New Flyer: Missing Person Konrad Charles Reichenberger

Just this evening I received a new flyer being put up for Missing Person Konrad Charles Reichenberger.

If you have any information about his disappearance please report it to the Modoc County Sheriff's Department at 530-233-4416.

More Information on Missing Person: Konrad Charles Reichenberger

Most people who have lived or live in rural Northern California (as I did for 11 years), know what is going on in many of our state and national parks, especially in the smaller towns and rural areas. The drug cartel has been using our forests and parks for years to grow drugs. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to hike into where they are, or to stand up to them, or to learn details of who they are, often vanishes. Many of these rural areas do not have a large enough law enforcement to deal with the issue or cover the hundreds of miles of wilderness. This brings me to the fact that other than a few friends and family members, after nine months, the sheriff's department probably doesn't have the resources to really keep looking for Konrad Reichenberger on a full-time basis, though I know they are interested in information.

The sad part is because he wasn't married and didn't have children that would make him even less of person who would be looked for. But Konrad has family and friends, who care, including a sister and father, and we are going to keep looking and seeking answers.

So here I am, making sure that people are aware of what is going on and hope that someone who knows something they haven't told the sheriff's department of Modoc  County will step forward with information. Again the basics of the case are:

Konrad Charles Reichenberger disappeared from his home in Alturas, California some times between January 13 and January 16, 2018. He has brown eyes and brown hair (often kept short). Konrad is 6'2" tall and 200lbs. He was 44 when he disappeared and is now 45 years old. If you know anything, you should contact the Modoc County Sheriff’s Office at 530-233-4416.

Missing Person: Konrad Charles Reichenberger

Today I learned from my mother that my brother's closest friends from his 20's, who was also an usher at my sister's first wedding, is a missing person. Though I hadn't spoken to him in several years, Konrad Charles Reichenberger, is an important person to my family. I have known him for more than 30 years now, and was sadden to learn that he has been missing since January 13, 2018, and I am just now learning this.

So, with hopes to keep people looking for him, I am blogging here to pass the word.  The official news link I found is http://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/The-Modoc-County-Sheriffs-Office-is-asking-for-the-publics-help-in-locating-a-missing-man-Konrad-Charles-Reichenberger-age-44--470149283.html

In summary he was last seen on January 13, 2018 and was reported missing on January 16, 2018 in Modoc County, California. Thankfully someone went to check when they didn't hear from him, and found his dogs, which Konrad would never have left like that. Konrad is 44 years old with brown eyes and brown hair (which he usually has kept really, really short).

If anyone knows anything, please contact the police and let them know.

Though the photo I have is 20 years old now, this is Konrad and my brother as ushers at my sister's wedding. Konrad is on the right.

Ivan Joshua Hobson and  Konrad Charles Reichenberger

End of Summer Writing Update

Currently my novel, Rejection, is on track for coming out this Fall. Formatting and one final edit have begun. Yesterday I wrote a rough draft for the back of the book, as well as an author's note for inside. This book has been a long time reaching print, and I will be happy when it is out there, and I can move on to the rest of the series. As I remarked in the author's note, Rejection is actually the first book that was written in The Conrad Chronicles series, though it didn't end up being the first book in chronological order, which is why it has taken almost three decades for this book to be published.

Besides my working on Rejection, I have also been typing up the second LOA inspired book and just started playing around with ideas for my 2018 Christmas poem. Add to this that a friend asked me to write a biography of a banana slug for a fundraiser, and I have been busy, but not to busy to enjoy hanging out with a good book a few days this past month.

Happy reading.

Backyard Archaeology: A Never Ending Saga

After three years I figured I would have unearthed all that could be found in my yard. After all, the whole property is only .3 of an acre. There's room for items to be hidden and buried, but at this point I started wondering if my home had been built on a garbage dump. Thankfully, it wasn't. The land was actually an orchard before the house was placed on it.

Meanwhile, I am still uncovering new items. Here are some of the newest treasures.

The second lot to be found this spring and in early summer included a spoon, golf club head, vial, tube and a piece of what I learned was a smoking pipe.

Then in mid-summer I found a squirt gun, piece of china, domino, golf bag plastic toy, head to the top of razor, and some yellow thing I think is for tying something down.

What else can possibly be out there?

Audio Books

My writing is branching out into another venue: Audio Books. Currently Stubby, the Magic Pencil and A Tale of Butts: The Story of a Couch (remember this is under the pen name Echo Ryan) are in production to become audio books. The auditions for narrators has been completed, and the first 15 minutes of each production has been approved. When they are done they will be available through several venues, including itunes.

If you still prefer a paperback or an e-book, remember these books are available in both those formats. The best and cheapest place to buy them as a paperback is about lulu.com, but they are also available for order through book stores and on amazon.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/heather-hobson/stubby-the-magic-pencil/paperback/product-21959411.html

and

http://www.lulu.com/shop/echo-ryan/a-tale-of-butts-the-story-of-a-couch/paperback/product-15642092.html

Happy Summer Reading!

Farewell to My Cherry Tree

Last night sometime between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm my beloved cherry tree laid down and died. My husband went out to water, and the tree was down. Amazingly enough she fell diagonally across the yard avoiding all there trees, the two fences nearby, and the neighbor's house. In addition the dogs weren't outside when it happened.

My heart is saddened. I had just finished the last piece of cherry pie the day before from this season's crop. Also, only two days before I had been under the tree pruning lower branches.

When I rose this morning, I wrote a poem in honor of this old, magnificent tree.  Here it is:


Farewell to a Cherry Tree
by Heather Hobson Lewis

Arising at my husband's beckoning
I flicked on a light
and followed him into the night.
We tread into the backyard
where the words I thought must have been exaggerated
proved to be completely true.

You, my beautiful tree, had laid down and quietly died.
Leaves still green,
cherries still at your top,
you now rested sprawled diagonally across the ground.

Mere hours before, out the window, I smiled at you,
all tall and strong,
you, who had just provided fruit upon fruit earlier this month,
some of which is now sealed in glass jars.

Just the day before I had eaten
the last piece of this season's pie from your cherries.
Just two days before,
I had been raking discarded pits and limbs
from beneath your wide spreading boughs,
while I thanked you for such an abundant harvest.

Yet this morning I awaken,
knowing your last summer and final cherry season
are now behind you.
Silently you laid down,
and in your kindness found a spot,
evading the other trees, the fences, and the neighbor's yard.

What a loving, amazing creature you were.
Kind enough to wait one more season,
to wait for the dogs to be on a walk,
and to wait for me to no longer be on the ladder beside you
when you chose to fall.

With love in my heart for you my dear cherry tree,
I say farewell.

Cherry Tree has Fallen. This is actually the top of the tree.

Notice the small tree in the cage that the cherry just missed?

So close to the fence line.

So close to the other fence line.