This just popped up in my brain today…
A DAY IN THE LIFE…Continued >>>
The remainder of the day was quiet by comparison. Three little ones needed to be occupied, and Hank and I did our best. We tried to follow the advice and admonitions our daughter and son-in-law had left with us before they departed. Keep the children calm, plan a quiet time, limit television, only healthy treats twice a day, meals at designated times, and naps required each afternoon. “Structure, structure, structure, and quiet is most important,” Beth advised. She specifically said, “Don’t let Dad get them riled up!”
However, when it came to dealing with a one-year-old with a soggy, dirty diaper, and a three-year-old desperately hanging on Grandma’s leg while sobbing, “I want Mommy”, plus a five-year-old slamming doors because she’s not allowed to watch a PG13-rated movie starring her ‘favorite’ monster, the wisdom of elderhood took precedence.
We worked together to clean up the squiggly, stinky baby and then gathered the other two munchkins into the living room to take turns sitting in the clothesbasket. Grandpa had placed a fluffy towel in the bottom of the plastic basket, and looped a belt through the webbing on one end. After seating the child in the ‘in-house sled’, Grandpa pulled the basket and child at Mach 1 speed (for a Grandpa that’s fairly fast) through the kitchen, dining room and back into the living room with the child-filled basket careening around the corners behind him. Squeals of delight and demands of “my turn!” and “I’m next!” continued for several rounds. Even the dogs got into the action, chasing after the basket and nipping at the bits of towel trailing out the bottom webbing. After a few such runs, though, Grandpa Hank sank into the leather recliner panting.
“I can’t do anymore!” he explained. I handed him the “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” book and settled into the other chair with the baby and a bottle while the two older kids crawled into Grandpa’s lap to listen to the story. The picture was like a deceptively peaceful Norman Rockwell grandparent/grandchild painting. That was what it looked like. I knew it wasn’t going to last.
In those moments of comparative quiet, I got to thinking about the fireman who had called me Ma’am. I’d I wanted to hit him just then, but I had to admit it wouldn’t have set a good example for the children. My blood pressure rose a bit just remembering his look, and I took a deep breath as I tried to push the thought away. Then I remembered seeing not only the fire truck parked at the end of the driveway, but another pickup truck parked just beyond the drive. Someone had been sitting in that vehicle watching the entire debacle at our daughter’s house. That truck didn’t leave when the fire truck pulled away. I wondered who would be crazy enough to be sitting out in their vehicle in the middle of winter watching my humiliation? Why hadn’t they just left immediately? That had all happened more than two hours previously, but the thought of the pick up drove me to struggle out of the chair, baby and bottle clutched carefully to my chest, and walk to the dining room window that faced the street. The truck was still there! And so was the man sitting in the truck! I rushed to the front door, checked the lock and this time, remembered to reset the security alarm. I must have looked like I’d seen a ghost when I returned to the living room because Hank took one look at me and asked, “What’s the matter, Josie?”
©gailleecowdin 2020

So…being bored and locked away is not a good thing for most people. But I’m a writer. Gotta find some humor in the situation, I thought. This little story came to mind yesterday. Thanks to a friend who shared her ‘grandma’ story with me a while ago. I embellished and it may be the start of something new. Read on! What do you think?? Share my page if you like.
                                                    A NORMAL DAY IN THE LIFE
It began like any other day—a normal day, that is. I had gotten up early thinking that it’d be a nice treat for me, Grandma Josie, to fix a special breakfast for our “Grands”. Our daughter and son-in-law were soaking in the sun in the Caribbean for a week. Grandpa Hank and I were staying at their house in Wisconsin.
In January.
With three preschool children.
And two little, irascible dachshunds.
Actually, by that third day, we were all already a bit irascible! A winter lock-down with small children plus animals requires creativity, patience, and imagination.
So, I’d thought I’d do a blueberry, French toast bake in the oven for breakfast. It’d be a nice treat, a nice way to begin the day. That’s how it started. I’d gotten the oven warming when suddenly there was a swirl of gray smoke seeping out around the edges of the oven door. I peeked in to see odd bits of pepperoni baking—and smoking—in the bottom of the oven.
Grabbing a towel, I swatted at the smoke, hoping to diffuse it. Too late. The smoke detector screamed in warning. I quickly opened the front door and slid up the dining room window, and rushed back to the kitchen flapping the towel to disperse the smoke and quell the noise of the smoke detectors.
Unfortunately, in my panic and determination not to waken the house, I’d forgotten about secure home alarm system our daughter had installed. In all fairness, I must say, she’d told me. She’d warned me that I must enter the four-digit code to turn off the alarm system before I left the house each morning.
I’d forgotten about it. And I forgot the code, too.
That was probably because I was distracted when I saw two long, brown fur bundles racing to freedom out the open front door.
I knew I’d be in even more trouble if those little Weiner dogs got away. Excitedly yapping, they quickly slowed to begin gingerly tiptoeing through the belly-high drifts of snow they’d blindly plunged into. I clutched my robe close over my flannel gown, and pulled on the only shoes I could find by the front door…my granddaughter’s Minnie Mouse slippers that barely covered half my foot!
I had just taken three giant steps and stopped mid-calf in a pile of the white stuff, to retrieve one of the little mongrels, when I heard the jarring fog-horn blurp of an emergency vehicle, and looked up to witness a full ladder fire truck pulling into the circle. I stood frozen in spot, not only stunned by the cold, but also by pure horror. Of course, the truck came to a stop at the end of the driveway. I was mortified! There was no place to escape. An agile young man in black and yellow fireman’s gear jumped down and walked up to greet me with a semi-concerned smile.
“You doing all right, maam?” He was obviously trying not to display a condescending demeanor. Actually, he looked like he was trying to hold in a huge belly laugh. He wasn’t being successful, I’m afraid. He broke out into a grin as he ended his question.
“Yes! I’m fine!” I assured him. I shook my head and gathered up the second dog in my other arm, while trying to pull my robe closed around the two wiggly dogs.
“Your alarm went off. It notified us,” he explained.
“Yes, I see,” I said, impatiently looking around to see my husband coming out the front door and pulling on his overcoat. “It’s all a big mistake. Sorry.”
It took another ten minutes while standing in the freezing cold, trying to explain who we were and why I’d forgotten the alarm code, before the young man and the truck slowly pulled away from the curb and headed back down the street. We settled back in to the house to salvage a normal breakfast with the children giggling about the exciting start to their day, and my husband carefully avoiding eye contact with me. –Gail
©gailleecowdin 2020

DID YOU SEE the article in this week’s Weekly Vista? I’ll be sharing my writing story and a reading from Dark Deceptions. All 3 of my novels will be available for purchase, too.

I’m so excited for this event! Join us!

FROM THE BELLA VISTA WEEKLY VISTA NEWS:

BELLA VISTA — The Bella Vista Arts Council will honor Gail Lee Cowdin as the February 2020 Artist of the Month. Cowdin will be honored at a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Bella Vista Country Club, 98 Clubhouse Drive.

Cowdin grew up in the small community of Janesville, Minn., and moved to the Minneapolis area after college where she taught English and English as a Second Language in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. Upon retirement in 2003, she and her husband Theo moved to Bella Vista.

She is the author of two popular detective crime thrillers: “Deception and Redemption” and “The Final Deception,” both set in Minnesota. Her recently published third novel in the Deception series, “Dark Deceptions,” brings the action from the proposed copper mining protests in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota south to Oklahoma and Missouri and finally into Bella Vista and Gravette, Ark. Readers are introduced to a variety of scenery and several new characters along the way as they follow detectives Quay Thompson and his partner, Samantha Atwood Thompson, on another thrill ride down the highway of crime in the page-turning adventure.

Cowdin currently lives in Bella Vista with her husband and their golden retriever, Tilly. All three Quay Thompson Deception books are available on Amazon. Learn more at her blog: www.Gailleecowdin.com.

• • •

The Bella Vista Arts Council, an advisory board to the city council, was created by the city council in February 2016 to help promote the arts in Bella Vista. The board established an Artist of the Month program, in which selected artists and their work will be showcased to the public. Three volunteers serve on the selection committee — Sara Parnell, Sara Bainbridge and Margaret Correll. The committee will choose each month from qualified artists, who must be residents of Bella Vista.

To submit your name or other nominations for consideration, contact the Art Council through the email artscouncil@bellavistaar.gov.

Community on 02/05/2020

https://bvwv.nwaonline.com/news/2020/feb/05/cowdin-chosen-as-february-featured-arti/?fbclid=IwAR2k3GXKZ5y7SjNNx8lpbs_SAvK-sey-XJttRUjhf_gVYsrsWU2IxbWybSM

I took a few days off for vacation, but the computer went with me. So I thought you might enjoy a little bit about some recreation time in Arkansas for Quay and Chip. #thetitleisset😀 #Itsgettingcloser #imstillworkingonit
–From Dark Deceptions: A Quay Thompson Novel–
The familiar quick tug on his line jerked him back to reality. The ensuing battle with the fish revived him. It turned out to be a good-sized bass. He smiled in satisfaction, dropping the fish into the live catch on board. He’d need a few more of those to make a good breakfast, he thought. He baited his hook again and cast the line back into the water.
It was just after seven-thirty when Quay nudged the boat back into its mooring spot at the dock. The sun was just edging into the morning sky.
Before he stepped out of the boat, he heard commotion up at the house, and looked up the walk to see Chip, just released by someone, and bounding down to the shore to greet him. Tail high, ears flapping, Chip made a fearless flying leap into the water creating an enormous ‘Moses parting the water’ splash. It was a perfect golden retriever dive, and his body dipped entirely underwater before his head broke the surface. He snorted once, and began smoothly paddling in a circle around the boat looking up at Quay all the time. Quay had to laugh at the dog’s pure delight.
“Good morning, Chip,” Quay said. “How’s my boy this morning? Are you having a good swim?” Quay stood for a moment allowing Chip to swim aimlessly in circles. Chip was in his element. He couldn’t take that away from him, and he let him swim a while longer. He tied up the boat and gathered up his catch. He had five good-sized bass. He left the rod and tackle box in the boat in hopes that he’d find more time later to fish. He climbed onto the dock, finally calling Chip to come with him.
Chip came up to the shore, and Quay waited patiently for the dog to thoroughly shake from head to tail, before he began the walk to the house. As he started up toward the house, he called again over his shoulder to the young golden who had become distracted by smells along the shore. “Let’s go, Chip. Time to go in. We’ve got breakfast.”

For those who ask, “How’s the book coming?” It’s coming along nicely! I’m writing for several hours daily. So far, Quay and Sam are married, and they (and a few new characters) have had some interesting adventures by the Boundary Waters along the North Shore in Minnesota. They’ve traveled south and have already been to Picher, Oklahoma, to the abandoned lead mine sites, to the Joplin, Missouri PD for meetings with FBI and DEA, and on to Bella Vista and Gravette, Arkansas, following the trail of–well, you know. 😁
They’ve even gotten into a chase through the Old Spanish Treasure Cave outside Gravette! Holy Buckets!!It’s a fun, wild ride, and it’s close to half done.
New title? Maybe The Foreign Deception. Not sure, yet.

In the meantime, if you haven’t read Deception and Redemption or The Final Deception, get them now so you’ll be ready for the third book in the series.
Just check out my author name or the book titles on amazon.com for paperbacks and ebooks. Now – Back to Work!

Since we moved to NW Arkansas from the Twin Cities in Minnesota in 2003, we have traveled Interstate 35W too many times to count. Each time, we comment on many of the same points of interest as we travel the route. I’ve included some of these in my next Deception book (yet to be titled) as the story moves from Minnesota to Joplin, Missouri, into Picher, Oklahoma, and further into Northwest Arkansas. I’m curious as to whether my readers have other remembrances of their travels along that route? Tell me what you think. Here’s just a short bit from the next Deception novel:

The rich, black farmlands of soybeans in southern Minnesota and cornfields in northern Iowa soon morphed into solar farms north of Des Moines. The afternoon sun reflected off the brilliant white towers of hundreds of solar windmills built on both sides of the highway. Three enormous blades moved in graceful, slow motion arcs atop each of the tall towers erected to stand in rows mirroring a farmer’s crop. No wonder they called them solar farms, Sam thought. The flat Iowa farmland provided a perfect location for the solar farms. ….
Quay slowed as they entered several miles of construction south of Des Moines. “We always say construction is one of the four seasons in Minnesota. Looks like Iowa has that season, too,” commented Quay.
Sam knew Quay was anxious about any slowdowns, especially those due to construction. He was totally focused on getting to their destination as soon as possible. To distract him, she began pointing out interesting billboards and signs along the way.
“I saw a sign for the birthplace of John Wayne in Winterset a while back, and it’s got the covered bridges there, too. They were the setting for the book, ‘The Bridges of Madison County’. It was a movie, too. Did you see the signs? You love John Wayne. And I loved both Bridges book and the movie. Wouldn’t that be an interesting place to visit?”
Quay gave a noncommittal “Uh huh,” as he unwrapped a fresh package of bubble gum.
Undeterred, Sam continued to point out spots for future visits. Suggesting that the Amish community in Lamoni might be another good place to visit, Sam pointed out a black, horse-drawn buggy silhouetted on an overpass, just before the state line as they headed into Missouri.
“When we get to actually enjoy our honeymoon, Quay, maybe we could visit some of these places, what do you think?”
“We will make all those stops part of our honeymoon, Mrs. Thompson, I promise. We can look into them on our way back, after this case is through. First things, first, though, you know.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Mr. Thompson.” She thought she’d better make notes of these sites for their return trip.

*You can pick up the last Quay Thompson novel or add your review on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Final-Deception-Quay-Th…/…/1548834491
OR pick up the first novel in the Quay Thompson series with this link
https://www.amazon.com/Deception-Redemption-Quay-Thompso…/…/

For those who have been asking: Yes, I’m writing- daily. It’s coming along. About 85 pages so far. ⚒🧨🔦🖋✂️📗💰💣🖥it’s all connected.

I’m not sure what I’ve shared with you before. Some of you have asked about the relationship between Bureau of Criminal Apprehension partners Samantha “Sam” Atwood and Quay Thompson. I hope you’ll enjoy their new relationship as they track the bad guys in the Deception 3 book. #stillworkingonit #itsaworkinprogress #comingalongnicely #gotquiteawaystogothough #alittlemurder #alittlekidnapping #alittlellovestory Here’s another sneak peek for you:

The opening to the tunnel lay hidden behind an overgrowth of weeds and tall clusters of spiked-leaved bushes. Sam had wandered away from Quay when she spied the dark opening hidden behind a cluster of branches. She was unsure at first if she had really seen it, but when she pulled a couple branches aside, she realized it was clearly the old entrance to a tunnel. A thorn caught the edge of her jacket and she yanked it free, snagging threads of cloth and scraping a thorn across her finger.
“Ouch!” She muttered.
“What’s the matter?” asked Quay as he came up behind her and looked over her shoulder.
“Dang it! I just snagged my finger and my jacket pocket on the thorns from this bush.” She thrust a finger into her mouth to staunch blood droplets. “But look what I found!” She carefully reached in again and pulled aside a branch to reveal the opening for Quay.
“I think this might be what we’ve been looking for,” he said as he carefully pulled several more branches aside. Looking at the ground in front of the shrubbery, he saw what they had missed before in their first search of the area. There were scuff marks streaking through the dirt. Something had been dragged through here.