Digging for gold (or maybe something sweeter)

So, I've just finished shoveling for what feels like the up-teenth day in a row, and guess what? The forecast promises more fluffy white stuff will fall on Wednesday (that's the day after tomorrow).

Since our driveway is huge, and the snowbanks are now over my head, this chore just keeps getting harder since the distance for heaving keeps getting higher. After an hour and a half of shoveling three lowly inches off the concrete, I actually have a shoulder cramp.

But today . . . today, I did get a pleasant surprise in the midst of it all -- the invigorating scent of lavender from a place least expected -- the bottom of the snow bank. My shovel had scraped the branch of lavender, and when it did, it sent that purple smell floating up through the chilly evening air, reminding me of the warmer months that are inevitably ahead. Yes, an end to all this work is in sight, even if it's hard to believe right now.

Kind of makes me want to apply the same hope to the manuscript I'm working on--that all this shoveling through words, scenes, story, drama, will inevitably lead to the unearthing of another kind of pleasant surprise--a story worth sharing after months of hard labor--but not without more sweat equity. Nothing good ever comes easy. That, I know.

So, while the weather keeps dropping more snow, I'll keep pouring over my manuscript during down-times, hoping for that moment unexpected surprise--the realization that the buried "gem" I've been laboring for months to unearth is finally within my sight.

Until then, happy shoveling!

Getting Happy in the New Year

With it being January, I suppose it's only fitting to talk resolutions. Well, I won't talk about ALL of them. Just one really. The one about staying HAPPY throughout the year. As it so happens, this resolution resides in the number one slot. (I figured putting this resoluton ahead of the others would help keep all those that follow on track.) And also, . . . maybe I was kind of cheating, . . . because how hard can it be to be HAPPY when that's all you want to be?

Well? . . . I have to admit, those after-holiday retail sales certainly helped get me off to a good start -- or, so I thought.


Unfoturately, my glee was short-lived. All because of an innocent purchase of a pair of pajamas. Yes, pajamas. Who can't not get happy over a new pair of pajamas? Warm, cozy ones, at that? I certainly did--especially when they were covered with Happy Bunnies.


Happy Bunnies like this one.



Yes, I know--they may seem slightly juvenile for a grown woman. Truth be told, my husband wondered why I'd raided my daughter's dresser. Still . . . being completely naive, I told him I hadn't. I told him I'd bought them of my own free will, simply because
1) they were so WARM, and
2) that bunny was so SMILEY, and
3) that color was so PINK, and
4) because of all that, I couldn't say, "NO," to them.

My kids filled me in on the bad news later, when they saw me sporting my new duds.

"Uh, that's the bunny that thinks he's perfect and everyone else isn't," my daughter said.

"And that's the bunny that says, 'Hi, Loser!'" my son added.

What? 'Hi, Loser?' My thoughts raced, then took a nose-dive.

This Happy Bunny isn't really happy in the truest sense of the word?

This Happy Bunny is happy, because he's so RUDE?

I couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. And went into a period of denial for about a week, until I got up the muster to do a bit of research. Turns out these pjs actually come with a warning label. No joke. I found this one at http://www.toyd.com/:



WARNING: Happy Bunny products are designed for teenagers. A little too raw for the little ones.


So, . . . I'm floored. My happy-reality bubble is popped. Fizzled. All because of a stupid bunny.

There I said it. I called a happy bunny stupid.


Yeah, I'll say it again. "Hi, Stupid!"


Guess he's rubbing off on me. And guess my new year is off to a great start. Thanks, Loser! ; )

Pigs, Mice, and Stories That Speak to a Boy's Heart

First, you'll never guess what showed up on my doorstep the day after I posted my last entry. . . . Fruitcake! I found the whole experience hilarious and delicious. Just goes to show how life's surprises can make us smile.


The holidays brought lots of new books into our home. My sister gave me Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon, which I'm looking forward to diving into. My daughter, a bigger bookworm than myself, got Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, and Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Whittig Albert. My oldest son got Dangerous Book for Boys, three Geronimo Stilton titles, and the new Nixie's Song by DiTerlizzi and Black. And my youngest son's library (age 7) included three books by Arnold Lobel: Small Pig, Ming Lo Moves the Mountain, and Owl at Home. Arnold Lobel is his favorite author, and has been since he started choosing his own books last spring.

Which makes me wonder about the whole "boy" book genre that editors look to fill. These Arnold Lobel titles aren't packed with "nail-biting" action and adventure. Nor are they mystery, or science fiction, or fantasy. The characters aren't quippy, fast-talking boys, or loaded with "bathroom" humor. They're just simple stories, about simple, charming characters that find themselves in simple situations encompassing subtle, clever humor. Not to say, that my son is simple-minded. Or quiet. Or mild-mannered. He's all boy--into football, soccer, basketball, and getting dirty, or snowy, or muddy on the playground, just like anyone else. He loves pirates and science fiction and action movies. And he's super smart for his age--IMHO. A good student. Who happens to like good, solid stories. Like those written by Arnold Lobel.

Mouse Soup was his first book. And after we finished it one night before bed, he wanted to read it again. Then, after we read it about 5 times over the next few days, he discovered that there were other Arnold Lobel books listed on the back cover of Mouse Soup, and he wanted to read those, too. So, Mouse Tales and Grasshopper on the Road were quickly added to his collection.

But this wasn't our first introduction to Arnold Lobel. After organizing bookshelves over the holidays, I realized that this author had also been a favorite author of my older son. Lobel's, Frog and Toad were reread many times by both he and my daughter.

So, is there a "boy" book? A magic plot or combination of story elements that editors dream of publishing? I suppose there is. But there are also simply good stories. Stories that draw a child into another world, open their eyes to a way of being that they can relate to, or want to relate to, whether they be boy or girl, child or adult. And I guess I like seeing that experience happen in my children, thanks to authors like Mr Lobel. So, I'd like to thank him, and other authors like him, who worked and are working to bring good stories to life.


If you're looking for good books for the young child in your life, here are a few of my son's favorites (age 7, first grade).

The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo.

Any book by Arnold Lobel: Frog and Toad, Mouse Tales, Mouse Soup, Small Pig, Grasshopper on the Road, Ming Lo Moves the Mountain, Owl at Home.

Harold and the Purple Crayon adventures by Crockett Johnson.

Olivia (etc.) by Ian Falconer

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson

Click, Clack, Moo. Cows That Type (etc.) by Doreen Cronin

And click below to learn more about Arnold Lobel
http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/alobel.html