Perhaps you recall my convoluted explanation of sales and giveaways last week. Well, that all went to the proverbial place in the hand-basket of poor planning. Not so much poor planning as a less than adequate understanding of one of Amazon’s marketing features. Not to worry. Knuckleheads is finally on sale, unless you’re an early bird (it goes/went on sale at 3:00 a.m. EDT today – tomorrow in the U.K.) for $0.99. Each book in the series will follow on a Wednesday to Tuesday schedule. At this time, you can register to win a free copy of The Evil You Choose.

I looked for a quote about planning for my one-liner. All the quotes I found were from people who have written books on planning, teach courses on planning and generally espouse planning as that thing we must do to maintain separation between us humans and those allegedly lesser species. I didn’t like any of them. I opted for one that didn’t show up in the list.

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

John Lennon — For Linda G. Hill’s One Liner Wednesday

Imagine that 😉

And speaking of those “lesser” species, the ones I see everyday in our yard, the ones shown in the gallery, exhibit qualities that I generally find lacking in many of the humans I meet. Chief among those qualities is their ability to get along.

All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.

Bridge to Nowhere

79 responses to “And Then That Happened—1LinerWeds”

  1. petespringerauthor Avatar
    petespringerauthor

    Best of luck with your sale, Dan. We’ve been innudated with ravens in the last two years. They are squawkers and much more obnoxious than crows.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Ravens are very clever and certainly make their presence known….. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      1. These guys are clever, as well, Willow. They know how to get our attention. It’s fun to watch them eat the peanuts we toss out. They hold them with their feet and pick the peanuts out of the shells.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. I know Dan all the birds in the Corvid/ Corvidae family are particularly clever and make great pets, the seem to enjoy interaction with humans 💜

          Liked by 4 people

    2. Thanks Pete. The crows are new arrivals. We think they are building nests nearby. Maybe they lost their home as many people have been taking trees down. Also, many people around us have their lawns sprayed, so the bugs these guys feed on are in short supply. We’ve had one or two crows in the past, but 5-7 is a new thing. They are noisy, but they are interesting.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Dandelion or rose. Imagine those choices 💚

    Liked by 2 people

    1. They’re both welcome around here, and the bees enjoy both.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. That is a real truism Dan. The photos are great today. It is amazing how all the garden creatures get on! The birds large and small and the squirrel co operate so everyone gets food from the feeder. We get foxes and the odd deer . We also get crows, jays a d magpies a d they have been known to fight! The dandelion shot is perfect!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’s the quote I was looking for, Willow, but I didn’t find it until I searched for quotes by John Lennon. Seeing these animals together is amazing. When there’s enough food, they all get along. We saw one of the crows towering over a juvenile chipmunk, both eating from the same pile of seed.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. yes they are not the baddies they are painted 💜💜💜

        Liked by 2 people

        1. And the bunnies are happy because the crows have chased hawks away on several occasions.

          Liked by 2 people

          1. They often join forces with the magpies and mob the kites !

            Liked by 2 people

            1. Ha! It’s that British airman spirit ;-)

              Liked by 1 person

            2. yes indeed 💜💜

              Liked by 1 person

  4. Hi Dan, this is a great quote. I know it and use it but I didn’t know it was by John Lennon. Great pictures as always.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Robbie. I’ve used that quote in company training presentations, but it didn’t show up with “planning” quotes this time. I think the search engines are trying to be too smart.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Haha, AI isn’t that smart in my opinion. The search engines are currently a real muddle.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Best wishes with your sales, Dan! Lovely creatures and flowers. A baby squirrel no more than 6-8 inches stayed still and stared at me for a long time in my backyard. When I tried to get my phone camera, he decided to go!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The baby animals are so cute, Miriam. We don’t always get pictures, but they are a joy to see. Thanks!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I know, Dan. I’ll try to carry my phone around.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. “Plan” is a four-letter word. Useless, at that. As for the “lesser species,” indeed we could take a lesson or two about getting along, but the crows could take a lesson or two about singing. They’re about to crack my windows with their voices. Your photo of the mock orange is gorgeous, and I think the photobombing ant is a nice touch. I think he’s in there deep-breathing; it must smell wonderful!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That ant is living the good life, for sure, Maureen. The crows are new here in the numbers we have now. They seem to be saying, “You there, I thought you were here to bring us more peanuts.” The way they work together, I think they could sing Barbershop.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Crow Barbershop? Pass the ear plugs!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Grass hidden bunny is so sweet. Remember, make friends with those crows. They definitely hold a grudge …

    Liked by 4 people

    1. We’ve heard about the grudges they carry. We’re nice to all of these guys, but it’s a small yard and they are big birds. Still, they seem willing to share. The bunnies like having them around because the crows have chased the hawks away on several occasions. They’re like the bunny’s fighter umbrella.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. That’s awesome!
        Not for the hawk of course…

        Liked by 2 people

  8. Murphy's Law Avatar
    Murphy’s Law

    I’ve used this one liner myself, yet never knew its origin before.

    Hope the book sale is a great success for you. Better than you’re even hoping for.

    I agree that our wildlife friends could teach us a thing or two about getting along. We should pay more attention to them.

    That little ant in the beautiful Mock Orange is a hoot!

    Nice shot of the memorial and Old Glory.

    Happy Hump Day.

    Ginger🦋

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Ginger. I remembered that John Lennon had a great quote about planning. I’d used it before, but I wanted to get it right. I was surprised when it didn’t show up. I think the search engines were trying to guess what I was looking for (and getting it wrong).

      The mourning doves are still the most chill birds out there. They blanket the yard at times, and they’re content to wander around a pick up seeds here, there and everywhere.

      I hope you have a great rest of the week.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Beautiful blooms, and your wild kingdom is getting crowded. Pretty soon, you may have to take reservations. :-) Have a wonderful Wednesday.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. These guys are redefining the hours the buffet is open, and the pesky robin lets me know when his favorite bath is empty or dirty. Reservations might be a good idea ;-)

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Are the Chinooks still as loud as I remember?
    It serves as an example for humans when all your different animals can get along.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes they are, GP. They still shake the house when they go over us. It’s not so bad when they’re off to the north or south a bit, but when they’re right over us, we feel it. The C-130s are also pretty loud.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Best of luck to ya!

    I love that line because it is so true.

    Lovely photos of your gang!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Dale. It really is true.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I love the idea that all your creatures get along. Terrific photos. My favorite is the dandelion and mock orange,

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’s pretty amazing, John. I’m glad you like those two photos.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The rest were good too.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. I especially liked that first picture of the bunny smaller than the grass he’s eating.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The little ones are so darn cute, Frank.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I see animals in nature getting along all the time! Don’t you wish humans could do the same?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Exactly, Kim. We could learn a lot from them.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Best wishes for a successful Amazon sale. Always enjoy seeing your bunny pics in particular. We ran into one this morning on our dawn walk but Wilson was more focused on a nearby squirrel. He has yet to react to the bunnies preferring the neighborhood 4-legged porch pirates which proves there’s no accounting for taste. Not that he’s tasted either. ;)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Our dog didn’t care about any of them. The squirrels could come right up to us in the yard, and she wouldn’t even bother to sit up. The bunnies would be afraid of her, but we’d cross the street rather than make them move.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. It is so strange but in the morning, I have blue jays, cardinals and some other birds flying back and forth in my front yard, from the grass to the trees. At night, though, the crows (I think they are crows) take over. It is the weirdest thing, but every day is the same routine with the birds. The crows look a little creepy on the yard–maybe it’s the darker sky and the darker birds. I picture Alfred Hitchcock rolling over and smiling….

    Your Mock Orange is beautiful! Mine isn’t near as frilly as yours.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The crows are big enough that we notice their shadows. It does get a little creepy when there’s a lot of them.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. The photo of the baby bunny is precious. We’ve had more rabbits this year than ever before, but no crows or ravens. Now hawks we’ve got…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The crows are fly up and chase the hawks away. We have more bunnies than ever, too.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Dan… the leaf bag is so sad. I’m sorry.

    Kudos on your perseverance with this sales promotion. Wishing you huge success with it. Big hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Teagan. the bags always make me think of Maddie.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Sara says a pair of crows have a nest just outside her bedroom window and they talk ALL the TIME.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We have one who showed up on his own. Then he started joining the others. Now it’s one big (loud) happy family. They let us know when they think we should be paying attention.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Wishing you great success with your sale, Dan. I hope the kinks with Amazon Marketing get worked out smoothly.

    Your Mock Orange with ant is lovely. Hum, the words out! Your house is the place to go and gets a 5 Peanut rating in the critter world! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Deborah. The word does seem to have spread that the buffet is open. The Mock Orange looks better this year than is has in the recent past.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. A perfect quote by someone I admire very much. Imagine, indeed. I’m glad you finally got everything in order if something challenges your planning skills I know it would send me screaming. But all the little creatures… 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those little guys take everything in stride. There’s something to be learned fro them. Amazon is never easy to deal with, especially when something goes sideways. We’re on track now, a week behind schedule, but it’s not like I’m launching the Mars Lander 😉

      Like

      1. Amazon. I seriously wish I could publish my book elsewhere. They beg for product reviews and unless it is all positive they say my review “doesn’t meet their guidelines.” No cursing or bad mouthing. Just the facts.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I am so far behind on reviews, I may never catch up. There are other places, but you can’t ignore the big guy.

          Like

  22. I especially enjoyed that last shot of the mock orange, Dan. I would take advantage of the book sale, but I already bought it. :-) Happy midweek.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. And I thank you, Janet! The mock orange is looking better this year than in recent years. It must like the rain we had.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. I love the bunnies, and I’m trying to find kindness for the host of chipmunks that are tearing up everything. I want them to go away with your crows.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The chipmunks are a mixed bag, Jennie. So cute, but they do so much damage.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Imagine!
    Perhaps the crows like watching the bunnies too….(K)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That could be. We certainly like watching the crows.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. They are big complainers. But I like them too.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. They’ve learned to call me from the window over where I’m writing in the morning. I see the shadow pass the window and hear a muted caw. Then I go throw some peanuts on the ground. Well trained, I am.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Yes, they like to get my attention, so I look at them on the water tower, then they fly away.

            Liked by 1 person

  25. Nice pictures. Wishing you success with your Amazon sale. :)

    Liked by 1 person

  26. I love the way you welcome all the species, Dan. Great photos!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s amazing how well they all get along, Jan.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. randycrumbaker Avatar
    randycrumbaker

    Rabbit.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. thank you.

    Like

  29. Wonderful photos and wishing you much success with your sales with Amazon.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Dan, I agree our backyards often find a spirit of cooperation lacking in most of the human world these days. Those birds who have decided to establish a bird bath of sorts on our patio are so polite. They give each other space whether drinking or splashing, and some even wait their turn. We can learn a lot from them.🙂

    Like

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