Moved and online!

At least we're here, even if we're sleeping in the guest bedroom. Sam decided to give all our furniture to the yard man and buy new.

My new house

Just kidding--this is one of the biggest homes in Austin. WE had an excellent view of villas crowning the rolling hills from Sam's cousin's home. The woods were fun to explore, too!

Our house is much more modest. Plenty big enough for us, but it looks like peasant quarters compared to these deluxe retreats.

Jennifer Crusie books

Like to laugh while you relax with a book? Try anything by Jennifer Crusie. I reluctantly tried this author during a dry spell when my favorite historical writers were between books. The frequent profanity put me off a bit, but the storylines will reaffirm your belief in love's power to slog through any swamp. Agnes and the Hitman is perhaps my favorite.

Winter in Texas

is balmy but windy. My new house has a gas fireplace--the perfect spot to curl up in a cushy chair and read or snooze. Hot chocolate will help the moment, too.

Furniture is a commitment

We bought a roomful this afternoon, with much debate. Poor Sam. He has such a sense of doom, of "let's get it right, or the sky will fall." And the underlying rules are fuzzy. I go by instinct. Does the color make me feel good, or does it make my stomach roll? Will the carpet make my feet want to dance? My color emotions are strong. And since I never prefer Italian food over Mexican, care where we spend the holidays or what we name the children, my preferences come as quite a shock to Sam. Poor, poor Sam.

And since most of what we have has been scraped together and hoarded carefully, this is scary. But then, so is the new house!

Nora Roberts

...always puzzles me. High Noon is a fabulous, many-layered book with lots of side stories. It feels much less like a cookie cutter book than the "In Death" series. Lots of Roberts' tales don't tempt me to crack the covers. I wouldn't have read this one, except it was handed to me by Heidi. I can't refuse a free read.

High Noon has everything a girl could want--tough heroine looking out for her family, a rich, handsome bachelor, and several chillingly despicable bad guys. And romance--the hot variety. The heroine talks people off ledges and out of hostage situations. Not your everyday skill set!

There is nothing wrong

with reading like the house doesn't need cleaned...and packed. I need my books, want my books. Obsession is not always a bad thing.