Friday, January 10, 2014

The Cold Truth

Thought for the day:  Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.  [Oprah Winfrey]

You guys still there???



Ta DA! I'm ba-a-a-a-ck! Better late than never, right? Oh, and by the way, if you didn't happen to notice my semi-lengthy absence from the ol' blogosphere, kindly have the decency to keep that rather unflattering fact to yourself, okay? After all, (harumph) an old lady needs her illusions...

 More importantly, let me wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! Jeez, it's hard to believe it's the tenth already, isn't it? I hope your Holiday celebrations were off-the-chart terrific, and your new year is off to a stellar start.

Mark Twain said, Now is the time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving the road to hell with them as usual.  So... now that we've passed that first week milestone, how you doing so far? I'm pleased to say I haven't broken a single resolution yet. (Then againI never make any.)


[seniorark]
The weather is warming up quite nicely now, but earlier this week, most of the country... including Georgia... was painfully c-c-c-c-old. And since it's kinda late in the month to babble about our (old news!) Christmas and New Year's celebrations, or about the galloping case of pink eye I'm still recovering from, (Why do they call it pink when it's actually bright bloody red...?) how's about if I babble about the cold?

                                                                    As in...

[seniorark]
How cold was it? It was so cold...

*  Hitchhikers were holding up pictures of a thumb.
* A recorded message at the  911 center said to call back in the spring.
* I saw a squirrel throwing himself at an electric fence.
* My friend chipped a tooth on her soup.
* The old lady across the street couldn't believe how badly her teeth were chattering on Tuesday night. They were sitting in a glass at the time.
* Chickens have been running into KFC, and begging to be thrown into the deep fryer.
* Starbucks started selling coffee on a stick.
* When farmers milked their cows, they got ice cream.
* If you can believe it, politicians had their hands in their OWN pockets.
* I saw a dog over on Main Street. The poor thing was frozen to the fire hydrant.
* We have one of those new rain showerheads. I love it, but the other day, when I turned it on, I got hail.
* Smarticus and I ate lunch at a greasy spoon on Wednesday... just for the heartburn.
EVERYBODY had a stiff upper lip.

Okay, I'm on a roll with this whole talking about cold stuff, so I'm gonna share one more thing with you before wrapping it up. You know how the people in some cities pride themselves on being able to handle frigid temperatures better than people in other cities? There have been quite a few funny pieces written along this line about various American cities, and you may have seen some of them. One of the truly cool things about amateur radio is how it opens the door to enjoying friendships with people from all over the world. So, thanks to amateur radio, and specifically to a funny Finnish amateur radio operator, here's a fun piece about cold-weather fortitude... with a bit of an international flair. All temperatures are in degrees Centigrade.
  • +15 --- Spanish wear caps, gloves, and winter coats; Finns are sunbathing.
  • +10 --- French desperately try to get their central heating on; Finns plant flowers.
  • + 5 --- Italian cars won't start; Finns drive convertibles.
  •    0 --- Pure water freezes; water in River Vantaa thickens a bit.
  • - 5 --- First people are found frozen in California; Finnish midsummer festival ends.
  • -10 --- Scots turn the heat on in their houses; Finns start to wear long-sleeved shirts.
  • -20 --- Swedes stay indoors; Finns are having last barbecue before winter.
  • -30 --- Half of the Greek people have been frozen to death; Finns start to dry laundry indoors.
  • -50 --- Polar bears evacuate North Pole; Finnish army starts its winter training.
  • -70 --- Siberians are moving to Moscow; Finns are furious, because their Kiskenkorva liquor can't be stored outdoors anymore.
  • -273 --- Absolute zero; Finns admit that it is quite cold outside.
  • -300 --- Hell freezes over; Finland wins the World Cup.
So, there ya have it. Time for a cuppa hot tea, dontcha think? Or maybe ...  a little nap. My brother is coming for a visit, so I'll see you guys again next Friday. Matter of fact, Friday-only posts may become the norm for me in 2014. It's time for me to decide if I'm a writer who blogs... or a blogger who writes. That next book ain't gonna write itself... (Dammit.)

    [Morguefile]
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.  {Benjamin Franklin}

Gee, I dunno, Ben. I'm pretty darned happy with the man I've got... [me]

                                    Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

[Many thanks to the fine folks at icanhascheezburger for granting me permission to use the cat images shown at the top of this post.] 

114 comments:

  1. Welcome baaaaack... I missed you! Happy New Year, Susan! LOVE your header picture and well, all the silliness... Ta Da….

    I make nooooo resolutions .. haven't in eons ... I know better... there are very few things I know... don't care much for people who think they KNOW ... but I do know that I know nothing except resolutions do not a new person make.

    We're just not getting above freezing! yay!

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    1. Thaaaaanks! It's good to be back. That's our girl Dash in the header. She has a knack for finding the most interesting places to take a nap. Looks nice and cozy, doesn't she?

      Above freezing? Woo HOO! Time to break out the suntan lotion...

      Delete
  2. Now that we're both back, it's gonna be a great new year. I need to go check on your new book now. :) Congratulations!

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    1. Yes, indeed! I'm soooo glad you're back... and to stay this time, I hope. Thank you.

      Delete
  3. There you are - yes, I looked for you. Blog when you can - we'll be here.
    Thank you for the laugh!

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  4. Happy new year , thank's for making me laugh:)

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    1. Happy New Year, Mary! Here's to lots more laughter for both of us in the year ahead.

      Delete
  5. I feel exactly like the cat in your header photo and don't want to emerge until spring. Your humorous post had me laughing hard enough to knock some of the icicles off.
    I hope your 2014 is devastatingly delightful!

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    1. HA! Yeah, I know what you mean. We stayed up entirely too late every night when we were in Tennessee, and when we got home and the weather turned frigid, it was tempting to pull the covers over my head and sleep until the thermometer came to its senses again.

      You, too! "Devastatingly delightful" is a devastatingly delightful way to put it.

      Delete
  6. Happy New Year and welcome back.

    Fun post, although I felt cold reading it. ;)

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too, Medeia! Thanks.

      No problem. A cup of hot tea will warm ya right up.

      Delete
  7. Happy new year. I've not been around much either. Hope you're keeping warm!!

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too, Rosalind! It's plenty warm today, and supposed to be even warmer over the weekend. Thank goodness... cold weather and I don't get along very well.

      Delete
  8. Susan I missed you.. I figured you had family responsibilities. I too am going to blog less as I do wantto be a writer... so I have to make time for it.

    Oh and I am starting anothet round of The Biggest Loser at work.... 1 I need to lose another 20 pounds and 2 I need the money... you know I'm going to win ♡

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    1. Thanks, Launna. That's sweet of you to say. You're absolutely right about the blogging time vs. writing time: how we spend our time is a testament to our priorities. (Wouldn't it be nice to have a couple clones around so we could do both?)

      Good for you! Yep, my money's on you pulling off another win.

      Delete
  9. LOL -- Finland is pretty far up north there. It would be fun to visit. Is it in Finland that they create the ice hotels? Now that is something that would be awesome!

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    1. I wouldn't mind visiting Finland, either... but in the summertime, thankyouverymuch. Yeah, I think it's one of the countries that builds ice hotels, but I'd rather fork our cold cash over to someplace balmy.

      Delete
  10. LOL I loved the one about Starbucks selling coffee on a stick. It was crazy cold here in KY last week. I don't even want to see my electric bill this month...

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    1. Who knows? Coffee Popsicles might be a huge hit... in July.

      Yeah, I saw how cold it was in your neck of the woods. Crazy is right.

      Delete
  11. Hilarious...unless you're freezing your butt off of course. The gas company loves it though.
    Books don't write themselves.....what??????

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    1. I don't reckon you're laughing too hard at your temperatures lately. Then again, laughter might help keep the blood flowing... and prevent frostbite.

      Yeah, I KNOW! A helluva note, isn't it?

      Delete
  12. Now is the time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving the road to hell with them as usual.

    On the subject of my New Year's Resolution, I don't whether to grieve over their all too short lives or to be upset with myself that they litter my thoughts like highway trash on the side of a road in some redneck county.

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    1. Well, they say it's better to have loved and lost, rather than never to have loved at all, but I'd rather not grieve over the aborted lives of well-intentioned resolutions. Best if I never conceive them in the first place.

      Delete
  13. Great to see your return! We've been in a bit of a "deep freeze" here, too - the coldest on Tuesday morning than in many years. In fact, it set a new record! Today's expected high is to be 50 degrees warmer!

    Love those cat images!

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    1. Thanks! It's good to be back. The temperature swings have been bizarre, haven't they? From record-breaking lows to record-breaking highs in some places. We went from single digits earlier this week, to expected temps in the sixties over the weekend.

      Thanks! Me, too.

      Delete
  14. happy new year and glad you're back :)

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too, Marcy. It's good to BE back.

      Delete
  15. I REALLY liked this one:

    >>... * If you can believe it, politicians had their hands in their OWN pockets.

    What a nice change of p(L)ace.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  16. I love your header picture and the peek-a-boo cat is wonderful.

    It is terrific to see you back in Bloggerland. I do not post as often as before, but by cutting back, I enjoy my writing more and no longer have that burn-out feeling. I continue to read my friends posts most days as that is fun and I like to keep up on their activities. I understand you going to a once a week schedule, especially since yours are so creative and thought out.

    I didn't know much about the Finnish culture, but now I wish I had met one about 40+ years ago. I assume there is no such thing as a Finnish wuss.

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    1. Thanks! That's our baby Dash in the header.

      I knew you cut back dramatically on the amount of blogging, and I'm really glad it's working out so well for you. I can hardly believe it, but I started out writing a post every day. (Or maybe it was six days a week?) Anyhow, then down to three times a week... to two... and now one. Not that I don't enjoy it, but too many other things have been falling by the wayside while I've been plugging away on Blogger. It's time to rein things in for a while, and see if I have another book in me or not. (Well, actually, I know it's IN me... it's getting it OUT that's gonna take some doing!)

      I dunno if there are any Finnish wusses or not, but that cold weather sure would finish me.

      Delete
  17. Even without resolutions (I don't make them either) it sounds like you have a plan. Good luck with the book and I hope the pink eye goes away soon.

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    1. I'm not the most assertive gal on the block, (even with myself) so it isn't so much of a plan as a possibility right now. (Always gotta leave myself some wiggle room!)

      Thanks.

      Delete
  18. I love that kitty in your header. Is she yours? I had one who looked just like her. Other than that, yes, you can believe those Finns are tough and I'm sure can handle a bit of cold temps. Looking forward to Friday's posts and you better get busy with that book.

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    1. Thanks! Yes, that's our calico Dash.

      Oh, I don't imagine those Finns have too much on you... unless living in the U.S. has made you soft... (Bet you're still tougher than I am!)

      Yes, ma'am; I'll try.

      Delete
  19. Even got right chilly down here in the land of sunshine. But always happy to see at least one hard freeze each year. Bugs n all ya know.

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    1. Yes, I KNOW! I don't think our grandkids down there even own a winter coat. I sure hope the cold did its job on the bugs here, too. It was definitely cold enough, but I don't know if it stayed cold long enough.

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  20. I did notice your absence and I've been totally devastated. Glad you are back! :D

    I absolutely love the temps with the Finns LOL. Also, I totally love the kitty in your new header!

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    1. HA! Thanks; I appreciate your hyperbole. It's good to be back.

      I like that Finnish piece, too, especially the last one. I don't follow soccer, but I can appreciate equating a team winning a championship with hell freezing over. That's how we feel about the Falcons...

      Thanks. Our calico Dash is a real cutie. (And spoiled rotten, of course.)

      Delete
  21. haha the cat sure has it right
    Stay under a blanket day and night
    Too damn cold to do much of anything
    Sucks with the stiff upper lip at every wing lol

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    1. Our kitty Dash is very smart.
      When temperatures fall, she warms our heart.
      'Cause when she starts to feel dozy,
      She curls in the darnedest spots all cozy.

      Delete
  22. Oh, man, you made me laugh so hard! Maybe because I'm in the Caribbean and cold this cold seems unfathomable, but I found it hilarious. I'm going to link to your blog with mine along with a snippet, because this is a post I'm going to come back to often for a slash of good humor :D Thank you!

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    1. Go ahead... rub it in! HA! It's nice to know somebody is basking in the warm sunshine...

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    2. Nope. They bask in the balmy sunshine all year long...

      Delete
  23. Glad to know your not looking for igloo to move into.
    Love love love the winter news from Finland ! so perfect.
    It has been beautiful weather here,,, in fact to nice. High 60's low 70's. We need to start our winter rains or summer will be one long fire season.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Nope, no igloo. And our temperatures should be close to yours this weekend. Quite an improvement! I hope you get your rains soon.

      Cheers, and happy weekend!

      Delete
  24. This winter has made me very happy that I live in Florida. I can't believe that just a bit over a year ago we were considering moving back to Ohio. Yuck. That would have been miserable.

    As for posting once a week... you aren't the only person fighting with the time thing. I hope you do what works best for you!!!

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    1. Yeah, I think you picked a very good year to stay put in Florida. Even there, it's been a lot chillier than usual.

      Thanks. I think once a week will work well, but we'll see.

      Delete
  25. You know, you couldn't have made a better return entrance than with those hilarious kittens :) Glad to see you back, dear!

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    1. Thanks, Dezzy! Glad ya liked them. It's good to be back.

      Delete
  26. Excellent header. Do you know there's a cat in your shirt? Looking forward to your posts --on any schedule-- and next book!

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    1. Thanks! (Excellent cat.) It was so funny how she just crawled right up into the sleeve of that shirt like she belonged there. Never mind. What am I thinking? Of course she belonged there... cats belong wherever they choose to go.

      Thanks. Dude.

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  27. the cat photos are too cute! and this weather is too much!!

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    1. Yes... and YES! Thanks for stopping by. It's nice to meet you.

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  28. Susan!!! This is why I adore you!! You have the funniest place here!! Here's to a new year. Cheers over hot cocoa!

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    1. Gee, thanks! I'll drink to that... let me just put a wee drizzle of amaretto into the cup first...

      Delete
  29. In Arizona, it drops below seventy and you see people in fur coats.

    The Anti-Finns.

    Welcome back!

    LC

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    1. Yeah, we've got some of those anti-Finns here in GA, too.

      Thanks! It's good to be back. Happy New Year!

      Delete
  30. Welcome back and yes, you were missed. So Happy New Year and get on with that new book (but still blog at least on Fridays). You are a blast of warm air, and actually we have that again in TX. Today is back to normal 50s. Our coldest was around 10 degrees, so can't complain too much. I admit as a PA Yankee, I have lots of coats and I like scarves, so I was happy to bundle up in style. My Texas husband - not so much. The weather is always a fun subject and you blanketed the topic well. So - happy weekend and ever onward. Cheers to writing and blog friends

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    1. Thanks! I think I "should" be able to juggle once-a-week blogging with writing and getting other stuff done. I think. We'll see.

      It's back into the fifties here today, too, and supposed to be in the sixties over the weekend. (That's more like it!)

      Happy weekend to you, too!

      Delete
  31. Happy to see you're back. I understand that when one plunges into some thing, it's difficult to divide your attention to other things. I get that way over history and I don't want to do anythig else. I like your purr-y pictures. I have a puss sitting on my desk and purring so loud, I can't think. I hope that means she's happy. Ha

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    1. Thanks! I'm happy to BE back!

      It's way too easy to get so into one activity, other stuff gets left out in the cold. As much as I enjoy blogging, it's time for me to manage my time a little better, and get more balance back into my life.

      Our kitties purr like little Mack trucks, too. They sure LOOK happy, don't they? Let's just say they are...

      Delete
  32. Hey Susan,

    Of course I notice your lengthy absence. Bet I convinced you. Living in the country of the alleged stiff upper lip, we felt your pain. Okay, we giggled a bit as we all lounged around in our summer type clothes. Great, another cat photo or two. Good thing Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar wasn't reading your pawsting, um posting.

    A peaceful New Year and um welcome back. Gosh, I'm nice! :)

    Gary

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    1. Hey, Gary! (Why yes, you ARE nice!)

      Sorry if Penny was offended by all the cat pics. Give her an extra treat for me.

      Happy New Year! May you and Penny (and all your little people) have a special year.

      Delete
  33. We missed you! Glad to hear you aren't totally frozen over. My MIL got stuck in Georgia visiting her sister, and I was shocked when they told me how frigid it was. I'm lucky to be in a corner of the country that's relatively warm right now. But I sure am admiring all the crazy photos.

    Love the bit about the heartburn. :)

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, WE were pretty darned shocked at how frigid it got here, too. But all is right with the world again. It was in the fifties today, and is supposed to be in the sixties over the weekend. That's more like it. (This IS supposed to be the "sunny South", doggone it...)

      Delete
  34. Glad to see you back and glad to hear you enjoyed your time away.

    Your cat Dash is pretty smart...cuddling up inside a nice, warm flannel shirt! Loved your list with the Finns - I knew it with "people in Buffalo" and it ended with hell freezing over and the Sabres winning the Stanley Cup. Ha.

    It got cold here in Florida, too. As a matter of fact, it was so cold that I almost started thinking about turning on the heat.

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    1. Hi-ya! I'm glad to be back, too.

      Well, of COURSE Dash is smart... she's a cat!

      That hell freezing over would work with our Falcons, too. Oh well... maybe next year. (Um, for the Falcons, that is. Not for hell...)

      I know it got cold in Florida. Supposedly, the temperature dropped below freezing in all fifty states! Hard to believe that about Hawaii, isn't it? Thankfully, our temperatures are back to normal again, and yours probably are, too. Enough of that cold stuff already. (Isn't it time for spring yet?)

      Delete
  35. Loved reading this. I'm impressed with all the comments you have Susan. Reading your post and seeing the photos and the humor - I can see why.
    Love the kitten popping in and out of the cover. So sweet. Have a great New Year. Here's to 2014!

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    1. Hi-ya, Barb! It's good to hear from you. Happy New Year!

      Delete
  36. Welcome back. You have most definitely been missed.
    And I think I was born in the wrong country, and certainly the wrong side of the world.
    We are hot, and getting hotter. I am a sad and soggy mess and looking at the ice related mayhem with decidedly jealous eyes.

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    1. Hi-ya, Sue! Thanks. Happy New Year!

      Hmmm, maybe we could find a place that strikes a happy medium... not so miserably hot and humid it turns us into sad soggy messes, but not so frigidly cold and icy it turns our fingers and toes blue. I'm not a huge fan of either extreme.

      Delete
  37. Glad you're back Susan! This was another fun-filled post! My favorite line was about you and "Smarticus" eating at a greasy spoon "just for the heartburn!" Looking forward to your next book, and I hope I get started on my first before you finish your second! Have fun with your brother!

    Julie

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    1. Hey, Julie! Thanks. I'm glad to be back.

      I hope we BOTH get started on our books, and soon. Thanks. I'm sure it'll be fun... it's been more than two years since we last got together.

      Delete
  38. Gosh those Finns are a tough bunch! These are all so funny, Starbucks selling coffee on a stick...isn't that an icypole? I'll NEVER believe politicians put their hands in their own pockets. And of course you are right, that next book won't write itself.

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    1. Those Finns are a heckuva lot tougher than I am!

      You're absolutely right about the politicians, but don't worry. I'm sure they'll have their hands shoved back into our pockets as soon as it's feasibly possible.

      I know. Darn it.

      Delete
  39. Dear Susan,
    oh yes, I missed you and glad you are back! Didn't write for the same reason as you - writer or blog-writer - and have similar good resolutions as you, and till now it works fine.
    I loved your lines about you eye-witnessing the victims of frost - hahaha! And the Finn's radio: hilarious! We've sort of strange early spring in Berlin - but - what the Berliners call 'the Russian whip' - will follow, quite sure, cold air from Siberia...

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    1. Dear Britta,

      Thank you. I missed you, too dear lady. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who struggles to strike a balance between blogging and writing. This year, we'll do better.

      We had warm weather today, and it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. I always start thinking "spring" by the beginning of February, but ol' Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate.

      Delete
  40. Forgot to welcome you back, but everyone else did, so....I did miss you.

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    1. Well, thank you! I appreciate it. You're too sweet! (Wait. No. Just the right amount of sweet...)

      Delete
  41. I believed all of the facts until I got to the one about the politician. Then I knew it HAD to be a joke. :) :) :)

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  42. Hi Susan .. yes welcome back - though I haven't been around either .. but enjoy your brother's visit ... the Finns have some great takes on life ... but as Brigitta says ... we wait here with baited breath ... if we get Siberian cold - England will be a skating rink.

    I'm dry and just thankful we don't have freezing cold as in previous years .. Happy New Year to you .. I suspect you'll be a writing blogger ... enjoy 2014 - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi, Hilary. Well, welcome back to you, too! And Happy New Year!

      I hope you're spared the Siberian blast.

      Cheers!

      Delete
  43. I noticed, Sus. No illusions. :)

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  44. Hi Susan! Well, I didn't notice but that is because the last time that I posted was Christmas and I have been so bad about visiting everybody ... just been too busy to blog. I am glad that you are feeling better, have fun with your brother, and in mid-December it was actually -33* here in little old La Pine, Oregon. I enjoyed your jokes; I could relate.

    Hugs,
    Kathy M.

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    1. Hi-ya, Kathy! Well, welcome back to you, too, and a very happy new year to you.

      Minus thirty-three? Yipes. That's cruel and unusual punishment. I hope it's warmed up to zero or so by now...

      Delete
  45. My resolution was to take more naps. So far I'm on track. :)

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    1. That sounds like a great resolution. Naps are sooooo good for you, and I'm sooooo lousy at taking them. Too nosy, and afraid of missing something, I guess. But my hubby is quite skillful at it. Keep up the good wo... er... I mean, the good rest.

      Delete
  46. You in the northern hemisphere have your cold while we 'down under' suffer with heat exhaustion! In Perth yesterday it was 44ºC (111.2ºF) and 29ºC (84ºF) overnight. Today it topped 41ºC (105.8ºF) but a coolish change is due next week for which we will be very grateful. We could do with some of your snow down here. Our friends and relatives in our southern states are going to feel the heat too as this weather travels across our continent towards them. Keep well and keep warm. Happy New Year (not too late to say that yet is it?).

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    1. OY! I'd rather be on the cold side than that beastly hot. We can always bundle up in layers of clothes when we're out in the cold, and then throw another log on the fire when we come in, but there isn't a darned thing to do to be comfortable in that kind of heat. All I can say is, "Thank God for air conditioning!"

      Happy New Year to you, too! (NEVER too late to send good wishes to a friend!)

      Delete
  47. So glad you're back! The winter jokes were a hoot. It was cold wasn't it? I thought I was handling it all brilliantly until the temp dropped into the negative digits and my heat couldn't keep up. I was also a mite stressed when the power went out, and I called it into National Grid only to learn their outage number had been disconnected. That does not engender customer confidence. :)

    Get to work on that book, Susan!

    VR Barkowski

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad to be back!

      I think it was a LOT colder where you are than it was here... although it did go down to five degrees in Atlanta. (Unreal, huh?) But negative temps? No thanks. It was 65 here yesterday, and I hear it was a lot warmer there, too. Had enough winter yet?

      Yes, ma'am!

      Delete
  48. First of all, welcome back! I missed you, for sure. Secondly, I'm still in stitches, rolling across the floor. The "it was so cold that..." was really, really funny! :-) Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Thanks! So glad I made you laugh. (The very best exercise!)

      Greetings back atcha from Atlanta!

      Delete
  49. Sorry, didn't know you were gone cause I was too! But I did notice a new review posted by you! Thank you so much for that! It's awesome, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the read. I have so many books that I owe reviews on that - that is my New Years resolution - to get them written and posted. I know it shouldn't be a resolution, they're meant to be broken, so lets call it a goal. This year my blog posts will revolve around mostly that. I've seen the good a review can do for the sales of a book, and I want to honor all the wonderful authors I've read too! Thank you!
    I love the funny pics and the 'how cold is it' jokes. Your blog always entertains.
    Have a truly wonderful New Year!

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    1. Well. welcome back to you, too!

      I'm glad you liked the review. I reeeeeally enjoyed your book.

      Happy New Year to you, too.

      Delete
  50. Many fun things in here (just visiting via the Elephant's Child blog comments)

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    1. Hi, Andrew. Thank you so much for stopping by. My turn to return the favor...

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  51. Loved all . . . and Finland winning World Cup -- thanks for the morning chuckles! I'm also scaling back, posting about every 12 days, to hit the keyboard. (Hope your pink eye's better -- last time I got it, I needed prescription drops.)

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    1. Hi-ya, Kittie! Happy New Year! I LOVE your new picture... verrrrry "author-y" looking. I'm glad others are scaling back, too. Doesn't make me feel so guilty about doing it. (I KNOW... how ridiculous is that to feel guilty...)

      It's doing a lot better. Thanks for asking. The nurse gave me a shot in the tush with a turkey injector, and the doc prescribed an antibiotic cream to put into my eye. A pain in the butt... worse than the shot. I would've rather had the drops.

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  52. I read this last week, and thought I commented. Guess not. Sorry about that. Have you seen my brain anywhere?

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    1. HA! I've done that before, too. If your brain is missing, it may be hanging out with my waistline. I haven't seen it for quite a while.

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  53. I love all the...it's was so cold....

    As you know, MN has been brutal. 1 degree again this morning. :-) At least it is above zero. ha

    I can't believe it is mid-January. Time goes sooooo fast! Have a great day!

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    1. Yeah, you guys in MN could write a whole new list of "it's so colds." Above zero? Heck, for you, that's a virtual heat wave!

      I know. Time's moving too darned fast. Thanks. You have a great one, too.

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  54. Hey, good to see you back! And with such a *cough* cool post, too. ;)

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    1. Hi-ya! Good to hear from you again! Coming up for air from your writing gig, huh? HA! Yeah, I'm cool, I'm cool...

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  55. Of course, we missed you. Don't be silly. I'd write more but after reading your post I need a nice mug of tea.

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    1. Hi-ya. Thanks! I've missed all you guys, too. Yes, have a cup of tea, and a little something sweet. I'll join ya...

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  56. Awesome post! You were certainly missed by us all.

    Nas

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    1. Thanks, Nas! I appreciate y'all saving my place in the blogosphere.

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