Recycle Bin Gardening

No Weekend Writing Warriors/Sunday Snippet for me today folks. 

I have remodeling projects going on and must take advantage of the one day hubby is home. Plus it's the end of most of my veggies and I have piccalilli relish to make, zucchini to freeze, pickles to do, and super sweet corn to bag and freeze. So I wouldn't have time to respond on other blogs to my snippet comments and it would be rude of me not to reciprocate. I may hop around though on breaks. :)

Here are some pics of my veggies in full bloom. We put our garden in recycle bins, sort of a combo between container gardening and gardening by the square foot. Most are pulled now except all the peppers, eggplant and the zucchini is still growing. Vegetable scrapes, after processing, go to a local for their pigs. Won't those piggies be happy!








Fall crops are still in the beginning stages as some veggies love the cool weather better like leaf veggies and my brussel sprouts.

Feel free to visit the other great writers. Weekend Writing Warriors is here. The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. See you next week!

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Milk Carton Murders 24

Last week Dave was having a bit of a meltdown when his dad, Hal, was accused of the 20-year-old murder of one of the girls who was found by the creek-- one of the many foster children that passed through Dave's house as a child. Dave's voice in his head is more intrusive and he is answering it out loud--something he had never done before the bodies were found.  Hal agrees to go to the station to try and explain his side. The Sheriff allows Dave to bring him in his own car. We are a little ahead in the scene after Dave has composed himself, and speaks first below.

As always, words in italics is the "other" voice in Dave's head.

“Thanks Sheriff, I just want to make sure he has his coat and his medicine. I don’t want the stress raising his sugar level.”

“And don't forget the foster files box,” his father said.

“Are you sure that’s a wise idea, considering?” Dave asked.

Considering you would be handing them evidence to hang daddy Hal with?

“You’re right,” mumbled Dave, “it could convict him.” Dave stopped himself---his father's quizzical look snapped his mind into focus.

“Pay attention, son," Hal said, "you know the answers could be in that box and I’m not going to be able to have this make any sense without it.”

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

***

 And in other news: Although I am in the edit phase of the MCM, I do have my cover. So this week you all get to see what it is. TA DA!

My cool cover design is by Brigid Gorry-Hines. You can see some of her other amazing covers on her Facebook page, Cover Creations. I like the black and white, sort of mud from the Wiscoy Creek on milk, you know? Also, I think the B&W adds to the cold case aspect of the story,  I'm quite pleased with Brigid's concept.

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Milk Carton Murders 23

Last week, Hal (Dave's dad) was about to be arrested by Investigator Pepper Black for the 20 year old murder of one of the girls who was found by the creek. Sheriff Nazzaro shows up at Dave's house after the station is called to send a squad car. Dave and Pepper exchange heated words and Hal evades Nazzaro's blunt question, "Do you mean you killed her?"

As always, the words in italics is the "other" voice in Dave's head.

“Am I under arrest?” Dave’s father asked.

“No, Hal,” Nazzaro answered, “but that doesn’t mean you won’t be if you can’t explain yourself better than this—right now, I hate to say, I have to agree with Pepper. It sounds like you’re confessing to murder or accessory to murder; I can’t ignore it.”

Dave put his hands to his head and rubbed back and forth to try and make his migraine go away, to make it all go away―to have the voice stop. “I can’t believe this―I won't,” he said, louder than he intended.
   
You’re as chicken shit as ever, Davy―always hidin' from the truth.

"Just shut up!" Dave yelled. 

"Now David," his father said, putting a hand on his  shoulder, "don't be disrespectful to the sheriff― you were raised ... I raised you better than that."

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Milk Carton Murders 22

I'm back! It's been a busy month. Last time Hal (Dave's dad) was about to be arrested by Investigator Pepper Black for the 20 year old murder of one of the girls who was found by the creek. Sheriff Nazzaro shows up at Dave's house after the station is called to send a squad car.

“Pepper,” yelled the sheriff as he slammed the door of the patrol car, “what the hell is this about—arresting Hal for murder?”

“That’s right, sheriff, one of our milk carton victims was living here under a false name and Hal just said himself he killed her.”

“Oh wait a minute, now—he said no such thing!” said Dave. “What he said was it was his fault she was dead and buried by the creek.”

“Exactly,” said Pepper.

“Jeez, Pepper, it’s not the same thing, it doesn’t mean he killed her,” Dave said, exasperated.

“Alright—enough you two!” shouted Nazzaro. “Hal, when you said that, did you mean you killed her?”

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

Read More

Milk Carton Murders 21

Okay, I lied to you last week. I said I was going to end the scene right there and jump ahead this week so as not to give too much away. I changed my mind. I decided it wouldn't hurt to finish the scene to the end of chapter 19. 

If you read last week's post, the truth is trickling out, and Pepper now knows through questioning Dave's dad, Hal, that they personally knew one of the victims from 20 years ago. I'll give you the last line from last week (if you don't want to look back) just to keep the flow of the scene.

“I called her Sally.” Dave paused. “You know her too, Pepper--you found her five days ago in a wooden coffin. Her real name is Samantha Briggs.” - See more at: http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/2013/07/milk-carton-murders-20.html#sthash.l8H76hGh.dpuf

 “I called her Sally.” Dave paused. “You know her too, Pepper--you found her five days ago in a wooden coffin. Her real name is Samantha Briggs.”  

And now the snippet. Pepper speaks first.

 “Don’t say anything more. God, I didn’t want to have to say this—Hal Robertson, you’re under arrest for the murder of Samantha Briggs aka Sally. You have the right …”

Her words trailed off until Dave couldn’t hear them anymore. Funny, he did the same thing as a child when he couldn’t cope with tragedy, when he was scared—recede into his own little world, escape where he couldn’t get hurt—and his imaginary friend would be there waiting for him. No wonder he still talked to himself inside his head. There was something part of him was hiding from, something terrible, something that had happened to him and Sally. If he wanted to save his dad, and himself, he was going to have to figure out what that something was.

 ***

 Next week we will jump ahead.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

“I called her Sally.” Dave paused. “You know her too, Pepper--you found her five days ago in a wooden coffin. Her real name is Samantha Briggs.” - See more at: http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/2013/07/milk-carton-murders-20.html#sthash.l8H76hGh.dpuf

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The Majestic Driskill in Austin

While we were in downtown Austin visiting the capitol, my son took me to what is said to be one of the most haunted hotels in the country, also said to be the most haunted place in Texas. Doesn't it figure I totally forgot my iPad has a T.A.P.S. app on it? Silly me. In case you're wondering I'm speaking of The Driskill. More on the ghosts later.

The Driskill is a gorgeous building inside and out. Built in 1886, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. You can find out more about the building's history on their timeline page. If you want to see a few of the famous people who have stayed there, and the Driskill's ghostly guests, visit  their video page. I've spent quite some time browsing around their excellent website.

The inside of this building is stunning. 

Here are some of my photos.

The floor tiles are so shinny it reflects the ceiling light shown in the previous picture. 

 We stopped in at happy hour and sat here for drinks and appetizers. I was thrilled they were so open to tourists even though we were not hotel guests.

One of the best things about Austin is the unique food, and the The Driskill Hotel ranks right up there. Although I will have a separate post on Austin food, I had to mention the Driskill now. I was so impressed. I of course asked our waitress (the word waitress seems almost too diner-ish for this place) if she had ever seen a ghost. Without a flinch, she nonchalantly confirmed that people have seen them, but she herself had only heard them.

In the basket we have (as worded on their menu) Hand-Crafted Baked Hot Pretzel Sticks - Cheddar & Peppercorn, Prosciutto & Goat Cheese, Maytag Blue & Bacon. My taste buds were overjoyed.

In the little tray we have Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates stuffed with Manchego, Smoked Chorizo. (My spell check was going nuts with that line!) Now I get the bacon and dates part, but have no clue what the rest of it was---but who cares! It was delicious.

I'll leave you with a picture of my son, Nick (above), killing time texting while his mom plays tourist. Proportionately to Nick, you have an idea how majestic the inside of the Driskill really is.

And a photo of me, looking regal thinking if I ever become one of them there famous author types (HA!) I'm booking me a room at this place!

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Milk Carton Murders 20

We pick up a few paragraphs later from where we left off last week. (I'm skipping some key stuff I can't give away in a snippet) Investigator Pepper Black is still over at Dave's house attempting to be casual as they sit on the front porch and she questions Dave's father, Hal. She wants to find out if he's connected to the murders of the three girls 20 years earlier whose remains were found at Wiscoy Creek. Pinned to each child was a piece of a milk carton with their photograph as part of the missing children campaign of the 1980s and 90s. Only problem is they are different than the ones that came from the Center For Missing Children. Hal worked at one point in the print shop at the dairy.

Pepper had some pretty damning evidence against Dave's dad last time about his work in the print shop and how the killer changed the milk carton layouts to add his victims.  Hal, who is now in his 60s, is coming damn close to incriminating himself. 

Ever wonder where serial killers who were never caught go to retire? I do.

(Think I'll use that line in my book blurb)

Dave swung his way up from the glider. Pepper looked dumbfounded as he walked towards the front door of the house; there was no going back now--no way to undo it.

“Dave, I asked you a question,” Pepper demanded, “who is Sally? Why is your dad saying it’s his fault she’s dead?”

“I called her Sally.” Dave paused. “You know her too, Pepper--you found her five days ago in a wooden coffin. Her real name is Samantha Briggs.”

 ***

And with that I must leave you hanging on that scene. I plan to publish this one way or another so I can't tell the key parts of the story in the snippets.  Next week we will jump ahead.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

(This is also post #I-can't-remember in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.)

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Austins Got it Goin' On

From July 16 to the 24th I took some time for myself and went down to visit my oldest son in Austin, Texas. Wow. There's a place that has it goin' on unlike where I live in New York State. We have revived the historic marker program through private grant funding. Granted, I find them interesting being an historian, but markers aren't enough.

New York's latest idea is called Path Through History and from what I'm told, follows the thruway some how? I'm not sure. They have a nice website and all but there is only one thing about my area on it---surprise, surprise. They included the William Pryor Letchworth Museum listed under the "Natural History" section but nothing about the park itself. THAT is the attraction as you can see by all these Google images of Letchworth State Park.

So that's how we do it in New York. We seem very focused on the east half of the state. In Texas, it's a whole different story. They seem to know how to highlight everything they have and pull it all together. A very proud people those Texans!

Over the next few days I will be posting about my trip which will be a smattering of cool sites, bats, trailer parks, food, and Dr. Seuss. Odd combo right? Something for everyone. Here is a photo of each topic.

COOL SITES

The Driskill Hotel- Allegedly the most haunted place in Texas.

Texas State Capitol. Wow! What a building!

Who can go to Texas and not go to the Alamo, right?

BATS

The little specks in the sky are bats flying out at dusk to feed from under the Congress St. bridge in Austin --thousands of them. I'll be posting video. It's awesome in the true sense of the word.

TRAILER PARKS

 Okay, this is not what we think of in New York when we hear the term "trailer park". It falls under food but so deserves a separate post of its own.

FOOD

Doesn't this look yummy? It's Chicken Fried Steak.

Dr. Seuss

He didn't just do kid's books folks!

I'll be going in to detail on all these wonderful places over the next few days so stop back and see! And just for fun, a video of my son's cats chasing a Palmetto bug. He was almost as funny as they were. Starring Stinky, Alexander, and Calliope (in a supporting role). Guest starring Nicholas Ruggiero as the human.

(This is post #18 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.)

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Recycle Bin Gardening

I live in a small village with a small lot. There is no room for a garden. My back yard might be big enough but it doesn't get the sun all day like in my tiny front yard. Solution? Urban gardening. When you want a small garden and you have limited room you get creative. Most people do container gardening but we use discarded recycle bins.

We use the principal of Square Foot Gardening. Each recycle bin holds a little more than two square foot of space. If you love gardening you should really get the book in the previous link. Although it is geared for ground planting the principal is the same. We can actually get spring, summer and fall crops using the same bins. Below are some pictures of our garden this year. No weeding. No bending. And if we need to move it around to give some plants more sun and others less---it's easy! Check the link above for the square foot method.


WHITE EGGPLANT


OUR MANY CUCUMBERS


GREEN PEPPERS TO THE LEFT, CUKES TO THE RIGHT.

We have more plants around both sides of the house. All of them in recycle bins on top of tables we made out of pallets.

Any questions? Just ask in the comment section.

(This is post #17 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge)

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PLUM RUM

This was written as part of the just for fun, Resurrection Poetry Contest over at AbsoluteWrite forums. (I came in 3rd and a special mention for originality and application of form. The object was to make up your own beat pattern. So it was sort of a combination of traditional methods and free verse. Here is my made up pattern:

[1]a,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]b

[1]a,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]b

[1]c,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]d

[1]c,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]d

[1]a,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]b

[1]a,[2]x,[3]x,[4]x,[3]x,[2]x,[1]b 

And now the poem.

F**k

He left

Without me

First time in years

I'll show him

Bastard

Bum

Stuck

That's it

He feels trapped

That's not my fault

Tis the booze

Again

Plum

Lazy

He is

Drinkin' pints

All afternoon

No reason

He says

Right

Crazy

I know

He was mad

I didn't care

He came back

To what

Fight

Duck

I did

As he swung

But he was drunk

Hit the wall

Not me

Dumb

Luck

That's why

I'd found it

His last bottle

Selfish man

T'was good

Rum

 

This is post #16 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

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Milk Carton Murders 19

We pick up where we left off two weeks ago.  Investigator Pepper Black is still over at Dave's house questioning his father, Hal, on his connection to the murders of the three girls 20 years earlier whose remains were found at Wiscoy Creek. Pinned to each was a piece of a milk carton with their photograph as part of the missing children campaign of the 1980s and 90s. Only problem is they are different than the ones that came from the Center. Hal worked at one point in the print shop at the dairy.

Pepper had some pretty damning evidence against Dave's dad last time about his work in the print shop and how the killer changed the milk carton layouts to add his victims. Just to keep the flow of the scene the last line last week was the voice in Dave's head which said, "Two points for Pepper, Davy boy. You better come up with something or poor, old Hal here will be spending his retirement in Attica."

Dave didn’t like the way this was going. “Okay, two points for you, Pepper, but it seems pretty farfetched don’t you think?”

“Not really—maybe they were souvenirs for him,” said Pepper, “like some serial killers keep something from their victims. This would be so much better. The milk cartons with their pictures would be right in plain sight. He could look at them every day, in every store, and so would everyone else. It would be very gratifying for him.”

“That’s just plain sick!” said Hal.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

(This also serves as post #15 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.)

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

Read More