Comfort Zones -WOMBATS CCCXX

FIRST!

Yeah. I live for this :)

Congrats John. Btw I'm including you in the challenge. I'd love to see humor and horror combine, sort of like a Flannery O' Connor kinda tale.

I'd absolutely love to see John give this a whirl!

You know, the first time I entered this, I absolutely insisted I didn't write horror. Hated it. I don't read it. And yet, that first entry is one of my favorite stories. It freaked me out and I loved it. That was before I went on to write a romance with a body count of ten. I think I'm blaming Vivian!

I haven't even thought about it yet this year, but I will. It's such a riot to see everyone's macabre, gruesome side!

I'm getting all misty eyed.

I think you past down that line to me, Pat, but what the hell, I'll give it a try.

Don't like horror, never written horror, though I do agree it would be an interesting writing exercise.

I do write a Halloween column every year. This year it is on Halloween-proofing your house.

Spooky in a psychologically humorous way?

How about just ironically tragic?

Hmmm, you seem to think you can shame me into this.

Absolutely no shame. Life is too short for shame. Coax? Wheedle? And beg if necessary.

2009 is the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birth, and two days ago was the 160th anniversary of his death.

Perhaps he's reincarnated and is on Gather somewhere.

Perhaps he's in this group.

Perhaps he hasn't written anything scary yet.

Perhaps taking a chance on Phantasmagoria will free a nascent horror writer.

I loaned my daughter my Poe collection. I might need to sneak in her room and get it back.

I can't wait to read your entry Rand.

You're SO cool, Viv! That'll be fun, for sure, can hardly wait.

I've never entered the phantasmagoria. Maybe I'll try it this year. I need to do something fun.

I agree Pat. That's Dr. Wanda's perscription.... something fun. How are those three paragraphs coming along??? hmmmm?

Wanda, I didn't do them last night, so I did them thist morning. So, now I've officially started writing my graphic novel.

I truly do have a perverse streak in me. I'm heading into a period where I have zero time, so this is when I decide it's time to start writing? Sheesh. One thing -- the graphic novel should be fun. Mostly I just have to come up with dialogue and brief vignettes. I don't have to worry about putting readers into the scene. That's the artist's job!

Stopping by very briefly, in between major thunderstorms. As in my computer has been off most of the night because of the lightning. Hit a tree to the side of the property and about scared the bejeebies out of me. I had to write to my poor blogger and tell her I haven't been able to post her blog. Between DSL going up and down, 5 inches of rain, and thunder storms most of the day, it's been a bust. Fortunately, I have a laptop with my MS on it. So I worked on editing. I gotta get off again. that bolt was waaaay too close. *shudder.

I'm going to try it too. I've never written a real horror piece but then, ya gotta try something new or you'll never grow. That's what I told myself when I went snow skiing, for the first time, on my birthday when I turned 40. Fell down and cracked my head five times before I gave up and went to the ski lodge for hot cocoa.

Every year since then I've tried to do something I've never done before. Small things, huge things but something new.

Um, did I enter this last year??? I don't remember. LOL ;o)

You know, my main issue is not that the genre stretches my comfort zone, it's just that writing of any sort has been really tough for me the last...two years (and yeah, that includes the book that I sold), and I'm juggling a screenplay and a novel...if I'm inspired, I'll give it a whirl, but you know that whole formulation about genius and the proportion of inspiration/perspiration?

It's pretty much been all sweat for me lately...

We live through horror and now all we have to do is put some ornament on them.


history of blood

The truth!

I was up until 1:30, but I finished those blasted edits. Final word count, just under 101K. Sent it off this morning and now I'm off to work as a zombie. Me and 4 1/2 hours of sleep is not a good thing. Nope.

Later.

Pray for my students.

YAY JAMIE!!! Doing the hyper seal clap for you!! Ah, if only those students knew the sort of thing teacher was doing when she was up all night, they'd forgive you anything (and ask for your phone number!)

Cheering for you!!!

Yay Jamie! I'm totally wanting to read your Rockin' Sin Tour series, or whatever you're calling it.

Sounds like she ready to work on her entry with zombies, too.

I'm jumping up and down to see Sia and Wanda and Pat B willing to take a chance on this! And John! And everybody! Honest, if you could read my comments from back then, you'd die laughing. Talk about being dragged into it kicking and screaming! Then again, most of my writing I've been dragged into kicking and screaming.

Wanda, I love that you try so many new things. Sometimes I'm in adventure mode, but most of the time, notsomuch. Judi considers me one of the most recalcitrant, reluctant, curmudgeonly writers on the planet. Ken can tell you how often he's recieved a contest entry from me that's accompanied by a message that essentially says "Here's your damn contest entry and I hate it and I hope you choke on it and now leave me alone."

And yet, every single time, I find myself having fun with it! I'm only up so early today because the glimmer of a tale woke me up at 7 AM. There's something about the Phantasmagoria tales that freak me out. They tend to slam into me full blown and demand to be written. My first one, I was literally standing in the middle of the pool when the character showed up, and insisted on having the story told RIGHT NOW. I didn't even stop for a towel. I wrote it in 20 minutes, soaking wet.

Maybe I'm a latent horror writer who just doesn't know it yet. Maybe all the rest of you are as well. I know for sure Rand is going to mop the floor with us, since this is totally his genre, but we can give him a run for it!

Lisa, just keep sweating and one fine day inspiration will follow. I've taken to thinking of inspiration in terms of a Parisian woman. She's independant, wise and generous, prone to flirting with strangers, amoral and passionate, and hasn't a clue what it means to be on time for anything. When she finally does show up, she's dressed in an utterly brilliant outfit you never would have imagined putting together, but that works fabulously, she takes you by the hand and hauls you off to some darling bistro you didn't even know existed, and talks you into doing something that leaves you breathless, exhausted, and sated. You can spend a lifetime wooing her, but you'll never possess her. And that's just fine because the chase is more exhilarating than anything you've ever done.

Ok, off to find coffee, and make some notes before my horror tale disappears! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Oh goodie. I like the way you think Pat, always just twisted enough :)

Pat, wow, what a great comment. Your Parisian woman is a facscinating character, the kind of woman that a guy falls for even as he knows he'll pay for it later on. Have I written about a character like that? Curiously enough, yes. Some might recall Elaine from my FCR entry (and Growing Up Single), who acted a lot like you describe and generated a lot of highly opinionated reader comment in the contest.

Glad you enjoyed it, James!

Hmm...maybe my problem is that I don't speak French...

I don't write horror either, but as a delightful reminder, the one time I did (for Phantasmorgia last year) it resulted in my first publishing credit for "Barn Owl." To say the least, I'm in!

Called off again. Figured there's no point in going in on a Friday. I'll play catch up next week. In better health. Feel pretty good at the moment, though I noticed morning's haven't been so bad. It's mid afternoon that I start dragging. Good news is the cold is...well, loose. Gross, I know, but stuffiness makes one feel far worse.

Oh, and if anyone's interested, I uploaded more vacation pictures to photobucket, as my non-Gather friends were having difficulty viewing them here. There are a few different shots. It's how I entertained myself while I was off yesterday. Cruising on a Sunday Afternoon

Now, a moment of silence for Jamie's students.

Thank you for the fine endorsement Jill :)

I hope you feel better soon.

Can't write horror. Not a stitch. Hell, can't write either. *kicks email under the couch from publisher friend asking if they may publish something.

Mike? Is there something you'd like to tell us?? And even if you don't want to tell us, spill it anyway. We can be ruthless, you know. MWAAHAHHA!!!

They've been trying for a long time to get me to submit 8 Seconds for review by their committee.

And you haven't because.....????? Man, and folks think I'M the Writer in Denial. Sheesh.

Hey man! Say yes and let them take a look see. For goodness sake. I mean really.... I'm about speechless! But don't worry, I'll be back with a ton o'words.

Beautiful photograph from a photographer I know.

And another.

The tombstone with WILSON on it ran a shiver up my spine...

Can't believe that it's time for this contest again. I remember the first year my entry ended with Hilary in the White House. Last year? I have no idea. A great exercise to write something a bit different. I'm looking forward to reading our entries.

I love the sense of eagerness. I feel the edginess in the air. I can't wait to read the offerings.

Mike, I don't believe you. About the horror, not the pub request. Spectacular photos, majestic. I adore black and white photography.

A million errands and chores await me. Off to at least slay some of my dragons. Be back. Keep up the incantations and general chatter.

I do have one idea but it would take and be far too long to put in the contest.

Book bloggers, are you following this?

Blogging Disclosures

Mike: Stunning photographs, especially the black and white (I went through the collection)

He has a fantastic book that you can get through Alibris. Dreams in Dry Places. Lost my copy so I'm going to pick up another. Much cheaper there too. Local bookshop has a new one still in the wrap for $45, Alibris has them for a little over $10.

Haven't killed any students yet, but my eyes feel like they have sand in them. I'm definitely napping when I get home. The kid better find himself a salami sandwich for dinner or something. I'll be out for the count.

And it was 30 degrees this morning. 30! That's just wrong. And my allergies to snow are sure to start acting up tomorrow. *goes into anaphalactic shock

I don't have any horror ideas yet, but I'm sure something will come to me. Looking forward to the contest. I got a shiny metal last year. Yay!

I'd congratulate Mike but it's hard to do when I don't know what it's for. So, bleh! *sticks tongue out

I'm so glad I'm done with edits. Now I can do what I really want to do. WRITE!! Jeez, I'm having tweaky withdraw symptoms. Haven't had my "fix" in weeks. I hope the muse is in a cooperative spirit this weekend.

Off to discuss skin and hair. More fun than you can shake a stick at.

We're only supposed to get a half inch or so. The inches of snow is uncomfortably close though.

Nothing to congratulate me for other than knowing a publisher or two but that is hardly congrats worthy.

Michael, knowing publishers and them wanting your work are two entirely different things. To whom do you think you are speaking? hmm? What a delightful poem.

John, Charlotte is adorable! What a gift.

Pat, that is down right off putting about the blogs. Cuz the good lord knows were all rubbing our hands as we watch the money roll in from blog tours. Geeeezzzz.

Poor over worked Jamie. Have a nice nap. I was promised Sed's Pariah by Halloween, I believe. Grinning from ear to ear.

Yes, I'm avoiding the question. What of it? Suspense? I can do suspense. True, blood chilling horror? Um, not so much. I'm a wuss. And we'll leave it there.

I went to help DD pack some last night and ended up loving up on PP and a friend's one year old. Oh my job is so difficult!

Suspense with a bad outcome or inductively bad works. Go for it Wendy.

She calls me overworked and then demands another ms in the next 3 weeks. Sheesh! (that is the plan though, that and to finish reading Escape to Love.) SOOOOO glad I'm done with those edits.

I don't think our Phantasmorgia tales have to be blood chilling, do they? Barn Owl was more dark humor than horror. Just have fun with it. 'Course I don't have a single story idea for this year yet.

Wendy, suspense works. Jill's right. Dark humor can work. I think there's only a couple of us that include, you know, actual dead bodies and stuff. Mine from last year had no blood at all. Just a phone call from a dead guy.

And mine just had some adorable little girl sucking marrow from an old lady's bones. no blood though. :-P

Jill's right. The stories can be gruesome to ghost stories told around a campfire. The range is wider than "Saw", "Thirteen Ghosts", or "Hostel" based tales. Should have creepy elements or deviousness with intent toward malicious or bodily harm. Does not need to be described in detail, allusions to violence are GOOD, and often scarier. Leaving the reader to embroider the plot with what they think is terrifying is often more successful than minute details of the "scariness" itself.

One shower scrubbed, two loads of laundry in progress, DD's room rescued from having to call in FEMA, and off to run the slew of errands.

Pat, glad the stone got there! Enjoy it!

I must be feeling a bit better, as I'm looking around my house and seeing it could use some cleaning (or "redding up" as we say in Pittsburgh). Thinking about doing it is step 1. I'm not quite at step 2 yet. LOL.

OMG, I haven't heard the term "red up" since the divorce a million years ago! Yeah he was a Pennsylvania boy. Wow. Flashbacks.

Anonymous again, Vivian? I'd vote a Roger for that.

Excellent plan, Ken. We'll all sign our stories as told "By Roger"--works for me!

Four doggie escape routes blocked. Digging, pounding and stacking were involved. Watch she'll be out in the morning as if I never did a single thing. Hangs head. That dog is a challenge. Strange thing? She never dug out as a pup or when she was young. Not once. I love my dog. I love my dog.

The problem with horror is there is no HEA. I'm all about the HEA.. smoothes out the not so nice stuff. grin We'll see. I'm not promising anything. Wasn't going to do DB this year either, then the idea hit me in the bath. Sorta like Pat's pool experience... except I dried off.

I'm off to find some trouble to get into.

Hi wombats. I've taken a day off and we'll be heading off the weekend later this afternoon. It's a dual celebration -- the twentieth anniversay for my wife and I, and a birthday for our son in residence. Our son in Carolina is traveling with a school buddy for the Columbus Day weekend.

Good news. The bank that held our home equity line decided to bribe us to close the account and the check arrived today -- yay! In meantime, a hometown bank would love to get the same business from us at the same rate. Works for me.

Vivian, I'd be really surprised if the wombats did not cover a broad range of tone and emotions in their upcoming entries for the contest. Should be great fun and help to stretch those writing muscles.

AACCKKK! BREAK!!

James, sounds as if you've got a great weekend planned! Hope you're headed someplace fun!

Wendy, what a lot of work that sounds like!

I'm with Beaker. Contest admins need to create an alternate ID for Roger Wombat to be used for contest submissions. Easy enough to share the login and email address.

It's nap time. I've been editing my brains out (no, this is not a zombie story). I've managed to drop into the 98K word range, with a hundred or so pages to go. Wendy, you'll be relieved to know the bathtub scene survived, mostly intact. I'm heading into the most complicated sensitive scene in the MS, and I need a rest before I climb into that morass. I'm pretty sure there are extra hands and elbows in that section. I've been afraid to read it.

Later my dears and darlings!

No points for snorking over the "morass" of this complicated sensitive scene!

Beaker, my dear, you have a delightfully twisted mind. I like that in a person!

Here's my take on the Book Blogs and the FTC ruling. I don't see that it's going to make any difference:

Book Blogs and the FTC

Wisdom - I need some heavily scented, vibrantly colored flowers. if they grow in profusion, even better.

Anyone? Bueller?

Freesia

I vote for lilies. Well, because...

What time of year?

Spring, lilacs grow in mountainous bushes, very smelly. Hyacinths are often planted en-mass and they'll knock you off of your feet color and smell wise.

January, February, Camilla blooms, and they have vibrant color and a nice scent..not knock your socks off though. Gardenia and Jasmine bloom March-May-ish in CA. Those are white, but knock your socks off smell.

In France there are fields and fields of roses for the perfume trade, I'd guess those would be at peak June through August.

Hope this is some help.

Keeping all under consideration. Thank you!

Oh, cool! I just got a jury summons. United States Federal Court. Second week of November for 2 weeks, longer only if a case goes longer. A first for me. I'll let you know if there's anything interesting.

I cleaned out my bedroom closet today. Some pieces of clothing older than the teenagers you guys have. And lots of blacks and browns. I must have tossed a dozen pair of black pants. Also have a stack for Goodwill. I can't wear those size 8s anymore. And when did I ever wear size 4 or 6???

SNORK!

Oh, those 4s are mine.

*yeah, right.

Those size 4s will be mine in six months. Oh yes they will. Dammit!

I'm glad that the stories don't have to be really chilling. I may actually come up with something for this year's.

Heather, we'd love to have you enter! Think how scary some of the Hitchcock films were, without ever showing anything gory. Or some of Poe's stuff. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Pat, thank you. I think I might have to watch some Hitchcock to feed my mind; it's been a while since I've watched any of his films.

Heather, looking forward to your participation.

Judi, try this.

Lilacs come to mind...

This one too, Judi. It says that the most fragrant flowers are white or pale colors. Second most fragrant are the purple or mauves.

Lots of night blooming stuff is fragrant. And of course, gardenias have lots of fragrance.

Gardenias are among my favorites, seconded by lilacs. It's interesting that the lighter plants tend to be the most fragranced as if making up for lack of vibrant color. Every scented flower I could think of was white! If anyone ever figures out how to make a red gardenia, I'll be in heaven! The exception, of course, is roses--bright and scented as well. Too bad I can't stand the smell. Sigh.

Back to editing. If I can get through this scene, I'm rewarding myself with wine!

LILIES SMELL FANTASTIC!! And I have some brightly colored ones.

Jasmine, freesia, orange blossoms. Judi what area and what kind of flower are you looking for? Freesia have vibrant colors and a heavy, perfumed scent. Rich and warm.

Seems plausible Pat.

Of course, the login should be agreed upon by the Wisdom. Any suggestions?

Do I dare say gender neutral, or initials instead of a first name with Wombat as a surname? E.g., X.X. Wombat

Most excellent suggestion. T.W. Wombat (The Writin' Wombat).

The beauty of writing paranormal is I can put whatever flowers I want in the magical city and it doesn't matter if they'd never grow in the same place, or bloom at the same time in the "real" world.

:)

Viv- How about first name "Writin'" last name "Wombat"?

Man, I'm tired. Fridays always wear me out, but my lack of sleep is definitely catching up with me. I'm going to try to stay awake until 8 or 9 and just go to bed early.

My sunrise alarm clock arrived today. I'll have to try it out this weekend and see if it works. My house looks like some pigs moved in while I was editing. Dishes everywhere. My land! I'll get an early start on cleaning tomorrow. Or some writing. I think I know which will win.

Brian's Muse is on its way to Canada. $26 to mail a manuscript to Canada. Holy TOLEDO, Batman! The postman guaranteed it would be in print and a best seller. I just laughed.

Grilled chicken pizza for dinner. LOVE chicken pizza. Mmmmmm. Didn't have a clean pan to cook in, so stopped for pizza. I told you my house was a disaster.

Postmen know best!

Your postman is a doll. But wow, that's a chunk of change. Why on earth don't they go electronic like the rest of the world???

Yes, I agree. They should definitely go electronic. I still can't get international reply coupons, which they require for a response. Canadians! Sheesh! Get with the 21st century if, you would please. How wasteful! Waste of paper. Waste of money. Waste of time.

If they publish me, I reserve the right to retract that statement.

This ends my regularly scheduled tirade.

As many of us know, the quality of a thing is not always to be judged by its popularity. For example, while I congratulate Dan Brown on his popular success, I wish I could be complimentary about its quality. In my opinion, the characters are cardboard cutouts, the narrative drive is B-movie exploitation, the clichés are beyond count and the mystery seems stilted and far fetched. On the other hand, the hype was beautifully executed and if money is the great measure of success, then good for Dan and his publisher.
- Warren Adler, author of The War of the Roses, Random Hearts and other novels.

yep.

And Warren would know! He runs a contest on Gather too. Well, he runs a contest on his web site that he talks about here. And Gatherites entered. I missed it by <--> this much! I'm watching for the next time around.

Beautiful Fall day and the Blue Angels just flew over my house in formation. Cat went under the bed.

Three days of them. So friggin' cool!

Yes, totally cool!! We get them on random, rare occassions and go racing outside like idiots. Saw them perform at an air show. My GOD the things they do! Astonishing.

Sorry about the cat,though.

Oh I love them! I've seen them in show and practicing! The practice flights were the best. I pulled over and they flew over me. It was like a private show just for me. *sigh

Question for our science geeks, and the Wisdom at large: What's up with bombing the moon? Is this necessary and/or wise? Convince me.

They're looking for water in any form (which would be a real boon to human activities on the moon). The size of the crater they're making is small with many similar craters already there (30-100 per square kilometer). I don't think bombing is the right word, since there is no explosive involved. The thing interesting to me is what Neal Stephenson called "rodding" in Anathem. Basically, you don't need nuclear weapons or anything fancy to cause a lot of damage on earth, just accelerate a big rock and the destructive energy is amazing.
Anyway, it seems pretty harmless to me. You can complain about manifest destiny in space, but you know others will be staking their claims and exploiting the resources. It might remind you of pigs at a trough, but that's how pigs get dinner.
Any other perspectives?

I'm an odd duck. But then, you knew that. I'm always leary of people poking holes in anything when they don't know the consequences, particularly crusts of planets and stuff. Like that rock thing you mentioned. One random rock the wrong way in--what is it? The Canary Islands? and Ohio is suddenly waterfront property. I know. I enjoy oil as much as the next person. And water. But it unnerves me.

Bombing would be accurate. Not all bombing requires a high explosive. Kinetic bombardment is capable of creating an energy release equal to a small nuclear warhead. A colloquial name for the tungsten alloy rods that would be used is "Rods from God". Fire it from space and gravity will accelerate the rod to around 36000 ft per second. Fire it in space and the top speeds are significantly higher due to the vacuum. Lasers are a more effective, and not all that theoretical anymore, weapon. They give the ability to deliver an attack at the speed of light.

Finding water on the moon opens up the possibility of long term stations and all the advantages that near weightlessness brings for experimentation, especially in some areas of drug and materials research. Also with the presence of water in sufficient quantities colonization becomes less of a whiteboard theory. And opens up the ability to build launch facilities on the moon eliminating many of the fuel/weight issues due to Earth's gravity.

I'm excited about it. I don't want to see our space program end and anything they can do makes me smile.

I have no clue, Jill. Waiting for one of the science bats to answer.

There was a desk under all of that junk, who knew? I can't find the insurance checks for the work that's slowly being completed. Blank stare. I thought for sure it was tucked in my desk. All crooks and crannies have been cleared, and no checks. Filing cabinet is next

Beth, I found things which have been lost for 10 years in my drawer. Just sayin. hehe

Break and then off to tackle the cabinet. If that doesn't work, I'll have to call defeat and call the insurance company. Oh, that sounds fun.

Time for dinner. I managed to get through editing the sensitive scene, with only minimal slicing. I think it's still too long, but to the devil with it. It's done. From now on out, it should be easier. A few arguements, some fire, some death scenes...Killing things off is so much easier than sensitive scenes.

And Winston is still on the bubble. The first time I wrote him, I didn't know he was going to die until I got there. Same this time. Live or die? Decisions, decisions.

All We Are - Matt Nathanson

Beth, thanks for those flower links. Definitely will use them.

I finally got the chance to watch The Biggest Loser archived 2 weeks ago. I now understand what had Pat so incredulous about that episode. Wow, just wow. Those guys on the red team were awsome. Class acts, both of them. And I'll just call her the purple beotch. Um... I think they should have let Jillian kick the purple beotch's arse. Yep.

Yeah, that little purple beotch is the Heba/Vicki beotch from a few seasons ago. I feel sorry for her partner, but he needs to man up and figure out it's ok to accidently drop a 50 pound weight on a girl's head when she acts that way. Red team, total class act, and man, Daniel (orange team)? I just wanna find his mama and give her a big hug for raising such a classy, kind, supportive guy.

I actually wish they would drop the whole sending people home thing. It's not like the show used to be -- everyone who goes on it now knows what it's about and wants to be there. Yeah, I know you get all the tears when someone goes home, but still, I like watching the people change; I don't care about who "wins."

Okay, I made it to 9. Barely. I'm going to bed before I pass out on the floor. So tired. I hope to get a lot accomplished tomorrow. While it's snowing. Uhh...yeah.

I've caught reruns of past seasons here and there, Pat, but have never watched a full season. Sorry to hear there were other beotches on the show. Daniel is a sweetie. And I love Mo, purple's partner. He's too nice for his own good. His strategic utilization of a 50 pound weight sounds like a great idea. And I think I've missed another episode, haven't I? I'll never get caught up.

Elsewhere, the wet grub emerged from its shell like tetter

P.A.L.

woohoo, the heavy snow has already made it further into the state than expected.

To make Jamie and Mike feel better (at least warmer)--it's still 70 here. Midnight. It was too sticky and hot today by far.

Now that I've caught up on mindless TV, I guess I can write for a while. Tomorrow is Saturday, after all. Sleeping in is OK.

Dropped by to catch up and now dropping off. Going to watch a bit of TV and read. I've been reading like someone starved for reading. It's been a while and I'm loving it. I think I needed to replenish the well. I'm feeling much more creative. ;o)
night all

Since I lived just south of Kansas City for nearly 3 years, and my wife almost moved there with me (cancer put the kebosh on that idea), I keep up with the weather there. 40 right now, in the 50s the next few days. Here in Raleigh we'll be in the mid-to-upper 70s the next few days. I try to find the silver lining bits in my health problems, and being able to stay put in NC is certainly one of them.

'Nitey-nite, 'bats.

It gets dark so early now. Wander down along the beach to a neighboring town for tapas. Delicious as always, but exhausted from the cool air and longggg walk. Sleep well.

Snow? Inconceivable!

Ah, Princess Bride. I love the wisdom for introducing me to that!

morning. Off to be presidential again. 14 more months...

Talk amongst yourselves...

FYI 'bats. Just got a note from Ian. He's on and off sporadically, but wanted me to pass along that his bday was the 4th - all of 29. :)

Nice to know, Judi. Tell him Happy Birthday from us, and I hope he's doing well.

Thank you Judi.

snow snow snow snow snow, it's everywhere, love it :-) Especially as the 6-8 inch area stayed to the NW of us. When have to move that much snow, since I was raised wrong and do the drives for the 3 widows on the block, the white stuff sucks. We got 1.5 inches according to my fancy schmancy snow gauge. Quite a bit melted when it hit the ground so there's only maybe half an inch on the ground.