Monday!

Amount of time it takes for a dog to "do its business" is directly proportional to outside temperature + suitability of owner's outerwear. ~Betsy Cañas Garmon, www.wildthymecreative.com

Whew! What a crazy weekend -- our party had 100 authors and more than 3,000 comments. Fun and craziness abounded. I'm still a bit pooped, but ready to get back to routine.

DH has jury duty this week, so we won't *exactly* be on routine, since he leaves late and gets home early, but even so, more than we have been. DD chose the pieces she's donating to the Brenda Novak Auction this year (she's donating a set of three earrings, a necklace and a bracelet/earring set) and has also started making more new pieces and pulling some older stuff that just doesn't meet her approval now that she's getting so much better at her "job".

We did manage to take Dakota to the dog park both mornings this weekend to get her wiggles out. She had loads of fun, except when she was being beat up on. I said something to another person about Dakota being a 99 pound weakling, and they said "She's 99 pounds?" ... am I the only one who gets what I meant?

Thankfully we didn't get the snow they were predicting. It was plenty cold (our trips to the dog park only lasted 30 mins or so), but no new white stuff, for which I am eternally grateful. We're expecting a warm up this week into the 40s as well, so I'm thinking spring might actually arrive as scheduled.

I'm hoping to get caught up on reading blogs, and do a little writing today. We'll see. Depends on how focused DD will be at school -- she's been a wee bit difficult of late.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Monday and a great week!

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You Are Warmhearted

You are a truly kind and loving person. You care for others deeply, and it's not an act. You are one tough cookie, even though it isn't always apparent from the outside. You have a lot of inner strength, and you can dig deep when you need to. You are both patient and persistent. You are willing to wait for someone to come around.

The Bra and Panties Quiz

About 75% right...

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Jury Duty part Deux

“I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” - Thomas Jefferson

“I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system -- that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.” - Harper Lee

So ... my DH showed up for the jury pool (for the last time) yesterday. He'd just finished serving on the jury last week for the civil case he was selected for. Yesterday, they were seating five cases (with alternates, it comes out to needing about 70 jurors) and there were only 100 people in the pool.

Odds were good he'd get chosen.

The scary part? Two cases were for three months and one was for SIX months.

He laid it all out for the judge. Explained about how his job wouldn't let him take off that long, that he was the sole-breadwinner and long cases were a hardship he couldn't afford. The judge said he'd see what he could do, but no promises.

In a good news / bad news situation, DH was seated again, but only on a case that's scheduled for three days.

Phew.

Then he's done. Hallelujah.

It's snowing. Not a ton (they predict 2" by the end of the day), but enough to make it sloppy and for stupid people to cause accidents. Of course, it's on the one day I have to go out -- art lessons. I swear, it only snows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. At least we won't miss agility (again) since it's supposed to be clear.

I'm having fun with my story. It's refreshing to actually enjoy what I'm writing for a change. I'm interspersing writing with reading, so haven't gotten tons done, but the reading I'm doing is as a writer, not a reader, so it's part of the whole "writing" gig.

Only got 230 words yesterday. But every word counts.

My local Agway has their seeds out. I almost bought some yesterday ... I'm planning my garden and, assuming the snow melts by then, will put in my "cold" crops at the end of April: peas, spinach, swiss chard. In May, I'll plant my summer stuff: cucumbers, squash, tomatoes. I might try carrots, though we don't usually have a lot of luck with them, and I'm thinking about beets (I don't actually like beets, but beet greens are good).

I'm SO ready for spring.

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You Are a Crow

You are highly intelligent and have a lot of mental strength. You value self-reliance, and you work hard every day to improve your life. You believe that life is magical, and you are always looking for new and exciting opportunities. You follow your own path, and the turns you take are often unexpected and inspired.

What Bird Are You?

Except that crows always make me think of "The Stand", the rest is true. I'm just not sure I like being a crow ...

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Stuff and Nonsense

"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." — George Horace Lorimer

Only made 164 words yesterday... it was a crazy day all around, so I know I can make excuses, but I hate not reaching my goal. Holly Lisle says not to play "make up" (i.e. I don't owe 836 words today, only my original daily goal of 500) but it's hard not to try.

I'm tired this a.m. ... went to bed early last night, but we've been sleeping with the door open so that the wood stove can heat the bedroom and not the heater. So, DH gets it in his head he has to reseal DD's bathroom floor at 9:00 pm. I *was* asleep until the light went on and work commenced (her bathroom is about 3 feet from our bedroom).

That finally ended but the smell gave me a crazy headache. Even so, I nodded off until DH came to bed a few hours later. And tossed. And turned. And tossed. And turned....

I finally told him I was going to crash on the couch because I HAD TO GET SOME SLEEP. I got all comfy and dozy and then, next thing I know he's upstairs walking around all over the place. Really? It's after midnight ...

I get up and ask him what he's doing. "There's a buzzing sound. It's driving me crazy." So he proceeded to go all through the upstairs and unplug everything (turned out it was from the keyboard in the spare bedroom which shares a wall with our room). How he heard that, I have no idea. But OY.

Finally, everyone was able to rest, but I dreamed all night about the things I had to do for the LASR/WC and the Goddess Fish sites... stressed out even in my sleep. Sheesh.

I woke with a start at 4:40 a.m., jumped up and looked at the woodstove because I didn't see a glow (it's really hard to get a fire started, so we keep it burning 24/7). There were a few coals left, but not many, so I had to put on wood. And of course, Dakota got up with me and wanted to potty ... and the cat wanted food. And I was up and about and ready to tackle my tasks that were haunting me, even in my sleep.

I swear, I look for ways to worry. I wish I could be a little more laid back.

Today, DH starts his jury duty. The case is only supposed to last a week, but we're expecting a huge storm on Tues/Weds (DH says upwards of 2 feet of snow are predicted, but everywhere I look, it only says a foot... "only"... ha) and if that happens, they'll cancel court. So ... his jury duty may extend into next week. Ugh. Poor guy.

Dru Ann, are they expecting your neck of the woods to get whomped again, too?

Those of you in 70 degree weather don't have to share that information with me. Just saying. ;-)

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You Are A Fir Tree

You love anything beautiful, and you have extraordinary taste. And while it's hard for you to trust, you care deeply for those close to you. You are a social butterfly, and you have many friends. You handle stress well - and you are a master at relaxing after a hard day. Overall, you are modest, talented, unselfish, and very reliable.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

The first half fits, the other half? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... no.

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Tuesday Tidbits

Some folks might sa-ay that I'm no good
That I wouldn't settle down if I could
But when that open ro-oad starts to callin' me
There's somethin' o'er the hill that I gotta see
Sometimes it's har-rd but you gotta understand
When the Lord made me, He made a Ra-amblin' Man. -- Hank Williams

I'm kind of all over the place today, but that's my brain this morning. It's a scary place to visit, but living here is even more ... interesting.

Hey, it's snowing out. In case you wondered.

DD starts art lessons again today. Last night, she ran up to me, hugged me so tight I couldn't breathe and said, "I'm SO glad I have art lessons tomorrow!" and then ran off again.

I think she enjoys them.

DH went in to swim in the jury pool again yesterday. This time though he got hooked and landed. He starts as a juror on a civil case next week. Oh. Joy.

At least it wasn't a capital murder crime. We have one going on currently -- four guys broke into a house and killed a mother and almost killed her daughter -- the weapons were a machete and a knife and the mother curled up around her daughter. Saved her life. Broke my heart.

Anyway....

My mom's computer died (a virus again -- I hate hackers), so she's been calling me every day and I check her emails. She gets upwards of 40+ spam emails daily. Amazing. It made me wonder: do people REALLY think they've won $50,000,000 pounds in the British lottery? Do they actually BUY drugs online from people they don't know? As an aside, my DH says those folks who peddle cheap V1aGrah don't care if you buy their stuff, they're looking to get onto your computer.

If people would stop falling for the idiocy of spam mails, maybe they'd stop.

As for Mom's computer -- she's sending it here to me, so my DH can fix it and we'll send it back. While it's going to take longer, it's WAY cheaper than taking it to the Geek Squad (heaven forbid) and I know it'll be fixed correctly.

I wish she was out here. *sigh*

I suppose I've rambled enough. Time to wander on somewhere else.... have a great day!

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You Are Sensitive

You are very intuitive and insightful. You understand what's going on around you without needing to be told. You are naturally nurturing and caring. You look out for people, even if they don't ask you to. You tend to stay attached to those you love. It's hard for you to let go when you need to. You are in touch with your emotions. You know exactly what you're feeling and why you're feeling it.

The Donut Test

Um... I'm not really sensitive, but some of the rest fits. And I LOVE me a Boston Creme donut. Oh. Yum.