No, this isn’t the title of my latest work in progress. LOL. The Fair is in town and we topped off our weekend by riding the rides, eating far too much fair food, and playing a few games. Now, the boys are still young enough that games of skill are beyond them. So, we opted for the game that no matter what you hit or didn’t hit, you still won. Thus, we carried home three slightly seasick goldfish. The boys were concerned that their new pets would starve to death, so my first errand of the week was to pick up food for the fish.

Recently in our neighborhood, a small pet store opened up. Not in a strip mall, but in one of the old houses along the main drag that is zoned for both residence and business. They opened at 11 Monday morning, so I thought I’d save myself a drive into WalMart (20 minutes) and patronize this little shop instead. Oh my.

First of all, the shop was dimly lit and crowded. Not with customers, but with the oddest assortment of men I’ve run into outside a biker bar. I never did figure out which one was the owner… perhaps the young guy who booted up the computer so I could pay for my purchase, or was it the large tattooed hulk who searched the back for a large goldfish bowl? There was also a giant with biceps bigger than my thighs who was conversing with an owl (yes, a real-live whoo-ing one) sitting on a perch and eyeing me with abject curiosity. Probably because I was the only customer it had ever seen come into the store! The owner could have even been the older gentleman sporting a plaid bowler hat and chewing on an unlit cigar looking more like an old-time Vegas pit boss than an animal lover. Your guess is as good as mine. The entire shop had an unused feel to it. Oh, there were aquariums, and a few snakes in glass tanks, even a scorpion in a plastic box similar to what I’ve seen house spiders on animal documentaries. However, for a new shop, it was exceedingly dusty and dark and “different”. I had the distinct impression that if I’d known the password, I would have been invited into a back room to play poker or perhaps bet on a cock fight or two. This shop will definitely go into one of my books, although I will probably never venture back.

I’ve got water prepping for a fish transfer tomorrow…unfortunately, one of the poor things has already died and will have to be replaced. The Husband gave the nameless one a proper burial at sea (whoosh) and Inertia boy is already talking about going with me to the store to get a new fish. The big box store in the big neighboring town.

But enough about the fish, although my WIP does deal with aquatic issues, although I’m hesitant to share any details yet. Just know that I’ve tackled the new plot line for my book and am much happier with where the story is going to go and how it’s going to get to THE END. I have character worksheets to accomplish tomorrow and hope that by Wednesday, I’ll be well on my way to my heroine finding love and adventure in the South Pacific.

What about you? Any tall fish tales to share? I’d love to hear them.

Ericka