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Today's List

Hmmm...what to list about, what to list about.... A List of My 10 Favorite Authors (in no particular order, except #1)

1. James Frey*
2. Ken Follett
3. Donald Westlake
4. Lorna Landvic
5. Olivia Goldsmith
6. Jodi Picoult
7. Will Ferguson
8. Janet Evanovich
9. Peter Walsh (non-fiction)
10. Brian Tracy (Eat that Frog - non-fiction)

I can't imagine the regrets that James Frey must have over the whole non-fiction / fiction / biography debacle brought to light on the (gag-me) Oprah Show. I have stated in my blog before (and in several other Internet forums and formats) that it doesn't matter to me whether his book is on the fiction shelf or the non-fiction shelf at the local book store... what truly matters is that this man is a literary genius in my book. His style of writing is SO different and SO emotional and draws you in to his story and his characters as no other author I've ever read. It actually pains me to think that his work is automatically put on some narrow-minded people's "don't read" list simply because he showed poor judgment in not telling the truth about the origins of the story. Who cares?!? His writing speaks for itself. He's just coming out with a new title (located in the fiction department), Bright Shiny Morning, and I have pre-ordered it from Amazon, though it won't arrive until mid-May. Worth the wait, I'm sure!

Donald Westlake - If you haven't read Donald Westlake (or even better, listened to the audio books), you're really missing some great belly laughs. His Dortmunder series are some of the funniest books I've ever read. A group of bungling burglers have one adventure after another, never with the end results they want or your expect. The audio books really bring the characters to life and are a great way for the entire family to enjoy a car trip together. If you like Janet Evanovich's series, you'll love Donald Westlake.

Will Ferguson - Oh my - what a great book. The title is Happiness and boy, will this book make you think! The premise is "What would happen if self-help books actually worked?" Think about it. People would quit smoking, tobacco industries would go out of business. People would be happy with themselves as they are -- clothing guru's, beauty products, diet clinics -- all out of business. The end of civilization as we know it?

Brian Tracy - Eat that Frog. This book quite literally changed my life. Brian Tracy is known for his business and time management books, and this book is actually about time management. But housewives / homemakers need time management too! How to figure out what's important in your life and focus on it. I have this book in paperback and in audio! Considering how much I've been procrastinating lately, I guess I need to listen to it again!

Photo of the Day

Today's List

This list is a simple To Do List for today - just to keep myself on track.

1. Laundry
2. Menu's for the week
3. Grocery shopping
4. Vac family room and kitchen
5. Bake a cake
6. Finish (!) folding fabric
7. NASCAR race (which is when I'll fold fabric)
8. Sort magazines in quilt room
9. Take photos of found fabric for quilt blog
10. Call Yahoo Group swap participant who apparently has kept the box (arghhh...)

That's it -- and now I'm off!

The blizzard continues

Our house looks so pretty in the snow!

According to the local weather forecasts, we're do for another band of heavy snow. It has really not stopped snowing here for the past 23 hours. Our town is now listed as one of the top five in snow amounts in the greater Cincinnati / Northern KY /Eastern Indiana area. We are about 1/2 mile from I75 -- and here's what it looks like about 5 minutes ago.

Not good! I'm glad I'm not on the highway today! Cincinnati Airport is still open (one runway), but busses and public transportation are closed. We're on a Level III emergency which means no driving or you get ticketed. Of course the news station just covered a yuppy couple out in the Hummer because they wanted to take pictures...

Jeff is out shoveling walkways and pushing snow off our gazebo roof. I'm guessing we have about 10 inches of snow right now, still with another 4 to 6 to come, and MORE snow forecast for Sunday evening (tomorrow).

The Blizzard of '08

Yes, that's right. We've been hit by a blizzard! I've lived in Cincinnati for 20 years now, and this is the first time I can remember a "Blizzard Warning" instead of a "Winter Storm Warning". The snow started around 11am yesterday and it's still going strong. We've got about 10 inches of snow so far, with another 4-6 inches still to come. Winds are high (up to 40mph), temperatures are cold (18 degrees without wind chill), and it's snowing like crazy.

Our town (about 20 miles north of Cincinnati) has announced a Level 3 snow emergency, which means everyone must stay off the roads except for emergencies. I can't imagine how long it will be before the roads are cleared enough to go out again. I know the last time we had a decent snow (more than 6 inches) schools were closed for a week.

The New Englander in me thinks it sure is pretty around here! And I know the high snow drifts (see pic at right) will help insulate our house against the cold temp's. Southwestern Ohio houses are insulated all that well and cold weather and winds like this really creep in -- and keep that heat pump running! We'll be keeping the thermostat set at 65 in an attempt to prevent the electric heat from kicking in.

Joey the killer cat has not seen snow like this before. He went charging out the front door first thing this morning and probably sunk up to his shoulders and go stuck. I thought I was going to have to go out and rescue him, but he clammered his way back in the door.

We are VERY fortunate to have the world's nicest neighbor, who brings his snow blower to clean our driveway. Thanks, Harold! For the last snow storm, I made him a pan of brownies to say Thank You -- I'll have to think of something extra special to say thank you for this one!

My list for Today: What I love/hate about snow:

1. It's really pretty to look at!
2. There are no train whistles or traffic sounds in my back yard -- all is quiet.
3. We have a generous neighbor who brings his snowblower to clean our driveway.
4. Jeff and I can't go anywhere and it's always nice to have an excuse to stay home.
5. In Ohio if you can just stay in for a day or two the temps will rise enough to melt all the snow -- you really don't have to shovel.
6. Ohio drivers panic at the site of a snowflake.
7. I live on a cul-de-sac and cul-de-sac's are the last to be plowed - if they ever get plowed.
8. Joey the killer cat can't go out and is a REAL pain in the butt and has already bitten me twice this morning.
9. My grandson was supposed to spend the night tonight but "Umma and Umpa's Babysitting Service" has been cancelled due to snow.
10. I'm a little worried about my daughter's carport caving in under the weight of the snow -- since she has Jeff's car.

List for Today

10 things that just don't make sense to me.

1. Why today's younger parents feel their child(ren) MUST have a cell phone.
2. Why I can't find a "flip book" on YouTube that doesn't contain violence.
3. Why the general public has more faith, trust and belief in the local weather forecaster than they do in the President of the United States or in God.
4. Why people choose not to vote.
5. Why there are no more "censors" for television.
6. Why we (myself included) pay $7 to $9 for a magazine that is 80% advertisements.
7. Why authors make the bestseller list just because they've written other best sellers.
8. Why water isn't more expensive than gasoline.
9. Why anyone would buy frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
10. Why young drivers sit SO far back in the driver's seat. (Someone needs to do a study on the correlation between serious head injuries and the positioning of the seat!)

A month of lists

I joined the National Blog Posting Month web site today for a little blog inspiration (yeah, I know - I write too much already! LOL). The goal is to post every day for the entire month of March. I'm starting late, but I can catch up! The "theme" of this month is LISTS. So here is my first list. Today's List - Housework I hate to do but do anyway

1. Wiping baseboards
2. Vac'ing stairs
3. Cleaning bathtubs
4. Washing outside windows*
5. Dusting the rungs of my dining room chairs (fairly ornate)
6. Cleaning mini blinds*
7. Washing floors (hurts my back)*
8. Filing household paperwork
9. Bringing empty trashcans in from the curb
10. Defrosting the chest freezer

* Hmmm.. I realized as I read these that I actually DON'T do them - Jeff does! He's pretty good about doing the household chores I really don't like to do.. Guess I need to mention those baseboards to him -- they could use a good cleaning! :)

Join me - make a list - any list! Leave a comment here that you did a list and I'll come read it. How's that for incentive?? LOL

Blog photo of the day

Smartie pants

Brayden is with me today (sleeping right now. Bless 'im - he's a great sleeper! He'll nap for about three hours this afternoon!). I had promised him that the next time he came to my house, he could write in my "book" (my 5 x 7 Daily To Do List notebook I keep). So this morning, he climbed up on his bench so he could reach the counter, and I gave him a pen and the book, and he started scribbling. He wanted me to write with him, so I asked him what he wanted me to write. Usually he says a name ("Mama") and I write it out, saying each letter as I go. I swear this is true. Today I asked him what he wanted me to write... and he said.."B" So I wrote a B... then he said R..... A....Y....Z....E.....N... Well, OK, he got the Z/D wrong... but this little guy SPELLED HIS NAME! LOL! I think that's amazing for a JUST turned two year old! (Of course, I think everything he does is amazing... but really! This is REALLY amazing!) He got a Memory Game for his birthday, and I sat down with him to show him how to play. Now, admittedly, he doesn't get the whole "take turns" thing (though we'll work on it), but I did take 8 cards (4 pair) and turn them upside down, and had him turn one card right side up and try to find it's match. If he didn't find a match, I turned both cards upside down again. He was great at it! He did an excellent job of remembering where the cards were, even though he couldn't see the pictures! I did read a hint on Amazon that little ones can play this game, you just start them with fewer cards. Once I get him to understand about taking turns, we'll start adding in cards as he accomplishes each level. So...I'm a proud Grandma (Umma) today!