PensionersRants

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Review: Lawless Desert by C.M. Curtis


"I didn't see that coming," is a statement you will use a number of times while reading this book. A western story, well written with great characters. Moving fro one disaster to another, the hero finally finds satisfaction in the end.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Dreams


      I had a dream the other night that I clearly remembered. Most times I remember them for about 10 seconds and then nothing else. Funny how that works. In this dream, I was back in the military, and someone told me to put on a clean shirt. This I did, and a little while later they asked me why I had on two shirts. I said that I was ordered to put on another shirt. Then they said they didn't think I was supposed to put on one shirt over the other. So I told them I wasn't ordered to remove the first shirt. And that was it.
      If I were going to my Chinese doctor for traditional medicine, she would tell me what the dream meant. It's one of the things they do to get a grip on things. Before anytime visiting her, I have to keep track of my dreams. She is great for aches and pains, but I wouldn't go for a life threatening situation.
      It could be that I see myself in an alternate universe. In that case, I must be some dumb not to know enough to remove my shirt or, I follow orders to a tee. Wouldn't want to get stuck in the universe.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Review: The Terror by Giles Kristian


Could not get into the story. I guess it is just not my type. Didn't like it. Quit at 10%.

Review:The Assassin (Casca, #13) by Barry Sadler


This story is the next book in the Casca series. Same as the other books, Just a different time and place. Writing bad as usual.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Review: The Derby Man by Gary McCarthy


This book is a western story of the usual type. To make things different, the unlikely hero is greatly overweight and wears a derby hat. You won't find any young maiden in distress. There are bits of humor, but the book holds no big surprises. Okay for a short read if you can get over the errors. I never did learn the Sherriff's name. It seemed to be interchangeable.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Review: Cold Comfort (Inspector Ian Rutledge #16.5) by Charles Todd


This book is a short story from the Ian Ruthledge series. Instead of continuing with Ian's career with Scotland Yard, we are taking back to the First World War when he was Lt. Ruthledge. There are no voices in his head, and he becomes involved in trying to prevent a murder. Good story for a short read.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Review: Cynthia Ann Parker: The Story of Her Capture by James DeShields

The book is advertised as a story about a captured white woman, but there is very little about her. Her life story could have been put into 4 pages. Didn't like the writing - very raciest, mixed up. Acceptable for the time it was written.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Review: Cemetery Dance (Pendergast #9) by Douglas Preston


This story is 9th. in the Pendergast series. In this story he has a smaller part to play with the majority of action going to D'Agosta. The authors have joined the flavor of the moment with zombies and cults. No former members of the series are safe, and one is immediately murdered. By the end of the book, all is back to reality. I liked the descriptions laid out in the book, and the fast pace to keep you on the edge of your seat.

There is no magic in the world. I thought I would wake from my nap and find the dinner dishes magically washed.


Sunday, June 21, 2015

Solstice


My son just told me that it's Solstice. You're supposed to be able to take an egg and stand it on its end - or you can walk around the park naked wearing a pair of horns.  He tried the egg bit but it didn't work so I threw a dishcloth on the counter and then it worked. That's what fathers are for. I didn't want him running around the park. In the long run it didn't matter, he doesn't have a set of horns.

Lawn Trimmer

 

On Friday Morning, I was out with the grass trimmer before 9 a.m. I heard it was going to rain by 11 a.m. So I got that done and trimmed some of the bushes as well. I have had a Toro trimmer for the past 32 yrs. It still works, except the spool is starting to fall apart and causing problems. We looked on ebay for a replacement, but the shipping costs were too high. It was just as cheap to buy a new one.
My wife's friend said they had two and I could have one. It seems her kids didn't place much value on it. A piece of junk was what they called it. It's a Black and Decker. So I tried it, and it works great. Certainly better than my old one. I just trim around trees and bricks, not do the whole lawn. That's what my neighbor across the street does. I wonder how old it is? I know it is discontinued.
 

Friday, June 19, 2015

The House Next Door.





 
Well, good-bye to the house next door. Last Monday, they brought in an Excavator - That used to be called a steam shovel. No steam involved now. By the end of the week, it was in a truck and gone. Then they knocked down the basement walls and pushed it into the hole. I guess they are not planning that the next house having a basement. Sad. I remember when I used to see them having barbecues on the patio.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Review: When it was Great: A Dealer Autobiographic Story by Jim Sinay


This book is an autobiography of a Las Vegas dealer. It sounds like a guy sitting on a barstool telling his life story. It's a book easy to read and interesting. There is a lot of name dropping that you have to expect. He stresses that the good, the bad, and the ugly are just people like you and I, except they live in Las Vegas. If you ever wondered what life behind the scenes was like, this is your book.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Review: One Shot (Jack Reacher, #9) by Lee Child


Not only does Reacher help friends in trouble, he also helps those who weren't friends. In this case in is in Indiana, which seems to be over run with Russian thugs. Everyone seems prepared to help, no matter how long they have known each other or the consequences. As usual, the dialogue is short and crisp, no words wasted. Some characters a bit over the top, but its fiction. No really big surprises.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

There's No Such Thing As Nonfiction

My feeling is that there's no such thing as nonfiction. Everything is fiction, because in the moment someone tries to relate an experience of what happened to them, it's gone. The reality that was felt at the moment is almost impossible to describe. It's one reason why there are writers, to come close to how it felt when it happened.

NORMAN MAILER


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Mosquito Bite.


      On the way home from P.E.I, my wife was bitten by a mosquito. That was Fri. and on Sat. she had a bubble on it about 1 inch across. So it was best to go to Emergency. It seems that no matter what problem you have, you get to spend 4 hrs. there. She came home with a prescription to take every 6 hrs. They told her not to burst the bubble, because of infection. My wife was scared of getting the Flesh Eating Disease.
      It just so happened that she had an appointment on Mon. morning with an allergy doctor. By then, the bubble started getting larger, about two inches across. The allergy doctor put a needle in and drained the bubble, put an antibiotic on it and wrapped it up. She has to do that twice a day. I think they should have done that at the hospital. Looking better now. Attached is a photo of the early stages. They put a black circle around it and told her to return if it got red beyond the mark.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Review: Near Death by Glenn Cooper



A novel with near-death experience as the main subject. It blends science, police, drug culture and religion. From an intriguing idea comes an absorbing book. Well written, with characters well developed with backgrounds that glue the story together. An excellent read, hard to put down. It takes you to the last page to find the perfect ending.

Next Door


When I got back from P.E.I. on Fri., there was a new vehicle in the driveway next door. At the abandoned house. Here's a photo of the new vehicle.

Wow!

 Big news on CTV. They were interviewing a woman who did a study that suggested it was good for children to play outside by themselves. Even unsupervised and for a whole hour. I don't know whether to laugh or just shake my head.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Visit To P.E.I.

      Been away for the last little while. Spent four days in P.E.I. It's not for myself that I went but for my daughter. She is 42 and has Cerebral Palsy. She can't walk, talk, or do any of the things we take for granted. We have to feed her with a tube. So, we tell her that going to P.E.I. is her vacation. We can't keep her in the house all the time, and it is so much easier to take her in the new van. She can sit in the back and look out the window and at night she can sleep in a motel. She was smiling for the four days. It rained for the first two days, but she didn't mind as long as she can look out the window and see something different.
      My wife will take her away again in Aug. Her best friend lives along the ocean, and they go there for a week. Lots of noise, grand-kids, etc. Another vacation.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Review: Janus Man (Tweed & Co. #4) by Colin Forbes


'Janus Man' is the fourth in a series of 'Tweed and Co.' It's another cold war plot of spy versus spy. This is the first time I've seen Spymaster Tweed come out from behind his desk and work in the field. A man with a cold heart, he can also show weakness. The author has a substantial knowledge of the geographical landscape of his story. He's as good as a road map.
I find his character descriptions a bit too much. Each character mentioned is followed by a complete paragraph for a description, right down to the color of socks. It is obvious he has a fascination for women's legs.
It's a good story, not much of a suspenseful ending with a few threads left dangling.

Monday, June 1, 2015

More This & That


Some of the posts I put in last year are a little crooked in the ground, and some are a little wobbly from all the water. So I had to fix that up. When I bought gravel last year, I saved some for just that problem. I straightened the posts, put gravel around them and pounded it down. Back in business again.
The next thing was to put the clothesline back up. Had to take it down last fall when the trees were being trimmed. When the wind is strong, and the trees bend, it can pull the hooks out of the house. Has happened a few times.
You can pick up my latest book, "Mediterranean Mission," on Amazon for $2.99.