In the News

Grover's sister, Grace, has been working hard on promoting his books.  Bless her heart!  She set up the Lovell Chronicle interview which most of you have seen.  It turned out very well. We have been having a good response in Lovell. We can't keep Grace's shop or Lovell Drug supplied, the books are just flying off the shelf.  (That may be an exaggeration.)

Most recently, Grace has been working with a woman in Billings who writes for the Big Sky Journal.  I do not know what it is, either, but it's press.  We love press clippings.  So, we got up early and went out in the 20 degree morning air and shot a couple of pics for the article. They are essentially the same pic, but the background is more apparent in the one.  

  Then we promptly came home and put them on the back cover of Dragons of Fire.  (Oh, I forgot to tell you, we redid the entire cover.  It just wasn't selling, and people didn't know it was a Western because it didn't have horses or cowboys or anything on it.  So, now it has a corral on the front, and a cowboy on the back---Grover.  ha ha.) 

We'll let you know when the article is published.  It mentions Grace and her salon, and tells people they can purchase Grover's books there.  We'll see if there is a response in Billings.  Wish us luck.

Can It Be March Already?

I do not know how the months can fly by when every day seems like the same day, and some days are so much longer than others.  Time is entirely in our heads, it seems.  Or the passage of time.

I spent much of January on the couch with a heating pad resting on my leg, fighting a bursitis inflammation that was crippling.  Walking was excruciating, so I did very little of it, and waited for Grover to come in from his work and hand me important items:  like food, water, pens and papers, books, and most importantly, the remotes.  I camped out in the living room, in front of the TV with notebooks, and recipe books, and organized things.  Painful, but constructive.  (Maybe that should be a motto-- PAINFUL, BUT CONSTRUCTIVE.  We could even put it on banners, and construction signs, and, even on headstones.)  But, I think I've gone too far.

February brought much needed relief.  Steroids and Naproxen-Rx gave me back my ability to walk.  And I am grateful every day that I CAN WALK.  There's nothing like having your everyday ordinary  "taken for granted" abilities disappear to give you a serious sense of gratitude upon their return.  

Once I was able to stand up and walk, (and while Grover was in California) I redid my kitchen counters.  By "redid" I mean, I sponge-painted--don't worry, it doesn't look it--my counters with white and grey and black paint to look like the granite counters you see in the mags.  And then I varnished them to a shiny finish.  And they are beautiful.  I like them every day!
   
Then I started in on cooking again; only this time, whole grains, vegetables and fruits are on the menu.  Grover decided he didn't want to take any more medications, and so we have gone to a much more restricted eating plan.  No more DP, no soda pop of any kind, no dairy, no cheese, and no meat.  We have discovered that eating rice and vegetables can be just as satisfying as eating pizza--actually more satisfying.  And Grover's blood pressure has dropped to a satisfactory number, and we are enjoying the fact that our sugar drive is  also diminishing.  I only mention this because we have never been down this vegetarian path before, and it is surprisingly pleasant.  Plus we can eat ALOT of vegetables--- as opposed to eating A LITTLE of everything else.  (For you who have dieted, you know what I mean with the weighing, measuring, counting calories, etc.)  That's why I didn't call it a diet--I called it an eating plan.  

So, what does this have to do with time passing so quickly, you might ask.  Well, it takes time to redo your counters, clear out your frig and pantry, and find good recipes that you like, and prepare new kinds of foods.  So, I guess that's mostly where the last 6 weeks have gone.  (That, and the completion of TEQUILA PROMISES.  We have been closing in on our final edit of Grover's 5th book.  Hours at the computer, writing and rewriting, and then reading it aloud for more review.  By the end of March, we should have the book done, and into publication.) 

 Yesterday we received the rice cooker we ordered, and tomorrow we will be getting the tortilla press I found online.  I am discovering, the longer I live, that you never really get very far away from the kitchen, hard as you try.  After all, you have to eat.  I think I need a TV in the kitchen, to keep me company.  I haven't figured out yet where, or how that would work, but I know I could get so much more done with company. 

The 2012 Howe Christmas Reunion

What a great time we had together this Christmas holiday.  We were so busy having fun that we barely took any pics.  But, here are just a few:

Take Note of this Surprise

(I wrote this in January...sorry for the delay.)

Once again, I am back to pushing a pun to its limits.  Before you finish reading this post, you will see what I mean.

But first, the preface. 
We came home from our 10 day CA visit and discovered this parked next to our garage:

Hmmm, we thought.  What's that doing there?  And, of course, answering our own question, we decided someone had run out of gas or broken down, and had parked it out of the way, close to its point of defection.  And without any other thought, we imagined that someone would come and collect it.  It thus, became part of the woodwork, and we ceased to even notice it. 

Wednesday Grover came into the living room and handed me a piece of paper.  It was typewritten like this:

THIS MACHINE IS PRETTY ROUGH LOOKING AND SOMEWHAT BEATEN UP BUT IT STILL RUNS.  I HAVE NO USE FOR IT ANYMORE, HOPE YOU CAN USE IT.  THE PLUG FOULS EASILY AND REQUIRES REGULAR SERVICE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

What?  A note conveying its ownership to us?  How very splendid!  What generosity!  Who would do such a thing? 

What I later wondered was, what if we had never taken a closer look at this vehicle?  Would it have sat forever waiting for someone to claim it?  And would we have ever known that  "someone" was us?  Funny, huh?

So, now, for those of you who have been yearning (as I secretly have) for a 4-wheeler to drive about and enjoy to your heart's content, here it is!  I just know we will put it to good use.

Thank you, whoever you are!  What a lovely surprise.