Thursday Thoughts ~ July 24, 2025

Happy Mare’s Birthday Eve!

Yes, tomorrow is my 69^th birthday. A museum and Italian food are planned. I’ll tell you all about it next week 😊

I decided it was time to get our hearing tested. *sigh* Yet another saga! The local senior center had free hearing tests on their July schedule for Thursday, the 17^th. I called in the morning to confirm, yes, walk-ins welcome, 11:00 to 11:30. We got to the center early, which was a good thing since we couldn’t find a parking space. No worries ~ we drove across the street, parked at the library, and walked back to the center. We were directed to a boardroom, where a lovely, older Hispanic lady told us she’d been waiting since ten (it was 10:40), so we sat at the conference table across from her. She was on a Facetime with a very talkative lady. It was entertaining to hear her put in an occasional, “Si, bueno,” the only words she could get in edgewise 😊 At eleven, I went to the reception desk and was told they’d been calling and texting the hearing test folks, with no response. So, we left, along with the Si, bueno lady, disgruntled but not really bothered.  These things happen. But I do hate wasting time… Ok, maybe a little bothered.

I wasn’t sure whether our insurance included hearing tests, so I called on Friday and, yup, hearing tests are covered. Did we want to come in the next day? That threw me a bit because Saturday? But, hey, if they have openings on the weekend, let’s go! Also, the next available dates weren’t until October. Someone up there was looking out for us! I hadn’t had a hearing test for decades ~ remember when you’d wear headphones and raise your hand when you heard a sound? LOL. Well, it’s a bit more sophisticated now. I was seated in a soundproof room with seriously tight earbuds stuffed in my ears. Then I held what I described to The Husband as a Jeopardy buzzer and pressed the button when there was sound. It was kinda cool, actually. Results: my hearing is good, The Husband is losing a little of his low-end hearing but nothing to worry about yet.

I hope you’re all able to take advantage of your health care, especially us Folks of a Certain Age, because we need to safeguard our health as much as we’re able.

Writing

The editing progresses.

Still working on the first few Substack newsletters. Once the birthday weekend is over, I have to set a few goals ~ mainly the newsletter rollout and publishing schedule.

Life intrudes and I drag my feet.  Creativity can be a bitch. I need to break out my Steven Pressfield book, Do the Work. It always reminds me that the more we want to achieve, the harder our own resistance works against us. That’s where I seem to be right now…

I took a free seminar on synopsis and blurb (the copy on the back of the book) writing and got a lot of good tips. I’ve been working on the blurb for The Bonus Grave for a month now. Most writers say that’s harder to draft than the book ~ and they’re right!

Reading

I love Elise Bryant! I first discovered her through her YA books, Happily Ever Afters, One True Loves and Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling, all of which I heartily recommend. Last year, she released the first in a cozy mystery series, It’s Elementary, featuring Mavis Miller, single mother, reluctant PTA mom, and newly minted amateur detective. That caper introduced us to a charming cast of characters and suspects. The follow up, The Game is Afoot, published earlier this month and as soon as my pre-ordered book arrived, I ripped open the package and started reading! This time out, her daughter, Pearl’s, soccer coach dies on the field and there are plenty of suspects, including a mom recruiting for her scammy wellness MLM business and the park facilities manager who lost his flag football time slot to the soccer league. A subplot about who got the lead in the kids’ production of Annie is a hoot. And speaking of hoots, you’ll love Mavis’s neighbor, Ms. Joyce. Mavis has serious anxiety issues ~ the way Elise helped us understand the chaos in Mavis’s brain reminded me of Carrie Fisher’s writing in Postcards from the Edge ~ the words and ideas flow with electric energy and tension. And sometimes made me laugh out loud. As with any series, I always encourage people to read the books in order, in this case so you can enjoy Mavis’s story from the beginning and appreciate her relationships and progress with her mental health. You’re gonna love her!

Streaming/Watching

I’m still working my way through The Good Ship Murder, plus I have a lot of Will Trent’s to catch up on.

One new thing I watched was the three episode Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit. Young Midwestern news anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared in the early morning of June 27, 1995, from her apartment parking lot. There were several persons of interest but not enough evidence to arrest anyone. At that time, DNA evidence was in its infancy but there are items that await testing if new information comes to light. The case is still ongoing and the law enforcement officers are haunted by the fact that they’ve never found her. Lots of interviews with friends, family, and suspects. An interesting fact: If a person is buried close to a tree, it will absorb the smell of that body/corpse, and cadaver dogs will look up into the trees because they smell the body in the branches.

Wednesday, we saw the new Superman movie. Trigger warnings: Violence, parallels to what’s going on in the world right now, greed-based cruelty, 9/11 (buildings toppling, rubble, dust clouds). Both The Husband and I thought the first half of the movie was hard to watch. This isn’t a jolly, whoop di do superhero movie, although there are a few light moments. This version of Lex Luther encompasses every self-aggrandizing, avaricious billionaire stereotype and wasn’t fun to watch, although Nicholas Hoult did a fine job. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark and Lois lead a group of good actors. Nathan Fillion finally got his chance to play the Green Lantern in a live-action film and he was one of the highlights, along with Krypto, the adorable, high-energy superdog. I think this is one of those movies I might like better on a second viewing.

To continue with Christmas in July, I watched Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet. When pampered Sierra and her influencer fiancé have a skiing accident that results in losing her memory, she’s found by Jake, who takes her back to his foundering bed and breakfast. She struggles to help but, having no experience with bedmaking or laundry, strikes out every time. Jake, a widower with an adorable little girl and a sympathetic mother-in-law, patiently teaches her about cooking, putting others first, and standing on her own two feet. I really liked this one because of the quality of the writing and acting and the chemistry of all the characters, not just the lovers. Jack Wagner, Sierra’s wealthy father, showed empathy and love, while trying to help her sort her life ~ so many other rich dad characters are portrayed as cartoonish, controlling, and largely absent. Jake’s MIL and daughter also have some depth and emotion. The fiancé and his subplot are a bit over the top, but the love story between Sierra and Jake is sweet enough to make up for them.

Till next Thursday!

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69 cat image: Photo by Mark Tryapichnikov on Unsplash

Bassett Hound Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash