Dot In The Weeds

Much beloved and fan favorite Dot Baverstock is back in this fourth installment of The Em Suite—but not in a way you'd ever expect. Dot and her son Waverly have a deep, dark secret they've been keeping for years. When Dot suffers a traumatic fall, they make the difficult and daring decision to expose themselves to their extended family. Waverly has orders to report for Air National Guard duty which would leave Dot, seriously injured, on her own or in the care of strangers. Em and Eve, with their son, Liam rush out to the Palm Springs desert to the rescue. Along for the ride is Em's ex and Liam's aunt, Prairie Fire Vaughn. But, there's something else... Dot and Waverly's secret—the "Big Mystery" and the true reason the family is needed—is revealed soon after their arrival. It appears far more will be needed from them than caretaking, while also putting them in peril. There's no question. They love Dot. They'll do anything for her—even if it means breaking the law. Regrettably, Dot's fall reignites an antagonistic foe, prompting memories of her late partner, Ivey, and the root of the "Big Mystery," taking her back to the early 1970s when they first met. In mourning for her best friend and long-time infatuation, Fiona, Prairie is on bereavement leave from her job as a major league baseball physical trainer. While Em and Eve deal with the "Big Mystery," Prairie takes on the role of primary caretaker to Dot for her physical care, and to orphaned Liam as familial continuity. Prairie and Dot haven't seen each other in twenty years, not since Dot first found her to rehabilitate Em after a life-altering car crash. Their friendship grows as they spend day after day confined to Dot's upstairs bedroom. Meanwhile, secluded on the other side of the property, lovers Em and Eve dutifully tend to Dot and Waverley's problem. They're also still adapting to being parents. Two weeks earlier, upon her untimely death, Fiona left her not-quite-three-year-old son to Em to raise as her own. Em, too, is mourning Fiona, her long-time soul mate. No one but Em truly understands why their bond was so deep. If she has her way, they never will. Love, tragedy, humor, heartbreak; adventure, mystery, and danger all deliciously intertwine in this fun, yet heart-tugging installment of The Em Suite. Though Dot in the Weeds is part of a series, it is also a story that firmly stands on its own.

Your life matters, and it matters on an infinite and eternal scale. That may sound like a bold claim. Maybe you spend most of your day behind a desk or chauffeuring children or repeating one of a thousand ordinary routines. Nothing about your daily life seems world-changing or history-making to you. A life-crushing loss or a humiliating setback may leave you feeling that your world is irreparably broken. Chronic illness or a stalled career may have you wondering whether you have anything truly significant to offer. You may have reached the pinnacle of success, and now you find yourself wondering, Is this all that there is? Nevertheless, your life matters. That is the core message of Christian hope. This book is devoted to helping its readers not only to understand the concept of hope, but more importantly to draw upon hope as the powerful force that inspires our daily lives. Christian hope is far more than wishful thinking or a positive attitude. Optimism in all its forms places its bets on what we humans can accomplish. By contrast, hope is rooted in what Christ has already achieved on the cross and what God promises to accomplish for us in the future. God connects the dots of our lives.

This report is a follow up to AASHTO's 2003 Taking the High Road report, and documents new projects and programs that continue to advance both transportation and environmental stewardship. The report provides important facts on how transportation makes a difference in quality of life through key environmental investments. It demonstrates the numerous ways transportation agencies are increasingly going "above and beyond" to connect and enhance both communities and the environment to make things better than before, not because it is required, but because it is the right thing to do. The successful practices described in this report describe a few of the many ways transportation agencies are advancing toward sustainable transportation. These initiatives are helping transportation agencies bridge the gap and contribute to the environmental, social, and economic well-being of their communities.

"Publication code: GVM-1" -- P. [4] of cover.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 363: Control of Invasive Species explores the extent to which state departments of transportation are identifying actions that affect the spread of invasive species, preventing introduction, tracking status and locations of "invasives" in a timely and ongoing manner, controlling found populations, restoring invaded habitats, conducting research, and sharing lessons learned. The report documents successful practices and lessons learned. It also synthesizes the state of the practice in developing Integrated (Roadside) Vegetation Management, along with physical, chemical, biological, and cultural control mechanisms.