Hi Everyone. It's been a long time since I posted anything on this blog. Here's the prologue of my new book - the prologue is finally finished. I'll be working on the chapter's next and hope to complete four or five per week. Let me know what you think so far.

Prologue
The intruder shoved her up the stairs. Diane Michner stumbled. She grabbed the stair treads for support. Tears of fright blurred her vision.
“Hurry or I hurt the kid.” His rumbling threat released hot breath across her neck. She scurried faster. An arm, covered in monstrous tattoos that bulged beneath the sleeve of his dirty t-shirt, circled the tiny wriggling torso of her three year old son. Jeffrey whimpered. The thug pushed her again.
“Mommy!” Jeffrey screamed, large droplets of tears coursing down his pudgy cheeks.
“Quiet.” The man gripped the boy’s arm and squeezed. He shot a glance at the woman. She bowed her head in submission and headed toward her little boy’s bedroom.
“How long will we be gone?” Her eyes traveled over the little blue train stenciled on three of the walls of her son’s dream room.
“Never mind. Get the clothes.” He motioned with the boy’s body, whipping him toward the folded doors of the closet. She yanked them open and snatched a large suitcase from the top shelf. Her tears dampened pieces of clothing as she threw them into the case from her son’s chest of drawers. With downcast eyes, Diane glanced toward her son and then back to the task at hand.
In a haphazard fashion, she added some of the outfits hanging inside the closet door and seized his fluffy brown teddy bear from the bed. Jeffrey whimpered again. Obediently she turned toward the doorway where the intruder fought to retain hold of her struggling child.
“Don’t hold him so tight,” she pleaded. “You’ll hurt him.” Her arms ached to hold her frightened son, to protect him from this man who didn’t care if he injured a small child.
“Get a move on.” His elbow pointed her toward the next room, his use of the child’s body enticing her to hurry. The trio moved quickly down the hall towards the bedroom she shared with her husband of five years. She sucked in an anguished breath as she stumbled against the doorframe of the closet. She seized another suitcase and shoved in pants, shirts, and undergarments for both of them, then closed that case and looked at the man. Her eyes begged as her arms reached to hold the tiny boy. The man thrust Jeffrey at her and grabbed the suitcase, as she wrapped grateful arms around her son’s trembling body. She could feel his terror.
The thug pushed Diane toward the hallway. She shifted the boy’s weight to one arm but stumbled, almost losing her footing. She reached out with her free hand to steady herself against the wall.
Moving toward the staircase, the villain picked up the other suitcase standing just inside the boy’s bedroom.
“Get going.” He motioned for her to descend the staircase toward the living room.
When she reached the first floor, Diane gasped. Two large men twisted the rope looped tightly around her husband’s neck. A course length of rope tied Trent’s hands, wrists together, behind his back. The muscles of his upper arms stretched painfully beneath the sleeve of his cotton shirt. He grimaced, pain written on his face. Bright red oozed from a cut above his eye, the evidence of a battle lost. Blood congealed in his eyebrow and then trickled down his face to drip onto his collarbone. A jagged piece of cartilage stuck out from the bridge of his nose, blood coagulating near his upper lip.
A tormented groan escaped from the depths of Diane’s heart through her lips. She shuddered and cuddled Jeffrey, trying to shield him from the sight of his father. Diane’s body churned with hatred for the first time in her life as she looked on the three men who had invaded their peaceful home. She watched as they laughed. The one nearest caressed her cheek. Her skin crawled in revulsion. She yanked her face out of reach. The intruders laughed harder.
Trent moved toward his wife. They yanked him back again. He twisted his body, desperately trying to reach her side. Jeffrey’s eyes seemed so large that Trent could almost feel his fright from across the room. His eyes cautioned his wife not to arouse their anger. By the look on Diane’s face, he knew she wanted to scratch their eyes out, to inflict as much damage on them as they had on her family.
Tears fell unchecked as Diane turned her head towards her son. She glanced up again at her husband and saw a tear slide past the corner of one eye. His helplessness was evident in the slump of his shoulders. The men were too strong.
“Diane...” His voice croaked. The rope strangling him ended further communication. He saw the slight nod of her head. She understood. He had tried to protect his family but failed.
Diane glanced around at the destruction of her tidy home, a sanctuary they had built together. Two plants dripped black dirt onto the carpet, evidence of her husband’s struggle. The coffee table lay at an awkward angle in splinters, and two sofa cushions exploded with feathers everywhere. She ached to have control over her life again as evening shadows crept from the corners of the room and the smell of overcooked food lingered in the air.
“Did anyone think to turn off the stove?” She made a move toward the kitchen but a large beefy hand stopped her.
Her subjugator grunted beside her. His nod told one of the others to check it out.
Diane’s focus switched. She watched the thug drop the bulky suitcases and then flex his muscles. His grin, when he caught her watching, caused her stomach juices to curdle.
“Now, we go outside to your car. I will hurt you and your son if you make a fuss or attract any attention. Understand?”
Diane nodded once. “Why are you doing this?”
“Not your business.” He pushed.
“Not my…” She stopped in her tracks but her captor raised his arm as if to strike her. Diane used her free arm to swipe at tears betraying her fright. Her eyes traveled down the sidewalk toward the SUV. Her husband groaned, loud enough for the neighbors to hear if they’d been home, as the butt of a gun connected with his right shoulder. She saw his knees buckle. They were defenseless against these men. Her husband stumbled against the side of the van but no longer labored to free himself.
Diane cried in anguish, not caring this time who heard. She stared as they grabbed her husband’s shoulder and squeezed. They lifted him bodily into the backseat.
“We take your car.” Diane jumped. Her escort thrust her through the door. The thug let the front door slam behind them. She winced as he threw the suitcases into the backseat of the station wagon parked near the front entry of the house. He motioned for her to secure the little boy into his car seat.
“You drive. Follow them, and nothing will happen to you or your man. Make a wrong turn, and you won’t live to see him shot.” The brute spoke the last word as if it a gunshot erupted from his mouth and then he sneered. He plunked himself in the passenger seat.
Diane’s eyes looked, maybe for the last time, towards the home she had come to love. She searched for any means of escape and then slumped in the driver’s seat. Her instincts told her they would carry out their threats. Her hands trembled as she inserted the key into the ignition. The motor roared.
She placed the car in reverse and swiveled her head to linger on the tear-stained face of her little boy. Her heart felt as if someone had punched a hole in it and all the blood drained away. Her mind filled with black hatred, hatred so strong that she knew if she’d had a gun in her hand, she’d use it. Instead, she backed out of the driveway and followed the car containing her husband. She made a quick study of the home her family had occupied for the last five years, longing to wake from her nightmare.
Will we ever come home again?

The storm of 2007

In 1996, we left the cold north country for the warmer south - so we thought. God seemed to place His stamp of approval on the decision when Winnipeg had 5 blizzards with a mountain of snow remaining past July. However, we have found out that the south is not so warmer. We experienced our first ever 2 1/2 day blizzard a week after returning from sunny Florida. What a shock!

Henry began moving snow on Thursday and was finally finished on Saturday because the wind kept blowing from the west and the north. For two days, I had my own abominable snowman. Everytime he came in to warm up, he had icicles hanging off his mustache and caked snow in his beard. Our north street had 15 foot snow banks when he was finished. Some people could not see their cars nor the front of their trailer until it began to thaw a couple of days later. As everyone said, "If you have to get a blizzard, March is a good time to have one. You know the snow won't last long."

This week, just one week later, we are having temps in the high 60's so we have lost more than half the snow. There are pools of water everywhere. I can hardly wait until it drys up some. Patches is sticking to the one remaining snow bank leading into the back yard from the steps off the back deck. She knows we don't like her tracking mud into the house. That'll happen soon enough when she has no where else to walk. Then we wipe her feet as she patiently lifts one foot after the other by the back door.

Welcome Home

Some welcome we've had. A two day blizzard warning. First time since moving to Iowa. This is a picture from our front door if you push hard enough to get it opened.

Monday and Tuesday we spent on the road after a beautiful night with friends in Tallahassee. As we ventured farther north, signs of winter crept onto the landscape. When we woke up Tuesday morning in Paducah, Kentucky, our car was covered in frost. I packed my sandals and donned sneakers and socks again. Yuck!!!

On the interstate going toward Des Moines, we encountered an icy fairyland that was beautiful but when we stopped for gas in the Amana Colonies, all service stations were closed - no electricity. While we were in Florida, this part of the country had two storms. Now we're having a third. March is sure coming in like a lion. Hope it goes out like a lamb.

Today I began work on one of my children's books, Alexis Learns to Trust. Right now it's produced on CD. I want it to be in book format . Here is the cover design.

Exploring the Florida Coastine

Yesterday we took a short drive north to St. Augustine. This city is one of the oldest in Florida with history dating back before the pilgrims. It also has the oldest lighthouse in Florida. We drove through the historic old town, ate empanadas at The Spanish Bakery and freshly baked Key Lime pie at the Florida Cracker House. The bricked streets in this section of town are very narrow, one car lanes only, with balconies over the street. Very European. This photo does not show the narrowest streets but you get the idea. We saw some grand old buildings like this Presbyterian church. Most of old town had items for sale in little shops made locally.

When we got back to our hotel, we donned bathing suits and decided to walk on the beach and play in the surf before going for a swim in the hotel pool. The ocean water was cold at first but we quickly adapted to it. Lots of birds line the beach in the morning and in the late afternoon to eat whatever the tide may leave marooned on the beach. I saw a crab quickly skitter back with the surf. It will be hard to leave here today but we also look forward to visiting in Tallahassee with some CMA buddies.

Lighthouses & Pelicans

Yesterday we drove to the south end of this island to view the tallest lighthouse in Florida, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. It was built in the late 1800's. It's been turned into a museum. After basking in the beauty of this historical site we found a quaint restaurant nearby for lunch. Besides human critters, the outdoor deck was inhabited by a squirrel looking for handouts. Being the animal lover that I am, I decided to accommodate him. There were also a preponderance of pelicans. This fellow had just woke up. I tried to catch him spreading his wings but missed the shot.

Animals, animals and more animals

Wednesday night and Thursday were my animal fix days. Being the perpetual animal hugger that I am, I couldn't wait to see the dinner show "Arabian Nights". We got in as VIPs so had a tour of the stables and were permitted to pet the horses before we sat for dinner. They had Percheron's, Andalusians and Arabians. Here's a photo of some of the horses playing in the arena after the show.

The story line surrounded a princess who had come of age. Her magical genie performed various feats for her in the search for a bridegroom. A gypsy caravan performed some daring bare back riding. A wild west show also performed and there was a villain who tried to steal the princess. The story comes from a man by the name of Farley and his black stallion.

Yesterday was spent at Sea World. Dolphins, Whales and Sea Lions galore. I took a myriad or pictures - 133 to be exact - but I'll only bore you with a few. If I could live my life all over again, I'd work with animals like these. As you can see I was able to get some great action shots.

The day was a long one so when we sat down in our car to head for Daytona Beach, we were exhausted. I thought vacations were for relaxing! So much to see and so little time.

Our hotel is fabulous - right on the ocean. The view from our fifth floor balcony is magnificent and we ponder the Lord's gift to us - a beautiful planet. Morning Devotions takes on a whole new meaning as I sit on the balcony and talk to Him about stuff. Here's a view from our room.

In the picture of our hotel, our room is the top right of the balconies facing you, just at the top of the palm tree. The hotel is the Best Western Aku Tiki.

Water, Sunshine, & Friends

Orlando, the land of Disney, sunshine, water parks, and shopping is also the land of seniors with the average age over 60 years. However, Disney aside, the best part of yesterday was visiting with old friends. Benny & Teresa Holloway are working only ten miles from our hotel so we spent our first night with them and then had lunch with them yesterday. It was fun catching up on kids, travels and activities.

By 3:30, we were n St. Petersburg, about 80 miles frm here. Walt and Joy Seward have been friends since the early 70's. We've kept in touch while they lived in Ecuador as missionaries and when they moved to the US so Walt could take a positon as publisher's agent for a couple of major Christian publishing houses. Now they live in St. Petersburg so visiting with them was a real treat. In the photo, Henry and Walt catch up.

We lazed around for the most part today. I was thinking about everyone in Iowa and Canada, surrounded by snow and freezing temperatures, as I sat in the sun, soaked up some rays, and swam laps in a pool that had bathwater temp water. If you look closely, you can see me roughing it. One session of sun tanning and I look as if summer never ended last year - almost. I could get used to this life. Henry and I were just saying how wimpy we've become since leaving Canada. The cold is not as much fun as it used to be, if it ever was.