Covered in a blanket of snow

So ... it snowed. Not tons and tons, but enough to stick. We have a good 2" on our deck and grass. The roads right now aren't snow covered, but are a solid sheet of ice (at least my street is).

We have the wood stove going, which is nice, but that's the earliest we've ever started to burn (which means we'll run out of wood earlier than usual), so I'm concerned a bit.

Days like this, I want to live in the Bahamas.

Today marks the first day of my DH's two week vacation. I asked what was on the agenda today. Cutting down trees. And, we'll be working in snow, now which thrills me to NO end.

DD is thrilled she'll be in school. Wish I had an excuse!

More snow is expected on Saturday, though. Looks like it just might be a tougher winter than usual -- which apparently the wildlife knew since there are NO acorns to be found anywhere. Whereas last year? The ground was littered with them.

I'm dreading the fact I have to drive DD to and from school everyday. Used to be if the weather was icky, I just stayed home until it wasn't. I'm not a confident driver in the snow (comes from two times sliding off the road in Colorado and Wyoming) which makes me a nervous wreck. Maybe it'll only snow on Saturdays?

The countdown to spring begins now.

Hope your weekend plans are warmer and less labor intensive than mine!

======================

You Are Hot Coffee

You are quick and elusive. You have keen senses, and you can concentrate intensely. You are charming, outgoing, and friendly. You make a good first impression. You are open-minded and flexible. You don't see things as set in stone, and you like to leave yourself open. You are energetic and fired up. You are always ready to take on the world.

The Hot Beverage Test

About half right.

=========================

The "S" Word

Sorry about missing yesterday... but I was totally blank. I'm not much better today, really, since I finally managed to drag myself out of bed at 4 a.m. (I've had my alarm set for 4 a.m. the past couple of weeks, but haven't actually managed to get my lazy self up until nearly five).

I need to get up earlier now because it's the start of hunting season, and DH has taken off the next two weeks starting with Friday. He's very, very good at filling my day with jobs, so if I'm going to do NaNoWriMo (and that still feels like a pipe dream to me, but I'm going to try) and get the rest of my usual work done, I need to give myself some extra time in the a.m.

We went to dog agility for the first time in a really long time last night. While I really do love going, it's gotten to be SO difficult with DD's school stuff. We had a great time, though, and Dakota was thrilled to see all her friends.

The weatherman said the "S" word. Yes, it's true, we might see some snow tonight and then again this weekend. Already! It usually doesn't snow until Thanksgiving or so. Granted, the ground isn't frozen, so it's not going to stick, but even so .... we're going from late summer weather to winter practically overnight. I swear it's getting to be two seasons anymore: summer, winter. Who needs spring and fall?

I need to dig out my flannel sheets. :::shivers:::

==================

You Are Oxygen

You are highly observant. No detail slips past you. You follow the rules - even if you don't particularly like them. Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others. You push everyone you know to be a little better. You are polite and courteous. You always mind your manners.

What Periodic Element Are You?

That's pretty much right.

Fore! Timber! Fun Words to Yell!

Yesterday Dru Ann asked if anyone yelled "timber!" when the tree fell. Yep, I did. *G*

She also asked why they yell timber, and though I wasn't able to find out the exact origins (I did find a site which asked "Why don't they yell 'hey move!' instead of 'timber'?", lol) basically it's a way to say "look out there's a tree falling!" a lot quicker.

I also stumbled across the origins of "Fore!" in golf, which is essentially the same thing, but at least the explanation was more interesting.

Speaking of interesting, the other day Tori mentioned something about the RMS Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic and the only one of the three ships in its class that didn't sink) and I did some looking up and found that one woman was on ALL THREE sisters ships (Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) when they either crashed into something or sank.

Her name was Violet Jessup, and I find her story very interesting.

Yes, I do tend to gather trivia. Why do you ask?

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. DD did get her first EVER school pictures. She hates them (of course ... didn't we all?) but, though I don't love how her bangs look, otherwise the pix are fine. I'm sorting through them and deciding who gets which sizes now.

I also have my first ever parent/teacher conference this week, though I'm not sure what they'll talk about. They keep everything on the computer in a "portal" I can login to. I can see DD's scores for everything: homework, quizzes, tests and overall grade. I can see her deportment scores (they give +1 or -1 depending on various behavior). There probably aren't going to be any surprises.

She had me help with Algebra last night and it took me a few minutes to figure out what I was supposed to do. She said, "Mom, I thought you loved algebra!" to which I replied, "I did ... thirty years ago."

I had to help her make a scatter plot. Fun times were had by all.

How was your day?

======================

You Are Passionate

You are magnetic and passionate. You are good at rallying people around a cause. A true charmer, you subtly influence people into seeing things your way. You are intense and over the top. You are more likely to overdo things than to underdo them. You are definitely a whirlwind of excitement. When you're around, nothing is boring... that's for sure.

The Italian Food Test

Don't know if this is me or not ... this is one of those answers you need to ask people who know you about. Does this fit?

================

Weekend in Review

Crazy weekend here ... still waiting for a video to upload to YouTube while I type (apparently my phone takes really big videos which is YAY for the resolution, but UGH on the amount of time it takes to upload), so I'll share this with you first. My friend, Maria Zannini released a new book! It's the second in her Second Chances Series, Chain of Souls. Check it out:

Banished from Heaven for refusing to harvest an unwilling soul, Liam Chase drinks to forget night after night until the Angel of Death pays him a visit.

For the price of a few humans souls, Ziva promises to get him reinstated into Heaven. Liam doesn’t doubt her influence, but milking humans of their light is an unspeakable crime, punishable by eternal oblivion.

He’d rather rot on Earth than commit such a monstrous sin. But the Angel of Death didn’t get where she was by taking no for an answer. Ziva is a huntress of extraordinary skill and cruelty. If he refuses, his loved ones will be her next targets. And Ziva never misses.

Ziva has already set her sights on Shannon, the soul he once refused to harvest, and his beloved servant, Evie. He’ll do anything to keep them safe, even if it means his death.

But something goes wrong just as he concedes, and the chain of souls picks a new mistress before he has a chance to deliver.

Brought for trial before the most feared angel in Heaven and Hell, Liam discovers he has failed to protect his loved ones and now they too could share his fate.

Sounds good!! If you think so, too, know this: It's only $2.99 (the cost of that Starbucks you were going to get this morning ... but this lasts for more than a few minutes) and you can get it here: Amazon, B&N and Smashwords.

:::checks back at YouTube::: "About 4 minutes left"

*sigh*

So, DH decided that we should spend Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday taking down trees, stacking the branches and dragging logs in from the woods to load on the truck, bring home and stack in our yard for next year's burn.

It's not that I mind working. It's not that I don't LOVE free wood (we use about three cords a year, and it runs about $250/cord right now, so YAY for free wood). It's not that I don't love a warm house in the middle of winter.

What I mind is spending ALL FREAKING WEEKEND doing it. Because, hello, already have a full plate of chores and work that doesn't do itself while I'm off doing something else. I didn't get the LASR/WC website built for this week until last night. I have twenty-six active virtual tours on Goddess Fish that I'm filling, organizing and promoting. We won't talk about the 50+ reviews I edit weekly or the house that I cleaned. And DD wanted to practice basketball, so I needed to fit that in somewhere, too (amazingly, it didn't hurt my knee AT ALL).

It all got done (barely), but it wasn't fun. Nevermind trying to plot something for NaNoWriMo in a week.

:::checks back at YouTube::: -- Upload Progress 100%!

Okay, so I took one video of DH felling a tree. He did this when SIL wasn't there (she was driving the wood to our house with SIL#2 and stacking it) because she tends to flip out and stress beyond belief every time he takes anything down. It's not like he's dropped one on her house (he did hit the edge of her shed once, but that was actually her fault... long story). I videoed it because I knew she'd want to watch. It's pretty amazing actually, and DH is a lot braver that I would be. The times he gestures to me in the video, he's asking if the tree looks like it's falling the right way (it was). I was worried a minute because the wind picked up just a smidge, but it was blowing the right way.



That's a big tree. We had to clear and pile all the branches in the canopy, plus find all the bits of wood he cut ( we don't waste any -- even the smaller branches are cut up to burn) and haul it out the woods. SIL will have some very happy birds and chipmunks this winter living her her brush piles.

There are three more trees she wants taken down. That's on the agenda for next week.

*sigh*

What did you do this weekend? Anything fun? Let me live vicariously!

====================

You Should Get Your PhD in Business Administration

You love to work on a team, and you do your best to bring out everyone's strengths. You only work when it is very meaningful and profitable. You don't want to waste your time in a job. You have what it takes to be a top business owner or consultant. You have a head for money. Your work doesn't have to have a higher meaning. Making money is its own reward.

What Should You Get a PhD In?

Mostly right.

=================

Thing I've Learned About Girls From Sleepovers

DD had a friend sleepover last night (they had a field trip yesterday and have a harvest festival today). I like her friend (how can I not like her... she LOVES Dakota). But I'm exhausted this morning and a bit wiser on how girls works when they run in packs (even small packs of two):

1. Girls are just as rowdy as boys.

We had plenty of activity last night. Running, playing, tug-o-war, wrestling. The dog was in heaven. I was not.

2. There's lots of giggling.

As in nearly non-stop giggling. At one point, her friend was rolling on the floor laughing at something I saw no humor in.

3. There's lots of whispering.

If they aren't giggling, they're talking.

4. There's no "off" switch.

They never, ever want to go to bed.

On a side note, why is it when we're babies / toddlers / kids we never want to nap and "bedtime" is a curse words, but when we're older we'd give anything for a little afternoon siesta?

Already sleep-deprived, I'm barely able to keep my eyes open this morning. I have a feeling today is going to be a very, very long day, especially since I suspect there is more tree dragging in my future.

Have a great weekend all!

====================

You Are a Deer

You are trusting of yourself and others. You give people the benefit of the doubt. You are grateful for this life you've been given. You feel blessed for what you have. You see the world through the eyes of a child. You are rarely cynical or jaded. You are unselfconscious and totally natural in your behavior. You are free-spirited.

What Forest Animal Are You?

HAHAHAHAHA... no. That's about 95% wrong.

*snort*

===================

Ads We'll Never See Again!

Because I'm trying to get used to getting up before the crack of dawn again, and because last night both DD and DH wouldn't let me get to sleep (why doesn't a closed door and no light on mean "I'm in bed, leave me alone"?... They apparently think it means, "Please, come in, sit on the bed and let's have a conversation.") so I didn't even close my eyes until after eleven, meaning my alarm at 4 a.m. came WAY too early and now I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone think coherently, I give you "ADS WE'LL NEVER SEE AGAIN:









=================

You Are Driven

Of all the types, you are the most energetic and vibrant. You just go for it. You know how to get results. You have momentum and ambition in your side. Gutsy and brave, you've never let your fears stop you from doing anything. You are in control. You are very involved in the world. You say yes to every opportunity and invitation.

What's Your Power?

Hmmm... yeah, pretty much.

===================

I pointed out to my DH yesterday what a good kitty Lexie is. "She doesn't get on the counters at all, or on the table. She doesn't open the cupboards or knock over the trash." He said, "I found her on the back of the couch!" (Because, you see, the animals aren't allowed on the furniture... *sigh*). I told him at least it was something that was meant to be sat on (and reminded him that she wasn't clawing it, just sleeping on it).

That's what comes from marrying someone who never had pets growing up (not even a fish -- which I think is just wrong on so many levels).

Lexie, OTOH, seems unfazed. She has also decided that her water dish simply won't do, and prefers Dakota's:



Tried to visit a few places yesterday, but had some trouble commenting. Don't know if it was Blogger or me. :-(

DD had a rough day at school yesterday. Her BFF was out sick and DD said no one would talk to her. In fact, it was as if she had the plague. She drew me a picture of history class (where there are no assigned seats) and she sat in the front corner, and everyone else left a buffer of empty desks between her ... the rest of the class all sat in the farthest away corner. She cried all the way home. Real tears because they were quiet and very, very sloppy.

Her friend will probably be out again today. DD is dreading it, but we talked about how to engage people in conversation and how to behave in various situations. Whether it helps or not, I have no idea. But the simple fact is: she won't always have a friend around so she needs to learn how to deal.

I was perpetually the "new kid" in school as my folks moved so frequently (and often in the middle of a school year), so I had to learn how to make new friends constantly. It's not fun, it's not comfortable, but it's a good skill to have.

As a side note, I talked to her friend's mom the other day (her friend was also homeschooled until this year) and she said, "I thought I'd have so much time once the kids were in school, but I swear I have LESS."

It was good to know I'm not the only one who feels that way...

Have a happy hump day!

=================

You Are a Turkey Sandwich

Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust. You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible. Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend. Your best friend: The Ham Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Mostly right ... yes really. Okay -- who's a ham sandwich?

=========================

NaNo Noodling

So, a couple of days ago, a message from my writing friend Charity Tahmaseb pops up on my Facebook wall. It says:

Dude, I'm thinking about doing NaNo (no, really, I am). What say you?

After I picked myself up off the floor (I'll explain in a moment why I fell out of my chair), I gave it some thought and basically said: if you are, I have to.

You see, NaNoWriMo tends to make Charity cranky (and WOW, I found a link to her old blog!). So to have HER initiate a post about actually DOING NaNo was a bit shocking.

I can't let her sail her maiden voyage alone (and, yeah, I know about ten million other people will be doing NaNoWriMo, but .... still...) so I'll give it a go. My plan is to write Geoff's book. I didn't like the way it was going before (it was too easy, and had little conflict, though the heroine and her family rocked, so they may need a story of their own eventually), so have completely reimagined it. I do need to sit down and plot it out a bit more, but I have the basic stuff in my head.

I have two weeks.

Oy.

====================

You Are the Central Time Zone

For you, each day is new and glorious. You wake up refreshed and happy, even when things aren't going your way. Following the rules feels natural to you. You can't imagine living outside the law. You love to create and preserve sacred memories. You are a very nostalgic person. You are down to earth and old fashioned. You think that most trends are overrated.

What US Time Zone Are You?

About 75% right...

==================

Tree Dragging and Other Fun Weekend Games

So ... we finished splitting and stacking the wood for burning this year. Of course, the spot out back where we pile the green wood to season was empty, so DH had the urge to fill it. He took down three trees this weekend. He has his eye on two more in our backyard, and my SIL has three or four she wants taken down at her house.

I try to remind him that, although HE may have time off on the weekends, I don't. So, my days were filled with humping wood and branches, my evenings and morning with computer work.

Still, it was a gorgeous weekend. I did fit a little time off in -- went to the dog park both Saturday and Sunday. One of my favorite pastimes is watching dogs interact with one another. It's incredible how the bad energy from one dog affects an entire group.

We were there alone with Dakota at first, then a lady came with two big dogs: a red boxer mix and what looked like a boxer/mastiff or boxer/pit bull in tan. The second, tan dog was a foster-to-potential-adopt they'd only had for a week, so they weren't sure how he'd behave, though they'd had no trouble with his interaction with other dogs up to this time.

The first dog was clearly alpha. He wasn't mean, just dominant. He made sure Dakota understood (she did!) then went around on his merry way. The second, tan dog was still young (just under a year) and only wanted to play, play, play. He had a great energy and he and Dakota had a blast.

Then came a lady with a black lab mix who was VERY submissive, but also nervous. Still, all four were getting along fine once the lab realized no one was going to eat her.

Then came trouble. An English Sheepdog who was still young (just a year) and felt as though he should be alpha dog. He came in excited, barking and basically telling everyone how it was. The first thing he did was find the little, nervous lab and start barking at it non-stop, constantly in its face. The lab tried to go away, tried hiding under the table, behind people's legs, whatever, but the dog wouldn't leave it alone. When it started showing teeth, though, it was time to intercede (and yeah, I kinda get involved in other people's dogs).

The first red boxer, though, had had enough. And when the sheepdog decided to assert himself to the tan dog (in the red dog's "pack") the real fun began. No real fight, but some very aggressive posturing. Over and over. The owners of the boxer put him on-leash (as they should have), but it took having the sheepdog leave before things settled.

I suspect this happens in groups of people, too, only we don't have the uninhibited responses that dogs do. We understand we can't just get in a person's face and say "I don't like you." and follow them around, shoving them until they understand their place.

I prefer dogs.

And now, I'm out of time already. Hope you all had great weekends! Tomorrow, a NaNoWriMo discussion.

=================

You Are Reflective

You are very analytical, and you rarely panic. You know that nothing is as big of a crisis as it first seems. You like all of your stuff to be in its place. It drives you crazy to be disorganized. Sometimes your strong sense of responsibility leads to frustration. You take too much on. You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.

The Card Test

HAHAHAHA... yeah, mostly. Not a big "blender" but othewise, right on.

Ramble, Ramble, Ramble....

I'm empty today, so I'm going to ramble a bit.

I do think I may have found one thing that will make life easier for me on the LASR site (it has to do with review request receipt, posting, tracking and issuance -- something that takes at least a couple hours a day). We're also planning a complete restructuring of the LASR site effective January 1, 2012 assuming I can find the time to actually do it.

DD was assigned a science project: freeze cold water, lukewarm water and hot water and find which freezes first. We started the project last afternoon and then promptly forgot to check hourly, so I Googled it this morning. Here's what I found out from Scientific American:

It all depends on how fast the cooling occurs, and it turns out that hot water will not freeze before cold water but will freeze before lukewarm water.

I'd wondered why they added "lukewarm" water to the test. Now I know. And, huh. Who knew?

DH and I had a lunch date planned for today (we've been having "date days" on Fridays -- his day off -- since DD has started school) but work decided they had to have a meeting at 11:30 today and he has to dial in. So, no date for us.

I found a Where's George bill a few days ago. I never remember to actually log my own cash in (yes, I have an account), but when I find them, I always put them in for tracking.

This one said: This bill has travelled 116 Miles in 2 Yrs, 188 Days, 10 Hrs, 6 Mins at an average of 0.13 Miles per day. It is now 116 Miles from its starting location.

The initial entry read this: My name is Isabella and I am four. My daddy is going to use this bill to buy gas on his way to work tomorrow.

It's interesting to see what happens to them.

That's about it for me. No big plans for the weekend... I'll probably spend most of it taking down my veggie garden and stacking wood. Ah, preparation for winter. Fun times.

Have a great weekend!

====================

You Eat Like a Conservative

You may or may not be a political conservative, but studies show you sure eat like one. You gravitate toward comfort foods and classics. And you don't waste your time with fancy food trends. You prefer to eat what's tried and true. You get annoyed with people who have hangups about what's healthy. Pass the mac and cheese, meatloaf, fried chicken, and apple pie. Your tastes are all-American as they come!

Do You Eat Like a Liberal or a Conservative?

Yep ... no Thai food for me thankyouverymuch...

==================

Leaves

Thanks all for your ideas and words of encouragement yesterday. Not sure where the answer is, but I'm going to work at figuring it out. Soon.

Maria Zannini asked a couple days ago: Are you planning on migrating this blog to WordPress or is this for a new blog?

Neither, actually. Well, sort of. I want to try my hand at building a website with it. It'll include blog posts, I imagine, but it'll have static pages, too. It's one of the things I'm toying with to see if life will be made easier by using it. Of course, first life will be harder because of the learning curve, but hopefully (if Word Press -- which my phone autocorrected to read Weird Pods -- works the way I hope it will) in the long run it will ease my work load.

Lexie is getting braver. She's actually making it all the way up to the second floor now. She's still concerned about the dog and still runs for the basement if there's a noise she doesn't like, but she's coming out of her shell a bit more.

Took some pictures yesterday of the leaves FINALLY changing out here. Because it hasn't been cold, they aren't changing like usual. Sadly, I think it's going to be a toss up whether they finish changing or just fall off.




Dakota wants to know why we're just standing still and NOT WALKING:


Have a good day all.

==========================

You Are Apple Upside Down Cake

You are a dynamic and interesting person. You are constantly changing, growing, and improving. You've had some ups and downs over the years, but you've learned to hang in there. You are one tough cookie. You are content with your life. You work hard, and you make sure to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You are bold and even brazen. You approach life with complete fearlessness.

What Apple Treat Are You?

Hmmmm.... maybe 50/50

=============================

Decisions, Decisions

I've been feeling as if I'm at a crossroads lately, with decisions to make, an much emotional upheaval, but I simply don't know which road to take (or if the road I should take is even on the map).



Simply put, I can't do everything I have on my plate anymore. So something has to give. Not sure what, yet. I'm poking at things and making lists and trying to decide what things I must do, what things I want to do, and what things are not required or desired.

It's a long list with a lot of considerations and I'm not sure how it's going to shake out. I simply know that I'm tired of working 24/7, tired of feeling guilty if I take off time for myself, and then there's the fact that I'm just plain tired.

And so are the days of my lives.

How do you make big decisions?

===========================

You Are Firefox

Many people have tried to tame you, but so far no one has succeeded. You can't be broken. You believe in originality and tolerance. You think the world needs more diversity, not less. You're the perfect combination of uniqueness and quality. You're able to relate to all sorts of people. You have no desire to lead or follow. Anyone is welcome to join you on your journey for a while.

What Web Browser Are You?

Makes me sound pretty wild and crazy .... ::Rawr::

Blogging at All Day / All Night

I'm at All Day All Night Writing Divas today talking about three things that will make me buy a new-to-me author's book.

Come by and keep me company.

The Weekend in Review

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend -- sunny, warm, beautiful. Hard to believe it's October in New Hampshire! We're having a late 'leaf peeping' season, though, because it hasn't been cold enough to turn the leaves until this past week. The color is starting, finally, and it's breathtaking. I'm consistently surprised at the vivid reds and florescent oranges that the maple leaves turn.

I didn't pull up my garden yet. Friday was busy with errands. Saturday, my friend from Massachusetts, Michele, came up to spend the day (YAY! Sadly, the last time I'll see her until late spring) and Sunday was filled with wood-stacking fun.

Unfortunately, by late last night, one of my wood piles fell over. Wood stacking: so much fun, you'll want to do it TWICE!

Today, I promised DD some fun, so we'll be seeing a movie (complete with popcorn) and a few other things. She also needs (wants) a few more school supplies (including a three hole punch she can keep in her binder).

My plans this week include trying to conquer Word Press (it can't be that hard, even if my brain doesn't want to wrap itself around the instructions) and cutting down my dead perennials so they can sleep the winter away. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I may put in some bulbs or a mum. I have some frog's tongue seedum that I hate and want to dig up, too.

Next year, I WILL find the time to enjoy my garden.

Anyone do anything fun this weekend?

======================

You Are Handy

You are a generalist who does everything well. You find every subject and skill to be interesting. You are practical and productive. You continually figure out a way to get things done. You take on huge projects and see them through. You lead the way when it comes to success. You like to have a little excitement in your life, but you don't go overboard. You stay grounded.

The Wood Test

Pretty much right.

==========================

Dog Dish with David M. Brown

Please welcome to the dog dish today, epic fantasy author, David M. Brown visiting on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. He and his wife, Donna, are owned by several cats who have deigned to join Dakota at the water bowl and chat.

David is the author of "Fezariu's Epiphany", a fantasy novel that I have and am thoroughly enjoying. The world-building is wonderful and the storyline interesting and unique. If you're a fan of fantasy, you should give it a try! Even better, the eBook is only $0.99 at Smashwords, so what do you have to lose?

But now, please give a warm welcome to the Cats Brown, visiting from over the pond:

So, your human writes books. Does this mean she is home all day and easy to access? Elaborate if necessary.

Charlie: He’s out all day on weekdays. Does some sort of office job, so he claims anyway, but in the evenings he’s busy writing.

Razz: He feeds us first thing then again when he gets back. He never pops home to feed us though, which I think is selfish. I know it takes him an hour to get to work, but still!

What are your techniques for distracting your human during crucial writing moments, just because it's fun? Whose primary job is it? What do the rest of you do to support the one doing the main distracting?

Bilbo: That’s usually down to me and Charlie. It is amusing when he’s typing away on that laptop contraption and I just jump onto his knee. How he reacts depends how involved he is in his work.

Charlie: That’s right. You don’t want to jump on him when he’s in serious writing mode. You may as well try tickling an angry bull behind the ears. It would be a lot less painful!

What indignities and neglect have you suffered because of your human's writing career?

Charlie: I have to say the food bowl is not full every second of the day and it’s just not acceptable.

Frodo: I am free to sing very loudly though when he’s writing.

Buggles: And I can climb on the curtains without being told off.

Bilbo: His lap is seldom free though, which will not do at all. It’s one of the comfiest beds in the house. He actually has a use on those occasions.

Tell me about the animals in your human's fiction. How often do they appear and how big a part do they play?

Charlie: Kain can tell you about his books. We’re too busy napping to bother reading them. I bet they’re rubbish.

Kain: He has talking animals in his history as well as anthropomorphic races such as valkayans and tolderes. Let’s not forget the elamorgias. They’re a race of feline headed men and though he won’t admit, I reckon we’re the inspiration for those guys.

On the off-chance your human has yet to incorporate animals into a story, what are your plans for making sure she rectifies this egregious error and demonstration of poor writing skills?

Charlie: He’s always had animals in mind for his books and, don’t you worry, we always keep a close eye on him. I’ve even organized the six of us to take shifts and spy on him from a distance. He thinks we’re clueless but we’re actually pretty smart and organized. I haven’t given up hope on him writing a biography about my life. It’s quite extraordinary.

What movies involving animals does your human enjoy sharing with you? Books with animals?

Buggles: He wouldn’t let us watch that Cats Vs Dogs film, would he? I cried for days.

Bilbo: He loves Watership Down. That’s the one with lots of rabbits and one cat, albeit a stupid one.

Charlie: Agreed. If I’d been that farm cat those rabbits wouldn’t have dared to cross me.

Kain (looks at Charlie): You do realize it’s not real, that film?

If you could make one change to your human, what would it be?

Frodo: I’d just like the food bowl to always be full.

Bilbo: I’d like him never to pick up that laptop again.

Kain: I’d like him to leave the front door open. It would save me having to jump on the door handle every time I want to come in.

Charlie: I’d just like him to be a mindless slave to us, giving into us at all times and making our lives easy while his is difficult. Hang on! He’s does all those things already!

Are you happy with your human? If you could tell your human one thing, what would it be?

Charlie: I’d say stop complaining and get that food in those bowls a lot faster than you are doing.

Razz: I don’t ask for much but I would like cat litter that is constantly clean, bowls that are always full, water that is fresh and a thousand or so different beds to nap in. As I say, I don’t ask for much.

What things do your human do that would mortify him if known? What does your human do that most annoys?

Frodo: When he’s asleep he does some bizarre things, such as mumbling random thoughts and for some reason he turns over in the night and elbows his wife, Donna. It’s a pain for her but imagine how we feel when we’re trying to get some quality sleep.

Charlie: His most annoying trait is how he guards the kitchen like it’s a gold mine. You can’t even breathe near it without him rushing over and ushering you out of the way. If any of us make it onto the kitchen side it’s like Armageddon.

Has your human named a character for you? Are you pleased? If not, why?

Buggles: He hasn’t named one after any of us yet. He insists Bilbo and Frodo have been used already though I can’t imagine where. My name is the same as a music group who sang a catchy tune so that’s no good. Kain and Razz may have a chance but I don’t think a fantasy character called Charlie would work.

Charlie: Charlie is a name for all occasions. He’ll realize that soon enough. Watch this space.

And did your human name you for a fictional character? Hate it or love it? If you could rename yourself, what would your name be?

Charlie: I have the dubious honour of being the only one of our group named by the owners. We’re all rescue cats, you see, but when they adopted me my previous name was John which they didn’t favour. Charlie certainly suits though I’m nothing like Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comics.

Buggles: Our owners like the Beatles, we should have been Paul, John, George and Ringo.

Kain: There are six of us, Buggles.

Razz: We should probably end the interview there. It’s been great fun, thank you.

Frodo & Bilbo: Thanks a lot.

Charie: Keep an eye out for that Charlie biography. It will happen. I promise you.

Suffering a betrayal as a young boy, Fezariu turns his back on his family. Convinced their way of life will help him leave his past behind, he joins the Merelax Mercenaries. In a quest to prove himself and survive his dangerous assignments in the Colonies, he's forced to forge new alliances but works hard to distance himself emotionally. Despite his determined focus to move on his thoughts are drawn back to Clarendon where the White Oak, an infamous brothel, holds the secret to his past and the childhood friend he abandoned still remains.

Author Bio: David M. Brown was born in Barnsley in 1982 and first conceived the idea of Elenchera in college. His love of history and English led him to read these subjects at Huddersfield University. David is inspired by medieval history, Norse mythology and Japanese role-playing video games and anime films. He lives in Huddersfield with his wife Donna and their six rescue cats.

The Elencheran Chronicles: http://elenchera.com
The World According to Dave: http://blog.elenchera.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elenchera http://www.facebook.com/fezariu
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/elenchera
Book Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPgcNNLMBvY

Things I Want to Learn

How to create a website using Word Press.

I got "Head First Word Press" at my DH's recommendation (he loves the Head First series and pretty much anything by O'Reilly press) but it's like reading Hebrew or Russian. I didn't get past the first chapter about downloading a zip file, FTP protocols and how to upload to your host.

Just writing that last makes my head hurt.

How to create a custom fan page with a vanity URL and make sure the landing page is pretty and not just the wall.

I'm sure there are tutorials out there, but I spent all my "learning" time yesterday beating my head against the Word Press wall. Maybe I'll try the Facebook thing today. It can't be any more frustrating.

How to self-publish a book.

Just because I'd like to know how. I was considering this just for fun with a series I have planned by not written (the first story is done). It's one of those things on my "learning" bucket list. Again, I'm sure there are tutorials out there, it's just finding the time.

Those are the big three for me now. I could add:

How to add a CNAME for my blogger blog at my webhost.

Yeah ... spent a good hour trying to figure this out yesterday. Sometimes I feel like I have the IQ of a gnat.

What are some things you want to learn?

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Ideas Light Up Your Life

Others wish they had the guts to be as original as you are. Your confidence in yourself is unmatched. You think it's interesting to imagine how the world could be. You are a daydreamer. You tend fly solo. You have a few good deep friendships, and that's all you need. You are a friendly and honest person. You're willing to give anyone a shot, no matter who they are.

What Lights Up Your Life?

That's mostly right. Not sure how original I am, but otherwise pretty spot on.

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Invasion of the Germs

DH is getting sick. He came home last night all stuffed up and miserable. I don't know if he'll stay home today or not, but I'm betting he might. I hope he keeps his germs to himself.

The weather site says we might actually be getting our first frost here this week. It's late, but I'm not complaining. At first I was dying for a freeze so Dakota would be less itchy, but her allergies have cleared up (both goldenrod and ragweed are pretty much past, and those are my two suspects for her allergies) so, I'd really just love no frost every please. Yeah, I know, I'm practically in Canada, but I can dream.

On the other hand, they predict temps in the 80s for the weekend. :::scratches head:::

Weird New England weather.

It's been a month since I submitted "Now and Forever" to Samhain Publishing. They said twelve weeks ... so I'm not surprised I haven't heard. Just antsy.

It's only three weeks until NaNoWriMo. I keep waffling on whether I should even try to participate. I love NaNoWriMo, but my life is already insane. *sigh* At least DH isn't off the entire month like usual to mess with my routine. He's only taking off two weeks.

Can you believe there are stations out here (well, in Boston) already starting to play CHRISTMAS MUSIC? I miss the days when Christmas didn't start until after Thanksgiving. Anymore, I'm sick of the holiday by the time it comes, and that makes me a little sad.

Have a great day!

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You Are Openly Ambitious and Secretly Brainy

You are driven and determined. You'll figure out a way to realize your dreams. You are energetic to the point of being impatient. You can't wait for life to happen. You are a dynamic and interesting person. You are constantly changing, growing, and improving. You are a total brainiac who enjoys learning new things. You think studying is just plain fun.

The Lip Gloss Test

That's pretty much right...

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Lexie Update

Sarita and Brandy asked about Lexie. She's doing okay, though is still "basement cat" about 90% of the time.

She still loves my husband best of all which both amuses and annoys him. I'm next in line and then DD (which upsets DD terribly -- Lexie was supposed to be "her" cat. But who tells a cat what to do?). Dakota doesn't rank.

She's still jumpy when she's upstairs ... any noise or quick moment will send her running for the basement. But she does come up on her own more than she used to, even if she doesn't stay. She has yet to make it to the second floor.

Dakota is still doing everything right in order to make friends. She's calm, steady, she doesn't make any quick moves or get too close. Lexie still doesn't like her, but she sometimes tolerates having her on the same floor of the house.

She's a sweet, loving kitty. She loves to crawl up on your shoulder and rub her head on your face (hard!) and purrs up a storm. She just isn't very confident. But I imagine that will happen. She's still pretty young (we're guessing she's five) so we have plenty of time for her to settle in. Mostly we just make sure she has what she needs and let her do her thing on her own schedule.

I had a bad moment yesterday missing my Breeann something awful -- I'd just read Angelina Rain's blog where she lost her own sweet furbaby, and my heart just broke all over again. DD even mentioned how much she missed Breeann yesterday, out of the blue.

In other news, en route to the library yesterday we saw this:



That's a dump truck, upended. Don't worry, the driver was fine. But nothing like a little excitement in a podunk town.

DD still loves school. I think I could probably just put that up daily.

Speaking of which, I need to roust her out of bed and get the day moving.

Have a great one!

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You Are A Nightgown

You are a bit old fashioned and elegant. You aren't very casual. You are well mannered and modest. You don't make a fool of yourself. You tend to be a bit reserved, and it's hard for strangers to get to know you. You are likely to not let anyone outside your bedroom see you in your pajamas.

What Kind of Pajamas Are You?

Yep. Mostly. I have been known to make a fool of myself...

====================

Rainy Days

Had a rainy weekend. DD was distraught at not going to the fair. We have one more fair in the state this year and I told her I'd look into going. It's the Sandwich Fair (anyone know anything about that one?). Of course, my friend Michele is in town on Saturday so that day would be out ... but maybe Sunday or Monday (yay for Columbus Day!).

I posted at Healthful & Homemade last night -- the first time in months (shame on me).

Otherwise, it was just a quiet weekend for us. DD is thrilled to be going back to school today ("Yay! Tomorrow's Monday!").

Hope you all had a great, peaceful weekend.

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You Are Strong yet Colorful

You sometimes seem like you're all business, but you have a playful side to you as well. You tend to formulate ideas and make decisions alone. Once you're done, you're ready to talk to others. You are a quiet and peaceful person. You have deep inner strength. You are an island. You don't need anyone else to make you happy, and you are very self sufficient.

The Autumn Test

That's mostly true...

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