Bettie Bookish

Santa's pole

So, apparently my shiny new browser - the one that supports spellchek and font colors and all kinds of other fun variables - does NOT support cutting and pasting html from Flickr.

Computers HATE me ;>} Also - who loves chocolate?! Am I right? And men never ask for directions! I'm serious.

The rest of my family is off worshipping the Lord this morning, like the good, God-fearing Americans they are. I stayed home to rest and try to stave off the cold that has been afflicting the rest of them for two weeks now.

There was snow earlier - big silent flakes of the stuff drifting over the hill behind the house. But it has stopped now.

Later today we will all bundle up and head into the village for the annual tradition of decorating the holiday poles. All the participants will meet in the park on Main Street where a tiny replica of Santa's North Pole manse has been erected. We will be given bags of decorations and strict instructions to follow, and each family will be assigned to a specific lamp post for the purpose of decking it with boughs of holly and donning it with gay apparel.

Oh yes, I will be taking photos. And Safari and I will be posting them.

Dayum, that's a big headshot

First, dear readers, let me apologize for the massive size of my face, there to the right. If I can figure out how to make it smaller, I will. Otherwise, you just have to stare into the shiny, freckly goodness of my mug. Can you tell that - as my gradmother would say - "I have some Irish in me"?

(P.S. I know that some technical supergeniuses read this - you know who you are. Who do I have to FTP to make that awful picture smaller?*)

The creepy photo is but one of many changes I've made.

You'll find that I've gone back and put most of my archives into categories. Because I love you.

And I've added some links to my blogrolls on the left.

Notably:

Agog and Aghast
Gorgeous, gorgeous site, all the way around. From the design to the writing to the title, I love it all. And I'm not just saying that because she recently said nice things about me.

Rocks and Garbage
Jen and Angela Marie are sisters who maintain this blog that reminds me that, no, I'm not the only person who still references mid-80s Lettermanalia. Their Hot Pockets aren't just cold in the center - they're frozen. They're also the kind of gals who are as generous and thoughtful as I wish I were.

StepBlog
Last year, she became a stepmother to 3 children at once - and she barely drinks at all! She's my hero.

The Ice Floe
Did you know that polar bears are one of the few wild animals who will actually hunt human beings over the course of days or weeks? It's true.

And did you know that the Peripatetic Polar Bear is an amazing writer whose link used to be on my blogroll when I was slumming over at Blogspot, and somehow she got left off when I made the move?

She shouldn't feel bad. I'm terrible at moving. One time I moved and left a dishwasher full of pots, pans and dishes behind. I barely qualify as a grown-up.

Amalah
Smart. Gorgeous. Successful. Lives in the metro area that I would choose, should I ever choose to live in a metro area. She's like the bizarro Me!

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*(Edited to add: Thank you, Lila. That worked perfectly.)

Welcome to my TypePad. Chardonnay?

Lookee - I figured out how to import my old blog into my new, improved, easier TypePad space.

Because, really, why would you do something for free when you could pay for it?

I'm still trying to figure out all the technical stuff, so while I do that, you can entertain yourselves with this (so lifelike!), and this (Sarah McLaughlin for the preschool set), and this (preschool for the Sarah McLaughlin set).

Enjoy.

Dora's a cruel, cruel mistress

I'm going to do a blog in which every entry is an apology for not updating more regularly. Yes, I know - that' what this blog has become. The catch - and the hilarity - of the other blog will be that I will update it daily, if not hourly.

There is a general, boring chaos surrounding me right now that includes:

- My boss, friend and favorite priest on the planet retiring from her post at my church. Really crushing news. I am essentially holding my breath to see whether I want to continue to work as the church secretary as the office conditions change.

- Another trip to New york, this time complete with househunting. We saw a PERFECT house. We are both in love with it. It's generally in our price range. The only problem is that we have too much to accomplish here in Florida before we can consider the move.

- Trying to accomplish all there is to accomplish. Getting Mom's house emptied is like having a job scraping pet kittens off the highway. It's harder than I want to give it credit for. I want someone else to do it. Any takers out there?

- Preparing for a trip tomorrow to visit my aunt and grandmother, who turned 93 last week. Buttercup and I are going together to celebrate.

So you see, as usual there is much on my plate. I keep trying to figure out how to let some of it go, but there is nothing that can be eliminated. At least, I can't see anything right now.

FUNNY KID STORY

Buttercup and I were shopping in the pet food aisle of the grocery store - or the "market" as my daughter has started calling it - and she told me:

"I don't eat dog food! I eat Buttercup food!"

"Yes, that's right."

"I don't eat cat food. I eat Buttercup food."

"Right you are."

(Moment of pensive silence. "I eat DORA food."

"Oh, really? What does Dora eat?"

"Boots."