The kindle version will release next week as anticipated, but if you prefer paperback, you’ll find it here:
I must say, I’m looking forward to having it on my own shelf! It feels like years since “Uncertainly Yours” came out, even though it’s only been one. Still, it feels longer than that. Maybe because the past year itself has been so long.
Not to mention the past month! How crazy is this pandemic? It all feels very surreal. Not much has changed for us, since I’ve depended on grocery delivery ever since Walmart began offering it in our area several years ago. Shipt is great too. Prime Now is another option for groceries, but Shipt is definitely the most reliable of the three, the fastest, and my favorite. We’re stocked to the hilt with everything we need, but it’s a habit to remain prepared, not a matter of hoarding. We’ve survived floods, blizzards, and a hurricane, and those experiences strengthened a natural inclination to think ahead and stay stocked. Once again, it’s paying off.
Em was already homeschooled, so nothing’s changed there. Brad is now working from home, which sort of makes it feel like a vacation; except that he’s actually working. But he’s usually studying, so it doesn’t feel much different. Except when he’s in a conference call! That requires tiptoeing around, and keeping Arctic quiet. Not that he barks excessively anymore, but he is a German Shepherd, and feels compelled to warn us if he hears an unfamiliar sound in front of the house.
It took Arctic about half a second to get on board with the whole social distancing thing, but unfortunately going out of our way to avoid others on walks is having the undesired effect of causing him to see strangers as a threat. Not that he approved of unknown individuals before, but he becomes anxious now, which is very sad. He was doing so well, and we were loving our walks! But now, all around us there are walkers, runners, bike riders, and it’s a constant stream of people. Considering Arctic is fearful of bikes and children, and is positively terrified of children on bikes, it’s been hard. I’m proud of the way he tries to calm himself, and I do all I can to help and minimize stress, but the triggers are rapid-fire these days. He can’t recover from one, before there’s another. I’m pretty annoyed myself at how little effort many of these walkers/runners/bikers make to maintain a reasonable distance, and to allow us to do so. I’m tempted to imitate hacking up a lung (into my sleeve, of course) and see if that motivates people to give us a wider berth. For both our sakes, walks are now brief and strictly in the neighborhood, where we have the option of crossing the street if we see someone headed our way. Our lovely walks along the canal and by the lake will just have to wait until this is all over, and everyone else resumes their interrupted schedules.
I am very thankful we have a really big yard, and training sessions help to channel Arctic’s energy. He’s very smart and focused, as well as being treat motivated, so he knows a lot already. I need to add new commands to our list, because he’s got sit, down, up, stand, touch, watch me, leave it, get your ball, bring it, drop it, and stay. He also walks with a loose leash. I said in the past that he was unlike any dog I ever met, and that’s true. If aversive training methods were attempted, it would badly backfire. I hated choke chains and pinch collars and forcing a dog to learn commands by use of correction, anyway. I was determined never to do that with Arctic, and I’m thankful for Victoria Stillwell of “it’s me or the dog”, because her positive training techniques work brilliantly! I can’t imagine ever training any other way. She understands dogs unlike so many others, who turn training into a battle. To hear them talk, you’d think dogs enter the home with the intent to take over, and their every thought is to claw their way to the top of the pack. Well it just isn’t so. Failing to “be the pack leader” (or in other words dominate and bully) will not result in a confused and neurotic or dangerous dog, and chaos in the home. I know this because I’ve seen it both ways. There’s only one way in which everyone wins, instead of everyone losing. If only Victoria was around when I got Fox! There’s a certain so-called trainer named Karen who is absolutely getting written into a book. She will come to a very bad end, I can tell you that. And if she ever sees me coming… social distancing or not, that woman better cross to the other side of the road. It’s either that, or get an earful that’ll leave her huddled in a fetal position.
“Gone… in a Flash”, The Investigations of Jack Ryland book 3, is currently on page ten, I think it is. It’s on the first chapter, anyway. It picks up pretty much where “Cottonwood Hotel” left off. Jack and Charlotte just arrived in Cathedral Falls, and are on the way to their apartment. In chapter two, Jack will have his interview with Miles and Anika. I’m looking forward to that! It’s during the interview that he’ll receive his first assignment. Then there’s Sunday dinner with the Rylands. That’ll be interesting. I’ve no doubt some of it will go as I expect it will, but Jack is always full of surprises. I can hardly wait to hear him and Charlotte inform the family how they met.
On that note… happy reading, and now I’m going to get back to writing!