Welcome to Christmas Dinner

~~It's almost here. The wait is over. Or the rush if you like to wait till the last minute. Me, I like to have it done so I can rest a little before the end. So, I thought as a Christmas wish, I'd welcome you all to the table. The bow and bell are over the door to the dining room. The buffet is decorated with Christmas mugs and other gifts John and I have received from students over the years. The serving table is decked with poinsettias and crystal as is the dining table. Come Christmas Day, there will be eleven Steadhams around it and we will feast. John's sister-in-law, Rhonda, and I do the bulk of the cooking.
~~The menu this year is country ham, corn casserole, butter pea, sweet potato souffle, cherry salad, fruit salad, rice stir fry, carrot casserole, deviled eggs, and macaroni and cheese. We will dessert on chocolate chess pie and coconut cake.
~~Where ever you are, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. ; )

Puppy Mystery Solved

~~For the last two months or so, we have had a mystery on our hands. Max has been coming in from outside and dancing about, stiff-legged. He would scrub his feet over the carpet for about a minute each time we went out. We wracked our brains. Just what was he doing--wiping his feet?
~~Well, the mystery was solved today. John had led the two boys in from a wet, soggy walk. As I stood on the mat just outside the door wiping my feet, Max began his dance. He stared me straight in the eyes and I gasped. All this time, Max has been following momma and daddy's example. He has been wiping his feet. Just like we do! ; ) How's that for a fine solution to a funny habit?

It's Official!

~~It's official! The first printing of An Easter Walk has sold out--in 35 days! How's that for a brisk selling title? John and I are thrilled and amazed. I have already placed the order for the next printing and expect the new copies to be here Christmas week. If you didn't get your copy yet, there will be more soon. I've got several plans to sell the next order. Who knows? Maybe I'll learn to "think big" like my Uncle Ralph admonished today at the family party in Rock Springs. Of course, the family bought the every last copy I had. ; )

~~To order a copy when the next shipment comes in, email me at zanmariess@gmail.com

The Cothes Make the Puppy

~~How cute is this? The boys are all decked out in their new sweaters. It's definitely sweater weather around here early in the mornings. Low thirties and frost means newly clipped Casey and Max are a little on the shivering side. Of course, a treat is always welcome. ; )

~~And speaking of clothes--the boys got into a little mischief this morning during the laundry. While I had my back turned to fold a load, they were raiding the dirty clothes pile for a few choice pieces to make a bed in the sunshine of the solarium. I had to laugh. I'll be more careful next week. ; )

Tag Team Fetch

~~You didn't know fetch was a tag-team event, did you? It is with Casey and Max. When we throw any of the favorite toys--carrot, bone, or floppy--both puppies go running. It doesn't matter which boy gets there first, the other will meet him coming back. Then a wrestling match breaks out that usually results in both puppies with a month full of toy and they bring it back together. Not your usual game of fetch to say the least.

~~It's very hard to get a good photo of the fast moving pups, but we finally did. They are bringing back bone, one of Casey's favorite toys, but it looks like Max has just as good a grip. ; ) There's never a dull moment here with two wonderful puppies like Casey and Max.

You HAVE to Read This Book!

~~I mean it. With over three and a half million words in print and seventeen million copies sold (and growing), you can't go wrong if Diana Gabaldon's name is on the cover. Diana's latest book, An Echo in the Bone, debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. Echo went on sale September 22 and it has been selling fast ever since. And there's good reason for the number of books sold. Full of historical fiction and military history, time-travel, wonderful, realistic characters, intricate plots, accurate research used in creative ways, and layered, beautiful detail that draws the reader in, Diana Gabaldon shows what great writing can be. As the winner of the Quill and Corinne International prizes for her last book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, many know how good a read her books are.

~~The main Outlander series introduces readers to the amazing lives of Jamie Frazer, a Scottish Highlander, and his wife, Claire Randall, a nurse from WWII. Yes, it's possible. ; ) The order of the main series is:

*Outlander

*Dragonfly in Amber

*Voyager

*Drums of Autumn

*The Fiery Cross

*A Breath of Snow and Ashes

* An Echo in the Bone

In addition, Diana has written an offshoot series about the interesting character, Lord John Grey. Lord John is an important character in the main series and to understand his importance, the reader should read his series as well. The Lord John books are:

*Lord John and the Hand of Devils

*Lord John and the Private Matter

* Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

The first is an anthology of three novellas. The correct chronological order of the stories are "The Hellfire Club", then The Private Matter, "Lord John and the Succubus", Brotherhood of the Blade, and "Lord John and the Haunted Soldier." Diana is working on a new Lord John book, Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner.

~~The most wonderful thing about Diana Gabaldon is her generosity. She is an important part of the CompuServe Books and Writers Forum where she offers advice and craft lessons for all writers. I highly recommend joining the forum to learn more about writing from Diana and the many writers who regularly post there.

~~Another example of Diana's generosity is the time she spends with her fans at book signings and festivals. I had the great pleasure to hear her and have some books signed at this year's Decatur Book Festival on September 5. After sharing insight into Echo and her upcoming graphic novel set in the Outlander storyline, she signed books for the hundreds of fans. Then went to another event and did it all again. The photo is of Diana signing books for me at Decatur.

Woe September!

~~I'm not happy with September. I haven't had a good one. Among the woes, there's a prolonged illness that caused me to lose seven pounds in three weeks. I just wouldn't recommend the weight-loss method to anyone. : ( Add to that the back problems that have made sitting at the computer or anywhere hard and John's mother's broken hip setback and you get the picture.
~~Helen's bones are not healing well and we had to stop therapy. She is now at home with twenty-four hour care and using a transfer board. It takes two and John has been helping the help since Monday. He's worn out.
~~The puppies agree that this week didn't start too well. They were neutered on Tuesday. All's well though and the active little boys are at their antics again. Cow hoof, anyone?
~~On a positive note, I did get to the Decatur Book Festival on September 5 and met my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon. : ) I'll tell you more next week when her newest Jamie and Claire book is published and in my hot little hands.

My, How Big You've Grown!

~~The boys are getting big! Well, by their record, at least. When they were eleven weeks old, Casey weighed four pounds four ounces and Max was three pounds two ounces. Now at twenty-four weeks old, they weigh seven pounds eight ounces and five pounds four ounces. What a difference!

~~They're growing up in other ways, too. We are actually getting some good pack walks without too much pulling. Of course, when the boys pull, Max goes one way and Casey the other. There's nothing like a tug-of-war between two toy poodles when you are the rope! ; )

~~Here's a few photos to show how big they are getting. Compare their first week home with now. Enjoy!