All My Bags are Packed

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

But where do I go?

I wish I was writing a post about the next Old Man Bucket List Road Trip (™).

I wish I could tell you that I was off on the long-anticipated European river cruise.

Instead, this is a post about taking a break from the blog.

I’ve tried in the last few weeks to spruce things up around here. It’s taken a lot of time, and I question the rate of return.

The challenge (one of them) of being an agent-less writer, is that you have to do your own promotion.

I appreciate those of you who are loyal readers. But this pace is not sustainable.

Working on daily blog posts with or without the “extras” is taking me away from the next CAT and PIG book, and from the novel that I recently removed the digital dust from.

Perhaps, as I’ve said before, if this were my only job, I could keep this going.

I’ve taken breaks before. I’ve made triumphant returns before.

This time feels different.

With retirement rapidly approaching, I have to consider how I will spend my “free” time. I need to find the balance in between doing things for fun and doing things because there’s a purpose, or a return if you will.

I’m not giving up writing. It is quite possible that I am simply beginning the process of moving everything over to my author page. I’ll be taking the next month and a half to figure that out.

You know I’ll let you know when I do.

Carry on.

Some Day, You Can Quote Me

“I think that one of these days,” he said, “you’re going to have to find out where you want to go. And then you’ve got to start going there.”

On this day in 1951, J.D. Salinger published his controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye.

It’s been years since I’ve ready The Catcher in the Rye. I think I read it in high school.

All I know is that when I went searching for quote I was willing to use on the blog, it took a while.

River City Community Players
September 13-14, 20-21

If you know, you know.

It may end up on my “I should read it again to see what the fuss is about” list.

It’s a long list.

Yesterday I added to the “I want to read this” list Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.

Might as well get to know him because there’s a real good chance he’ll be the next Vice President.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Today and tomorrow are Amazon Prime Days. It’s a good day to catch up on your favorite farm animals.  Follow the link.

Available on Amazon.

There’s a new story coming.  It’s just not yet illustrated and formatted.  Hopefully we’ll have it by the end of the summer.

At the same time, this week I transferred my current novel-in-progress from Scrivener back to a Word document.  It’s coming.  Maybe even this year.

Look, it took Margaret Mitchell years to finish.  My novel is no Gone With the Wind, but Scarlet and Rhett do get mentioned and there’s some tension in Atlanta, but not a full scale Sherman-type fire.

The challenge is to focus on both of those projects and not be distracted by all the shiny new projects that are calling my name.

We won’t even talk about getting lost in social media.

It’s hot outside.  It’s a good time to read.  It’s a good time to write.

I’d go out and write on the veranda while sipping on a julep.

Except we need a new veranda and I’m all out of julep.

But I can dream.

And maybe some day years from now, some Cylon or Borg writer will be scanning my works for an inspirational quote.

Eh…they’ll probably stick with Salinger.

IN OTHER NEWS

Trump selects Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate
CNN
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after ‘total security breakdown’ at Trump rally
New York Post
Critics claim Cheatle dropped the ball on security measures at Saturday’s Trump rally — saying she has been too focused on woke “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” policies, such as making sure the department is 30 percent women by 2030, to take care of the agency’s more crucial business. They note she even allowed a YouTube influencer to train with agents last year.

Judge dismisses Donald Trump’s classified documents case
ABC News
Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Smith’s appointment as special counsel overseeing the documents case was unconstitutional.

Dear America
Sean Dietrich
Bless every truckstop cafe. Every beer joint. Boston’s Fenway Park. Busch Stadium. Yankee Field. Talladega Superspeedway. The Grand Ole Opry. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The American Royal Barbecue Competition.

Democrats Order Flags To Be Flown At Half-Staff As Trump Still Alive
The Babylon Bee
Lawmakers on the left side of the political aisle admitted that it had been an emotional and difficult few days, with several prominent Democrats saying they didn’t know if they would be able to continue with their normal duties after Trump sadly escaped being murdered by an assassin at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

BORN ON THIS DAY

Bess Myerson, Miss America 1945

1821 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (d. 1910)
1887 – Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
1907 – Orville Redenbacher, American farmer and businessman, founded Orville Redenbacher’s (d. 1995)
1907 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (d. 1990)
1924 – Bess Myerson, American model, actress, game show panelist, and politician, Miss America 1945 (d. 2014)
1963 – Phoebe Cates, American actress
1967 – Will Ferrell, American actor, comedian, and producer
1971 – Corey Feldman, American actor

BENEDICTION