Bullet has a home

It’s taken a while to get worked out, but my FIL’s dog, Bullet, is now in the perfect home. I wrote about Bullet here shortly after FIL died. None of the five kids had a suitable place for this sweet dog. We couldn’t think of anywhere he would truly be happy out of the valley he seemed to own.

For the past six months one of us has driven up each day to check on him, visit a little and feed him. On our trips up there, we also found out that many of the neighbors were stopping by with daily treats. The majority of church members from FIL’s church brought him little tidbits each Sunday and he happily sat on the church porch to greet and thank church members each week. 

But the house is now sold. As of yesterday. A young couple, who has family in the valley, was willing to buy the house ‘as is.’ And let me tell you – that ain’t great. I don’t think that there is a square inch of the house that doesn’t need major work, plumbing, electrical, well/water issues... it’s just a very old house and FIL didn’t believe in fixing things up or trying to make them pretty. I love the ten acres that come with it, but if I was going to buy it the first thing I’d do would be to tear down the house and start over.

When we talked to the young couple Nick’s sister teasingly told them that ‘as is’ meant that we still all met there to eat lunch every Sunday. The young man grinned and said, “We both work on Sundays. Y’all come on.” We went on to add, and of course Bullet come with the house too, still teasing. But the couple smiled and said, “Of course Bullets welcome to stay.” The young man adding, "I’ve known Bullet since I was a kid. He’s part of the valley.”

Now really what could be better for him?

We’re all happy that it sold and so happy for Bullet, but Sunday when we had our ‘last’ lunch there it was pretty sad. That piece of land has been in their family for over a hundred years. It’s where I’ve eaten lunch nearly every Sunday for over forty years. And the family has been closer because of it. There were lots of tears. Mollie was there the Sunday before last but she wouldn’t go up this Sunday. I’m not sure it’s really going to hit everyone until Christmas eve. I just can’t imagine being anywhere else. So many memories.

I'm happy, Mollie... not so much

Monday begins school in these parts and each year at this time I get a fresh wave of joy that I am retired. I try not to dance and shout out praises too exuberantly in Mollie’s presents. But it’s hard to hold it in. I really enjoyed teaching for the first sixteen years. I had a wonderful partner and together we had fun. 

We made it fun for the children too and they seemed to learn wonderfully well in that atmosphere. Teaching was fine for another eight years after that partner retired and left me. Not quite as much fun but still a good career and I enjoyed the children.

 

But those last six years … not fun. The new principal and I butted heads about everything. He had little man syndrome and felt he had to micromanage everything. I was far enough in my career, having taught twenty-four years to his four, to know a lot more than he did about how to actually teach. 

By the end of his time there it had degenerated to our occasionally shouting at one another and when he would call me to his office to discuss something I’d bring out my phone to record the meeting, making no effort to hide it.

 

My last year we had a lady principal who floated through the school doing nothing and making no decisions at all. Of course, by then I had stopped paying any attention to administrators, blew off any and all meetings that they called and concentrated on teaching my pupils. That was a pretty good year.

 

For me retirement has been, and continues to be, heaven on Earth!

 

Mollie, at the other end of her career is beginning her eighth-year teaching. But she anticipated this one being better than last. She will only have sixteen students in class and most teachers can tell you, that’s a great number. You can do some teaching with that number. 

 

I’ve stocked her room with Kleenex, Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer (they are no longer allowed to ask parents to send these things in.) I’ve given her cash for other things she might need later in the year. Most of these things are bought by teachers these days and, for the moment, I’m blessed with deeper pockets than she has. I really pray she’s right and that this will be a great year for her. But I imagine this might be the way she’ll start off.

With summer vacation over, 

Miss Mollie was having a tough time 

transitioning back to teaching.

That time again

 

Guess what I got to do yesterday?

Great Ass... I mean art.

Just thought I'd post this for all

 you art lovers out here.

 A Picasso master piece.

I have to see it first

Do any of you enjoy writing stories? I used to host Fantasy Friday where different people wrote spanking stories and I’d post it for them. Gradually people stopped sending them in. But if anyone wants to try one, I’d still be happy to post it for you.

 

Doing short stories is how I started writing. I had tons of them in my head because before I came out to Nick it was my only spanking outlet. This latest book is going slowly and I’ve finally figured out why. Before I can write different parts of a part of the book I sit there with my eyes closed, so I can watch what's happening. 

Lots of time I’m watching all my characters as I’m going to sleep or as I’m slowly waking up in the mornings. Of course, as I’m watching them I’m hearing the dialogue too.

 

That’s why I was so shocked by Lily when she joined the gang. I was just watching a scene play out, mostly knowing where it was going – when this stranger burst into the room and took over, then she ended up never leaving.

 Lately I’ve been listening to audiobooks and spending less time watching and listening to Cassie. And I’ve realized that’s what’s slowing me down. 

As of now I’m off audiobooks until I get this latest book finished. I know what happened – but I still need to see it in order to write it. Nick teased me about napping when I say I’m writing, and I do occasionally fall asleep. But much of the time I am pre-writing or watching it all so I can write it. Writing can be weird, but I do love it.

 

And if anyone is willing to write a Fantasy Friday for us, please send it to elisspeaks@yahoo.com and I’ll be happy to host you.

Not a Wedding Person

I hate weddings. Well, that’s not completely true. I hate getting dressed up for weddings. I hate getting dressed up period. But the family weddings I’m going to in September and October are big fancy deals. For each wedding we’re invited to not only the wedding but also the rehearsal dinners. They are family wedding, so I’ll be seeing and sitting with the same people. Ugg…

 

I asked Nick to go fancy clothes shopping with me. You should have seen his scared, bewildered face. I finally told him I was kidding and that Mollie was coming with me. He was so relieved he truly didn’t care how much I spent.

 

I won't be wearing these!

One of my worst phobias about dressing up is having to wear decent shoes. So I was looking for pants and I actually found two really nice dress pants outfits. Then Mollie dug through my closet and found enough things to make the other two outfits. I think I have some flats that will work with them. But I’m still not wild about dressing up.

 

I do pray that Mollie will marry at some point. I hope she elopes and comes home to tell me how wonderful it was, and I’ll cheerfully hand her a check for the cost of a lovely wedding. I realize this makes me a horrible mother, but as I’ve told friends I hate to spend what could be a nice down payment on a house for the newlyweds, on one party. However, if that what Mollie wants, I’ll grin and bear it.

Maybe I don’t need to worry so much

This happened last month but it still makes me smile. We went on a family picnic for the 4^th of July with Nick's brothers and sisters. The place we go is deep in the mountains and we have no cell service. We always go for breakfast, so we leave home pretty early. We went, had a great picnic, and headed home about lunchtime.

When we were about halfway home Mollie began laughing and muttering, ‘I can’t believe them.’ It seems that Mollie and two teaching friends keep an ongoing text chain. These two ladies are in their late forties and early fifties with half grown children. They had been texting for a while when they noticed Mollie wasn’t with them. This is the conversation that followed.

Where’s Mollie? She’s usually up by now.

I don’t know. This is weird. Did she say she was going off today.

She didn’t say anything to me.

I’m going to call her. This isn’t normal.

Let me know.

Well, she’s not answering. Should we call her mama? I don’t want to scare her if it’s nothing.

I know. I don’t want her to worry.

I’m going to ride over to her house and see if everything’s okay…

Well, I’m here and the dogs are here, but her car is gone. I’m gonna go ahead and water her plants while I’m here. 

These exchanges and driving over and watering the plant took about two hours all together and it was about then that Mollie popped into the conversation.

Good grief girls, I told you I was going on a picnic with my family. We just don’t get cell reception there.

You didn’t tell me you were going!

You didn’t tell me either!

I did too. You all don’t pay any attention when we talk in person. But I do appreciate you watering my plants.

No problem. But don’t run away and scare us again.

I suppose if her friends are this attentive, I don’t have to spend my time worrying about her. I think they’ve got her covered. And her plants too.

Another weekend visit

I found another place to spend a beautiful weekend. The house always makes me feel like I'm visiting Cassie. I didn't spend the weekend writing but I spent it with my sister, our favorite cousin and all our menfolk. But as nice as it was I loved getting back home too. I'm planning on staying here a while.

 

Need a Good Summer Read?

I'll be on my way to my cousin's lake house by the time this goes up. We didn't have our reunion this year, but the lake trip was still on. It's a lovely, relaxing, peaceful spot and it's interior is my basic lay out of Cassie and Tom's home. So I feel like I'm visiting with them too.

In the hopes that new readers still come by, this post tells you about my books. This was up at PK Corey's Reading Room a couple of weeks ago, so if you read it there you can stop now. But for those reading who don't know about my books, please check this out and see if you'd like to try one.

I write love stories. My stories are about Tom and Cassie and a few other ‘mature’ couples who have long-term, deep and steady loving marriages. Allie and Jenny and their husbands have the passion of young love as they begin their marriages and Sophie and Ryder, still in their teens, have the excited discovering love of those just starting out. Adding to that is the deep abiding love of friends – I write about the friendships all women, maybe all people, yearn for. The love is the most important for me but running a close second it the spankings. My couples all have chosen to incorporate spanking into their lives, mostly for fun, but yes, discipline often comes up also.

 

This is what you’ll find in my books – love, friendship and spanking! Exactly what I’ve always wanted to read myself.

 

Here are my three series:

 

Cassie’s Space series

 

These ten books introduce Cassie. She is my friend and has been since she wandered into my imagination fifty-four years ago. She is married to Tom, the man who loves her in a way that makes my heart nearly burst with happiness for the two of them. He loves her, guides her, protects her and when necessary, spanks the fool out of her. I’ve been told that their adventures are exciting, funny and realistic. Their love-life is passionate and fulfilling – but you’ll hear no graphic details, Cassie is a lady and giving too much detail would not be proper.

Cal’s Law series

 

Cal and Jenny are one of my younger couple. The spanking in their relationship began mere minutes after they met, and Cal hasn’t let up much since. There relationship has it’s struggles, but these two are meant to be together. They live in the same town as Cassie and Tom and there is a lot of interactions among the character of both series. Jenny is not as reluctant as Cassie to openly discuss her sex life, so you’ll find a little more spice in this series.

 

On the River series

 

In this, my latest series, everyone is around – all the characters I’ve grown to love over the years are living on the area of the river that they call The Landing. Their lives, their adventures, even their spankings sometimes intertwine. By this time in the series, I’m just typing as my characters tell me what’s happening. And I love it!

These books do take you through time as it passes, but please don’t think you have to read them in order. Start anywhere. Just grab one and give it a try. If you are a spanking enthusiast, I know you'll enjoy it.

 

I’ll close today with a review on the latest book. This is one of the finest reviews I’ve ever had. 

 

Starting with the first Cassie book until now, I have never been disappointed or failed to wait expectantly for the next one.

And, of course, the links -

Cassie's Space (book one)   

Cassie's Tale (book two)                       

Cassie on the Move (book three)          

Cassie's River Living (book four)        

Cassie's Conflict (book five)

Cassie's Influence (book six)

Cassie's Ordeal (book seven)

Cassie Corralled (book eight)

Cassie's Road Trip (book nine)

Cassie's Life (book ten)

Cal's Law (book one)

Becoming Family (book two)

Educating Jenny (book three)

Searching for Home (book four)

On the River (book one)

Secrets on the River (book two)

Suspicions on the River (book three)

Meanwhile, in New York City…

Collin has finally taken his first Subway ride since his accident. He told me he was feeling a little PTSD beforehand, but he did it. They went to one of their favorite bars in Manhattan. They got a booth against the wall where Collin could put his foot up and as LJ was up and down getting drinks and greeting people everyone came to Collin and reached down to give him a hug. I think it did him a lot of good to be out on the town with friends. It was very tiring, but he's getting a little better all the time.  By the end of the evening is foot was swelling some so they took a car home. 

 

He's still on crutches when he goes out, he’s down to one crutch when he’s in the apartment. And he ordered this cane that he found online. It’s totally him! He’ll definitely be dashing when he can go out with that.

 

LJ has been at his new job at the museum for about three weeks now. I’ve barely gotten to talk to him but in the few minutes we have talked, he seems to really like it. He says that there are people who have been working there for years and are still happy there, so that’s a good sign.

 

He can see the park where he used to work from the museum. He sent me a text one day when the heat index was near a hundred degrees in NYC. It said, “Sometimes I stand here in my air-conditioned office and look at Little Island like this...” 

If you were to ever see LJ in person now you would know him – he truly looks just like this emoji. That smirk is pure LJ.