I’m sitting here on the back patio in Tucson–the east facing patio–which, due to the grove of palm trees in the corner of our yard, has been cool and shady since the sun came up much earlier. It’s late morning. The wind chimes are chiming because the breezes are picking up. It’s predicted to be much hotter this afternoon and windy as well. That means that we’ll have a mini-sandstorm of bright yellow palo verde blossoms drifting across the patio later today. (Palo verde blossoms are beautiful to look at, but once they dry and fall off the tree, they’re not much fun to walk on, at least not for someone who’s preferred style of footwear is NONE OF THE ABOVE!)
From here I can see the occasional hummer attacking the blooming desert spoon. I can also revel in the pots bordering the patio that are brimming with colorful snap dragons, geraniums, and petunias.
On the block wall that separates the inner courtyard of our property from the desert garden outside are two bird blocks which are attracting plenty of birds–mostly paloma blanca (white winged doves) and sparrows as well as our resident family of quail. The bird blocks came from the same place–Home Depot–at slightly different times. The first one has been eaten from the top down. Several weeks old now, it resembles a fallen layer cake with a dove munching away and serving as a cake decoration. The other bird block, however, has turned into our personal Leaning Tower of Pisa or else into one of those fascinating balanced boulders from the Chiricahua National Monument, aka the Wonderland of Rocks.
The second block is more round now than square. The problem is, the birds are not engineers and they don’t have a grasp of structural engineering. They have eaten the block mostly from the bottom up. That means that the base is getting smaller much faster than the top. And it’s also been eaten away at about a 45 degree angle. That means that the whole thing is now listing ever so slightly to the right. One of these days, like the straw that breaks the camel’s back, there will be one too many birds perched on that top leaning side, and the whole thing will come to grief. That should create quite a flap, as it were, and I’m hoping I’ll be sitting here to enjoy the show.
But why am I talking and writing about the weather and the birds? To keep from being cranky.
Last night we sent out notices for the Second Watch paperback edition. (If you didn’t receive one and believe you’re in the newsletter database, please let us know. We may have a problem with your e-mail address.) Sending out notices at night means that, the next morning, lots of people respond. Make no mistake, I’m happy to have those responses, read them, and, if appropriate, to send my own responding response–I believe I now understand the origin of the word correspondence. But sometimes some of those e-mails “gar my greet” as my mother would say. This morning, any number of the notes have said, yes, Second Watch, Beaumont, fine. But what about Joanna? Aren’t you ever going to write another one of those?
Of course, if these folks had actually read the newsletter, they would have seen that the information about the next Joanna Brady book, Remains of Innocence, and due July 22, is RIGHT THERE IN THE NEWSLETTER!! Which causes me to wonder, why do I even bother WRITING a newsletter?
But then, as another layer of falling palo verde blossoms drifts across the patio, I remember TWO things. The first is this: Drifting palo verde blossoms are much better than drifting snow. Quit your gritching!
The second is something else my mother used to say: The customer is always right!
So even though I’m having a crisis of crankiness right now, I’ll get over it. I’ll continue to answer my e-mails. But for just a few moments, I’m going to go back to watching the bird watcher’s version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Which reminds me of something else. Years ago, on a Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door Tour of Italy, we stopped in Pisa to see the genuine article. As we disembarked from the bus, one of the ladies in the group stopped short and gasped aloud, “It’s still leaning. Wouldn’t you think they’d have fixed it by now?!!!” Her amazed consternation caused a few moments of eye rolling among the people walking behind her, but I just now realized–she’s someone else who wouldn’t read to the end of the newsletter, either.
I read to the end and look forward to the next Joanna Brady book — and Beaumont, etc., etc.
How I envy you sitting on your patio in Tucson. I’d be wearing shoes, but would enjoy watching the birds. We can’t put anything out any more because we have a bear in the neighborhood He was spotted last week at the opening of trout fishing season. Fishermen told me he was about a mile downstream.
I read your newsletter, but didn’t reply as didn’t have anything to say! I love Beau and don’t really care about those two females.
That is funny about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I think it started leaning as soon as it was built, but they never did anything about it.
Leave well enough alone as my mother used to say.
I’ve experienced that lack of attention or thorough reading many times, even in something as simple as an email. The only thing more irritating to me as a former English teacher is a poorly written article, usually in a local newspaper. While I long ago stopped expecting other folks to use correct grammar, it seems to me if one makes a living writing, one should know how to write! Yes, I know, deadlines make typos unavoidable. I had a notable one myself, in a headline in the BISBEE OBSERVER: “Trail Date Set.” It was obviously intended to read “Trial,” but because other staff knew what it was supposed to say, no one caught it. So none of us is perfect. Thanks for providing a great example of excellent writing. Joanna is special to me after 25 years in Cochise County, but I love Beau and the others as well. Did you hear that Joanie is selling Atalanta? Not certain what will happen to it without her.
I confess I have not read the newsletter, but am happy to hear of the new Joanna Brady title coming in July. Summer fun!
Everybody deserves to be cranky once in awhile. Your right the Palo Verde are beautiful but it’s the hum of all the bees feasting that frightens me while I’m walking the dog. It definitely hastens my pace.
What I’m laughing at are the wild flowers that have yet again taken over my flower bed. I left town for 2 weeks not one wild flower visible, now back in town and they are laughing at me , calling out dummy you know that we will win and overtake the petunias and what ever flower whose name I can’t spell.
Looking forward to the next Joanna book in July.
I had to look up the Leaning Tower. It was begun in 1173 and since the ground wasn’t stable, it started leaning almost right away. It was built in stages over many years, but the leaning was never corrected.
Last work was at the turn of the century where angle was corrected a bit, but not entirely. The top is off 12 feet from the base. However, I think it will never be made to stand erect.
That last paragraph gave me a good chuckle to start my day. Thank you for mentioning the palo verde. We just returned from Arizona, and I’ve been meaning to look up to see if palo verde and scotch broom were from the same family.
I’m happy to hear about the new Joanna Brady book. Next year’s winter adventure will be to Bisbee, Tombstone, Tucson and surrounding areas.
I hope at some point you will be able to offer your writing course up north as well.
Off to research trees and shrubs…..
I feel your pain regarding trying to communicate via a newsletter. I’m the editor of our church’s monthly newsletter. Admittedly it has a much smaller distribution then your newsletter and I know practically everyone on the list, but in almost every issue there is something published that people seem to skip over when reading and then wonder when, if, why, etc. something is, has been, or will be.
I became a fan of J.A. Jance after visiting Bisbee about 15 years ago and saw your books highlighted in a bookstore window. I started with the Joanna Brady books then currently in print. Found Beau at about the time his partner got killed. I had to really look for the first books about him. Ali Reynolds life fascinates me too. We have visited Sedona, Tuscon, and Seattle over the years and it is fun to read books located in familiar places. Each series is my favorite along with the stand-alone books too. Enjoy your peace and quiet time before it gets too hot today.
Just finished reading “Moving Target”. I love all of the characters you have created, but I think Lowell is one of my favorites. It’s fascinating how you have taken he and Ali to England and to his home town. Thanks for your books and the enjoyment my wife and I have had reading them.
Leland…sheesh!
Hey, one of my pet peeves too! Even my husband is guilty of it — yes, we email back and forth even when in the same house. Anyway, I try to get the important items all in the first sentence and then add further info after that. Sorta works most of the time. This is a pretty time of the year in Tucson — except for the wind. Enjoy your patio time!
I read your news letter! I just took a Facebook class last night and they told us that if you write over 140 words most people won’t read it.
Your lament brings back memories. I often attended meetings where things were announced at the very beginning. Inevitably, during the meeting and at the end, the questions would be asked that had been answered in the beginning. Grrrr. It worked the same with sending carefully written data to the moms of my Girl Scout Troop. Reading comments on many articles recently, I have come to the conclusion that many read only the titles or first paragraph of those articles. Sign of the times I guess. Looking forward to the new book.
My Mother always said you cannot PLEASE everyone all the time..and only worry about what you can control.. I’m in Northern California and we have no water.. should I fell guilty about this or just sit back and enjoy a warm wonderful spring? I can not CONTROL Mother Nature do I will enjoy the weather and only shower once a month ?? You need to know that there are a lot of people out there who LOVE EVERYTHING you write… Birds or Books we will read every word. Thank you for the hours of pure Pleasure your books have given me…Jan
The Old Blue Line, added to my amazon wishlist 🙂
I have gone from buying paperbacks to buying the Kindle eBook.
Ali Reynolds, I bought the first five as paperbacks.
Then when I bought my Kindle HD 7, I bought books 4-6 as Kindle eBooks.
Later I bought Ali 1-3 as eBooks too 🙂
JP Books 1-6, those I have in swedish + finnish paperbacks.
Last month I bought JP 1 as eBook, I’ll do that with books 2-6 too, someday.
17 june and 22 july, dates to wait for 🙂
Just finished, Moving Target. I enjoyed learning about Leland’s background immensely. It was a fun read!
As far as your Leaning Tower story, it just gave me a broad grin as I actually know people like that…. 🙂
This reminds of something that I learned in grade school. The teacher passed out a test and told us to look it over and do what it said so naturally I started at the top answering each question working down the page and upon reaching the bottom I read the last sentence , which said if I had followed the instructions I would not have answered any of the questions. It was a trick. So until this day when someone hands me something to read I always start at the bottom . So I Guess these days we should all scroll down. Have good day.