* THIS MONTH WILL BE HALF OVER BEFORE WE KNOW IT *

My previous post was on December 30, 2014. And here it is January 9, 2015.

Gosh, this month is almost half over already!

My apologies for yet another very brief post. I just wanted to say Hello, and share the news that my "seasonal" part-time job (at Thistle & Clover) is continuing....indefinitely!

The owner asked me to stay on, and I said "Sure! Thank you so much!"

I hope everyone is having a blissful beginning to the new year.

More news will follow soon. I promise!

I hope this fireplace will make everyone feel warm and toasty!

♪ Baby, it's cold outside! ♪
 

"In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold." - Ben Aaronovitch

* MULTIFARIOUS MORSELS *

Ah yes, it's another fun day in my Midwestern household. It's bright and sunny, which I'm very happy to see as I look out my large window, although I know it's cold. At the moment, Vern is snoozing on the day bed next to my small kitchen table which has been my fill-in desk until I can get the one I really want. More about that another time....

 

 

There's been a bunch of workers outside since about 7:00 am this morning, trimming trees, with chain saws and making a lot of loud noise. I can't see them from where I'm sitting, but I certainly can hear them. Anyway.....just a few minutes ago, Vern and I both heard a

Huge Ka-Boom!

 

and felt the house shake! That's when I jumped up and looked out and realized they're not only "trimming," they are sawing down a tree or two. The BOOM was obviously when a large trunk slammed onto the ground! Did I mention we live in an area with lots of OLD trees? I just love it in the summer because there is so much shade. I do know, though, that the two they took down were in bad shape.



 

By the time it occurred to me to grab my camera, the huge trunk had been sawed into smaller pieces, and transported away, until there was just the stump. That, too, was dug out and removed.

 ~~~
 

Well, it's now hours later since I started this blog post. Life happens! So, now onto a different subject...

 

Yesterday I spent more time in my car than usual, and most was while driving on highways. Whoa! Look out! I usually remember to bring along some CDs to listen to, but I forgot. There's a surprise. I switched around radio stations, trying to find the right music to "drive to." I came across "Evil Woman" by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and immediately drove a teeny bit faster. J That reminded me that I should put together my list of Top Ten Songs For Fast Driving (which I'll have to really put some thought into!) The only other one I could think of at that time was "Lake Shore Drive," by Aliotta, Haynes, Jeremiah. There's nothing like a hot, sunny day, speeding down the highway, and blasting that song from my car's speakers! I still love it, and I wonder what much younger drivers think when they see this little old lady behaving like a 20-something! LOL         

What about you? What are some of your favorite "driving songs"?       

~~~

 

Now for more exciting news.....  A BIG winter storm, Titan, is supposed to drop snow, sleet, and possibly some freezing rain, beginning sometime tomorrow, and lasting through this coming Monday. Where I live is in the 5" to 8" range. Will winter ever end? Will warmer/hot temperatures ever return?? Can most of us take any more of this?? Accckkkkk!

~~~

 

** Welcome to my newest follower, Julie at Empty Nest Insider. I hope you will stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! **

"When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter." -- Phil Connors (movie Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray)

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

* The Quiet Before the Storm *

According to every one of our local weather forecasters, and even The Weather Channel, a huge section of the country is going to get pounded with ice, sleet, freezing rain, thunder snow, wind, and blizzard conditions. And that includes where I live. The local guys and gals keep referring to the "Blizzard of '82", and that's 1982, which I definitely remember. And they've also mentioned the ice storm of 2006, which I obviously remember, too. (I'm not totally short term memory challenged!)

Anyway, I'm ready to be inside for the next few days. Writing. Blogging. Possibly cleaning house...but I doubt it. Maybe do a little laundry..maybe. But mostly, I'm going to WRITE. I am so into getting my memoir finished, and now that the Saturday Writers first meeting of the new year is in the history books, I can relax and breathe....at least for a few days!! If you'd like to know more about Saturday Writers, please click on the link and you'll be at our new blog. I'll be updating it while our website is being revamped and brought up to date.

A big welcome and thank you to my two newest followers: Melissa Ann Goodwin & Kim Sloggett! Thanks so much for stopping by and wanting to come back from time to time!

Have a beautiful, blissful week everyone.....and stay warm and cozy...wherever you are!

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." — John Steinbeck (Travels with Charley: In Search of America)

* Old Man Winter Has Arrived *

My part of the Midwest isn't buried under record snowfall, thank goodness, but we did get a bit of the white stuff here....about 3 inches of powdery snow. The wind has been strong and steady, too, making the wind chill VERY cold! Luckily, I didn't have to leave my nice, warm home at all today. I continued working on my Christmas cards, baked a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies (oh yeah!), did another load of laundry, wrote a few e-mails, lit and enjoyed the flickering & aroma of candles, read a little while, watched some TV, took a nap, let Tiger out....let Tiger in....let Tiger out...you get the idea! All in all....a very blissful day!

*One other note: For some reason, I seem to have lost a follower. Just when I annouced and thanked my newest followers, reaching the fabulous number of 150.....I look at my blog this evening and there are only 149. I don't know what happened and I'm sorry if I upset someone.

"O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturb'd Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know." -- William Cowper