Wisdom at 66

July 26, 2017

Every once in a while, cyberspace, namely Google, throws me a bone. I ran a search on Easter Island and up popped a story about Wisdom the Laysan albatross. 

Having followed Wisdom for several years, I must confess I didn't check on her this past spring. She's at least 66 years old now, and I suppose I fear that one day there will be bad news. 

This year's little fluffball hatched on February 16th. It's estimated this chick is number 30 to 35 for Wisdom. At the time, both appeared to be in good health. Proud pappa Akeakamai is not Wisdom's first mate. She's had several in the course of her life, outliving them all. The chick has already been banded and I wish for it as long a life as its mother's. 

Wisdom was first banded December 10, 1956, as an adult, so we do have a close approximation of her age. It's wonderful to have such a history on her, except we don't. Wisdom is a bit sneaky. After they managed to put a band on her, she evaded being spotted until 2002! Can you imagine the surprise when the scientists realized who they'd found? 

I enjoy a good success story. Long may Wisdom prosper. 

KC

MidWeek Tease - Ride Your Luck

July 19, 2017

**Updated 4/2/21 - the MidWeek Tease blog hop is closed.**

Before we launch into today's MidWeek Tease, I need to take a moment and say "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful partner of twenty-three years. He's a two-time cancer survivor so we don't take birthdays for granted. You're still the one, hon.

The MidWeek Tease is a blog hop where you can find excerpts from the works of your favorite authors and be introduced to new authors. Please visit participating blogs by using the Linky List at the end of this post.

_*_*_

EXCERPT

I found him, riding bareback on Argo, at the top of the canyon path. Wilting with relief had a lot of appeal but I refrained. The better move was to glare at him, so I did.

“Damn it, Wythe! You scared me to death sending Ben back alone.”

He patted Argo’s neck. “I didn’t send the motherfucker anywhere. I unhobbled him and for whatever the fuck horse reason, Argo nipped his ass. Ben lit out like the hounds of hell were after him.”

I took off my hat and wiped my sweaty forehead with my sleeve. Thank God he was okay.

“So what’s the plan? Ride Argo back to the barn and get him in a stall?”

Wythe tilted his hat to block the sun from his eyes. “I would’ve but since you’re here I’d rather ride back with you.”

“What makes you think I’m offering to share anything with you, including a ride on my horse?”

“Technically, he’s my horse, but okay. So I was pissy. Okay, so I blew what should have been a really good day with you. Bite me.”

I’d like to bite him—right after I gave him the spanking of his life.

“Don’t tempt me or I’ll show you what kind of a dog I really am.”

We stared at each other, neither of us blinking, for many long seconds. Wythe looked away, so I moved the conversation back to Argo.

“So you’re just going to let Argo go again? You’re risking a lot, you know.”

“I know, but his blood will boost the wild herd some. He’s already covered six of the wild mares.”

Not everyone would agree that was a good plan. Some might say it would dilute Mustang blood, but I didn’t know how pure the wild herd on Bar RC land was and Wythe likely did. I tapped my boot to Shorty to get him to move sideways.

“If that’s the plan, swing on over here.” I held out my arm as he moved to hop over, but it didn’t work. Argo either took exception to the maneuver or seized the opening to show his rider who was the boss because Wythe landed on his ass. I looked down and laughed.

“Any more good ideas?” I slipped my foot out of the stirrup so he could use it.

Wythe got to his feet, dusting off his butt. “Nope. The nag bested me again. Go!”

He smacked Argo’s rump, and the stallion trotted back to the canyon trail and disappeared over the rim. Wythe planted his foot in the stirrup, grabbed the hand I offered, and swung up behind me. Shorty took a little hop, then stood still. I straightened as Wythe wrapped an arm around my waist. I patted his hand.

“So does this mean you’re over your snit?”

“Nope. It means I don’t want to hit the ground again.”

“Shorty and I make no promises.” I turned the horse and eased my grip on the reins. Shorty would head for the barn and his food trough without any urging from me. 

Hell, I didn’t want to make him move any faster, not with Wythe all warm and relaxed against my back. Little prickling waves of awareness washed over me every time he made the slightest move. How I kept from squirming in the saddle was a mystery. 

"For a cowboy, you sure smell good.”

I resisted the urge to turn around to look at him. “If you weren’t sniffing the back of my neck, you wouldn’t know that.”

Wythe wrapped his other arm around my waist. 

I snorted at him. “If I say the w-h-o-a word, your balls are going to take a hit on the saddle.”

He reached down and cupped mine. Well, sorta cupped. He couldn’t really get to them, the way I sat in the saddle. 

I moved his hand. “Now’s not the time to go copping a feel. You had your chance earlier.”

_*_*_

ABOUT RIDE YOUR LUCK 

Regan Oakley’s luck ran out. After a stint in rehab, he’s putting his life back together without the booze. What he thinks is an old friend’s charity is really a plea for help. There’s trouble at the Bar RC Ranch and the friend’s son is in the middle of it. Regan takes one look at Wythe Carver and knows that young man isn’t the only one with his world turned upside down.

Wythe Carver’s life took a strange turn. Suspected of murdering the ranch foreman, he’s hanging on, one day at a time. The person who could alibi him has disappeared and Wythe can’t find him. To make matters worse, his prize stallion is loose on the range. Complicating his life even more, his father called an old friend to come help out at the ranch. One look at Regan Oakley is all Wythe needs to know it’s going to get hot at night. 

Regan sets out to find the truth of what happened that night at the Bar RC. He’s sure Wythe is innocent, and he’s just as sure he has no business getting involved with the boss’s son. With no solid proof to clear Wythe, Regan needs to ride his luck to get to the truth and keep Wythe by his side. 

(Obviously, Blogger had some fun refusing to allow me to fix the formatting issues this week. It's an imperfect world.)

RIDE YOUR LUCK

Contemporary gay cowboy

Amazon US: www.amazon.com/Ride-Your-Luck-KC-Kendricks-ebook/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01E9TQ4YS

Apple/iTunes:  itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1098678927

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ride-your-luck-kc-kendricks/1122717097?ean=2940153211367

Rakuten/Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ride-your-luck-1

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/4XGyvm

Ride Your Luck webpage with more information and excerpt: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/ride-your-luck-by-kc-kendricks.html

_*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

The math doesn't work for me

July 14, 2017

A few years ago I hopped on the Fitbit bandwagon. I started with a Fitbit Flex but I like techie toys and now have a Charge2. I enjoy getting out for a walk so it's a good match, or so I thought, but as with all things, I now have questions.

The Fitbit and MyFitnessPal apps sync. If you’re tracking your daily calories on MyFitnessPal, you’ll get “credit” for calories burned while counting steps and distance through Fitbit. For example, I logged 10,975 steps through Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal gave me an additional 812 calories for the day. For me, that’s 1200 base calories right now plus 812 calories for a grand total of 2012 calories allowed for that day.

Here’s the rub. The math doesn’t work for me.

I checked about a dozen online activity calorie calculators and walking for 51 minutes, the total minutes Fitbit says I walked fast enough to count as exercise, doesn’t equal 812. All the online calculators say I burned approximately 297 calories in those 51 minutes. That’s based on walking speed, etc., and I gave myself the benefit of the doubt that I averaged a 3mph pace, which I doubt. Any way you look at it, it’s a 515 calorie (or more) difference between the online health site calculators and Fitbit & MyFitnessPal.

The other thing that happens between those two apps is you get calorie credit on the Fitbit for simply breathing.

Clearly, there are some very sophisticated formulas at work here. The variables are endless when dealing with human physiology. But I know what works for me and 2012 calories a day doesn’t work. I’m a normal working girl with a desk job, a dog to walk, a spot in the bowling league, and a partner to feed. Those 812 extra calories would go straight to my ass.

So there it is. I’ll never lose all those pesky little pounds if I rely solely on Fitbit and MyFitnessPal to light the way. The math doesn’t work and my bathroom scale has already proved it to me.

Are they valuable tools to use? Sure - as long as you use your own brain and pay attention.

You know, for on those special days like last Wednesday. Days when you “earn” 1047 extra calories from walking, eat half a large Digorno pizza supreme (990) AND a Klondike bar (250), and then MyFitnessPal says you didn’t consume enough calories that day.

Oh, I think I really did…

KC Kendricks

Daylily time, anticipation time

July 11, 2017

This is the time of the year when the daylilies are in full bloom.  If I had to pick my favorite of all the summer flowers, it would be the daylily.  I don’t know how many thousands of hybrids have been developed and I don't want to know.  I don't have money to buy all of them.  I tend to get a new one every few years and that suffices.

I've been working on a new story set in Marionville and it feels wonderful to anticipate its completion, even if that's a few weeks away. I've been so focused on republishing my backlist and caring for my mother and her husband, time to write every day has vanished. 

I know. If you're a writer you say I can find the time. Sure, I can - if I want to fall down the rabbit hole of writing crap because I'm not taking care of myself. 

Anyway, now that the mercury is finally predicted to top 90F, I'm more than happy to hole up in my office and just write. While I'm eager to complete this book, I'm also anticipating another new story, one that blindsided me. And I'm so so so happy it did! My muse had been uncomfortably silent, I suspect resting while I dealt with crisis after crisis, none of which were of my making. That it seems to be waking is both a relief and a joy. 

Will it ever return to the level of 2009 through 2011? All I can do is enjoy the feeling of anticipation. 

KC Kendricks

www.kckendricks.com

kckendricks.blogspot.com

twitter.com/kckendricks

Shining Victory for this WWW blog hop

July 8, 2017

I'm participating today in the Weekend Writing Warriors blog hop! WWW is a weekly blog hop where authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or a work in progress. Blog posts are to go live between noon Saturday and 9:00 AM Sunday. It's a great way to meet new authors and expand networks. Be sure to visit the WEWRIWA page to check out all the Weekend Writing Warriors blogs. Click here to go to the home page.  It's good stuff. Don't miss out.

This week, I have a short excerpt from Shining Victory, which was made available this past week. Enjoy!
*_*_*_*

“Call me old again, and I’ll show you what old can do.”

Levi licked his lips, taunting me. “So show me…old man.”

I pulled his lips to mine, until they almost touched. “You’re too eager,” I whispered.

His hand cupped my aching balls as his thumb ran across my bulging zipper.

“Eager? Me? You’ve got some nerve calling me eager.”

Quick as lightning, his hand snaked down the front of my jeans…

_*_*_*_

About SHINING VICTORY

Stacy James survived a life-shattering accusation to become a successful businessman with a lot to offer a partner. He's finally put his ghosts to rest, and is ready for someone in his life, if the right man comes along.

Young and wild, ace mechanic Levi Wright builds engines made for speed. When Levi's volatile temper lands him nose-to-nose with trouble, Stacy ignores his own rules and steps in to save Levi from making a big mistake. But Stacy can't ignore Levi's smoldering sexuality as the younger man then pursues him.

And Levi has made it clear he's out to get his man.

SHINING VICTORY

Available at:

iTunes/Apple - itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1254933511

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Shining-Victory-Levi-Stacy-1-ebook/dp/B073Q8GBXD

Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shining-victory-kc-kendricks/1017484514?ean=2940154758304

KOBO: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/shining-victory-1

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Shining Victory and No One But You

July 6, 2017

Levi and Stacy hold a special place in my booklist. After I wrote their story from Stacy's point of view, I knew I had to continue it from Levi's in No One But You. I love the way the set turned out. I really should do that for a few other couples. 

I'm very pleased to make Shining Victory and No One But You available again. 

SHINING VICTORY

Stacy James survived a life-shattering accusation to become a successful businessman with a lot to offer a partner. He's finally put his ghosts to rest, and is ready for someone in his life, if the right man comes along.

Young and wild, ace mechanic Levi Wright builds engines made for speed. When Levi's volatile temper lands him nose-to-nose with trouble, Stacy ignores his own rules and steps in to save Levi from making a big mistake. But Stacy can't ignore Levi's smoldering sexuality as the younger man then pursues him.

And Levi has made it clear he's out to get his man. 

Shining Victory is available at:

iTunes/Apple     Amazon     Barnes and Noble     KOBO

NO ONE BUT YOU

Lovers Stacy James and Levi Wright keep their relationship hot and spicy by enjoying the little things in life. Levi welcomes Stacy home from a business trip by delighting his partner with a quick trick in the men’s room of a local pool hall.  An offhand comment by a stranger cools Stacy’s ardor, and sets in motion a chain reaction that rocks the very foundation of Levi’s world. He’s never cheated on Stacy, but Stacy has sudden doubts. 

On his own, Levi is tested in his discoveries – about Stacy, their relationship, and about the kind of man he wants to be. One thing he knows for certain. He’s not losing Stacy over a careless whisper that isn’t true, but will the only man he’ll ever love forgive his angry words?

Stacy made the worst mistake of his life telling his lover to find another place to sleep. Levi might be younger, but he’s a man, with a man’s pride. Stacy draws on all his experience to walk a road full of detours and pitfalls to meet Levi halfway, and bring him home. Because for Stacy, there’s no one but Levi.

No One But You is available at:

iTunes/Apple   Amazon   Barnes and Noble   KOBO   24 Symbols   Playster

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Appreciating small freedoms

July 4, 2017

Happy Independence Day! I have sort of a tradition here at Between the Keys and you're looking at him. I like to share my "patriotism" as part of my July 4th celebrating. I've shared him before. There really is something compelling about him, don't you think? Maybe it's his smile, yes?

Having the freedom to poke a little tongue-in-cheek fun at a photo might seem frivolous, but it's not. Our larger freedoms are based on these small things.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. - The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States

Without these words, penned so long ago, I might not be able to have a little fun this morning. My life is full of blessings and bounty because I'm fortunate to live under the protection of the Constitution of the United States.

I'll debate politics some other day. This day is for appreciating freedoms I sometimes take for granted. And enjoying the view.

KC