Making Other Plans

I realize that I said I would post Ellie pix this week. Actually I think I said, "tomorrow," a few days ago.

But while I was planning to do that, life was making other plans.

My cousin has come to visit and we've been going places and doing things -- as you do when you have a life and not only a book -- and today we are going to visit the old home of our grandfather and the cemetery where his parents are buried.

Then we're going to visit our almost 100 year old cousin (June 1 is the Big Day!).

We discovered we bought her the same birthday card because, actually, how many cards do you suppose Hallmark makes for 100 year olds? And don't they realize that when someone reaches that amazing milestone that lots of people will buy them cards -- AND THEY WILL INVARIABLY BE THE SAME ONE?

Well, we hope she enjoys the symmetry of it.

No word from the ed yet, which is good since I have no time to do anything about any 'tweaking' of Seb she may want. Seb thinks tweaks are beneath him, but I've assured him they aren't.

I'm quite taken with the Greek with the chip on his shoulder and the taming of the shew notion set in San Francisco that lots of my fence painters on the Pink Heart blog were suggesting for a follow-up to Seb.

The Greek with the chip has a name. I think the heroine is coming into focus. She may have a name. She definitely has an attitude. No story yet, but the people are getting sharper.

Not quite Missing-in-Action

He's here!

Chapter Eight has put in appearance and I know why he was gone. He's The Love Scene. And of course he was a little embarrassed to be doing his thing in public, as it were.

So he very circumspectly waiting until I, too, discovered what was going to happen in Chapter Eight -- and then he deigned to show up.

Today we've been finishing up Chapter Eight and both the frog and Seb and Neely are pleased. Little do they know that Chapter Nine will send everything sliding right downhill again. As it does, of course, when the Black Moment arrives.

Chapter Nine, eager to be of help, turned up early to prove to me that all was not well that seemed well (provided S&N actually got that far). And justified, he's now gone out to lunch while Eight and I get things sorted and polished up. Ten, of course, is rubbing his flippers together and saying, "All's well that end's well," and other such platitudes.

Except I'm inclined to agree. Not only that, but it looks like they'll be packing their bags and heading off to Richmond right on time. Bless their amphibious little hearts.

I'm packing my bags, too. Though I must say that I was a bit annoyed today when the airline sent me an email telling me that if I wanted to take a second bag it was going to cost me $25 extra dollars.

What's up with that? First they take away food. And now they charge us more for luggage? Not that I was planning on taking two bags anyway -- I'm only going for four days -- but it's the principle of the thing.

These are the same people who, when we were coming home from our son's wedding, couldn't see fit to send a second crew to our departure airport when they knew the first crew who'd arrived the night before were required to have eight hours off before they could fly again and that all of us would miss our connections.

Remind me again why I'm flying with them? Oh, yeah. Cheap airfares. Well, not so cheap apparently.

Or maybe I'm just testy because of my almost but not quite finished book which is in the throes of The Love Scene (and while Chapter Eight did his bit by showing up, now I have to do my bit and write the blinkin' thing). Ah, but there is the granddaughter at the end of it.

Definitely at that point all will be well.

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If you haven't already been to The Pink Heart blog for Temptation Tuesday, stop by. I'm blogging there (it's already up because it's Tuesday in half the world already). Post a comment (you guys know how to do that). Win a copy of Spence and Sadie's book.

Or just say hi and tell me where you'd go to "get away from it all."

You all know where I'm going!

Great Book Give-Away III

One side of Jane Porter writes great intense, emotional rollercoastery books for Harlequin Presents.

Another side of Jane writes quirky lively chick lit/mom lit books like Odd Mom Out, which is this week's number one give-away book.

I love Jane's quirky single title books. I love her characters, like Marta, who is so not what her conformist daughter Eva wants her mother to be, and Eva, who is so not what Marta expected in a daughter.

This is a wonderful book about expectations -- about our own and the ones that others have for us. It's all about discovering who you really are -- and that whoever you are, it's okay. Jane does a brilliant job with vulnerable people trying to be tough enough to survive. She knows them inside and out.

I loved the book. And apparently the preliminary RITA judges did, too, because Odd Mom Out is a RITA finalist this year. I'm crossing my fingers for it.

Drop by and comment and you could be the lucky winner of Jane's Odd Mom Out and four more terrific books this week.

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All the grandsons were here for the basketball tournament. That was fun. I even got some pictures. Now I won't have to scrabble around at the last minute for photos for the Christmas letter come December!

How nice to get something done ahead of a deadline for once.

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Seb is discussing life with a bloodhound and a litter of kittens. Neely has stood him up. Oh, dear.
What is it about middles that reminds me of knitting? Badly.

Growth Spurts!

Those who were here six months ago remember me taking off to visit my son and daughter-in-law and brand-new granddaughter Ellie.

I shared a pic of her then. I thought I'd share another one now -- an updated 6 month old Ellie, wearing a shirt which came to her mysteriously by an unknown donor (can't imagine who!).

She's grown a lot.

So has another young lady -- Ms Flora Floozibelle Walker -- feline daughter of Kate.

Flora is posing alongside the Easter card we sent her. She wrote me a thank-you note for it just this morning.

Ellie often writes me thank-you notes, too.

I'm very impressed with the manners of this younger generation!

While you're out wandering around the internet, check out the Tote Bags 'n' Blogs site on Wednesday where I am extolling the virtues of yet another sort of research.

You might even see someone you recognize there! And he might be wearing a towel.

And then on Thursday I'm blogging at Fresh Fiction. Drop by and say hi if you have a chance. No towels there, but some reflections on linked books and loose ends.

And be sure to come back here for a pic of one of my absolute favorite heroes on Wednesday.