The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[AloneTooLong]

It's foggy this morning and it's already 80 degrees and muggy. The landscapers took out the overgrown flower beds and spread out the grass seed and straw. Luckily, we didn't get the predicted torrential downfalls that hit other places so I still have a seeded area.

There's a pot of coffee going and the teapot is hot. Help yourself to the fudge on the counter. I went to a Buc-ees yesterday on a lark just to see what all the fuss was about. They had some nice fudge so I had to get a sampler.

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. I'm still heart sick over the tragedy in Texas. Those ten missing girls and their counselor are surely dead but the parents can't grieve until they're found.

yes, It is a horribly tragedy here in Texas.

I am hoping there will be 'logical' restrictions on what and where things can be built BUT when one has a river rise to more than 20 ft in such a few hours AND in the middle of the night with much more rain than was predicted; that is a disaster fixing to happen.

After the previous 'bad' flood the county had considered alarm warning (loud, like the tornado warnings) but they couldn't get any Fed funding and the folks in the county didn't want to spend county $$ without Fed $$ so it just quietly dropped off consideration.

Of course now (ten or so years later) communications/warning systems/alerts are more advanced and after the loss of life in this storm I suspect (somehow) funds will be available.

Grandson and his K-9 are there helping locate victims. For those not familiar with me, yes, I have lived in TEXAS ALL MY LIFE (I am currently NOT in Kerr County though I have visited there many times). Aptly named Flash Flood Alley.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I recall the Colorado flood, which occurred way back in '65. No, actually, I remember my father telling me about the Colorado flood back in '65. It happened while he and his parents were on vacation, and they were in Yellowstone at the time. They had to make their way back through the mess to get back to Oklahoma. It happened one night after they camped in someplace destroyed by the flood.

yes, It is a horribly tragedy here in Texas.

I am hoping there will be 'logical' restrictions on what and where things can be built BUT when one has a river rise to more than 20 ft in such a few hours AND in the middle of the night with much more rain than was predicted; that is a disaster fixing to happen.

After the previous 'bad' flood the county had considered alarm warning (loud, like the tornado warnings) but they couldn't get any Fed funding and the folks in the county didn't want to spend county $$ without Fed $$ so it just quietly dropped off consideration.

Of course now (ten or so years later) communications/warning systems/alerts are more advanced and after the loss of life in this storm I suspect (somehow) funds will be available.

Grandson and his K-9 are there helping locate victims. For those not familiar with me, yes, I have lived in TEXAS ALL MY LIFE (I am currently NOT in Kerr County though I have visited there many times). Aptly named Flash Flood Alley.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

It's cloudy this morning and the weather(wo)man is calling for scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. In case we get missed, I'll have to do some watering today.

I've got a fresh pot of coffee brewing and the teapot is hot. Today's selection of teas includes Earl Greyer which is a turbo-charged version of Earl Grey. There are donuts, danish, and muffins on the counter.

I'll be over in the corner, working on my entry for the Crime and Punishment Story Event. I'll be trying to poke holes in my character's alibi to see if it will hold up in a court of law.

I cried when I heard about the two sisters who were found holding hands. At least they didn't die alone ...

https://cdn.creators.com/209/396923/396923_image.jpg

 

[Rustyoznail]

Well, winter has come back hard. Cold, wet, and a howling wind straight off Antarctica.

I'm glad we're now in a house where I just have to push a button and heat is there.

It's going to be a long day. A triple espresso out of the caffeine machine is in order.

 

[MrPixel]

A triple espresso out of the caffeine machine is in order.

You and CK will be happy to know I have just written a scene incorporating a character ordering a coffee Americano, which, of course, requires a cappuccino machine. I'm not totally a modern coffee heathen.

 

[NotWise]

Had breakfast at "The Pancake House" in Lubbock. The staff (all women) spoke in strongly-accented "West Texas" English. The decor was pretty much roadhouse, which it got honestly, and the special of the day (chalked on the board by the door to the kitchen) was "Jesus Jesus Jesus." The waitresses wore tee-shirts with that printed on them.

The drive back through the mountains west of Roswell was beautiful. Peter Hurd (son-in-law of Andrew Wyeth, if memory serves) lived in the area and painted a lot of it. This is Anselmo's House, courtesy of the Scottish National Galleries.



I could have driven right past there today, but today the grass was much greener.

Edit: Memory didn't serve. Hurd was Andrew Wyeth's brother-in-law, not son-in-law. His wife (Henriette Wyeth) was also a well-known artist.

 

[MrPixel]

Too much coincidence - I have corresponded multiple times with a Peter Hurd in Washington state, who is a specialist in all affairs oboe. The artist had a son, Peter, so I can't help but think there is convergence here.

Never mind. There are a couple of dozen "Peter Hurd" in the US. The artist's youngest son Michael is a musician, so it made me wonder.

 

[filthytrancendence]

Had breakfast at "The Pancake House" in Lubbock.

My condolences. My whole family lives around Lubbock. It's definitely a place, no doubt about that.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Good morning all! It's a sunny morning with afternoon pop-up showers expected later today.

There's a fresh pot of coffee going and the teapot is whistling. The cappuccino machine seems happier today now that it's a character in the great American novel ...

There's a selection of donuts and pastries on the counter along with some freshly made cornbread. For those who put milk on their cornbread, there's some in the 'fridge.

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. So far, it seems to be coming along and isn't fighting me. We'll see when it comes down to the denouement ...

 

[iwatchus]

I had just started posting, worrying about where you were this morning CK.

I had a really intense day writing yesterday -- over 20K on the draft of my first novel. Abiyt 20K more to go and the draft is done. I think I understand everywhere it is going now.

 

[NotWise]

My condolences. My whole family lives around Lubbock. It's definitely a place, no doubt about that.

My wife had family there, but they've all passed away or moved on to some other part of Texas.

I noticed a road-side shop while passing through Clovis (@Duleigh's old digs)--"The Velvet Taco Lingerie and Novelties." Made me laugh.

 

[filthytrancendence]

The Velvet Taco Lingerie and Novelties

Sure sounds like Clovis!

I'm from Colorado, so I'm quite familiar with the route you're talking about. At least till you get back to I-25.

It is really pretty this time of year. And really quite ugly the other 11 months out of the year.

 

[NotWise]

Sure sounds like Clovis!

I'm from Colorado, so I'm quite familiar with the route you're talking about. At least till you get back to I-25.

It is really pretty this time of year. And really quite ugly the other 11 months out of the year.

We've had a lot of rain (for us) and the grass is very green. It's odd to see the vast expanses of green prairie with no cattle on it. The range is never good enough to support many cattle, but suddenly it is.

 

[NotWise]

I just submitted Zelda's story. I still expect the T/I readers to hate the whole thing.

On to the next story. I left a fairly long story in a partially done state when I lost interest in publishing back in 2023. I think I can fix its main problem and finish the story, but maybe I'd like to do something new.

 

[MrPixel]

Got one going live tonight, three more in the wings ready to rock'n'roll. Working on the "crossover" between my two series right now.

 

[NotWise]

After fretting online last month about whether to use Blood and Money as the short description for Zelda's story, or Mom, Sex, Guns and Rock-n-Roll, I decided to do neither. I kept Mom, Sex, Guns, and Rock-n-Roll as the title and gave it the short description Party 'till something breaks.

Now the chips are down.

 

[filthytrancendence]

After fretting online last month about whether to use Blood and Money as the short description for Zelda's story, or Mom, Sex, Guns and Rock-n-Roll, I decided to do neither. I kept Mom, Sex, Guns, and Rock-n-Roll as the title and gave it the short description Party 'till something breaks.

Now the chips are down.

I'd click on it.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Another beautiful sunny morning which is going to get hot later today. The rabbits are gamboling in the yard and the birds are chirping and flitting about.

There's fresh coffee and a hot teapot for drinks. There are some muffins on the counter and I plan to make another peach cobbler soon.

I'll be over in the corner working on my new story. I don't think they'll ever find those five missing girls. They're probably buried under tons of debris and silt and my heart breaks thinking about the parents and how they won't have anything to bring closure ...

 

[NotWise]

Kind of a downer, but there were initially thousands of people listed as missing after the Black Hills flood in 1972. The largest local radio station had their most popular DJ read the entire list on-air about a week after the flood, and most of the missing checked in within a few days. But now, 53 years later, there are still eight listed as missing and presumed dead.

Things do get buried in flash floods. The bottom of a stream channel digs down several feet for every foot the water level increases, with much of the lower part consisting of moving sediment and debris. Things get buried.

Months after the flood, the only bridge remaining in the canyon upstream from Rapid City started to crack. They excavated the bridge piers and found a pickup lodged under the bottom of a pier.

 

[NotWise]

I'll do this here. Congratulations to @iwatchus for her Nude Day win!

 

[MillieDynamite]

Helping my father today. Sorry, don't have time to chat, just grabbing a cup of Jo, jumping back to work. I mean Joe, brew, mug-a-java.

 

[iwatchus]

@Nynah @NotWise thx for the comments. I am shocked by the result. At family reunion for weekend

 

[filthytrancendence]

On the porch this morning. Sometimes nature is horrifying, and sometimes it is wonderful...

 

[NotWise]

Nice photo @filthytrancendence.

Mom, Sex, Guns and Rock-n-Roll goes live tonight. I checked dates on the document. I thought I wrote the synopsis in 2023 and sat on it for two years because the story was too depressing for Lit. Turns out that I started it in 2022 right after Every Girl in Edgarville. I sat on it for three years before I came up with an ending that I liked that wouldn't leave readers in distress.

They still won't like it. And going live on Saturday? Not sure what to expect.

 

[Duleigh]

My wife had family there, but they've all passed away or moved on to some other part of Texas.

I noticed a road-side shop while passing through Clovis (@Duleigh's old digs)--"The Velvet Taco Lingerie and Novelties." Made me laugh.

Well, Cannon AFB is all Special Forces now, those guys deploy 400 days a year. Wifey has to find something to play with besides the mailman.