I mention in the Kelly Flynn mysteries, and it really is a National Wilderness Area. You can imagine the horror of the five volunteer firefighters---men and women---who were standing guard over the little village of Poudre Park. The rest of the fire station crew was helping fight the fire in Rist Canyon.
Those five firefighters fought that wildfire as it swept down the ridge in a horseshoe shape, threatening to destroy their homes as well as their neighbors. They put themselves between the flames over and over and over again, beating back the two-pronged fire as it attacked their neighbor’s homes. For hours. Just the five of them. They did an amazing job. Only a handful of homes were lost.
This week has been filled with stories like that. And with happier stories, too. Whole neighborhoods that had been evacuated were allowed to return. Their homes untouched, thanks to firefighters brave efforts. In fact, the vast majority of evacuated neighborhoods have been able to be re-opened. Traces of the wildfire’s path is visible here and there, in a scarred hillside. But scarred hillsides can re-generate. As I mentioned in last week’s post, wildfires do NOT burn everything in their path. They burn capriciously, here and there, and leave whole ridges and hills untouched. Houses intact.
The three blazes I saw igniting last Monday morning as I looked across into Fort Collins from the interstate were jumped on immediately. The first arrival of the additional Hot Shots firefighters had arrived and they pounced on those flames, beating them back until they were out. I’ve driven the roads following the western edge of Fort Collins, and there is no evidence of burned hillsides until the very northern edge of the city. And only a few sections of hillsides are blackened. The vast majority are untouched. As I said, here and there.
Alas. . .some of our neighborhoods in Rist Canyon and in lower sections of Poudre Canyon did lose homes. Rist Canyon (which I call Belleview Canyon in the Kelly Flynn novels) was the hardest hit, losing most of the Davis Ranch Road subdivisions and the Whale Rock subdivisions of homes. I have been in both areas, and there were lovely homes there in beautiful mountain surroundings. It’s heartbreaking to know they’re gone. As well as other areas, dotted here and around those canyons. We have canyons all over Northern Colorado, large and small.
As of now, the fire is still burning on the western side of the burn area, where it is very rugged, steep terrain, no homes, but with plenty of pine bark beetle-killed trees as tinder. They are burning fast. So----this fire will be blazing for quite a while, especially since the high heat (nearly 100 Monday) and the wind gusts can blow and whip up the flames. Please keep all of us in Colorado who are fighting wildfires in your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate it.
Thank you for all your supportive comments, everyone. I sincerely appreciate them. And I thought I would give you an update on the Wildfire’s progress near Fort Collins, Colorado.
We do have good news, lots of good news to report, as well as sad news, too. There are now over 1600 firefighters here in Fort Collins assigned to the “High Park Wildfire,” and the fire is now 45% contained as of Monday morning, June 18th. Unfortunately, the wildfire has now grown to over 54,000 acres, and 181 homes have been lost.
But. . .here’s the good news. . .thanks to the bravery of these courageous firefighters, the majority of all the homes threatened have been spared. Firefighters did an unbelievable job of saving homes in neighborhoods all over our canyons. We heard that early after the fire’s discovery near Rist Canyon Saturday, June 9th, wind-whipped flames shot over a ridge and advanced down into Poudre Canyon on the other side. This is the Cache La Poudre Canyon which I mention in the Kelly Flynn mysteries, and it really is a National Wilderness Area. You can imagine the horror of the five volunteer firefighters---men and women---who were standing guard over the little village of Poudre Park. The rest of the fire station crew was helping fight the fire in Rist Canyon. Those five firefighters fought that wildfire as it swept down the ridge in a horseshoe shape, threatening to destroy their homes as well as their neighbors. They put themselves between the flames over and over and over again, beating back the two-pronged fire as it attacked their neighbor’s homes. For hours. Just the five of them. They did an amazing job. Only a handful of homes were lost.
This week has been filled with stories like that. And with happier stories, too. Whole neighborhoods that had been evacuated were allowed to return. Their homes untouched, thanks to firefighters brave efforts. In fact, the vast majority of evacuated neighborhoods have been able to be re-opened. Traces of the wildfire’s path is visible here and there, in a scarred hillside. But scarred hillsides can re-generate. As I mentioned in last week’s post, wildfires do NOT burn everything in their path. They burn capriciously, here and there, and leave whole ridges and hills untouched. Houses intact. The three blazes I saw igniting last Monday morning as I looked across into Fort Collins from the interstate were jumped on immediately. The first arrival of the additional Hot Shots firefighters had arrived and they pounced on those flames, beating them back until they were out. I’ve driven the roads following the western edge of Fort Collins, and there is no evidence of burned hillsides until the very northern edge of the city. And only a few sections of hillsides are blackened. The vast majority are untouched. As I said, here and there.
Alas. . .some of our neighborhoods in Rist Canyon and in lower sections of Poudre Canyon did lose homes. Rist Canyon (which I call Belleview Canyon in the Kelly Flynn novels) was the hardest hit, losing most of the Davis Ranch Road subdivisions and the Whale Rock subdivisions of homes. I have been in both areas, and there were lovely homes there in beautiful mountain surroundings. It’s heartbreaking to know they’re gone. As well as other areas, dotted here and around those canyons. We have canyons all over Northern Colorado, large and small.
As of now, the fire is still burning on the western side of the burn area, where it is very rugged, steep terrain, no homes, but with plenty of pine bark beetle-killed trees as tinder. They are burning fast. So----this fire will be blazing for quite a while, especially since the high heat (nearly 100 Monday) and the wind gusts can blow and whip up the flames. Please keep all of us in Colorado who are fighting wildfires in your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate it.
June 17, 2012
Furniture Shopping the Modern Way?
by Kate Collins
Have you ever shopped for furniture on line? I hadn’t until recently and then I spent hours –make that days -- doing so. And it wasn’t even my idea. I’d gone to my local furniture store looking for a piece for the new house but didn’t see anything I liked on the floor. My sales person recommended I go to their website and click on catalogs, then I could browse to my heart’s content.
I was amazed by the sheer number of catalogs from which to choose. The problem was that they weren’t labeled as to what style of furniture they carried, so I had to go through them one by one to find those that carried what I was looking for. And what I was looking for was not easy to find. In case you’re curious, it’s a china cabinet. Young people don’t want them because most don’t buy china and crystal anymore. But I digress.
The problem with shopping from catalogs is that the images are no bigger than my fist and in most cases smaller. How was I to see details? My ability to enlarge them only went so far. How was I to order something virtually sight unseen? What if I hated the wood color?
So I trekked back to the furniture store and looked through the actual catalogs there. In many cases, my sales person had wood samples, or had something on the floor in the same color, which made it easier to envision. I’m still not sold on buying sight unseen, but I feel better looking at an 8” x 10” color photo with an actual wood sample than ordering on line.
My best friend ordered nearly a third of her furniture from Pottery Barn without seeing anything but a picture, and in all but one case, loves it. So maybe I’m alone in my feeling that I hope this is not the wave of the future. I’d hate to lose furniture stores the way we’re losing bookstores.
How about you? Have you taken a chance and ordered a piece of furniture on line? Did you like the actual product? Is this indeed the future?
Have you ever shopped for furniture on line? I hadn’t until recently and then I spent hours –make that days -- doing so. And it wasn’t even my idea. I’d gone to my local furniture store looking for a piece for the new house but didn’t see anything I liked on the floor. My sales person recommended I go to their website and click on catalogs, then I could browse to my heart’s content.I was amazed by the sheer number of catalogs from which to choose. The problem was that they weren’t labeled as to what style of furniture they carried, so I had to go through them one by one to find those that carried what I was looking for. And what I was looking for was not easy to find. In case you’re curious, it’s a china cabinet. Young people don’t want them because most don’t buy china and crystal anymore. But I digress.
The problem with shopping from catalogs is that the images are no bigger than my fist and in most cases smaller. How was I to see details? My ability to enlarge them only went so far. How was I to order something virtually sight unseen? What if I hated the wood color?
So I trekked back to the furniture store and looked through the actual catalogs there. In many cases, my sales person had wood samples, or had something on the floor in the same color, which made it easier to envision. I’m still not sold on buying sight unseen, but I feel better looking at an 8” x 10” color photo with an actual wood sample than ordering on line.
My best friend ordered nearly a third of her furniture from Pottery Barn without seeing anything but a picture, and in all but one case, loves it. So maybe I’m alone in my feeling that I hope this is not the wave of the future. I’d hate to lose furniture stores the way we’re losing bookstores.
How about you? Have you taken a chance and ordered a piece of furniture on line? Did you like the actual product? Is this indeed the future?
June 16, 2012
Beating "The System"
by Leann
First, Happy Father's Day to any fathers who happen to be reading this blog. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Onto the topic of my day--no, make that my life of late. I don't know about you, but I am tired of getting pushed around by the healthcare system. I believe the current thinking is that patients are dumb and aren't worth the time it takes for human interaction. Patients are apparently so stupid, in fact, that they'll fall for anything you tell them.
This week I am venting about my mail order pharmacy. The problems I have had with them span a full decade. They have a merry-go-round phone system where it's nearly impossible to talk to a living, breathing anyone and they love to change my prescriptions. They don't go through me, of course. That would take a phone call to me. Instead, they fax the doctor and say, "Wouldn't you rather order this drug rather than that drug?" And the ancillary staff at the doctor's office (don't get me started on that) rubber stamp anything the mail order people ask for. I ended up with an extended release form of one of my regular medications instead of the short acting one I've taken for years. Talk about side effects! And getting that changed back? About a month.
This week, I get a letter--no phone call mind you, let's just kill a tree while we're at it--saying "at your request we are holding one of your medicines. If you ever want this filled you will have to call us." HUH?? I never told anyone to hold anything. What did happen is that my doctor's office likes to SAVE trees and they will write 4 prescriptions on one page. So this medicine wasn't due to be refilled for several weeks. In the past, because this happens all the time, the mail order pharmacy simply fills the medicine when it's time. Well, that wasn't the route they chose to take this time. I wanted to know why. Rather than get on the merry-go-round phone system time sink, I e-mailed them. Over and over. Kind of sarcastic e-mails, I will admit. Maybe a little bit angry sounding, too.
This tactic (no, I am not stupid, pharmacy) was exactly that--a method to get results. They called me Friday. But of course the e-mail person who read everything I wrote to them knows nothing about medications and wasn't "qualified" to talk to me. (Then why is answering e-mails?) He had to put me on hold so I could wait for someone else. (Their tactic being, Maybe she'll hang up.) I get someone who sounds like she is about 12. Before she can start her spiel, I ask her what her qualifications are to be discussing my medication with me. Simple answer. None. She's "customer service." And though she played dumb (her next tactic) she knew EXACTLY why I was complaining in those e-mails. My very simple question to her was, after all the years of this company sending medications when it's time without ME having to call, (and thus wait an extra two weeks for said medicine), why have they sent me this letter?
Apology comes from her. (next tactic). "We just sometimes do it that way. Call us in a month." My tactic: "How does that answer my question as to why this happened?" This is when I get the final tactic. "I don't know. It's the system and I can't change the system." My question: "Isn't the system developed by people? Are you saying people can't fix the system they made?" This is cause for complete silence. She has no scripted answer for this. I proceed to be a broken record on this topic, waxing philosophic about the system and how I just don't understand why she or someone else cannot answer my simple question. After 10 minutes, my customer service girl is frustrated beyond belief. Final answer from her? "Why don't I just send you your medication today? Will that solve the problem?"
Oh yes, child. Oh yes it will. :-)
How about you? Any trouble with "the system" lately? There's a lot of "systems" out there, it would seem.
First, Happy Father's Day to any fathers who happen to be reading this blog. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Onto the topic of my day--no, make that my life of late. I don't know about you, but I am tired of getting pushed around by the healthcare system. I believe the current thinking is that patients are dumb and aren't worth the time it takes for human interaction. Patients are apparently so stupid, in fact, that they'll fall for anything you tell them.
This week I am venting about my mail order pharmacy. The problems I have had with them span a full decade. They have a merry-go-round phone system where it's nearly impossible to talk to a living, breathing anyone and they love to change my prescriptions. They don't go through me, of course. That would take a phone call to me. Instead, they fax the doctor and say, "Wouldn't you rather order this drug rather than that drug?" And the ancillary staff at the doctor's office (don't get me started on that) rubber stamp anything the mail order people ask for. I ended up with an extended release form of one of my regular medications instead of the short acting one I've taken for years. Talk about side effects! And getting that changed back? About a month. This week, I get a letter--no phone call mind you, let's just kill a tree while we're at it--saying "at your request we are holding one of your medicines. If you ever want this filled you will have to call us." HUH?? I never told anyone to hold anything. What did happen is that my doctor's office likes to SAVE trees and they will write 4 prescriptions on one page. So this medicine wasn't due to be refilled for several weeks. In the past, because this happens all the time, the mail order pharmacy simply fills the medicine when it's time. Well, that wasn't the route they chose to take this time. I wanted to know why. Rather than get on the merry-go-round phone system time sink, I e-mailed them. Over and over. Kind of sarcastic e-mails, I will admit. Maybe a little bit angry sounding, too.
This tactic (no, I am not stupid, pharmacy) was exactly that--a method to get results. They called me Friday. But of course the e-mail person who read everything I wrote to them knows nothing about medications and wasn't "qualified" to talk to me. (Then why is answering e-mails?) He had to put me on hold so I could wait for someone else. (Their tactic being, Maybe she'll hang up.) I get someone who sounds like she is about 12. Before she can start her spiel, I ask her what her qualifications are to be discussing my medication with me. Simple answer. None. She's "customer service." And though she played dumb (her next tactic) she knew EXACTLY why I was complaining in those e-mails. My very simple question to her was, after all the years of this company sending medications when it's time without ME having to call, (and thus wait an extra two weeks for said medicine), why have they sent me this letter?
Apology comes from her. (next tactic). "We just sometimes do it that way. Call us in a month." My tactic: "How does that answer my question as to why this happened?" This is when I get the final tactic. "I don't know. It's the system and I can't change the system." My question: "Isn't the system developed by people? Are you saying people can't fix the system they made?" This is cause for complete silence. She has no scripted answer for this. I proceed to be a broken record on this topic, waxing philosophic about the system and how I just don't understand why she or someone else cannot answer my simple question. After 10 minutes, my customer service girl is frustrated beyond belief. Final answer from her? "Why don't I just send you your medication today? Will that solve the problem?"Oh yes, child. Oh yes it will. :-)
How about you? Any trouble with "the system" lately? There's a lot of "systems" out there, it would seem.
June 15, 2012
Help Me Fill My Netflix Queue
By Ellery AdamsI know, I know. It's a blog about books and writers and I'm here soliciting recommendations for TV shows.
It's true. I admit it. Mr. Ellery and I like to plop down in front of the telly for an hour or two a night and get caught up in a show.
I'm not kidding when I say caught up. If we like a show, we watch all the episodes in rabid fashion, backing up the Netflix queue and hoping they're all available.We've had a good year for TV and it seems like over the past 6 months, we've been introduced and torn through some amazing series. So far, our favorites have been Justified, Downton Abbey, Doc Martin, The Killing, Grimm, and Game of Thrones.
I'm sure the new Sherlock and Holmes will join the ranks of our top shows, but Masterpiece seems to release new episodes like they're limited edition Cabbage Patch Babies.
So help me out here, folks. Don't let my summer viewing by defined by campy sitcoms and reality shows. Give me a series, old or new, that will keep us entertained and talking for the next few weeks.And if you haven't tried the ones I've listed, you should!
Dru's Cozy Report: June 2012 Reading List
Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report. This month we have three new series for your reading pleasure.
We are introduced to Claire who has opened up a specialty shop in her newly adopted home. She is enjoying the simplicity of her new town and the new friends she has made when a body is found outside her store. When her young employee’s friend becomes the prime suspect, it will take Claire’s keen observations and the new detective who has close ties to her employee to solve this mystery.Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford is the first book in the new "Amish" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, June 2012
Claire Weatherly has fled her high-stress lifestyle for one with a slower pace–in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned for it to be a short visit to her aunt's inn, but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in. Claire loves her new home, and she's slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store's former owner, the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can't help but get involved. Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly–and his Amish upbringing–as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak to him. Claire's connections make her the perfect go-between. As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk.
This was a great read that was hard to put down. The evenly-paced drama and intriguing plot kept me on my toes as the story moved towards its conclusion. Claire is a strong character and I enjoyed seeing her live and work alongside the Amish, respecting their ways to gently get the necessary information to expose a murderer among them. This mystery boasts crisp writing, a comfortable tone, engaging dialogue and a great supporting cast that enhanced this captivating and delightfully charming debut series and I look forward to more visits with Claire and her friends for years to come.
Visit Laura at www.laurabradford.com
Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book
This first book is a great introduction to the world of PR and gardening. We meet Cam who is the PR rep for the Roanoke Garden Society and a gardener herself. When a famed photographer is murdered at one of her events, her desire to learn the truth is spearheaded when those close to her are accused of the crime.The Azalea Assault by Alyse Carlson is the first book in the new "Garden Society" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, June 2012
Camellia Harris has achieved a coup in the PR world. The premier national magazine for garden lovers has agreed to feature one of Roanoke’s most spectacular gardens in its pages—and world-famous photographer Jean-Jacques Georges is going to shoot the spread. But at the welcoming party, Jean-Jacques insults several guests, complains that flowers are boring, and gooses almost every woman in the room. When a body is found the next morning, sprawled across the azaleas, it’s almost no surprise that the victim is Jean-Jacques. With Cam’s brother-in-law blamed for the crime—and her reporter boyfriend, Rob, wanting the scoop—Cam decides to use her skills to solve the murder. Luckily a PR pro like Cam knows how to be nosy.
This is a great read. The execution of this well-pruned plot quickly became a page-turner, as I could not put this book down. The mystery was good as it offered plenty of suspects to choose from and it was fun watching Cam and her friends narrow down the field. Cam is a great protagonist who knows how to dig for dirt and bring a killer to justice. This lighthearted whodunit boasts a great cast that includes Cam, Rob and Annie; entertaining dialogue and beautifully defined luscious gardens as a backdrop. You are going to love Annie who brings comedic interludes to this delightfully appealing new series and I look forward to my next visit with Cam and her friends.
Alyse is the pseudonym of Hart Johnson and you can visit her page at http://waterytart23.blogspot.com
Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book
A move to a small town greets Beatrice, a recent retiree, with a highly-spirited neighbor who quickly kidnaps takes her to the local quilter’s meeting where it ends on a bad note with one of the member. When that member is found dead, Beatrice begins an investigation to save the new town she now calls home.Quilt or Innocence by Elizabeth Craig is the first book in the new "Southern Quilting" mystery series. Publisher: Obsidian, June 2012
As the newest member of the Village Quilters guild, Beatrice has a lot of gossip to catch up on—especially with the Patchwork Cottage quilt shop about to close. It seems that Judith, the landlord everyone loves to hate, wants to raise the rent, despite being a quilter herself. But when Judith is found dead, the harmless gossip becomes an intricate patchwork of mischievous motives. And it’s up to Beatrice’s expert eye to decipher the pattern and catch the killer, before her life gets sewn up for good.
I adore this book. This was a good mystery that had me following the clues along with Beatrice in this fast-moving whodunit. The author did a good job in delivering a well-designed mystery filled with plenty of suspects that quickly became a page turner as I had to know who did what to whom. With an intriguing storyline, likeable characters and entertaining dialogue, this is a great beginning to a wonderfully crafted series and I can’t wait for the next book. A bonus of quilting tips, one of which I didn’t know about, and recipes are also included.
Visit Elizabeth at http://elizabethspanncraig.com
Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book
And check out these other June releases
June 13, 2012
Topsy-turvy week
by Julie Hyzy
My mother-in-law is staying with us while my husband's sister takes a well-deserved vacation -- and that has rendered my world topsy turvy. The idea of a mother-in-law coming to live with her daughter-in-law for ten days conjures up certain images, doesn't it? The evil eye, sharp criticisms, snide remarks. Well, there's none of that going on here. My 90 year old mother-in-law is sweet-natured and very easy to get along with. She used to be a little more strongly opinionated, but always pleasant. No complaints there. As mothers-in-law go, I got lucky.
But... beginning last week Thursday and running through Father's Day, she's living here and let me tell you -- she's none too happy about it. Being in a house that isn't hers causes her to be a bit disoriented from time to time and she constantly asks when we're going to take her home. As much as we would love for her to be able to stay in her own house this week -- with us stopping by every night with dinner or something -- she's been known to lose track of the days of the week and sets off for the senior center or church on days when there's no mass, or no senior events. She grabs her cane and heads out the door, walking to these places that are each about a half mile away. Neighbors have rescued her and brought her home, and my sister-in-law has caught her as she's been preparing to leave. We can't let her stay home these days. Not by herself.
So, she's here. And as I said, she's a wonderful person, very easy to get along with. So why is my life all topsy turvy? Couple of reasons, the number one being stairs. We have two long flights of stairs in our house. We can close the door to the ones to the basement, but the ones that lead up to the bedrooms are wide open and a necessary evil. Fortunately, my mother-in-law only needs to climb them once each day when it's time for bed, and descend once each day in the morning. But... it's still a major worry. She gets up several times during the night, and although we've put bells on her doorknob to wake us when she emerges from the room, and we even picked up a baby monitor at a garage sale so that we hear the bells even better now (we slept through them a couple of times), we're concerned that she'll take a wrong turn from the bathroom and topple down the stairs. Yikes.
Needless to say, our sleep patterns are a bit off. That's not that big of a deal. What is a big deal, at least for me, is that I can't write in my "cave" because that's on the first floor and I can't hear her when she gets up, even with the bells. She sleeps late - until about eleven - and I would love to be writing in the cave until then, but I can't risk not hearing her get up. Our house isn't nearly as big as that makes it sound. It's just the configuration. So this week I'm on my laptop (right now, in fact), but I don't find it as easy to write on this machine as I do on my desktop. It's too hot on my lap, and I have a writing routine - you understand, right? I'm off this week. Way off. I know it's just this week, and I'm doing my best to find little snippets of time to work on the fourth Grace mystery, but it's tough.
And, she likes to ask questions. Often the same question over and over. Mostly: "When am I going home?" She's really with it most of the time, but occasionally lapses into deep periods of forgetfulness. Because I'm on the laptop and nearby, I'm her company for the day, and that means I can't really concentrate on any writing.
Honestly I'm not complaining. It's only ten days. I know that if my mother were still here, my husband would be happy to do this for me, but this is a challenge, especially with all the promotional work that Grace Among Thieves (released last week) I still need to do. Plus, I'd been writing 1,000 - 2,000 words a day for the past few weeks, but now that momentum has ground to a complete halt. I hope I remember what I had planned for the next Grace scenes when I finally get back to it!
What happens to you when your routines are thrown off? Do you have any helpful hints you can suggest? I'd love to hear them!
Julie
PS - In other news - also rocking my world, but in a wonderful way - I found out that Buffalo West Wing , the fourth White House Chef mystery, was nominated for an Anthony Award!! Winners will be voted on and announced at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Conference. This year it's in Cleveland, OH. If you're a mystery fan, you may want to check it out!
But... beginning last week Thursday and running through Father's Day, she's living here and let me tell you -- she's none too happy about it. Being in a house that isn't hers causes her to be a bit disoriented from time to time and she constantly asks when we're going to take her home. As much as we would love for her to be able to stay in her own house this week -- with us stopping by every night with dinner or something -- she's been known to lose track of the days of the week and sets off for the senior center or church on days when there's no mass, or no senior events. She grabs her cane and heads out the door, walking to these places that are each about a half mile away. Neighbors have rescued her and brought her home, and my sister-in-law has caught her as she's been preparing to leave. We can't let her stay home these days. Not by herself.
Needless to say, our sleep patterns are a bit off. That's not that big of a deal. What is a big deal, at least for me, is that I can't write in my "cave" because that's on the first floor and I can't hear her when she gets up, even with the bells. She sleeps late - until about eleven - and I would love to be writing in the cave until then, but I can't risk not hearing her get up. Our house isn't nearly as big as that makes it sound. It's just the configuration. So this week I'm on my laptop (right now, in fact), but I don't find it as easy to write on this machine as I do on my desktop. It's too hot on my lap, and I have a writing routine - you understand, right? I'm off this week. Way off. I know it's just this week, and I'm doing my best to find little snippets of time to work on the fourth Grace mystery, but it's tough.
And, she likes to ask questions. Often the same question over and over. Mostly: "When am I going home?" She's really with it most of the time, but occasionally lapses into deep periods of forgetfulness. Because I'm on the laptop and nearby, I'm her company for the day, and that means I can't really concentrate on any writing.
Honestly I'm not complaining. It's only ten days. I know that if my mother were still here, my husband would be happy to do this for me, but this is a challenge, especially with all the promotional work that Grace Among Thieves (released last week) I still need to do. Plus, I'd been writing 1,000 - 2,000 words a day for the past few weeks, but now that momentum has ground to a complete halt. I hope I remember what I had planned for the next Grace scenes when I finally get back to it!
What happens to you when your routines are thrown off? Do you have any helpful hints you can suggest? I'd love to hear them!
Julie
PS - In other news - also rocking my world, but in a wonderful way - I found out that Buffalo West Wing , the fourth White House Chef mystery, was nominated for an Anthony Award!! Winners will be voted on and announced at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Conference. This year it's in Cleveland, OH. If you're a mystery fan, you may want to check it out!
June 12, 2012
The Japanese Version of Buzz Off Has Arrived
by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker
A while back I shared the news that Japanese translation rights had been sold for Buzz Off and Mind Your Own Beeswax. Well, my copies of Buzz Off (or should I say, The Unfortunate Incident to Bees) came in the mail last week, and I could hardly wait to show you!
Look at the size difference. The English version is traditional paperback size.
And the book opens just the opposite of ours.
Can anyone read this?
Just had to share!!:)
A while back I shared the news that Japanese translation rights had been sold for Buzz Off and Mind Your Own Beeswax. Well, my copies of Buzz Off (or should I say, The Unfortunate Incident to Bees) came in the mail last week, and I could hardly wait to show you!Look at the size difference. The English version is traditional paperback size.
And the book opens just the opposite of ours.
Can anyone read this? 
Just had to share!!:)
June 11, 2012
Colorado Wildfire--High Park, near Fort Collins, CO
by Maggie Sefton
Please check www.9news.com for actual photos of High Park Wildfire. Photos I've posted here are of past Colorado wildfires----
This is the One We Have Always Dreaded.
Those of us who live in this beautiful area of Colorado treasure our rugged forested canyons. Since Colorado is a semi-arid state, we have regular cycles of drought and snow abundance. Last year our snowpack by late spring was over 200% normal. This year, thanks to La Nina, we're in a deep drought, only 25% normal snowpack. We're bone dry. But we've been lucky here in Northern Colorado. We've escaped wildfires in the Cache la Poudre and Rist Canyons along the northern edge of Fort Collins for the 24 years I've been here. My friends who've been here since the 60s have never seen one either. Lightning started this fire in a very rugged area of Rist Canyon (I call this Bellevue Canyon in the Kelly Flynn mysteries). With the hundreds of thunderstorms we have every spring/summer/fall, lightning strikes cause the majority of wildfires in Colorado. Other times, we've dodged bullets with smaller, easier to contain flare-ups.
Not this time. Lightning strikes came almost every night last week as thunderstorms rumbled thru northern CO bringing no rain but plenty of strikes. Apparently a strike late Thursday night started this. And in the bone dry tinder that are our forests this summer, it started burning but no one saw it until Sat morning. Small, only 100 acres. But the wind gusts started up, with a cold front moving in that brought strong gusty winds Sat afternoon & Sun afternoon. Bone dry with no rain, the forests are like kindling. I had a book signing at B&N Ft Collins Saturday. A bookseller told me there was a wildfire in Rist Canyon. I felt my heart skip a beat. I went to the large windows and saw the huge white smoke plume rising, a sure sign fire was burning trees beneath it. It was nearly 1000 acres. But the Winds whipped up. By evening it had doubled to over 2000 acress. Later that night, I stared at the red clouds over the ridges. Huge dark red and black clouds. The fire was growing.
This fire proved to be unlike any other. Normally wildfires "lay down" at night. This one didn't. Everyone woke up Sunday morning to find that it had burned all night and now was over 12,000 acres and had gone over the ridges of Rist canyon into Poudre Canyon. People were evacuated from both canyons to nearby schools and other locations, animals went to animal shelter & livestock to larger facilities at the County exhibition and event center, The Ranch. People had to hurry from their homes, not knowing if they would ever see them again. Canyon fires are capricious. They burn in some spots and not in others as they spread, leaping from one tall pine tree to another in what is called "crowning." They will leave one spot untouched, one house intact, and burn another. Not unlike tornadoes in their capricious destructive behavior.
Smoke smell was very strong by Sunday because the winds were driving the smoke and the fire towards the ridges closer to Fort Collins. Plus wind gusts still spread the fire so that it covered one mile every hour firefighters said. We had 250 firefighters and every tanker around Colorado dumping water and fire retardant. But Monday morning they announced fire was at 38,000 acres and growing. And containment was still ZERO.
Driving along the interstate outside Ft Collins Monday morning, I looked west toward the foothills and gasped. The fire had come over the ridge of Redstone canyon which is next to Horsetooth reservoir, that beautiful elongated lake that borders the western edge of Fort Collins.
I saw three white smoke plumes rising from the ridge. The smoke was curling up in the way it does when there's fire beneath it. Sheriff and Poudre fire authority that morning told residents of Rist canyon that over 100 structures were burned. Not all houses were burned. Again, wildfires don't burn everything. They jump around capriciously. Monday afternoon we heard on the news that the Feds are arriving with lots of Hot Shots firefighters and more airplane tankers. We've been flying every tanker we had. But they couldnt allow some pilots to take small craft up because the wind gusts would make it a death flight. You crash a small plane into a Colorado wildfire, you're gone. Private pilots were showing up wanting to help. We love our mountains here in Colorado.
It's now Monday night, and we've finally got some good news at last. Wind has shifted direction and blowing smoke north and away from FC. And With the help of those extra specialized firefighters, they've really gotten control of those latest three wildfires that leapt over the ridge this morning. I could tell the difference as I drove along one of our thoroughfares. The white smoke shows that it's no longer angrily burning beneath. The bad news is what they expected to happen. The fire is now nearly 40,000 acres but at least there is SOME containment. At last. They've said it will take several days, which is no surprise.
Meanwhile, please send prayers, good thoughts, energy, whatever is appropriate for our canyons and our residents and all the firefighters.
--
Please check www.9news.com for actual photos of High Park Wildfire. Photos I've posted here are of past Colorado wildfires----
This is the One We Have Always Dreaded.
Those of us who live in this beautiful area of Colorado treasure our rugged forested canyons. Since Colorado is a semi-arid state, we have regular cycles of drought and snow abundance. Last year our snowpack by late spring was over 200% normal. This year, thanks to La Nina, we're in a deep drought, only 25% normal snowpack. We're bone dry. But we've been lucky here in Northern Colorado. We've escaped wildfires in the Cache la Poudre and Rist Canyons along the northern edge of Fort Collins for the 24 years I've been here. My friends who've been here since the 60s have never seen one either. Lightning started this fire in a very rugged area of Rist Canyon (I call this Bellevue Canyon in the Kelly Flynn mysteries). With the hundreds of thunderstorms we have every spring/summer/fall, lightning strikes cause the majority of wildfires in Colorado. Other times, we've dodged bullets with smaller, easier to contain flare-ups.
Not this time. Lightning strikes came almost every night last week as thunderstorms rumbled thru northern CO bringing no rain but plenty of strikes. Apparently a strike late Thursday night started this. And in the bone dry tinder that are our forests this summer, it started burning but no one saw it until Sat morning. Small, only 100 acres. But the wind gusts started up, with a cold front moving in that brought strong gusty winds Sat afternoon & Sun afternoon. Bone dry with no rain, the forests are like kindling. I had a book signing at B&N Ft Collins Saturday. A bookseller told me there was a wildfire in Rist Canyon. I felt my heart skip a beat. I went to the large windows and saw the huge white smoke plume rising, a sure sign fire was burning trees beneath it. It was nearly 1000 acres. But the Winds whipped up. By evening it had doubled to over 2000 acress. Later that night, I stared at the red clouds over the ridges. Huge dark red and black clouds. The fire was growing.
This fire proved to be unlike any other. Normally wildfires "lay down" at night. This one didn't. Everyone woke up Sunday morning to find that it had burned all night and now was over 12,000 acres and had gone over the ridges of Rist canyon into Poudre Canyon. People were evacuated from both canyons to nearby schools and other locations, animals went to animal shelter & livestock to larger facilities at the County exhibition and event center, The Ranch. People had to hurry from their homes, not knowing if they would ever see them again. Canyon fires are capricious. They burn in some spots and not in others as they spread, leaping from one tall pine tree to another in what is called "crowning." They will leave one spot untouched, one house intact, and burn another. Not unlike tornadoes in their capricious destructive behavior.
Smoke smell was very strong by Sunday because the winds were driving the smoke and the fire towards the ridges closer to Fort Collins. Plus wind gusts still spread the fire so that it covered one mile every hour firefighters said. We had 250 firefighters and every tanker around Colorado dumping water and fire retardant. But Monday morning they announced fire was at 38,000 acres and growing. And containment was still ZERO.
Driving along the interstate outside Ft Collins Monday morning, I looked west toward the foothills and gasped. The fire had come over the ridge of Redstone canyon which is next to Horsetooth reservoir, that beautiful elongated lake that borders the western edge of Fort Collins.
I saw three white smoke plumes rising from the ridge. The smoke was curling up in the way it does when there's fire beneath it. Sheriff and Poudre fire authority that morning told residents of Rist canyon that over 100 structures were burned. Not all houses were burned. Again, wildfires don't burn everything. They jump around capriciously. Monday afternoon we heard on the news that the Feds are arriving with lots of Hot Shots firefighters and more airplane tankers. We've been flying every tanker we had. But they couldnt allow some pilots to take small craft up because the wind gusts would make it a death flight. You crash a small plane into a Colorado wildfire, you're gone. Private pilots were showing up wanting to help. We love our mountains here in Colorado.
It's now Monday night, and we've finally got some good news at last. Wind has shifted direction and blowing smoke north and away from FC. And With the help of those extra specialized firefighters, they've really gotten control of those latest three wildfires that leapt over the ridge this morning. I could tell the difference as I drove along one of our thoroughfares. The white smoke shows that it's no longer angrily burning beneath. The bad news is what they expected to happen. The fire is now nearly 40,000 acres but at least there is SOME containment. At last. They've said it will take several days, which is no surprise. Meanwhile, please send prayers, good thoughts, energy, whatever is appropriate for our canyons and our residents and all the firefighters.
--
June 10, 2012
Got Apps?
by Kate Collins
My cell phone has 3 pages of apps. Problem is, I use just 4 of them regularly: messaging, contacts, iphoto and Dice with Buddies (it’s so addictive.) I have Yelp! but have never tried it. I have Flashlight, but can’t figure out how to get it to stay lit. I have English to Spanish translator but it’s impossible to find anything on it. I have ShopSavvy bar code reader, but forget to use it. Same with Price Grabber, QR Reader and ShopNoGMO. And we’re not even talking about the standard Facebook, Kindle, Videos, iBooks, etc. that come with the phone.
It got me to wondering how many people use all the apps they put on their phones.
Today, I was reading the Sunday paper and saw a column on Applications. Perusing it, I found a totally absurd selection of apps like the one called Cake Fun! With it, you choose from selections of cake shapes, toppings and decorations, and can create layers of gorgeous cakes. Really?
Or Songify, where you create your own pop hits with an “auto-tuner” that lets you speak or sing into your phone to make catchy tunes. Yeah, right.
Or the best of all, EasyShift, an app that lets you earn money at local stores by doing short shifts of work, like filling out surveys, (or carrying out groceries?) and you gain points that allow you to qualify for – ta da! – more shifts! I’m not making this up.
I’ll bet some people will download those apps, too, but it won’t be me. I’ve called a moratorium on my application selection.
Do you use all your apps? Or are your pages cluttered with all those tiny icons that make finding what you want like hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack? What’s your favorite app and why?[image error]
My cell phone has 3 pages of apps. Problem is, I use just 4 of them regularly: messaging, contacts, iphoto and Dice with Buddies (it’s so addictive.) I have Yelp! but have never tried it. I have Flashlight, but can’t figure out how to get it to stay lit. I have English to Spanish translator but it’s impossible to find anything on it. I have ShopSavvy bar code reader, but forget to use it. Same with Price Grabber, QR Reader and ShopNoGMO. And we’re not even talking about the standard Facebook, Kindle, Videos, iBooks, etc. that come with the phone. It got me to wondering how many people use all the apps they put on their phones.
Today, I was reading the Sunday paper and saw a column on Applications. Perusing it, I found a totally absurd selection of apps like the one called Cake Fun! With it, you choose from selections of cake shapes, toppings and decorations, and can create layers of gorgeous cakes. Really?
Or Songify, where you create your own pop hits with an “auto-tuner” that lets you speak or sing into your phone to make catchy tunes. Yeah, right.
Or the best of all, EasyShift, an app that lets you earn money at local stores by doing short shifts of work, like filling out surveys, (or carrying out groceries?) and you gain points that allow you to qualify for – ta da! – more shifts! I’m not making this up.
I’ll bet some people will download those apps, too, but it won’t be me. I’ve called a moratorium on my application selection.
Do you use all your apps? Or are your pages cluttered with all those tiny icons that make finding what you want like hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack? What’s your favorite app and why?[image error]
June 9, 2012
Clutter Bug
by Leann
As I have been talking about for a long time, we are moving--headed to South Carolina to build a house on a beautiful lake. But there remains the challenge of clearing out more than twenty years worth of well ... junk . The main culprit is my husband, who, without a doubt, would be a hoarder if not married to me.
We met with a Realtor this week and she pointed out that we have a lot of clutter. (NO KIDDING!) Clutter, she said, often translates to a "dirty house" in a buyer's mind. I believe her--even though we do not have a dirty house. But clutter. Oh, we have it. Lots of it. Mostly because parting with even one screw or nail is painful to Mr. S.
I learned this early on in our relationship, and when my requests for him to throw useless things away fell on deaf ears, I developed a method we could both live with. Every few months, I got a box and swept the papers, tools, junk mail, receipts, pens, notebooks ... okay ALL OF IT, into that box. I then carried it to his side of the closet and left it there. I wasn't about to debate the foolishness of it all with someone who would argue with a brick wall. Needless to say, the boxes piled up over the years.
After the Realtor pointed out the clutter, the light bulb finally went off. I honestly believe, the man didn't really see it. It was part of the wall or the floor to him. This weekend, box after box of collected EVERYTHING came out of the closet. I can say without exaggeration that it filled our living room. Do we really need a Cabela's catalog from 1995? I think not. Although the prices do look awfully good, they aren't selling anything for $3.99 anymore.
I have been a very good girl, never saying I told you so, never pointed out that this time sink he has now found himself in could have been avoided. My guess is, after spending all this time in the equally junked-up garage in 90 degree heat and now this, the clutter bug might change his ways in the next house. I will so happy.
How about you? Any clutter bugs in your family circle?[image error]
As I have been talking about for a long time, we are moving--headed to South Carolina to build a house on a beautiful lake. But there remains the challenge of clearing out more than twenty years worth of well ... junk . The main culprit is my husband, who, without a doubt, would be a hoarder if not married to me.
We met with a Realtor this week and she pointed out that we have a lot of clutter. (NO KIDDING!) Clutter, she said, often translates to a "dirty house" in a buyer's mind. I believe her--even though we do not have a dirty house. But clutter. Oh, we have it. Lots of it. Mostly because parting with even one screw or nail is painful to Mr. S.I learned this early on in our relationship, and when my requests for him to throw useless things away fell on deaf ears, I developed a method we could both live with. Every few months, I got a box and swept the papers, tools, junk mail, receipts, pens, notebooks ... okay ALL OF IT, into that box. I then carried it to his side of the closet and left it there. I wasn't about to debate the foolishness of it all with someone who would argue with a brick wall. Needless to say, the boxes piled up over the years.
After the Realtor pointed out the clutter, the light bulb finally went off. I honestly believe, the man didn't really see it. It was part of the wall or the floor to him. This weekend, box after box of collected EVERYTHING came out of the closet. I can say without exaggeration that it filled our living room. Do we really need a Cabela's catalog from 1995? I think not. Although the prices do look awfully good, they aren't selling anything for $3.99 anymore.I have been a very good girl, never saying I told you so, never pointed out that this time sink he has now found himself in could have been avoided. My guess is, after spending all this time in the equally junked-up garage in 90 degree heat and now this, the clutter bug might change his ways in the next house. I will so happy.
How about you? Any clutter bugs in your family circle?[image error]
