hiding spot

I'm kind of feeling like this right now...

I would love to find a cozy spot and sneak away (preferably with a book) but I'm pretty sure, just like when I was a little girl, someone would find me.

my hometown home state

When I tell people I grew up in South Dakota, these are the top three responses I receive:

1. I've never met anyone from South Dakota before. I bet I hear this 99% of the time. I get it. SD is a big state with a small population and apparently people think we don't get out of the state much.

2. What's it like growing up in North Dakota? I don't know why but this is very common question.

3. Wow, you don't have a southern accent at all. No, I don't, that's because I grew up in South Dakota.

I was at a party several years ago at my friend's house. Geri (my friend) wanted to set me up with a friend of her sister's. Apparently, the sister wanted to check me out first. They grew up in New York and were very proud to be New Yorkers. This was our initial conversation at the buffet table:

Sister: Oh, you're the one from Oklahoma, right?

Me: No, I'm not from Oklahoma.

A moment later (still at the buffet table)...

Geri to her sister: Did you meet Mary? She's the one we're setting up with ______ I forget his name.

Sister: Um, yeah, but she said she wasn't from Oklahoma.

Me: I'm not, I'm from South Dakota.

Sister: Eh, same difference.

Me: Really, did you grow up in Jersey?

I went to her level and made my point. The sister's face turned red and angry and for a second I expected to her to jump across the table. Score one for the woman without a drawl from one of the Dakotas.

Next week I'm going to SD to visit my mom. I had hoped to go over the past weekend but flights were too expensive so I booked my trip for early March. I'm rarely thankful for high-priced air travel but in hindsight those elevated rates were a blessing. I avoided the 18 inches of snow that arrived on Saturday. My brother and his wife were back for a visit. He said that the snowdrifts outside his window were taller than him. Good ol' South Dakota...18 inches of snow and their departing flight on Sunday was on time! I think I'll mention that next time someone asks where I'm from.


Meanwhile, I'm going to think good thoughts for warmer weather and less snow next week for my visit.

Kindle, Nook or Printed Book? That is my question

I'm thinking, thinking, thinking about getting an eReader. It seems everyone I know who has one loves it. I've been hesitant to get one and I know for me it's simply because I've worked in publishing/books so long that I feel it's somehow a betrayal to the industry because I won't buy as many printed books. Plus I worry I'll miss holding the actual book in my hands and I love the look, feel and smell of new books...and old books.

I have a gift card and wanted to use it on something that I might not otherwise buy for myself and thought a Kindle would be great...or maybe a Nook. If I traveled more, I'm sure I would have purchased one long ago. I often curse my reading addiction when I'm packing for a trip...three or four books can take up space in a carry-on or tote, weigh the bag down and give me a sore shoulder. But...when I'm lying in bed, do I want to curl up with an e-reader instead of a book?


Any thoughts? Do you have an eReader? Do you love it? Against them altogether? Should I just buy some fabulous shoes instead?!

have a rainbow day

Bug brought home this rainbow that he painted at school last week.

Other than LOVE I'm not sure there's a word to describe how I feel about this rainbow. Somehow this rainbow IS my little man. The paint is mostly in the lines but not a single color is correct. So very, very Bug. Again, LOVE.

Happy Valentine's Day!

all the news that's fit to print draw

Bug's "headline news" from preschool...

football = love

I grew up in a catholic house. The other religion under our roof was the Minnesota Vikings. We went to mass every Sunday, out to lunch then settled in for football. If the Vikings played the early game we skipped the restaurant so we could be home for kick-off. There were plenty of times when I wasn't interested in watching football but if I pestered my parents or brothers during the game, my mom told me to give our dog a bath. I quickly learned to watch the game or play alone elsewhere.

My parents (and sometimes the kids) went to Minneapolis to see a Vikings game once a year. On those times when my parents escaped went alone, they would bring each of us a gift. The souvenirs that stand out in my memory are the caps. My parents saw the Vikings play the Packers...BIG rivals. They brought my brother a Vikings cap and gave me a Packers cap.
I cried myself to sleep that night.

Of all the things my parents could have done to me, this is what made me realize they didn't love me. IF they loved me, I would have received a Vikings cap, too, right? After all, my parents never cheered for the Packers...they cheered AGAINST them and now I was supposed to wear this cap in public? Seriously?

I pretended to lose the cap but my mom always found it for me. I would leave the house with it on my head then quickly take it off. I didn't even know any kids at school who cheered for the Packers...how could I be seen in that cap?

After a time I used the memory of receiving the cap to my advantage. When my brother picked on me I needed to shed a tear quickly and get sympathy from my mom, I found my motivation in that Green Bay cap and remembered that I wasn't loved or wanted in the family--the tears came instantly. It always worked.

Years after college I told my parents how I learned I was unloved. They laughed and laughed and I explained further how my heart was broken as a child over a green/gold cap with the pom pom on top and they chuckled some more. Sigh... (Edited to add: I should have mentioned that my mom had no recollection of giving me a Packers cap and figured she probably bought different caps for us because my brother was a serious Vikings fan and I didn't care that much about football so it wouldn't matter what team I had. And she didn't think as siblings we would want the same cap! Go figure...)

So while I'm still a Vikings fan, this Sunday I'll be cheering for the Pack...cap or no cap.