“Enough! Get out of my head! I’m trying to sleep!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because I have nothing better to do; thinking about the snake scaling the railing on the porch out front; wondering and hoping it won’t make it up to the second story and greet me outside my bedroom door on the balcony, or, heaven forbid, slither all the way up to the roof and then down the chimney to join whatever it is we think might be in there………………..

Welcome to spring. {gagging smiley here}

Here’s my 33 words for this weekend’s Trifecta challenge; week sixty-seven.

“This cannot be happening!”

“Um, Macy?” Frank cleared his throat. “Besides your hair still smokin’ like a pissed-on cigar, ah, am I the only one who hears that weird chanting? And your eyes are, uh, seriously buggin’ me out. What the hell is going on?”

The background swirled around her; the blackness threatening to envelop her. She nodded in acknowledgement. She could hear it, too.

This cannot be happening! That wasn’t real prophesy! It was just a tale passed down through the generations! Macy fought her panic.

Macy turned back to Frank, her eyes flat. In a quiet voice, she started,

“The blood is passed nigh on five hundred years;

From one to one, until completion nears.

Ancestors alive;

The blood’s life does strive.

It searches; it settles, it finds its home;

Complete with mate, it halts its roam.”

She stopped and shook her head. “It can’t be!”

Frank sighed.

“Shit, Macy. What now? Damn. They could’ve at least given me a manual before sending me out this time,” he grumbled.

For the first time, Frank’s swearing didn’t faze her. She had bigger problems to deal with.

“Ok. We’re on a stake-out. Then you start chanting, in the midst of your alarm clock going off. Your hair catches on fire, and now I’m starting to hear weird chanting that is not coming from you while I see fires reflected in your eyes. Do I even want to know? Is this going to get me killed?”

Macy twisted the nearly dried wipe in her hands. Drawing a breath to fortify her explanation, she began, as calmly as her shocked nerves would allow,

“I think it’s the curse.”

Frank’s snort was cut off as she continued, “The blood “prophesy,” to be exact. You can blame my mother’s lineage for all of this. If it’s true, don’t hate me or shoot me, Frank, but you’re part of it, too. And yeah, it just might get us killed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiya. It’s been a while. Lots of stuff has happened since Frank and Macy last occupied these pages. We moved, which means a ton of stuff has been taking my time- painting, horses, kitties, chickens, etc etc. When you live on a farm, there is no shortage of stuff to do.

I’m hoping I can get back into the swing of things, because Frank and Macy have been patiently waiting for their story to be told.

If you’re new or have missed parts to this never-ending saga of fun, start with the last part here or click on this Gunz-N-Roses link here or the tab on each page to read the rest of the story.

In case if you haven’t figured out this week’s word, here it is:

BLOOD (noun)

• Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.

• You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.

• The word itself needs to be included in your response.

• You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above.

• Only one entry per writer.

• If your post doesn’t meet our requirements, please leave your link in the comments section, not in the linkz.

• Trifecta is open to everyone. Please join us.

My 11-year-old daughter was panicked. I was able to get out of her that she thought one of the chickens had a broken neck and was flopping around in the brooder.

Because we were nearly done at the one store, I figured the rest of the grocery shopping would have to wait. It was going to take me at least 45 minutes to get home, since we still had to check out.

My response was, “Separate her out and I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

You may have figured out by now that while I’m not writing as much as I used to, it doesn’t mean that nothing is going on around here. I’ve come to learn that when you live on a farm, there is never-ending stuff to do.

This is some of that stuff.

I pretty well knew what I was going to walk into, but there was still a chance that it was an actual broken neck, so I didn’t pick anything up at the time. I probably should have, because sending Hunny to buy baby vitamins on the way home was something neither of us thought we’d ever be doing again.

When I got home, I was surprised to see that my favorite silkie, Silver, was not only not dead, but actually wasn’t as poorly off as I had expected. My relief was short-lived.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to get a picture:

Go ahead and click and enlarge the picture. I’ll wait.

Yes, her feet are flat on the ground. She is not upside-down. And yes, her head is completely on backwards.

This, my friends, is what wry neck looks like.

It didn’t seem to be hurting her; she just seemed more confused than anything else.

Because I research things endlessly even when they don’t apply to me at the time, I knew that wry neck was not usually fatal, and that there was a way to treat it. The most critical issue was going to be making sure she had adequate food and water intake.

Wry neck {sometimes called ”crook neck”} seems to most often affect Silkies. Some thinking is that because silkies have a vaulted skull (a hole in the top of the skull), this makes them more susceptible to injury.

Some believe it can have a neurological cause, and sometimes, diseases like Marek’s and Newcastle’s can have wry neck as a symptom.

Others believe there is a genetic component to it; and others think it’s a vitamin deficiency.

In our case, I think it’s injury.

I’ve had silkies before; I’ve got 8 right now, and this is the first time we’ve had a baby affected. I wasn’t there to see what happened, but we’ve got at least 3 boys in there right now, and well, boys will be boys. {I am not fond of adolescent cockerels, but usually they grow out of the obnoxiousness relatively quickly}

Once I got home, I was surprised to see her preening and eating and drinking. I was hoping we would have a mild case of it, and I’d be able to get her back in with the others in a few days.

By evening, I knew it was going to take longer than a few days.

Hunny had been called and was bringing home baby vitamins; Poly Vi Sol *without* iron, to be exact. He had to go to two different places to find them, and when he did, wow- $10 for a 1.75 fl oz bottle. He reminded me that the vitamins cost more than the chicken did.

By the time he got home, Silver had already been switched over to a yogurt/crumble mash with added vitamin E capsule squeezed out.

The following morning, I went back into town to get some selenium, which is needed to help the vitamin E absorption. I also went ahead and went back to Tractor Supply and got some 20% protein chick feed and some electrolytes for her water.

I am not a big believer in extra added stuff as a rule- unless it’s needed. I figured electrolytes in the water couldn’t hurt.

I always give my babies yogurt. Yogurt has extra protein for growing chicks, and it helps give them good intestinal bugs, of the probiotic kind. Got a chick with pasty butt? Give them yogurt.

I always give my chicks yogurt by day 2, and I have never had an issue with pasty butt. I’ve gotten chicks that came pasty, and the yogurt cleared it right up.

Yogurt is a triple whammy- probiotics + good for additional protein, and also a help in keeping hydrated, because it’s not quite solid.

The electrolyte powder comes in a packet, for one gallon of water. I confess  I did not measure out a gallon, since the packet says to use fresh every day. Now, I assume some of that is to get you to buy more product, but I wasn’t going to risk it. I put a couple of pinches in the water mix.

The first few days, I crushed the selenium and mixed it in with the electrolyte water, in which I put a dropper full of Poly Vi Sol {without iron}, and I also added the vitamin E, to make sure she was actually getting some.

I had read that they should get 50 mcgs of selenium. The dosage I had was 200 mcgs. I got a pill crusher and crushed it into quarters. I had read one situation where the lady crushed some and put it in the entire bottle of vitamins, but I didn’t really want to go that route.

I did a heavy dose of selenium on day 2- 50 mcgs in the water and another 50 mcgs crushed into the food.

The vitamin E capsules are 400 I.U.s, which I gave twice a day. I just snipped the capsule enough to squeeze out the contents and put on the food and in the water a few days.

The wry neck was exhausting.

She often had to rest.

Then she’d perk back up a little and eat some.

And then another rest.

She was lonely, that first day, so I added a friend for her; one I knew couldn’t hurt her.

By the time I got up on day 2, things were not looking good. Her head was completely dragging on the ground {which was nasty, because they still poo….} and she was going in circles. She could only go in reverse, which resulted in her getting wedged into the corner much of the time because she could only go so far.

I also knew she needed to be alone so as not to stress out another chick, and so she could just rest without having anything else in the same space.

By day 3, I was feeling really sad. She was clearly distressed, and wrestling around with her neck was wiping her out. Her balance had gotten worse, and she was also now falling over. I have to be honest and say I didn’t have a lot of hope for her at that point.

But, I had read that while progress was slow, it would happen. So, I tried not to despair and just waited.

In addition to the yogurt, I added some scrambled egg. She got more egg and yogurt than crumble those days, since I was really trying to bump her protein. Eggs are not only full of protein, but they also have vitamin E and selenium in them.

I also made a point to get the liquids in her. I had initially dipped her beak in her water the first day, to make sure she was getting enough, but by days 2 and 3, she had deteriorated enough that I knew it was more stressful to do that then just have her on my lap and use the dropper.

Medicine droppers are easy to find, and they don’t cost much; just like the 88 cent pill crusher I had gotten.

It’s important to just dribble the water drops on the end of the beak so that the chicken doesn’t aspirate {inhale} the water into its lungs. I basically camped out in the office those first few days, watching, watering, and researching. I didn’t want to miss anything.

Day 5 was the day there was actual noticeable progress. Silver had her head up more and more, and her appetite had dramatically improved.

Today, we’re at the 17 day mark. I could probably put her back in with the others, but the boys are still too rambunctious for me to be relaxed about it. Plus, while her preening has improved and is back to normal, I think I want to give her a bath and clean her head throughly.

She’s also got a buddy in with her again. When she started hopping out when we left the ‘lid’ off, we knew it was time to get her some company. We’re rotating chicks out, so when she goes back in the big brooder, she won’t be a total stranger to them.

If you ever think about getting into chickens, know this: there are abundant resources online to help you with whatever: coop design, identifying chicks, predator information and control suggestions; feeding, and yes, illnesses and emergencies.

Here are a few pages that I used as templates for our situation:

A success story that gave me hope: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/662850/a-happy-ending-to-a-wry-neck-chick-story-with-pics-with-update

More clinical information, including treatment suggestions: http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=casestudiesemergencies&action=display&num=1160927052

You’ll notice that we didn’t use prednisone. While there are some that swear that using it in addition to the other treatment is necessary, I thought I would give the other suggestions a go before giving a steroid that would compromise her immune system.

Let me recap what I did:

Poly Vi Sol WITHOUT iron- comes in a purple box and I found it with the baby/child vitamins at Walmart. You should be able to find this just about anywhere they sell baby stuff. I gave a full dropper full in the water dish and an added boost of a solid dropper-full of just vitamins for the first few days. By the end of the first week, I was just adding it to her water.

Vitamin E capsules- 400 I.U.s x 2 a day

Selenium- 200 microgram pills, cut into 4 pieces. I used an entire pill in with her water/vitamins the first day; most of it going into her water. If you think this is too much, by all means, stick to a lower dosage. I thought a boost on the first day (which was day 2 of injury) wouldn’t hurt her, especially since she had gotten worse.

Yogurt- good for protein and hydration. I always use plain, non-diet yogurt. Anything with flavor just seems to really stink, since I add some crumble to the top so it doesn’t get flung as far.

Egg- I used both scrambled, and also boiled. The key is to mash it so the pieces are small enough to be eaten, because they can’t smash it on the ground to break it into smaller bits.

Electrolytes- this should be next to the Save-A-Chick stuff; not quite the same, as this is more vitamins/minerals as opposed to sugar/pick-me-up-go-go stuff.

Patience- you’ll probably need it, along with a good dose of hope. I’m pretty sure prayer helps, too.

Time- I am fortunate that I’m home and that the kids are willing to help. It has been hugely helpful to have the kids tag-team with me to make sure she always had food and water, and wasn’t getting too distressed. Because we had her water in bowls instead of a regular waterer, drowning was a concern, because in theory, she could get her head in there and not have the strength to get it out.

As you do with baby chicks, you can add some rocks or large marbles to the water so that they can’t get the whole head in and drown. I took the lid off of an old sports bottle and floated it in the condiment dish. Because I had such little liquid in there, I kept the bowl tipped so the liquid was more on one side than the other, if that makes sense.

Another thing I did was to use a small box and put her food plate on it. I used a saucer for her food. Because she could only go either in circles or in reverse, she was again, dragging her head through her food- and the shavings were getting dragged into everything, too. Having the dish on the little box helped keep her head and the shavings out it, and also helped to encourage her to get her head up a little higher.

I used the dish to better keep track of what she was eating; plus, yogurt is gooey.

I will also confess to giving some massage. In people, we call this condition torticollis. I know massage has been helpful in infants, so I thought, why not try it on my chicken?

While I am absolutely not angling to have more wry neck, I think it was overall less stressful than I imagine coccidiosis would be; having an egg-bound hen, or some other unknown situation.

So. That’s what I’ve been up to. What about you?

Annalisa wasn’t really sorry when her husband, Hans, was found dead, burning in a brush pile, his face partially melted off. There was no love between the two of them; especially since he’d taken to stealing her hidden egg and butter money to feed his gambling habit. She’d spent so much time trying to save what she could for her and her daughter.

And now the saved money and her husband were gone.

Yet, Annalisa knew it could be worse. She could have a husband like her 17-year-old sister’s husband, who beat her.

The lingering question of accident or murder didn’t need to be addressed. Saving the farm was all that mattered.

Without a husband- well, probably WITH her deadbeat husband, too- she’d never be able to pay back the loan for their land, and she’d lose her home. There was no place for a husband-less woman with a two-year old to go, and she wouldn’t be a burden to her parents.

As was typical in the immigrant, tight-knit community, her Vater would find a solution. As was also typical, that solution came in the form of a cousin from the Old Country.

But the man who came in the interim was not her cousin, and his identity would be far more dangerous not just to himself, but to Annalisa’s heart. The German immigrant community of displaced miners forced to leave and move across the ocean to Michigan had a long memory, along with long grudges.

Carl wasn’t expecting the lifeline he was thrown. It was his only chance to save his head- literally. The one covertly freeing him was the same that sentenced him to death for a crime he didn’t commit- his father.

Carl also wasn’t expecting to stay long in the immigrant community of miners-turned-farmers. He was expecting to be relieved by his manservant’s son, Dirk, who was to marry the pregnant Annalisa and take on Han’s responsibility of farm and family.

Can Carl help save the farm- and his heart- before it’s too late?

~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a complex story that had me cheering “Go, Carl, go!” and giving other direction to the characters, like, “Just tell him already!” and other words of wisdom. :lol:

Seriously, though, the intricacies of this story where not overwhelming, and certain details were based on historical fact. Character development was fantastic, and the climax was one of the best I’ve read in a while.

You have probably figured out that this title was a slam dunk for me, and gets 5 out of 5 stars, no questions asked.

I don’t know that I’ve read any of Jody Hedlund’s other books, but I’m going to do some digging and see if I have, because I thoroughly enjoyed this title.

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers (www.bethanyhouse.com) for this review.

The trip south to help her mother move spurs Tish to making a side trip to Alabama, to get a glimpse of an old family home on her father’s side.

Tish’s nosiness results in her own life getting altered…………. can the southern town she’s landed in set aside differences and accept the new Yankee?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plot sounded good, and it could have been. This book was not quite a dud, but was completely ho-hum. I kept waiting for something of actual consequence to happen.

The premise of willy-nilly moving and buying a new house without a waiting job is absurd. Have you moved lately? Since the housing crash, underwriters have been brutal; asking for all kinds of strange things. There is NO WAY she would have been approved for a mortgage without a job. Her moving would have been more believable had she gotten an inheritance and/or paid cash for the house.

The following story-line of her not being able to get a job because {spoiler alert!} of her last name doesn’t make things better.

Now let’s add to the mix Melanie; wayward child, shunned by her own family and unexpectedly living with Tish, well, it’s just a bit too unbelievable to get sucked into the story line.

Maybe it’s because I’m a Yankee living in the South; maybe the small town I’m living in isn’t small enough; maybe it’s not big enough; or maybe I’m not far enough south, but I just can’t see an entire town holding a grudge against a family that lived there a hundred years ago. I think even the Hatfields and the McCoys have stopped warring with each other at this point…………..

I’ve reviewed another Meg Moseley title and absolutely loved it. This one, though, left me very lukewarm. I was disappointed, honestly. I know she can write better; I wonder if this title was rushed too fast.

Because I like Meg Moseley overall, and because it wasn’t a bad read, I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Rank this Review!

Stop. It.

What’s got my knickers in a twist?

Soring. That’s what.

A year ago- heck- 6 months ago, I would have thought that this was a mis-spelling of what large birds do when they are flying.

The extent of our horsey knowledge was that they were expensive {especially in the desert, where they can’t graze} and that there was BIG money in racing. I had heard that there was a lot of money in the show horse world, but I never had cause to really think about any of it.

And then we moved, and had abandoned horses in our front yard.

That led to the decision to get horses for those that want to ride. A friend of ours came across a posting through an equine rescue group for a Spotted Saddle Horse. And then, the one gal with the rescue sent our friend info on a Tennessee Walking Horse.

We fell in love, and were totally, completely hooked.

We sent both girls down the road {literally, not even a mile away} for training, where they stayed for a month and we all got trained. Mostly.

We knew our SSH had issues with being trailered. We came to figure out that she had been a show horse, which instantly put her into hyper-speed when the bit when in her mouth. It also accounted for the tail with the cut tendon, to make her tail stay up a bit higher.

Our TWH, on the other hand, trailered just fine, but continued to test every single person who sat on her. And, she was/is bossy and pushy in the pasture. We think she had also been shown, thanks to her “pimp walk.”

This is a hard one to describe, because people look at you like you are nuts when you try to describe it. It’s like she has a broken leg.

Now, some people think an unusual gait is fun, {why else would they have trained her to do it?!}, but we don’t like it. At. All.

This is one of those things we’ve been working hard to correct.

We’re not getting very far riding them outside the paddock, either, because they are hopped up when the bits go in and retraining has taken some time.

To this end, we are transitioning them to use hackamores. I think we are making some progress.

I started researching, because, well, that’s just the way I roll.

And then I learned about soring, and it got me to thinking.

Our SSH, Magic, has uber sensitive feet. We thought she was ticklish. Now, I’m not so sure. I wonder if she has nerve damage.

Before I go any further, I need to warn you that these pictures and information are graphic and disturbing. Because it’s important, I feel a need to get it out there.

What is soring?

According to the Human Society,

“Soring involves the intentional infliction of pain to a horse’s legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait. Caustic chemicals—blistering agents like mustard oil, diesel fuel, and kerosene—are applied to the horse’s limbs, causing extreme pain and suffering.”

Here are a few pictures.

The point of soring is to make them pick their feet up really high, for the Big Lick gait.

Lest you think this is an isolated incident, there have been recent arrests made; one top trainer in addition to a person who was on the ethics board for this breed.

I’m naming names.

Last September, Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell was fined and banned for life because of soring and booted out of the Hall of Fame. Did his punishment go far enough? In my opinion, no.

$75,000 is not NEARLY enough, in my opinion, for the decades of torture he caused these horses, not to mention the profit he made in the show ring.

Last week, April 25, 19 horses were seized in a barn used by Larry Wheelon. Mr. Wheelon is an is an active director of the Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer’s Association and sits on its ethics committee. You can read about the warrant here.

Watch the videos.

They are graphic, but you NEED to see them to get a glimmer of what this is all about.

The Human Society video is one that I haven’t been able to sit all the way through. I absolutely just cannot get through it.

If you’ve ever been on the other side of a rescued horse, you might know what I’m talking about.

One of the previous owners threw a hammer at her (our SSH), too.

I suspect that my horse may have been subjected to some of this. Even if she wasn’t, she is, nonetheless, traumatized. There is no other explanation for the way she freaks out when getting trailered, or how you can see the fear in her eyes when the bit goes in her mouth.

We’ve been told numerous times that a horse you can’t ride eats just as much as a horse you can ride. There’s truth to that.

We’re not ready to give up, though. The more I read, watch, and learn, the more I feel like we absolutely were sent here for these horses- not just the abandoned ones, but the ones we’ve rescued.

While I admit to getting frustrated because I’d like to be further along than we are, this kind of information fortifies my resolve.

So, what can you do? Not everyone can foster or rehabilitate an abused or neglected horse. You can, however, find a 501 c3 non-profit equine rescue. You might even find one that specializes in Tennessee Walking Horses/Spotted Saddle Horses or other gaited horses that have been victimized for the show ring.

One rescue I’ve found is called the Sore No More Ranch, and it specializes in Tennessee Walking Horses that have been victims of soring.

The Wounded Heart Center is another that specializes in treatment and rehabilitation.

Habitat For Horses has a lot of good information, too.{I haven’t found anything on this website that says it’s a non-profit- if someone can find it, please post the link in a comment and I’ll edit this post.}

The bottom line is this: Soring HAS TO STOP.

Help spread the word. Donate funds to an equine rescue. Rescue a horse if you’re able. Spread the word and contact your legislators asking them NOT to support the Ag bill that punishes abuse whistleblowers. You can get read more about that issue on the Human Society  and ASPCA websites.

Get involved.

Do. Something.

You CAN make a diffference!

Turns out, she didn’t need to worry about sneaking off. Nope, Pa’s stupidity took care of her ‘escape’ for her. Now, if she could manage to survive the swollen river that took the wagons and the family………….

Luke Stone had some reckoning to do. Pa Stone had been killed and his ranch had been stolen from him. Luke’s sister, Callie, had gone off to Colorado to track down her wayward husband. Last he knew, she was doin’ fine.

Someone had to set the ranch to rights, and that someone was him. If Flint Greer had his way, though, Luke would be well out of the way before he got close enough to be a threat.

But Luke had plans for Greer. And, he had friends. They were Regulators, bound together by surviving Andersonville.

Those plans didn’t include a woman. What was he to do? He couldn’t leave her sopped up on the wagon planks in the turbulent river! As driven as he was, he couldn’t leave a woman to die, especially when she was right on his path home.

Can Luke save his ranch? Can they save Flint’s wife and kids from his barbaric beatings? And what’s he going to do with Ruthy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Mary Connealy picks right up where she left off, more or less, after the Kincaid brothers got their lives settled. In the final book of the Kincaid Brides series, we met up with Callie, Luke’s sister, as she went after her forgetful husband.

We jump back to Texas as Luke makes his plan to get his ranch back. This is the first book in the series, and I can’t wait to read the subsequent titles.

This book is classic Mary Connealy, through and through. She is one of my favorite authors, so it’s no surprise I’m giving this one 5 out of 5 stars. It has everything in it- a damsel in distress, wrongs to right, gun fights, and classic good vs. evil battles. If you’ve enjoyed her other titles, you’ll love this one!

You might also enjoy Mary Connealy’s website, that has all of her titles.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for this unbiased review.

Deadline:

Doc, Finney, and Jake. The three amigos. Three peas in a pod. Lifelong friends. Survived Nam together, more or less. Stood up at each other’s weddings. Standing Sunday afternoon football date.

And now there was one, after that fateful Sunday afternoon pizza run. Jake was lucky to have gotten out of the accident alive.

As he tries to go back to his normal routine as a columnist for the Portland Tribune, those four little words change everything………………… “It wasn’t an accident.”

Jake was used to getting mail, but nothing like this. He couldn’t let it go. He had to follow the note. He had to get ahold of his friend, Ollie Chandler.

Dominion:

Clarence Abernathy had gotten acquainted with Detective Ollie Chandler when his friend and fellow Tribune columnist, Jake Woods, worked with Ollie to solve the murders of his two best friends. Jake’s world was shaken to the core when his two best friends died in an accident that should have claimed him, too.

Clarence was a driving force in Jake getting reacquainted with God, thanks to the two men being thrown together on a ‘diversity panel’ for the paper.

When his sister and niece get shot and killed by suspected gang activity, Clarence knows he needs Ollie’s help. Can he find justice for his sister and niece without losing his soul in the process?

Deception:

Ollie is losing his mind. This last murder doesn’t add up. Come to think of it, the last two murders he and his partner investigated seemed too ‘clean;’ too neatly tied up. The puzzle pieces fit together too perfectly.

This latest homicide, though? This one has him in fits. It also has his gum wrapper with his fingerprints- and his rope around the dead man’s neck- at the crime scene. And it’s not just Ollie getting framed.

So many things don’t add up that Ollie can only come to one conclusion: someone in the Homicide department is a killer.

Can Ollie bring the killer to justice before another attempt on his life is successful? If he can’t, where will he go when he dies? Can he change his thinking and finally find faith in God so he can go to heaven when his time is up?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plots are pretty good. The books would have been good if they had just stuck to the actual plot.

I should have known something was afoot when the beginning acknowledgements gave credit to A.W. Tozer.

Tozer is not easy reading. Actually, his books are some of the most complex I’ve ever read, and while the writing is sound, it’s absolutely not pleasure reading. For me, it’s pretty laborious. Unless I do it in small doses, it puts me to sleep; sending my mind into never-never land. Tozer is one of those authors that even when you are reading out loud, it won’t might not make sense the first or second or third time.

The first two books are written totally in that vein. And I didn’t enjoy them. At. All.

Maybe it’s because I’m already on board and the “case” for God doesn’t need to be made to me. I don’t know.

Add to this that the dead characters were expounding on heaven and hell (although much less hell was being presented) in greater proportion than actual main plot and I was getting frustrated. There were numerous times I actually said out loud, “If I had wanted to read Tozer, I would go back and read *him*!” {fully knowing that my copy of The Knowledge of the Holy is still packed away somewhere…….}

Combine this with the length of this title- no kidding, I had been reading for something like 3 days and I hadn’t even gotten through the first book!- and the fact that Ollie Chandler, whom the series was named after, wasn’t even a MAIN character and didn’t actually show up until something like half-way through the book, well, I was not looking forward to reading the other two titles.

True to form, I got into the second book and felt like it was never going to end, but because I was reviewing it, I needed to slog through it.

Again, Ollie was not a main character, and didn’t really have a whole lot to do with any part of the book. This one focused entirely on race- the fact that Clarence was black and what it’s like to be black in America. We went on a Bible tour via the deceased sister and her angel guide; through the Old Testament to see how the Ethiopians were faithful Christians, which absolutely didn’t translate to the white man’s perception of blacks during slavery.

We learned all about gang violence between the Cripps and the Bloods; the method to the tagging, etc etc.

Strangely, while in the first book Finney was praying for his family and for Jake, there was only a single incidence of Dani praying for Clarence; and she didn’t break away and pray for her own son when he took up arms and shot someone during gang initiation. It felt like the author was too focused in on debunking the perceived myth that only white people were in the Bible to even have continuity in his writing.

In my opinion, this book was entirely too heavy on the race theme and trying to impress that the whites should make restitution for slavery than it was sticking to the plot. Or maybe the rabbit trails were the plot. Either way, while it was informative, it wasn’t an enjoyable read, nor one that made much sense as it applies to actual plot.

I was really relieved to finally get to the last book in the collection, although I was seriously dreading it. If I hadn’t been reviewing these titles, I would probably have stopped in the second book.

Surprisingly, I really liked the last book. This should not be a huge surprise, because Ollie was the main character and was written from his perspective. And, it was funny. I mean, it was laugh-out-loud funny in numerous parts, which was not only refreshing, but a much-welcomed reprieve from the heavy tone of the other two titles.

The crux of this book was Ollie weeding through the evidence of the final murder to not only exonerate himself as a suspect and bring the real killer to justice, but also to save his soul.

Jake made an appearance, since he was a long-time good friend of Ollie’s. Clarence was there, too. Apparently, the newspaper made a deal with the police department to have one of their reporters shadow a murder investigation, right from the start. This included having unprecedented access for their own photographer.

I don’t think I need to say how unrealistic I think this is; you know, compromising a crime scene with civilians and all. And, despite the fact that Clarence was supposed to be in Ollie’s pocket for every single everything having to do with the case, there were several times Ollie could have used Clarence, but Clarence was mysteriously absent.

I really can’t give the first two books anything but 2, but the last book I can say I’d give a 5 to. It was funny; not overly preachy, and the continuity was significantly better. Overall, the collection gets a 3. I would probably give the author another chance should he write another Ollie book, but wouldn’t hesitate to put it down if it goes the route of the fist two titles.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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*sigh*

It all started today from going back and reading another post and discovering that a linked video had disappeared. The hunt was on to find the missing piece.

And one of the very first things I found was Michael.

Oh. My. Stars.

I had forgotten about him singing this one.

Wait. What? What am I talking about?

Not what. WHO.

Michael.

Michael Ball.

*le sigh*

If you don’t know who this is, let me hold up your rock so you can crawl out from under it. Don’t beat me for failing to educate you, because I’ll do a little to get started.

It’s not just that I’m a sucker for curly hair and dimples. Nope. It’s not just that.

I am very sure I was crushing hard before I even got a look at him. That was just frosting on the cake.

Have you heard him sing?

The man has serious {and I mean SERIOUS} pipes. *sigh*

See what I mean? *sigh* I’ve watched this one at least 5 times today.

And it’s not even one of my most favorites. They’re all my favorites, but there are some I especially ♥♥♥.

You may remember he was the original Marius in Les Miserable. I’m sorry, but no one compares to him. Except maybe Ramin. But I digress. I’ll get lost in Ramin later.

{If you’re a geek like me and totally get sucked into this stuff, here’s a good comparison of the various Mariuses:

See where I’m coming from? Good, but not quite the same…..}

So. Michael. Marius. Les Miserable. *sigh* {I’m sorry, but Nick Jonas as Marius in the last anniversary special was just, well, terrible. No offence to Nick, but music theatre is just not his forte.}

Obviously, he’s done all kinds of stuff, including another one of my favorites, Aspect of Love.

In 2013, he received a Whatsonstage Award for Sweeney Todd.

Even in this grim show, his dimples betray him. ♥♥♥

The kicker is that he followed with this role after his Olivier Award-winning spin as Edna in Hairspray, which I think is hilarious.

This year, Michael is again nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. And, while he continues to rock on with different roles and keep me trapped, I still have to say my favorite role was Marius. *sigh*

Well, I might as well move on with my day and try to enjoy escape to doing something productive. I’m pretty sure the kids are sick and tired of playing ‘name that tune’ with me.

And yet he- as an orphan- was able to claim his birthright. His dead mother, Sarah, had taught him well.

Could he hang onto his kingdom? Whom could he trust?

His dreams taunted him. Were they real?

“Thomas, there is a great circle of conspiracy. Much larger than you and I…….and there is much at stake. Haven’t you wondered why this castle is set so securely, so far away from the outer world? Why would anyone bother attacking a village here? Yet an impenetrable castle was founded. And by no less a wizard than Merlin.”

Was she real? He’d seen Isabelle die. No, he’d felt her die; right there, in his arms after her skull received a crushing blow.

And yet, here she was, whispering in his ear, in his bedroom. He couldn’t reconcile how anyone had made it past the soldiers outside his bedchamber; much less someone who was dead.

No, he must be dreaming. Yet, he can still feel her kiss lingering on his forehead.

Who is she? Why is she here? Can he trust her? Is she really trying to help him keep Magnus?

Fortress of Mist is book 2 in the Merlin’s Immortals series. I had not read book 1; The Orphan King. If I ever get my “to read” list cleared off, I will definitely go back and get the first book.

Set in 1312 AD, this book has it all- magic, sword play, intrigue, mysterious women, and magic. Two sides are warring for Thomas’ allegiance. One one side are the Druids, with their magic and secret symbols.

On the other side? Thomas doesn’t know. They are nearly as mysterious, and their guidance is also veiled. Thomas doesn’t feel he can trust the one he’s trusted all those years, especially now that she’s revealed her actual face to him. Feeling deceived by her as well, he takes drastic action; despite the depth of his emotion.

I’m learning to really look at the author before I accept a book for review. There have been a few titles that confirmed to me that the author is not one I’m really interested in reading again, so I’m paying more attention to author than I was previously.

Sigmund Brouwer was one author I’ve read I have reviewed before. Because The Canary List was a pretty good book, I thought I’d give this one a shot.

My single complaint is that this book ends pretty abruptly. As in, I was shocked and wondered if I hadn’t gotten the entire download. Then I went online to buy the sequel, only to be bitterly disappointed to learn it’s not been released yet. Boo!

Did you gasp out loud at that last comment? I know I did, once I realized what I’d done. That is the absolute first time I’ve gone to order a sequel of any book I’ve reviewed. I rarely order sequels. To date, there have only been a handful of series I’ve gone and purchased, because it’s hard for me to justify when I have so many unread titles waiting to be cracked open.

One part of me wants to give it 4 out of 5 stars because of the way it ended. That’s just not right; to leave the reader so completely hanging and feeling entirely unresolved.

But. Because this book was SO good, I’m going to relent and give it the 5 out of 5 starts it actually deserves, dirty trick aside. Come to think of it, I’d probably give it 6 or 7 stars {out of 5} because it was that good.

If this era piques your curiosity, run, don’t walk, and get this title!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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