Today begins the annual migration of...

the house plants. :o)
Everybody but the ficus and the two jade plants is now sitting out on the deck soaking up the rays of the setting sun (okay- it's clouding over so not so many rays this evening). The big plants will get moved when I don't have to worry about a freak cold snap (Thursday night the temp is supposed to be down in the mid 30s- a few degrees lower and ficus will start doing its impersonation of Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree- that happened last fall and was not a pretty sight). I keep threatening to donate the larger of my two jade plants to the day job, but that would involve moving it :o).
This year I want to try my hand at tomatoes in containers. Has anyone had luck with that? Any helpful tips? What are your gardening plans for this year? Anyone else going to try tomatoes?
Have a good weekend.
I will apologize in advance if I don't respond to comments on my blog. Life and the day job have been very, very hectic lately, and if I don't reply, it's usually because I'm so tired that I literally can't think in complete sentence enough to answer (sad, I know). But I do truly appreciate your visits and your comments.
Ann

Thirteen of my Favorite Mystery Authors This is by no means a complete list :o), just a few to add to your (always growing) to be read list. Enjoy! (I'm putting them in alphabetical order, cause I can't do the whole I like her books better thing- if I didn't like the first book, I wouldn't read the second. And I wouldn't go around throwing their books in my friends hands and saying "read this- it's awesome). 1…. Madelyn Alt- The Trouble with Magic and A Charmed Death. Good mysteries, enjoyable characters, interesting series premise, and of course, witches. :o) 2. Deborah Crombie- a police procedural that treats its characters like people, not just ubercops. And they're set in England. They make me miss London. Sigh. 3. Elaine Cunningham- Shadows in the Dark and Shadows in the Starlight- a former vice cop finds out she is a changeling- can't wait for book 3. 4. Shirley Damsgaard- Witch Way to Murder, Charmed to Death, and Trouble with Witches. More witches :o), this time with a grandmother/granddaughter team solving the mysteries. 5. Kerry Greenwood- Phryne Fisher, Greenwood's main character, is a flapper in Australia after WWI- and the supporting characters are equally three dimensional- even the the strong silent types. 6. Tany Huff- I'm enjoying the series that Lifetime has made of her Blood Ties books. Vickie Nelson, Mike Celucci, and of course Henry FitzRoy (I do think they should have kept him a romance writer- romances have been around a lot longer than graphic novels and what was Henry doing before then for money? I ask you) all three of the main characters are pretty true to the books. I must complain a wee bit, though, about the absence of the street kid Tony- I mean he is the main character in her next set of books. Anyway, back to the list. 7. Tamara Siler Jones- I read on her blog that she calls her books forensic fantasy- CSI with swords. Whatever you call them, they are good reads. Complex characters that you can believe in, mysteries with enough twists to keep you guessing, and a well developed world. 8. Laurie R. King- Laurie R. King (and if you haven't read her books yet, you should- they're all amazing books with beleiveble characters, complex and compelling plots, and ideas that keep you thinking long after you've put the book down. 9. Marjorie Liu- I know the B & N in my area shelves them in the romance section, and there is a romance with the whole happily ever after thing going on, but there are also mysteries and a plot complex enough that those readers who don't normally read romances would find them enjoyable. 10. Victoria Thompson- Her books were recommended to me by my walking partner (actually she requested I purchase some for the Day Job to fill in the gaps) and having ordered them I promptly went out and bought the whole set for myself. I also share them with anybody who asks (except my sisters- they live out of town and it takes too long to get them back- they can get their own copies). 11. Charles Todd- One of the first WWI mystery series that I found (before it became one of those themes that pop up in my reading periodically)- the main character is believably flawed, some of the situations he finds himself in are heartbreaking, and the language itself approaches poetry. 12. Eileen Wilks- Tempting Danger, Mortal Danger, and Bloodlines- found book 3 in B & N and then read an entry on PBW about it, so channeling my inner Monk I went back and ordered the first 2. You can read any of them without the others, but then you miss out on the development of the characters, as well as the development of the writer's talent. 13. Jacqueline WInspear- Another of the WWI Mysterie series- her first book won the Agatha for first novel- her second won the Agatha- I don't know about the other two, but I do know I want to write like her when I grow up. Sorry if some of the descriptions are skinnier than others, but I have to go eat lunch and get ready for work. I'll try to get links up after work, I won't have a chance until then Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) 1. Joely Sue Burkhart 2. You're next!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Tuesday's Trivia

10 Reasons a Battery Operated Alarm Clock is Better than a Cat

1) Alarm Clocks don't bite to let you know they want to be fed.
2) Alarm Clocks don't arbitrarily turn themselves back on, after you've gotten up and fed them, and walk through the apartment trying to wake the dead.
3) Alarm clocks can be reset at the beginning and ending of Daylight Savings Time, not so much the cat.
4) Alarm Clocks don't decide that they're hungry and start trying to wake you up at 4:30, and then every 40 minutes or so until you do get up.
5) Alarm Clocks don't jump up on top of you and walk up to stand on your ribcage just to see what you're doing.
6) Alarm Clocks don't give you the power stare, or pat you on the shoulder, or when all else fails take a nip at the palm of your hand.
7) Alarm Clocks don't take up more than their fair share of the mattress space, and then get insulted when you move your legs because one of them has fallen asleep.
8) Alarm Clocks don't arbitrarily decide that the middle of the night is play time and run though the apartment like a lunatic, bouncing off the furniture (and the formerly sleeping human), and sounding like a herd of tiny elephants on a rampage.
9) Alarm Clocks come with a snooze button. Not so much the cat.
10) Alarm Clocks can be turned off so you can sleep in on your day off (or days you work the night shift), but cats will always want breakfast.

Thirteen Things I discovered this week 1. The Bradford pear trees are in bloom in NC. 2. There are oceans of daffodils lining the highways of rural VA. 3. 1 hour of driving through the woods is restful- 2 1/2 hours is catatonia inducing. 4. Cupholders were put in cars for a reason (and the bottle of water that I thought was empty and securely covered was neither- oops). 5. Some people Do ask stupid questions (don't ask). 6. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb- good book, very good book. Am now reading book 2. Will probably be cursing Elizabeth (who lent me her copies of 1,2,& 3) before I'm finished. 7. A pedometer doesn't recognize the difference between 8000 steps taken walking around a pond and 8000 steps shifting two twelve foot long bookcases and 12 computers (and computer tables), but my tired, shaky muscles sure do. 8. Cracker Barrel French Toast is a good cure for driver fatigue (with lots of coffee). 9. Three hour naps Will lead to insomnia (go figure). 10. The brain truly does reach a point where it can not absorb any more information- mine has gone way beyond that point. 11. Once again. If mother tells you that a blizzard is imminent- Do Not Believe Her! 12. Obeying traffic laws trump obeying your mother. and last but not least 13. Having to go to court is not as embarassing as going to court for getting caught peeing in public :o). Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

WIP Tag

I've seen this at several other blogs, and since I seem to be thinking in non-sequitors and can't pay attention long enough to write a real blog entry, I thought I'd try this. How it works is you go to page 123 of your work in progress, find the fifth sentence and type out that paragraph. So here is my paragraph:

"Good lord woman, you'll wear me out." Owen whispered as he shifted to the side so he wasn't on top of me. He's very polite that way. "I don't think I was this horny when I was a teenager."

If you want to read the novela length version, click on the ebook link on this page. I am currently working on making it book length (and catching the errors that made it through the first time).

Have a happy weekend, everyone.
Ann

I've been linked!

I was doing my daily round of reading the blogs on Paperback Writer's page, and I found a list of links, with my blog on it! I thought that was pretty cool. I'll probably never get the traffic that PBW does, but at least I now have more readers than just those who can walk up to me and say: read your blog, cool! Now if I could just figure out where to get all of those smilies :o).
Ann
P.S. Hi Larissa!

A Writer's Plea for Help

O Divine Poesy, goddess, Daughter of Zeus, sustain for me this song of the various-minded man who, after he had plundered the innermost citadel of hallowed Troy, was made to stray grievously about the coasts of men, the sport of their customs, good and bad, while his heart, through all the seafaring, ached with an agony to redeem himself and bring his company safe home. Vain hope-- for them. The fools! Their own witlessness cast them aside. To destroy for meat the oxen of the most exalted Sun, wherefore the Sun-god blotted out the day of their return. Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings, O Muse...
Homer, The Odyssey (T.E. Lawrence translation)

It's All About the Cat

Miss Savannah Jane, Psycho-Kitty Extraordinaire, thinks my life is all about her. She is absolutely convinced. After all, my sole purpose in life is...(drum roll, please) to feed the cat! According to her, I don't take showers so I can get dressed and go to work. No, I do this so that she can lick the water off of the shower walls. And to make sure this happens, she comes into the bathroom with me and sits on my towel (and bathmat) which I have placed (just for her) on the toilet seat, watching and waiting for me to finish so she can jump into the tub and lick the water off of the shower wall. Only now I guess I am taking too long (according to her) so when I'm cold and wet and want to get my towel and dry off- she looks at me as if to say "What? You want me to get off? But I just got comfortable." She then looked at me with utter disgust and walked off. But hey, at least I got my towel. :o)
Have a good afternoon,
Ann

P.S. No snow. Sigh.

Think Snow!

I know everybody out there will think I'm totally bonkers, but I would like everyone to think---- Snow! Yes, that miraculous white stuff. We've had only flurries here, and frankly Scarlet I want a Snow Day!!! I Need A Day Off!!! And Thursday would be perfect! :o). Now before everybody blows a collective gasket, I should probably say that for us to get a snow day, all that needs to fall is around a half an inch (should tell you how rare it truly is for us to get snow that accumulates). We're not talking feet here. So think white. :o). Thanks, Ann

I want to be sedated (all together now)

I think I might have had just a bit too much caffeine. The day started out well enough, I went to the mall and walked three laps (all by my lonesome), stopped off at the library to visit (pester) a friend on her second day at her new job (they stole her from my dayjob- the meanies), and then made my weekly pilgrimage to Narnes & Boble for my paperback fix. The Starbucks there was closed for repairs, so when I went to the grocery store next door I had to pick up a Frappaccino from their deli's refridgerated cases. I went home and got ready for work, and poured myself a nice tall travel mug full of Diet Pepsi for the drive. Things were still well when I got to work, and I got a lot done before going to supper. But it was cold in the break room, and there was a nice, hot, almost fresh pot of coffee sitting there calling my name. And I was weak. And now I'm vibrating like a top, thinking that sleep might not happen easily tonight. Not that I'll be getting much done, with as busy as we are (how busy you ask? I's taken me an hour and 15 minutes to write this much.), hopefully that'll just mean that time goes faster. Have a good evening all.
Ann
P.S. My handy dandy pedometer reads 10664, not bad so far.

Coming Home to Roost

I can't really explain it. Maybe its that there is soooo much in my life right now that I have to be in control of, that this one little thing is allowed to slide, and so it does. All I know is that I seem to be physically incapable of keeping track of my exercise pedometers. I would lose one and buy another, and promptly lose that one (often within 24 hours of replacing the last one). So anyway at one point I thought I'd lost my newest pedometer and was going to admit defeat, when I found it on the floor of my car. Bending down to retreive it, I found another pedometer under the clutch. Later I was picking up my living room, and I found a third pedometer in a basket I'd used to keep things organized on my trip. And then lastly, I was at work yesterday, and someone had placed, you guessed it, a fourth pedometer on my desk (obviously mine and found somewhere at work). So now I have four pedometers. I wonder how long it will take me to lose them again. :o)
Ann

Calamity Dan and the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse

Plot for new Chick-lit novel, where main character holds the fate of the world in her disaster prone hands. The following is a list of:
Seven things that Calamity Dan MUST NOT do or the world as we know it will come to a crashing end.

1) Calamity Dan MUST NOT go 7 days without buying (or ordering) a book.
2) Calamity Dan must regularly consume Chocolate AND Coffee (or Diet Pepsi).
3) Calamity Dan must not get more than six hours of sleep in a row.
4) She must NOT count number of steps taken in vain attempt at physical fitness.
5) She must NOT wear heels
6) She MUST NOT date.
7) Calamity Dan MUST NOT fall in love.

Now for the explanations. #1- I was recently given a gift card to BAM for my Birthday and after spending a considerable time wandering the shelves left- without buying a thing (which I have been informed on previous occasions is one of the signs of the coming apocolypse). #2- Must have Iced Mocha- :o). #3 that's why I have a cat- that's her job- to wake me up sending the mental message "you must feed the cat-you must feed the cat". #4 Okay, so actually this whole thing started as an attempt to find a reason for my seeming inability to retain possession of exercise pedometers (My record for losses is two in a 23 hour period-I cannot explain). My walking partner suggested pedometer fairies who keep stealing them so I can't find out how many steps I've taken :o). #5 Actually I dont, mostly because I have wonky ankles, they work fine for weeks and weeks and then one day I turn my ankle (I've not only had my ankles turn while wearing flat shoes or even sneakers, I've had the bloody things turn while I was standing still- very frustrating- I'm not usually that much of a klutz). 6 & 7 were just thrown in- but if I actually write the story- I'll probably keep them.
I have to go now. The cat is sending me mental messages again (you must take a nap- you must take a nap :o) ).
Ann
P.S. I found the pedometers, they had both fallen onto the floor of my car- one was under the clutch and the other almost under the seat. Sigh.