Men: Hurry and return the dumb gift you got your wife!

Some timely gift-giving advice for our male followers from the ever-hilarious Ned Hickson. Men, you’d do well to heed his words. Women, it’s that time of year when brushing up on your body-hiding skills could come in handy. Enjoy!

Ned's Blog's avatarNed's Blog

imageSeveral years ago, I bought my wife an Epilady shaver for Christmas. Because it was a sleek, modern, electrical device costing over $50, there was no reason to suspect it would feel like someone had just ripped the hair out of her legs using Super Glue and a roll of duct tape. While I’m sure I’ve gotten my wife gifts she didn’t really like, she’s always accepted them graciously. But in this case, as she chased me through the house completely naked and swiping at my scalp with her new Epilady, two things came to mind:

1) She really hates this gift,
And
2) I shouldn’t have gotten her the cordless model.

Now, before I get an angry letter from Park Products, Inc., I should clarify that this was a long time ago, and I’m sure the latest model is a vast improvement over the one my wife hurled through…

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Release Day for A Cold Tomorrow #suspense #mystery #mothman #RRBC

Check out our own Mae Clair’s good news!! And pass it along to the Immediate World, too. 😀

Mae Clair's avatarFrom the Pen of Mae Clair

Happy book birthday to me! 🙂

It’s release day for A COLD TOMORROW, book 2 in my Point Pleasant series.

creepy dirt road at night with the book cover for A Cold Tomorrow by author Mae Clair in the foregroundTake a trip with me to 1982 and the small riverside town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Discover a community beset by a series of inexplicable events—strange lights in the sky, the arrival of mysterious men in black clothing, sightings of a winged monster known as the Mothman. If all of that sounds like a bizarre combination, these events actually befell Point Pleasant during the period of 1966-67, most of them documented in the book The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel.

I’ve resurrected those incidents, setting them fifteen years later in the early 1980s. My central characters get caught up in otherworldly and supernatural events related to UFOs and the Mothman, just to name a few. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve probably seen the blurb, but…

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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore Christmas Update – Susan M. Toy, Marcia Meara and Toni Pike

Wow, two such wonderful “gifts” to find today. This one is from Sally’s Café & Bookstore Update, and features Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3. It’s simply lovely to be included with the other two authors and their books in the post, and I hope you’ll check it out! *happy sigh* Life is good. (Mostly.) 😉

Top Reads of 2016 #Books #AmReading #TuesdayBookBlog

What a lovely surprise this morning. My 2nd Wake-Robin Ridge book, A Boy Named Rabbit, made Cathy’s Top Reads of 2016 List! I’m very excited to be included in the list, and took notes of her other choices, too. Check it out! Very interesting titles, here! 🙂

#ThorsDaySmile

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Something a bit different–or at least longer–today. I’ve been asking myself for the last two weeks, why do we do it? Do what, you query? Why, insist on putting Santa hats on every animal we can get to hold still long enough. Seriously. ALL animals seem to be fair game for this rather odd activity. If you don’t believe me, take a look at some of these pics. Maybe even one or two of them will give you a #ThorsDaySmile – assuming you don’t expire from an overdose of Terminal Cute first. 😀 Scroll down at your own risk!

I’ll start with the obvious choices. Our beloved dogs and cats.
(I have dachshunds, myself, but so far, I haven’t put them through this.)

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But when your dog has a chump face, I admit, it’s hard to resist.

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Where dogs go, cats can’t be far behind, even if it ticks them
off royally!

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Or kills them, outright. (Sort of.)

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And if household pets are fair game, what about barnyard critters?

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Wee Two Pigs?

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Llama, Llama, Christmas Mama?

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Here a Chick, There a Chick!

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And of course, small, furry animals, like this!

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Or this!

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Exotics, One . . .

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. . . Two . . .

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. . . or Three?

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Wildlife????

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Even BIGGER wildlife?

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Zoo animals?

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Santa CLAWS?

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Yoohoooo? Enough is enough! Stop the madness, I say!!!

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This whole thing has worn us out, so . . .

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. . . bah, humbug!

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And that’s all I have to say about that!

Check Out This Very Informative Post!

Pssst

Marsha Ingrao has a super post on Making Your Blogging Great. If you’ve ever wondered about Alt tags and things of that nature (I sure have!), Marsha explains it all in language even I can understand, complete with screen captures. I never realized the importance of these, and I’m betting at least a few of you guys never thought about them, either. (Surely I’m not the ONLY one? 😯 ) Go here, and you’ll see what I mean:

Always Write: http://marshajustwrites.com/stupid-questions-you-need-to-ask/

You might follow her blog while there, too. I’m guessing there are plenty of other things to learn about. 🙂

“The Blue Christmas Tree” – A Christmas Romance

Although I write mostly for children, I have written several short stories for adults.  With Christmas less than two weeks away, I thought I’d share a Christmas storyVersion 2
I wrote that was published online and in an anthology by Alfie Dog Fiction (www.alfiedog.com). The story is in my latest blog titled “A Christmas Romance—The Blue Christmas Tree.” You can find it at www.elizabethvollstadt.blogspot.com

#Christmas at My House, Continued (Sort of)

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A Few Old World Santas on Mantle

I had actually meant my earlier post to be more about how Christmas inspires me all year, than about my own decorations. (With the exception of Bob & Boberta, which I thought might garner a smile or two.) But for those who were confused, I figured I’d share a  couple photos of actual decorations here.  NOT many. It would be overkill, for sure. But just one or two to give you a wee little hint.

Remember that Santa Collection I mentioned? Well, here’s the Big Daddy of them all, six feet of Jolly Old Elf, pointing with pride at my Santa-covered library tree.

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A close up of the Santa tree. (The face ornament is one I painted years ago.)

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Some little vintage figurines and mugs in the pass-thru window
from kitchen to library.

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Close up of some favorite ornaments on my blue & silver tree.

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And a close up of my little Wizard of Oz tree,
just so you know I’m not making that up.
😀

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And there you have a TINY teaser for what Christmas looks like at the house of a
bona-fide Christmas fanatic.  Not too many photos, but probably as many as a
normal person can stand! Ho, ho, ho.

#InspirationBoardSunday – Books and Christmas

santa_claus_wallpaper_5fc04HO, HO, HO!

At my house, Christmas is a big deal. No, I mean a really big deal. I am, shall we say, a bit over the top about the whole  Christmas season. I love the Christmas story and all the traditions, from the Star and the Wise Men, to the tinsel and holly–including, but not necessarily limited to, the music, the colors, the lights, the trees, and Santa Claus. (More on him, shortly). I don’t even mind the commercial aspect much, because I believe at the heart of it, there is a real generosity of spirit and love. This might be naïve, but don’t try to talk me out of it. I believe it anyway–people looking for just the right gift to light up the faces of children on Christmas morning, or to bring a sparkle to the eye of a husband, wife, or friend. And underneath it all lies a desire to make others happy.

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Books for Christmas Would Make ME Happy!
(Note: This is NOT my tree. Just an idea I love.)

Christmas inspires me, not only during the season of giving, but all year long, and I try to keep the spirit alive in my heart long after I’ve put the ornaments and wrapping paper away. Oh, and the Santas. Did I mention them? A lifetime of collecting them has added up to more than 300, in every costume, from every era and country. From my six foot all Coca-Cola display Santa to a tiny 1/2″ tall miniature, I love them all!  And at my house, a Santa hat makes you an official Santa’s helper, even if it looks a wee bit odd to folks who stop by.

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Take Bob the Skull. Bob resides on my Dresden Files bookshelf all year long, keeping an eye on things, and reminding me why writers like Jim Butcher inspire me to jump in the Author’s Pond and swim with the big fish. (Okay, so I’m paddling around in the adjacent wading pool. I can still SEE the big fish, and aspire to be like them.) At Christmas time, Bob dons his jaunty Santa hat, and makes eyes at his girlfriend, Boberta, who lives on a bookshelf across the room. She makes eyes back.

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Boberta, Who Thinks Bob is ALL That!

*Ahem* In summation, I just want to say that if you look past the ANG (Annoying New Gadget) commercials and the 3,000 times you’ve had to listen to The Little Drummer Boy, Christmas is still Christmas. A time for love and giving, family and friends, and if we’re very, very, very lucky–someday–Peace on Earth, Good Will to All.  And THAT inspires me every day of the year.

img_1429Even my Computer and Desk Get in on the Act!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!