Ginger, glad you are feeling better, sorry your back still hurts. I wish you some time soon completely well, free of back pain respiratory illness, and what have you. And wish you magical delivery of pain meds in the meantime.

Typo Boy speaks for me.

smonster's phone is dead! Long live smonster's phone!

Ah, Stephen Fry - what a wondrous world this is in which such a stately, erudite man can buy back several decades of my life and turn me into a giggling 12 year old.

Peace~ma for The Girl's whole family.

Seska, I do hope you don't end up having to write ALL THE BOOKS as well. Cuz that would just be a lot of fuss and bother.

It's super normal. Starting a dinner conversation with a Bakhtinian analysis of the grotesque realism elements of Harry Potter would have been scary, though.

Ginger is hereby recruited to teach Buffista Academy Lower School.

Pix, you need to start Buffista Academy soonest.

My brain is shorting out each and every time I look out the window. Unpossible. I am also pretty sure there are Philadelphians driving in state-mandated snow-posture (stick both hands out of car window, stick head out of window, flail & shriek. Repeat.) already.

Sox, I'm right there with you. We may get up to a foot of snow today. We're supposed to be at Mom's measuring the furniture we're taking after the sale. I can't believe this.

{{{Nora & Tom}}} I'm so sorry.

{{{Maria}}} You and your DH continue to be in my thoughts.

I'm no good at mearaing so I'll just offer {{all thems that needs or wants it}}. But know I'm thinking of all of you and wishing you all the best.

sj, I got your postcard! Thank you. It's up on my refrigerator where I can stop and admire it whenever I want.

Also, stay safe Northeasterners. Hard to believe snow already. We've gotten freezing temps overnight, but days in the 50s, which has been splendid. I went to a corn maze with some friends last night and it was a hoot and a half with flashlights, much fannish frivolity and one girl wrapped in a beach towel because her jacket wasn't warm enough. Fortunately, there was hot apple cider to warm us when it was over.

Pix, did you send to my yahoo address? I don't check that one anymore. Got a gmail for my profile addy now.

I can talk on my phone in the house!! Just in time for cold weather.

The fancy dog spa around the corner just started doing "doggies and donuts" every Saturday. Play time for dogs, free coffee and donuts for the humans. MADE OF AWESOME. And I finally got Frankie's claws trimmed and it was only $10. Yayes!

smonster, no I sent to the gmail. You didn't get it?

I can't believe it's snowing in Maryland and DC.

Well, the snow gave me a reason to stay in and get some cleaning done. I cleaned my sink and stove (sorta), put a load of dishes through, took all the cushions off my couch and vacuumed the inside parts and put it all back together, and cleaned up a bunch of junk. Next step is my bedroom, I think.

Today I repotted my yellow rose (which I should have done last year, and it really showed), bundled my climbing hibiscus away for the winter (I'm hoping that covering it in mulch, bagging it, and putting it in the shed will help it survive—in theory it's too tender to overwinter in the zone), mulched my roses of sharon, and cleaned out the fridge. A nice productive day. What I actually needed to do in terms of pre-sister visit prep—clean out the fridge. Also, vaccuum, dust, sweep and mop the kitchen and bathroom, clean all the sinks, the tub, and the toilet, and de-clutter the guest room. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow.

LeN & Maria & FredPete, as well as anyone playing along with my bankapolooza game - the bank responded to our complaint with a "clarification of denial" letter - never acknowledging that we NEVER asked for a loan in the first place. I am furious, and also exhausted. I can write a letter to the OCC, and I guess I could email the person who wrote the letter, but I don't have any more energy where this is concerned. I suspect that's what they're counting on.