Books by “Suddenly” Authors

I love a good mystery. I recently finished reading David Baldacci’s Split Second. I read it quickly (having a large print copy helped a great deal), and I was entertained throughout the reading. However, Mr. Baldacci employed some gimmicks that didn’t fool me one bit. You don’t suddenly discover the murder weapon under the hydrangea bush because hydrangea turn different colors based on the nutrients in the ground. I call mystery books like that “suddenly” books. They are not so clever as they should be but present “suddenlies” every other chapter or so that don’t quite add up to inventive detective work. Give me a good mystery that makes sense and all of the discoveries lead to a clever resolution. John Grisham is another mystery writer who writes compellingly. My gripe with Grisham is that he chases rabbits that he never pins down. If you want to read good mysteries, read the novels of Nelson DeMille and Ken Follett. DeMille will not only give you a good, intellectual mystery story, but he will also give you a good laugh. Ken Follett will not only keep you reading for MANY pages, but he will also teach you the history of the world. I love to read. Join me, please.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

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Dropping My Pants

We were departing to meet our friend, Kathy Fink, at a local restaurant where Dimitris and I were paying for her dinner as she had recently celebrated a birthday. As we rounded the back corner of the house, I felt an uncomfortable tug by my underwear. Deciding I could not spend an evening uncomfortably, I stopped behind the shed and dropped my pants in order to make an adjustment. Taking care of the situation, I pulled my pants back up and headed to the car. When we arrived at the restaurant, we got out of the car, and I patted my rear pocket and found that I had no wallet. I remembered checking the amount of money I had before I left so I had to have lost it. Dimitris immediately clarified the situation: “It must have fallen out when you dropped your pants.” I knew he was right and asked him if he would wait for Kathy while I drove back home. “You stay here. I’ll go back.” That’s my wonderful partner who helps me even when I’m at fault. When he returned, I could tell right away that it had been a successful return to the “scene of the crime,” so to speak.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

Short in Front

I go to the barber shop every five weeks. I don’t go to a professional barber, but I trust my barber and his wife, both of whom cut my hair occasionally. I prefer Julia over Tom, but I can’t complain as I pay only $12.00 (plus a $2.00 tip). The reason I prefer Julia’s haircut is that she leaves the hair which I comb back in front shorter than Tom does. I think most barbers think that I want to have plenty of hair in front in order to cover some of the baldness. I don’t worry about that. I just know what feels best every day after I shampoo and comb my hair. I have at times come home from the barber shop and cut an inch off the front. However, most of the time I just “live” with it. I have many more concerns than how much hair I have to flip back up front.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

Why is it “bobosbest?” (repeat)

Have you wondered where the name for this blog was “born?” Like most names of things, there is a reason for the name. One of the rules of semantics is that “Man is the namer of things.” I have no idea where the first Bobo came from (I’ve never delved into the genealogy of my family), but I do know that my grandmother on my dad’s side of the family was named Clara Bobo. For some reason, my grandmother decided to name her last-born child Thomas Bobo Cooper, the only child in the family to bear Bobo, the maternal maiden name. When I was born (the first-born, I was given the same name and became Thomas Bobo Cooper, Jr. As I was growing up, I lived in fear that someone would discover that worthy-of-ridicule middle name. However, I grew into the name and later in life gladly exposed it which resulted in my wife and I deciding to continue the name with our first-born, Thomas Bobo Cooper III. For the first time, we decided to use the middle name as the given name, and “Bo” was introduced to the world. He has relished the name and seemingly has had no fear of the other -Bo attached to the name. There is a wonderful movie entitled “Front of the Class” in which the main character is called “Dr. Bobo” by his family. The movie, which is based on the life of a real person, doesn’t reveal the reason for the name, but perhaps I have found a long lost relative. In case you’re interested, Bo now has a twelve-year-old son named — Luke.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

Triplets

Sometimes necessities pile up. Our refrigerator door had come undone and was hanging “lifelessly.” My efforts to repair it were to no avail. Therefore, we scheduled a visit by our handyman friend, Albert. He arrived early in the morning and accomplished the repair in no time. He even brought candy with him. The next task of the day was to have Scott, the pest control friend, spray the house and sheds. He had accomplished that before noon. Finally, the washing machine that we had purchased the day before was scheduled to be delivered between 4:30 and 6:30. That delivery truck did not arrive until 7:30.

These events all occurred on Halloween day. Our one batch of “trick or treaters” arrived after all other deeds had been taken care of.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

Washing Machine Shopping

For about a month, we have noticed that the clothes coming out of our washing machine were wringing wet. Our washing machine had stopped spinning them dry. Therefore, after they went into the dryer, it took hours for them to get dry. Decision: we needed a new washing machine as this one had already been repaired once, under warranty, but was no longer covered. Our destination was Apsco, where we had bought the previous washer and dryer. The problem: Apsco had closed its only St. Petersburg office and was now in Largo. No problem. Get the address, enter it into the GPS and drive to the store. Being unable to spot the Apsco store for some reason, we saw ahead of us Famous Tate which advertises appliances, such as washers and dryers. We parked, we went in, we talked with a sales agent. We told him what we wanted, and we were out of there in thirty minutes with a delivery scheduled for tomorrow. Now, that’s the way I like to shop–quick and easy.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.

 

The Outlaw

My brother is the writer in the family. He has published several books, all about our family and his life in central Georgia. One of the cleverest stories he has ever written concerns the family cat, Fluff, who had to be housed with a vet during the visit of my brother’s mother-in-law, Mary Lou, who is allergic to cat hair. After I read my brother’s story, I wrote the following country music song for Fluff:

My In-Laws Made An Outlaw Out of Me

My life though blessed with loving care
Began to spin ar(eow)nd;
When Joe and Mary Lou, my in-laws,
Aimed to come to t(eow)n.

Her nose is plagued with allergies,
She says cat hair’s the curse.
But when I’m told to shed no hair
It makes me shed it worse!

My owner said, “Fluff, you must stay
Down at the kitty p(eow)nd;”
He packed my bags, gave me a pat,
My life flipped upside d(eow)n.

The other cats were mean as sin,
And treated me real rough;
For five days I was hardened;
I emerged as “Flo, the Tough.”

So when they came to take me home,
I treated them aloof;
And as they tried to scratch my head,
I swigged on 100 proof.

I guess I will forgive them soon,
They didn’t mean to hurt me;
And I will be a purrrfect cat,
If they don’t re-desert me.

(Chorus) My in-laws made an out-law out of me,
They put me in the clink without a key;
It hurt me, so I sing this melody.
My in-laws made an outlaw out of me.

For some strange reason, Johnny Cash never recorded it despite my encouragement.

Reader, if you are not a follower of my blog, I hope you will become one. Go to http://www.bobosbest.wordpress.com and on the bottom of the right hand corner you will see the opportunity to sign up so that you receive this blog every time it is published. Click on the word FOLLOW and enter your e-mail address. Thank you.