All great sleuths come out of nowhere to save the day, isn't that the way books are written? As those of you who read my books already know, Detective Glen Karst is a real live person. He walks, he talks, he catches bad guys, and rescues damsels in distress.
You also know that I live on an old family farm passed down for generations on my husband's side. He's fourth generation on this farm homesteaded in the late 1800's. I love the solitude, I love the wildlife (not the mice), and for the most part I love the weather.
Okay what I didn't love was no air-conditioning--fixed that. No decent way to heat the old two story house--fixed that. An outdated kitchen--fixed that. A dirt cellar basement that opened to the outside world. The kind where you knew someone slipped into your home through that old cellar door every night. Well, okay maybe it was mice and spiders but you just knew they were there--fixed that. Several years ago we raised the house from the foundation and put in a brand new lower level.
So now with the new lower level, the new kitchen, the new heating and air-conditioning, and a huge bathroom that replaced the small closet type room that was supposed to be a bathroom, my life is good.
Then it happened. One night while soaking in our double bathtub, a nightly event, my husband heard a strange cracking sound. He rushed to the basement to watch a steady, drip, drip, drip. Our tub, our beautiful two-person soaking tub, the one we used every night, sprung a leak!!! I rushed to the computer and searched for a tub that would be the same size. Beads of sweat formed on my head as I failed at my search. "No!" I cried out breaking the peaceful silence of our surrounding acres.
Finally, persistence paid off. I found one the same color and dimensions to replace the faulty tub. I ordered it immediately. Three weeks for delivery....three weeks without a tub...three weeks with only a shower. I HATE showers, I'm a soaker. I knew I could be strong. I knew I could handle it. The tub arrived one week early....hooray!!!
But wait, we didn't have all the necessary plumbing parts. Living in the middle of nowhere means ordering parts in. Slowly they arrived. But wait...we had book deadlines, we had other business to attend to. My husband, the hypnotherapist, had a rush of clients. Each new day presented another obstacle that prevented him from installing my tub. Mind you it has now been 2 months without my tub.
Six weeks ago, my detective decided to retire from his position, and he actually bought an old, old home just a few minutes from our farm. It needs a lot of work, but if you read my books you'll know he's a master carpenter. We walked through the house with him and agreed it needed a ton of work, but there, in the rundown bathroom with the walls cracked and falling down, stood a white claw footed bathtub! It was still connected and he was going to turn the water on to this old house that hadn't been lived in for some time.
I planned to make daily trips to his home while he was back in Denver packing, tying up loose ends and preparing for his move. I was going to steal his water and use his tub. I knew it would take him weeks to make his home ready to live in. We went over to check on his progress and to my dispair the first thing he did was remove the bathtub to work on his bathroom!
"No!" I mumbled to myself, when I really wanted to scream out. He moved in with us for the past 6 weeks while he worked on his home. He took daily showers here, as did I regretfully.
Then last night he called from his house after spending his first night there. He wanted to repay our hospitality. He invited us to dinner tonight....and he told me to bring comfortable clothes to slip into after I take a long, hot, bubble bath in his newly installed tub!!!! Yay!! My detective came through for me.
All of the parts have arrived for "my" tub. So with fingers crossed I'm hoping to be able to soak in my own tub, in my own bathroom within the week!!
I have so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving week.
You also know that I live on an old family farm passed down for generations on my husband's side. He's fourth generation on this farm homesteaded in the late 1800's. I love the solitude, I love the wildlife (not the mice), and for the most part I love the weather.
Okay what I didn't love was no air-conditioning--fixed that. No decent way to heat the old two story house--fixed that. An outdated kitchen--fixed that. A dirt cellar basement that opened to the outside world. The kind where you knew someone slipped into your home through that old cellar door every night. Well, okay maybe it was mice and spiders but you just knew they were there--fixed that. Several years ago we raised the house from the foundation and put in a brand new lower level.
So now with the new lower level, the new kitchen, the new heating and air-conditioning, and a huge bathroom that replaced the small closet type room that was supposed to be a bathroom, my life is good.
Then it happened. One night while soaking in our double bathtub, a nightly event, my husband heard a strange cracking sound. He rushed to the basement to watch a steady, drip, drip, drip. Our tub, our beautiful two-person soaking tub, the one we used every night, sprung a leak!!! I rushed to the computer and searched for a tub that would be the same size. Beads of sweat formed on my head as I failed at my search. "No!" I cried out breaking the peaceful silence of our surrounding acres.
Finally, persistence paid off. I found one the same color and dimensions to replace the faulty tub. I ordered it immediately. Three weeks for delivery....three weeks without a tub...three weeks with only a shower. I HATE showers, I'm a soaker. I knew I could be strong. I knew I could handle it. The tub arrived one week early....hooray!!!
But wait, we didn't have all the necessary plumbing parts. Living in the middle of nowhere means ordering parts in. Slowly they arrived. But wait...we had book deadlines, we had other business to attend to. My husband, the hypnotherapist, had a rush of clients. Each new day presented another obstacle that prevented him from installing my tub. Mind you it has now been 2 months without my tub.
Six weeks ago, my detective decided to retire from his position, and he actually bought an old, old home just a few minutes from our farm. It needs a lot of work, but if you read my books you'll know he's a master carpenter. We walked through the house with him and agreed it needed a ton of work, but there, in the rundown bathroom with the walls cracked and falling down, stood a white claw footed bathtub! It was still connected and he was going to turn the water on to this old house that hadn't been lived in for some time.
I planned to make daily trips to his home while he was back in Denver packing, tying up loose ends and preparing for his move. I was going to steal his water and use his tub. I knew it would take him weeks to make his home ready to live in. We went over to check on his progress and to my dispair the first thing he did was remove the bathtub to work on his bathroom!
"No!" I mumbled to myself, when I really wanted to scream out. He moved in with us for the past 6 weeks while he worked on his home. He took daily showers here, as did I regretfully.
Then last night he called from his house after spending his first night there. He wanted to repay our hospitality. He invited us to dinner tonight....and he told me to bring comfortable clothes to slip into after I take a long, hot, bubble bath in his newly installed tub!!!! Yay!! My detective came through for me.
All of the parts have arrived for "my" tub. So with fingers crossed I'm hoping to be able to soak in my own tub, in my own bathroom within the week!!
I have so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving week.