A Visit From Jack Frost

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

We had our first frost yesterday. It wasn't a hard frost, just pretty little shiny sparks of light on the grass when I turned the light on to let the dog out. It didn't even really kill anything (not even the milkweed aphids that have infested my milkweed stalks ... making it really messy to pull them up).

Something I'd forgotten to mention from our agility match over the weekend... on the wire fence surrounding the agility equipment, DD found a monarch chrysalis. It was gray, which meant it would hatch soon, but it was right in front and getting badly bumped -- so I pulled it off and brought it home (of course! Was there any doubt?).

The next morning, we welcomed Zia to the world.




We released her around lunch time and wished her well (with the very strong advice to FLY SOUTH IMMEDIATELY -- I hope she listened). It was a lovely way to say farewell to summer.

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I watched a movie over the weekend that I completely enjoyed. It's out on DVD, so some of you may already have watched it, but it made me laugh. A lot. I'd forgotten how much I liked Ryan Reynolds (I used to watch "A Guy, A Girl and a Pizza Place" many years ago). His facial expressions and timing are right on. And my DH even enjoyed it (commenting on how good Sandra Bullock looks ... I agree and, dang it, she's three years OLDER than me).



So, if you want something to make you smile, I recommend it. The end is a little cliched, but sweet and you know me -- all about the HEA!!

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You Are the Fairy

You are charming, cheerful, and a little bit magical. You make other people's lives better. You are a bit eccentric at times, but you truly care about people in your own way. You are hyper and restless. It drives you crazy to sit still, and you are usually the first to leave any event. You are unpredictable and flighty. No one can guess what you'll be up to next ... or where you'll be!

What Part of a Fairy Tale Are You?

About 75% right, lol!

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What Cost, Winning?

If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, "Sorry, Mom," but nobody beats me. - Leo Durocher

DD and I have been playing a card game called "Racko" lately.



It's fun, and at least a little challenging, which I appreciate but here's the problem: I win FAR more than my DD does. Racko is about strategy, and the way you win isn't just by getting the right cards for you, it's by paying attention to what the other person pulls from the discard pile and guessing what they need and HOLDING it in your own rack until the end to keep them from winning.

I've explained this to my DD. I've discussed strategy and how best to win. And she still doesn't grasp it. I know, I know -- she's only ten (even if she IS five feet tall... I'm still in shock over this), so I wonder where to draw the line. At what point, if at all, do I let her win? Is encouraging her by winning now and then going to help or hurt her if she doesn't earn it? She does win sometimes, but only once for my four or five and she gets so angry and frustrated.

**sigh**

I'm torn between wanting her to earn her wins and wanting her to be less discouraged.

What would you do?

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I was talking about romantic comedy yesterday and realized that I could have made a few suggestions myself. Nearly anything Jennifer Crusie, of course. But what about lesser known ePubbed authors that I've stumbled across?

One of the funniest ePubbed books I read in a long time was "The Jinx" by Jennifer Johnson. She has a new book out called "The Clergy Affair" which I have on my TBR list -- I can't decide if I want it in eBook or Print (it's available in both). But, if you're looking for a laugh, I highly recommend her work. And I'm not just saying that because she's in the LASR author spotlight this week giving away an autographed copy of "The Clergy Affair" -- seeing her face this morning only reminded me of how much I loved "The Jinx". If you want to get a clue of her sense of humor, though, go read her spotlight posts. She's a hoot (and if you leave a comment, you're entered to win her book -- if you don't want it, you can always send it to me *G*)!

So, intead of rom/com, yesterday at the library I picked up: "Keepsake Crimes" by Laura Childs (a cozy mystery), "One Scream Away" by Kate Brady (I saw this on someone else's blog... don't remember who now, maybe Brandy?), and "Smash Cut" by Sandra Brown. Not a giggle between them (though the cozy might be at least a little amusing... has anyone read this series before?).

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