Sandra Cox's Blog, page 255

Brrr and Anyhoo

Per my usual weekend routine: Saturday, I grabbed my coffee, computer and E Reader and headed out for the porch in my sundress. Now the majority of the female readership are probably thinking sundress? Instead of cutoffs or shorts? It's the weekend for goodness sake. You were at home. Why a dress? Well, it was Saturday. Saturday is laundry day and pickings were slim. And its a very comfortable dress. But anyhoo. I sat out there about ten minutes before I hied myself back in and put on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. It was sixty degrees out there! First chilly day we've had since...well just let me say its been a good long while. I stayed out about an hour. The air was crisp and the breeze caused the rustling leaves to sound like rain.
Being more intrepid, Belle chose to stay out after I gave up and headed for the house and warmth.



A little aside here: I googled anyhoo to make sure I had the right spelling. This is the urbandictionary.com definition of anyhoo: 'Used by many people, usually mentally retarded, as a means of saying anywho or anyhow.'  Hmm.......

Friday's Vid

Woo Hoo, It's Friday. Enjoy it...And Just Pretend It's Not The Thirteenth.

English, Ain't It A Bitch

For inquiring minds who may or may not want to know, in particular Ms. Julia Rachel Barrett, I have finished Shardai. Done and done.
I was expecting a slam bam, thank you, ma'am, proof. But the Cox Law, similar to Murphy's Law, came into play. The Cox Law: NOTHING is ever easy. I'm in complete agreement with Richard Nordquist. 'The only fool-proof rule is that all spelling rules in English have exceptions.' Let me just paraphrase here. 'The only fool-proof rule is that all English rules have exceptions. Did typos snag me? Nope. Words left out? Nope. Capitalization? That's it, that's the one that had me swearing. I got snagged on endearments, forms of address and nicknames.  If, like me, you ever get confused about this,  here's some good advice from Grammar Girl @ quickanddirtytips.com:
"A term of endearment isn't interchangeable with a name the same way a nickname is, and terms of endearment aren't capitalized." 
A term of endearment isn’t interchangeable with a name the same way a nickname is, and terms of endearment aren’t capitalized. - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/educ...

A term of endearment isn’t interchangeable with a name the same way a nickname is, and terms of endearment aren’t capitalized. - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/educ...

Frankie and Durrango

The hh(and for those who wonder what hh stands for it's happy hubby) came into the house grumbling about critters. There was a young possum in the 'cat house' on the back porch and he was afraid it might bite the dog and give her rabies.

I explained that rabies in possums is a common misconception. While not impossible, possums getting infected with the rabies' virus is extremely rare. They have such low body temperature it's difficult for the virus to survive.

 In spite of those appallingly scary teeth, they're really shy little creatures.

 Our discussion reminded me of a true story that I've posted elsewhere and would like to share.  The story of Frankie, the possum and Darrango, the dog.

Among the many hats a friend of mine wears is that of wild life rehabilitator. One of the many animals, she rescued was a possum named Frankie.

 Frankie came to wildlife rehab along with her three brothers in the spring of 2008 when she was just a baby. That's where she met an Australian Shepherd - Sheltie mix named Durango. Durango had no interest in the three brothers but it was love at first sight when he saw Frankie. Durango and Frankie became fast friends. They ate together, played together, and even took naps on the couch together.

That summer when it was time to release the possums back into the wild, Frankie refused to leave. She stayed with her friend Durango. My friend tried to release her again a few months later. This time Frankie went, but every night for six months she came home to get her possum treats (cat food and yogurt) and spend time with her friend Durango where they would stand nose to nose on opposite sides of the fence and exchange doggie-possum kisses. Durango even had a special bark that was reserved only for his friend.

In March of 2009 Frankie stopped coming home.

In May of 2011, Durango passed unexpectedly. My friend buried him on the back of her property.  That evening, she glanced out her window and saw a shadow moving around Durango's grave so she went out to investigate.

 There beside the grave of his ole pal was Frankie.

When my friend called Frankie by name, Frankie 'purred' to her as she always did when my friend talked to her. Frankie lingered that evening at the final resting place of her friend before she finally headed back into the woods.

My friend hasn't seen Frankie since but there's no doubt in her mind or mine that someday, in some world, Frankie and Durango will be reunited and once again they'll eat, sleep and play....together.

BB: Verity's Lie

Verity’s Lie by Grace Elliot Charles Huntley, Lord Ryevale, infamous rogue…and government agent.In unsettled times, with England at war with France, Ryevale is assigned to covertly protect a politician’s daughter, Miss Verity Verrinder. To keep Verity under his watchful eye, Ryevale plots a campaign of seduction that no woman can resist– except it seems, Miss Verrinder. In order to gain her trust Ryevale enters Verity’s world of charity meetings and bookshops…where the unexpected happens and he falls in love with his charge.When Lord Ryevale turns his bone-melting charms on her, Verity questions his lordship’s motivation. But with her controlling father abroad, Verity wishes to explore London and reluctantly accepts Ryevale’s companionship. As the compelling attraction between them strengthens, Verity is shattered to learn her instincts are correct after all – and Ryevale is not what he seems. If Lord Ryevale can lie, then so can she…but with disastrous consequences.Excerpt:Verity closed the library door and wilted.  With toe-curling embarrassment she recalled her prudish disapproval and cringed afresh.  Why couldn't she have appeared worldly and calm, instead of behaving like a stuttering, prissy schoolgirl.  And why Lord Ryevale, of all people?  If she hadn't been distracted by plans to confront her father, then she wouldn't have been caught so off guard.  Verity took comfort in that it was unlikely their paths would cross again.            Clutching Cicero against her chest like a shield, Verity composed her thoughts before facing her father, then made for the garden.  The root of her discomfort lay in noticing Lord Ryevale earlier that evening.  When he arrived, the atmosphere had changed tangibly; women became more vivacious and men bristled defensively.  He moved with the self-assurance of a pack leader and, when he passed close by, a wicked smile quirked across his intriguing lips—and Verity didn't usually notice mouths.  But more alarming still were his eyes—nut brown and intense—and when he had glanced in her direction, she felt as if he could read her mind.  Shaken, she wondered if she had inherited her mother's weakness for the opposite sex, a sobering thought that worried her.            From his wide chest and broad shoulders, to the square jaw and strong cheekbones, Ryevale filled her mind; so when she had received her father's note to fetch his copy of Cicero, she had welcomed the excuse to leave the ball and calm her wits.  That was, until she opened the library door to find the man she was running from in a compromising position with another man's wife.            After three laps of the garden, her cheeks had cooled and her mind felt more ordered.            Tonight she would seize the moment; before her father left on business, she would appeal for more freedom.  Her speech planned out, she was ready to face him.            Verity hurried along the corridor, pausing outside the study door to straighten her hair. This was it: now or never.  She knocked and, at a gruff acknowledgment from the other side, entered.            Between the gloomy room and being a little nearsighted, it took Verity a moment to assimilate three men were present: her father, the prime minister and a figure in the shadows.            "Father.  Lord Liverpool."  She squinted, trying to identify their guest.  As Ryevale stepped forward, her pulse hit a crescendo.  Alarm fluttered in her breast, threatening her ability to breathe.  "My lord."  How her voice held steady, she had no idea.            "Good evening."            He stood at ease, which irritated her.  Why did her wits scatter like pigeons before a cat when he smiled in that bone-melting way?  Annoyed at herself, she answered his smile with a glare before turning to her father.  "Your book, Father."            "Ah, Verity.  Thank you."            Her father took a cursory glance at the spine then set the Cicero aside.            Verity longed to escape, to be able to breathe and to release the tension swelling in her chest.            "If that's all, I won't intrude further."  She felt Ryevale's gaze, hot against her skin, and some unnamed sensation coiled and tightened inside.            "Ah, Verity, let me introduce my guest."            "We've already met," she replied tartly.BUY LINKSAmazon .com http://amzn.to/13CxrN1 Amazon.uk      http://amzn.to/12aEqI6Author bio and linksGrace Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of historical romance by night. Grace lives near London and is passionate about history, romance and cats! She is housekeeping staff to five cats, two sons, one husband and a bearded dragon (not necessarily listed in order of importance). “Verity’s Lie” is Grace’s fourth novel. Subscribe to Grace’s quarterly newsletter here:  http://bit.ly/V7T6JdGrace’s blog ‘Fall in Love With History’  http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.comWebsite: http://graceelliot.wix.com/grace-elliot Grace on Twitter: @Grace_ElliotGrace’s author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Elliot/e/B004DP2NSU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Elliot/173092742739684?v=wall&sk=wall

Bad Ass Web

Is that not one bad-ass spider web? I took it from the screened-in porch. Luckily, Ms. Spider and her gourmet kitchen were on the other side.
~*~  So, I was mowing the side of the yard. The side that's hilly, rough, and wet--and yes you shouldn't mow when it's damp, but its been damp since spring--slipped and sat down unexpectedly. One moment I was on my feet, the next--bam--my hinnie was making contact with terra firma.  Aw, the joys of home ownership.

What about you? Were you industrious or did you go play? I vote for play.

It's The Weekend

This one's long, but pretty funny:)Enjoy the weekend, my friends.

Garden Critter

Either Walk Sticks are on the up swing in NC this year or this spritely fellow has been hopping all over the yard. This is about the third one I've encountered. Also saw a Copperhead in the road yesterday. Shudder. I much prefer the Walking Stick.

Three for the price of two at Muse Publishing

Buy 3 for the price of 2!!
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/our-authors/contests-a-events/romance-madness-special

~*~Twin UpdateI got a twin update last night. The little girl (Emily) is now a pound and her brother Marshall is fourteen ounces.  I've also been told she has big feet:)  She's active, while Marshall is more laid back. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't turn out to be the ringleader of the two.

VBT: The Reluctant Bride

BLURB:Emily Micklen is proud, passionate – and left with no option after the death of her loving fiancé, Jack, but to marry the scarred, taciturn, soldier who needs to secure a well-connected wife.

Major Angus McCartney hopes that marriage to the unobtainable beauty whose confident gaze about the ballroom once failed to register his presence will offer both of them a chance to put the past to rest.

Emily’s determination to be faithful to Jack’s memory is matched only by Angus’s desire to win her with honour and action. Sent to France on a mission of national security, Angus discovers how deeply Emily has been duped, but the secrets he uncovers lead them both into danger. Can Angus and Emily unmask the real conspirators before they lose everything?EXCERPT:‘It’s not a sin, unless you get caught.’
The gentle breeze seemed to whisper Jack’s teasing challenge, its soft, silken fingers tugging at Emily’s ingrained obedience. She put down her basket and stared with longing at the waters below, sweat prickling her scalp beneath her poke bonnet as desire warred with fear of the consequences.
‘Where’s your sense of adventure, Em?’
Still resisting, Emily closed her eyes, but the wind’s wicked suggestiveness was like the caress of Jack’s breath against her heated cheek; daring Emily to shrug aside a lifetime of dutiful subservience – again – and peel off her clothes, this time to plunge into the inviting stream beneath the willows.
She imagined Jack’s warm brown eyes glinting with wickedness. Taunting her like the burr that had worked its way into the heel of her woollen stockings during her walk.
Exhaling on a sigh, Emily opened her eyes and admitted defeat as she succumbed to the pull of the reed-fringed waters.
Desire had won, justified by practicality. If she had to remove one stocking to dislodge the burr she might as well remove both.
Scrambling down the embankment, she lowered herself onto a rock by the water’s edge. Her father would never know. If he glanced from his study in the tower room, where he was doubtless gloating over his balance sheet, he’d assume she was a village lass making her way along the track. Emily had never seen him interest himself in the poor except …
Like most unpleasant memories, she tried to cast this one out with a toss of her head, still glad her father had neverdiscovered what she’d witnessed from her bedroom window one evening five years ago: the curious sight of BartholomewMicklen ushering the beggar girl who’d arrived on his doorstep into his carriage.
Then climbing in after her before it rumbled down the driveway and out of sight.
Now was just another of those moments when Emily was glad her father remained in ignorance. Her insurance, should she need it, was that she knew a few of her father’s secrets the excise men might just want to know.
By the time the first stocking had followed Emily’s boots onto the grassy bank she was bursting with anticipation for her swim.
What did one more sin matter when she’d be Mrs. Jack Noble in less than a week? AUTHOR Bio and Links:Beverley Eikli is the author of eight historical romances published by Pan Macmillan Momentum, Robert Hale, Ellora's Cave and Total-e-Bound. Recently she won UK Women's Fiction publisher Choc-Lit's Search for an Australian Star competition with her suspenseful, spy-based Regency Romance The Reluctant Bride.
Beverley wrote her first romance when she was seventeen. However, drowning the heroine on the last page was, she discovered, not in the spirit of the genre so her romance-writing career ground to a halt and she became a journalist.
After throwing in her job on South Australia's metropolitan daily The Advertiser to manage a luxury safari lodge in the Okavango Delta, in Botswana, Beverley discovered a new world of romance and adventure in a thatched cottage in the middle of a mopane forest with the handsome Norwegian bush pilot she met around a camp fire.
Eighteen years later, after exploring the world in the back of Cessna 404s and CASA 212s as an airborne geophysical survey operator during low-level sorties over the French Guyanese jungle and Greenland's ice cap, Beverley is back in Australia teaching in the Department of Professional Writing & Editing at Victoria University, as well as teaching Short Courses for the Centre of Adult Education and Macedon Ranges Further Education.
She writes Regency Historical Intrigue as Beverley Eikli and erotic historicals as Beverley Oakley.
Beverley won the Choc Lit Search for an Australian Star competition with The Reluctant Bride.Shortlisted for the 2012 Australian Romance Readers Award for her novel Rake's HonourFinalist in the 2011 Australian Romance Readers Awards for her novel A Little Deception.Links:http://beverleyoakley.com/Beverley_Oakley/Welcome.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/beverley.eikli?ref=tn_tnmnAmazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Bride-Beverley-Eikli/dp/1781890862/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372649516&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=beverley+eikliAmazon.co.uk - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reluctant-Bride-Beverley-Eikli/dp/1781890862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372649607&sr=8-1&keywords=the+reluctant+bride+beverley+eikliBarnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-r... Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Beverley-Eikli/e/B0034Q44E0Beverley will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-blast-reluctant-bride-by-beverley.html