Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Margo is My Hostess, Critter Alley is The Mostess, & It's Dang Cold Here!

Well, it's another bitterly cold night here in the good ol' Midwest. I find it quite funny that this is the coldest and snowiest winter we've had in about THIRTY YEARS and it's the first winter The Ronald and I have had to go OUTSIDE with Vern when nature calls. Our previous house didn't have a fenced back yard, but we had a long chain that hooked up right next to our back patio door. All we had to do was slide open the door, hook up the chain to his collar, and off he went. But, this winter, we live in the two-story townhouse, and we have to walk Vern on the leash whenever he "has to go." I'm trying to stay Pollyanna-ish about it...but it's getting kind of hard. Hey, I'm not always happy!...But I was able to savor a glorious view the other morning. The sun was coming up in the East, and the moon was still high in the western sky. Such beauty! And I reminded myself right then and there how grateful I am for my life. I am healthy and I can go on walks with my beloved dog. I get exercise and fresh air. I can see and hear and smell. I just bundle up the best I can, and Vern wears his bright red coat, and off we go! We always warm up when we get back inside. 


  And now, some writerly news. Margo Dill is hosting me on her blog today! I wrote a short guest post and we're also having a give-away for a print copy of my memoir. Please stop by, say hello and enter to win, even if you've already read it. You can always give it to someone else as a gift.

  Also, I didn't know it, but Pat Wahler at Critter Alley also wrote a blog post about my memoir. You can read it HERE.

  I still have plenty of writerly things to share, but again, they will have to wait another day or so. 

~~~

* Welcome to my newest follower Rebecca Douglass. I hope you will stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *



"Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat." ~Author Unknown

43 comments:

  1. Hi Becky! I meant to give you a heads up that I posted a review on my blog but got into "cleaning mode" (a rare occurrence) until time for bed. Definitely enjoyed the trip down memory lane your book provided!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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    1. Hi Pat! Thanks again for your wonderful compliments on your blog. That was such a neat surprise! And yes, I understand about those rare occurrences of being in the mood to clean! Can you come over to my house, too?? You're probably done with that now, though, huh? :)

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  2. On my way over to read your post....love Verns red coat.

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    1. Thanks, Delores! I love Vern's coat, too! Not sure if he does or not, but he certainly lets me put it on him!

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  3. We are popping over right now. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  4. I am heading over to read the other blog. We all need a fur coat in this weather.

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    1. Hi Beth! Thanks, and you are so right about the coat. OMG, I just heard the temp is ONE degree!! And the wind chill is/will be FIFTEEN BELOW ZERO! What the.....??!!

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  5. I love that quote!! So true. :) And yes, we're snowed in today in suburban Washington, DC!

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    1. Hi Johanna! I love the quote, too! :) There's just no way to make us humans be happy about the temperature we're currently "suffering" from, is there??!! And yes, I saw on the news the entire East coast, etc. is getting blanketed with the snow!

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  6. Love Vern's coat! So cold here and that is drop in bucket to the -10 wind chill they are preparing us for in the morning! Will head over to Margo's now. Stay warm.

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    1. Hi Bookie! I love Vern's coat, too! I almost always pay attention to the weather forecasts, but somehow I missed the prediction for the ONE degree this morning! No matter how much I bundle up, nothing really works!

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  7. I don't envy you, Ronald or Vern. Don't think I could handle such cold weather. I'm gonna hop over to Margo's. Check out her blog.

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    1. HI Myrna! It's been many years since we've had so many days of REALLY cold temps. I just keep reminding myself how fortunate I am to live in a nice, warm home, and I don't even have to go out if I don't HAVE to! And yes, I hope you checked out Margo's blog!

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  8. Vern is so handsome! And I have to say, even for us used-to-hard-winter folk, this one is a bear!

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    1. Thanks, Jeanie! I think Vern is quite handsome, too! :)
      And yeah....this winter is definitely a bear!

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  9. You must have seen the red and purple clouds Monday morning. They were indeed beautiful.

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    1. Hi Val ~ One of the best reasons to be awake and either looking out a window, or being outside, is the "indeed beautiful" sunrises....and the sunsets! The one I saw was more red and orange, but because of some well spaced horizontal clouds, it was just amazing!

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  10. I had the same thought about the coldest winter ever in the state of Georgia when I had to take Libby, the Tiny Terror, outside to do her business. Not that thought about how I could get exercise and all--more along the thought of WHY DID WE GET A DOG NOW??? AND A PUPPY! WE MUST BE CRAZY, HAVING TO TAKE THIS PUPPY OUT EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR AND STILL, STILL SHE COMES INSIDE TO DO HER BUSINESS.

    Goodness, apparently I needed a little rant. :-) I think I may need a little good humor from Becky P, too. (I hope I win!)

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    1. Hi Cathy C! Oh, wow....I feel sorrier for you than I feel (off and on) for myself!! A puppy??!! Yikes! Bundle up your overcoat....and does little Libby have a coat or sweater to wear? Hummm?? :)
      And come by anytime for some Becky P humor! (that doesn't sound very nice, does it?!)

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  11. It is times like this I am glad I do not have a dog. I hope you all stay nice and warm. I know I am freezing out here as well.

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    1. Hi Lady Lilith! Yes, I've thought about not having a dog during these freezing days and nights, but good ol' Vern always makes it worth the trouble! :)
      Thanks for the wishes to stay warm, and I hope you do, too!~

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  12. I love your dog, and your post reminded me of when I took my little dog out for walks when we lived in NE. She did not mind the cold or the snow. In fact, she love the snow. She would jump in the drifts and then come flying out. That was all very nice when I was out in my ski pants, boots, parka, and gloves. LOL

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I have to fess up that I snagged the quote about the cold you have here and used it today on my blog. It is bitter cold here in Texas today. If I close my eyes it's almost like I'm back in NE. LOL

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    1. Thank you, Maryann! I'm glad you love Vern! He's a sweetie! I've seen doggies like yours, who liked the snow, but I guess Vern's too old for that! You can certainly "snag" any quote I post, because I just get them when I Google a subject. I lived in Nebraska when I was a little girl, for a little over a year. I mention it in my memoir. :)

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  13. I love that saying! So true for me. I think I will go and check your guest post now!

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    1. Hi Terri! Thank you for commenting and for checking out my guest post! And yes...that saying is SO true!!

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  14. You will be happy to know that I will begin reading your memoires on Tuesday!!!!! That's when the book should arrive from Amazon. I'm still a horrible friend, but I WILL get better! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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    1. Oh Judie!! You are not a horrible friend, you silly woman! I'm pleased you bought my memoir and will be so anxious to know what you thought of it when you're finished!! You're a doll!

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    2. Vern is looking GOOD in that sweater!

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    3. Hi Betty! Thank you! He is rather handsome, isn't he?! :)

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  15. Oh, I can't imagine. We have a fenced backyard, so all I have to do is open the laundry room door.
    Stay warm!

    Hugs,
    Kathy M.

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    1. Hi Kathy ~ I know! It's getting really old, too. I can't wait for some temps above 20+ !! :)

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  16. Hey Everyone! I announced in a comment on Margo's blog that I'm having Blogger problems and cannot post anything new! Nor can I do anything with my layout, etc. BUT, I can leave comments here and go to everyone's blogs. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon. Please don't think I'm just sitting here waiting for this give-away to be over, because that's not the case! I'll post as soon as I can!

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  17. Oh lord - that is cold over there. Over here, we have some howling winds from a newly formed cyclone, but the cat jumps out the window all by himself.

    Thanks for the comment today - made me smile.

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    1. Hi Jeanie! Great to hear from you! Thank you for commenting, and I'm glad my comment made you smile! :)
      This crazy planet of ours sure is being strange the past few months!

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  18. Thanks for visiting me at Thinking About Home and for leaving your sweet comment! I couldn't agree more about Dotsie...she is an inspiring gal!

    Oh my goodness. Vern has won my heart! Warm hugs to him...

    I love the quote you ended with. I am afraid that it is striking a chord with me this morning.

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    1. Hi Cheryl! Thank you, too, for stopping and commenting! So glad you like Vern! How could anyone resist such a sweetie?! And yes...the quote...we humans are always so hard to please, aren't we?? :)

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  19. I sent you an email after having ALMOST finished your book. I just adore you.

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    1. Ah, Judie! Yes, I received your e-mail and loved it, of course! You're so sweet and I just adore you, too! :)

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  20. I don't envy you those cold temperatures. We've hit single digits a couple times this winter, and for us, that's reeeeeeally cold enough. I guess you heard on the news about how Atlanta came to a standstill earlier this week after getting a few inches of snow and ice. (I'm not sure, but I think I could hear you laughing from here.) Some people were stuck on the highway for like eighteen hours... just trying to get home from work! Pure insanity.

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  21. Hey Susan! Yes indeed, I heard about Atlanta, saw pictures on the news, etc. I have family there, and fortunately nobody was stuck in that huge traffic jam, but one spent the night in a hotel, another went home from work with a friend and stayed there. And NO, I did not laugh! I felt sorry for all y'all! :)
    Thanks for stopping and commenting!

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I'm still getting quite a few spam comments that are Anonymous, so I'm trying "User with Google Accounts." If anyone tries to comment that I know, and it won't let you, send me an email, okay? Thanks so much.