Wayne Gray

We'll see.

Indeed. Good question. And good observations. Also, yes. I am a tease. You're welcome.

Thanks for reading and for the comment. There's a lot ahead for our folks, so stick around and see what develops.

It really was a great time writing it. Glad you enjoyed!

We're on a five-day schedule. So Sunday it is. See you then.

He is worried. He seems particularly concerned that he has scarred Ash, and he can't seem to recover from that. Ash is still trusting and still willing to meet Taggert where he wants to be met. And, maybe that's what it'll take. Thanks for reading and commenting, Chris. More to come.

We do have to wonder, don't we? What has caused Taggert to flee from connection? Since the end of chapter four, we know he's attracted to Ash - that's in spite of the show. In spite of the imposed distance he tries to throw up as a defense. Of course, time will reveal all. One chapter at a time. Thanks for reading and commenting, Parker. I appreciate it.

Ohhh, good theory. But... he doesn't wrap the towel like the other guys. He literally throws it over his (left) shoulder. This was shown either in chapter 1 or 2. I can't remember which. But it was shown. Yeah. Taggert seems to be having a rough go of it. And the conversation with Ash about "doing what's necessary" seems to support that. Ash saying he still trusted Taggert did indeed seem to reach deep. He reacted to that... and Ash noticed. But Ash wasn't lying, either. He does trust Taggert, even if Taggert thinks he may not deserve it. Hell yes. Work for it. The boys are worth the effort! Thanks for reading and for the great comment! I appreciate the time you spent on the chapter.

I said this earlier, but it bears repeating. Taggert's behavior in the shower is so noticeable because he really doesn't show his bare back to anybody there. He only leaves when there's no danger of someone seeing him do so. Then he pulls on his t-shirt immediately after drying himself. Or he covers his back with his towel until he can turn toward the other guys, and put on his shirt. He really works at it. You're right that the tension caused the accident. Taggert was trying to keep his distance when he should have been worried about doing the job no matter how close they had to be. Well, now he's trying to make amends for that. And maybe it'll be good for him (and Ash too). The jury is still out, but I guess we'll find out. Thanks for the comments and for the read. I appreciate it.

Hmm. Well. Look at you, digging into the double meaning of the title. And here I thought I was being clever! Seriously, though. Nice job calling it out. It feels great when people can see where I'm going. Taggert is certainly struggling. He's trying, and we don't know what is going on, exactly. But Ash can tell. And Ash is trying to help. And maybe, Taggert running into this situation will improve things instead of hurt them. We'll see. Thanks for reading and for the fantastic comment.

James has never looked at either guy and seemed angry, jealous, or even irritated. Amused... yes. But not jealousy - at least not obvious enough for us to see it. Branford spoke to Ash about why James approached him concerning Taggert. So far, all we really know is that both James and Branford were willing to give Ash a say in whether Taggert stays or not. I do like that people are feeling protective of Taggert. I've done my job there. Thanks for reading and for the great comment. See you next time.

Thanks for reading and for the thoughts! Yes, Taggert certainly seems concerned about possibly scarring Ash. You could almost say he fixated on it. And he has his strange ritual in the group shower. Always, back to the wall. Waits for others to leave before following them. Puts on his t-shirt as soon as he's able. He has literally never allowed one of the guys to see his back. Something's up there. What that is? Well. We'll have to see.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Grammarly is essentially AI at this point. So I must be careful to focus on basic mechanics (commas remain my nemesis!) and take the other suggestions with a big ole grain of salt. Can I ask what you're using? I'm always on the hunt for simpler yet effective solutions. Thanks for the comments. I'm glad it's noticeable, because it's taking a LOT for me to keep things spare and pared down. I started this journey way back with my short story, The Answer, but Curing Humanity was probably the first time I noticed a difference myself after letting it rest and reading it with fresh eyes.

Thanks, tim. I wanted to focus on emotion and the interplay between characters. And I read something recently that made me care a little less about the "rules" of writing. It went something like: If you get your point across, you've done what you need to do. So I'm literally writing in sentence fragments in some places, because they can do what I want them to do. The showers were already in use by James, Eric, and Taggert. As always, Taggert faced forward. Eyes down on the tile near the drain in the middle of the room. It's not a sentence. But it gets the point across clearly. It's definitely an experiment. And it has taken some effort to calm the editor in my head, and to ignore Grammarly trying to correct it for me.

That's what friends do!

Well, I'd frame that a little differently. James had no problem getting rid of Taggert if it meant Ash was happy as a result. Remember: James is the owner's son. Taggert is a demonstrated hard/good worker. It's literally in James' financial interest to keep good workers on the ranch. Meaning, it may not be as simple as jealousy. We'll have to see about that. And we'll have to see why Taggert reacted how he did to Ash's injury. Though Ash doesn't seem to mind his attention, does he? Thanks for reading/commenting. More to come.

That's a good theory. Taggert is absolutely feeling guilty over Ash getting hurt, so maybe you're on to something. James doesn't have to be gay and pick up on what is happening between Ash and Taggert. He's observant. He notices details and people. Though if he is gay, that'd be one more reason for him to subtly check the guys out and pick up on what's going on between them. Time will tell. But I won't. See you here again on Sunday!

Yeah, the guys were headed toward something thanks to the tension, and we got to see it happen. What about James and his noticing Ash (and Taggert)? We already know James is the ranch owner's son, so he has a vested interest in the place's success. But his observations don't seem rooted in business... do they? Thanks for commenting. More to come.

Haha. No need to be sorry. I like the routine a lot. He preaches that volume means almost nothing without the pressure to adapt. And that pressure comes from progressive overload. It makes sense. The body doesn't need much prompting to adjust and grow, so long as the right stimulus is there. And working until your muscles fail (because that'll eventually happen if you follow this program) is a surefire way to do that. I'm glad you're doing your own thing too. Keep on with it. But yes, check out the Average to Jacked guy on YouTube. He's smart. And he's easy on the eyes.

Chapter 5: Wounded The next morning, they loaded up in near silence. Toolbox in the bed. Wire stretcher. Box of fencing staples. Gloves. Everything they’d need to pull the line tight across the new posts. Terry came out just as Taggert slammed the tailgate. “Hold up.” He handed over a cooler and a thermos. “Breakfast and lunch. You’ll be out there all day.” “Thanks, Terry,” Ash said. Taggert nodded once. “Appreciate it.” He gave them both a quick look, then hea

Thanks, Mike. I've been very careful as I push things beyond my old limits. Tiny little bites each time. An extra rep here, 5lbs there, etc. Oh, jeez. That'd be great if Canada could figure out prescribing a personal trainer. Prevention has been shown time and again to save money, so I'm sure it'd work. I hope CA takes the plunge and makes it happen. For me, having command of my body is necessary to my happiness. And I've no excuse. Some folks can't work out because of medical issues, but I'm lucky I don't. I just need to be smart about it. It's not surprising tim is sleeping and eating better after adding a physical fitness element to his life. It's therapy for me, and I mean that. In addition to the physical effects, the chemicals my body and mind release after a great workout keep me happy and focused for hours after. It's convenient that you have a free option at work. Makes sense, really. It will mean fewer doctor visits if a workplace offers free fitness resources. Of course, diet also plays a huge role in your health, but working out certainly doesn't hurt anything. And it's just fun. I plan to continue. Nice job with your efforts as well. It's not always easy, but we're doing it.

Thanks! Yeah, I hear you on those limitations. If you wanted to explore what more activity might look like, the key thing is to consult with a doctor and an ACE-certified physical trainer. In that order. You can get a lot done that way, and you can do it safely, too. It's true, you may not be the squatting queen at the gym, but you can learn to strengthen the muscles around your knees, and they can take more of the work off of the joint. In most cases, at least. And if not, it may be time to research knee replacements. I'm sure you've already had that conversation with your PCP, so I'm not saying anything you've not heard before. I'm very lucky. All of my joints are mostly good. I'm thankful for that. My shoulders complain, but I am careful, and I baby them when they really act up. So far, it's working to keep me moving and unbroken. Thanks again. It feels great to hit a new milestone, particularly at my age.

I've been faithfully working out and using a new program for about four months now. This program is from the "Average to Jacked" guy on YouTube (look him up - he's pleasant to look at). And I can boil down his entire mindset/training principle to two words: Progressive Overload. In this program, Progressive Overload is integral to the body's adaptation. If you always lift the same amount of weight the same amount of time, you won't progress. But if you push just a little more every time, you will. Today's routine was "Push". Triceps, Shoulders, Chest. And last week I'd managed to get 60-lb dumbbells locked out 10/10/9 times in incline DB Presses (three sets with 2 minutes of rest between). So today, the goal was 10s, all the way across. Sometimes I hit my old lift and spend another week or two trying to beat my old record. And frankly, I wasn't really feeling too confident I'd squeak by today. But I lay down and started. To my great surprise, I got 10s all the way across. Three sets. Good form. Not perfect, but good. That means something. Since I hit my goal, I'm now scheduled to try 65-lb dumbbells next Monday. I've literally never pushed those in my life. Not once. I've never dared even try. And now they're supposed to be my working weight. The idea is I'll drop the goal to 8 reps and see how I do with all three sets. I'm very careful to avoid injury, but my slow and steady progression is paying off. I'm 51, and I've never been stronger in my life. Am I jacked yet? No. Am I strong? Oh yeah. And that's just FUN.

That may be the case. If so, they lost a trained, capable, motivated, and smart guy. But there's often not a lot of sense in decisions made from a place of hatefulness. Thanks for the comments. See you Tuesday.