Good lord, Paula! That's scary! It reminds me of a Thanksgiving three years ago at my daughter's college place. We woke up to the back door hanging wide open and the window in the den open. The door — not so unusual as you have to slam it to get it to close. The window? Scratched our heads on that one, but chalked it up to her boyfriend forgetting to close it.

Turns out the people in the house next door were robbed. They weren't home. We weren't supposed to be there, either (college kids usually go home for the holidays). But the guy must have heard the tv the minute the window was opened –daughter was sleeping downstairs a room away. They caught him, but not before chasing him through the yard. He knocked her mirror on her car crooked. WAY too close for comfort.

Saturday I cleaned and put up more window film. About 10 minutes after I had my dog out around between midnight and 1 AM, I was just falling asleep and heard a loud bang. It was really windy, so I thought a tree or large branch fell onto a car or something. Next day I learned there was an armed robbery in the parking lot of the vacant school one block away. (What the four victims were doing hanging out there to begin with is suspect.) Reports said three shots were fired as the culprits fled on foot….right past my house! Thankfully no one was hit. I only heard one shot. And thank goodness that didn't happen ten minutes earlier.

Was up at 6:30 Sunday because my sister & brother-in-law were dropping their dogs off here around 7:30. It was a dreary rainy day with falling temps, so I decided to do something I almost never do: watch TV nearly all afternoon.

Today I plan to write a column and transcribe two short interviews. Tomorrow the guest dogs go home. Later this week I I'll write an article and start interviews for several more.

That wall is one of the most moving locations I've ever visited.

Busy week — I've got final galleys to turn around for the book, I'm doing a follow at the Marine Life Center tomorrow for a couple of articles and a book, and then my CCWC Board Orientation. Wednesday is Writers Night Out, and who knows what else I've got to do this week?

I'm trying to survive one day at a time! 😉

Hoping to land a couple quick turnaround, quick pay jobs to make up for the client who stiffed me the $$$ that were supposed to take care of expenses through the end of the year. I've got some of it back, but it's a process, and now I have to scramble.