The Book That Took the Scenic Route!

Every now and then, something happens that you couldn’t plan if you tried—and you sure couldn’t make it up any better.

A fellow author and friend, Sheridan Rowe Langford, author of Farm Fresh Forensics and Wet Noses and World Domination, recently ordered my book. What happened next… well… let’s just say the book decided to live a little before settling down.

Here's her account of what happened:

"This book was on an adventure!

Yes, you read that correctly. The book was ON an adventure. Not ABOUT an adventure. It was on an adventure.

I’d been eagerly looking forward to this book on farm living written by a friend of mine, Sandy Davis. I ordered it from Amazon and waited and waited. And got what I thought was covid so I forgot about anything I’d ordered. But when I came out of my NyQuil fog, I checked on my book. Amazon said it had been delivered over a week ago. Hmm nooooooo…. Haven’t seen it.

Thus began the hunt. My mailbox is a mile from my front gate. Nobody in my family picked it up. Neighbor didn’t pick it up. Nobody else lives down here. No one.

So I contacted Amazon and the computer chat bot informed me that it was so sorry this happened and would I like another copy? Yes, I would. Amazon would be happy to send me another copy, but please also check with the shipper. UPS.

You cannot get a person at UPS. I know because my husband spends a lot of time on the phone bitching about that. Therefore I was less than thrilled about tracking down a package that UPS already said was delivered two weeks ago.

So I put it off.

Because I do that.

I am the Queen of Procrastination. Most of the time that does not work in my favor. Today it did.

Because today I was returning home down our lonely single lane dirt road. Behind an automatic gate and two cattle guards. And I met an unknown truck coming from the direction of my house. Wasn’t my neighbor. (Because my husband was driving the neighbor’s truck behind me. But that’s another story. )

So I met this truck on my single lane road. His driver window was rolling down. This is the Texas invitational sign for both parties to stop in the road and have conversation. (Being the antisocial hermit that I am, I’m not often eager to entertain conversation on the route home, but this is Texas, and that is the law. You cannot drive by a rolled down window. You just can’t. The Law.

So I stopped. And a man that I do not know informed me that he had dropped a package at my gate. He was a hunter from the hunter’s camp and the package had been dropped near his camper. He found it while mowing today. Alrightie then. Howdy New Neighbor.

So UPS chose to not drop the book at my mailbox, not drop the book at the main gate off the main road, and not drop the book at my actual gate which is the last sign of civilization before a literal cow path dirt road. Instead, that driver (who must be a substitute) went a mile and a half out of his way to drop a package at an uninhabited hunter’s camp that probably has not seen traffic since the close of deer season.

And here’s the best part - the book was in a heavy cardboard envelope. We had two heavy rains during the time this lonely book waited near a vacant camper. And the book didn’t get wet! Envelope got wet. Book is fine. (Because God loves books. I’m sure of it! )

I notified Amazon and their happy chat bot replied with absolutely frightening speed. I’m a bit afraid of AI when computers think that quickly. Like fast. I hit send and the reply was instant. That’s scary. (But not important to the story.)

So there you have it! This book on farm adventures went on its own adventure before it landed in my hands. I’m gonna love it! If you love adventurous little books on farm adventures, go grab your copy!"

I write about farm life and the unexpected moments that come with it… but apparently, this time, the book decided to create one of its own. I’m just glad it finally made it home—safe, dry, and with a story to tell. And I'm adding this to my list of you-can-make-this-stuff-up!

Here's the link to get your own copy. Delivery adventures not guaranteed… but apparently not impossible either.

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