Could this happen here?

When I lived with my father in Germany (59-61), there used to a program on Armed Forces Radio called "Springfield USA".  There would be a story that took place in Springfield USA because at that time, there was a Springfield town in every state in union.  At the end of the stories always ended with "you think this can't happen? It did happen. It happened in..." and they would list place where it did happen. When I saw the following on FaceBook, it not only took me back but it also compelled me to share it here. I hope it will give you just a moment of pause as we start a new year.

December 22, 2012 - “What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books,” she likes to tell audiences.

“I am a witness to history.

“I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history.

If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching.

“We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls.

She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers.

“Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.”

No so.

Hitler is welcomed to Austria

“In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates.

Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs.

“My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.’

“We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living.

“Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group – Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back.

“Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

“We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and
everyone was fed.

“After the election, German officials were appointed, and, like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

“Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been re- quired to give up for marriage.

“Then we lost religious education for kids.

“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education.

“Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.”

And then things got worse.

“The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free.

“We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

“My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination.

“I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing.

“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler.

“It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

“In 1939, the war started, and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and, if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death.

“Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.

“Soon after this, the draft was implemented.

“It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps,” remembers Kitty. “During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys.

“They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines.

“When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat.

“Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

“When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers.

“You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government.

“The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna..

“After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.

“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.

“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.

“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families.

“All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables.

“Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.

“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

“We had consumer protection, too

“We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the livestock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

“In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated.

“So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work.

“I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van.

“I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months.

“They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.

“As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.

“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law-abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.

“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”

“This is my eyewitness account.

“It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

“America is truly is the greatest country in the world. “Don’t let freedom slip away.

“After America, there is no place to go.”

Kitty Werthmann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5OnW0-HInI

Warlord by Ted Bell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmmm. This one is tough to review. I liked it but I didn't finish it.

The story starts back in time with the murder of a British royal and then comes up to before Princess Diana dies. There are warnings and fears and intrigue. It is well written and well read.

So why didn't you finish it? Because the news stories before and after the death of the Princess are still too close in my mind. Such a tragedy! I just could not let it that close again.

Now, my husband (the one born in Scotland), he thinks it should get a 4 or 5. He liked it all the way through to the end.

I guess if you can take it as a story of any time and leave recent history alone, if you like good intrigue in your international murder mystery, you should give this one a try.

Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series and the author and narrator and the characters! I love the primary characters and the voices/accents given them by the narrator!

Prosecutor Alexander Cooper and her crew are interesting characters as they solve crime. In this case, the victims are women who want bigger roles in their respective religions.

Why are they the targets? Who is behind the murders? Why so violent? How many lives will be lost? Will all Alex and her friends be unscathed?

You are going to have to go to your library or bookstore to get the book or audio (really good audio!) to find out, 'cause I'm not spilling the beans!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I resisted getting this book for a long, long time. 'don't know why. Heck, the movie was out before I used my audible.com credit on it. To be honest, I can't tell you why I finally caved! I can tell you it was not because of the movie promos!

It's a bit rough in places, as in the scene is makes this one cringe. Still and all, both dh and I made it though in record time and wanted to race back into my Audible.com site and pick of any followups on these people.

O, we did watch the movie. This is one you should listen to or read as too much is left out of the movie. If I hadn't read the book, I think I would have been confused. I am suddenly asking myself if I would have rather read than listened to this book. Conclusion: listen! Great narrator with great book!

Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We've all heard of Jack the Ripper so we know he left a bloody mess wherever he struck, but fear not, it's not gorier than what you've already heard.

Now think about this: Sherlock vs Jack the Ripper?

How would he work the mystery? It's a grand starter for a story idea and it is well executed! You read or listen! You'll be glad you did!

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What fun for Sherlock Holms fans! No Watson in this one; just a young woman who is trainable to be his equal with her quick mind.

I will say no more as you know there is "mystery afoot"!

Stray by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I ever hesitated to read Rachel Vincent's works!

I was afraid of gore! Oh, fear not, there is some but it didn't make me want to barf...it was appropriate for the story (but it makes easier reading/listening than it would seeing in a movie). But it is expected there be some. After all, this is a story about werecats!

Faith is the only daughter in the family. Apparently, the females are not as often reproduced as the males. She's a college student until she is recalled home by her father kicking all the way. It seems daughters of werecats are being abducted...one has even shown up brutally murdered.

Is Faith more than a potential victim? Is there a love story? Are there some really good one liners? Is a somewhat typical family story? YES!

It is all great fun and you should give it a try...and if you like to listen to your books, you will enjoy the narrator's work.

View all my reviews

Why they should be allowed to marry

The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First, you have to know this is one of my favorite writers so you know I was going to add it to my library and was pretty sure I was going to like it.

I loved it! I learned so much I didn't know about the time, Napoleon, his second empress, and some of his female relations!

I knew nothing about Marie-Louise! She comes across as a very bright, loving person and mother who had to endure a lot from Napoleon (who would have been considered an old man). Her father, King of Austria, really left her no choice in the marriage because not marrying the Napoleon would have put her beloved country into war with France. I don't want to ruin her story for you but I will tell you she and her son out lived him!

I've read of Josephine prior but the bits from her letters and seeing her from the eyes of others.

Ah, and then there is the sister-in-law, Pauline! She's something else! A great beauty of her day who would have herself married to her brother as was done in Egyptian times!

I learned that it was during the Napoleon's comeback that the French abolished slavery. Also a bit about the treatment of social diseases during the time (UCK).

Read this book for the history but also for a really good story!

O, if you like to listen to your books, this is great for there are multiple readers who are each good narrators!

View all my reviews

WORD

Source: sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net via Skip_Conover on Pinterest

I needed this!

a good friend sent me this and i just had to share!   There is a factory in Essex which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms. Well, Shelley is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 am. The next day at 8:45 am there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee. He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule.  The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo's all over the factory floor and they're really beginning to pile up. At the end of the line stands Shelley surrounded by mountains of Tickle Me Elmo's. She has a roll of plush Red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles.  The 2 men watch in amaze-ment as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo's legs. The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Shelley. 'I'm sorry,' he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, 'but I think you mis- understood the instructions I gave you yesterday...' 'Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles.    If you don't send this to five friends right away, there will be five fewer people laughing in the world!

One man's guide to Scotland

Who thought laughing could be dangerous?!?

What was your 'FIRST TIME' like

DO NOT try to eat or drink while reading the following

Just read this on FaceBook...keep food and liquid out of your mouth while reading.

Like everything in life, farts have a time and place. However, I never realized that in the wrong time and place, flatulence had enough power to alter my course in history.

Well, it can if it's the third date with the man of your dreams. And, if it makes his eyes burn. If God destined us to be together, I was one SBD away from foiling His plans (that's "Silent But Deadly" for you prudes).

It was about five years ago. I was trying to lose a few pounds so I was staying away from carbs. That's when I met my husband, Rob. On our first date, he booked the next two. He liked me. I liked him. Things were looking real good.

He picked me up in a Cobra, Mustang and his pathetic attempt to win me over with a car totally worked. I'm not shallow, but since I spent most of my twenties picking men up because I didn't want my hair to frizz in their non-air conditioned jalopies on 3 wheels and a 15 year old spare, I welcomed his fancy sports car with open arms.

We arrived at the restaurant and Rob was ordering food I hadn't allowed myself to eat in years. I didn't want to be "that girl" so I ate, drank, and oh, was I merry. Later we shopped a bit. Rob surprised me by buying an expensive pair of shoes that he caught me eyeing. Was this love?
That's when it happened. Gas strikes in two different ways - uncontrollable toots or sharp, shooting pains that feel a lot like dying. I thought I was dying. Not to make a scene, I told Rob I suddenly wasn't feeling well and probably needed to head home.

On the way home in his Cobra, he tried to hold my hand and ask me lots of questions, but I wasn't having any of it. The pain was so bad it felt like I was being stabbed with a bunch of tiny forks. Then I realized. My God, help me. I have a horrendous fart on deck. I'm in trouble. Big trouble.

The more I held it in, the more pain would shoot through my stomach and down my legs. I was even having to raise myself off the seat, gripping on to my door and the dashboard.
"Seriously, you need to hurry - I'm in a lot of pain." I managed to say through gritted teeth.
"Wow, it's that bad? What's wrong? Do I need to take you to a hospital?"

How do you tell a man you just started dating that the reason you're writhing in pain is because you have to fart?

Well, you can either tell him, or like me, let the fart speak for itself.

People, hear me. There was nothing I could do. As impressive as I am with sphincter control, this was out of my hands. Slowly, it eked out. The more I tried to stop it, the more it forced its way through the door.

However, to my pleasant surprise, there was no sound. I sat silently; sweat accumulating above my upper lip. Ok, maybe I got away with it. Maybe I'm home free. Then it hit me. Not an idea, a cloud. A horrific, fart cloud. Not in a, "am I smelling something?" sort of way. More like a "is someone dead and rotting in your trunk and am I in hell?" sort of way.

Suddenly, I panicked. "Roll down the windows!" I screamed (yes, I literally screamed it like I was in a horror movie).

"What? Why?" Rob asked, starting to freak out because I was freaking out.

"I can't roll down the windows, unlock it! UNLOCK IT!"

"What's going on?" Rob yells back to me, "Why are you ...." then it hit him. I could see it in his eyes. Was it surprise? Horror? Water started to accumulate at the base of his eyelids, "Oh my God, I CAN TASTE IT!" he screamed.

"Roll down the windows!" As I screamed, the toots started to flood out uncontrollably. I scratched and clawed at the window like I was being kidnapped. Rob, unable to see either by fart cloud or panic, kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of unlocking the window.
It was chaos. We were acting like we were under siege by gun fire. We were under siege alright, just not by gun fire.

Finally he was able to hit the right control and he rolled down our windows. We both gulped in fresh air. I was horrified, yet happy to be alive, then remembered I just farted on the man of dreams, then sorta wished I was dead.

We sat silently for the rest of the way home. Although the shooting pains had subsided, I now desperately needed to use the bathroom, in an urgent, explosive kind of way.
He pulled up to my apartment and before he could come to a stop I had already jumped out, "Ok, thanks for dinner, sorry about the fart, love the shoes!" and ran in to my apartment like I was running from the cops.

I burst through my door and ran straight for the bathroom, where I was finally able to unleash and make noises that no one should ever, EVER, hear coming from another person.
Then I heard it. Rob's voice. Right. Outside. My. Bathroom. Door.

"Anna? You left your shoes in my car and your front door was open. Where do you want me to put them?"

"Get away from the door!" I scream like Reagan from The Exorcist.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

*toot* *toot* *splatter* *ungodly noise* "I'm fine, Rob - just leave the shoes there. I'll call you later okay?"

"Okay, are you sure you're ...."

"I'm fine! Get away from the door!"

This man! I mean, I love him, but take a freakin' hint!

Finally, I heard the front door shut, and the Cobra engine zoom away. I thought that was the last I'd hear from him. I didn't think it was possible to ever see a man again after he screams he can taste your fart after only knowing you for 48 hours.

But, to my surprise, I did. A couple days later, actually. Now we're married and he's lying on the couch while I type this. "It was your rack that saved you," he just lovingly reminded me.
Well, thank you boobs. You saved us. You saved our destiny.

Ok, this makes me angry!

Georgia Passes "Women As Livestock" Bill. The Georgia House passed a Senate-approved bill Thurs. night that criminalizes abortion after 20 wks. The bill, which does not contain rape or incest exemptions, is expected to receive a signature from Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. According to Rep. England and his warped thought process, if farmers have to "deliver calves, dead or alive," then a woman carrying a dead fetus, or one not expected to survive, should have to carry it to term.

For my knitting friends

Source: twitter.com via Victoria on Pinterest

Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to Margaret Maron's writing and Deborah Knott Mysteries. What great fun! Deborah is a judge attending a summer conference of district court judges. Things start right off quickly when one of the judges gets murdered. Of course Deborah is in the middle of trying to sort out 'who done it'!

Besides a good mystery, Margaret Maron show me a bit of North Carolina that my 4 nieces probably know more about that I as they were born and raised in North Carolina. I will have to share this with my sister as well as she spent time in that area as well.

Final thought: i you've ever wanted to know what a summer in North Carolina could be like. If you like a really good mystery. If you want to learn more about what things judges might think about...you might enjoy this book as much as I. In fact, I have become of fan of Ms Maron's writing, I will probably been indulging in more of her Deborah Knott Mysteries! I want to not only indulge in some good mysteries but learn more about North Carolina...even more about what the judge will get into next!

Like many of my favorite mystery writers, this book can be read as a stand allow...but DO NOT use it as a 'patient book'...it will make you crazy waiting for another doctor's appointment or voting line, etc to find out what will happen next! Says the voice of experience!

Danny from Scotland makes me laugh!

What happens as he meets the Queen of England!

How can such a short day seem so long?

it started with a trip across dallas county to see the wound care specialist.

o, what's that about?

sorry, i guess i better update you. about a month ago, a pin prick of a hole appeared on my tummy...then a second one. they joined hands and made a larger wee hole. i was sent off to said wound care specialist and we (doc and dh and i) have been working on getting it to heal from the inside out. ...what an icky mess! 

what caused it?

damned if i know! the challenge body just wanted to make sure i wasn't getting bored is my best guess.

now, can we go back to my day?

we got to the appointment with 8 minutes to spare. noted because we got to the hospital early so i could grab for something to eat before the appointment. (two chicken tacos were wonderful!) from experience i always have a 'patient' book. (patient book = a book you carry in your purse for times when you have to wait...a doctor appointment, while sitting in the car while some one runs into the store ... you know, 'i'll only be a minute'...those kinds of things.) good think i did too! i got an entire hour to read! finally we are in a room. my lovely doctor enters and does her poking and prodding and we all talk about about the state of the wound and  how it is progressing. she leaves to be replaced by the nurse who dressing the wound...no skirt and blouse...just some packing strips...no, not bubble wrap...just some strips to try and keep the wound dry, topped with some seaweed product that much resembles the angle hair stuff used to make spider webs for halloween or used to decorate christmas trees. she's through and we are off!

next stop, egg roll express...wonderful chinese food take away for dinner! yummmmmm!

when asked where to next by him, i respond with 'i want to go vote'. and we are off!

we arrive at 4 something.  i go in to vote while dh and oscar stay in the van....with the chinese food. (oscar can't vote...he's a dog! dh can't vote, he's not a citizen.) dh has decided to eat his dinner while he waits for me...'probably will be 3 hours'.  he was wrong! it only took 2! 

most of the time we were waiting for the line to move. people chatted...no about politics but other stuff; kids, coppell, etc.  one of the poll workers came by with an empty water bottle and gave it to the last person in line...that person was to tell anyone who came in after who wanted to vote, that the polls were closed and the hours for tomorrow. after about an hour, i went back to my patient book...finished that and didn't have another so just people watched and ease dropped. another poll worker came up to tell everyone not to worry about the pa announcement of the library's closing, they would be there until the lady with the bottle had voted.  she also wanted to make sure one had either a driver's license or a voter's registration...and if the latter, that it was signed.

i gotta tell you, all the poll workers were bright and cheerful. they thanked people for not only coming out to vote but for their patience with the long line....this at the end of what had to be a very long day for them! 

and the people in the line, every one was patient. i did not see one person leave to come back another day. people thanked the poll workers for being there to help all of us! 

maybe it's a southern or texas thing, all these people being so nice to one another. i hope it's not. i hope everyone, no matter what day they vote has an equally nice experience!

my wheelchair came in handy, not only as a foot reliever, but also when it was my turn to vote as it rose   (me) to the occasion so i could get up high enough to use the voting machine...meaning they didn't have to spend time setting me up.

as i, and others, left, we thanked the poll workers for their voluntarism as they thanked us for voting.

they thanked us for voting. think about it. i did. they were thanking me for 'exercising my civic duty'.  i was thanking them for helping me exercising 'right to vote'. my privilege to vote! me, a mutt american, a woman, a disabled person, a retired baby boomer person. i look back at all those who made it possible for me to vote and know what a privilege it truly is, my vote, and i rejoice!

I ALMOST FORGOT!  look at the marvelous sky that greeted me after i finished voting!

Danny Bhoy - Banks

You probably have to be from Texas to really appreciate this!

Just a thought on a possible stand in for Big Tex while he is being rebuilt. Big Ann.

It's this lovely?

St. Giles - His Bells (Spirits are painted in the night sky around St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh)
Charles Altamont Doyle (1832-1893)

Video will show you why you are so beautiful!

Source: youtube.com via Candace on Pinterest

1 IS 2 MANY

CHESTY

more chesty, the chewbaca. ok, i'm just a little obsessed!  even a dog needs a neck pillow sometimes!

Chesty, my little Chewbaka!

My friend Sheila and her daughter found a wee dog by the side of the road with no collar or chip. She asked me to take care of him until she found his owner.

I got him a bath and doctor check out, shots and heart worm meds...got him neutered...and lots of love!!! In return, he has given me lots of laughs and a wee puppy kiss or two.

When he came to visit (looks like staying to me), he was all black except for a white patch on his chest. Now he is getting a white goatee and bits of white all over. With his very short little legs, he often bounces about, rather than running.

We have figured out that he is half poodle and half shawcher.

Ok, now for the baby pictures (even though vet says he is about 2):

ok, i'm sitting but i'm ready to pounce over there!

do you think i'm cute when i try to snarl?

watching you type is so boring!!!

what? what? can't you see i was napping?

chewbaca? you want to change my name again???

you are just silly! i'm going to go back to napping!

see how smart i am? i've already learned how to do 'paws up'!

she's not playing fair...that lid is to the cookie can! I WANT A COOKIE!!

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

the voice does sound like that of a teen with all the angst of those years. add to that the paranormal and you will enjoy the ride. i love the ending but i am not going tell you anything more than it was a lovely complex one!

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

great fun!

Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do like this series! Really good characters.

This time we start in the court room with a man Alexander want to prove killed his wife.

During the story, I learned about the law and spousal abuse; the history of what lies below the city, how the city gets water...so much more...and it will end under the city!

Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

i just could not get into it...too english?

Bone By Bone by Carol O'Connell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

i feel like this book is probably a 4 or 5 with most mystery lovers. but i just can't! normally i like this author's writings. the book has all the things a good mystery needs, good plot, good characters and lots of twists and turns. i had great expectation, i thought for sure it would get at least 4 if not 5 stars. but it just never got there. i kept wanting to skip foreword but didn't as that is not fair to the writer. but from beginning to end, it just seemed to drag. i think mine will be a minority opinion so you may want to read other reviews or just read it for yourself to see what you think.

for country/western lovers merle & co

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

it's paranormal. you know that by the first word in the title 'angel'. trust me when i tell you these are not the angels you see in paintings or hear about in church. next word in the title is 'blood'. who's blood...angels? vampires? yes. and more, there are humans and vampire hunters!
it's about love and hate, it's a thriller (well, its got to be with hunters and vamps)!

WAIT! that word 'thriller' turns some people off. let's think about it a moment. i think there are 3 levels...pg (the whole family can watch and read), pg (someone needs to figure out the maturity levels), and then there is the x rating (where there is so much violence and gore that you have to skip page before you can go any further or you just stop there because you don't want to throw up or have nightmares), i would give it a pg rating.

the narration is great! i had not problem following the characters as the different characters spoke or with the discriptives in-between.

New York Dead by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

do you remember tv shows like 'dragnet', movies like 'the thin man', books by j. d. mc donald and richard prather, and dashel hammit? the lines or text were short and crisp. the hero was tough. he might appear to be beaten down, but you knew he was determined solve the case! women were ladies or 'dames' and either could be a 'villan' or not. men could be thugs or gents, innocent or guilty.

so you figured out 'who done it', but you had to finish it to see if you were right or had been tricked into following the 'red herring'. you had to see what trials the hero had to go through to solve the mystery.

the mystery here is: could a woman fall from a great height and land of a pile of dirt and live? our hero saw it with his own eyes. the victim's body has vanished. was it murder or suicide?

i loved the different voices of the different male voices! the female voices are not as well done but after first hearing, are acceptable.

there are some words my mother would not like to hear me say but seems correct for the characters and the situations.

this is not a 'cozy' read but not a blood and guts thriller either. it's just a good mystery.

View all my reviews

The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling
book 1
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

i just finished this one and found the other 2 are also available. so my next step will be to snarf them up as fast as possible!

why? because it is a cliff hanger with wonderful writing and a really good narrator!

normally i dislike series books that have to be read in order but this is one is worth it! it has all sorts of .... weirdness (for lack of a better word). when the region is ruled by women, things are generally run well. when it run by men...different story. want to guess the sex of the ruler. you're right, a king! and things are not good.

the king has a married brother who becomes the father of twin...one boy, one girl. a things are really bad as the king and new uncle has seen to it that girls who would be in line for the crown are dying.

attending the delivery are a witch and 2 scorchers. the girl child must be protected if there is ever to be good new in the land...but how?

listen to find out for yourself and meet ghosts and warriors and people who go a bit batty. if you don't, you're going to miss some great lines that will give you a giggle, some emotions you will understand with just a bit of thought provoking ideas.

yes, i do highly recommend this book (AND two following it)!

The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
book 3
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

what did i think?

i think people should buy all 3 books at the same time and read/listen to them in tandem!

why?

because this 'triad' should be read or listened as one long, flowing, enjoyable book!

i'm just glad i got them from audible.com because i didn't have to wait until the next time i could get to the store or library!

i am not going to write review of each part because i have tried and i cannot do it without giving spoilers!

Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling
book 2
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

what did i think?

i think people should buy all 3 books at the same time and read/listen to them in tandem!

why?

because this 'triad' should be read or listened as one long, flowing, enjoyable book!

i'm just glad i got them from audible.com because i didn't have to wait until the next time i could get to the store or library!

i am not going to write review of each part because i have tried and i cannot do it without giving spoilers!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

i just finished this one and found the other 2 are also available. so my next step will be to snarf them up as fast as possible!

why? because it is a cliff hanger with wonderful writing and a really good narrator!

normally i dislike series books that have to be read in order but this is one is worth it! it has all sorts of .... weirdness (for lack of a better word). when the region is ruled by women, things are generally run well. when it run by men...different story. want to guess the sex of the ruler. you're right, a king! and things are not good.

the king has a married brother who becomes the father of twin...one boy, one girl. a things are really bad as the king and new uncle has seen to it that girls who would be in line for the crown are dying.

attending the delivery are a witch and 2 scorchers. the girl child must be protected if there is ever to be good new in the land...but how?

listen to find out for yourself and meet ghosts and warriors and people who go a bit batty. if you don't, you're going to miss some great lines that will give you a giggle, some emotions you will understand with just a bit of thought provoking ideas.

yes, i do highly recommend this book!

Did You Know

"Stewardesses"
is the longest word typed with only the left hand


And "lollipop"
is the longest word typed with your right hand.


No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.


"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".


Our eyes are always the same size from birth,
but our nose and ears never stop growing.


The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" 
uses every letter of the alphabet.


The words 'racecar,' 'kayak', and 'level' 
are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).


There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous


There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."


TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.


A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.


A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.


A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.


A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.


A snail can sleep for three years.


Almonds are a member of the peach family.



An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 
(I know some people like that also)


Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.


February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.


In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.


If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.


Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.


Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!


Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.



The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. 


The cruise liner, QE 2 moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.


The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. 
(Good thing he did that.)



 
The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

 
There are more chickens than people in the world.

 
Winston Churchill
was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

 
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

 
Bonus!! All the ants in Africa weigh more than ALL the Elephants!!


Now you know (a little) more than you did before!!

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The end of my marathon listening is both happy and sad. Happy to see what Ayla and her family are up to but sad because at the end, I want more. I want to know more of their adventures. Yes, there is an end but I love them and want to see them go on having adventures and grandchildren...ok, I'm greedy!

I've tried to come up with a good summary without giving away too much. Finally, I decided to share a bit of a publishers summary:

"...Whatever the obstacles, Ayla’s inventive spirit produces new ways to lessen the difficulties of daily life: searching for wild edibles to make delicious meals, experimenting with techniques to ease the long journeys the Zelandoni must take, honing her skills as a healer and a leader. And then, there are the Sacred Caves, the caves that Ayla’s mentor - the Donier, the First of the Zelandonia - takes her to see. These caves are filled with remarkable art - paintings of mammoths, lions, aurochs, rhinoceros, reindeer, bison, bear. The powerful, mystical aura within these caves sometimes overwhelms Ayla and the rituals of initiation bring her close to death. But through those rituals, Ayla gains A Gift of Knowledge so important that it will change the world.

Spellbinding drama, meticulous research, fascinating detail, and superb narrative skill combine to make The Land of Painted Caves a captivating, utterly believable creation of a long ago civilization that serves as an astonishing end to this beloved saga."

I hope you will become as much involved in this epic of the evolution of mankind with Ayla as the carrier as have I. For those who are interested in the archaeological finding put into story form, this is a series for you. For those who enjoy an epic story of survival in a hostel land, this is a series for you. My final hope is that I have stirred your curiosity enough to peek your desire have your own marathon.

The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Again, I got this audio from Audible.com. In this 5th installment, the couple with their horses and wolf, have finally arrived at his home. It is here she delivers their 1st child. As is their way, the couple teaches the tribe what they have learn from experience as well as the stops they have made with various clans they stayed with along the way.

Ms. Auel has been criticized for repeating parts of earlier books. If you, like I, picked up the books as they came out, you know how long it took for each book to be released, so you might have appreciated the refresher bits as it meant you did not have to reread the preceding books before starting this one. Also I am sure she realized that some readers might pick up a first book out of order, so she made their adventure much easier by filling in the back story.

Years ago, when I read the books, I was sorry there was not another book in the series. Can you imagine my joy at when I found out Ms. Auel had written another book? Finishing the listening of this book brought me up to date on the whole series. now it was time to start and finish the last book of the series in my marathon listening!

Tea at Trianon: Priest Holes in English Houses

We interrupt this blogging about Jean Auel's series to send you over to Tea at Trianon: Priest Holes in English Houses.

You know how I love history from different times and places and blogs about them. Thus it will come as no surprise that I stumbled across this blog and fell in love...and I haven't read one of her books yet!

Wait till you see the travel tea case Marie-Antoinette carried!

For those of us who a) will probably not be going to England or b) probably would not have the time to visit and see all the priest holes, you have to read the entire posting (it will take you to another) where you will see not only stills but videos of them as well as get some good historical information along the way!

Go quickly my friends and enjoy yourselves as much as I!