Happy last Monday of March, friends! I almost didn’t get a post up for today as I had a weekend away with my girls and got home late. But here we go.
Last week went by in a blur. On Tuesday, as I sat in the car line to pick up my granddaughter from school, the A/C in my car started blowing hot air. Let me tell you, folks. If you live in Texas and summer is looming around the corner the last thing you need is no A/C. So, I had to get it checked out. I got online on a neighborhood chat page and asked for recommendations of where to take it. I got several, then someone reached out directly from an auto repair place not far from me and said they could provide a free diagnostic.
So, on Thursday, I took the car in to see if we could determine the problem. Four hours later, I received a full diagnostic telling me everything the car needed. It covered every possible detail except the A/C. Ugh! But part of the diagnostics showed my battery was going bad. However, I bought this battery new last year and it had a 3 year warranty, so on Friday, I went back to the place where I bought said battery and told them all the problems the other shop’s diagnostic testing had revealed. I could be wrong, but I swear car repair places take advantage of single elderly women. And I said that to the manager as we were talking about everything. Of course, he assured me they would never do that and proceeded to give me a cost estimate on all the repairs the car needed, including the A/C – the original problem to start with.
Several hours later and $683, my car is fixed and I am hopeful I can get a lot more miles out of it. It’s a 2015 Honda CRV with 150,000 miles on it. But let’s face it, this car has to last a whole lot longer. there is absolutely NO way I can buy a new one in this economy with my income So, I gratefully accepted that it’s fixed and will go a lot farther and the cost was much cheaper than trying to get a different car.
Then, my daughters had planned a weekend getaway with their half sister to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, so I hurriedly packed a bag and joined them. Their half sister, who I dearly love and call my Bonus Daughter is getting married in May, so this was sort of a bachelorette party. Let me tell you, these girls crammed a lot into two days! They went zip-lining. And before you ask, no, I didn’t join them. They shopped. We went to the casino in Broken Bow and had so much fun! We played for over two hours and walked out with a little bit more money than we walked in with, so I call that a win. We worked on wedding decorations for the tables.
Here are the girls all ready to go zip-lining.
We also went hot tubbing, got massages and road the train through Beaver’s Bend State Park.
We returned home late on Sunday tired and happy. It was a great getaway and a wonderful time for the girls to spend quality time together. I just got to hang out and ride along. 🙂
Because of the crazy hectic week, I didn’t get much done on my WIP, but I did break the 50,000 word mark. I wrote a rather intense scene, where Jack’s past reared its ugly head.
A white searing pain hit Jack’s left side. A hot poker pressed into his skin couldn’t have burned any more.
Wolf lunged at the man and locked his jaws around his wrist. The younger man screamed in pain as he dropped the rifle. “Do something, Pa.” He tried to shake Wolf off, but the dog held on and shook his head from side to side, growling.
Agent Palmer called to Wolf, then grabbed the man, placing his hands behind his back and securing them with rope from his pocket.
Jack focused on the older man as he frantically gathered the pelts. But he didn’t see Wild Bill. He saw the face of his father, the sneer and the evil glint in his eye.
An uncontrollable rage overtook him, and everything faded away except the man in front of him. He threw down his rifle and lunged.
When they both fell to the ground, Jack pummeled his face with his fists and punched him in the kidney. Wolf tried to help, but Jack didn’t need his help. Wild Bill stopped fighting and tried to protect his face with his arms. Even then, Jack couldn’t stop himself.
All the years of cowering, of looking the other way and pretending to be happy and carefree came to the surface as blinding anger blocked out everything else. The horrors his father and his bootleg partner had inflicted on his sister fueled the fire.
He didn’t hold back, letting it all out in a storm of fury.
Even after Agent Palmer pulled him off, he struggled to return to reality.
Blood covered the left side of his uniform, and his hands shook, knuckles raw and bleeding and his lip busted.
I’m behind on reading, but I will be posting my February reviews soon. I’m currently reading “When Crickets Cry” by Charles Martin. I like reading mainstream authors now and then to see what I might learn, but I have to wait until the publishers put the books up on KU before I look at them. I will never pay $14.99 for a Kindle book. That’s crazy to me. Anyway, I haven’t gotten far enough into the book yet to make a judgement about it.
I love this quote from Kurt Vonnegut! It sounds so simple.
Here’s the tarot card that came up for me. It certainly goes hand-in-hand with Vonnegut’s quote as well as the wedding theme from the weekend.
This card reminds us that we always have the choice to align with divine love by balancing masculine and feminine energy within yourself. You can then strive to ensure that this balance is reflected in your relationships, choosing relationships with mutual respect and healthy communication. This will lead to the highest expression of the love you seek.
I wish you all a great week ahead as we open the door to April.
Great excerpt and congrats on your progress, Jan 🙂 Sounds like a fun week, I won’t zipline either. Great pics too. Xo
Thanks, Denise! It was definitely a great time away with my girls. They are adventurous. 🙂
Sounds like a perfect weekend, executor the car issue! Cherished moments with your family are a gift.
Have a wonderful week, Jan!
I came up anonymous again! 🤷♀️ It’s Joy!
Lol! No worries, Joy. The wonders of WordPress! Thanks for visiting.
So true, Joy. Family is everything to me, and while I love going away the the grandkids, it was nice to just be us adults without the kiddos for a couple of days. 🙂
Sorry about the car troubles, but it looks like the weekend was fun.
That it was, Craig. Thanks for stopping by!
You write very well and charmingly. All the pictures are so beautiful, especially with daughters.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am sorry about the car repairs, and a mix of sorry and angry at the thought that someone would mistreat a senior woman rather than just provide an honest estimate. I love Kurt Vonnegut, and that’s a great quote. I hope you have a great week.
Unfortunately, Dan, the mistreating of single women of any age happens. But all’s well that ends well, right? Kurt Vonnegut was a talented author! Thanks for visiting!
I know our daughter struggles with this. I really don’t understand the desire to take advantage of anyone.
Sorry about the car expense Jan but as you say it should keep you going and those cars are built to last… at least another 50,000. Delighted you had some a lovely time away… very special by the look of it. ♥
Car troubles aside, it looks like you had fun with the daughters. How precious! We traveled as well, but unlike you, I didn’t have time for writing. Bravo! 🌞
I treasure the time spent with the girls, Gwen. Thank you for visiting!
Ugh on the cost of car repairs, Jan, but a whole lot cheaper than a new car! Those sound like some fun daughters and a great distraction from car bills. Congrats on the writing and a beautiful card and quote. And I don’t pay that much for a kindle book either. Nope. Not gonna happen.
Yes, Diana. The car repair expense hurt, but I didn’t really have a choice and the trip was a great distraction. Thanks for stopping by!
I am very happy for you that you have your car fixed for a while and had a great weekeind. The card is amazing and confirms a lot in hindsight of the last weekend when I was off wiht my mom and sisters. First I thought, I already wish I was back at home again, but with a fresh and positive attitude the days were a fun time for all of us! Connect through love and all will be well.
I love that last line, Erika. It really hits home. THanks for stopping by!
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Sounds like a super weekend! My granddaughter took me along with her girlfriends to a casino and we had a blast. I had a Honda Civic, drove it for 14 years, then gave it to my daughter who has driven it for the past ten years. Still going strong.
That’s encouraging to know, Darlene. I would love to pass this car down to a grandchild whenever I can swing buying a new one. I feel confident it still has lots of good miles left on it. Thanks so much for your comment!
I think you did the right thing, getting your car fixed, Jan. It’s good that you had a great weekend. Have a good week.
I don’t think I had much of a choice, Tim. And the car is running great now, so I am grateful. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Jan, a lovely newsy post. I’m so glad the weekend away went well. I think you are right to be careful about taking on extra debt right now. It’s best to see how everything’s going to pan out first. Have a good week. Congrats on the book progress.
Thanks, Robbie. You are so right in that I am not able to take on any big debt right now. And the car is now running great. I think it has lots of good miles left on it. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Ugh! My air conditioning has intermittent problems. It will go months working fine, then start blowing hot air. Then, when I call my mechanic to set up an appointment, it starts working by the time I go in. They ran a test on it (costly, I might add) and told me that my air conditioning “fell within specifications.” Huh? What did I pay for? I explained again it was blowing hot air a few days before. Now, they tell me I have to bring it in when it’s blowing hot air. Frustrating! That was a year ago. I can imagine the scenario where it goes out when I’m traveleing.
I totally relate, Pete. Thankfully, the first place I took my car didn’t charge me for the diagnostics, but they didn’t even look at the A/C, which was the original problem. Then they told me if they checked the freon in the unit, they would have to drain it all out, weigh it and put back in what it needed. What???? I have never of such. They have gauges for checking these things. It’s frustrating. Thankfully, it all seems to be working as it should now. I am grateful! Thanks for visiting and I hope you get your issue resolved. I’d try to find a place that can check the freon for free!
No, you’re not wrong, about taking advantage of older single females. I’ve seen it first hand.
I believe it, but it felt good to say it out loud to the manager of the car repair shop. 🙂 Thanks for visiting!
It must’ve been nice to get away without kids. 🙂 Doesn’t happen very often. You needed this break and to rewind after that car mess, Sister. Good card to come up. Have a wonderful, productive week. Love you, Sister.
It was nice to get away without all the kids for sure. 🙂 And yes, especially after the car mess. I hesitated about the tarot card as I was afraid some might be offended by the nude images, but it was what came up, so I had to go with it. Thank you for stopping by. Love you!!
Sounds like a fun-filled weekend, Jan! But I’d have definitely done the ziplining. We had a place here a few years ago and I went for Mother’s Day (Son #1 did it, #2 preferred to stay on the ground and take pics, lol). Really excited for the next book in the series.
The girls had a blast on the zipline, and I would have done it if not for the condition that is requiring the upcoming surgery. Maybe next time! Glad you are looking forward to Jack’s story! Thanks for visiting.
Woohoo for passing the 50k mark! Loved the pictures from your trip!
Thanks, Priscilla. I was thrilled to pass the 50k mark on the WIP. Moving on!! Glad you enjoyed the pictures.