Powerless

Last night was dateless date night and, as I am wont to do, I headed downhill to the cinemas to watch Gerard Butler wreak havoc in London. That was the plan at least and all was going well even though in the first half hour only the odd Pakistani wedding blew up. Just as Butler was heading to London the power went out in the theater. London was saved, at least for a day. I waited under emergency lighting for power to come back but abandoned that after twenty minutes and hearing the entire neighborhood was out.

London is Saved!

I was more than a little concerned since my house isn’t that far from the theater. The ride home crests a hill that provides a sweeping view of the entire city of Worcester. While there was a dark wedge around where the theater sat, the rest of the city was brightly lit. Then I turned the corner and my hilltop was ominously dark. I thought this might be the opening salvo by the hated squirrels against their arch nemesis, Buddy the Wonder Pooch. They must know he's scared of the dark.  I’d taken my wife’s car which abides in the garage. That created a problem since I planned on using the garage door opener to get into the house and didn’t have a house key with me.

Nefarious

With a very anxious Buddy watching from inside I put some of that vaunted Army training to work and used an alternative method to get into the house. We once received some Special Forces training on ingressing locked buildings which came in handy last night. I guess I would make a competent cat burglar. With my trusty I-Phone flashlight I started lighting candles which there is never a shortage of thanks to the Favorite Panamanian. After a few minutes I had the best (or at least exotic) smelling house in the neighborhood because all of my wife’s candles are scented (thank you Yankee Candle).

Sweet Smelling Puzzle Work

Luckily it was a fairly warm night so heat wasn’t going to be a problem but entertainment certainly was. Buddy seemed more concerned about the lack of light than me; he refused to leave my side, re-earning his “Pendejo” sobriquet. I gathered all the candles around the jigsaw puzzle I recently started and wiled away forty or so minutes in overpowering fragrance until the power returned.

I finished off the next Joe Pickett novel, Trophy Hunt, by CJ Box yesterday. Joe, the Wyoming game warden is pulled into a task force investigating cattle and human mutilations. As usual Joe is the only one involved with a lick of common sense, ably assisted by his rustic Reacher clone, Nate. Box does a very good job of weaving the mysticism of cattle mutilations and attendant theories of alien invasions with a crackling good murder mystery. Joe has a true partner in his wife which makes the story sing as we also get her view of the events as well.

As always Box provides vivid descriptions of the majestic Wyoming setting as fall descends on the Rocky Mountains. Box adds just enough doubts into what is happening to keep the reader guessing, along with Joe, about what is really going on. The concluding scenes brings all of the wide spread plot lines expertly crashing together. I find myself liking this series more and more with each subsequent book. If someone is just starting out with Pickett, give it three books before you give up. He’s worth the wait as Box is really rounding into form now.