A Flyover Blog

Wanna Fun Read?

You know, I absolutely love children's books. So, I wanted to share this little Groundhog Day gem with you. Go To Sleep, Groundhog! was written by kindergarten teacher and author, Judy Cox. This picture book is one of 14 books for kids she has written. Illustrator, Paul Meisel, added bright fun images to her sweet story - gotta love a groundhog in PJs -to make a book that is a delight for children and adults. Mitch saw me reading this book in the kids' section at Barnes & Noble a couple of years ago, and bought it for me. (He does that a lot.) Now I read it every year on February 1st - and many other times throughout the year. You can learn more about Judy Cox here. Let me know if you like it, too.

Printing Bids

Our search for a book printer continues - not just a so-so printer, either. I want a great one. After tracking down the local publisher I told you about last week, I learned they use a US print broker for their projects. So, I'm checking that out, but I've also found about a dozen high quality printers (all but 2 outside the U.S.) that I'm in the process of querying. It's a long and tedious process, but once we've found a printer who can handle the heavily illustrated projects I want to do, the results will be worth the extra time and effort. I hope our readers think so, too.

Here We Go Again

Tonight we're bracing for a major winter storm. The Weather Dudes issued a warning early this afternoon. Tiny Tourist Town does not DO snow. Or ice. Just tourists; tourists are a piece of cake. I think we're ready for this one. The bird feeders are full. Mitch and I made a grocery run earlier today for snow necessities - like popcorn.  Will I be bored? Not a chance; I have enough work here to keep me occupied though 3 snow storms. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of looking forward to some pretty snow. But only for a day. I don't do "snowed in" for longer than 24 hours. Our little house has no fireplace for that cozy wintery ambiance you need with a snow storm. You probably already figured out (from the limited posts the past few days) that this has been a hectic week. Lots of stuff going on. I'll bring you up to speed in the next couple of posts. In the meantime, if snow is in your forcast, you'd better get to the grocery store.

Wind

This picture ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer a couple of weeks ago, which was the last time a strong weather front brought high winds to the Midwest. Happened again today. This morning when I woke up it was 63 degrees. When I drove into town and had lunch with Mitch it was 70. Then the wind started. Two hours later it was 44. The projected low tonight is 17. I don't care how much you love winter, that's a jolt to anyone's system. Today's wind knocked out power and collapsed two buildings under construction in Tiny Tourist Town. Our little Yorkie, Buddy, got the worst of it, though. When I let him outside this afternoon, the wind blew him across the yard like a tiny hairy tumbleweed. Poor little guy only weighs 5 pounds. I tried not to laugh when I went outside and scooped him up, but it's not every day you see your dog roll across the yard on a gust of wind. I hope tomorrow is calm.

Joy

"Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."

- Marianne Williamson

Red Friday - January 25

It's Red Friday again and it's January. All those soldiers who came home for the holidays have gone back to their units. Remember to keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Many thanks to Mr. Perky for this photo.

The Quest Continues

It's cold here today - as in 20 degrees -but at least the sun is shining! I got a lead yesterday on a book printer in China. If you'll recall, I have a special binding in mind for the new women's fiction series I'm working on. This binding is only done at a handful of print shops in the states and it's extremely pricey. Every book I've seen with this binding is printed in China. Wouldn't you know it? So, before I abandon the format, I want to follow up on this lead. So, this afternoon, I'm bundling up and going to Springfield to check it out. There is a publisher up there who does business with this Chinese printer. I'm going to drop by and ask a few questions. Hopefully, they'll be in a talkative mood. You never know with book publishers. We're producing non-competing titles, so maybe they'll be helpful. My "Plan B" for this book is beautiful, but a little more traditional than I hoped. So, we'll see. Today I'll find out, once and for all, whether to scrap this binding or not. Stay tuned...

Ice

We got a mini-ice event last night. I'm calling it an event because it really wasn't big enough to be considered an ice storm. In my book, they don't qualify as storms until they threaten to knock out the power and the emergency shelters open. This one closed schools and businesses and made our curvy roads too treacherous to travel, but it'll be gone tomorrow. So, I'm enjoying the frosted scenery today from inside our snug little house. Last night when they started closing roads, Mitch filled the bird feeders. The dentist cancelled this morning. The mail's running late. I have my radio tuned to the Nature Sounds station; it's playing in the background. I think I'm listening to a thunderstorm. It sounds wet. Buddy and Sam are asleep in my office. And I'm going to work on my novel. I hope your Tuesday is as peaceful.

Alaskan Clydesdale

It's cold here, as in single digit wind chills, and it has been for 4 days. So, I thought a little smile from way up north might be appropriate. The man pictured above lives in Alaska. He raised an abandoned moose calf with his horses and has trained it for lumber removal and other tasks. He claims that, because it is 2000 pounds of muscle and has splayed, grippy hooves, this moose is the best work animal he has.

I Am Loved

A big Thank You to my family and friends for all the love, presents, cards and good wishes you showered me with this week. Today was my birthday. Don't ask... but if I get a letter from AARP Tuesday, I'm throwing myself off a bridge. Love you guys!