* KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED *

Yesterday afternoon, after a long day at work (thank the Lord for air conditioning!), I received an email from Chicken Soup for the Soul that a story I submitted had made it to the first phase of their selection round! (It's a book about forgiveness.) Wow! I had a story accepted for one of their doggie books in 2017, but this soon for another one is surprising. (It was back in 2007 and 2008 that I had four stories accepted. As I've mentioned many times, I just can't get back into it very much.)

So, anyway, don't know when I'll hear for sure, but for now I'm honestly putting it out of my mind, which isn't difficult because I'm so forgetful anyway. Ha!

Oh, this isn't what I was eluding to in my July 9th post, either! 😃

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Speaking of books...I finally made it to the library today...BUT I forgot to take my list of books and authors I wanted to find. Duh. (I've been blaming my forgetfulness and other silliness on the effects of anesthesia, but that might be getting too old, so now I'm going with the excessive heat we're having and it's not supposed to end anytime soon.)

I did get three books. One from a familiar author that I like, Elizabeth Berg, and 2 others I haven't heard of: Tara Conklin and Dana Bate. (Oh and I dropped off a copy of my memoir for them to send to their "marketing department" or something like that.)

I finished Good Riddance a couple of days ago. It was typical Elinor Lipman, a fun, not profound, easy read.

~~~~

This photo makes me really happy, for various reasons...

I want to visit Switzerland and/or Austria so much some day, to see sites like this, 

AND it makes me feel I'm in a much cooler temperature! 

Stay cool or warm, depending on your part of the world!!

* THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN? *

Hello All ~

Although tomorrow, September 22nd is the first day of autumn, it certainly doesn't feel that way in my little part of this great big world. In fact, we're having a heat wave...We did have cooler temps here and there a while back, but we knew it wasn't time yet for that to continue. It's been 90⁰F + here, plus very humid! I am SO ready for my favorite season to return...and fast.

Hopefully, to help make it feel a bit cooler, here are some favorite photos I've taken over the past few years:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

 

I found this quote online somewhere

and it just spoke to me...

 

Goodnight!

 



I Got My Mojo Back!

(picture I took of one of my Maxine cartoons) 

For the past two weeks, Vern and I haven't been able to go on our walks because it's just been too darn HOT!  My part of the world has been experiencing 100+ degrees (Fahrenheit) for about 10 days in a row. Although it's been much less humid than normal, it's still uncomfortable. 


Last night it finally occurred to me that Vern and I could walk really early in the morning before the oppressive heat arrives. I wake up early anyway....so duh! We walked at 6:45am and it was bearable. Thank goodness, because I really needed that, both physically and mentally. 


I've been blaming the heat for my lack of creative thoughts because I couldn't seem to write anything for my memoir, or e-mails or snail-mail.


But, guess what? After our walk this morning, I got my Mojo back! 

(credit: moviecarpet.com)

Yeah, Baby!

Neither heat, or humidity, or anything else, is going to interfere with my writing. If you've lost your Mojo, I hope you get it back soon!

"If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?" -- Stephen Wright

"Barometer, n.: An ingenious instrument which indicates what kind of weather we are having." -- Ambrose Bierce

Thoughts on Another Hot Monday

This is the 7-Day Forecast for the St. Louis area.

It's approximately the 17th day in a row

of an Excessive Heat Advisory.

(courtesy KSDK TV Channel 5)

Iced tea is my favorite drink in the summer time,

and especially this year.

The pitcher is too dark in this photo, but I wanted

to point out the green grass in the backyard.

This was taken on June 27, 2011.

Our grass now is dry & brown & non-existent.

"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." -- Jane Austen