Friday again. It is the last Friday before Christmas. I hope you have all your shopping done. I know I do. (Thank heavens)
This week has been busy. I finally got some help from Grammarly. Guess what they came up with? Uninstall the existing program and reinstall a new one. Can you say DUH? I mean if that was the solution why give me a trial and error week? I should have just done that myself. (Gotta stop again. After all, it is the Holidays and I have a working program.)
Bailey is beginning to be picky about her food. We just got in a supply of the food she loved and she now doesn’t like it. We have gone to chicken which she thinks is fine for now. If and when she is no longer interested in food, we know she is telling us the time is near. We will keep offering her choices in order not to make the mistake of thinking she is asking for some relief. As long as she is eating we know she is interested in being with us. Sadly the end result is known and it is hard to imagine we will have to let her go. Bailey came to us nine years ago on Christmas.
As her stewards, we need to keep her interests as primary. Today’s John Ku tries to avoid the obvious and talks about the best Christmas gifts.
“Lucy. Wake up. I hear Friday at the door.” “It’s only Wednesday Little Potato. Hit snooze.”
It is Wednesday Story Day, and last week we went with Larry to question Ned Dixon about what he might know regarding any money connection to Sandusky’s murder. We were shocked to find out Sandusky had set up a trust for an unnamed beneficiary that is now worth fifteen million dollars. We also found out that whoever tries to claim the money must show up at the bank with a key to Sandusky’s safe deposit box. The box contains a protocol which the beneficiary must satisfy. I think we were gobsmacked to find all this out. You have to wonder what Larry thinks of all of this. Wait there was another point. Sandusky took out a loan based on an agreement signed by the notorious cartel leader, Cortez. Let’s go to Larry’s office and find out what he is thinking.
“So, Andrew. Do you believe all this shit?”
“I must say there are more twists in this case than a rattler on an anthill.”
“Where di you get that saying?”
“I just made it up.”
”You are on the East Coast for heaven’s sake. That good ole boy analogy doesn’t seem to fit.”
“I guess it must be these new boots I bought.”
“Handsome for sure. Drop the Western crap.”
“Yes sir, boss.”
“Can do without cool hand Luke as well.”
“What is bothering you today.”
“We are no closer to finding out who killed Sandusky than we were before we started. Also, we know that Cortez is somehow wrapped up in this thing which has the potential to make our lives a living nightmare.”
“Maybe we should just let sleeping dogs lie.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have a spirit hounding you every night.”
“We need to think this one through. Gloria said to follow the money, and now we have more questions than answers.”
“Let’s take a step back then. We know Sandusky and Louis were successful in developing a new surgical procedure, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“We also know Cortez signed an agreement to pay for it.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“We do not know what the Cartel wanted to do with the procedure.”
“So far you are stating the obvious.”
“We have to ask ourselves another question.”
“Which is?”
“Why did we have to hear all this from the banker and not Louis?”
“Well, now that is an excellent question.”
“Is it possible the cartel did pay Louis, and he stiffed the bank?”
“Another good question.”
“The answers are with Louis. We need to talk to him again. I’ll bet he can tell us what the cartel intended to do with the procedure as well.”
“I have a feeling you are right. So follow the money leads back to Louis.”
“Yup. There is also one good point about talking to Louis.”
“Which is?”
“We put off trying to talk to Cortez.”
“Which means we put off a major hell till later. I’m all about that.”
In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (Below) 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, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”
This post continues the Top Ten Things Not to Do with a historical backdrop. Since December 16, 1773, is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party the Top Ten list will help you avoid any trouble should you time travel to the event.
10 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not wear your “Stay Calm and Pay Your Stamp Tax,” sweatshirt. If you do, at best your outer coat will cover it. At worse, several colonists will notice it all at once. (Well, Garrick, it looks like you are going into the Boston harbor along with those 342 chests of tea. Hope you can swim.)
9 If you go to the Boston Tea party, do not stop Tiny the WWF champ if he starts throwing other stuff besides tea into the Boston Harbor. If you do, at best Tiny will be so engrossed trying to rip off the mast that he’ll think you are trying to help. At worst, Tiny who just failed his anger management course will stop tearing up the deck of the boat to concentrate on you. (Looks like it might be a good time to practice your rope climb, Garsone. I have it on good authority Tiny likes to rip things in two before tossing them in the harbor. It helps with his anger issue.)
8 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not tell Samuel Adams how much you enjoy his beer. If you do, at best he’ll give you a puzzled look. At worst, he will question you extensively about what you mean. (Good luck avoiding spilling the beans about time travel, Gaven. You’ll be lucky to escape a witches trial for what will sound like lies.)
7 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not ask the crew to save you some Earl Grey. If you do, at best they will think you are joking. At worst, such a request would be perceived as something a royal would make. (This is great. You are now being taken for a British royal, Gavyn. You are going to have a hard time floating once that chest to which you are chained becomes water soaked.)
6 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not try to convince the crew that the Mohawk Indian disguise is not politically correct. If you do, at best you’ll get some puzzled looks. At worst, the crew will think you are disrespecting them. (These guys have ways of dealing with disrespect, Gaynor. How’s that Mohawk haircut feel? I hope that ax was sharp enough to cut and not pull your hair out.)
5 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not try to convince the captain of the British ship Beaver that the name of his ship should be changed to a more socially acceptable name. If you do, at best he will be too busy trying to repel raiders to listen. At worst, you will be the only member of the raiding party to be clapped in irons. (How do you think you will raise the money to compensate for the tea loss, Gedalya? In today’s dollars the $18,000 loss is $553,254.15. You do know debtor’s prison terms are a real thing back then?)
4 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not bring scones and clotted cream. If you do, at best your fellow raiders will think you’re nuts. At worst, you’ll be sent home to write 1000 times, “I will not joke about the Tea Party.” (When you turn in your paper to Sam Adams, Genius, I would bring a gift. You just might save yourself from being deported to England. Not too many in England are amused about the loss of the tea.)
3 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not hum “America the Beautiful” while you dump your assigned tea crates. If you do, at best your fellow raiders are too busy to take notice. At worst, a raider might think you are humming “God Save the King.” ( His look is anything but comforting, Georgie. I think I would prepare to get wet if I were you.)
2 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not forget to mute your cell phone ringer. If you do, at best in the noise of the raid no one will hear it. At worse, the entire raiding party will stop what they are doing and look at you in stunned silence. (You gotta hope that whoever is calling you, Geremia will hang up now. If you pull out that cell phone, you might as well jump overboard and take your chances with the British.)
1 If you go to the Boston Tea Party, do not ask your fellow raiders if they are red sox fans. If you do, at best they will think you are talking about foot coverings. At worst, your fellow raiders will think you are talking in code, and since you used the color red, you are a British agent. (The key to surviving walking the plank, Gergor is to get those ropes wrapped around your arms off quickly. Sounds impossible you say? Fair enough. Can you hold your breath for twenty minutes?)
Every year the Art Center of Port Aransas has n art show featuring the art of high school and middle school students. The competition is juried and open to students from Port Aransas, Flour Bluff, and Seashore Academy. I thought you would like to see the level of art being taught in the local schools. I don’t have too many comments as the art can speak for itself.
Let’s start with the sixth grade. Where you see a ribbon that student’s piece took a prize
Another view.
Seventh grade.
Eighth grade
Ninth Grade
Tenth Grade
Eleventh Grade
One view of the Twelfth grade
Another View of the Twelfth Grade.
The Best in Show is the purple ribbon.
As you can see there is a large turnout. Here in Port Aransas art is taken very seriously. I hope you enjoyed the walk through the Art Center.
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this week’s prompt is “hairy.” Linda Hill says we can use hairy any way we want and there are bonus points if we use it in more than one meaning. I’m all over the bonus points so that will be my objective. If you jump to bait easily, you might want to join this group. Visit Linda’s blog to read how. Here is the link
“She asks me why
I’m just a hairy guy
I’m hairy noon and night—”
“Another song. What is it this time.”
“One of my favorites. Hair from the Broadway show. They are doing their fifty-year tour.”
“Fifty years? The show was on Broadway before you were born.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it.”
“What brought a fifty-year-old play to mind anyway?”
“I was looking up the Hairy Man Festival in Round Rock Texas and just wondered how many other things had hair involved in them.”
“Hairy Man Festival? What is that?”
“Back in the 1880’s, there was an old hermit who used to try to scare people off by jumping at them. He was covered with hair and became known as the Austin Big Foot. Every year those folks in Round Rock hold a festival in his memory.”
“Nothing much to do around there I’m guessing. What else did you find?”
“The Hairy Who.”
“Okay, I’ll bite.”
“A group of Six Chicago artists who got together to co-create works that spoke of the culture of the Sixties.”
“Interesting. Anything else?”
“The Hairy Frog of Central Africa. Called the Horror Frog.”
“Lovely I’m sure.”
“Has claws.”
“To be avoided I’ll bet. Okay, I’ve heard enough.”
“Wait there’s the hairy woodpecker, spider, and tongue.”
“I can’t hear you. La la la.”
“Hairy ears.”
“I’m going to give you a hairy eyeball if you don’t quit.”
“You say it’s Friday. How do I know you are telling the truth?”
Another Friday is here. I had hoped to report that Gwen and my MS is in the hands of the editor. It is still with me. I wanted to run it one more time through Grammarly but I can’t sign on. I have been in a loop with their customer care for two days. They have no live reps so you have to go back and forth with a robot. So far the care sucks. I’m still here with no on-line Grammarly even though I pay a Premium for it. Ugh, spit. I have to wonder what causes services that you use constantly, all of a sudden refuse to let you in. I think I’ll stop here since I could go into a full on rant. Y’all don’t need that now.
Bailey has had a good week. She is still eating well and in good spirits. She is interested in her surroundings and does wag her nubby tail on occasion. We can only hope she continues.
Today’s John Ku talks about customer satisfaction. (I just can’t leave it alone) I hope you have a great weekend.
“Excuse me, Dad, but isn’t one of your books on special beginning today?
“Yes, The Contract Kindle version is on sale today through the 15th.”
“UH HELLO. Don’t you think you ought to tell someone about it?”
“Geez, Twiggy. I’ll get to it.”
“You’ll get to it? When? It’s only three days. After the sale is done?”
“No. I have some tweets out there.”
“Tweets? How about you let your readers know about it here?”
“Always a good idea. Okay here is the link to Amazon. How about we go outside now.”
“Well, did you get through? After all dog food isn’t getting cheaper.”
“Hard to tell Bailey. He is such a nerd when it comes to promotion.”
“You got to him, Twiggy. Look he even put a cover, blurb, and the awards down there. Way to go Boss.”
Click cover for Amazon
The earth is under the threat of a catastrophic political event which could result in international warfare and destroy all life on the planet. In heaven, a divine council decides that extraordinary measures are essential. They call for an intervention that involves two souls returning to earth. The chosen two sign a contract that they will work to avert the disaster.
Brad Channing, a Navy SEAL, and Sarah O’Brien, a teacher, become heaven’s representatives on earth. The story follows them as they individually and then together face overwhelming obstacles and eventually end up on a strategic Air Force base in California. It is there that they discover a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. The terrorists have a plan for global dominance, and they are determined to complete their mission. Although military leadership appears to have the President’s best interests at heart, it is not clear who can be trusted and who should be feared. The action is rough and tumble as Brad and Sarah try to figure out the culprits of the plot that will turn into a worldwide conflagration unless stopped.
If you enjoy thrillers, this is an award-winning one with enough twists and adventure to keep you riveted and guessing. If you like your thriller along with a good romance, Brad and Sarah’s initial attraction and eventual love will sustain you as they live out their heavenly and earthly desires.
“I’m just going to rest my eyes. Don’t let me miss Friday.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again and last week Larry and Andrew decided they needed to talk to Ned Dixon the banker. The reason is Gloria (Larry’s deceased wife) advised Larry in a séance to follow the money. Ned is the only one involved who is near money. Larry wants a face to face meeting hoping he can get Ned to divulge details he might not do over the phone. I see that Larry has an appointment with Ned and is going into Ned’s office now.
“Good Morning Detective Dunfee. Please have a seat.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dixon.”
“You can call me Ned.”
“I am here on official business, Mr. Dixon. Let’s just keep it formal, shall we?”
“Official business? What does that mean?”
“I’m investigating the death of Igor Sandusky and since you have had some dealings with him I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Dealings? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Weren’t you his banker?”
“This bank did give Mr. Sandusky a loan if that’s what you mean.”
“Who arranged for the loan?”
“Well, I did. That was over ten years ago.”
“Yes, it was. I understand that the loan was in default.”
“Yes. The payments were made routinely up until about six months ago.”
“Wait a minute. Mr. Sandusky was deceased. Who was making those payments?”
“They came from Mr. Sandusky’s trust.”
“Trust? He had a trust?”
“Yes, he did. I also set that up for him.”
“When did you do that?”
“I would guess about two years before he died.”
“Who’s the beneficiary?”
“That is the strange part. At the time he didn’t want to name a beneficiary, so he left that part of the trust open for a person or persons to be named later. Unfortunately, he never named anyone and stipulated that if this were the case the trust would remain in perpetuity until claimed by an heir.”
“Does he have an heir?”
“We have not been contacted. Mr. Sandusky also spelled out a specific identification protocol that the person claiming to be an heir would have to satisfy”
“This protocol is not well-known I take it?”
“No one knows. It is in an envelope put in a safe deposit box by Sandusky himself. It takes two keys to open. One is here at the bank and one was with Sandusky.”
“I’m guessing that whoever is an heir will show up with a key.”
“That is the assumption. But the person needs to satisfy the protocol.”
“Who is the trustee?”
“That would be me in the name of the bank.”
“So, let me get this straight. The bank was the trustee and made payments on the loan.”
“That is correct.”
“Why were the payments stopped?”
“I felt the business opportunities were nil, so I saw no reason to continue the loan.”
“You put Sandusky’s building on the block for the defaulted loan.”
“Yes.”
“So, in essence, the bank caused a default and then is selling the building.”
“True.”
“Where do the proceeds from the sale go?”
“To the bank to satisfy the loan and then any remaining funds to the Sandusky trust.”
“This is legal?”
“Mr. Dunfee. Since we are all formal here are you trying to say I have committed a crime?”
“No, Mr. Dixion. I have to wonder about manipulating a dead man’s affairs to the banks benefit is all.”
“Benefit? Mr. Sandusky took out a loan. The bank in good faith honored its loan agreement. It is a simple matter of paying back what was owed.”
“Did the loan have a pre-payment penalty?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then making all those payments simply gave the bank more interest. Had you sold the building and paid back the loan ten years ago, the trust would have been richer by the saved interest.”
“In theory that is true.”
“Theory has nothing to do with it. Seems like fact to me.”
“Except for the fact that Mr. Chisom wanted to keep the business going.”
“Mr. Chisom? Who is Mr. Chisom?”
“You met him.”
“I don’t recall the name.”
“I think you know him as Louis.”
“I’m confused.”
“About what?”
“Why would a bank keep making payments on a loan simply because one person wanted to keep a job.”
“That was not the reason. Mr. Chisom had a signed agreement to continue the development of the non-invasive surgical technique he and Mr. Sandusky developed.”
“Did you see this agreement.”
“I did. It was the only way I would keep making the payments.”
“Do you know who signed the agreement?”
“I do.”
“Okay, I guess twenty question is the game. Who signed?”
“A person by the name of Cortez.”
“Not Joachim Cortez.”
“Yes, in fact, it was.”
“Of the Cortez cartel?”
“Not familiar with that group.”
“One of the most wanted men on the planet.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.”
“So what happened to the business?”
“As far as I know, the contract was never paid and hence the business folded. Louis insisted he was going to collect but after so much time I had to pull the cord.”
“So, you believe Louis fulfilled his end of the contract.”
“He told me he did.”
“Follow the money.”
“What?”
“Sorry. I was just repeating what I was told about getting this case wrapped up. The money, in this case, is in a den of vipers.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That’s okay. Thank you for your time. I may have more questions later. You have been helpful. Oh, wait. If it is not against the trust rules can you tell me how much the trust is worth?”
“It is a matter of public record at the IRS. The trust now has fifteen million under management.”
