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Pam
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Pam
So
we’ve all read them…the books that make us sigh for the guy. The sigh-guy books.
The man with the buff bod, the dynamite dialogue, the sexy smile. One of my very
first sigh-guys was Ruark Beauchamp in Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Shana. I must have
been about fifteen when I first met Ruark and I haven’t forgotten him. It was
his deep down goodness with a twinkle of mischief that most appealed to me. I’m
now…well I’m a little older than fifteen, but I still remember him
vividly.
Since then there have been a few others.
Dallas Beaudine from Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s Fancy Pants for one. His goodness
was hidden a little deeper, but he had a soft spot for dogs that he didn’t quite
like to admit, and who can resist that?
Harry Dresden! Oh man, I’ve got
it bad for Jim Butcher’s rogue P.I. wizard. He’s all angsty and flawed and
vulnerable. Irresistible, in my book.
Oh oh oh!! Aragorn. Seriously.
Strider from J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. I’ve loved him since I was ten
because…well…there are so many reasons to love him it’s not even worth counting
the ways. But when Peter Jackson had the insanely clever idea of casting Vigo
Mortenson as the ranger who would become king….ahhhh genius.
So what about you? What makes a hero in your mind?
To
celebrate the release of Uncorked, I’d like to give away an Amazon gift card to
one much appreciated commenter.
Lois Greiman
Uncorked-7th
Chrissy McMullen mystery-for sale online now!!
Highland Jewel, Highland
Wolf
Beloved Beast, and Unfortunate
now available at amazon.com!
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me on Twitter
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Getting Disorganized and an Eventful Weekend
My husband and I are in “dealing with retirement” mode. He
is one happy camper. Yay. So, he has been religiously fulfilling his honey-do
list. Another yay! Fixing the Jeep, the car, emptying the horse stalls, repairing
the horse stalls, cutting back overgrown trees, etc. I have left him alone to
do what he wishes –when he wishes – and how he wishes.
Until this weekend.
This past weekend we needed to cut down a tree that –against
the trees wishes—got subterranian termites. Considering the fact that he had
been in commercial construction for 30 + years, I think he forgot that safety
doesn’t stop at the job site. It was downright terrifying watching this man who
just a few months ago, was so safety conscious that it was second nature to
him— to this point of, well, let’s just say it was scary.
It was not fun watching the large and very big branch swing
toward my house like a duely in flight. Or watching him jump off the ladder to
get away from the swinging branches. I made him harness everything before he
continued cutting after that. He burned out the chainsaw. We had to buy a new
one. He had to leave and get another one immediately. It’s not like we had a
choice. Well, we didn’t really have to…. if we wanted to leave a half cut trunk
sitting there leaning toward my house…. So now he has a new chainsaw. He is,
again, a happy camper.
Next chore where I stuck my nose into his “honey-do list”:
The shed. It’s in the sun, the Florida sun, where it will
get up to 125 degrees in the shade. (Yes, I am exaggerating and yes, that is
how it feels inside a hot metal shed) We were insulating the walls. Which
worked out quite well. The staple gun worked like staple guns always do, when
they feel like it. Then, he handed me the hammer claw up and the hammer
attacked me.
But that was ok. No biggy, right?
So now, we are covering the insulation with hardboard. He
bumps into me, the hammer drill slips, and I screw my finger. Sigh.
Ok, sigh, it happens to the best of us. It’s not like I use
my left hand anyway.
Let me tell you straight up. I was not injured and neither
was hubby.
However, it was bound to happen. The comical YouTube moment.
(It’s a good thing there wasn’t a video camera.) He was carrying a board that
he cut to fit around the window. I saw the problem and couldn’t warn him fast
enough. Miscalculating the room he had to maneuver around the ladder, he
tripped on the foot of the ladder – lost control of the sheet of hardboard and
karate chopped me in the neck with the board.
Ricocheted Pam falls toward the empty saw table – bounces
off table and falls to the floor as hubby rushes horrified — around the ladder
– trips on ladder and almost falls on me.
Today, he is working in the shed – without my help.
Pam
Thou Shalt Never irritate a woman who can operate a
backhoe…
…
…
Thus endeth the lesson.
As I was sitting one day, enjoying a favorite romance book and giggling (once again) at the heroines heaving bosom and her hero’s hardening rod and working my way through their titillating tryst, an odd thought crept in, “I wonder whatever happened to the stories where the reader’s imagination had to actually take over at some point?” You know, like all those classics that everyone claims to read and re-read at naseum like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and even the collective stories of Georgette Heyer? Does anyone write like that anymore or have we accepted only instant, spoon-fed gratification in literature as in every other area of our lives today?
Now I don’t consider myself particularly aged, so that wayward thought could not be blamed on old-fashioned morality reminiscing on the good-ol-days. It’s just that everyone seems to love those oldies but no one seems to be writing them anymore…. or do they? I decided to poke around a bit and, WOW! You wouldn’t believe what I found!! Not only are there people still writing “sweet” (nothing but a kiss) and “clean” (closing the bedroom door) romance but some are making a lot of money doing it! They’ve just had to go to ground to get it done!
I was so excited and intrigued to discover this underground movement, I begged our wonderful publisher, Louise, to let me look into it further. The results were astounding! It only took putting a few feelers out on a couple of websites before readers and authors who wanted their voices heard started coming forward with the most amazing comments and opinions. The results are in AdC’s 2012 Jan/Feb issue, along with conversations with some of the biggest names inside this revolution. Still, it would be fun to hear what our very own readers and friends here at AdC have to say….. what do YOU think about the prevalence of graphic sex in books today? Do you like it just the way it is or would you prefer more tame romance offerings? C’mon, let us know what you think!
TJ Mackay
Kudos to the person who wrote this.
Subject: Never argue with a woman
One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.
Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, ‘Good morning, Ma’am. What are you doing?’
‘Reading a book,’ she replies, ( thinking , ‘Isn’t that obvious ? ‘)
‘You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,’ he informs her. ‘I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. I’m reading’
‘Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.’
‘For reading a book,’ she replies ,
‘You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,’ he informs her again,
‘I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. I’m reading’
‘Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.’
‘But I haven’t even touched you,’ says the game warden.
‘That’s true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.’
‘Have a nice day ma’am,’ and he left.
MORAL : Never argue with a woman who reads. It’s likely she can also think.
Pam
Fire Prevention
October is also National Fire Prevention Month
Most of us know that it is essential to have smoke and/or fire alarms in our homes. I probably go a little farther than the standard one or two that most people put in their homes. Being a daughter of a firefighter I heard the stories – too many stories—the worst being “while they were sleeping”. So, I will admit we have fire/smoke alarms in every bedroom and on the ceilings in the hallways leading to the bedrooms. So basically, it may be overkill but my three-bedroom home has six fire/smoke alarms. My children always knew the evacuation routine and now that they are grown, they have passed on the knowledge.
So we covered ourselves for a structure fire. What about fires caused by lightning? Or wildfires. They are more common that most people believe. Living in a rural environment where there is major agriculture areas and more trees than I can count has put me on the alert.
It was also a rude awakening when last February the Iron Horse Fire that burned over 18000 acres here on the Space Coast was a bit too close to my home. But what happens if it is a wildfire? Most likely only half of us remember Smokey the Bear and how only we can prevent wildfires.
All I could think of was, thank the stars I had my husband cut back the trees in our long scary driveway. I would walk outside to feed the animals and smell the smoke just a mile down the road moving faster than anything anyone has ever seen — the wind blowing it away from our home; hoping no one would get hurt or lose their home.
But what if the wind changed direction? Not uncommon here on the coast. So I did a perimeter walk and realized that my love of my yard (literally surrounded by trees) — our yard had put us in a precarious position. Except for our driveway (that would make my father face palm if he saw all the trees and branches hanging down— I can hear him now— they’ll never get a truck through there Pam)
Except for the driveway, we have a good 30-foot buffer in the front yard and a good healthy acre of pasture behind us and plenty of room to our side. I will admit we do need to get out there and trim those trees in the driveway. But what can I do if it is a flying ash landing on my home?
Clean it out. Make sure there isn’t debris on the roof, in the gutters or next to the house that can ignite and start a fire. I’m not saying to get rid of everything. Firewood for the fireplace should be kept away from the house. Plants can ignite. Are they near your wooden porch? Mine are and I know they should be moved. The wooden fence does not touch my house; the stables are a good distance, as is any equipment that could cause issues.
However, the trees near the stable need to be desperately cut back. They are way too close.
We all can do a little bit more, be a bit safer. Go visit Smokey. He still has a lot to say.
Stay safe,
Pam
Due to a tremendous amount of spam in the last few weeks. I have deleted some articles and am reposting in order to start all over again.
Please be advised that all comments now need to be registered and will be approved through administration.
Thank you
Pam
The Kama Sutra
Lessons of Love
Alluring– The Kama Sutra has been an intriguing curiosity for hundreds of years. It is the world’s oldest book containing explicit instruction of the techniques of sexual pleasure. Its pages contain a straightforward insight on the different facets of sexual life and erotic pleasures covering adultery, prostitution, multiple sex partners, sadism, masochism, and homosexuality, just to name a few.
The very first words I read (after the introduction, etc) were Praise be the three aims of life, virtue, prosperity, and love.
Okay, I can agree with that, or at least my interpretation of the words. To achieve happiness, a person would want all three: honesty and integrity, affluence or at least be financially comfortable and real love. According to the Kama Sutra, all three are a goal to be obtained and one must attain all of them to be truly satisfied.
Love takes care of the heart and mind; virtue covers the conscience and spirituality needed for inner peace. Financial comfort obviously covers food and sustenance, clothing etc. Do not cause yourself undue grief. In other words, it’s easier to tell the truth than to have to remember how many lies you have told and who you told them to … live within your means financially. It’s okay if the neighbor has a nice brand new car with his brand new car payment…you don’t have to walk over people to get what you want, you can walk around them.
Without physical love a person will become unhappy and unsatisfied whether it be minor contact or sexual contact, according to the Kama Sutra, it is a necessity to keep the balance, stressing that without spirituality, the soul deteriorates.
The biggest impact I received from this first section was that if you only had sexual encounters and money, your needs for full pleasure would not be met. One must seek all of them to be absolute.
Have a Good Moments Day
To all who have come to read the AdC blog and for those who do not:
I wish for you to have a year filled with good moments. I hope the good will outweigh the bad. I hope you have a year where your heart is filled with and your heart offers to those around you: love, hope, and charity.
On this day, just a blink from the New Year we reflect on the year that has just passed and have hope for a good year ahead of us. Every year I am thankful for the good moments. I am also glad that this year is behind us. It has been a rough one. We all have them once in a while, don’t we?
However, out of the rough spots, my youngest daughter, on her way to a firefighter’s meeting, battled a pine tree with her truck during a rainstorm, my MIL passing, and various other typical issues:
I am grateful for the fact that, she only needed cosmetic surgery on her face instead of me signing the paperwork for donating her organs. She is fine and healthy and running around like any other nineteen-year-old in college.
I am happy that I had the best MIL in the world. I wish she was still with us but she is in our hearts, always.
We purchased a new home.
My middle daughter graduated from college. (one down–two to go…)
I received a promotion with AdC
I have met wonderful people.
My husband retires this year. (one more day! Woohoo!)
The good definitely outweighed the bad. However, the bad moments—dang!!!!! Phew……..
Really?
Really.
Yes, I know I haven’t had it as bad as…this person or that person, etc. My point? The good moments, focusing on the good moments. Holding onto the rose-colored glasses. Yes, I own a pair.
Yes, I know some of you will diss me. That is fine. I’m sure there are some of you out there rolling your eyes at me. I’ll stay positive and I’ll hold on to the hope that it will be better. It will get better.
And that is why–many years ago during another spot of rough years–I came up with the expression “Have a good moments day.”
Because even on the worst day, if you just wait a few minutes, there will be something that happens –something small- a baby cooing, a phone call from a friend, the perfect e-mail letter, a person passing you in the store who gives you a gentle smile –something that will make you feel good, make you smile and the good moment is there for you to cherish.
So, I say to all of you…
I hope you have a year filled with good moments.
Pam