THERE’S NOTHING TO DO IN THIS TOWN

EXCEPT, there is.

This is Lockhart, Texas. Small town. Near Austin where there’s too much to do. Even I sometimes feel there’s nothing to do in Lockhart, after you’ve eaten the barbecue. But there is.

Let’s start with the free live music every Saturday morning in front of the courthouse that’s part of the farmer’s market, an entertainment in itself. Every week a folk singer or a country western outfit is out there performing for tips. Come sit on the courthouse lawn and enjoy the lovely weather. On Saturdays.

And while you’re here, bring that Black’s BBQ cup along with you and check out the pickled vegetables and fresh lettuces at Clem’s stand, the homemade dog and cat treats at Cindy’s tent, and take home fresh eggs from one of the other farmers. Every week there are about ten vendors taking up half the street in front of the courthouse across from the bank. We need more. We need more vegetable and food sellers, more artisans showing their paintings, more local writers trying to sell us their books.

But until the farmer’s market grows, there’s still the music, and the home-canned goods, the homemade soap, knitted scarves and caps, and sometimes birdhouses.

Every Saturday, unless there’s something big going on downtown, there’s the free music and the fresh air.

There’s nothing to do in this town, except this upcoming weekend March 1-2. There are go-kart races around the square. There’s a wrestling match out at the Lion’s Club. There’s a junior livestock show at the fairgrounds. There’s a Virginian TV series reunion and Texas Independence Day celebration out at the Agarita Ranch on SH 20 not far out of town. There’s music in front of Texana Lanes. And I’ve probably left something out.

Ah, the barbecue. Black’s. Kreuz. Chisholm Trail. Smitty’s. And a new trailer called Mad Jack’s selling barbecue over across from Whataburger.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Clock Snatcher by M.G. King.

I write novels now that I’m retired. You can buy The Cowboy’s Baby and The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven at The Ranch Style Store on the square. You can buy The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven at Buffalo Clover on the square near the tax office. And you can buy either of those two plus Talking to the Dead Guys at Logos, which is on your way back from Black’s if you’re headed to the courthouse lawn where you’ll find that music and the farmer’s market.

Also available through Amazon.com at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix. 

Photos by Roxanne Rix

DARWIN’S CORNER  

Meet our new dog Darwin. This is Darwin’s Corner of my blog. I thought a bit about pretending to talk for her, but that would be silly. Darwin’s an American Bulldog, probably one of the shorty breeds, and they don’t do silly. (Actually, they do, but it doesn’t sound as good in print as they don’t.)

Darwin visited the farmer’s market this past Saturday. There she met John’s dog and Steve’s dog, and both dogs were quite nice to her, but when the dogs got around to the butt sniffing part of dog etiquette, Darwin sat down in a hurry. Seems she’s a smart dog. I can’t say she enjoyed her walk through the market. But someday she will (I was going to say butt someday she will, butt didn’t).

We drove out to Lockhart State Park afterwards and let her roam through the wilds of the upper level, and then down by the creek. She approves of Lockhart State Park one hundred percent. So do we. Photo of Darwin by San Antonio Great Dane Rescue staff.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Lost in a Royal Kiss by Vanessa Kelly.  Billionaire’s Apprentice by Chase Carroway.

Photos by Roxanne Rix.

Books by Gretchen Rix can be found at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Quicksilver by Toni Dwiggins.

You can find ARROYO at

http://amzn.com/B0067NCEJ4.  You can find SAINTS & SINNERS in TWISTED RIXTER at http://amzn.com/B00HQ0PH1O

I set myself a challenge for January to write a short novel in just one month, something loads of writers have been able to do during the November National Novel Writing Month. I’m always in the middle of finishing a project that late in the year and have never tried this challenge.

As they like to say in Romance Writers of America, Multi-published author Dean Wesley Smith has advised all along to write in spurts during the day (or night), and not to rely on finding large blocks of time to write. But I was one of those writers who  always thought I needed a one to three hour block of time. And it has worked for me so far.

But I want to write more so I tried this challenge. And it worked.

This challenge I just completed showed me I could work better if I followed Mr. Smith’s plan.  I ranged from one hour to two hour stints and from 500 to 800 words during  the mornings,  and then I made sure I made the rest of the word count during the day or at least before bedtime.

Now I know that I can set a word count destination for the month, divide it by the days of the month and figure out how much I have to write each day, AND THEN DO IT any way I can.  I’ve got a rough draft for a short romance novel cooling its heels in my files and am on my way to finishing the next Boo Done It mystery this month. That’s two books already (rough draft only, however).

It will work for you, too.

http://amzn.com/B00G99P8WG

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: Volunteers in the African Bush (Memoirs from Sierra Leone) edited by David Read Barker.  Before She Dies by Steven F. Havill.  Wounded by Lindsay Buroker.

Photos by Roxanne Rix.