“Is that Friday coming up the drive?” “It sure is Little One. Not a moment too soon.”
Another quick week. I think that life speeds up as one gets older. Yeah, we have all heard that. I guess that statement is my cliché for the week.
We had some notable arrivals. Two twin headboards for the guest room came in and look great. I pictured the rug for the master bedroom yesterday. Speaking of the master bedroom, we were notified that our bed would not be available until July. It was ordered in early March, and this is the second delay. So sayonara to the bed. The producer made another choice which should be here mid-may.
The producer also made a design decision on my office which I totally love. The bookcases and cabinets will be black and positioned on the back wall. A freestanding desk will be in the center of the room. I think it’s going to look great. I know I will feel good having a dedicated space.
I was invited to an event at the Bee Cave (one town over) library this weekend. It is in conjunction with Spring Fest (A Bee Cave event) and features seven local authors. I have a two-hour slot and look forward to visiting with potential new readers. I’ll take some photos and if okay used them on a Views post.
Today’s JohnKu talks about pleasant surprises. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Today was a rainy day here in Lakeway. It started in the morning and lasted all day. Poor Lucy and Twiggy were pretty much housebound the whole day. They did their best to remain entertained.
“Twiggy, what are you doing?”
“Playing.”
“What are you playing?”
“I have my gotcha cake and am playing birthday.”
“Check outside for me. Is it still raining?”
“Yes. Lucy. It is still raining.”
“Darn. That means you and I have to find something to do in here.”
“Well, it’s not so bad. We could play tag.”
“We just played tag. Check on the rain again.”
“Still coming down, Lucy.”
“Okay then come here. I’ve got your gotcha cake.”
“Hey. That’s mine. What are you going to do with it?”
“Humm. Maybe I’ll eat it.”
“How about I put it on your back?”
“That’s okay by me. Or you could toss it.”
“Nice toss, Lucy.”
“You toss it back.”
“No, I think I’ll just walk it over.”
“Pretty lazy. Little one.”
“This is hard work, Lucy.”
“Please. You haven’t done a thing all day.”
“I know we can check out the new rug.”
“Hey, Mom. Pretty nice.”
“I don’t know little one. This texture is different.”
It’s Wednesday Story Day again, and last we were given a hint by Gloria that more or less confused me. I don’t know about you, but I wish she would just spit out who killed Rafferty. Well too bad for me she just didn’t. Instead, she came up with some kind of insect parable that further confounded the issue. Let’s join Larry and Andrew as they try to figure out what Gloria said.
“So, she basically told us none of our suspects killed Rafferty.”
“I don’t know, Andrew but sometimes you amaze me with your observations.”
“What I’m just trying to help.”
“Give me some help on the insect thing.”
“She was not talking about an insect. She was saying the person we are looking for is someone we would not suspect due to his or her lack of involvement in the case.”
“Ah. So my interpretation regarding someone little as having no power is really someone not involved in the case.”
“Rafferty case. Not necessarily in the Sandusky case.”
“So it could be someone who Knew Sandusky but seemingly not involved with Rafferty.”
“Bingo.”
“If I think of everyone involved one way or another in the Sandusky and Rafferty case there is only one name that jumps out as having no involvement with Rafferty.”
“Who is that?”
“Ned Dixon, the bank manager.”
“Ned Dixon? How could he be involved?”
“Think about it. Had Louis been able to prove the machine in that is to say Rafferty signed the paper saying it was good to go.”
“Yes?”
“There would be no bankrupt company.”
“How’s that help Dixon?”
“Remember when Dixon told us he authorized the payments on the loan to stop.”
“Yeah, that was six months ago.”
“He said Louis was working for Cortez but never collected on the development funds for which Louis had a signed contract.”
“So what would have happened if the contract was honored?”
“I guess the company would prosper.”
“Right, and where would that leave Dixon?”
“He would not be able to sell the company.”
“And not pocket the loan payback amount.”
“Wait. Dixon is a trustee along with the bank.”
“You believe that? I think he is skimming money off of Sandusky’s trust. He told us it was worth fifteen million. How easy would it be to take some for himself? If the company was going strong, there would be no sale and no opportunity to skim.”
“Still seems like a risk for a banker. He doesn’t seem like the skimming type.”
“Well, we need to make the connection to Rafferty.”
“That’s a no brainer if what you are thinking is true.”
“Talk to me.”
“He wanted Rafferty to falsify the engineering study to say the machine wasn’t working.”
“I thought Cortez did that.”
“So says Mrs. Rafferty.”
“Humm. She did say her husband said, Cortez. Why would she lie.”
“To cover for someone else.”
“Like Dixon?”
“OMG. I see where you are going. I wonder if they ever talked or knew each other.”
“We need the phone records of Dixon and Janice Rafferty.”
“Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
Since this week in history has a lot of events that just aren’t funny. I thought I would take a break and go back to the standard Top Ten Things Not to Do. This weeks list is inspired by our own Alexa who is now in charge of our home. I hope you enjoy the list.
Top Ten Things Not to Say to Alexa
10 If you have Alexa, do not ask her to load the dishwasher. If you do, at best she’ll tell you to do it yourself. At worst, she will order all new dishes from Amazon. (Just try to explain your return request to the Amazon rep, Henry. Don’t forget he and Alexa work for the same company.)
9 If you have Alexa, do not ask her to get Tiny the WWF champ on the phone. If you do, at best Tiny will not answer. At worst she’ll make a mistake and call Tiny hiney. (That knock at the door means you are in for a helicopter spin and body slam, Hunter. Lucky for you Alexa gave Tiny your address before she hung up.)
8 If you have Alexa, do not ask her if her clock is running. If you do, at best she’ll not get the joke and tell you the time. At worst, when you say, “better catch it,” to a positive response your lights will not work for the rest of the night. (You have to believe Alexa has no sense of humor, Hector. Now apologize, and maybe you’ll get your lights back.)
7 If you have Alexa, do not ask her age. If you do, at best she’ll sing Happy Birthday. At worst, you will be treated to a five-hour treatise on proper manners is a polite society. (You have to admit, Harold you never knew the one about walking on the left so that carriage wheels will splash mud on you and not your companion. Excuse me. Wake up , Harold.)
6 If you have Alexa, do not give her a shopping list containing any personal items. If you do, at best no one will see the recording. At worst, your listing will be published on the internet and go viral. (Just what did you intend to do with those enhancement pills, Harvey. Whatever it is Ten million people are waiting for an answer.)
5 If you have Alexa, do not ask her to select your music. If you do, at best you’ll be put to sleep. At worst, she will decide to round your education with music and words you never heard before. (Yes, that music is legal, Hank. Yes, it hurts the ears. Yes, that was an f-word.)
4 If you have Alexa, do not ask if she has a family. If you do, at best she won’t understand the question. At worst, you will now have to listen to a story that will make a soap opera seem like a comedy. (It will only be a few more minutes, Hutchinson. Please try to be sympathetic. Your ability to see when it’s dark depends on it.)
3 If you have Alexa, do not ask her to order items from an outlet other than Amazon. If you do, at best she’ll pretend to malfunction. At worst, she’ll try to make sure you don’t make that mistake again. (So what are you going to do with the truckload of cow poop on your driveway, Hubert? Better decide fast. The sun is getting hot.)
2 If you have Alexa, do make an insulting remark if she can’t understand you. If you do, at best you can say you are sorry. At worst, your insult has been recorded and sent to your boss. (An abysmal choice of words, Hudson. This is especially true since your boss is a saintly person.)
1 If you have Alexa, do not ask her to order carry out. If you do, at best the order will only be missing one item. At worst, lost in the translation will be the quantity of each item. (So now what are you going to do with ten pounds of potato salad, Hussein? Let’s not even mention the thirty racks of ribs.)
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again and this weeks prompt is “rib.” Linda Hill says we can use it as part of a word or as a stand-alone. In any case, we are to have fun. If you would like to join in visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is to tease your brain in trying to think up a word with “rib” in it. I have one, ‘attribution.’ Naa, that’s no fun. I think I’ll go with using rib alone. Here is a link to Linda’s blog.
“Mom. it’s Friday and Lucy won’t play with me.” “I’m sure she will. Won’t you Lucy?” “Man. Close my eyes for one second…”
Another week has flown by. At least for me, it has. I guess if I were hanging upside down tied by the ankles, above an alligator pit, I would have a different view of time. As it is the week seemed short. We were happy to have the dining room chairs arrive. Unique fabric (resistant to the man of the house and napalm.) had to be ordered. Hence the delay. The fence measuring person came out and took all the measurements. We are on the schedule for mid-May, but since we already have the permit and survey, we were told there might be an opportunity for earlier. We are not holding our breath.
We’ve had some beautiful rain, so the drought-like conditions are gone. Since we have very little grass, the rain also produces paw prints unless the pooches get a foot wipe each time out. I am the designated foot-wiper.
I managed to get some words written on my WIP, so I am a happy camper.
Today’s JohnKu talks about what makes us happy. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.
“It is Wednesday, not Friday. You don’t have to eat grass on Wednesday Little one.”
It’s Wednesday Story Day again. Last week we found out the insurance company is unwilling to say much about Rafferty’s policy. We also didn’t get any information from Rafferty’s employment contract. In fact, we didn’t get anything at all. (The Greek chorus says amen) Is it any wonder Larry wants to try to contact Gloria? Heck no. It’s a good idea. We better hurry since he and Andrew are entering Micki Lee’s shop.
“Well hello, my two favorite cops.”
“Hi, Micki.”
“Not to draw too much of a fine line, Ms. Lee but I’m not a policeman.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cummings. Since you are in the employ of Mr. Dunfee, I believe you are a policeman.”
“Fair enough.”
“if you two are finished I have some business with you, Ms. Lee.”
“For heaven’s sake Larry. You need to lighten up. Nothing in this world was ever accomplished by getting too pushy.”
“Tell that to Washington.”
“Okay, what is it I can do for you.”
“I need to talk to Gloria. The last time she was on some kind of holiday. I need to know if she is back and can meet with me.”
“I think I can help with that. First, let’s have some tea.”
“I know you have your system so if tea is part of it, fine.”
“I’m actually playing with your head, Larry. Tea has nothing to do with it but I think you should relax and slow down a little. I’ll be right back.”
“Tell me, Andrew. Do I look like I’m in a rush or something?”
“Your type A personality is on your sleeve today.”
“Really? Well okay. Let’s just kick back and drink some mother loving tea and have a real social hour here.”
“Also your propensity to overreact is playing a part as well”
“For heavens sa—”
“Here we are with some nice black tea from China. I’ll pour.”
“You know Ms. Lee. There is nothing like a nice cup of tea to relax the soul.”
“Call me Micki. I see Andrew has been talking to you.”
“He mentioned a few things. Yes.”
“While you are having your tea, I will call Gloria.”
“That would be nice. Maybe she would like a cup as well.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so but hold on. Her presence is very strong. Gloria is that you?”
“I am here Micki”
“Gloria, how have you been?”
“Just fine, Larry. The important question is how have you been?”
“I still miss you.”
“I know but don’t worry. I’m here now. What can I do to help you?”
“The Sandusky case is driving us nuts.”
“Still no closer to a suspect?”
“That’s the problem. We have three and now possibly four and the death of his engineer.”
“It wasn’t an accident.”
“What Rafferty?”
“Yes.”
“Who killed him?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“What can you tell me?”
“You need to pay close attention to who would want Rafferty’s dead.”
“We have those. Evon, Janice, and Cortez.”
“Sorry. You are missing the obvious.”
“The Police Chief of South Lake Tahoe?”
“Nope.”
“Aw come on, Gloria. Give me some help.”
“All I can say is the littlest insect can cause the most damage.”
“Huh? Insect?”
“Well, I need to get to the spa now, Larry. If you need more help you know where to find me.”
“Don’t leave, Gloria. Gloria?”
“You know when you have a spa appointment you can’t be late, Larry. She is not here anymore.”
“Do you have any insight into her insect parable?”
“Let’s think about it. Sip your tea. Clear your mind.”
“Hmm. The only thought that comes to mind when I think of little is someone with no power.”
