Just Hi

Hey ~ I don't know about where you are, but here in sunny CA, the weather is hot, humid and horrid! We've had triple digit heat for the last 2 or 3 weeks. If this is a preview of h*ll, I sure hope I make it to heaven!

Other than trying to keep cool, nothing much is happening here. I've been working on a new book (that's certainly not new - I'm always working on a new book). I really like this one, so far. A couple of years ago, I wrote a book called NIGHT'S KISS. Next year, Zebra is publishing a sequel to that story. The book I'm writing now is a sequel to my sequel. It's always fun revisiting old characters, and readers seem to like it, too.

Some movies I'm hoping to see soon include Lady in the Water, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Superman.

Someone sent me this. I thought it was cute. Hope it gives you a chuckle.

You gotta love Southern Grandmas

Lawyers should never ask a Southern grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him." The defense attorney almost died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair."

Stay cool!

Mandy

Bigger Isn't Always Better

Well, I finally got to see Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest. For once, the critics were right. It was toooooooo long and focused too much on too many other characters. I would imagine most people went to see the sequel to see Captain Jack Sparrow, who, it seemed to me, was rarely on screen. I would have liked to see more of Jack and a lot less of Davy Jones and his ugly crew. My other complaint is that it lacked the wit and humor of the first movie. Having said all that, I'm hoping that, like the Jurassic Park movies, the third one will be better than the second one.

Mandy

A Bit of Poetry

City Horse

City horse, born and bred
With a stable for your home
Do you ever wish you’d been raised
Where the buffalo used to roam?

Do you ever yearn for vaulted skies
And miles of rolling hills
For towering pines and canyons wide
And the cry of the whippoorwill?

Would you like to run and kick your heels
As you frolic over the plains
Unfettered by saddle and iron shoes
And my hand upon the reins?

Do you long for grass instead of hay
For trees where the concrete grows;
Do you ever wish for the wild life
Your ancestors used to know?

City horse, born and bred
I know you’d rather be free
But I’m glad that you’re a city horse
‘Cause you’re a dream come true for me.

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Cowboy’s Lament

No horses in heaven?
Why, I’d rather stay outside
Unless my favorite old red roan
Is awaitin’ there to ride

Cause my idea of heaven
Is an endless sea of grass
An azure sky, a crystal stream
A snow-topped mountain pass

A well-broke Texas saddle
My battered old John B
But most of all that big red horse
A ploddin’ under me

Now I’m not knocking angels
Nor choirs of heavenly song
Nor golden streets and pearly gates
Or clouds that roll along

But I’ve no use for silver wings
A tune I cannot carry, and
While golden streets might be grand
I’d rather ride the prairie

I’ve spent my life a’wanderin’
From sea to shining sea
And that’s how we’d like heaven
That old red horse, and me.

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copyright Madeline Baker 7/12/06