Randall’s Ramblings, October 20, 2019

The last of the topsoil was delivered on Friday–three metric tons. The hole where I had removed clay and stone has been filled with the new earth and the turf (sod) has been laid. That’s two areas sorted out. What a transformation from the previous stone and gravel-covered areas.

Reddish-colored bricks in sort of a kidney-shaped design were filled in first, with the perimeter filled in with chipped stones in different colors, giving a great contrast. Sandstone slabs now surround the section section, with the border between the slabs and the wooden fence also covered with the chipped stones.

There’s a few bushes/shrubs to move and some cleanup to do. Otherwise, it’s almost ready for the addition of color through a variety of plants, but that’ll have to wait for the spring.

Here’s a photo of a couple of my helpers. Tommy is on the left and Charlie is on the right.

 

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on October 20th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):

Giovanni Rucellai, Italian poet (Le Api); Belle van Zuylen, Dutch-Swiss writer (Three Women); George Ormerod, English historian and antiquarian; Karl [Theodor] Andree, German geographer/journalist (Globus); Thomas Hughes, English politician and author (Tom Brown’s School Days); Alphonse Allais, French author/humorist (Pass the Bile); Arthur Rimbaud, French poet and adventurer (Illuminations); John Dewey, American philosopher, educational theorist and writer (learn by doing); Marnix Gijsen, [baron Jan-Albert Goris], Flemish writer (Grote God Pan); Will Rogers Jr, American politician (D-Representative 1943-44) writer, political commentator, and actor (Down to Earth); Hans Warren, Dutch writer/poet/critic (Secret Diary); Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist/statesman (Revolution Script); Robert Craft, American conductor, writer and friend of Stravinsky; Art Buchwald, columnist and author (Have I Ever Lied to You); Oskar Pastior, Romanian-born German writer (Oulipo); Emma Tennant, English writer (Pemberley: Or, Pride and Prejudice Continued); Robert Pinsky, American poet and Poet Laureate of the United States; Elfriede Jelinek, writer; David Profumo, English novelist; Lynn Flewelling, American fantasy author; and Michelle Malkin, American political commentator and author.

Was anyone familiar to you? I admit I didn’t know most of this group, although there are some familiar names. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one and many more to follow!

My Work in Progress

I continued working on A Cartel’s Revenge when time permitted. Chapter thirty-four is now posted to the two subscription writing sites I use. The action is speeding up as we head toward the story’s climax. I also made a few tweaks to the order of the remaining chapters.

The chapter review count continues to increase, now standing at 459, an increase of eleven in the past week. As always, plenty of good advice to help me improve my writing.

Here’s another snippet:

Alonzo arrived at the plant accompanied by a single guard, who also doubled as his driver. Workers stepped aside and bowed as he strode across the compound.

Two naked men hung from x-shaped poles stretching their arms and legs spread as far apart as possible. Forbidden any food or drink and left to the elements for almost thirty-six hours, they were close to death.

Alonzo covered his nose to ward off the foul air and turned to his driver. “Summon everyone. They must bear witness.” He strolled to a nearby campstool and sat. Once the entire workforce gathered around Alonzo and the two men, he rose to his feet, a slight tremble in his hands. I don’t want to do this, but I must.

“These men.” He turned and glared at them as onlookers hissed. “These cabrones defiled one of our women, dishonored her husband. Not satisfied, they butchered them like sheep.”

“Madre de Dios. Clemencia, por favor.” Both men struggled against their bonds and begged for their lives.

Their pleas for mercy were ignored as people who knew the murdered couple hurled insults at them, calling for their execution. The crowd grew quiet, waiting for Alonzo’s response.

“I will give you mercy. Unlike the dull blades used to kill our friends, I sharpened this one.” Alonzo ran his forefinger down the blade, before rubbing the tip of his finger over his bottom lip. Ready, he raised the machete and sidled toward the man on his right.

More next time.

Books I’m Reading

Russell Moran has done it again with Puzzles: A Detective Love Story. With New York City reeling from a severe scandal within the police department, the mayor reaches out to Bobbie Nelson, a top-notch detective working in Chicago. After wooing her away from Chicago, she’s teamed up with NYPD detective Bob Lawton. Before long, the become an inseparable team, both professionally and personally.

The NYPD Commission begins sending the most difficult crimes to the couple, eventually referred to as the BBs, to solve. Treating each daunting case like a puzzle, they connect the pieces until they complete their mission and capture the culprits. Russell has done an excellent job in creating larger-than-life characters for this new series, and by bringing in some of his characters from different series, blends them together in a smooth manner.

Each case builds upon earlier ones, with the BBs fine-tuning their puzzle-solving techniques to such a degree it’s not long before the FBI and CIA reach out them to piece together more complicated scenarios impacting on society. Russell has created an easy-to-read and fast-paced story, which will keep you turning the pages late into the evening to find out what happens next. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

This brings us to a close for another week. I hope you found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading.