The Hair of the Dog

Getting old?

Get Daisy!

Her Blog is a riot!!!! I had to comment but more than that, I had to post and share my comment too because it is WAY to funny and NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT!

Read her blog then tell me you opinion ... have you noticed? Do you care?

My response to her blog:


I found grey hairs on my head a couple of years ago and was in shock!
Me? Me? Getting Old?
But once they start, they sneak and pop up in all sorts of nefarious ways and places.

The worst?
Pubic Hair!
NOT THERE TOO!!

Why did it never dawn on me that our muffs would match our heads?
NO one talks about that!

And the ROGUE hairs are the worst!

You know, you are walking around in the summer with a tank top or other cool garment and your hand brushes up your arm to feel something out of place.You look down and your eyes widen with incredulity ... IT'S A LONG SNAKE OF A GRAY HAIR!!!

At that point, your brain scrambles, wondering WHO has seen it, why you never noticed it when it was a little itty bitty piece of stubble.. NO, you only notice when it looks like you could use it for fishing line!

And Female Facial Hair! Have you ever noticed that the older women get, the hairier? It's true!

Have you ever noticed when they let it get all long and curly under their chin? You could have straight as straw hair on your head, but give you chin hairs, and they are Shirley Temple Wannabe's!

Oh yes, Hair and Aging;What a delightful topic!
NOT.

**snicker.**

A Yankee Rib

Am I a Rebel or a Yank?

I am 54% Southern!!! and Barely in Dixie.

I'll say..I"m 100% Northern. .. so where did I get my Southern hankerin'?

LOL

Try the quiz and let me know what you are!

For you who kind of know what I"ve been going through, Thanks for your Well Wishes!

Yesterday I was spasming and was a hurtin' puppy. Seems I popped a rib out and let me tell you , that is PAIN!

All these action/adventure romance books that describe the alpha heroes and heroines breathing through the pain, absorbing it, and working beyond it and repressing it to continue on to incredible athletics of daring-do ...

IT'S A LIE!!!!

IT HURTS.. YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF ....ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.

But, if they CAN? Well, then they deserve the label, "SuperMan or WonderWoman".

I will stand before them in awe.

And look at them like they have five heads...cuz.... HOW do they do it?

I can't even imagine the "training" they must go through if it's real.

Whoa.

OH,

and if you don't humor me and check out my

POLL at the very bottom of

my blog... and the bottom of all the posts...

I'm gonna sic my hit kitty on you!

*snicker*

Curious Kitty Crossed the Road

And went to the other side of the template.

Yes, I did it. I upgraded my template so I could "drag and drop" any changes. Sounded simple enough.

*gasp*

All my links didn't carry over!

So, I played some more and found a way to carry over all my horde to the new and improved template.

*whew!*

The wierd thing is the option that you can add things at the very bottom of your blog.

WHO GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM ESPECIALY WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THE POSTS?

So, for those intrepid adventurers, I added a new toy. A poll. I have never done one before so I decided to play with it. Seems I did that a lot today. *grin*

And since I mentioned a kitty, it seems only fair to have one to enjoy. I went searching for another curious kitty and I think I found him.

Here's peeking at you, kid!

Highland Hijinks

My very first Scottish Highland Games and Festival was today.



Oh Wow! So much to see and listen to. Too many choices to choose from to eat and buy doodads and swords and music and charms and yet ... not enough.


Lines for the food were ridiculously long and I missed trying haggis! I am SO crushed. By the time we got back around, they'd sold out! *pouts*

I missed the bagpipe parade **double pout** because my youngin's wanted airbrushed tattoos! With three boards of 58 items to choose from, you can imagine the chaos; "This one! No , wait, That one!" Then the artist made the mistake of , "Which color do you want?".

*sigh*

I did get a chance to try British Fish N' Chips and if I'm not mistaken, they are never eaten with Tartar Sauce like we know it, but a Malted Vineger. If so, YUM! In fact, I think I prefer eating them with the malt from now on! What tickled my funny bone was this other lady, going up and down the table going,

"Where's the tartar sauce? Don't they have tartar sauce? HOW can I eat this without tartar sauce?"

I'm internally rollin' - it says in BIG letters, Authentic British Fish N' Chips. That means you eat it differently, their way. I'm all for trying something new, aren't you?

Unfortunately, I don't have a variety of pictures. The dance contests were too far for me to get a good shot although I took a video with my camera just to get the hauntingly beautiful bagpipe tune of Merry's Wedding. I adore that song. I wish I could upload the music here. *sigh*

I was totally enamored of the caper or log throwing contest. YUMMY and Amazing!


The white haired guy is a local man who is 61 years old!!!





There he was, surrounded by all these 20+ young bucks and he held his own.

The comeraderie was wonderful to see and hear. What a great athletic community they are!

I was spellbound by the process. Bending down so low, balancing the caper between their shoulder and neck only to lift it from such a precarious position ...










Then to lift, balance the tilt, run forward and HEAVE it forward and up. What power, strength and short-shot endurance!

Absolutely incredible. I downloaded these pictures at full size, so if you click on them you'll get greater detail.
Enjoy!



This mommy cow and her calf were so adorable that I had to share this. The calf is only TWO WEEKS OLD!

When we arrived, mother cow was nuzzling and sweetly licking her little calf. I managed to get a shot in before she became distracted by someone.

The calf's fur was soft looking and gently curled making it seem like a pleasure to touch. But - there was no touching. LOL
The ironic part about the BIG sign that advertised Scottish Animals is that what you see here is what you got. I was like, " What?! No Sheep???"
Nope.
Just this beautiful bovine and her young charge. There was another stall with a different kind of cow and it entertained my youngest by doing what cows do: producing rather large cow chips. All I can do is shake my head. There's no telling what will entertain a child, and watching a cow poop isn't on my list.

*grin*

They've already set the date for next year and I'm all fired up. I'll be going and next time, I'll have the haggis and the parade and I will get the tattoos. :-)

P.S. Can anyone tell me how the point system works with caper tossing?

How convenient is your Post Office?

The strange thing about my blog is its content. I am all over the place and perhaps that is why I labeled it, M's Favorite things - free range.

Look at today's post title. What has it got to do with my favorite topic, books?
Nothing.

I really am curious as to how convenient your Post Office is.

My town PO has three pick-up times a day: 6AM, 12:15PM and 4:15PM,
Saturday, 6AM and 12:noon and nothing on Sunday.

I've sent something out on, let's say a Tuesday, and they've gotten it on Wednesday!

I adore that efficiency. However, I've come to realize that express delivery is not the norm for many Post Offices and that surprised me! Shocked me, actually.

I mailed a bill from the Cape one time. I found out it arrived two days LATE and I had to pay a penalty. What burns me is the knowing that had I mailed it from my home town PO, it would have gotten there a day EARLY.

What's up with that?

Ever mail a post card from vacation and arrive back home the day it arrives to its addressee?

What's up with that?

I absolutely appreciate my local Post Office but I can't be alone in my high regard for them.
Does anyone else get great service?
What's the worst?

You already know my worst - bills not arriving on time to avoid penatlies.
I'm not talking personal service - that's a crap-shoot.
Um, parden the pun?

I'm only referring to access of services and the carrying out of its duties.
I think.

Addicted to Quiz

Who were you in a past life?

You were Elvis Presly! You didnt take long to reincarnate, you love life too much! You get where you want to go by riding the whims of your heart!
Take this quiz!








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I hope the link works to take you to this quiz. My result was quite the surprise for me. I was floored when I got ELVIS!! When I was a young impressionable girl, ELVIS was the most sexy, handsome and exciting man a girl could want! I mean, Girls! Girls! Girls! ? I wanted to be one of his. Viva Las Vegas!, Harem Scarem, Blue Hawaii, Jail House Rock, Kissing Cousins, G. I. Blues, They were fun! He was thrilling and,and... Elvis.
So, call me tickled pink when I got the result I got. Wow.

<

Let's talk books that have NOTHING to do with HP

Lori Foster Heads up!

Anyone hear of these stories?

Lori Foster Romance
Sawyer [The Buckhorn Brothers]
by Lori Foster

And

Lori Foster Romance
Jordan [The Buckhorn Brothers]
by Lori Foster

I just got my latest email from Fictionwise and these were listed. They sound so good! But I was curious, are there only two brothers?

I remember fondly those Winston Brothers and they remain my favorites next to Linda Howard's Mackenzie Brothers.

****

Once again, I am looking for writing inspiration and I found a book with my NAME in the title!Do you really believe that?

LOL, because the book's genius title is:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well

by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.

There's even a quote by Tess Gerritsen!

Does that mean there's hope for me? Do you think I'll actually be able to glean meaningful insights?

I mean, it DOES say, "Idiot-proof".

Should be a shoe-in.

But maybe not, because, well, trying to write a story usually ties me up in knots!

Quz time again

There be Quizzes here today, folks! Enjoy and be feisty!

Dreamer, Thrill-seeker, or Avenger? (Which are you?)

You are an Avenger. It means that you live in the past. You don't care for what's going on now, or what will happen. Just what did happen. My advice to you is try to look away from just the past and see what else is out there. You propably would be surprised.
Take this quiz!








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What Band Instrument Are YOU?

You are a saxophone. You're a smooth talker and people find you irresistable. You're very cool, however you have a slightly nerdy side that only a select few ever see.
Take this quiz!








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How Much of a Pirate Arr You ? (Girls & Boys)

Land lubber. Don't take this the wrong way, but I just don't think a life chasing gold and plundering ports is entirely up your street. Your answers suggest you're more comfortable with Google Maps than treasure maps and would be far more likely to walk to school than walk the plank. That said, there's no reason you can't wear your favourite skull and crossbones t shirt from time to time, and when someone asks you who Aladdin's least favourite pirate is, of course you can shout, "JafARRRR!"
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Whacked Words

Words are funny. They can be.
I've been discussing household situations with a fellow blogger **waves HI **and discovered that in the South, they call that machine with the twine that cuts and edges a Weed-Eater. I find that funny.
Why?
Because it follows our previous conversations about Food and the South. Seems food is a passion down there, which makes what I myself believe about food passion to be a pale comparison.
Food is a social thing, so calling it a Weed-Eater sort of fits. *gg*

Now, here in the North, we call it two ways; Weed-trimmer or the most common usage, Weed-WHACKER!!
What does it say about the North that we prefer Whack to Eat? LOLOL

Did I mention that I saw the movie, Ratatoullie?
And that I liked it?
Yep, it's a people pleaser of all ages. I was SO prepared to be bored and fall asleep -went to appease the young horde that'd been clamoring for its viewing for weeks. Disney Execs did a bang-up job marketing the thing because we couldn't distract them with , say ... the Transformers movie. Nope, Ratatoullie it was. And dang it all if I didn't stay awake through the whole thing and had a solid chuckle or two or three. Using Peter O'Toole's voice for the food critic was a stroke of genius! That man has SUCH a unique voice...kind of sexy. But, um, you don't think that looking at the food citic. Oh no... unless I was into ... ok, Forget THAT train of thought, its a wreck.

The new Webster Dictionary is coming out and I can't wait to get it!
Now why would I get so excited over a dictionary?
Because the one I have is.. get this.. politically correct!
I couldn't believe that some of the words I've looked up for writing weren't there. Who has the right to judge which words aren't acceptable?
I would let kids use this book as it is like a literary V-chip, but I"m an adult and I bought the dictionary to help me with adult writing.
It's up to ME to decide what is objectionable or not. Dictionaries are supposed to be purely objective, factual and informative. What a surprise to find that someone's personal viewpoint colored what is supposed to be an unbiased book of information.

Have you come across this in your writing or research?

Woes of Supper

"What's for supper?"
"Not that agaaaain!!"
"I have no idea what to make for supper."
"That's gross!"
"I'm bored with this meal."
"Why can't you cook like a restaurant does?"
"I want something else!"
"I hate something new."
"Ewww, what's this green stuff?"
"Why can't you make this like Brian's, or Matt's, or John's or .... mom?"
"It's OK, just don't ever make it again."
"It's too hot to eat anything hot."
"I'm not hungry"

Any of this sound familiar?
It's all too familiar to me.
Have Pity on me.
Please.

What can you do to help?
Thought you'd never ask.

I'm looking to do something drastic, unheard of yet all too commonsensical.

I want to make my own cookbook by meat product and then veggies.
I have 25 books that I pour through to find things to make.
Talk about a waste of time!
What would it be like to buy, say, a pork tenderloin and in ONE place, find tons of recipes listed for that one cut of meat? Even stuff to do with the leftovers?

Look in a cookbook. Go ahead. Check out your favorite or other best selling book. What do you see?
A few, sometimes as little as ONE example of what to do with a particular piece of meat. They have the BIG title: Beef, Pork,Chicken, Fish, never mind cut. They try to cover all the basics yet only give you a fraction of the tip of the iceburg that are recipes for food items.

I would enjoy creating a blog, now that we have labels which make it easier to track down old posts, that deal with this subject.

Am I crazy? Biting off more than I can chew?
Probably, maybe. Yep.
But I'm desperate and fed up with the above commentaries.

I am not the kind of person to plan meals in advance. Its the ADD thing. I have the best of intentions but "poof"! the idea comes and goes. Distractibility thy name is me.

Take chicken... there's chicken whole, chicken parts, skinless and boneless. You can't use the same recipe for all of them, they'd each need their own spot. No book would be profitable to put them all in that way. And there is more than one way to cook a whole chicken; spices and method.

I subscribe to quite a few monthly email Ezines and even they only do a tap dance around certain things. And they are a bear to navigate. With dial-up, it's even worse.

As for me, Yeah, I can post some ... but I find that I never follow a recipe exactly. I add this or take away that. It's said that when you adjust a recipe, you make it your own. I've made some great stews using three different books, yet can't remember a thing of what I did. Even worse, I even when I do, I can't give anyone measurements, tsp, TBL, or 1/4 cups... I just throw it in and taste the results.

I'm a danger to my own best laid plans.
But I'm back to what started this whole post.

"WHAT DO I MAKE FOR SUPPER ON A HOT DAY?"

It's Wonderful to be a Reader

Reading brings the world to you, even worlds that only exist in someone else's mind.

Yet for a select few, an author's imaginary world becomes so "real" to us that we thrill at the chance to visit it again and again.

I also enjoy reading blogs, specifically author/writer blogs for the insight they give in writing, heads-up about their up-in-coming stories and the inspirations that influenced them.

Sometimes I've received unexpected bonuses. I've cyber-met some wonderful people. I realize I've said this before but it's no less true now than it was then.

I am now adding another bene from blogging. Reading!
Didn't I already say that? LOL, yep sure did. However this time it's just a tad different.
There's a new blog I'm visiting and this week I'm going to be adding it to my sidebar.

I read the synopsis for an adorable sounding story and got in contact with the author, asking if it was already out (it is) since I was interested in reading it. Turns out she needed it reviewed and asked if I'd be interested.

Sense a Very Big Grin coming on? You'd be right. I happy tapped the keys that spelled "yes" and off I went; the results I get to share.

You may have seen this author in my comments but let me officially introduce
Marianne Arkins as it's her book I had the honor of reviewing.


Now That We've Found You by Marianne Arkins

For three years, the memory of Sarah Kirkman's dead husband has kept other men at bay. Her heart only has room for her six-year-old daughter, Melinda. On a vacation to the Smithsonian, the Kirkmans run into Doctor Duncan MacPherson, a paleontologist who befriends her dinosaur-obsessed daughter. Sarah's attraction to Duncan is undeniable but pointless-- he must leave for his home in Scotland the very next morning.But Sarah has forgotten one important thing: Christmas really is for miracles.
*****
My very first impression of Now That We've Found You came from the cover art. I started smiling immediately, and my mood lifted with positive anticipation. Sometimes the message from a cover is a good indication of what you are about to experience, sometimes not. I'm thrilled to say that this particular cover delivers the right message to the reader.

In this story there is a delightful child, Melinda, who exhibits the single-minded enthusiasm that six year-olds possess when they latch onto something that excites them; in this case, paleontology. Marianne captures that focus perfectly. I could "see" Melinda's personality, especially when she voiced her understanding of herbivores. That had me cracking a smile. Melinda's acceptance of Dr. MacPherson flowed naturally and believably.

The angst of guilt that the heroine, Sarah, deals with because of her attraction to the handsome Scottish doctor is not burdensome to the story. The conflict is delivered in just the right amount for the reader to understand Sarah as a person. Her dilemmas and choices could be our own. I liked the fact that at all times, Marianne remembers that Sarah is foremost a mother and handles her first kiss with Duncan with that in mind. The restrained passion resonated in that scene. It was quite hot!
The hero, Duncan MacPherson, is a yummy Scottish paleontologist guest speaking at the museum. I enjoyed the fact that he was written as a very male, caring man with a healthy dose of humor and yet acted like a ... quiet alpha. He knew he wanted Sarah, pursued her with classy and determined maneuvers and didn't fight making a commitment or admitting what he felt, as some alphas are wont to do.

The characters were a delight to watch as they fell in love. At no point did I feel this romance needed to be fleshed out more. Marianne tugged and stroked all the major emotional heartstrings that make this a must read for all romance readers who want an HEA that makes them feel good all over. Once you've read the sigh-inducing ending you'll realize Now That We've Found You delivers romance!
I can attest to that.
*********************************
This review site is called Long and Short of it - check it out!!!

I thank Marianne for the opportunity to read and review this story. I can only hope I've done justice to a book that ended up being the sweetest love story I've read in quite some time.

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!

Buy a Friend a Book Week

I just found this link - I think it's a great idea so I'm sharing it all with my visiters, who are readers.

And I'm going to "STICKEY" it until the 9th, just to give good exposure to a cool contest.

Go to Marianne's Blog where you'll find this post:

(Excerpt)

"Starting TODAY and running through next Thursday, July 12, 2007 I am running a contest for a $5.00 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press -- enough to buy a full length novel in eBook format, or to put toward a print book if you so choose. There are some really amazing books available over there. So many, you may have trouble choosing.It's easy. Just put your name in the pot (okay, the comments). And... for an additional entry, tell people about the contest on your own blog and post the link in the comments. How simple is that?"

What's not to like about this? What are you waiting for? Go say "HI" !!

quiz

You Are Strawberries with Cream

Fresh and uncomplicated, you are always enjoyed but often overlooked.You're confident in who you are. You don't need a facade to feel better about yourself.

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatdessertareyoumostlikequiz/">What Dessert Are You Most Like?

MySpace SPAM

Gross Spam
I just got a "message" from someone named Baby Joe.
As far as I'm concerned, He's SPAM and I labeled it so.
What was the message?

I hope u mommie.

Bad grammer, sentence structure and the so-called message squicked me out.

Not to mention the demented icon that was attached; A man (?) in a very large, very white, very FULL looking diaper. I refused to take a closer look but it seemed something *gag* was sticking out of the top of the diaper rim.

I don't want to know the "whys" or "whos" about this dubious adult. But he needs help, preferably from a professional "dad" figure with the letters M.D. in his name.

I'd rather be bugged by music marketing MySpacers than this insult to normal relations.

OK, so it can be said that to him, it is "normal".

Sorry, that's even more scary.

To each their own, in a land far far away....

Happy 4th of July to all my Blogger Buddies

Armor and Amour

Did you have a fun weekend? Any great plans for the 4th of July?

I had a fun weekend and I'll share it with you. And plans for the 4th are expected to be quiet - except for the neighborhood fireworks - and spent with my family.

What did I do that was different this weekend?

Went to the Higgins Amory Museum.

What a HUGE and amazing place.

If you're a guy, it's perfect because the place is laden with testosterone induced armaments.

Man against Man using the civilized weapons of their day.

Broadswords, rapiers and pikes, suits of armor for royalty, crusaders, warlords and jousters.

I even saw a gorgeous sword handle encrusted in faceted iron inlaid with Wedgewood or Jasperware. With the spotlight on it, it sparkled like gems. Pieces like that never would see the light of battle - they were a status statement. I was "wowed".

We even got to see a rapier instructional fight, broadsword and others. It was amazing to realized that swordplay is a true artform. Sure the focus was to run your opponent through, but it was a graceful coup de grace.

Wanna see?

First, let me through in the Amour -

I just finished a most adorable romance called Dancing for Dixie by Rosie Graham. How charming! It was a delightful read with a true romantic ending. It was one of those marraige of convenience stories yet both actually do love each other but neither knows it. So they dance around each other. Dixie has one leg shorter than the other and has always felt left out and tainted by her affliction. She never danced in her life. Nate has been an MD in Rwanda but comes back to sell the house he inherited so he can return and fund the medical practice he has there. Nate teaches her to dance. *sigh*

They knew each other as kids and now, as adults, must find a way realize that their love has survived beyond the friendship they had had as children.

Very sweet.

I give it a solid. PURR

Also, New Moon by Stephenie Laurens - the sequel to Twilight. Another recommend.

At a few points, this one had me in tears. It really pulled the heart strings and I found myself totally relating to the lead character. To love and lose, then to find another love in an unexpected friendship but one that gets tested by the difficult choices she has to make. Oh, how well Stephenie wrote those scenes. Oh, how the ending made me both happy and sad, hopeful and yearning all at the same time.

Have you read it???

So, that's my Amour portion.

Are you ready for the pictures?

Armor.

This was an example of "civilized" fighting where it was done in arenas. Eventually only the top half of the body was attacked so the bottom half went unproctected. They were separated from the crowds by fences like shown.

I have NO idea if the skirt is a joke or real. But it sure is colorful!

Mortuary Helmust from 1500's.

And one from 17th Century.

Amazing how the tutorial of swordplay had two women vs. two men. It was great to see how both sexes could fight!! Also, this was a sample of a rapier and dagger(guy) and a broadsward and shield(female) fight.

The broadsword would more often than not, win.

This is taken, if I remember correctly, from the Fourth floor of the Museum.

Amazing, eh?

So, that's a peak at my day yesterday.

BTW - does anyone know why my posts with pictures end up with such spaces when I try to place everything close together?

How annoying.

But my weekend, how educational.

Hope yours was fine too and Hope your Monday starts of your week on a good note.

TTNF!