Fort Griswold

The day before Memorial Day, we discovered Fort Griswold in Connecticut.

To say we were shocked is an understatement. The internet site under Fort Griswold showed a different fort structure so we were driving around and around looking for this huge stone building and we only found the earthen remains of one.

Turns out, there are two forts and both share a tragic and important part of history.

Fort Griswold is the scene of a massacre.

Turns out, the British annihilated nearly every last person in this fort. Some that survived were treated brutally.

Seems the commanding officer surrendered and told his men to lay down arms, after fighting long and hard. Unfortunately, the succeeding British officer, a lesser man promoted because the original leaders were killed, didn't care about honoring the terms of surrender and proceeded to cut down unarmed men.

The jerk.

This is the monument erected to honor the men who died. It has 170 steps no bigger than 20 inches across. If someone is coming up, no one is coming down. There is NO room to pass, no room to comfortably place two feet side by side. If you're claustrophobic in any way, don't attempt this.

Me? Um... I was winded by the time I got to the top, sure. But what I didn't expect was a panic attack. I posed for a picture on the top just to show that I wouldn't let it beat me. My DH was more than willing to let me go back down, to not force me to continue. But I'm stubborn. I was not going to let the feelings overtake me. Oh sure, I had to put my head between my knees at the top but who cares? I did it. HA!

The City of Groton has this nice memorial honoring the fallen..

This is another memento honoring this place of courage and death.

Sorry about all the shadows hiding some of the letters. I couldn't get an angle where my body shadow didn't obliterate the words. There was a lot of history to share from this one place.

Like I said above, I refused to let my panic/anxiety attack defeat me. I stood p and looked out the tiny window for a spectacular view. See?

Not much left of this fort. Heck, the town of New London across the river was burnt to the ground by none other than troops under Benedict Arnold. You must remember HIS name from our history. The British troops who massacred the soldiers and people at Fort Griswold were a part of Arnold's contingent... they think 800 men all told were involved in the whole mess. They split up and attacked Fort Griswold, Fort Trumbell and New London. I have pics of Fort Trumbell but that will be for another day.

See the ferry? What a view!

All that's left is the earthen structures.

I took a very shaky (sorry) video clip of one of the trenches of Fort Griswold.

So that was the first day of our mini vacation. It was beautiful, it was informative and it was memorable.

Hope your Memorial Day was memorable too.

Happy Memorial Day!

Just a quick note to say Happy Memorial Day!

No other post than that.

I hope you have great weather, fun plans and may anything you do be successful.

Remember to remember those who came before us for without their sacrifice, we wouldn't be blogging, journalling or really even being able to say what we want when we want.
It's a gift, from them to us.
Give thanks.

TTFN!

Udderly Silly Humor

Texas A&M Vet School



First-year students at Texas A&M's Vet school were receiving their first

anatomy class, with a real dead cow.

They all gathered

around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet. The professor

started the class by telling them, 'In Veterinary Medicine it is necessary to

have two important qualities as a doctor: The first is that you not be disgusted

by anything involving the animal body'. For an example, the Professor pulled

back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the dead cow, withdrew it and

stuck it in his mouth. 'Go ahead and do the same thing,' he told his students.



The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes. But eventually took

turns sticking a finger in the anal opening of the dead cow and sucking on it.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, 'The second most

important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my

index finger.

Now learn to pay attention. Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid.

I snagged this from Marianne. LOL

WHy did I snag this from Marianne??
Because my results were so off base, they made me laugh! A lot.
I simply had to share.
After you laugh, check out her NEWS...she has a new book coming out~!

What Your Fridge Says About You

You tend to be a very hedonistic, greedy person. You have trouble saying no to what you want. You are not careful with your money. In fact, you rarely think about how much you are spending. You don't tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it. You are likely single - and spending many nights alone at home.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

While I was driving

While I was driving... I saw a cute window decal.

Be Safe,
Sleep with a Firefighter.

Nice sentiment.

Did you buy your poppy yet to support American Vets? I did. I got red ones, what color did you get? DH got blue.

Did anyone read Catherine Coulter's Wizard's Daughter?
I think her writing style this time is reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon.

Did I tell you I planted flowers for the first time in three years?
I did.
I am going to wait to post pictures until they've...flourished a bit more and look like flowers and not little dots of color.

Do Peonies over-winter well?
Or should you dig them up before winter sets in?

Have you ever been in a pinch for supper and didn't know what to do because the planned meal is dissed by all the family and you have 30 minutes to work a miracle?

Try:

Two cans of Cream of potato soup w/ milk as directed
Two links of polish sausage, sliced into coins (the little package of 5- NOT those huge things! ROTFL)
1 cup frozen corn or however much you like
1 slice of American cheese (Or more if you like cheesy)

Heat and serve.
If you have any bread: Italian, Vienna or Corn Bread ( I made corn bread) it rounds out the meal nicely.

While the corn bread was cooking, I put the ingredients together and voila! The whole family was eating in 30 minutes.

WHEW!

Another Slice of life

This is the Crab that my family brought to the door. It was still alive; the seagulls hadn't gotten to it yet.

This was that Aura, or Halo around the sun a few weeks ago. It had a perfect rainbow circle around it.

Many people wonder if it was the result of the ash in the air from the volcanoes that errupted around the world?

Does anyone know about this phenomena? Has anyone ever seen it before??

Are you a Budding Author?

If you are, you might be interested in this annoucement.



~~~permission to forward granted~~~

The Long and the Short of It First Annual Short Story Contest

It's said everyone has at least one story inside them. This is your chance to let yours out. The Long and the Short of It is seeking the best new short story 1,000 words or less. So... put on your thinking cap, dial up your muse, and give it a shot.

The story must be a romance and must end with a HEA. PG-13 or less, please. The Grand Prize Winner will receive, in addition to publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, one year free book cover/banner advertising, six months author pages, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

First prize will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, six month author page + three month free book cover/ banner advertising, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

Second prize will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, three months book cover/banner advertising, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

Five honorable mentions will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.TWELVE DOOR PRIZES (randomly drawn from all participants) :One copy of Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress
Six autographed books
Six goodie bags

Please send your entry via email with the subject line:

Short Story Contest: NAME OF STORY

Send it to : lasrcontests@gmail.com

Your entry will be provided to our judges with all identifying names removed and will be scored by a rating system.

Deadline for this contest is June 14, 2008.

The winners and runners up will be posted July 1, 2008. By entering the contest, you agree to allow The Long and the Short of It to publish your entry on the LASR website. All stories chosen to be published will be archived for a period of six months following publication. All rights revert back to the author at that time and, at the author's written request, the story will be pulled from our archives.

So what do you think? I can tell you that it's real. I had one of mine accepted so I know the personal thrill of seeing my own words up there for the world to see.
What about you?

Whether or Not

Absolutely.

Whether or Not I win an ARC of Nina Bang's new book coming out in July,

Eternal Pleasure, I am still going to shout out about it.

Dorchester has published a sneak peek, an excerpt, which is making me really anxious to read the whole book. What an amazing snippet and a truly powerful one.

READ THE EXCERPT OF ETERNAL PLEASURE!

I swear, Nina is getting better and better with every series she writes. She's a must-buy for me. Now you can see why.

Woot!

The Hudson Brothers!

Oh WOW! Oh WoW! OH Wow!

Me and my best friend Tammy used to watch The Hudson Brother's Razzle Dazzle Show. We were AVID fans! We had all their albums and loved to re-inact the Chucky Margolis skits. And to think I found these on YouTube. I know you must be sick of me posting links to the place but this is SUCH a blast from my past. Some of my most favoritest memories with Tammy revolved around our silliness over the Hudson Brothers. On top of that, I have two cousins. We are each a year a part and ironically, there was a Hudson Brother for each of us. Brett was MINE, Mark was Joyce's and Bill was Linda's.

I being the youngest and Brett was the youngest, he was mine and Bill for the oldest because he was the oldest. It was perfect.

If you can, check out these links that acted like a time tunnel for me.

The Razzle Dazzle show Lead Theme

OH my Gosh! Oh my GOSH! Can you believe it? SQUEEE!

When I was going to find another link for you for the Hudson Brothers?

I FOUND THE KIDS FROM C.A.P.E.R. !!!!

I loved DOC! He was the one who made my young heart go Pitty Pat Too!

I guess I lean towards men in charge, even now when I read my romance books. I like those Alpha guys.

But Listen to Doc sing! Guess I wasn't the only one enamored of him! ROTFL!

Back the Hudson Brothers and CHucky Margolis !! HAHAHAHAHAH

LOVED poor CHucky! I never realized what they were talking about with the Green Water..and those pipes. And that was on at night. I just watched an interview with Brett and he said they were the replacement for the cancelled Sonny and Cher show! I never knew! So cool!

I'm having FUN FUN FUN!

Hope you are too!!!!!!

YouTube Addiction & Females Rock N' Rolled the 80's!

I like Depeche Mode

I think the message in this song is timeless. As relavant today, 200 years ago or in the future.

This is my favorite political protest song. The driving beat, the message and the lyrics always got to me. Makes me want the ending promise to be kept.

This is a band called Finger 11 Every time I was able to hear a radio station play it, I never got to hear the band's name. It was a mystery that was driving me nuts! Then I got high speed and on a lark, I put in the word I hear frequently mentioned during the song. Eureka! I will say, the video is ... well the dancing is rather strange. I have NO idea what they are trying to convey. But the music is good whether I watch the moves or not.

OK, I'm dating myself, but the one of the funniest songs on the radio growing up was THE STREAK!
You mean you've never heard the song? ROTFL! Well take a look, listen and be prepared to smile. THE STREAK "he was a dribbler"? ROTFL.. love it!

OH my Gosh! I just found this on YouTube!
MR JAWS
I remember this song! Or Mock-Interview.
I remember the boat show at the marina near my old home. That song came on over the loud speakers and the whole crowd went silent! Those that had seen the movie were bent over double laughing once it was done.
I also remember my old boss who said he'd gone to Hawaii the year JAWS came out. He said he had the water almost to himself. Seemed that movie touched upon the inner shark paranoia that up until that movie, society had no clue it had in abundance. Amazing!

And the Go-Go's provided the best advice for High School Angst. How nice to know that my Mom's advice was seconded by the best female rock band for the time. Of course, there will be those that will argue that point with me with a vote for the Bangles . The real hard rockers might even go further and say they were fluff and I should respect Pat Benetar. Well sure, I liked Ms. Benetar's music, I still do. Let's face it, these women are timeless.
But for the paranormal romance lover in me, I have to vote for Patty Smyth.
It has Such a sensual look to it.

What do you think?
What are your Favorite 80's Music videos? And do you think female rockers made it better than it otherwise would have been?
I'd say YES!

On the Way Home from Church

Once again, I am glad I bring my camera with me where ever I go. I had heard earlier in the day that four brush fires were burning in my county, not sure where. Well, on the way of my DH showing me an unusual sight he was looking for me to explain ( I coudn't give him any answers), we heard the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter. Looking up we saw a bright orange bucket hanging from it. Lo! That which we only see on TV - choppers dropping to ponds and lakes to get much needed water before racing away to fight the good fight - was happening in our own back yard. So-to-speak.

What an amazing sight. I can only hope that no homes are in the paths of these fires. There is a high fire hazard threat in our area and I suppose we all should be grateful none of this happened two days ago when high winds were howling through the valley.

When unusual things happen, people stop to gawk and look. Here was no exception and unfortunately, there are repercussions. And concussions.

No more than 15-20 minutes passed before we turned around and headed back to get our Chinese food for supper. And look what we came back to.

The Mod Squad - Blast from my past

Oh I am So having fun.

Remember The MOD SQUAD?

I have that as one of my most favorite memories of TV when I was younger.

You know that old saying, "You can't go back."?

They were right.
One thing that hasn't changed is the music.

The music is awesome!

I never realized how suspensefully romantic the intro is. Think of all the latest romance books that have the heroine running from the bad guy along with the hero(es) and his sidekick(s).

How the heroes, being male, still have a tendency to protect the female, even when she's capable of doing - if not the same job as they, then darned close to it - the same level of survivability (read kick-A$$)required to get the job done.

Check out the Intro to the MOD SQUAD - the music gets you movin' and groovin'. Sort of makes me want to run too. **gg**

If you have high speed ( I like saying that) then please check out this YouTube link. It's a scene from the Mod Squad.

What you see in this clip could NEVER be done now. Personally, I was rooting for the good guys but nowadays, the good guys hands are tied. At least, that's how I feel.

Another thing is ... the one-time manly hero of my young heart has the voice of a .... gentle geek. He can throw a good punch, sure - but when he talks?

Ouch. That's what I meant by my not being able to go back.

I think my tastes have changed.

LOL

Another thing I think is funny is these cops drive a woody with the requisite surf boards on top. That is just too cute!

On an aside... you know that pic of Michael Cole?

I have a blog buddy whose blog has been neglected because he's doing some amazing things in his life.

But when I first got a comment from him years ago? My heart almost stopped. You see, his blog icon was his picture.

My very first impression was that I was looking at a matured Michael Cole when in fact it was non other than Judson Knight, husband of the wonderful author, Deidre Knight, of the Parrallel series.

And Judson's voice is the voice that should have been on The Mod Squad.

How do I know?

He made it onto Jeopardy last year and I got to see the episode on TV.

Isn't life interesting?

My Moon Shot and playing around

Squeee~~! I can now view YouTube videos! I am addicted for the evening!

Remember BJ and the Bear?

Greg Evigan was SUCH a cutie!

The Intro to that cool yet silly sci-fi show, UFO?

I had the major hots for Commander Staker. Of course, Lt. Foster got a few pants from me too.

And Saturday AM fun with THIS? - The ultimate in camp. Tee HEE

Remember those Sabin Women? Musicals are my favorite.

Yep, I'm having fun but I can't post too many pictures of my vacation.

Seems my HP program no longer functions like it used to so now I"m stuck wasting time experimenting and trying to get around it.

Nothing ever goes the way you think it should.

Oh well.

More later!

Oh Wait! It's the SPONGE ORGY! lolol

Today is the day

I'm back and I'm excited!
In ONE hour, Mr. Internet is going to come and rock my world.

Be that as it may,
I'm back from my vacation and have I got tales to tell and pictures to share.
But, I'm not loading any until after I have the high speed installed. Mostly because I can then do it in seconds instead of the minutes I usually have to wait.


I can say that the weather was gorgeous and we saw things that we've never ever seen before. We've been going to Cape Cod for twenty years and have not ever seen what we saw this time around.

We saw a deer, an American Goldfinch, a dead seagull, a HUGE spider crab, an orgy of sponges, diving gulls, half of a giant hermit crab, and heard the cutest 5 year old girl on the beach saying something about strange rocks. Youngest was finally tall enough to drive his first Go-Kart and he was estatic and youngest and eldest played mini-golf for the first time for real. No more playing 'hockey' , but a bonified mini-golf competition where all our scores were close enough to generate a serious mindset to WIN... I won. tee hee .. and all of us except DH got holes-in-ones.

Oh, I have to share this.
Remember last post when I asked if anyone had read the Buckhorn Brothers by Lori Foster?
Well, I was going to read Gabe and Jordon on vacation,except I left Gabe at home and only had Jordon. Well, I was SO crushed and I simply HAVE to read them in order, I refused to read Jordon's story. Well, Lo!, I went to a USB and FOUND a double book called Forever and Always that combined both Gabe's and Jordon's stories! Sure, that means I had to pay twice for books I already had, but I got to read them. In Order!

It was worth it because of some of the cute references in Jordon's book talked about Elizabeth and Gabe. THEN, I find out that Casey has his own story! Now, I'm on the hunt for Casey. Just can't seem to get enough of those Buckhorn Brothers. LOL

So, that's the scoop.
Until next post!

Hiatus time once more

**snort**

Like I've been very busy here?

I know - you're right, my blog used to be so lively. I hope to enliven it when I get High Speed because then I can do things I've never done. It will be like playing with Blogger all over again.

OH my Gosh! Today's picture at Whipped Cream's Yahoo group is HAWT!

And it's "caption me" Friday there!

Sign up and take a gander at the scrumptious inspiration. Talk about Hero material! In fact, put YOUR two cents in.

whippedcream2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Has anyone read The Buckhorn brothers by Lori Foster? What did you think?

And then ....

There is DUCK

And then there is :

ANOTHER USE FOR DUCT TAPE ...I have to tell you that I have never seen a better use for duct tape. Makes you want to require everyone to carry a roll for emergencies

My Good News

Guess what?
As of next week, I am going to have a High Speed Internet connection!

I am SO so very excited and I can't wait.
No more 20 minute load time for a My Space Page!
No more not being able to see all these YouTube things I 've been hearing about!
No more sitting around waiting for a pic to load so I can share it with you.
No more having restrictions on the size emails I send!
No more having my internet connection severed because I'm online for four hours straight.
No more limiting how many people I can BCC or CC my emails to. Right now, I can only do Five, but I have over 70 People!
No more waiting for a Doppler Rader picture to show bad weather in my area and by the time it loads, the worst has passed OR it got so bad we lost power anyway...which is REALLY inconvenient.

I am SO excited!
Woot!
Yippee!
Kowabunga!

I can't wait to do a YouTube link on my blog here. I can't wait to try uploading a little film clip from my camera. I can't wait until I can do things that took me an hour and have them done in 20 - 30 minutes.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

A fun place for Whipped Creamers

Whipped Cream reviews now has its own Yahoo Group to discuss topics and have fun with our favorites of the erotic romance genre.


Join us if you feel the urge to explore the wild side of love.


whippedcream2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com



OH, and the picture before of the house on fire?



It turns out it was a controlled burn. Someone donated their old wreck of a house to do this.

The picture you see here was about thirty minutes after the first one. So you can imagine how fast a fire can destroy an entire house.


For everyone who had a stab of concern for the owners based upon the previous post, you can relax. No people/animals or ghosts were harmed in that excercise. LOL

Why Take Your Camera Everywhere?

Why? Because you never know when you are going to come across something unsual or interesting. I should know, it's happened before and it happened yesterday.

Win and Laugh

To everyone who took my poll, Thank you!
I am amazed but I suppose I shouldn't be to see that deer comprised the biggest response of animals seen while driving while MOOSE came before bears. That was surprising. I thought there were more bear than moose, but it seems not.

This new polling feature on Blogger is fun.
:-)

BTW - I'm a little late in mentioning this to my romance reader readers out there. Did that make sense?

Did you hear about the April contest at LASR?

If not, check this out:

During April, we are giving away a book every day. Most will be print romances in various genres, and there may be the occasional eBook. Either way, you'll be getting some great books to add to your keeper shelf.
********************
Contest Rules:
To enter, leave a comment on the book you want to win -- but you only have ONE DAY in which to enter for each drawing...the day it is reviewed. The drawing for each book will be held the morning after the review posts, so make sure you get your entry in on the correct day. The books available for giveaway will be marked with a yellow chick. For a second chance to win, find the same chick somewhere on our main website and Email us to tell us where he's located.
NOTE:
Print book giveaways are open to US and Canada residents only. eBooks giveaways are open to anyone worldwide.

A couple of books that I reviewed are going to go up as part of the contest too. I hope my reviews inspire entries. I only chose books that either had me laughing or biting my nails in suspense but they ALL have HEA's.
Romance isn't romance without one.
IMHO
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Again, for those that have NO interest in winning and reading romance books, I'll share an email funny that my uncle sent me....

Talking vs. Spanking

Much of America thinks it's improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to help my kids regain control of themselves when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride. Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc. Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

Need to Know

The Long and the Short of It is issuing a call for submissions. We are looking for romantic short stories for our "Thrifty Thursdays." If you have a short story lurking around in your files, or one you've been thinking about writing, why not let us give it a home? Check out our guidelines and, if you think you have a fit, send the story to us. For a limited time, you will get a month's free advertising or $10 off our Author Spotlight if your story is published.
Looking forward to reading your works :-)

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I am sure that you've heard of book cover's that are cheekily referred to as "Bodice Rippers", right?

Well, the covers to THESE books don't have bodices to rip. There IS ripping but not ... well.... you have to SEE the covers to appreciate them.

Example ONE

Example TWO

If you don't think it's worth the look, at least it's worth the read!

I know you must have favorite authors and I wouldn't be surprised if you did shout out's about them on your own blogs. So, I'm going to do that too.

Shelley Munro is one of my fav's. I discovered her books at Ellora's Cave and ever since, I've read her art.

This is the latest fun book but not from Ellora's. It's from Cerridwen Press.

Check out the review for

Playing to Win!

********************************************

Joke time ...

The Sensitive Man

A woman meets a man in a bar.

They talk; they connect; they end up leaving together. They get back to his place, and as he shows her around his apartment, she notices that one wall of his bedroom is completely filled with soft, sweet,cuddly teddy bears.

There are three shelves in the bedroom, with hundreds and hundreds of cute, cuddly teddy bears carefully placed in rows, covering the entire wall!

It was obvious that he had taken quite some time to lovingly arrange them and she was immediately touched by the amount of thought he had put into organizing the display.

There were small bears all along the bottom shelf, medium-sized bears covering the length of the middle shelf, and huge, enormous bears running all the way along the top shelf.

She found it strange for an obviously masculine guy to have such a large collection of Teddy Bears and she's quite impressed by his sensitive side, but doesn't mention this to him.

They share a bottle of wine and continue talking and, after awhile, she finds herself thinking, 'Oh my God! Maybe, this guy could be the one!

Maybe he could be the future father of my children?'

She turns to him and kisses him lightly on the lips He responds warmly. They continue to kiss, the passion builds, and he romantically lifts her in his arms and carries her into his bedroom where they rip off each other's clothes and make hot, steamy love.

She is so overwhelmed that she responds with more passion, more creativity, more heat than she has ever known. After an intense, explosive night of raw passion with this sensitive guy, they are lying there together in the afterglow.

The woman rolls over, gently strokes his chest and asks coyly, 'Well,how was it?'

The guy gently smiles at her, strokes her cheek, looks deeply into her eyes, and says:

'Help yourself to any prize from the middle shelf'

Happy Easter

Not only do I wish a Happy Easter to all of you, but a Happy Birthday to author Jill Monroe.

What a wonderful day.

Hope your plans are smooth, the food is plenty, the Joyous News is celebrated and you are surrounded by the love of your family and friends.

TTFN

Happy Birthday to LASR's JUDY

Judy' s birthday is today and I wanted to let y'all know.

She always makes the cyber-cakes for the gals as LASR, so I'd thought I'd try my hand at it.

Gee, which one should I try first?

LOL

Happy Birthday, Judy!

And for an extra special pic, this is an extra treat for Judy. This guy is PERFECT as one of the hero's in Tara Jenzen's Steele Street series.

Can you name the hero that started out as a secondary character early on who was always seen being painted while wearing angel wings, just like THIS guy????

Another laugh from my Email

Today is International Disturbed People's Day

Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend...
just as I've done.I don't care if you lick windows,take the special bus or occasionally wet on yourself...You hang in there sunshine,
you're friggin' special.

Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Today's Message of the Day is: Life is short, Break the rules,
Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we're here we should dance.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patricks day to you!

Darby the Leprechaun came by last night and left his goodies for the kids.

Left mom the trash in the laundry room which littlest found and thought halariously funny.

Hope your day is wonderful!

Vampire Interrupted by Lynsay Sands is OUT!

I've been reading the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands for years now. It's a unique and fun world where vampires aren't what the run-of-the-mill stereotypes have you believing.

The lastest one has an awesome cast of characters and solves so many mysteries in their world that it is a must read.

If you are interested in a cleverly written vampire romance, like winning free books or adore Lynsay Sands like I do, head over to the Long and Short Reviews and enter the contest and see the interview with Lynsay!

***************************************************************

For the non readers or fans of Lynsay:

Let's talk about cats.

Our neighbors are moving back to the part of Canada where they 'd been born.

They came down our way because the college in the area had a specialized program that was the best around for his area of expertise. But now he found a job back where the high temp in the winter can be MINUS 45 degrees F.

That's waaaay too cold for me.

They are taking their cats.

We had our last Kitty Sitting session this past weekend. How sad . But you can bet I took LOTS of pictures. I think I got some cute ones too. One thing I won't miss is scooping the poop. Man! That stuff can reek.

Anyway, I'll share some pictures next post.

Have a great week!

Just to reiterate a contest that is going on until St. Patrick's Day:

This notice is for readers who want to win!

Awesome prizes abound but the only way to win is to ENTER!

Major Contest not to be missed!

WIN $100.00 Gift Certificates IN BOOKS!

$$$$100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $$$$

Where is it? At the LONG AND SHORT OF IT. website. So what are you waiting for! Get Lucky and Enter today!

$$$ 100.00 $$$

How to Get Lucky!

OH, will that title garner Google hits or what?

ROTFL

This notice is for readers who want to win!
Awesome prizes abound but the only way to get lucky it to ENTER!
Well, I suppose that could be said for many things.
**ahem**

Major Contest not to be missed! WIN $100.00 Gift Certificates IN BOOKS!

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Seriously, picture getting TEASED by All that ROMANCE while reclining on a clipper ship, bobbing on a sultry BAY. Imagine your senses being pampered with WILD ROSES by a Regency hunk named Sir LYON. Oh, sure I'm WISE that it's FICTION. But come the SAMHAIN, you never know - you could be EXCHANGED (go back) in time to be with your hunk. But you need Mr. LINKY to do it. I guess that's the LONG AND SHORT OF IT.

So what are you waiting for! Get Lucky and Enter today! $$$ 100.00 $$$

**********************************
And for those NON-readers out there.

Guess what? I almost hit a cow today!
Yep, young bull was crossing the road in front of me. I was so startled, I mean, how often do I come across huge wildlife in the middle of the road? Not often.
Oh, if a cow, which is domesticated, is loose in the road, does it revert to being called WILD LIFE? Or is there another word for it?

Anyway, someone must have called the police to say there was a cow on the loose because I looked in my rearview mirror and a police cruiser with lights flashing drove up to block the road. See? Even cows get Police Protection.
OK...,so it was traffic control.
:-)


AND

Yesterday, when I was bringing home youngest from an MD appt, we saw a bedraggled raccoon about 10:30 AM. At that time of day, my first thought was rabies. My little guy told the visiting librarian all about it and how he was concerned about people's safetly. She was impressed.

She called today to let us know that the Animal Control Officer had apprehended the poor thing. Turns out the raccoon was NOT rabid at all.
It had been ATTACKED by a porcupine!
The little bandit is now being cared for and nursed back to health.
Amazing!

So, Yep - the word LUCKY is hot today.

A Lucky Raccoon is rescued and receiving TLC>
A LUCKY cow/bull didn't get creamed by a car and
There's a great contest going on where LUCKY contestants WIN!

Not bad for a Wednesday, eh?

My Email makes me smile

Gee! And I thought I was tired of winter?!

I'd say that this piece of art makes a loud statement, wouldn't you?

LOL

*******************************************************

Every day, a male co-worker walks up very close to a lady at the coffee machine, inhales A big breath of air, and tells her that her hair smells nice.

After a week of this, she can't stand it anymore, takes her complaint to a supervisor in the personnel department, and asks to file a Sexual Harassment grievance against him.

The Human Resources Supervisor is puzzled and asks:

"What's sexually threatening about a co-worker telling you your hair smells nice?"

The woman replies,

"It's Keith.
The midget."
***************************
**snort**
Took me long enough to get it.

The Might of Dust Mites

I just came from having my youngest tested for environmental allergies.



His results were off the charts for dust mites. How do I know this?



The tester left the room after cleaning him up, jotting down the results and telling us the doctor would be in soon to discuss the results.



Through the CLOSED door, I heard her say,



"We hit the jackpot! This kid has the biggest reaction to dust mites I've ever seen!"



OH, sure, like didn't that just make my child feel all warm and fuzzy.



The TWIT.



At least wait until we're out of earshot or something.

Sheesh!

The Passion for Ron Ely Lives!

Folks, lately I've been in a constant state of amazement. Way back in 2006, I wrote a blog post about one of my early infatuations with a star; Ron Ely, who played Tarzan. Believe it or not, I think Ron has been rediscovered in a HUGE way. Why do I say that? Because my old post is getting comments-even two years later! Wonderful fans as far away as France have visited me to share their appreciation of his talent and to gently :-) correct any mistakes I've made re: Ron Facts. Perhaps they are stopping by just because it's another opportunity to connect with others of equal enthusiasm? Only they know. Me? I'm tickled pink. After checking my site stats, today was the first time the 2006 POST outranked my visits for my current posting. Has anyone ever had that happen? So, in anticipation of continuing the trend, I'd like to include two links that my blog buddy, Judy, found for me while we were chatting one evening. This is a YouTube interview that reveals some wonderful info that fans should find interesting. It's labeled, Tarzan, Jesus, and Davy Crockett? I have dial-up so it took over an hour to load, but it was worth it. The other is a SHORT ARTICLE about his son. Look at the picture; doesn't that Ely charm show through? From the sounds and rumblings I've been hearing, maybe, just maybe, Ron Ely may grace our television sets in the near future. I'm sure, like many fans around the world, the 'near future' isn't soon enough. On a sadder note, one of my visiting Ely fans informed me about some sad news. Manuel Padilla, Jr., who played Jai, passed away recently. He'll be forever young in my mind's eye. He was only 51 too. Way too young. There is a link to verify this info: OBIT The info for Manuel is almost all the way towards the bottom- Jan. 29th. I never knew he was in American Graffiti! Did you? Oh Wow! Did you know that James Earl Jones played in one of the Tarzan episodes? I just saw that little tidbit when I was checking out one of the links I slipped into my post here. Very cool! The item that cracked me up the most was seeing Ethel Merman listed as being in an episode. That was a woman with a unique voice. I really wish the executives that make DVD decisions would really wake up and realize there is a WANT and an INTEREST for purchasing and viewing the 1966 - 1968 years of this incarnation of Tarzan. I, for one, would buy it. Who can we write to so we can get the ball rolling?

Falmouth and Woods Hole area is beautiful

I think the pictures are self explanatory.

I love the coast.

The ocean.

I like to hear it, see it, smell it but this time around, there was NO way I was going IN it.

Too darned cold!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Babe, It's COLD out here!

You know it's winter when even the statuary bundles up!

Nightmares come in all degrees

I got my CD full of ancient memories today! Yea! Geek Squad was able to retrieve all the pictures from my old Windows 98. I picked it up today.
What a relief!
Now, what do I do with a useless lump of a tower? Anyone have any ideas?
Is there anything toxic in there that I need to worry about?

I went on my FaceBook site for the first time in months. I am still trying to figure out how to navigate that thing.

Did you know that Dara Joy finally settled with Dorchester Publishing?
I am SO excited !
Maybe NOW I'll be able to see Traed's HEA. Waiting over 6 years is long enough. Don't you think?

Welcome Back, Dara Joy!

I went to Cape Cod this past weekend. I'll tell you all about it next post. I even have pictures! Well, if they came out, I do.

Folks, We Have GROUND!
LOL.

After those 50 degree temps and rain yesterday, I can now see the gravel of my drive way and I no longer have to make like a rocket and launch up my driveway.
Call me happy.

I have to tell you about my nightmare this morning. It woke me up at 4:15 and I couldn't go back to sleep.
Want to know what woke me up?
The dream/nightmare of my DH coming home with TEN KITTENS. That's not the worst of it though. He brought them without benefit of food or cat boxes OR litter.
Not only is our house small but both me and my eldest are asthmatic!
Kittens were climbing the couch fabric, curtains and getting underfoot, purring the entire time.
See? Nightmare!
Is it any wonder why I couldn't go back to sleep?

When DH came down at a more reasonable time - like after the sun rose - I told him my dream. He just shrugged.
"That's not a nightmare, you like cats."
Well, sure I do, but 10 all at once?
Obviously my DH can put things in perspective with a rapidity I can only envy.

I hope your day is free of any and all nightmares, waking or sleeping.

Laurell is on the Cover!

Oooh, I'm excited. I just picked up the mail after work and saw
Laurell K. Hamilton on the cover of my latest issue of Writer's Digest!
WOOT!

I remember when I used to squeeee because I got my latest issue of Tiger Beat - yes, yes, I know, I'm dating myself. .. but it was all boys all the time!

Brett Hudson!
Bill Hudson!
Donny Osmand!
Dirk Benedict!
Vincent Van Patten!
Shawn Cassidy!
Parker Stevenson!
David Cassidy!
Lee Majors!

Ooh la la.

Now? I'm squeeing because my favorite author is on the cover.
My! How times have changed.

I don't squee anymore for reasons of who appears on the covers of magazines anymore, so this took me by surprise.

Now, I get self help magazines and Ranger Rick. Sorry, but a picture of a rare parrott just doesn't do it for me. *sigh*

Funny, they never show just exactly WHO Ranger Rick is...
I wonder if he looks like Ranger Gorde?
If any of my visitors watches The Red Green Show, then you KNOW who that is...ROTFL!!!!
Heaven help the Possom Lodge if there ever were an actual forest fire. **snicker**

I recently decided to listen to some music by Johnny Cash -
Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison.
Man! Great rhythym and beats but the messages were kinda sad and harsh and .... very depressing. But the lyrics? Pure Poetry. Sad poetry but still, genius.

Anyone listen to him? Prior to this, my only exposure was the song, A Boy Named Sue. I can only assume it was well listened to because it was the most mainstream.
Anyway, it was interesting, that's for sure.

Hey, it's almost the weekend! And no snow or ice or rain on the horizon.
'Bout darned time!
Shoveling in the pouring rain is NOT fun.
That stuff is HEAVY.

OK..that's the chatty update for now.
Toodles.

The Stranger is Back

I seem like a stanger, even to myself as I type this.

The new Tech guy, Gabriel, not Kelly, came and installed both the new modem and motherboard. I'm a little leary to trust and believe that I am back online. After going so long without, it seems strange to be back in touch.

What has been going on with you this past month?

Believe it or not, not much for me. Just activities of daily living. I rearranged my kitchen though. That was a biggie. It's been the way it's been for ten years. Imagine what a few rearranged mobile cabinets can do.

DH liked me offline. Seems I was more approachable. Huh.


I had taken some pictures during my forced hiatus. I thought of you all when I took them.



Some would make wonderful wallpaper for computer desktops




Some, I just liked to look at. I'll share what I can.





I didn't read too many books, surprisingly. There weren't that many that floated my boat. I passed on quite a few. I have NO idea why.


I even passed on buying Lynn Veihl's latest. I have read every single one so far, why not this one? I am not sure if I can explain it to myself, never mind all you's. ;-)

We watched National Treasure for the sixth time last night. It's a show with wonderful re-watchability.

Do you have any movies that you can watch over and over again?

I re-read Fairyville by Emma Holly the other day. I was enchanted by the characters just like the first time. When that happens, it a Must for my 'keeper shelf''.
What makes a book a 'keeper' for you?

********** ****************** ******************
Seems while I was incommunicado, I lost a few of my reviewers that had joined Whipped Cream. That was sad news for me to hear when I came back.

I really want the review site to survive. It's my baby. I believe strongly that there are some wonderful, creative and truly inspired writing out there that embraces erotic elements. I want to share the good ones with everyone.

But I can't do it alone and I am feeling like I am right now.
*sigh*
Being offline cost me more than my sanity and time. It cost me helpers.
**shakes head**

In any event, if anyone knows of readers who enjoy reading E books, please send them my way. Reading books for which the only payment is voicing your opinion is very simple yet very difficult to find those who enjoy that arrangement.
*************** *********** *************
I have a silly kid's joke to share:

Q: Why do sharks swim only in salt water?
A: Because pepper water makes them sneeze.

*********** ***************** ******************
I think I may have posted this joke before, but it IS winter and timely.

My friend emailed it to me and it was nice to have all these jokes waiting for me amongst the SPAM.

Have you seen this one?

As a trucker stops for a red light, a blonde catches up.
She jumps out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door.
The trucker lowers the window, and she says

"Hi, my name is Heather and you are losing some of your load."

The trucker ignores her and proceeds down the street.When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up again.

She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door. Again, the trucker lowers the window.

As if they've never spoken, the blonde says brightly,

"Hi my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"

Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down the street.
At the third red light, the same thing happens again.

All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks on the truck door.
The trucker rolls down the window. Again she says

"Hi, my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"

When the light turns green the trucker revs up and races to the next light.

When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck, and runs back to the blonde.

He knocks on her window, and after she lowers it, he says...

"Hi, my name is Kevin, its winter in Massachusetts and I'm driving the SALT TRUCK!"

Tee hee.

And the Last joke to share is for Women Only who have Kids. Why? Because only when you have kids could this EVER happen. LOL!!!!
**************************************
I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week.

Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am.

I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45am.
The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.

As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort.

So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable.

I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.
I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in.
Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles away.

I was a little surprised when the doctor said, 'My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?'

I didn't respond.
After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home .
The rest of the day was normal . Some shopping, cleaning, cooking.

After school when my 6 year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom,

'Mommy, where's my washcloth?'

I told her to get another one from the cupboard.

She replied, 'No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it.'

Never going back to that doctor ever.

******* LOL!!!!


This final picture struck me as poetic. It reminds me of watching a Pheonix flying a ways in the distance.
A rather LARGE pheonix.

When I was looking at it with my own eyes,the pinkish red color of the 'wings' was MUCH much brighter.

Isn't imagination fun?
And, I'm glad to be back. Have a great weekend everyone!