Monday Meandering

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

It's Monday, yay! It wasn't a bad weekend, not at all, but busy. I'm still behind, still scrambling to catch up. I really do think it's possible to do that, once I have a few days with no interruptions. My Saturday was mostly like that (after I got home from the dog park and helping my mom move some furniture) and it helped. DH and DD were boating so I had no drama, no interruptions. I was so relaxed and settled by the end of the day. I felt very zen.

It helped that I did some weeding. Really. I love to weed. It's one of those quiet, introspective times for me but still productive (I really like to be productive) and a time where, when I'm done, I can step back and see results. It's satisfying for me on so many levels.

Of course, nothing is ever perfect. I was chopping down some of my mini-iris greens that I have ringing my veggie garden, because they're blocking the sprinklers and nearly chopped off my thumb with the snippers. Oops. Oddly, it didn't really hurt (though it's tender now), so I finished the job with blood running down my hand, lol.

Still no monarch pillars or swallowtails (though I'm grateful about the swallowtails now as any caterpillars would be the kind to overwinter as pupae and I really don't feel like keeping them in my basement again). We DO have a ton of tussock moth pillars. They're so cute and fuzzy and I want to hug them (I don't ... really... I'm a little odd, but not totally crazy). Aren't they adorable?


They usually come in big batches until they get MUCH bigger and it's easy to find them because they totally decimate the leaves they're on.



Brandy asked why I thought we were not getting any pillars this year, and I'll be honest and say that I have no idea. Our winter wasn't the harshest we've had, the spring wasn't the hottest or wettest. Best guess? Butterfly numbers are down. I'm not a crazy uber-environmentalist, but even I can see that when we overuse pesticides, destroy habitat, etc., there will be negative results. The swallowtail typically eats people food plants (carrots, fennel, parsley, etc) so we kill them. The monarch eats a plant considered to be a "noxious weed". In Mexico, where they overwinter, their habitat is being destroyed, hundreds of acres at a time.

In truth, there may come a time we don't see the monarch or black swallowtail anymore. And that makes me sad. But the fact is: I've seen dozens and dozens of tiger swallowtails -- they're everywhere -- and the only difference between those and the black swallowtail is food. The tiger swallowtail eats tree leaves. So, I can't blame the dearth of the black swallowtail on the weather. They overwinter the same.

**sigh**

Tirade ended.

Today, my mom is taking my DD for most of the day. And I'm going to spend a least a little of that getting the new ending to my "Kitchen Matches" sequel written. I have the entire scene in my head, playing out like a movie, and I desperately need to get it down.

I also am planning on trying to visit you. At least as many of you as I can.

I miss you.

In any case, I hope you had a good weekend!

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

You Read to Escape

You appreciate creativity and imagination in all aspects of life. You love a good fantasy. You can be passionate to the point of being possessive. It's hard to quell your flames. You see beauty everywhere, and you like to share your inner world with others. You love to get lost in someone else's head. You are truly curious about other people's dreams.

The Bookmark Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

All that from a bookmark ... and pretty close to correct.

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

The Weekend Recap

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Terri Guillemets

Happy Monday!

My blogging may be sporadic the next couple of weeks. Not only is my mom staying here until her apartment is ready, but DH is taking of next week, so things will be crazy. I should hopefully be back to normal (or what passes as normal for me *G*) July 11th.

Friday, Dru asked:

Is your mom living in the same place she lived before moving out west?

No. She lived with us before, in an apartment over our garage. When she moved, we totally renovated it, including some structural changes and it's not really usable (or available -- it's DD's school room, craft area and my office) now. She's getting her own real apartment thins time (complete with two pools -- one indoor, one outdoor, which THRILLS DD).

At DD's new school, do they wear uniforms?

No, though they do have a very strict dress code. I'll be honest, I wish they DID have a uniform. It would make my life a million times easier.

I spent the weekend reacquainting my mom with the area (much has changed -- even one road was completely redesigned and moved!) and letting her rest a bit. My DH went out on Thursday night to Kansas City to pick her up and drive her the rest of the way here. It was a marathon trip straight through with stops only for potty breaks and food. They got here Saturday morning, and both were exhausted.

But it's done.

In other news, I took my mom couponing with my on Sunday. We hit CVS, RiteAid and Walgreens. She got her cards for the two that offer them, and I showed her how to find the deals in the flyers and go from there. I gave her two of my UpRewards/ExtraBucks to get her started. She needed Zantac, and I showed her how it was on sale at one place - plus we scored: we HAD a $1 off coupon, but ONE of the packages in the store came with a $2 off coupon attached! She ended up getting it dirt cheap.

She's excited by the prospect and got her own coupon container started (with the UpRewards/ExtraBucks she earned) and is ready to do more.

I'm telling you folks, it's not THAT hard to get stuff for free or nearly so. In fact, at this point I won't "buy" toothpaste unless it's free (and I got two tubes at RiteAid for -$1 this weekend. They were free after UpRewards AND I had a $1 off coupon).

We've also been having a "Leverage" marathon -- we wanted to catch Mom up to speed since the fourth season started last night.

I did discover yesterday that the deer hit my veggie garden. My own fault -- I'd forgotten to put out my milorganite bombs (you put it in pieces of nylon stockings and hang it around the garden... keeps the deer away cuz it STINKS). They ate about 2/3 of my tomatoes down to about 6" high, nibbled my butternut squash and cucumbers about halfway down. I'm most upset about the tomatoes, though they'll bounce back. But they were loaded with blossoms and now ... they aren't.

*sigh*

Worse, I saw my first Japanese Beetles. We call them the advance guard. The first ones that hatch are this dull brown color instead of the shiny, iridescent color of most. It means the "real" beetles will be hatching in a couple of day.

Oh. Joy.

How was your weekend?

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

You Are a Performance Based Tipper

You believe that hard work should be rewarded. You always like to recognize a job well done. You are a natural motivator. You propel others into action. You have an unusually high sense of fairness and justice. You give everyone a chance to impress you. You are an empowering influence. You encourage others to be the best they can be.

What Does Your Tipping Say About You?

That's about right...mostly.

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Mini-Vacation

I do not really like vacations. I much prefer an occasional day off when I do not feel like working. When I am confronted with a whole week in which I have nothing to do but enjoy myself I do not know where to begin. To me, enjoyment comes fleetingly and unheralded; I cannot determinedly enjoy myself for a whole week at a time. ~Robertson Davies

So ... I was away most of the weekend. Saturday we spent up at my DH's uncle's place on the lake -- DH is the caretaker there, so this time I went with him to help and to get away from it all. DD has the job of mowing, and the yard is HUGE so it's quite a job with the push mower. She's done it two weeks now and has blisters on her blisters. But she's a trooper (and the fact it's a paying job helps!).

I reclaimed a flower garden -- neither DH's uncle or his wife are gardeners, so the poor thing was more weeds and overgrown plants than garden. It took me a couple of hours but it was FUN. I pulled weeds, I pruned bushes, and thinned a couple of plant groupings that were taking over. I found amazing joy in the discovery ("Oh! LOOK -- day lilies!") and in the organizing and cleaning. I was surprised at how good I felt when I was done, stepped back and saw the results. The carnage was huge -- it took three overflowing wheelbarrow loads to clean up all the stuff I took out, but it looks amazing. I only hope DH's uncle and wife think so, too. *gulp*

It was oddly relaxing as well -- because I COULDN'T get on the computer (no internet there) I was free to do what I pleased. At home, despite having LOTS of yardwork, I feel obligated to work on the computer because there is always work to be done. I do some gardening every day, but not for hours at a time. And we had a group barbecue and small family gathering. It was good.

Sunday we spent at DH's brother's place on the lake (oh... if only I could say we spent the weekend at OUR place on the lake, but no such luck because -ha- we don't have one.. yet) with the entire family (which is amazingly large anymore -- lots and lots of kidlets). I wasn't allowed to bring the dog up to this one (and I have to say that I think people who don't like, or at least tolerate well-behaved dogs have something fundamentally wrong with them ... no offense to any dog-haters out there, but how can you not like dogs???), so I only stayed for a few hours. It's a long drive up and back, and I prefer not to leave Dakota for more than 6 - 8 hours at once. Still, it was a pretty good day. Ironically, since we were there with the family, I mostly ended up spending the day with my husband -- we ate together, took a long walk together, and when we got back from the walk everyone was swimming (and we didn't choose to) so we hung out on the deck and gabbed. It was a pretty darn good day, too.

Then I came home and had to build all of the pages for next week's LASR/WC website and edit the reviews. We won't talk about the book videos I still have to create. But everyone needs a break now and then, right? LOL...

How was you weekend?

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

You Are Dumbo the Flying Elephant

You rather be with your friends than be alone. You prefer to be surrounded by others. If you're bored, you will tend to become lazy and apathetic. You are content to just be. You are a total people person, and you get listless when you're alone. You need someone to bounce energy off of. You are outgoing and a social butterfly of sorts. You pride yourself on being able to get along with everyone.

What Disneyworld Ride Are You?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... no.

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Thank God It's Monday

Boredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face. ~Charlotte Whitton

Can I just tell you how truly glad I am the weekend is over? It was a LONG, difficult one. The weather was dismal (rain -- which we needed -- and cold, gray, blech) and the family was down, cranky, bored, tense ....

I'm glad we ended up not doing the craft fair, though. It was not well advertised, which wasn't that big a deal when it was going to be outside (because people would see it and stop), but with the rain, it would have been moved INSIDE and the crafters would have been in areas not so good. The church was having a flea market, bake sale, etc., and had already planned on being inside, so had the best spots.

In any case, DD was diligently taking pictures of all of her pieces and I was trying to find the time to get them up on her site in between all the other work I had. I got about 15 new things up and have another 40 or so to go.

Some of my faves (you can click on the pix to get to the store):







Once I get all her stuff up, I'll be having a promotional contest of some kind. Haven't decided WHAT yet, but hopefully it'll bring her a little business!

Last night was eventful ... I'd taken a long, hot bath and crawled into bed. Dropped off like a rock until I heard this loud THUMP and then a kid yell, "Let's go!" and screeching tires all outside our house.

I heard DH open the front door, so I went down to see what was going on. Apparently, he'd heard someone in our garbage can (we'd pulled it to the curb since garbage goes out today) and turned on the porch light. When he did that, whoever it was dropped the lid (the thud I heard), hollered, jumped in the car and took off.

We went and looked inside. Nothing added, nothing taken (everything in there is bagged first and I knew I had three bags -- all still there and not opened). We probably caught them right as they'd started -- when people drive up to our house, the headlights shine right in because of the angle of the road, so DH knew someone had stopped outside before they even got out.

We pulled the can back to our garage and DH called the cops. We just wanted to let them know it was possible some kids were either vandalizing stuff or trying to steal stuff (I always think about identity theft, etc -- those lovely preapproved credit applications just BEG to be stolen).

We shred everything (or burn it in the winter), and we recycle as well ... so mostly our garbage is icky stuff: food leavings, bags of scooped cat excrement, coffee grounds that don't make it to the compost, etc. But this isn't true of many people.

In any case, that lovely, warm drowsy that I'd been in went away and it took me forever to get back to sleep. *yawn*

How was your weekend?

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

You Are Thoughtful

You need to know someone a long time before you open up. You are enigmatic and reserved. You are a visionary. You have big ideas for the future. You are inventive and easily inspired. You like to put your spin on things. You work best alone and at your own pace. You have a quiet and low key way about you.

The Day at the Beach Test

Mostly right.

Back to Normal

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. ~James Matthew Barrie

Today, life gets back to normal (or what passes as normal in our house). We actually had a pretty decent vacation with DH around -- he "hired" out for projects for other people so didn't putter around our house so much ... when he's bored, he's difficult. *G*

He did manage to squeeze in ONE project though: staining the deck. We're putting it on with brushes so it's taking a LONG time -- but spraying gets in on the lawn, my plants and the vinyl siding, so there isn't a choice. We only got half done yesterday -- all the hard stuff thankfully. Our poor deck was in desperate need.

He powerwashed it first to get all remnants of the old, peeling sealer off (and various things like hornets nests under the railings), then we went to work.

We got the top "layer" done, along with the benches and the railings (which are a PAIN).

Railing done, but not the main deck:



Top "Layer" done:


Still need to do the stairs -- this pic shows the difference between stained and not stained best:


We'll finish next weekend, assuming the weather holds. Fun times!

How was your weekend?

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

You Are the Yellow Bird

You are very determined. You put a lot of energy behind everything you do. No obstacle is too big for you to overcome. You're going to change the world. You are amazingly energetic. You don't just get second winds - you get third and fourth winds. You do things your way, and you always get results. You'll work as hard and long as it takes.

What Angry Bird Are You?

I don't know what Angry Birds is ... but I agree with their choice!

The Day After ...

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown

What a crazy weekend -- I might have actually been relieved had the world ended. But I'm still here, and so are all my family and friends, so it's all good.

Saturday I spent with my friend, Michele. We had loads of fun -- didn't really DO anything, just putzed around (visited a bookstore OF COURSE), had lunch and talked. A lot. The time flew by and I had a great time. I don't get to get away from my kidlet and dog very often, so it was nice.

We took two pictures, but one of us is blurry in each, lol... I need to have Judy Photoshop it (take the non-blurry one out and copy it over). Here's the good one of Michele, with me blurry. *G*



Sunday was our Fun With Agility match at the place we go for dog agility classes. It was, as always, a crazy day. Lots of dogs, lots of people. DD was signed up to run three dogs: Dakota, Missy (the instructor's dog) and Kenzie (for a lady who was away). She ended up running those three AND running the last run for "Big Max", the mastiff.

With one exception (that I'll get to in a minute) she did great. She won best overall time with Missy, "Team Dakota" won (there are three teams, each comprised of equal numbers of advanced, intermediate and beginning dogs), Dakota won her "class" and Kenzie won his. I filmed all the runs, but my camera films in HD, so every video takes about 20 - 25 minutes to upload. Since yesterday, I've only managed to upload seven, and I have EIGHTY-SEVEN to do. It'll be a while.

The exception, noted above, was in the run-off round. The top four dogs in each class have a run-off to be the winner (that's what Dakota won). DD was running Dakota and Missy (she's a Papillion -- a very small dog who weighs about ten pounds). Everything was fine until the went up the dog walk ... about halfway across, Missy fell off. The walk is about 4' high -- a lot drop for a little dog. Thankfully, one of the ladies running a dog yesterday is a vet and checked her out. She was stunned, for certain (though still managed to find DD and sit at her feet, waiting for a treat!) and limping a bit, but apparently okay otherwise.

DD, OTOH, was devastated. She held it together on the course, and while the vet checked out Missy, but when she walked off she came over, crawled into my lap (a neat trick when I was in a portable camping chair and she's almost as big as me) and cried. Then, last night before bed, she said, "I'm sorry I made Missy fall." and cried again.

I assured her it wasn't her fault (and it wasn't -- I was filming it, so was able to go back and see what happened. Missy just stepped wrong and half a paw hit the edge, unbalancing her.), and that the instructor wasn't going to hate her, and that Missy would be fine. But it's going to be awhile before she gets past this.

So, now we start a new week. DH is off, and the week that was *supposed* to be gorgeous, weather-wise, has changed to pretty much rain of some kind every day. Next week, too. I swear, my garden is going to rot -- nevermind having some rain to get it all set in. And DH will be at loose ends. He'd planned numerous fishing trips, but now he can't go. It's going to be an interesting week...

Hope you all had a great weekend!

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

You Are Kind

You value deep, authentic relationships. You're not big on small talk. You hold yourself to high standards. You demand near perfection of yourself. You are idealistic, and you don't really care if your ideals are unrealistic. You are sensitive and compassionate. So many things touch your heart.

The Rescue Dog Test

About half right.

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Monday, Monday

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

It was a beautiful weekend, weatherwise, here. Lots of sun and pretty warm (in the 60s during the day). Plants are popping up everywhere. The front of my house is happy (though this picture doesn't do it justice):



I broke down and bought some veggies. I got 24 tomato plants (I might get a few more) and I bought seeds for pickling cucumbers, foot long pole beans and butternut squash which I will plant tomorrow after the new moon (plant above ground plants when the moon is waxing, plant below ground/root crops when the moon is waning). If I soak them overnight, they should sprout in a week or less. I expect to be able to plant my entire garden in the next week or two -- no frost in the forecast!

And I bought a six pack of salad greens for fun:



I'm glad it was sunny and nice, because my attitude was not (which is why I didn't do a lot of visiting over the weekend with anyone on their blogs). It was one of those times when I was fed up with everything. Luckily, DH and DD were gone all Saturday and didn't have to put up with me :-)

Sadly, my biz partner, Judy, did. She's a good egg and I'm lucky to have her around.

Hopefully, this week will mark a better attitude for me. Things should be back to normal pretty much (routinewise), the weather is supposed to be *pretty* good and I have my fingers crossed that nothing out of the ordinary happens (unless I win the lottery ... that would be an okay, out of the ordinary thing. ::wink::).

My daughter donated a few pieces of jewelry to the Brenda Novak auction again this year (which started yesterday). They are here:

Set of 3 Earrings--Cats Eye & molded Glass on Silver Wires from Distinctively DD

Yellow Glass Bead and Silver Jump Ring Necklace from Distinctively DD

Red and Silver Glass Bead Bracelet and Earring Set from Distinctively DD

Even if you don't bid, there is a Facebook "like" link under each auction header that will share the auctions on your FB page -- I'd love if you shared it with your friends (and any other auction links that tickle your fancy). It's a great cause.

And now, I will leave you with a few other spring flower pictures from around my place, because no bad mood can stand up to the cheerful face of a daffodil (or a goofy dog):







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

You See the Outside World as Fascinating

You are simply brilliant. You are bright, intelligent, and creative. You can't describe your feelings easily - even to yourself. Your emotions are a mystery. You are a truth seeker. You are willing to accept the real truth, no matter how difficult it is. You are not prone to compromise. You're set in your ways and proudly so.

How Do You View the Outside World?

That's pretty close to right ... which always unnerves me a bit.

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The Weekend in Reviews (and Pictures)

The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend. ~Chuck Palahniuk

We had a really gorgeous weekend (well... it rained Saturday evening into Sunday morning, but we needed it). I didn't do a lot of gardening, but I did do a lot of walking. Thought I might have overdone it yesterday (had some knee pain) but as soon as I stopped and sat, it went away and it feels fine this morning. YAY.

Lots of bulbs are blooming here -- wish they were thicker, but we're still recovering from the Cunning Voles of Doom from a couple years ago.

We have grape hyacinths

My photo:



DD's artsy-fartsy photo:



Daffodils:

My photo:



DD's artsy-fartsy photo:



And these purply-blue things that I don't know what they are

My photo:



DD's artsy-fartsy photo:



I also found the way to alleviate her pack-ratish tendencies: pay her to discard. Yep! I paid her $1 / bag -- to give away or throw away. Also, for books she no longer wants, the donated ones she earns $$, the good ones that go to the UBS I buy her credit, and then her reading books from her homeschool curriculum will go online at eBay and we split the profit (I get some for my time ... I hate listing on eBay).

She wants to start collecting Breyer Traditional sized model horses (she's been doing the Classic size), but they're significantly more expensive, so she's trying to earn money wherever she can.

And her room is getting cleaner by the hour. :-D

How was your weekend?

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

You Are a Black Leather Jacket

You are a simply happy person. You feel fortunate to have so much light and laughter in your life. You are sometimes unprepared, and you're fine with that. You prefer to remain open and flexible. You know how to have a good time. You have something to smile about every day. You are good at getting people to let loose. You are the fun one in your group.

What Color Leather Jacket Are You?

This is so far from correct it's amazing ...

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

My Weekend Recap

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

Busy weekend.

It was gorgeous out, so I spent most of the time clearing billions of leaves from my gardens. And, no, I'm not exaggerating. DH decided to de-thatch the lawn last evening, so there was much raking involved... though it made for lots of "homemade straw" to use as mulch in my veggie garden when I can finally plant (probably another month).

We walked a lot, too, and my knee held up. So far, so good! I still can't kneel on it, or squat without pain, but I can bend it almost full range, and walking is a breeze. Baby steps.

I'd planned on planting my cold crops, but didn't get a chance. Maybe today (it's going to be in the 70s) -- we'll see. The temps are going to drop again tomorrow, so if I want to get out and do stuff today is the day.

In the "cute notes from DD" file, I've added this:



And in the "public grammar errors" file, I've added this (it really irritated me -- who knows why this is wrong?):



I got one set of edits back on "Now and Forever" but haven't had a chance to go through them yet (the curiosity is killing me). In the "good news" column, she said she laughed through much of it, so that's a start!

That was my weekend... how was yours?

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You Are a Pink Martini

You're eager to lend a sympathetic ear and likely to develop a deep connection with people. You are an idealistic and romantic person. You have a very clear idea of how you'd like the world to be. It hurts you to see anyone or anything in pain. You are thin-skinned and empathetic. You are very sensitive. You tend to get easily hurt, and you have learned to protect your heart.

What Color Martini Are You?

Um .... not so much. It's maybe 25% right. Maybe. Partly because I couldn't answer the way I would on some... like the "skiing" question. They didn't have, "I wouldn't be caught dead on a ski slope." ::shrugs::

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

My Weekend

Adolescence is perhaps nature's way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest. ~Karen Savage and Patricia Adams, The Good Stepmother

Loooong weekend this weekend. DD and I had a bit of a struggle last week about her schooling and I put my foot down about some things. She's facing loss of privileges due to her lack of desire to actually do the work required of her, so this weekend was full of more conflict as I required her to do some studying and work to prepare her for tests she has today. There was much drama. She's a sensitive, emotional girl and I can tell the teen years are going to be ... interesting.

The weather wasn't exactly the best, either -- it LOOKED beautiful: sunny and clear. But it was cold (in the low thirties) and VERY windy, making it unbearable to be out in it for very long. I'm getting so itchy for spring, for going outside and puttering, for walking the dog and such that it was sheer agony to be indoors. But every time I ventured out, I froze my can.

There was humor and fun, too. I got another of DD's notes one afternoon (I'd run out for a quick errand and returned to this):


She was a bit fascinated by a spider we have living in our front door area (there are a few little "cracks" in the jamb around the storm door and he's hanging out there -- but ventured into public to soak up some sun).



She also made a little jewelry and I uploaded it to her store. I especially like the turquoise-like stones (it's howlite, a substitute for turquoise) she used for these:



And even better? I managed to get a little writing done -- a couple thousand words in total. I have to finish the scene I'm one (it's nearly done) and then write the final scene (it's started) and my first draft is complete. Then I need to do a quick edit and send it to one or two people for an eyeball to see if it works.

It'll be good to submit something again.

How was your weekend? Anything exciting? I know Melissa McClone got a RITA nomination for her book, "Christmas Magic on the Mountain". Who else has something to share?

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

You Are Carefree Like Summer

You are open to the world and whatever it has to offer. You are comfortable with and really appreciate freedom. You try to keep things flexible because you're always picking a new path. You have changeable moods. You don't like to stick to a routine, and you prefer a lifestyle where the rules are flexible. You have a sharp and lively intelligence. Your mind is active and often restless.

What Does Your Favorite Season Say About You?

About 60% correct.

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

I Dislike DST

I hate DST. It's a puzzlement why we even observe it anymore -- though at the rate they're going (moving it earlier in spring and later in fall), it's going to meet in the middle anyway and then maybe we'll stop this nonsense.

Yet another reason to move to Arizona.

The weekend was pretty quiet. We didn't do much of anything. DH caught up on sleep (he misses A LOT during the week) and mostly just lazed around, something he seldom does. I did work on the website and cleaned house (organized the pantry, cleaned the school/craft room, washed our throw rugs) because maybe if I *do* spring cleaning, spring will come.

On my little indoor tomato plant (which I keep in our spare bedroom, Maria, because it gets the most sunlight in the winter), I have one little tomato. None of the other blossoms made fruit (yet) but I'm still excited for my one. I hope it survives! At least there won't be chipmunks around to eat it.

The snow is melting at a furious pace. About 1/4 of my lawn is actually exposed. Of course, the front of my house COOKS -- it get full sun all day (which makes life interesting in the summer) so I think my snow is melting a bit faster than most, at least out front.

I'm so itching for nicer weather.

I got a little writing done on "Now and Forever" (Maria Zannini reminded me that I hadn't been referring to it by title) the sequel to "Kitchen Matches". Not as much as I would have liked, since a direct result of DH lazing around meant he was home and wanted to interact with me.

Ah well... today is another day.

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

Your Inner Fruit Flavor is Pear

You are an idealistic soul. You're the type of person who still believes in changing the world. You are compassionate and generous. You get joy from giving to others. You feel deeply and freely. You don't put bounds or limitations on your thoughts. You have a vivid imagination, and it's so deep that it's hard to express with words.

What's Your Inner Fruit Flavor?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

I'm not sure that's altogether me -- makes me sound WAY nicer than I am.

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

Weekends Off

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them. ~John Shirley

I've decided to start taking weekends off. Weekends are actually my most challenging times to write anything anywhere. It's the time I have to build all of the next week's webpages for the LASR/WC sites, I have to upload the next week's reviews and work on editing them. My DH is home, DD doesn't do school ... generally, I'm busier than usual.

So, I hope you'll all understand, but from now until further notice, this will me a Monday - Friday blog (unless something amazing and stupendous happens that I HAVE to share).

You Are Confident

You like to be in the middle of the action, although you don't purposely seek attention. You are very laid back and enjoy being around other people. You are surprisingly easy going. Structure and rules bore you. You thrive on action and always want to be moving forward. You are an adventure seeker, but you're also realistic. You want an adventure to improve your life.

The Strappy Shoe Test

Not really, but then I didn't like any of the shoes and chose the lesser of evils.

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

Contests and Winners

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. ~Bill Watterson

First off, Chrystal is the winner of "Kiss Me Before I Sleep"! Chrystal, email me your mailing address at authormariannearkins AT gmail DOT com and I'll get that out for you.

Next, there are some cool contests going on that I thought you might like to know about.

Eloisa James is giving away a Nook on her Facebook fan page. She needs 1700 more fans for her publisher to give one away, so go forth and "like" her!

Speaking of Nooks -- The Long and the Short of It is giving away THREE starting next week!! The general info for our Third Anniversary Party is here, with more info coming on August 2nd.

The very talented, very funny Dee Tenorio is guest blogging on Whipped Cream Erotic Romance and is giving away a copy of her book "All or Nothing" to one person who comments today. How easy is THAT?

There are probably more, but it's early and I'm still on my first cup of coffee...

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We had a quiet weekend, which was nice. My DH had to work some ridiculous hours (overnight on Friday and then a good chunk of Sunday). It's so frustrating because it makes him a very grumpy man. Weekends are his down time, his unwind and turn back into Dr. Jekyll from the Mr. Hyde he becomes during the week.

I'm truly grateful he has a job, but I sure wish he had one he actually LIKED.

DD is starting to hit the "I'm Bored" portion of the summer. If it wasn't so blasted hot we'd be doing a lot more. I promised her miniature golf (but not in 100 degree weather), I'd like to take the dog down to the park for walks and let DD play on the equipment, a road trip to Trader Joe's in Tyngsboro (but we'd want to take the dog and she'd cook in the car), a road trip to one of the other libraries that actually carries romance books, practicing agility with the dog outside (though I may set that up today).

This weather is killing us.

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You Are an Astronaut

You are not normal at all, and you could never do well is a typical office job. You are too brilliant for that! You have a strong sense of adventure. You really want to see the world... especially from space. You don't just dream big - you also do big. You are willing to work hard to get the career of your dreams. You are a very talented and special person. You seem to succeed at every project you undertake.

What Popular Career Are You?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Um .... 50/50, I guess. Mostly the last part.

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I Got Nuthin'

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. ~Bill Watterson

No news today -- all the same. And, I'm still feeling under the weather, so am thinking now that I've got my LASR/WC pages up, I might go back to bed. In fact, had I not had to get them up, I wouldn't have been up at all... I'm tired. Blech. These are the days I really wish I had someone else who could do my job there. *sigh*

I did watch the new "Bones" last night. Does anyone else think it's ... icky... about Angela and Wendell? From the first kiss, I kinda went... ewww.... And Hodgins is breaking my heart. I'm not pleased with that storyline at all. Just saying.

I did love the "I won't tell anyone about the scream, if you don't tell anyone about the gun." line ... very cute. I'm glad they're letting Bones loosen up a smidge.

Okay, I'm waking up. Guess I won't go back to bed :-)

DD is discouraged that DistinctivelyDD is not selling out of her earrings on a weekly basis, lol. I'm wracking my brains trying to think of things to do to get her store out there more. I might even see if the local Agway would carry her stuff in their "New Hampshire" store. Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to ask... and if they won't carry her stuff, maybe I could leave some business cards there. I need to find more time to see how to interact on Artfire. There are forums and stuff that help.

In the meantime, she's still trying to save up for a Nook. I told her I'd buy the cover, but she has to buy the Nook. She's about 1/3 of the way there (thanks to a friend who sent her a Barnes & Noble GC for Christmas). Yesterday, she cleaned house with me to earn a few dollars. And then, she made me a book of coupons that are actually invoices -- $1 to sweep the floor, $2 to clean out the pantry, etc. I have to admit, this is the most determined I've ever seen her. She's not one to hold on to her money ... so for her to not have spent any in the last few months is amazing.

She mentioned buying the Nook to my SIL who told her the idea was stupid. She didn't understand why you wouldn't just buy books instead. DD was very sad when she told me ... she frequently gets conflicting information from my in-laws about stuff. I told DD that the fact is, right now? She has NO more room on her bookcase. So, if she wants more books, she has to get rid of some. With a Nook, she'll never run out of room. AND, she'll have thousands of books at her fingertips.

Speaking of a Nook, I did find one drawback: when you don't pay attention to your battery level and forget to recharge when it's low, and then you read a book and get to a really exciting scene and... run out of juice. That happened to me last night. I should have known. I can't remember the last time I charged the thing. I'm such a dork. And, yes, other than that (which was really operator error), I still love the Nook.

Guess I do have something to say :-)

DH always says I never have trouble talking. However, that's it for now. Happy Saturday!

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You Are Fabulously Friendly

You're nice to everyone you come across, even if they aren't being particularly nice to you. You genuinely like others. You love your friends, and you're happiest when you're a social butterfly. You always have a smile, joke, or kind word for someone. You're kind to everyone, even if they aren't very friendly back. You are simply a people person. You naturally make friends with almost everyone you meet.

What Makes You Fabulous?

Uh.. no. Not even close! LOL...

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TGIM

If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience. ~Robert Fulghum

Monday, how I love you! Back to routine, back to normal... all is right with the world.

*sigh*

My cat, Breeann, is being interviewed over at Mean Kitty's blog, Writer & Cat, today. As of my typing this, the interview isn't up yet, but it should be soon.

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It was a long, busy weekend -- especially yesterday. DH decreed we should have a barbecue for lunch (at 10 a.m.), so it was off to the store for DD and me. We took Dakota, who LOVES going for rides and made a stop at the pets supply store near the grocery store to get her a pressed rawhide bone.

On the way out, a woodpecker slammed into the store window and then lay on the ground, wings out, fluttering around weakly. Dakota went NUTS, so I had DD move her away and I checked out the bird. After I picked it up and folded her wings down, it stopped fluttering, but her little heart was pounding and she was gasping for air, beak wide open (and that was one impressive beak!).

I handed her to DD (because I knew she was dying to hold it) and told her to cover the bird's head to keep it calm. We'd put it into the box in the back of the Pea and, if it was recovered by the time we got home, we'd release it out back.

After a race through the store for BBQ supplies, we hurried home. The woodpecker was more than recovered, it was trying to peck a hole through the box! LOL... We carrying the box out back and released it, so glad it hadn't suffered long term problems from whacking the window.

All the rest of the day, if there was a female downy woodpecker on our suet, DD would say, "Look, our woodpecker is back!".

In between making potato salad, cooking lunch, cleaning that up and doing four loads of laundry, I helped DD stack wood.

We had the second pile done when we realized the first pile was REALLY leaning. So, we decided to pull down the top third of that pile and restack, which would have gone fine except the end collapsed when we took off the wood in the middle, causing the entire pile to fall. And then DH decided pile number two was crooked, too, and used the maul to whack at the wood and straighten it out which would have been dandy except the end fell.... and you get the idea.

DD burst into tears and proclaimed it all "her fault" because she'd helped build the ends (in reality, I had done most of the end building) and that she'd done the stacks crooked. When I couldn't calm her down, I sent her inside and then told DH he could do the ends (he was trying to give me a lesson on doing them correctly -- so I told him that, since he was so good at it, it was his job), then I cleared out some gardens to settle down ... we had a frost the night before, so most of my annuals were dead and then I went inside to deal with DD.

We had a long talk about her continual self-degradation (I'm stupid, I'm ugly, I'm fat, I'm useless, I can't remember anything, I'm no help, it's ALL MY FAULT -- is this a girl thing, or does my DD have self-confidence issues?) and I said that I wasn't going to allow that kind of talk anymore. That she was smart and worked hard and was a GOOD GIRL, but that she was also only ten y.o. and couldn't be expected to know how to do everything.

And so the three of us rebuilt the piles. We have three and a half now, and DH has to split the rest, but we're about 2/3 of the way through what we have for the winter.

We won't talk about the huge purple bruise I have on my right foot from dropping a log on it, no we won't...

How was your weekend? Tell me it was great and why, and let me live vicariously.

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You Are a Blackberry

You are one of those super hard working, cellphone to your hip types. You like gadgets that do what they're supposed to do, especially when they keep you super connected to the world. You prefer function over flash, so things like a long battery life and easy features appeal to you. You may not look as cool as all of the iPhone kids, but you're probably being more productive than all of them!

Are You An iPhone or a Blackberry?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Yep, that's about right...

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Monday Morning Meme and More

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. ~Bill Watterson

I wasn't entirely certain I'd do this today because I wanted to share a little goofiness from the weekend, but the first question lends itself to that, so I figure it was meant to be! LOL...



1. What did you do over the weekend? (Saturday and Sunday - be specific, please. Remember, this is a journal about your life, so, tell us about your life. *smile*)

If you give a man a chainsaw...he's going to want to use it. And after he uses it on the smaller trees, he's going to raise his sights a little.


Regardless of whether it's leaning toward his neighbors house or not. That's easy to fix. Simply attach a cable to the tree and hook it to your truck.


Have BIL get inside while DH cuts and I video (sorry, it's too big to upload here):


And then congratulate yourself when it doesn't hit either house!


That was actually one of FOUR quite large oak trees he took down over the weekend. DD and I spent the weekend lugging brush and stacking wood. We discovered yet another yellow jackets nest in a rotten tree DH took down. BIL was the only one stung, though, and that was simply a miracle considering the sheer number of bees flying about.

So, we have our firewood for winter 2009-2010. We are nothing if not forward thinking. *G*

2. Which are scarier to you: ghosts or aliens? Why? Do you believe in either/both? Why or why not?

Aliens by far... I saw "V" and the Alien movies. Enough said.

3. I can’t live without my _______________. Now, please tell us why you can’t live without it.

I can't live without my Internet connection.

Okay, I probably COULD survive without it... but only if the entire world was off the grid after some massive terrorist attack that took out all power to the earth. Otherwise, I'd drive myself loony wondering what was going on in the WWW.

4. What is the cheesiest movie you ever saw, and secretly enjoyed? Why did you enjoy it so much?

"Xanadu" -- my fave movie of ALL TIME from when I was younger. That was back when you could stay in the theater as long as you wanted if you paid once AND when they had double features. So, I'd go in the morning (first showing) and stay until dinner time... for days on end. I saw "Xanadu" and "Somewhere In Time" more times than I could count.

And just to torment you, here is the preview/trailer:



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Just in case you wondered... I still love my coffee pot.

:-)

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The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was insecure and in constant need of reassurance. Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

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