Go ahead and knock

Do you know what happens when you ring my doorbell when my household's asleep? I have five cats... it's not pretty. I had about 1.25 seconds to absorb the doorbell sound when I heard a mass of thundering kitty feet. Something got crashed to the floor (nothing broke thankfully). Someone screamed like a little girl (that'd be me).

And who was at the door? A pair of door-to-door Gospel Types, male and female. On a Sunday. What-the... did they think they could endear me to their faith by waking up my household with utter chaos and mayhem? Were they expecting me to answer the door and actually have a rational discussion when I've not even had coffee yet? Are they able to read and absorb the prominent "No Soliciting" sign and realize it applies to them too?

No, no... and umm... NO. People just don't understand that "to solicit" means basically "to ask". They're asking me to listen to their spiel, they're asking me to open the door, they're asking me to listen - they ARE soliciting.

Often the word is misunderstand and generally people think that soliciting means selling, but they're wrong and they all work in the door-to-door sales field, even the Gospel Types. All of them. It's in the primary interview. They ask if the new prospective knows the definition of "to solicit" and if they get it right, they're not hired.

I'm adding a new sign to my front door along with the highly visible "No Solicting" sign which no one ever sees. Even if it was a neon and blinking they'd never see it. Anyhow... the new sign will say:

"We are illiterate, diabetic, unemployed, inarticulate, atheisists. Don't bother."

Is that too harsh? *grin*

A cowboy is a cowboy, right? Nope.

So there we were at the local Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale.

What is that, you ask? It's the basement of the local library filled with long tables and thousands of books laid out for purchase. Thousands. They even sell sealed boxes of random books, kinda like a nice grab bag surprise - you can pick romance, horror, non-fiction, etc., it's pretty cool.

Anyhow... there we were with 35-40 other people in this cavernous room. I was drooling. Hubby was drooling. We were in Book Lover's Heaven. Everyone was quietly drooling and snatching up their favorites.

We worked our way over to the paperbacks at the back wall when hubby (about 20' away) suddenly holds up a book like it's the Holy Grail and says loudly "LOOK!!!"

Naturally, everyone turned to look.

Me, leaning around the lady beside me and whispering: "Shh... what?"

Him, still at volume: "I found a book for you!!"

I could see the cover from there and now that everyone was looking, I felt compelled to respond. Quickly.

Me: "Thanks but it's not an author I read."

Him, confused, looks at the book and back to me: "But... but... but it has cowboys! It's in Montana!!"

Okay at the point I coulda just crawled under a table and hid because the two people in between us were snickering and half the room was giggling. Since the under-table area was packed with more boxes of books, I turned crimson instead.

Scooting over to his side, I took a closer look. "It's historical and it's Wyoming cowboys from an author I don't know. I read contemporary Montana cowboys." At the time I was reading a series based in Montana so he thought it was part of the series, but alas it wasn't. It looked like a good story, just not one I'd read.

He put the book back, and I know he meant well, but really - did he have to announce it to the room-at-large about my romance-reading preference? Yes, he did. He's a guy.

Actually I read anything, but I do have quite the fondness for cowboys. *smile*

We walked out that day with about 20 books for $10 - such a deal!!! I love those library book sales. I can pick up hardbacks and paperbacks for a steal, read and pass them along, donate to charity, or keep it and collect their backlist.

On the way out, one elderly lady leaned over and said to me, "My husband does the same thing to me, dearie..."

Gotta be a guy thing.

Reminds me of a song...

I love this kitty-cat picture... it's so cute! It looks just like two of my cats too, but it's not. I don't know who took it or I'd give credit where credit's due. Cute picture!

There was a great song in the 70's that Bette Midler sang, it was about friends and it's rambling through my head today, something along the lines of "Well ya gotta have friennnnnddds..."

So... what makes a friend a friend?

Whether through schoool, work, neighborhood, family, online, offline, hobbies, sports, social clubs, or any other association you can think of, what makes a friend a friend?

Is it their ability to listen, to share? Is it their openness to want to celebrate your victories and mourn your losses with you? Is it shared likes and dislikes? Is it that soul-deep connection that tells you you are truly never alone in a world that's increasingly busy, disjointed, filled with conflicting schedules, demands, and stress?

Friends do come and go over the course of our lives, that's for sure. Some come for a day, a week, a year, or a lifetime. Each one's a gem in their own way.

Thanks for being my friend.

Ice Cream Ramblings

Yeah RIGHT "there's no such thing as a dumb question".

You try being around the same person for as many years as I have, and say that again... with a straight face. I can't. I break out laughing hysterically every time.

Take, for instance, today after lunch. Hubby goes to the door to the garage, pauses, looks back at me (why, I'm still not sure).

Me: "What?"

Him: "Umm... I'm going to... get a couple popsicles..."

Me: "Popsicles?"

Him: "Yeah, in the mood for something sweet."

Now why he didn't automatically think of me, not sure there either, but there ya go. (Don't answer that, I know the reason... I'm not sweet, hahahah!!)

Me: "Okay... popsicles... hmmm..."

Immediately I was thinking of the homemade ice cream in the freezer in the kitchen, not the deep freezer in the garage where he was headed. I knew he'd like it, it was raspberry chocolate-chip. Awful darn tasty stuff too. Tangy, sweet, chocolate, and fruity all at once.

Anyhow. Back to hubby-paused-in-doorway. He says, and this is where the string of dumb questions started... "Do you want me to get you anything?"

I was in SHOCK, I tell ya... s h o c k shock. He never asks if I want anything. I really mean that. It's not that he's rude, it's just he never thinks about anything other than his own sugar-based-requirement at the moment. It's okay, I'm used to it. *grin*

Me: "Me? You want to get something for ME?! You never offer to get anything for me!"

At this point I might have wanted to check his temperature to see if he was running hot. Or look in his eyes and see if he'd been replaced by a droid. Or maybe he really did have a doppleganger or identical twin... one with the sensitivity to ask if there was something I wanted too.

Him: "Yes, you... would you like me to get you something from the deep freezer while I'm out there?"

I shook myself out of that shocked state, blinking at him.

Me: "Umm... no, I have what I need inside the house..." I murmured. He resumed his progress through the doorway. What I said next froze him (no pun intended) in his tracks though. "...but I thought you might prefer raspberry chocolate-chip ice cream instead of popsicles."

I'm an evil child, I tell ya. Evil. Eeee-ville.

He froze (again, no pun intended), turned to me with a look of ice cream lust if I ever saw one. I'd hit the nail on the head three times... he LOVES raspberries, chocolate chips, and ice cream. To have all three in one... that's food lust, there's not other phrase for it.

Him: "You have that?" (see? dumb question!)

I got up, went to the kitchen freezer, rolling my eyes the whole way, pulled out a small single-serving-size plastic container and handed it to him with a spoon silently. At least I'd had the smarts to put the ice cream in little tubs.

Him: "Where'd this come from?" (again!)

I can't make up stuff like this, he actually looked at the reusable container, which is obviously not a store-bought ice cream tub, and asked that question while he was standing next to the ice cream machine, too, which just happened to be sitting out on top of the microwave at the moment... in plain sight. Can't miss it, the thing's not exactly SMALL.

Really. I can't make this stuff up. He not only asked if I had it but where it came from! D'oh!

I still didn't say anything, just pointed to the ice cream freezer machine about a foot to his left. I could see him wanting to ask another question, but instead I just turned him gently and nudged him out the door so he could go devour the ice cream before it melted. The only thing I can think is that he had gone into some sort of state of food shock.

P.S. That flavor's probably the best ice cream experiment to date, too, came out sooooo yummy. Mmm mmm mmmmmm. I hear it's called something like "raspberry rumble", definitely gonna do it again!

Cupid Tour Stop 4

The Cupids continue their reunion tour, flitting through the internet and stopping at As The Pages Turn. I love that name!! They're giving away a copy the anthology (in print). Couple more stops to go, follow along and you could win a free book.

The Boss Wore Red by Delle Jacobs and SamMarie Ashe

For city fashionista Alexandria Bergstrom, there's nothing worse than learning her crazy parents' past, unless it's having to re-live it herself on the ranch she's inherited. It's the worst possible time for her heart to tumble, especially for hunky, city-hating ranch manager Clint Riordan. But does her heart listen? That's what Cupids are for...

Cupid Tour Stop 3

The Cupids continue their merry reunion tour, third stop is at Ex-Libris. They're giving away 3 copies of the anthology (in print). Couple more stops to go, follow along and you could win a free book.

The Boss Wore Red by Delle Jacobs and SamMarie Ashe

For city fashionista Alexandria Bergstrom, there's nothing worse than learning her crazy parents' past, unless it's having to re-live it herself on the ranch she's inherited. It's the worst possible time for her heart to tumble, especially for hunky, city-hating ranch manager Clint Riordan. But does her heart listen? That's what Cupids are for...

Feline Weather Control

I love cats, it's true, but I also love dogs, horses (especially the minis), bunnies, and smallish furry critters like hamsters. You could say I'm a Pet Person. Many try to cage me as a Cat Person and not a Dog Person, but tis not true - I love all animals. Well, except for slithering beasties or things that go thump in the night. And there's no way I'm gonna start cuddling a skunk. No thanks!

Anyhow, I digress.

What brings me to cats today is actually the weather. Yep, you heard me. It's Saturday afternoon and last night the weatherpukes all said "chance of snow" for today. I mean ALL of them said it - news online, weatherbug, news on TV. I was expecting S-N-O-W snow!! Did I get it? Heck no. I got 2"-3" snow on *Wednesday* when they said it would be sunny!! Woke up to what looked like a white-out but it wasn't. It was just the light reflecting off the ground up into the house.

My cats LOVE the sun. I think all furry animals do. I have this theory that the sun recharges their solar panels in their bellies. Every time it's sunny they bask in it like they can't quite soak up enough, and no matter how hot they get they keep following that bit o' sun across the room until it's not available anymore that day, only to stare out the night window longingly, expectant that the next day will bring them yet another solar recharge.

It must be that felines collectively have some kind of weather-control system. They communicate globally and change the weather to suit where the cats need recharging the most. After this weeks' earlier "Surprise!! It's snowing!!" my cats here sent our rain to SoCal and we have SoCal's sun today. It's Feline Weather Control! Dr. Evil would love to get his hands on it. But wait... didn't he have a cat too? Hmmm...

It's a Cat-spiracy, but for now I'll enjoy the pretty sunshine. Thanks kitties! :)

Cupid Tour Stop 2

The Cupids from the "Cupid Gone Wild" series are on their reunion tour, how fun! Follow their heckling and banter, today they are in the second stop today at Crazy-for-Books. Check out the links at the bottom of their page and follow along, plus enter to win a free book!

Sorry, I totally missed posting about the first stop at Literary Escapism.

The Boss Wore Red by Delle Jacobs and SamMarie Ashe

For city fashionista Alexandria Bergstrom, there's nothing worse than learning her crazy parents' past, unless it's having to re-live it herself on the ranch she's inherited. It's the worst possible time for her heart to tumble, especially for hunky, city-hating ranch manager Clint Riordan. But does her heart listen? That's what Cupids are for...

Telling a book by its cover

For once I'm going to post a note about my writing life. And at the bottom, if you've read the Cupid Gone Wild series, there's a contest entry link, please stop in and vote for your favorite Cupid, enter to win a Kindle!

It's a fun thing, writing. Creating worlds, making characters, weaving stories - that's always my first hobby. I have many hobbies but writing is easy to do anywhere, anytime, and often when I'm away from my computer I generate ideas in my head. Sometimes I'm smart enough to write them down so I don't forget them but hey... it's fun to just let the ideas germinate for a while too. *grin* That's how stories cook.

My latest project literally cooked overnight. My friend Delle Jacobs posted a mock book cover online titled "The Boss Wore Red", asking her audience to come up with a story to fit the cover. We talked about it some more, and I thought maybe I'd write it some time this year.

That's where Delle stepped back in. She asked to co-author the story for an anthology coming out in February 2011. So we did! What a ride!! While her cover's not the one the publisher used, I still have it to look at and remember that yes, a book can be told by its cover.

Yes, it's an ebook but don't let that stop you. It's available in PDF format too so you can read it on your computer. After all, you're reading this on your computer, aren't you? And hey, it's cheaper than the latte I buy once a week at YouKnowWho! And coffee doesn't make me smile nearly as much as a fun story does. The coffee wears off a lot faster, and I can read the story again and again. It's a great happy-ending romance, and who couldn't use a little happiness right now?

Oh yeah - I am the "SamMarie Ashe" on the book, that's the name I write under.

It's available now as part of the Cupid Gone Wild series here:

eTreasures

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

All Romance ebooks

Smashwords

And the contest? You can vote for your favorite Cupid and enter to win a Kindle here. *grin*

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Where are my ruby slippers?

OMG people are such a source of amusement some days. I couldn't make this kinda stuff up. Honest!

One night What'sHisName was getting ready for work in his usual 'uniform': tan slacks, t-shirt, blue shirt, jacket, but... he still had his sheepskin slippers on.

A quick glance at the clock confirmed he still had a while to go before leaving soooo... no problem. Yet. Now, mind you, he had to take the slippers off to get dressed. He had his work socks on.

Forty-five minutes later, he gets up to leave for work, picks up his lunch cooler and opens the door. I look down... yep. They're still there.

"Umm... wait," I said.

"What?!" He huffs loudly, rolling his eyes, adopting a teenage pose of impudence.

Oh gee, he's so nice when I'm being helpful. I almost let him go. I woulda loved to have heard what they said at work when he's walking around with his silly sheepskin slippers... the ones with the tuft of sheepskin at the heel that look completely dorky because they're too big and he walks like a duck while wearing them. I've never liked that pair.

I pointed down to his feet.

"What??" He huffs again, clearly impatient.

"Look down."

"What?!!"

"Really... LOOK at your FEET. Are you going to wear your SLIPPERS to work??"

The look on his face was priceless.

(BTW my winter slippers are huge fuzzy stuffed reindeer heads with bells on the antlers. The cats chase me around the house trying to catch them. The really nice thing about all that racket is I'll never exit the house with those on, no way! *grin*)