Month: March 2008

Getting Out the Grill

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Although it’s sleeting here today (and freezing rain, and snowing now and then,) the weatherman is forecasting 64 degrees tomorrow!  I’m ready!  I’m getting out the grill! 

 I’ve spent two days thinking about what that first grilled meal is going to be, so I’ll be prepared when that warmth strikes.  I’ve got my shorts all picked out, and my sandals dusted off.  Cleaning up the iced tea maker, and lemons are on my grocery list.  I’m thinking marinated london broil sounds tasty, along with some pocket potatoes, roasted with garlic and rosemary…maybe a little sprinkling of dill.  Mmmmm….I can smell it already!  Maybe I’ll even whip up a fresh berry salad for the occasion!  Oooo—with fresh whipped cream on top!  Yeah, that’s what I’ll do!

AND we’ll walk to the local ice cream shop for dessert!  My girls begged me to take them on opening day (Saturday) but I couldn’t bring myself to get bundled up in 28 degree weather to sit at a picnic table and eat an ice cream cone.  Call me crazy.

Gonna get an extra super tall vanilla softy, dipped in chocolate and sprinkles…..Mmmmm!  And the babe’s gonna LOVE his first taste of summery yum!  I can hardly wait!

Eckhart Tolle says live for the Now. 

I’ll live for the Now tomorrow.  😉

Backup Photos Reminder!

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Okay, so I’ve been saying for weeks now, “Gotta backup those photos…all 1200 or so of them.”  As of this morning, had I done it?  NOOOO!  I kept leaving it unchecked on my To Do list.  But then, last night, my computer suddenly went wonky, and up came this scary blue screen with fatal error messages jumping out at me.  When I read the “performing memory dump” line, I shut it down hard.  And no, it wouldn’t come back up.  Thankfully I am married to a computer network pro who saved me, and my photos, from disaster!

First thing I did this morning was drop them all onto a DVD, and then I breathed a sigh of relief.  So, this is just a little reminder….backup backup backup!!!  🙂

My Gabaldon Addiction

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So I found out that Diana will be releasing the next book in the Outlander series sometime in 2009.  It’s working title is “An Echo in the Bone.”  Ooooooh.  I get excited just reading the title!  It’s a tradition for me to reread the entire series prior to a new book release, so as to refresh my memory before the newest Jamie and Claire adventure takes place.  Since there are now six books, each one in the neighborhood of 900 pages, I thought I had better get going.  So I started reading Outlander again yesterday.  It’s like comfort food to me now.  I love reading new novels, but there’s something about going back to that book every couple of years…it’s like coming home after a long vacation…or a sigh….or that first apple pie with fresh picked apples in October…or  opening the windows for the first time after a long winter.  Love it and see something new time after time after time.

So if you’re looking for a book that will keep you up into the wee hours of the night because you can’t put it down, this is it.  Historical fiction, romance, adventure, Scottish everything, time travel, battles, characters you’ll fall in love with…a bit raw at times, so be forwarned.  Pick it up and give it a read.  You won’t regret it. 

And if there are any other fans out there,  I would LOVE to hear from you!  Drop me a comment.

Outlander

Addendum:  Just saw somewhere else that Diana has started her own blog.  I added the link over under Blogroll-Voyages of the Artemis!  Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Well, St. Patrick’s Day is always a special day in my family.  I tell people that I’m French born, but Irish raised, and that’s because 34 years ago today, I met my Dad, an Irish Catholic raised in The Bronx.

I was four years old, and my Mom and I had been invited to the home of a family friend to celebrate the holiday.  You know how some memories get etched in your brain permanently, and when looking back with an adult perspective you understand why?  Well, I remember with ultimate clarity, going to sit on my Mom’s lap.  I remember being hot and sweaty, and wanting a drink.  I remember finding her amongst the adults, sitting on the couch.   I backed up to her legs and went to push myself up, as children do, using what I thought was her leg.  However, the leg I used did not belong to Mom, as it turned out.  It belonged to this six and a half foot tall stranger sitting next to her.  I was surprised at how tall he was, and I remember looking at him startled once I realized that giant leg wasn’t Mom’s.  I remember him smiling at me and saying, “How are you?”  I was shy and embarrassed and turned away.  Little did I know what was to come of that meeting.

That stranger entered my life as my stepfather six months later, and entered my heart shortly after that.  I don’t know exactly when he became “Dad” but my life is what it is because he chose to marry “us.” 

Thanks for the flowers Dad!  I love you!