with John W. Howell
I’m very pleased to have been invited for a video chat with Stephen Geez and Beem Weeks tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern time.
We will be discussing Detour on the Eternal Road and other things so I hope you can join us. The discussions with Stephen and Beem are always lively with a healthy dose of laughs too. (My face is always good for a laugh in itself)
Here is the link to join the broadcast at 8:00 PM Eastern. I hope to see you there.
I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 205. With my eyes closed I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger was “face.” That is the prompt today.
Face by John W. Howell © 2024
“That was an about face.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you would support me in front of the boss.”
“I did support you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, if you don’t know then I don’t know what to say.”
“How about you quit running around the bush and come out with it.”
“It bewilders me that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“You are mad cause you think I didn’t support you in there.”
“Damn right.”
“But I don’t understand why you think I didn’t support you.”
“Okay if I have to spell it out. When the boss asked, “What’s this?” you immediately looked at me.”
“I did. I wanted to see what you were going to say.”
“You dope. She immediately thought I was the culprit.”
“Well, you were.”
“I know, but you said you would cover for me.”
“I would have had it not been so plain that you were the one.”
“How was it so plain?”
“Dogs don’t bring dead mice into the house.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“You said you were getting mom a present. How was I to know that was it.”
“Okay, okay. You are forgiven.”
‘Thanks.”
This post, co-authored by Marie Bailey, ran on November 6, 2013. Since people still commute to work, it should be relevant.
* * *
Top Ten Things Not to do When Commuting to Work by Car
10 When commuting to work by car, do not apply mascara or use an electric razor while driving. If you do, at best, you’ll have smudges or missed spots. At worse, you might wind up with a mascara brush sticking out of your eye or a long shave up the side of the head as you slam on the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of you. (Good luck at the meeting.)
9 When commuting to work by car don’t drive like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. If you do, at best, you’ll just wind up stopped at the next intersection. At worst, you’ll wind up alongside the road being attended to by a traffic officer eager to make his quota early and being on display for all the folks you passed.
8 When commuting to work by car, try not to listen to state or national news on your radio. If you do listen, at best, you will need to breath deeply. At worst, your fellow commuters will call the local police thinking all those expletives were signs of a nervous breakdown. (Sitting in the back of a police care sure makes those news stories seem insignificant don’t they?)
7 When commuting to work by car, do not think you are encouraging the driver ahead of you to go faster by following them so closely that you can see yourself in their rear view mirror. If you do, at best, the driver ahead makes no sudden stops. At worst, they quickly step on the brake and cause you to rear-end them. (Don’t even try to argue the point of who’s fault this accident is. You know it’s yours.)
6 When commuting to work by car, do not try to eat your breakfast and drive at the same time. If you do, at best, you’ll just gross people out when they see you stuff a double-Egg McMuffin in your mouth. At worst, the coffee you start to sip will wind up all over your nice white shirt or blouse when you suddenly have to step on the brake to avoid hitting someone pulling out of a McDonald’s in front of you. (Seemed like a good idea while in the drive through.)
5 When commuting to work by car, avoid the temptation to pick your nose, pop a pimple, or check your teeth while waiting for a green light. If you can’t avoid the temptation, At best, no one will see you. At worst, the other commuters viewing your activities will be attending customer meeting that you have scheduled that morning. (Too bad you grossed out your important customers)
4 When commuting to work by car, do not try to read The Wall Street Journal or finish reading the last chapter of the book you can’t put down. If you do, at best, you are fully aware of surrounding traffic. At worst, you’ll never get to finish the book because the traffic cop saw you reading, pulled you over, and then confiscated your book (How were you to know it was on his TBR list?)
3 When commuting to work by car, do not think there will be no traffic when you’re running 15 minutes late for a meeting with the CEO of your company. If you do, at best, you make all the lights. At worse, the city utility vehicles will be out in full force, trimming trees and picking up yard waste on every street that is normally part of your commute. (Your commute time is double and your chances of being fired triple)
2 When commuting to work by car, do check your text messages before you get to your office. At best, you’ll have some near-misses as commuters try to get around you and put distance between your bad driving and theirs. At worst, the same traffic cop that pulled you over in #4 and #9 will be more than happy to pull you over again since you are single-handedly helping the officer meet a quota.
1. When commuting to work by car, do not treat your driving as a right, but rather as a privilege which can be taken away at any moment for bad behavior. If you do, at best, you’ll rack up more fines and fees in a month than you pay in car insurance in a year. At worst, bad driving can lead to bad things happening to other people or to you. (Be mindful. Be aware. Drive safely)
There are times in life when you have to admit that what you have planned just didn’t work out. This is one of those times. An exhibit at the library titled Women in Photography curated by the organization Women in Visual Art (WIVA) opened on March 1. (Yesterday) I had planned to use this event for the Views of the Neighborhood today. The photographs are quite nice but are displayed in a room with many windows. The photos are behind glass and taking clear shots is nearly impossible. I tried using editing techniques to filter out the interference but was unsuccessful. After taking the photos and attempting to edit them, I have run out of time. So what we are going to do is get on the bus and eat and drink like sloths.
We are catered by Moonshine of Austin and our entertainment is Whitney Houston.
Food Menu
CHICKEN & WAFFLES – lemon butter, maple syrup, chipotle cream gravy
CHICKEN ALMONDINE – artichokes, lemon cream, yukon mashers
GREEN CHILE MACARONI – roasted chicken, corn bisque, bacon gratin
SALISBURY CHOP STEAK – mushroom gravy, yukon mashers
SEARED RAINBOW TROUT – bacon cornbread stuffing, soft grits, chile sage butter
ST LOUIS PORK RIBS – dr. pepper bbq, tobacco onions, yukon mashers
CENTER CUT PORK CHOP – peach chutney, herb salad, demi-glace, yukon mashers
BLACKENED CATFISH – crawfish tails, hot sauce, pecan meunière, soft grits
CREOLE SHRIMP & GRITS
Drink menu in addition to any cocktail, beer or wine you want
FROZEN HARD LEMONADE wheatley vodka, mint,paula’s texas lemon, lemonade
LADYBIRD mezcal union, aperol lemon, lavender
SAZERAC rye, peychaud’s, sugar, absinthe rinse
GOOD HEARTED OLD FASHIONED featured whiskey, angostura,amarena cherry, orange
SILVERMOON MARGARITA silver tequila, triple sec, sweet & sour
BLIND MULE moonshine, lime juice, ginger beer
KINFOLK’S CLEAR FAVORITE michter’s, modern clarified milk punch
BOURBON SLUSH benchmark bourbon, sweet tea, lemonade, orange juice
THE WATERLOO gin, cucumbers,grapefruit juice
THE FIDDLER buffalo trace, lemon, jalapeños
Enjoy the food and music. I hope you have a great week.
An explanation is in order. Last week, there may have been some confusion around the fact that the coffee machine communicated with me. To be clear, the machine does not talk. She sends messages through a mounted menu screen. The screen also has a touch pad, so no external mouse is needed. It wouldn’t be right to think that the machine has the human ability to speak. She has reasoning ability through her AI construct, which leads to her being able to ask questions. For example, today, she wondered if she should make coffee to go.
Declining the to-go cup and ordering the standard was the prelude to grabbing the clock. The time was set to March 1, 1925. The location is New York City and the duration is one hour. A pull of the plunger and we land in New York City. We are just in time to witness the founding of Viking Press.
The publisher Viking Press was founded in New York by Harold K. Guinzburg (formerly of Simon and Schuster) and George S. Oppenheimer, advertising manager for Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. The Viking Press is an American publishing company that specializes in bringing books to a wide audience. It was formerly known as Viking Penguin and Viking Books.
After one glass of champagne, the alarm goes off and we find ourselves on the couch. There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads:
To see what others have done with the prompt visit Linda’s blog; here’s the link: https://lindaghill.com/2025/02/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-1-2025/
Mouse by John W. Howell © 2024
“I guess visiting a publisher is interesting for your author readers.”
“You didn’t find it interesting?”
“Well, I would say no for one who can barely do a comic book a year.”
“Well, seeing such an established firm remain successful after 100 years was fun.”
“Maybe a cake and candles would be appropriate.”
“I think we can just let it go.”
“A good idea. No sense making a cat and mouse game out of it.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re trying to defend visiting an author-centric place and trying to convince me that it is interesting.”
“Oh. I see. Yeah cat and mouse is not on the agenda today.”
“So what is?”
“A quiet place where we can relax.”
“That serves peanuts?”
“I suppose.”
“And has a shuffle board?”
“Yes.”
“Pool table and darts.”
“Very nice.”
“And has Voo Doo Ranger Imperials on ice?”
“Yup Order an Uber.”
“Already did. He’s over there.”
“I can’t believe it. We struck gold this time.”
“I thought you would be mad.”
“Oh, heck no. That van is from a beverage supplier.”
“Yeah so?”
“I’ll bet he has a few VooDoo Rangers in there.”
“Never thought of that. I just wanted cheap.”
“Looks like we have both worlds. Let’s go.”
As a former Gulf dweller this story struck home and comes from the Good News Network.
From Corpus Christi comes the story of a commercial mariner who developed a passion for saving lives—cold, imperiled, and scaly lives.
It started in 2018, when Captain Brandon Upton was out in the Gulf waters on a particularly chilly afternoon. He saw a dark shadow floating nearby.
As the owner and operator of Sea Tow, a boating assistance company, Upton thought he had seen everything the Gulf of Mexico could conjure. But soon, he saw more dark shapes, and then even more.
He realized to his shock that they were sea turtles.
“I didn’t touch it, because I know they are endangered and protected,” Upton told the Dodo. “On my way in, I saw more and more sea turtles and was very confused. In all my years on the water, I had never seen anything like it.”
Rather than take any actions himself, Upton did the right thing and contacted the relevant animal authorities—in this case, the ecologists at San Padre Island National Seashore, who explained the turtles had been cold-stunned.
Cold-stunning is a normal phenomenon in which the cold-blooded turtles fall into a comatose state if the seawater temperatures fall below 56°F. Their heart rate and metabolism plummets, and they float, incapable of moving. This puts them at risk for boat strikes, drowning, and even land predators if the tide and surf should take them onto the beach.
Every winter since then, Upton has remained vigilant for potential cold-stunning events. If the water temperatures start to fall too low, Upton will bring an airboat to tow alongside him, into which he will toss any sea turtles he finds.
“While sea turtle rescue typically requires special training, we started in an emergency situation,” Upton said. “We picked up two or three boatloads of floating turtles that very first day.”
San Padre Island workers receive these cold-stunned animals and place them in a rehabilitation center where their bodies are gradually warmed up to the temperatures needed to restart their systems. Then they’re released.
Upton described his 7 years of pro bono help as “only natural” since he carries around a lot of specialized equipment that makes rescuing turtles easy and is a proud part of the close-knit boating community.
He’s an animal lover to boot, and whether it’s “taking a spider outside” or helping cold-stunned turtles, he considers them all like a second family.
“How’s the sun?”
“You should come out here. It’s nice and warm.”
“This is a nice change from the freezing weather.”
“Yes, it is. I think there is a rabbit out there.”
“I hate to tell you, but the rabbits don’t stay around here.”
“So, what was it I saw?”
“Could be a squirrel. I know it’s not a skunk ’cause they pretty much come out at night.”
“I know what squirrels look like. That was no squirrel.”
“I can tell you by sniffing that it was not a skunk.”
“I don’t know. I am picking up an essence.”
“Might be an olfactory hallucination too.”
“A what?”
“An imaginary scent.”
“That sounds way too cool to be true.”
“Tell you what? I’m going to head in.”
“But you just got here.”
“I know, but I don’t have sunscreen, and I think I hear the call of the kibble.”
“Wait. What is that thing on the house?”
“For heaven’s sake. It is a rake. You’re worse than a horse.”
“You can never be too careful. It looked like something dangerous.”
“Give it up, and let’s get some dinner.”
“Best idea today.”
Jacqui Murry is on tour with her Endangered Species Series and is one of those authors who takes research seriously. Her latest books provide a close look at the life and times of Neanderthals and are fascinating views of life 75,000 thousand years ago. I am happy she volunteered to host a stop on the Detour on the Eterna Road Tour.
A little more about Jacqui.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga Man vs. Nature, which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to the United States Naval Academy. When not writing, she is a grad school teacher, author of over a hundred tech ed resources, including K-12 technology curricula, and an Amazon Vine Voice. You can find her resources at her publisher, Structured Learning LLC. She lives in So. California with her husband of forty years, Labrador Casey, and lots of contact with her adult children, one a Cdr in the Navy, the other a SFC in the Army. Feel free to reach out to Jacqui at her blog, WordDreams, or her social media platforms.
Her latest
See all her books on her Amazon Author page.
I have disabled comment so you can leave them with Jacqui.
Today, I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 147. I closed my eyes and pointed to the page. The word readable nearest my finger was “complicated,” which became our prompt.
Complicated by John W. Howell © 2025
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m sure it is, but tell me.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why?”
“Because you could get hurt feelings.”
“Oh, come on. We have known each other long enough not to get hurt feelings from the truth.”
“You may think that, but I know better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember that time you wanted that stupid T-shirt.”
“The one that said, “I’d rather be on top?”
“That’s the one.”
“You talked me out of it.”
“And remember how hurt you were?”
“Well, I thought it would be good for a laugh.”
“Yeah, until a time that your mother might see it.”
“Okay, I get your point. I guess I did have hurt feelings that you thought my humor was gross.”
“The word is vulgar.”
“Okay, okay. I’ve changed, and you can tell me anything now.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So what is wrong with my idea?”
“First off. You have been listening to Frank Sinatra, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“And now you think you can move that rubber tree plant.”
“The song has inspired me.”
“Not to hurt your feelings, but as an ant, you can’t. Don’t give me that high hopes, malarkey either.”
“Okay, I’m going to listen to you.”
“Be still my beating heart. Why now?”
“Cause I don’t think that plant will fit in the foyer.”
“Okay, I can live with that.”
“And there is some new sugar the humans dropped on the floor, which we don’t want to go to waste.”
On Saturday, I was running behind and trying to recover from losing my ten-year-old Mac to the dreaded black screen of death. During all my angst and confusion, Jennie did one of the nicest things anyone could ever do for an author. She wrote me a personal message accompanied by a photograph. The sad part is that I was so preoccupied that I didn’t get to the message until about 1:00 p.m. After viewing the post, all the trouble I had disappeared, and I could only smile.
Here is the photograph and the message.
Look what arrived today!
John Howell’s fabulous trilogy.
Hubby has demanded ‘first dibs’.
Dear John,
Thank you for writing great stories, as books are the result of stories that need to be told – because your heart and mind told you so. This trilogy is a testament to just that. May your passion for writing and telling stories continue, so we the readers can get lost in your books.
Sincerely,
Jennie.
Wouldn’t this message and photo give you a big smile? It sure did give me one. Thank you, Jennie, for being so kind. You can see the post here
