Friday, January 8, 2010

This and That!

Ever had one of those days when life throws you a curve ball followed by a zinger?

Well that was my day yesterday so for that reason this post will be short and basically some household reminders (for lack of a better phrase).

Yesterday was a crazy day and I was unable to be in blogdom very much. We had snow. Not a lot, but enough to cause every crazy in the world to come out and be in town. But that’s a rant for another day and another post, maybe tomorrow.

Now for today’s activities. First on my list - I was notified by Anna of Hachette Book Group that they are unable to mail the book “Corked” to Canada. So the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only.

The giveaway ends Jan. 23. To enter, send me an e-mail at mcbookshelf@gmail.com with the subject line “Win Corked.” Please include your name and address in the e-mail. Sorry no post office box addresses accepted.

The remaining giveaways are open to both U.S. and Canadian residents. The giveaways and their deadlines are as follows:
The Survivors Club - Jan. 14
Sleep No More - Jan. 16
Love in 90 Days - Jan. 19
Seduced By a Rogue - Jan. 19

With each giveaway, send me a separate e-mail with the book giveaway title in the subject line and include your name and address in the e-mail.

The next guest blogger scheduled for Thoughts in Progress is Ingrid King, author of "Buckley’s Story," on Jan. 12. She will be talking about living a conscious life. Dr. Marty Becker, the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV's Good Morning America and the resident veterinarian on The Dr. Oz Show, recently had this to say, “Buckley’s Story is a true celebration of the bond between pets and their human.” Be sure to check back for Ingrid post to read the rest of Dr. Becker’s statement about “Buckley’s Story.”

There have been several other authors added to the schedule in both January and February. Be sure to check out the list.

Now back to snow. Can you list five things you like or dislike about snow? Here's my list of "dislikes" for snow.
1. It's cold when it snows.
2. People go crazy in the stores because of snow.
3. The roads get dangerous because of the snow.
4. The power goes out when it snows (usually because there's too much ice under it).
5. I have to work when it snows.

So, how is your day going? Any curve balls coming your way?

20 comments:

  1. I dislike it when the weatherman calls for it--in a very serious tone!--and the kids are all excited...and then it doesn't happen. :( Which is what happened to us this morning! But I think GA got a good deal, right?

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder
    Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

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  2. I dislike snow a lot less now that I work from home, but I'm still not crazy about it. ALthough the inch or so we got overnight made everything look very pretty. Especially from the inside.

    I hope you'll have a less crazy day today, Mason!

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  3. Elizabeth, we only got about a half inch or so here. But up in the mountains, I think they got a good deal more, up to a couple of inches. I am so not a snow person.

    Ingrid, the snow does look pretty. I guess it's just all the ice and problems that get me. Here's hoping you're right about the less crazy day. Thanks.

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  4. Mason - I'm so excited that Ingrid is going to be "guesting" on your blog! I look forward to her thoughts.

    As for snow, well, I admit that I miss snow. I grew up in PA, and got quite used to snow - learned to really enjoy it. Then my husband, daughter and I moved to IL - again, snow. Now we live in SoCal, where the local weather reports call for "winter storms" when there's rain. So, as maddening and yes, dangerous as snow can be, I miss it.

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  5. Margot, can we trade places? :) The snow that fell yesterday is going to be here for awhile. Our temperature today is only going to be in the upper 20s. What is melting is turning to ice (that's what I hate most).

    I'm looking forward to Ingrid's post as well.

    Wish you'd consider doing one for me too. Thinking about it.

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  6. We don't see snow too often in South Texas.

    But I lived in NYC for several years, so I grew accustomed to the heavy wet snow that falls there.

    When we moved to the mountains in New Mexico, the snow was totally different. Dry, light, fluffy. But I didn't much like the 34" that fell one day in November.

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  7. Mason,

    I'm going to check out your books listed. A couple of titles sound interesting, but I want to read the blurbs and such. Love Google for finding those gems.

    Snow? Blech.

    Snow is one of those nasty four lettered words.

    I work from home so I really don't have to do much driving in the snow, but still it's cold.

    1. Snow brings it best friend--Cold, who brings a friend--Ice who brought it's cousin this season Icy Wind.

    2. Cold freezes all my animals water basins and the pond. This means I must break a hole in the ice and then lug out around 30 gallons of water a day to take care of the horses, Great Danes, Cat (cats are easy, just step out the back door and add water) have water.

    3. Walking every day, becomes a problem, especially when it's 3 degrees outside, like this morning and slippery. So I don't get to walk as much.

    4. I live 7 miles away from the nearest flyspeck town, down country roads that don't get plowed or salted.

    And snow and ice storms do interfere with electricity--sometimes, and internet. Problems because I work using those things, lolol!

    The good thing, is when the chores are done, I sit in my livingroom, curled up with a hot cuppa, a good book, and some soft music and watch the birds at the feeders outside my huge picture window. Or watch the deer frolick in the snow. They've broken the ice over there so they get their water and dig through the snow to reach the grass.

    Ps, Margot, I'll take rain anyday. Used to live near San Fran for abt 20 years and miss it. :-)

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  8. Carol, the light and fluffy kind might be all right but not 34 inches. WOW. Talked to my friend that lives in Houston this morning. She was wishing she could see the snow and I was wishing I was there without the snow. :)

    Sia, a woman after my own heart. You do understand the downside of snow and all the friends it brings along. We have five horses, so understand you problems there. And we live in the country too. Work for me is about a 25 minute drive with the first 10 minutes on country roads. I'm trying something new today to see if I can work from home. Keep your fingers crossed.

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  9. Snow in my little corner of Canada is fairly rare.(yes, it's true, we're not all living on the arctic tundra). Snow here is an event. Five things about snow...

    1. The roads become impassable (not enough snow-removal equipment). However,
    2. There is nothing like the quiet that follows a snowfall.
    3. My weed-filled garden looks wonderful.
    4. Footprints of creatures in the snow. I love when we find the tiny handprints of raccoons!
    5. Snow day. Kids are home. As long as we still have power, this can be a fun day.

    Elspeth

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  10. 1. Dislike. I have to start wearing heavy boots that lace up instead of my velcro fastened jogging shoes.
    2. Like. It's beautiful after a fresh snow.
    3. Like and Dislike. I have neighborhood kids who shovel for me, but of course that costs money.
    4. Dislike. Swimming, my favorite exercise, is out of the question. Unless you join a polar bear club, and I refuse.
    5. Dislike and Like. In Michigan, even the natives forget to slow down - like it's their first experience of driving in the snow or something. Lots of accidents, which weeds out the idiots and strengthens the gene pool.

    The Old Silly

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  11. I'm not a fan of the snow. I could give you 50 reasons why, but I think I'll just be succinct.

    Snow bites.

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  12. Elspeth, I love #3. That fits my garden so well. I refer to my flower garden as "Doubt It Garden" because I doubt much will grow there.

    Marvin, there's a public fishing area across from us and there is always some "fisherman" that thinks he cad launch a boat and fish with the lake frozen. They usually only last about 10 minutes once they get out there though.

    Alan, I agree. Snow bites and doesn't turn lose quick enough.

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  13. the only thing I've ever hated about snow is slush :) I adore everything else about it :)

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  14. Dezmond, the slush is messy. But here, the slush usually turns to ice and that's one thing I really hate. That's where all the problems come from.

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  15. oh, we had frozen slush here as well last weekend :) fortunately nobody broke any limbs but we almost needed a boat to get to the city centre after it all melted :) and plus I live in a country where we don't have a whole squadron of powerful snow-cleaning machines in each city, so most of the streets and pavements stay covered with snow until the sun melts everything away :(

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  16. See that's why I don't like snow. It causes too many problems.

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  17. I like snow when it sparkles off the trees, I like snow when it floats down in huge snowflakes. I loved sledding when I was younger - even when my kids were younger. I love mittens :) and I love a bright snowy winter day - around 5 below Celsius is perfect!

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  18. Jemi, now that work is done for the week I must say the snow isn't looking half as bad as it did. Snowflakes are a wonder.

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  19. Ladies, I'm Minnesota born and raised. So what can I say, it's something that falls from the sky every year at this time. The snow covers my old dead plants for awhile. They cover my roads for awhile, making driving pretty interesting. And now that I'm retired. I don't mind looking out my window at the snow. I can now choose whether I want to take a drive. I earned this. I drove 39 winters through snow and ice in the early hours. Spinning out only one time in that whole time. I was lucky. When I kid. I loved winter sports. Now not too much. I enjoy watching the grandkids play in it.
    But I always know Spring will come again. But one of the best things about being house bound now. I can curl up and read lots of books. And I need to check out some of these new books.

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  20. diva, I agree one of the best things about the snow and the cold and being able to curl up with a good book (and a cup of hot chocolate). These books do sound good, I can't wait to read them either.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.