First the bad news…

On Saturday afternoon, my brother Dave took my folks to see his daughter’s soccer game. That meant two 30-mile round trips because his daughter had already played that morning and it would have been too hard for my folks to see both games. It was hot on Saturday. Really hot. But more importantly, for those of you who don’t know, my dad has Alzheimer’s.

On the way to the game, Dave happened to notice that his odometer clicked over to 100,000 miles. You know, that tricky point when the warranty suddenly expires.

A few hours later, returning home with my folks, Dave’s car broke down.

On a bridge.

The electrical system had completely shut down. He couldn’t get windows opened, couldn’t get doors unlocked. Imagine the setting for my longsuffering brother: sweltering heat, an 83 year-old father who has Alzheimer’s and who likes to keep busy and “help,” heavy traffic veering around the car (no shoulder on the bridge).

Poor Dave! Getting off the bridge required numerous California Highway Patrolmen to flag traffic, Cal-Trans to tow his car, then Triple AAA to meet him on the other side.

Afterward, my mother couldn’t find her eyeglasses. After Dave searched through the car (now at a repair shop), Mom decided she must have left them in the California Highway Patrolman’s car.

Another problem to solve for another day.

Dave and his wife are now off on a 3 week cruise and won’t give us their itinerary. 🙂

On to some good news…

I found out this morning that For the Love of Dogs is a finalist in the general fiction genre of the 2009 Written Arts Awards.

And tomorrow is release date for Amish Peace! Already in the stores, from what I’m hearing.