Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

March 29, 2019March 28, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

“It is a beautiful Friday morning, Little One.”
“What should we do today, Lucy?”
“The sky’s the limit, Little Potato. The absolute limit.”

Another Friday and just have to say time flies. This seems to be the big lament. I’m happy to report the washer, dryer, and refrigerator arrived and are installed. I’m pleased to say we will not have to eat salted game and fish anymore. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a little. We do have a fridge in the garage that has met our needs quite well. It just seems that everything you need is out there and everything you don’t need is in here. I think you get the picture. Also stumbling over two cars to get to a quart of milk is a little inconvenient.

We seem to be getting closer to more of the things we need. Once you have clean clothes and ice, there isn’t much else. Well, we still need a dining room table. Ours arrived with two broken legs. That meant going back and getting a new one. We are still not sure when it will come. The dining room chairs are a way off as well. We are fortunate to have a kitchen island where we can sit and eat. The island stools were some of the first things to arrive so we lucked out.

All in all, things are coming along. This week’s JohnKu talks about patience which is one thing we have learned to embrace. I hope you have a rewarding weekend.

The harder we try,

The behinder we all get . . .

At least, so it seems.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

March 8, 2019March 7, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

Such an interesting week. We closed on the house in Port Aransas and will be closing on the house in the Austin area today. In between, we loaded up a truck which we rented and moved. The estimates for a move did not make any sense. The prices were way too high. The primary factor was not the labor but the milage from Port Aransas to Austin. By renting a truck, we had unlimited mileage, and the cost was under $300. We did have to gas up the vehicle which was another $60.00. We hired two able-bodied men in Port Aransas to load the truck and were willing to pay $50.00 each for about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, they did not show up (island time and all that), and we were fortunate our neighbors helped load.

When we got to Austin, we had hired a group named Bell Hops, and they were there on time and had the truck unloaded in an hour. So, all in all, it worked out and at a price significantly less than the lowest quote. Today’s JohnKu talks about being ready to take care of yourself. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Self Reliance by John W. Howell.

When plans made fall through,

There is only one way out . . .

Your skills put in play.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

March 1, 2019February 28, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 87 Comments

Twiggy and Lucy — “Whew, you have me winded.”
“Aw Lucy. It’s Friday. Time to blow off steam.”
“Let me catch my breath before I try the steam thing.”

Another Friday has rolled around, and it has been hectic for the last two weeks. The producer and I have sold our house here at the beach and bought another in Austin Texas. Yes, I know. The question comes up, “Why on Earth would you do that?”

It is a good thing that there are excellent reasons for doing so.

Our youngest daughter lives in Austin, and we would like to see her more.
The health care facilities are more accessible for a septuagenarian. (Me. The Producer is still a kid.)
We love Austin. (It has an element of weird more like us )
We think the last 10 years at the beach are enough and want some city life for a while. (theater, opera, symphony, and exercise facilities)

On Sunday we will be leaving for our new home. I intend to post one last View of the neighborhood which will be where we have lived.

Today’s JohnKu talks about change. I hope you have a great weekend. Oh yes. I do have a personal hot spot but will not have internet at the new house until March 5th. Please bear with me if anything should go wrong and my posts don’t appear.

Some do not like change,

Others go out of their way. . .

To do it daily.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 15, 2019February 14, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

Another week has gone by the wayside. Is it me or does time fly? I guess it could be a combination of both. I have had one of those weeks where I had to sit back and try to figure out what I accomplished. It was kind of strange to receive a notice from Grammarly on Tuesday that since 2015 they have checked 4,570,914 words with 17,000 last week alone. I guess this would indicate I’m doing something. Wouldn’t it? *crickets*

Not to belabor the fact that time is flying by I decided to let this week’s JohnKu speak for how I feel. I hope you have a great weekend.

You look up one day,

And you notice time has passed . . .

Invested wisely?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 8, 2019February 7, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 80 Comments

“Twiggy. It’s Friday.”
“Step aside, Lucy. Let’s Boogie”

It is Friday again and looks like the country is in for another Polar Vortex. Man those things are nasty. I’m often asked how our weather fares when it gets so cold up North. Although we generally don’t get below 35 degrees, we do feel the temperatures at that level. The good part is the temperatures do not stay at those lows too long. Maybe one or two nights. The daytime under those conditions is in the ’50s. You can bet we have our warm weather gear on when it seems to us to be very chilly.

All n all we are very spoiled when it comes to temperatures. Our climate is such that it seldom gets above 85 degrees, so the summers are not as hot as inland. The only time the temperatures rise is when the Gulf temperature goes into the ’90s. Our air temperatures pretty much match the Gulf.

Well so much for talking about the weather. All else is fine and today’s JohnKu discusses what we talk about when there doesn’t seem to be any news. Have a great weekend.

We’ve said everything,

Embarrassed at the silence . . .

We talk of weather.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 1, 2019January 31, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 67 Comments

“Hey, Lucy. It’s Friday. Let’s kick out”
“You must be the smallest horse on the planet Little Potato.”

Another Friday has rolled around. The winter vortex is in full force. I’ve been getting reports from the North on terrifying stories about getting stranded in the cold. Reminds us all to take warm outerwear whenever we venture out. It is way too easy to be caught in the elements and then be made to suffer the effects of the cold.

Here in South Texas, we don’t have the kind of cold that is capable of taking life. We start to complain at 70 degrees and whine at 40 but don’t have to worry about a life-threatening situation. I hope everyone stays safe and remembers to toss in some heavy outdoor wear even if you are only going to the store.

Today’s JohnKu discusses the cold. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

Cold by John W. Howell © 2109

You can be taken,

Without even noticing . . .

How bitter the Temp.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 48 Comments

“Lucy. It’s Friday.”
“I’m ready Little One.”

Ah, another Friday which is another word for par-teee. Always nice to see the eve of the weekend. I hope your week was a good one. Gwen Plano and I received our manuscript back from the editor and were both impressed with the quality of work. She did a marvelous job taking our text and helping the story. Of course, Gwen and I tried to write a book all while having surgeries. I would not recommend that profile to anyone.

As we say, all is well that ends well and we are now hopeful of having a book that folks will enjoy reading. We decided to go with a mystery story rather than a thriller.

The title is The Predator a world domination fight to the finish.

Here is a preliminary blurb:

After the death of Brad and Sarah, it is apparent that a force is behind a plot to take over the leadership of the world. The murder of the two becomes only one small piece of a sinister plan to eliminate world leaders and take control.

Governments are infiltrated with the perpetrator’s allies and minions so no one can be trusted.

A small band of Brad and Sarah’s admirer’s vow to stop the evil expansion and eliminate the leader. The group comes under attack, and the question becomes will they survive and stop The Predator before the word is lost?

Today’s JohnKu talks about trying to do too much. I hope you have a great weekend.

When your body talks,

It is telling you to stop . . .

Take time to listen.

Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 40 Comments

“Hey, Dad. It’s Friday. How about a toss?”

Friday has come again. YAY. It looks like everyone is going to share in the cold front moving from the Northwest. Temps are going down and snow possibilities going up. This always reminds us that winter is still with us. Somehow we seem to forget that little fact. Sure, there is a lovely day here and there. Just enough to make us believe we will have an early spring. My advice is to not fall for it. Only assume it will be cold until April and your mind will rest easier. Like a free lunch, there is no such thing as an early Spring.

Today’s JohnKu talks about Winter. By the way, the term JohnKu was coined a few years ago by Kimberly at https://words4jp.com/ She is a poet, and when I started doing my version of a Haiku, she suggested delicately that maybe what I was doing was a JohnKu more than a classic Haiku. Ever since then I have been grateful for the suggestion. Kimberly is now back to blogging and certainly worth a visit.

A Robin arrives,

Our heart soars thinking its Spring . . .

Twelve degrees tonight.

Have a great weekend.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

Lucy and Twiggy — “So it’s Friday, right?”
“Yes, Little Potato. It is.”
“YAY”
“I second that.”

Another Friday which signals another weekend. (YAY) This last week saw the manuscript delivered to the editor. The title is The Predator a world domination fight to the finish. It is a sequel to The Contract, and in it, Gwen and I hope to answer some questions raised in the first book. It looks like we will be ready to publish in June, God willing and the creek don’t rise. We are currently working on a blurb and the cover. We’ll give you some more info when we have something to share.

That is all the exciting news from here. I have begun my next book which will be a solo effort. I want to give you the last three lines since that is where I always start. Here they are,

“I don’t think any of that matters anymore, my son. Now that you know the truth.”

“But how could you keep this kind of secret from me.”

“To see you grow and prosper was worth any deception. Now come on. We have much to discuss.”

Today’s JohnKu talks about the doors that close and those that open. I hope you have a great weekend.

They say doors that close,

Lead to others opening . . .

Don’t leave your big foot.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

January 4, 2019January 3, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 70 Comments

Well, it is Friday, and like most holiday weeks it came up fast. Always seems strange to have a new year. I keep putting 2108 on things that require a date. I should be squared away sometime in July.

In moving around WP lately, I’m wondering if all of you who have ad-supported blogs realize what is being advertised. This photo is one I have wondered about.

To each his own I guess.

Since we are starting a new year, this week’s JohnKu talks to expectations.

A new beginning,

Time for new expectations . . .

Fresh chance for success.