A Note to My Botetourt Readers

Dear Friends,

Yesterday one of the supervisors told me the county is contemplating $3 million in cuts to county services. He said that the impact will be felt in the libraries, parks & recreation, schools, and other areas.

I am guessing no category is being untouched. Though the proposed cuts have not yet been made public, I suspect this means fewer books, probably no summer reading program at the library for children, less mowing at the ball fields, fewer ball games, fewer referees, fewer adult education programs, and no replacements for police or other emergency service vehicles that are worn out. It may also mean fewer teachers, larger classroom sizes, and less materials for learning. It will be a large reduction in services, and you will notice.

But it is not too late.

Next week there should be a notice in the local paper about a public comment time for the budget. This event could be as soon as 10 days from now. We must act.

The supervisors need to hear from those who believe that county services matter. Too often the only voices raised at these meetings are the ones that have no vision and care little for the health and welfare of others. They are also the first to call for services and the first to cry if the services are not there. However, they do not want to pay for them.

I, for one, would like to see people who believe in basic services appear at the budget meetings. If you cannot attend this upcoming budget meeting, I hope you will write a letter or email to your supervisor, or pick up the phone and call him to express your opinion. I have done this and will continue to do this.

I hope that these services matter to you. If you use the libraries, if your children play sports, or if you have called the sheriff's department, you have benefited from county services. If you have called for an ambulance to transport a loved one or cried for help because your home was on fire, you have used county services.

If you have built a home, purchased land, used county water and/or sewer, shopped at Kroger or any other local business establishment (all of them use local water and sewer, which was initially paid for with your tax dollars), you have benefited from county services.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that county services affect you, the place you work or shop, or someone you love every day, whether you realize it or not. *See the bottom for a list of county services.*

I firmly believe that it is my duty as a citizen to pay taxes and participate in the process. I cannot complain unless I make an effort. Please join me in helping to keep Botetourt the wonderful community that it is.

Here is a list of your supervisors. Please contact them today and let them know that you use these services and they are important to you. Do not make them guess which services are important: tell them. It is the only way they can truly determine where the ax should best fall.

Amsterdam District Stephen P. Clinton, Chairman 108 S. Braemar Circle Daleville, Virginia 24083 Phone: (540) 992-3066 Fax: (540) 857-3531 Email: steve.clinton@aecom.com term expires: 12/31/2013
Blue Ridge District Billy W. Martin, Sr. 426 Mountain Pass Road Blue Ridge, Virginia 24064 Phone: (540) 977-8085 Fax: (540) 977-1402 Email: bilbec1@juno.com term expires: 12/31/2011
Buchanan District Terry L. Austin, Vice Chairman P.O. Box 398 Buchanan, Virginia 24066 Phone: (540) 254-1085 Fax: (540) 254-2729 Email: austinel@verizon.net term expires: 12/31/2013
Fincastle District L. W. (Jack) Leffel 556 Leffel Lane Eagle Rock, Virginia 24085 Phone: (540) 884-2417 Fax: Email: groushuntr@gmail.com term expires: 12/31/ 2015
Valley District Dr. Donald M. (Mac) Scothorn 1025 Highland Drive Roanoke, Virginia 24019 Phone: (540) 992-5589 Fax: Email: macscothorn@yahoo.com term expires: 12/31/2015

Best regards,

Anita


County Services (all of these and more receive funds of some kind from the county, that is to say, your local tax dollars):

Clerk of the Circuit Court
Commissioner of the Revenue
Commonwealth's Attorney
Schools
Sheriff
Animal Control
County Treasurer
County Jail
Social Services
Building Services
Libraries
Parks & Recreation
Planning & Zoning
Public Works (water & sewer)
Tourism
Landfill/ trash transfer station
recycling centers
Electoral Board
Voter Registrar
County Paid Emergency Services
Volunteer Fire and Rescue

Thursday Thirteen

On this day, the Ides of March, I thought I would note 13 myths, not necessarily of the Greek and Roman kind.

1. Persephone and the seasons. In this myth, Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, is captured by Hades and hauled to the underworld to be his bride. Her mother causes the world to freeze over while she searches for her daughter. She finally finds her, but while in the underworld, Persephone eats of a pomegranate. Because of this, she must spend time with Hades. And that is why we have the seasons.

2.  Leda and the swan. Leda, Queen of Sparta, is seduced by Zeus while he is disguised as a swan. She gives birth to an egg from which springs the twins Castor and Pollux.

3. Galatea, the statue come to life. Pygmalion was a sculpturer who created a statue of a beautiful woman.He loved the statue, named Galatea, and he finally went to the temple of Aphrodite and asked for a wife like the statue. Aphrodite brought the statue to life instead.

4. Jocasta. Her name, according to one of my books means "Shining Moon." She was the wife and mother of Oedipus. In the legend, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, though he doesn't know she is his mother. Oedipus ultimately puts out his own eyes after he learns what he has done. The myth is a combination of the moon-goddess tales and her sacred king.

5. Lily. This is Lilith, the Sumero-Babylonian goddess of creation; the flower is the lotus of her genital magic. The lily represents the virgin aspect, while the rose represents the maternal. The lily also was sacred to Astarte, also Ostara, the goddess of Easter lilies. These are myths of virgin motherhood.

6. May. This is the month of Maya (Maia), the virgin goddess of spring, in northern European tradition. This is the month for wearing green to honor the Earth Mother's new outfit, and of fornicating in the fields via plowing to bring forth crops. (Never really thought of farming as fornication, but hey.) According to the myth, only "bad women" marry in the month of May.

7. Amazons. This is the Greek name for goddess-worshipping tribes in other lands. The name is derived from a false belief that the Amazon warriors cut off their right breast so that they could draw a bow unhindered. Some scholars say the word Amazon means "moon woman." Legend says these women ruled over large parts of Asia as late as the 5th century AD. They were the first to tame horses and the goddesses they worshipped were often depicted as mares. Men could become Amazons via castration and adopting their dress.

8. Hecate. This Greek goddess was derived from the Egyptian midwife-goddess Heqit, Heket, or Kekat, who in turn derived from the wise woman of the tribe. Heqit delivered the sun every morning. Four thousand years later, she became the "queen of witches" in Christian mythology. In Greece, Hecate was a part of a female trinity that ruled heaven, earth, and the underworld. Hecate was the loveliest of the three and associated with the moon, the goddess Artemis, and Persephone.

9. The Bride from the South. I ran across this interesting weather myth in some reading of legends of the Cherokee. In this story, the boy in the North goes on an adventure. He falls in love with a girl in the South and wants to marry her, but upon his arrival the world has turned cold and no one wants him around. He finally agrees to take the girl to his land, and she goes North. When she arrives, she finds people living in ice houses. But the very next day, things begin to warm up, and the houses begin to melt. Finally the people tell the North that he must send his wife home before the whole settlement melts. At last he has to do as they asked.

10. The Wren. This is another Cherokee legend. The Wren is the messenger of the birds. She keeps watch over everything and reports back. When a boy is born, she sings a mournful song, because the lad will grow up to hunt the birds with arrows and then roast them. But if a girl is born, she sings a chorus of gladness, because the girl will pound grain and leave a bit for the birds to eat.

11. Queen Mab. This is a Celtic Fairy Queen. Her name means "mead", which is a red drink. This myth is related to menstruation and feminine wisdom and matriarchal age. In later myths, she is often portrayed as a trickster who steals milk and babies.

12. Panacea. One of the daughters of Mother Rhea Coronis, the Cretan universal mother, Panacea is a healer and is invoked in the medical Hippocratic Oath. She, along with her sister, Hygeia, are personifications of Great Mother's breasts, the source of the Milk of Kindness and the balm of healing. Mother's milk was thought to be a great source of healing; the milk from a woman who had just given birth could expel demons of sickness. Interestingly, Pope Innocent VIII, who ruled over the Catholic Church in the 1400s and who persecuted women as witches and caused the torture and death of millions, tried to fend off his own death by living on a woman's breast milk. He died anyway. Serves him right.

13. Sarasvati. This means "Flowing One" and she is the Hindu goddess of the arts: music, letters, mathematics, calendars, magic, and other branches of learning. In the Zoroastrian tradition, she is known as Sraosha and is the guardian of earth. She is also affiliated with conscience and religion and she guides the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. She is identified with the peacock.


These myths all have something in common. I wonder if you noticed?


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 233rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Bye Bye Britannica

A story yesterday on a New York Times blog says that Encyclopedia Britannica will cease publication of its print editions. Here's a link to a Reuters story about it, too.

Excuse me while I wipe away a very real tear. This makes me sad.

I do not own a set of encyclopedias, and I guess now I never will. At least, not a new set. I once bought a used set from the library book sale, but they were already musty and dusty and after a while, I took them off my shelves and gave them back for a resale.

My grandmother had a set of World Book Encyclopedias* that I loved to sit and read. They lined up beautifully on the book shelf and were a sight to behold. I loved the colored pictures, the black and whites, the even lines of type. I loved the words, the information, the ideas. So much knowledge. So much to learn.

I have, of course, always wanted a brand new set of encyclopedias of my very own. That desire waned with the advent of the Internet, though. And when, about 15 years ago, a CD with an encyclopedia found its way into my home, I was ecstatic. All of that information on a little disc. It was amazing.

Britannica will continue to be available online. It is good news that the knowledge will be available. But my problem with this is the same as it is with all things digital: it's availability can be snatched away in the blink of an eye.

The permanence of books cannot be denied while the fleeting ephemeral quality of digital also cannot be denied. Websites come and go. Just look at the geocities or my spaces of the world. Digital also has little respect for the past, and I fear gaping holes of history in a hundred years. That's a loss no one can put a price on.

All of the knowledge that is on Britannica's website might be available elsewhere, but I doubt it. Certainly it is not in that format. If the website folds, there goes all of that information.

I love books. I think print is better than digital. Digital has its place, and it is useful. But it should not replace print.

And that's all I have to say about that.


Update:

*World Book is a different company from Britannica, and I understand their books will still be available.

Sunshine Week

This week is known throughout the newspaper industry as Sunshine Week.

This is not because the sun is shining brilliantly from the sky.

This is, instead, a spotlight on information and your right to know what your government is doing.

These laws fall under The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The first such laws in the United States were enacted in 1966.

The Swedish were far ahead of us; they were ensuring fair government in the 1700s. We took a while to catch up.

Anyone can file a Freedom of Information Act request with local, state, or federal government. Newspaper reporters are well aware of the laws because without it, their job can be more difficult.

For instance, FOIA is the reason that you have public hearings on the sale of government-owned property. It is the reason you can sit in on a local government board or committee meeting. Under FOIA, if you think the government is doing something it shouldn't, you can ask for specific documents or even challenge an action in court, if the government does something wrong.

For example, if your local governing body goes into a closed meeting to talk about an issue and it is not something exempt from these laws (personnel matters are generally exempt, for example), then you might need to take those folks before a judge so they can explain their actions.

As a citizen, I believe in open government. Our representatives are being paid with tax dollars and we elect them in democratic elections. Everything they do when they are working on our behalf should be available to us for review. I understand when matters of personnel or national security are involved that some things are better not divulged, but even so, there should be - there must be - accountability of some kind, even if I never know about it. Without accountability, the country (or the locality) becomes nothing more than a dictatorship by committee.

Some people do not believe in open government. I suppose they think the folks running things should have their secrets, for whatever reason. Often, the people running things do not want the taxpayers to know what they are doing. Perhaps they fear a backlash, or they are, in fact, doing something they know folks would dislike. Big corporations making deals with the government would rather keep their actions secret. But secrecy in and of itself should never be condoned, nor should keeping the public unaware be a goal of good government. A government that has secrecy as its goal is a government to be overthrown.

The Freedom of Information Acts give the public power because it allows you to hold government accountable. Officials frequently want to take this power away, which is why there are changes proposed to the state FOIA at every General Assembly Session. Someone doesn't want you - you the citizen, you the taxpayer, you the voter - to know what is going on.

When you see that your legislators are seeking changes to FOIA, you might ask yourself why. What are they trying to hide?

***

For information on how the federal government deals with information, check out this new website, ethics.gov.

A guide to the federal Freedom of Information Act is here.

Virginia has an advisory council with information on the state Freedom of Information Act. You can access it here.

A copy of Virginia's 2011 Freedom of Information Act can be found here.

Check your state for a copy of your FOIA. You might be surprised at the things you can find out.

Books: Wish You Well

Wish You Well
By David Baldacci
Copyright 2000, 2007
420 pages

This is a wonderful book.

I have been reading David Baldacci for a while now, and have zipped through many of his tales. He is mostly known for mystery/suspense stories.

This is not of that genre. This is the story of two children, Lou and Oz, who are plopped down in Southwest Virginia in 1940 after a tragic accident. Their father is killed and their mother comatose. There is nothing to do but go live on the mountain farm with great-grandma Louise.

The story is told mostly through Lou's eyes. She is the oldest child, a precocious girl who takes after her father. She does not question the route she must take to find her new path in life.

The book takes on the coal industry, the lumbering industry, and the natural gas industry, too, as it deftly points out how companies move into rural communities, use up the resources, and leave the population barren and bereft. It is at times a chilling discussion of power.

I stayed up very late one night. While I used to do that a great deal, as I have aged I do it less and less. It is a rare book that has me still wide awake and eagerly turning the pages at 2 a.m.

And while part of that was an unusual sleepless night for me, the other part was I wanted to see where this story was going. I had an idea but wanted to read on.

It is my understanding that this book is going to be made into a movie, and Botetourt County where I live is actually in the running for the film location. A facebook site is being courted by county residents, who are submitting photos of the area. You can read a story about the county's efforts here.

Baldacci, by the way, is a Virginia writer. I love to support the local writers, even if they are in the northern part of the state.


5 stars

Have A Seat

A couple of weeks ago, I did a major clean-out of my office. This was necessitated by the quantity of stuff I had piled up, as well as the purchase of a new all-in-one printer/scanner/fax that I had to buy. I had to make the purchase because my old fax machine came under a recall and I was sent an email to unplug it immediately or it might catch fire.

On top of that, my second desk had been confiscated by my husband over a year ago. He took over the small spare room for his office and computer. Yes, we are like a little office building with living space.

Anyway, I decided I missed my second desk, so I bought another. I also frequently need a second seat in here. I was using a stool but the thing had wheels on it. It thought nothing of scooting away and leaving me in the floor when I went to sit on it.

During my clean, I pitched the thing out the door. I wanted no more part of that!

My husband very accommodatingly went to the office supply store and brought home a desk chair for me. He found a great bargain with a 70 percent mark down.

It is a lovely chair.

It also fits him perfectly and me not at all. You see, he is 6' 2" tall and I'm 5' 2" tall. So a chair that is perfect for him makes me look like a little child sitting on a grand throne.

After a few attempts to sit in the chair, I determined it would not do. Since he was using a kitchen chair at his desk, I suggested he take this wonderful chair he had purchased for his very own, and I buy me another.

So last night we went to dinner and stopped in one of the two office supply stores. I tried out several chairs. The really comfortable ones were out of my price range, but I finally found a small, yet durable-looking one, that I thought would work fine.

We brought it home in a box, for it had to be assembled. My husband patiently sat with the directions and put the chair to together.

When he finished, we stood and looked at it.

The chair looked drunk.

Somehow it was completely off kilter, with the right side pushed forward and the left side to the rear. I sat in and it there was no way it was usable. Well, at least not as I am presently proportioned.

This morning we loaded the chair back into the car and drove to Roanoke to the store. We explained the problem to the sales clerk, who agreed that the chair looked crooked.

He fetched another from the rear. When he began opening the box, I thought he might put it together to ensure that it was just an anomaly with the chair we'd hauled home. And that was what he suggested, as he handed out some parts, that we put the chair together before we left to see if it would be satisfactory.

However, by "we" he did not mean himself or someone else in the store. He meant us. And us alone, without a smidgeon of assistance from any one there.

So we sat in the floor at the front door of Staples and put the chair together.

The clerk wandered off and left us to mull over the parts and figure out how to assemble the chair. I was miffed at this terrible lack of service, to be sure. After all, they were getting a completely assembled chair out of the deal, even if it was a crooked one. Plus we had driven no short distance to make this return.

I made a point of spreading things out all over the front of the store. It was, though, about 11:15 on a Sunday morning, and there were not many shoppers.

I am sure we were quite the spectacle, my white-headed husband on his knees trying to put the chair together while I read the instructions to him (he did not have his glasses) and handed him parts. However, we assembled the chair and pronounced it serviceable.

Customer service at all of the national chain office supply stores in this area is abysmal. I am an office supply junkie and have always loved going to look at stationary, ink pens, planners, and the like. I still like to do that but I find myself shying away from purchases or asking questions of the employees. Unfortunately, the help is either nonexistent because there aren't enough people on the floor, or the people who are there are among the most sour and unhelpful in the valley.

I realize that the economy is tough, but it's tough all over. I don't necessarily expect service with a smile, though it would be nice. But at least make some effort to do the job.

Books: A Short Guide to a Happy Life

A Short Guide to a Happy Life
By Anna Quindlen
Copyright 2000
50 pages

I ran across this little book while I was cleaning out a bookcase the other day.

Did I buy it? Was it a gift? Have I had it a long time? Had I read it? I could not answer those questions. I didn't remember the book, and I thought for a time to pitch it with the others that I was sending to the library for their book sale.

On a whim, I dug it out of the pile and set it aside.

I am glad I did.

This is a wonderful little book. I highly recommend it as a gift for a friend, as a little something for someone who is not feeling well, or perhaps for someone who has lost a loved one.

The book has wonderful black and white photos on every other page to illustrate the text. The pictures are of young friends, bicycles on the beach, winter, the moon, etc.

The text is brief. The author talks about her life as split into two times: before her mother passed away (the author was 19 when that happened), and after that milestone event.

She lives her life knowing we are mortal, and that the end is always just around the corner. She believes this makes a difference in the life experience, given when people tend to care about.

Get a life, she says. One that, every day, looks at the view.

Enjoy the simple things. The sunset, the flower, the snowfall. Learn to live, to appreciate the joys of the world.

It is excellent advice.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I offer up 13 myths in politics that, in my opinion, are not helping things in the United States. I saw a similar list on Facebook recently and decided to create my own. Mine is a little different from the one that made the rounds.


1. "We have no responsibility for one another." This is the origin of the cry to end social programs - personal responsibility. This is the catcall that says, let the man die if he has no insurance. I do not live my life this way. We are all connected. No man is an island, writes John Donne. That has not changed just because it's the 21st century.

2. "Women are inferior." I know many thought this was a thing of the past, that women are citizens equal to men. I have always known this isn't so, as I have experienced gender discrimination on numerous levels. Given given the recent dialogue in the US, the unequal pay, and the obvious poverty of many single women, women still have a long way to come before there is any semblance of equality in this country.

3. "Tax cuts cure everything." They don't. Sometimes you have to raise taxes. Personally, I think signing pledges saying you will never raise taxes should automatically disqualify you from office. If you cannot examine every option with an open mind, you have no business representing me. I personally do not mind paying taxes. I drive on the roads and I use some of the services. I should pay for them. I consider paying taxes to be a honor and a priviledge. I am glad I make enough money to have to pay them, to be honest.

4. "Jobs come from the private sector." This is not true. The government can, does, and should create jobs. Franklin D. Roosevelt created millions of jobs and pulled the country out of the Great Depression. Obstructionism is the only reason this hasn't happened during the Great Recession. Some of the government programs that are now flagging because they have gone private include the U.S. Postal Service and the National Park Service. In my state, the state transportation system turned over snow and ice clearing to a private company. The result has been poor efforts and lots of problems moving goods and services in bad weather. Sometimes government does do a better job.

5. "People want to be poor." Excuse me? Where does this sort of thinking come from? I don't know anyone who wants to be poor. I do know a lot of people who work very hard - sometimes two or three jobs - just to get by. They didn't ask to be poor. And ending the minimum wage certainly isn't going to help them out. It will just move them from poor to completely impoverished.

6. "Getting rid of those trillions in debt will end the recession." I would like to see that paid off, really I would. But how does that end the recession? My own thoughts on ending the recession are these: spend government money on real jobs (the stimulus was a good idea, but the money went to the wrong places) and that will end the recession.

7. "Rich people should have tax cuts." Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. I guess the problem comes in defining "fair share." If you have more, you should pay more, and if you manage to find deductions, etc., so that you aren't, then something needs to change.

8. "If people don't have health insurance, it is because they don't want it." There are many people who would like to have health insurance who simply cannot afford it. I know several.

9. "Teachers are the reason the education system is not turning out good students." This is like saying the reason there is crime is because the police are bad policemen. What is with the blame, anyway? Why not just fix the problems? Are they so vast that no one can come up with a solution? Or is it that there are solutions, but no one wants to pay for them?

10. "Unions are bad." This has been so accepted that it's off the charts and not even in the public discussion, though it should be. Unions are not inherently bad. Much of the labor trouble today is not because of unions, but because of lack of unions. I am pro-union and I wish there were more of them.

11. "War is an option." It is no secret that I am anti-war. I do not believe war is ever an option; it shouldn't even be on the table. We are supposed to be civilized people. Isn't it time we act like it?

12. "The free market knows best." I do not believe this is true. Humans tend to follow the strong and leave the weak. In a world where everyone matters, the strong must care for the weak. In a free market (capitalism), this does not happen. That is why the government must step in and regulate.

13. "Discrimination does not exist in the United States." I don't know who actually believes this, but I read it in the letters to the editor occasionally. I see discrimination everywhere - against gender, age, race, class, and sexuality, to name a few. I have experienced it as a woman and I am experiencing it in different forms as an older person.



Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 232nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

March Snow

Yesterday morning, I woke to find snow on the ground. We measured around 2 inches at daybreak.

I took photos around 8:30 a.m. It was overcast and still spitting snow. This woodpecker was having a great time on the tree.

The light was kind of eerie.

I wondered if it would be a deep snow.

Nothing to do but wait! I could not tell the future in my crystal ball.

By mid-morning, the sun had crept out.

The light shimmered across the valley. I was delighted I could see my Blue Ridge Mountains.

By noon, the snow was mostly gone.

Books: What We Keep . . .

What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay
By Amanda Cockrell
Copyright 2011
257 pages

This book in December was named to the Boston Globe's list of best children's books! It also was named a best book of 2011 on this list. The book also receives some good reviews over at Goodreads.

These are honors well deserved. I loved this book.

Angie is a 15-year-old girl who lives in a Hollywoodish town in California. Her mother has recently left her stepfather, Ben, whom Angie loves as her father. The young woman has chosen to live with her stepfather in hopes her mother will return to him. She wants her parents to be together.

Even though Lily is Angie's close friend, Angie doesn't feel comfortable talking to her or anyone else about certain things. So she visits a statue of Saint Felix in the basement of the church. She pours her heart out to the statue. One day, the statue talks back.

Angie is startled but she accepts the fellow who used to be a statue. She can't decide if he is the statue come to life, or a homeless person, since the statue is missing. She continues to visit him, though she is not quite as vocal as she used to be. After all, it is one thing to talk to a statue that doesn't say anything in return; quite another to offer confidences to a living man.

She also makes a new friend, Jesse. Jesse, at age 19, has been to war. He has returned from Afghanistan, minus a leg, and is now back in school trying to finish his degree.

The young girl is determined to fix the many things she has found broken - her parents' marriage, Felix's odd state, and Jesse's moodiness. But all of these things are too much for a young girl to handle.

The book has many life lessons in it, and it has a definite point of view - anti-war, for one thing, that I loved. It also deals with relationships - abusive and otherwise - and trust issues.

The story is told in the first person, and I found the voice quite believable. The details of the town were vivid and the characterizations rang true. I enjoyed every word.

I will say I think the title is a bit of a mouthful, but it works in the end.

Young girls - maybe as young as 10 but perhaps a bit older - will find this to be a terrific story, one with a lesson about who you can and cannot save (and how to figure out the difference). I plan to buy a second copy and give it to my 10-year-old niece, but perhaps not until Christmas 2012, when she will be almost 11.

This is an easy read; I finished it in two nights and one sitting would have been satisfactory if I had had the time.


Full disclosure:

The author, Amanda Cockrell, is a professor at Hollins University. She is not just any professor; she's MY professor and I consider her to be a friend. She most recently was my thesis advisor. I have had classes with her off and on since 2002.

I purchased the book when Amanda held a book signing back in October. However, since we were working together on my thesis, I decided to hold off reading it until my project was finished. Once I completed that and the grade was on my transcript, I felt it would be fine to read the book and do a review of it. I like to avoid conflicts like that when I can.

Many thanks to Amanda for writing such a great book!


5 stars

Is It Spring?

“For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.”

                            -- William Wordsworth

Visiting the Dead

On Sunday, fellow blogger and my friend, Di, over at Blue Ridge Gal, contacted me about a grave she wanted to find. She's connected with findagrave.com and is off in hot pursuit of chisled marble in the cemeteries these days. She hunts up stones for folks at their request and takes a photo for them.

Her destination this time led her to the Firebaugh Cemetery. A light bulb went off in her lovely head, and she thought, aha! My friend Anita probably knows where this is at.

And indeed I did.

The Firebaugh Cemetery is located in someone's front yard, on a road not far from our farm.

It is rather picturesque. I love the old tree even though it has uprooted a few stones.

The front stones here belong to my husband's great-great-grandparents.

This is the family patriarch. Legend has it that Philip Firebaugh came to Botetourt County around 1818. His saddlebags were filled with gold.

A line-up of the family.

This is the original family homeplace, Stonelea. It is quite old. I don't know when it got out of family hands; decades ago, I know. At one time all of this land was farmland.

Times change.

Thursday Thirteen

1. It is an election year, so I anticipated a long time ago that gas prices would rise in 2012. The problem is not the price of barrels, but politics. Wall Street speculators are the real reason the prices at the pumps are so high. That's the one percent getting a little more of your hard-earned dollars. You can thank the previous political administration and the party of the right for this perversion; however, the lack of challenge to the issue puts the blame back on the current administration. So blame them all when you swipe your credit card. You will not be wrong, whomever you curse.

2. My dreams lately have been rather flagrant, highly memorable, and a little scary. Last night I woke up yelling that someone was after me, along with choking and not being able to breathe. I have dreamed of fellow bloggers (whom I have never met in person, even!) and of aliens, too. The medical establishment might say I'm too tired, or it's because I'm really not breathing well (which is possible with the asthma). Others might say I'm a little touched or psychic. But I have always had times of vivid dreams, even when I was a child. I sleepwalk sometimes, too, though not as much now as I once did.

3. Speaking of dreams, I have a dream of a harmonic convergence taking place this year, not the end of the world (Mayan calendar thing). Actually this harmonic convergence thing has already supposedly happened, in 1987, and this year is the culmination of that, or something. At any rate, I am looking for good changes to happen this year, not bad, although it certainly seems like the bad is routing and trying to score many points before it all changes over to good.

4. At any rate, I don't see any harm in everyone praying, however, they pray, for good things. And by that I don't mean a lottery win, I mean for goodness for everyone in the world. I hope people actually pray for that. I do.

5. A lot of people see nothing wrong with pollution, apparently, since they opposed to the EPA and regulations, but I do. I personally like clean air. So it really doesn't matter to me if regulations are put in place because of global warming or climate change, just so long as the air is clean. I actually care about having soot in my lungs, since they are rather delicate, and so I applaud anything that will allow me to breathe. Just a point - I have noticed that my asthma symptoms have increased along the same time frame as a nearby industry went along with lowered regulations from the EPA, allowing them to put more particles of stuff in the air. Coincidence?

6. On my desk I have Blogging for Dummies, MS Office 2007 for Dummies, and Building Web Sites for Dummies. On my book shelf I have the Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing, the Idiot's Guide to Journaling, and the Idiot's Guide to Genealogy. Am I seeing a trend here?

7. Clean water is another issue that will be the talk of the town in the 21st century. Or maybe the issue will be having enough water. Either way, the wet stuff matters and is important.

8. Maybe I am smarter than the average bear. Or maybe not. Sometimes I think I am too smart for my own good. I am definitely book smart but the ways of the world tend to elude me. My mother used to say I lacked common sense. Me and a lot of other people, I would say.

9. Also on my desk: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 volumes), Roget's Desk Thesaurus, The American Heritage Dictionary, and The Basic Book of Synonyms and Antonyms.

10. Last week I spent a great deal of time redoing my office. I cleaned it up and tossed out many items. I bought a second desk and a new chair. It looks a lot better and productivity is up. Sometimes I guess you need a spiff-up.

11. Cell phone use has changed the way students relate to one another at college. In 2002, when I started working on my master's degree, students didn't have smart phones and texting wasn't such a big thing. During breaks, students stood around and talked. Some of us even became friends. In 2011, during breaks students went to a private corner and checked their messages, texted, or looked at Facebook. They did not chat with one another or become friends. I find it rather sad. (I don't have a smart phone, so I mostly went to the bathroom and returned to my desk and watched everyone else in their little solitary bubble, though I did manage to make conversation with one person during the fall semester. And several are now my Facebook friends. If that counts. I guess it sort of does. It's the new reality.)

12. This Thursday Thirteen has absolutely no rhyme or reason about it. I had no ideas for a topic today. Can you tell?

13. I finished my thesis. I received an A. A professor who reviewed it called it a "first rate and moving piece of work." I am pretty happy about that.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 231st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Featuring ... My Niece!

My niece is featured in this special report on beauty pageants!

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-special-assignment-from-little-girls-to-glamour-queens-20120228,0,3536350.story

Books: On Writing

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
By Stephen King
Copyright 2000
Narrated by Stephen King
8 hours audio cassette

This book, part memoir and part how-to, details Stephen King's life. He goes into great detail about his childhood at the first part of the book, and talks about writing later on.

First, let me say that, while I have read a number of Stephen King's books (Carrie, Salem's Lot, Misery, and started Cujo but couldn't finish it), and watched several of his movies (The Shining, The Green Mile) I do not consider myself a fan. I liked horror up until my teenage years, and then I dispensed with it.

However, that doesn't mean I dislike the writing. Disliking content is entirely different matter. It just means I have a touchy tummy.

King reveals in the memoir part that he had a problem with drugs and alcohol. I was rather disappointed to learn this, though not surprised. That kind of thing seems to follow writers.

Another thing that struck me about the book was that he wrote it for men. I don't think he intended to do that; I think he thought he was writing just for writers, but ultimately, he was writing for males. Women simply can't shrug off the kid's soccer practice because they want to write.

Phyllis Whitney, in her book Guide to Fiction Writing, said all writer's need a wife. And if you're the wife, well, you have to do the laundry.

Nor did he offer any silver bullets for writing or writers. All of the advice I'd heard before.

He advocated ridding your work of adverbs, using simile and metaphor, and writing first drafts with the door closed, which means, without worrying about what anyone else on the planet thinks about the work you're putting out.

The main thing to do is write. He emphasized that. And then submit it after you find out where it fits.

This is a good book. I personally would have liked a little more on the writing and a little less on Stephen King, particularly his early years, but it is always interesting to hear how writer's work and how they came to do what they do.

I do wonder how he might update it to reflect the broader use of the internet, e-books, and other changes in the industry.

You can find a section of some quotes for the book here.

Moo!

It is Kindness, Not Hate, that Elevates

So last night the aliens came to me.

I knew they were there. I was with several other people, and we knew there was a problem. We began searching for signs and resolutions.

Someone was anxious, and I gave her a teddy bear.

The aliens came to me, looking not fierce and ominous, but friendly and angelic. Their bodies were faint, but there was a glow all about their faces. They had silver around their hair. I grew calm in their presence.

Because my acupuncturist used a pillow beneath my arm when she was gave me a treatment, and because I gave a girl a teddy bear, and because of thousands of other small kindnesses they had observed on this night, there was hope for mankind, the alien said.

It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.

They will be watching.

Yes, it was a dream.

But great things start with a vivid imagination.

So this morning I imagine a world of love, one where we are all kind to one another. One where we set aside our differences and embrace each other as friends.

It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.

Namaste. I bow to you, my friend.

Captcha Codes

I see that many bloggers still have the crazy new captcha codes on their blogs.

Here is how I eliminated it:

Go to your list of posts/dashboard for your blog.

Find the little gear thing in the top right corner.

Click on it.

Go to "Old Blogger Interface" and click on it.

Wait a minute because it takes a second to revert.

Click on Settings for your blog.

Click on Comments

Click on Show Word Verficiation for Comments and click "NO"

Save

Click on "Try the new Blogger" up at the very top.

It will take you back to your old blog look and you shouldn't lose anything in the process.

Hope this helps.

A Tisket, a Tasket

Sometimes you become attached to things and don't even know it.

This happened to me this past week. I realized something I'd taken for granted meant a lot to me.

No, not my husband. I already know how much he means to me.

I'm talking about a clothes basket.

The handle broke. And you know how that is. Once they've split like that, when you pick them up, they pinch your hand.

You can see where I put a little red mark where the basket handle has broken.

The thing is, this is no ordinary clothes basket.

This is the best clothes basket EVER. I bought it in 1983 - yep, the year I married. It was one of my first purchases as new wife.

My clothes basket has been with me for 29 years.

This thing was made by Rubbermaid. I have had other clothes baskets throughout the decades - of course you need more than one - but this one has held up and withstood all kinds of tossing about.

It was quite small, too. And I, being short of stature (though wide of butt) found it to be the perfect size.

Of course, you cannot find anything like it anymore.

The replacement basket is taller and wider.

If anyone had told me I would be upset about a clothes basket, even a week ago, I would have laughed.

How ridiculous!

But I find I can't throw this old basket out. I put it out with the trash, really I did.

And then I fetched it back in the house.

I decided I would try to glue it back together.

I really don't think it will hold. But after all these years, I thought it deserved a second chance.

Silly, right? But what's a little glue among friends.

How about you? Anything in your house that you could easily replace, but would be unhappy to part with?

Another Rainbow!

On Thursday morning, around 7:30 a.m., I spied another rainbow out the window.

These rainbows are very unusual - in the 25 years I've lived here, I've never seen this many - but I suspect they are what happens when you have the strange and untimely weather we've been experiencing.

Delegate Jennifer McClellan - You Go Girl!

This is 12 minutes long, but Virginia Delegate Jennifer McClellan explains in detail why government should stay out of women's health care. This is well worth watching.

I take all of this very personally. These dumbasses in Richmond and all over the nation are trying to criminalize health care that saved my life and the lives of countless other women. This is not about their pathetic little visions of women skipping off to the abortion clinic after a wild night of sex. This is about women who are married, who want children, who have miscarriages and infertility issues. This is about ectopic pregnancy, about birth defects, and a myriad other serious and heart-wrenching decisions that women have to make. Government has absolutely no damn business legislating what goes on between anyone, male or female, and their doctor.

Tell me, Republicans, how is not okay to require people to buy health insurance, which only affects the pocketbook, but it is okay to force women to DIE?


PASS THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT NOW!

Books: Fractured Facade

Fractured Facade
By Elena DeRosa
Copyright 2011
E-book

The author of this book is a personal friend. We met through our blogs and we are a member of the same organization, the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National League of American Pen Women. Full disclosure and all of that. However, she did not ask me to read or review her book and she does not know I am putting this review on my blog.

Her blog is Ms. Elenaeous Rants & Raves. Her author page is located here.

I bought the book when Elena put it up as an e-book back in October or November, but because I was in school and working on my thesis, I was not able to read it then. I did want to support her, though, with the purchase. It is, to date, the only author-published (I believe Elena uses the term "indie" published) book I have purchased on my Nook. Actually, it's the only book I have purchased on my Nook. I'm afraid I have not yet taken to the e-readers.

Fractured Facade is billed as a novel told as memoir. I think Elena has struggled to find the proper genre for the story, and after reading it, I wonder if she has considered the True Crime genre. I don't read those, but it seems like it might work there.

The story, told in the first person, gives us a heroine, Marie, whose father has passed away. The book then details Marie's journey to New York to find out what happened to her dad. Her father, who was widowed, was seeing a very strange woman, and Marie unfortunately inherits the girlfriend.

Alas, the world is full of gold diggers who will take advantage of people. The strange girlfriend is one of them, and dealing with her takes all of the fortitude that Marie can muster.

The book goes into detail about problems with the girlfriend, the police department, the medical examiner's office, and the court system. The story is an important one, for it points out the problems older folks run into, particularly when family members are not close by or checking up on them every single day. It begs the question - at what point do the children become the caretakers? Of course, that differs in every family, and it is a very hard thing to figure out when and how to do.

It also demonstrates out how important it is to have your affairs in order. We never know when it will be our time to go. The people you leave behind may have to deal with all sorts of trouble if things are not as they should be. Marie sheds many tears because she must work through governmental systems that care little for her pain. It is hard to do these things when you are grieving the loss of a loved one.

This book has many lessons in it. It is definitely a cautionary tale. The writing is quite emotional at times, so be prepared for a bumpy ride. However, it is very true to life - I suspect more truth than fiction here - and the author does a good job of carrying the story forward.

I am very proud of Elena for moving forward with her project. It takes guts to venture out into the world with your baby (i.e., the story). She has also undertaken some interesting and different marketing techniques here locally. I have been watching her activities with curiosity and admiration, and it has been quite an adventure for her.

I congratulate her on her accomplishment.

More on the War on Women

Here are a couple of pieces about current legislation and the strange and disturbing conversations taking place in the media with regard to women:

http://confessions-of-a-thinking-woman.blogspot.com/2012/02/grievances-against-gop-from-former.html?showComment=1329749882826#c514318211943895953

The above link takes you to an excellent argument as to why current activities around the nature are just morally wrong, particularly as they pertain to women.


http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.html

This explains the issues in Virginia with regard to the requirement forcing ultrasound upon women who are seeking abortions.

http://www.newsleader.com/article/20120219/OPINION01/202190314/Virginia-abortion-bills-denigrate-all-women


An op-ed about the Virginia issues of ultrasound and personhood.

O What a Beautiful Morning!

The sun comes up and casts a faint pink hue upon the snow . . .

The mountains reflect the golden orb . . .

A day of promise and beauty . . .

New beginnings . . .

Loveliness . . .

Joy.

 

And then the first snow came

On a weekend when a volunteer pansy bloomed in my fence row . . .

And the daffodils were ready to bud out . . .

The snow began to fall . . .

Even the deer came out to see . .

Soon the ground was covered . . .

It snowed . . . and snowed . . .

Until everything was white.

Comments

Dear Gentle Readers,

As you may have noticed, suddenly you have to type in a captcha code to leave a comment.

Added: *I think I have fixed the issue but if not someone please tell me!*

I didn't do this. Google did. Bad Google. Bad.

I don't have security settings on my account but I can't figure out how to make the captcha code go away. I don't like and I don't want it. I hate the things myself.

I changed from embedded to pop out *and then to full page* but I don't think this fixed the issue.

If you know how to fix this, please endure the captcha code and leave a comment so I can try to get rid of these things.

Of course, if the captcha code has vanished, it'd be nice to know that, too.

Thank you!

Anita aka CountryDew

Books: Paladin of Souls

Paladin of Souls
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Copyright 2003
470 pages

This book won the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Awards for Best Novel in 2004.

It is a sequel, sort of, to The Curse of Chalion, which I have not read.

However, you do not need to have read the first book to enjoy this one.

Ista is a 40-year-old woman of royalty who has spent years in madness, courtesy of the gods. She has been released from that and, after the death of her mother, most of her other duties. Her children now rule the land.

The dowager was a minor character in The Curse of Chalion and the author does a splendid job of painting the land and offering up back story. The book really stands on its own.

Ista sets out on a pilgrimage, mostly to get away from the castle where she has spent most of her life, and her keepers who are intent on keeping her safe and watching her.

The pilgrimage quickly goes sour when she is taken captive and then rescued by a loyal fellow who owns part of the lands in the borderlands.

Once safe in his castle, she discovers that nothing is at it seems, the Bastard God has determined she will do his bidding and make things right.

I really enjoyed reading about a heroine who was an older character. Ista is a wonderful heroine, full of spunk and curiosity, yet wise because of her years. She is soft from too much castle living, but she soon overcomes that. I appreciated the details of her inner life, which were very well done.

If you like fantasy with strong characterization, this book is highly recommended.

The War on Women

Apparently, this spring the Republicans determined that, just as they did last year with unions, this would be the time to put all of us horrible females in our place.

You know, barefoot and pregnant. Answering to the menfolk. Hell, let's throw uneducated in there, while we're at it, since they're undermining the educational system, too.

Now, if you believe that is how it should be, then I suggest you turn away from this blog entry.

Because I think it fucking sucks.

Earlier this week, Democratic congresswomen objected to, and then left, an all-guy hearing on contraception. The GOP chairman of the committee refused to let women testify at a hearing to talk about women's health care.

Because we don't know what we're talking about when it comes to taking care of ourselves, obviously.

Meanwhile, one of Santorum's top goons said that women should just stick an aspirin between their knees for a contraceptive.

But none of that beats what the idiotic legislators in Virginia are doing.

They're taking us back to the dark ages with their personhood amendments and a bill that allows the state to force inanimate object rape upon women.

HB462, which has already passed the House of Delegates and is headed for Senate confirmation before being passed on to the governor, will force women who seek abortions to have an ultrasound.

Here's the summary of the bill from the legislative page:

Requires that, as a component of informed consent to an abortion, to determine gestation age, every pregnant female shall undergo ultrasound imaging and be given an opportunity to view the ultrasound image of her fetus prior to the abortion. The medical professional performing the ultrasound must obtain written certification from the woman that the opportunity was offered and whether the woman availed herself of the opportunity to see the ultrasound image or hear the fetal heartbeat. A copy of the ultrasound and the written certification shall be maintained in the woman's medical records at the facility where the abortion is to be performed.

Essentially, this is state-sponsored rape and torture. And if you think otherwise, go say it elsewhere. I don't want to hear your sorry excuses for this gross violation, because there is absolutely nothing you can say to defend this that will make sense. So keep your stupid to yourself if you agree that this procedure should be FORCED upon women, regardless of the reason for it.

I have had this ultrasound done. It was performed on me a couple of times, actually, when I was trying to have a child.

It is a gross violation of your person. If this were being done in any setting other an a medical one, it would be considered rape with an inanimate object, and the person holding the wand would go to jail. For a very long time.

This procedure traumatized me, and I wasn't having an abortion, I was doing the opposite.

This is akin to the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. For a long time the State of Virginia allowed its social services to remove the reproductive organs of mentally ill patients. They finally stopped the practice and eventually apologized for their stupidity.

This is about the same damn thing.

How is this not a gross violation of a woman's rights? How this is not rape if you force this procedure upon someone?

If you want to read more about this, check out these links:

http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/2012/02/16/war-on-women-reaching-some-kind-of-fever-pitch/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505267_162-57380002/uproar-over-santorum-backer-contraception-quote/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/virginia-ultrasound-bill-republican-abortion-lifestyle-convenience_n_1276799.html

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=13470

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/house-senate-approve-abortion-related-bills/2012/02/14/gIQAb5rmDR_blog.html


If you would like to write to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell you can do so at this link:

https://www.governor.virginia.gov/AboutTheGovernor/contactGovernor.cfm


If you're a regular reader and this entry surprises you, please take a look around at what is happening. If you are a woman, to many of the people in charge, you are nothing more than chattel. If you're happy with that, then be on your merry way.

If you think you're a person, and you matter, then please stand up for your rights.

Because if they can force this one segment of our female sisters, who knows what they will force upon the rest of us.

Thursday Thirteen

Today's Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by the letter "D," as in, damnation, dang it, and darn.

1. The denouement is the final resolution of a work, such as a play or a novel. It is the wrap-up of the piece. For example, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the denouement is the last few pages that wrap up the mopping up after Harry kills Vlodemort.

2. To diddle is to waste time, as in, to diddle around until the cows come home (talk about cliche!). The word also has a vulgar meaning which I shall not repeat here (and frankly did not know until I just looked up the word). Additionally, it is a nickname my brother gave himself when he first learned to talk. He was trying to say "tickle" but it came out "diddle" and stuck with him forever.

3. To be in danger means you are susceptible to harm. To live dangerously means to put yourself in harm's way, such as by parachuting from a plane. It might also mean stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something you might not normally do.

4. Being deceitful means you're being fraudulent or false. May politicians are deceitful in that they say one thing so that you will vote for them, but then do something other than what they said. Virginia is full of politicians like that.

5. Decriminalization is legislation that makes something legal that once was against the law. In the United States, you most often hear about it in terms of marijuana use, but politicians have managed to decriminalize many other things, mostly dealing with corporations and banks, giving them leeway to screw over the population with high interest rates, fees, and other methods to part you from your money.

6. Deer are those cute four-hooved animals that eat up my rose bushes and destroy the alfalfa field by eating the grass. On any given night, I can see a dozen of them.

7. To deify is to give someone or something a position of the highest order; to make them god or godlike. Americans like to deify movie stars and other celebrities, though we don't call it that. It is what we do, though. Otherwise I cannot account for this fascination with glamour and money.

8. A democracy is government where rule is by the people or their elected representatives. In a democracy, everyone has an equal say. Do you feel that is still true in the United States? Or are some people - or corporations - much more equal than others these days? Or does your financial status, gender, or race determine exactly how equal you are?

9. A diary is a personal journal or written record of your day or life. It might also be something that records the weather. A Diary of Anne Frank is a famous diary that was turned into a book.

10. I have a dilly-dally problem in that I constantly put things off. Dilly-dally means to procrastinate. Or lollygag.

11. A dissertation is a formal, elaborate argument or discourse that puts forth some discussion or research. I am writing a thesis, which is a little different, for my masters degree (and I'm almost done with it).

12. A doctorate is one of the highest degrees one can obtain from a university. It generally takes three to five more years of school to obtain. I daresay I will not obtain this degree at this late stage of my life.

13. A draught is a dose of medicine, usually liquid. It's also a serving of alcohol. It's not a common word; I usually see it in historical novels.



Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 229th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Stephanie Plum Comes to Life

Sunday, for an early Valentine's Day, my husband took me to see the movie One for the Money.

He sort of wanted to see it, too. He has listened to enough of Janet Evanovich's books - I have heard almost all of them, as I listen to them in the car - to have a good feel for the characters. I think my hubby is a secret fan of the characters.

The show received terrible reviews, and while I wouldn't put the movie in the "really terrible" column, I certainly would not recommend that everyone rush out to see it. Especially at the cost of a theater ticket today. It is not the worst movie I've ever seen, but even Sex and the City 2 has this beat, and that was a pretty bad movie.

One for the Money stayed fairly true to the book, which I had to read this fall for my Detectives in Fiction class at Hollins University. So I was very familiar with the story the movie is based upon.

In this instance, the book is much better than the movie. That is often the case, though not always.

The basic story line? Stephanie Plum is an out-of-work lingerie sales girl. She goes to work for her cousin, Vinnie Plum, at his bail bond agency. She decides to bring in Joe Morelli, a former lover and a cop who has shot someone and then skipped out on his bail.

She is tutored in the fine art of bounty hunting by Ranger, a Latin man who knows how to handle a weapon.

In the film, Stephanie has this unnamed friend (or maybe she was supposed to be Stephanie's sister - she does have a sister in later books), whom we see only briefly. Stephanie calls her I think maybe three times. It is a rather odd device for the movie, and I'm not sure what it's purpose was, except for extra dialogue and explanation to the viewer. If you must resort to that to carry the script along, it is time for a rewrite.

The problem wasn't really the script, though. The problem was the total lack of chemistry of these actors between themselves and with the screen. You know how some actors just ooze personality across the air waves? There is none of that here.

Katherine Heigl looks as I might have envisioned Stephanie Plum, but that's about it. She is pretty wooden in her efforts to portray the spunky Stephanie.

The fellow playing Joe Morelli looks Irish, not Italian, and there was absolutely no chemistry between him and Heigl. None. Zip. Nada.

The guy playing Ranger did a little better in the hottie department, but still, I didn't feel the vibes between Stephanie and Ranger like I do in the books.

And Debbie Reynolds was completely miscast as Grandma Mazur.

I suspect many of Evanovich's fans will be disappointed with this rather ho-hum effort. The characters in the book are very rich in detail and personality, and there is much to be mined there. It's a shame that this first effort will prove such a disappointment.

However, I fully expect that One for the Money will become one of those that find a good home on the movie channels, where it will play endlessly and become a fan favorite simply through familiarity.