Excuses, excuses

I’ll spare you all the reasons why I haven’t blogged this week.  It’s boring stuff.  🙂
Last week’s winners are: Donna Irvin and Amber B.  Ladies, your autographed copies of ONCE A RANCHER are on their way to you now.  A new round will begin this coming Monday.  Just comment, and you’re in–two winners will be chosen at random and announced the following Monday.  (NOT Thursday, I promise.)  The prizes are as above.
Mom is settling into assisted living nicely, but there have been a lot of loose ends to tie up.  Thankfully, my sibs have done their share, and much more.  (Thanks, guys.)  Wendy and Jeremy worked tirelessly clearing out the condo where Mom lived before, and they did a great job.  I feel so grateful for my helpful and loving family.  
Sister Sally’s birthday was the 21st, and this is a belated shout-out.
The weather has been typical of spring in this part of the country; the sun shines brilliantly.  Then, ten minutes later, it’s raining hard enough to scare Noah himself.  Since we had a dangerously dry summer last year, we welcome the rain.
The peonies, my all-time favorite flower, are blooming, much to my delight.  They don’t last long enough to suit me, but I enjoy them while I can.
 Soon, my second favorite, the dahlias, will be on show.  Last year, they were absolutely spectacular, and huge; some of them reminded me of those big ruffs people wore in Elizabethan times (Elizabeth the first, that is.)  
I’m working on a variety of projects: a polish on FOREVER A HERO, the third story about the Carson cowboys of Mustang Creek, Wyoming, the proposal for the next contemporary Western, and NORTH OF EDEN, my big historical novel, mostly set in and around Gettysburg, PA, in the dangerous year of 1863.  It’s a busy time, but I’m so happy to be working on these stories; the characters are very dear to me, and I love sharing in their adventures.
On June 16, I leave for Gettysburg, as I’ve mentioned before, to attend the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.  I will definitely be blogging, even though my righthand woman, Jenni, won’t be going along this time, as she’s headed for Prague and then Germany on one of her ghost-hunting tours.
Speaking of ghosts, I’m beginning to think I have one in residence.  One recent night, I was awake at 1:30 AM, listening to a particularly gripping audiobook, when I heard a man’s voice downstairs.  The dogs, though small, are terrier-confident, and they barked like crazy and bounded off the bed, darting downstairs.  Thinking one of the crew might have stopped by–it happens, though rarely, at that time of night–I followed Tule and Mowgli to see what was going on.  Nobody there, and I hadn’t heard the garage door open, either.  I decided Wendy and Jeremy must have come in after attending a show at the casino, which is near here, and then left again.  I texted them.  No, came the answer.  After their show, they’d gone straight home.  They asked why I’d asked, and I told them about the voice.  Concerned, they came straight back to Triple L.
Jeremy checked things out, but all the doors and windows were locked, and the garage door was closed when they arrived.  They spent the night, just in case.  I was still thinking that one of the crew must have visited; sometimes Larry, the Canadian Wrangler, decides to cook , and needs to borrow an onion or some soup stock–though not usually at that hour.  🙂  The next day, we check with Larry.  Nope, he hadn’t been here.  We questioned everyone else, with no luck.  We’re all mystified.  I definitely heard the voice, and the dogs’ reaction proves I wasn’t dreaming.  I’m not scared, as there was no sense of danger, but I sure am wondering what the heck happened.  If any of you have a theory, I’d love to hear it.
Lastly, the Weight Watchers report: I gained 1.8 pounds.  🙁  It’s time for renewed effort.