May 22, 2019

It’s been an interesting week for the Ashbury’s.

 We took delivery of our scooters, and I can tell you that they’ve been an unqualified success. David went out the day after we got them—he wanted to charge up the battery first—and headed downtown to have breakfast and just tool around.

I drove my scooter back and forth in front of the house, just to ensure it worked well, and that I was happy with it. Mine won’t be used much for going around town. If there’s someplace I want to go in my town, I’ll drive there. But I used it in the grocery store last Friday. I discovered that the basket was totally inadequate for that particular excursion. I now have a slightly larger basket, and we’ll see how it goes this week. However, since my scooter goes a lot faster than the scooter in the store, I can zip back and forth from where I am to the regular grocery cart my husband will be walking with through the aisles.

My scooter is in the trunk of the car at the moment; I used it to visit my brother-in-law in the hospital, and I will use it to go to the mall at some future undetermined date. Yes, my little blue rocket is an indoor aide. Or, a parking lot aide to the indoor activity.

On the day after his first excursion, David put Mr. Tuffy in the scooter basket, locked him in with a couple of catches and cords between his halter and the sides, and set out for the park, several blocks away. The only time Mr. Tuffy has been to the park has been when we’ve taken him by car. It is a paradise beyond the range of walking.

Mr. Tuffy thought this was the best thing, ever! He loved running on the grass, (his leash has a long range). He came home with a huge doggie grin, and now bugs David in the morning until they go out for their morning “romp.”

Yesterday, they did have a slight mishap leaving our property. David admits he was a bit cocky and didn’t take the little “dip” from the yard to the road at a sufficiently slow speed. Nobody was hurt. Just embarrassed. I was on the porch and they were out of sight. The tale was told by a couple on the other side of the street, walking toward us. They stopped, they gaped, and one asked, “Are you all right?”

I shook my head. “What did he do, dump the scooter?” I asked.

The male of the pair nodded. “Yes, and the doggie, too.”

As I said, they’re fine—a good example of that old saying, “sadder but wiser.” Mr. Tuffy took it in stride; he did not hesitate to get in the basket this morning.

On Saturday I arose very early—about 4:30 am—because I was headed to Niagara Falls, Ontario, and a book signing event called Romancing the Falls (#RTF). It was only at the beginning of the month when a good friend, author Lilith Darville, received a call and was unexpectedly given the opportunity to attend the event. She wanted to split the eight-foot long table, and so she called me.

Fortunately, I was still well supplied with swag and books from San Antonio and was grateful for the opportunity. We were last minute entrants, and both of us happy to be sharing the experience.

It was the first event I’ve attended in several years without my own personal assistant (Mr. Ashbury). It was a long day, but a very good one. There’s nothing I like more than getting out and meeting readers and hopefully soon-to-be readers. As we were heading home after the event, which included a nice buffet supper, we were heralded by the several displays of fireworks being exploded along the way.

I won’t lie; that one long day of extra activity and the bustle of the crowds took a lot out of me. It was well worth it, just to be out and meeting readers, but I’m not as young as I used to be. When I see other authors, older than myself, handling these events with greater aplomb, it just humbles me, and makes me more determined to push just a little bit harder.

Of course, attending one event can often lead to another. And so I can announce today that I will be appearing at a book signing in Belleville, Ontario, in October. Plenty of time to check out my swag, get a few more books…and store up my energy.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury