Last month I mentioned I had stopped working to get my health back to where it needs to be. I’ve always been one of those lucky ones in my now 58 years, where health was never an issue. It was a struggle at times to get myself back to where I was before the accident. Now that I’ve been home, I’ve had time to do some needed work around the house, most of it outside. Colorado is not a good place for growing grass, though many try. It takes constant care and watering to have a luscious green lawn. We have gradually been going more to a xeriscape concept, with plants that require little watering, and mulch to cover the ground. My wife also wanted to create a bird area in the front that would attract smaller birds of all kinds. Here is a picture of how the front yard started:

Then after several weeks of work it looks like this:

The physical challenge this provided me was therapeutic. And mentally it was great getting to work at my own pace, with no pressure to complete the task. Not to mention the added value it brings to our home.

Now I’m working on backyard, though not in as bad a shape, it still needed work. First was planting a tree to replace one that died years ago and mulching a small section where the grass wasn’t growing.

All and all, I’m enjoying this time away from the pressures of work. With my motto, Yard work, good for you physically, and good for the soul.

The extra time is also being spent on finishing the next Jarvis Mann Detective novel. I’m closing in on completing the first draft, with 89k worth of words written to date. Teasers have been posted on the Facebook Jarvis Mann Page, so be sure to check them out. I’m hoping to complete that first draft in a few weeks, then it’s going back through and doing rewrites, before reaching out to beta readers for feedback. If you’d like to beta read be sure to let me know. Beta readers are invaluable to Indie Authors and have helped my books immensely. And be sure to pick up the latest Jarvis Mann Short Story, The Case of the Invisible Souls. It’s only 99 cents and has been receiving great reviews on Amazon.

That is all for now. Be sure to share this newsletter with any other interested readers of my books. If they sign up for this newsletter, they will receive a free eBook copy of the first novel in the series, Tracking A Shadow. For those of you who live in the Denver area, I will be at the Mile High City Books & Bounty Paring Event on October 14th, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cherry Creek. I will be there selling and signing books, and interacting with readers. You can get more information on their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/805964869539614/

Thanks again. Fall is here, so get out and rake those leaves with smile. 🙂