March Synopsis

I only finished two reviews this month, although I read three books. There just isn't time enough in the day to finish everything that needs to be done.


Sword of Shame, Medieval Murderers

A Rose for the Crown, Anne Easter Smith

Tangled Webs; Anne Bishop

Published by ROC in March 2008, Tangled Webs was written by Anne Bishop. Click link in title above to go to Ms. Bishop's website. It’s a follow on to the Black Jewels trilogy, featuring Surreal SaDiablo and her lover Rainier. Set shortly after Daemon and Jaenelle’s wedding, events unfold quickly. I loved Ms. Bishop’s nod to real life fairy tale Prince Rainier of Monaco. The multi layered references within the title amuse me. First thing that came to mind was the old truism, “what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Second, the method of travel within the Realms of the Blood is by ‘web’ for those gifted with magical abilities. Third, there are relationship webs woven between individuals.

Tangled Webs is set in late October in Dhemlan. Surreal is coming into her moontime and Daemon is in the house to protect her during the few days a month when witches are without most of their magic. Things get a little prickly when Rainier arrives, but Surreal manages to smooth it over. A few days later Surreal gets a royal invitation to attend a spooky house built by Jaenelle and Marian. A rather abrupt and oddly worded invitation. Surreal and Rainier decide to go, though. And that’s when the trouble really begins.

Surreal and Rainier meet at ‘the spooky house’ and enter with a small group of landen (base born, non magically gifted) children. Thus they are trapped and in deadly danger. Now comes a race against time and danger. Will Surreal and Rainier be able to keep themselves and the children alive and escape the spooky house? Who built it and why?

Ms. Bishop works in details of the SaDiablo family relationships: how Jaenelle and Daemon are dancing the tender and prickly dance newborn marriages go through; we watch Lucivar and Marian and little Daemonar; we see Saetan and Sylvia mourn the inevitable end of their relationship; we watch Jaenelle feeling her way around her new jewel and how recent events have changed her official role. All of these things deepened my affection for the Realms of the Blood created by Ms. Bishop.

In my opinion Tangled Webs could be read by someone unfamiliar with Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, although I feel that familiarity with this world deepens the reading experience. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys both fantasy and mystery novels.

Image found on Fantasticfiction

Glomming again

As regular readers know, I love vampire romances. I dunno, sharp teeth. Hungry all the time. Only for her, naturally. A couple of days ago I came across a new to me vampire romance author. Lara Adrian has written four Midnight Breed books, all set in my former stomping grounds of metropolitan Boston. Ms. Adrian's website is linked to above. Click here to go a trailer page on Ms. Adrian's website. They're really delicious. Work safe, most likely. Nothing too graphic. The trailers are quite well done. Really. I've seen some corny ones.

I've read two of the Midnight Breed series in the last week, and they are YUMMY. LOL Needless to say the Excel project I was supposed to do for class was put off until the absolutest last second. And even then Pianist helped me.

Image found at stockxchng.hu

Thursday 13 #39- The Perfect Rake, Anne Gracie

This is the first time I've done a Thursday 13 book review, but there's always a first right? The purpose of Thursday 13 is to help bloggers get to know one another better. Put a link in the comments and I'll link to you here. Click link in the title above to see a list of other participants.

1. The Perfect Rake was written by Anne Gracie and published by Berkeley in 2005. It's set in Regency England.

2. The set up is full of time worn romance cliches: abused orphan sisters led by the plucky eldest flee their evil guardian and are launched into society by an elderly relative while said mean evil guardian pursues them/her and she/they are finally saved by the hero.

3. In this instance, I must say Ms. Gracie makes all of these cliches work for me. And work well, too. The initial scene where Prudence and Gideon meet is extremely funny and reveals much about them individually and sets the stage for their relationship.

4. I think Ms. Gracie let the guardian off the hook too easily at the end, though.

5. I appreciate Ms. Gracie's ability to show the internalization of emotional abuse and she walks the knife's edge of just enough, not too overblown, yet clearly depicting how easily damaged a young woman could be.

6. The hero, Gideon, is supposed to be the classic "rake": well experienced with married women, drinks too much, parties too much, but has his own code. You know the drill: no innocents, because even rakes have to draw the line somewhere; a female relative or two who dotes on him and swears society has it all wrong; no bastard children, emotionally damaged in some way as a child and tons of money.

7. From the beginning, Gideon has eyes only for Prudence. From the start he calls her Miss Imprudence for her tendency to allow her mouth to get herself and by extension, Gideon, in trouble. I loved Gideon for his sense of humor, his ability to roll with Prudence's schemes. In the end, for his ability to both protect her and his ability to to help her grow.

8. Prudence for her part is fiercely protective of her sisters and is desperate though resourceful in her efforts to save them. Luckily she has enough memories of her parents to sustain her and give her strength through her ordeals.

9. Despite the overtones, The Perfect Rake manages to be funny and at times lighthearted. Always showing the power of familial love, parents' ability to reach beyond the grave to influence their children and the healing power of a new relationship.

10. A midnight hell for leather carriage ride.

11. Gideon gets shot, but all is not what it seems.

12. A Duke who is described as stout and serious and likes to live on an isolated estate.

13. Very highly recommended.

A Rose for the Crown; Anne Easter Smith

Um. Ok this is a great book. Go buy it. Historical women's fiction. Richard III. Political intrigue. Mistresses. Illegitimate bastard children. Insurrection. Lice. Seasonal bathing. Mean evil stepmothers. Weird immature smarmy husbands.

Photo found on Simon Says

Thursday 13 #38- Family Updates

Click the link in the title to see a list of other Thursday 13 participants. Thursday 13's reason for being to help bloggers get to know one another. Leave a link to your TT in the comments and I'll link to you here.

1. College Student has quit his job to focus on his studies. Prioritizing is a skill many of us need to work on, students especially.

2. Anime Queen is planning to go to New Orleans for a week this summer with her church youth group. They will be rebuilding and passing out supplies for a week. Our parish has adopted a church with an identical name and we've worked with them over the last few years.

3. Pianist has become the school accompanist. He's played for the 6th grade play and the county spelling bee. His music teacher wants him to conduct a little, and has tried to get him to do it during Thursday night handbells. Pianist, though, was self conscious and uncomfortable.

3. The Husband is frustrated at work, staffing issues and his boss trying to juggle a serious family medical problem which is distracting her. School seems to be perculating along, which I'm glad to see. I think it helps keep him going, knowing that every day he's in school brings him one day closer to his goals.

4. Next weekend we're going into DC for the anime movie marathon held at the Freer. It's free (YAY!) and there will be fireworks that night too. Plus- College Student is coming home to go with us.

5. Anime Queen is begging to go to the street fest the following weekend (April 12th), but both Hubby and I have to work. I can't decide if she could go for a little while during the day while I'm working. Doubt it but she's very convincing.

6. I've decided to give my notice at work, probably at the end of April. Read this post to understand why. When I accepted this job I knew it might not last long because of the commute issues, but it has really snowballed out of control. I will stay through the end of Hubby's semester because I want to keep that promise.

7. College Student went to my sister's a couple of weeks ago to play with his little cousins. He says the little one (a toddler) is quite a firecracker and the older one (early elementary age) loves to play Grand Theft Auto. My Lovely Sister was working, but notre chere Grandmere, who comments here, made all the boys go outside.

8. No progress on finding a Japanese language class for the AQ. The one held by the community college begins May 19 and goes twice weekly all summer, but she'd still be in regular classes and needs to concentrate on those first. Not to mention having two trips away.

9. Speaking of AQ again, she has been promised a ticket to the Warped 2008 Tour. IF she gets a C for the year in IBMYP Algebra II. She's gone to tutoring all year and has still struggled mightily. I happened on this incentive by accident with prodding by College Student, but if it works more to the good. Poor girl's gonna get ulcers because of her math struggles.

10. Other than work and stress and high blood pressure and ulcers, the family life is anemic. April's going to be the longest month, I swear. I am regretful on the kids' behalf, but the Lord gave me this job when we needed the extra money to set College Student up and to pay for the car. It'll all work out in the end, I think. For everyone's benefit. Think positive and have faith. *That's me reminding myself*

11. The gentlemen in the family are hoping to go camping this summer, and are aiming for somewhere out in the Shenandoah Valley. They threaten to take the AQ- as the representative female and as one who whines at the start but beats the boys in enthusiasm in the end.

12. No the Wife will not go camping. She will stay home and play with her books.

13. Or visit the chere grandmere. Or garden. Anything but camp.

New Post Up

Over at Access Romance. All about glomming and book collecting and cheering yourself up. Really. It works. Honest.

Big Box Bookstore News

According to Reuters Borders Books Music and Cafe is in trouble. Share price dropping fast and they've borrowed 42 million to keep going. They've started hunting for a buyer, Reuters speculates B&N but they're not exactly super strong at the moment either.

So Borders has been in business long enough to put indie booksellers on permanent life support and now Borders is in danger of sinking beneath the waves. I wish I could say I'm sorry, but the moment they put a former supermarket executive in charge of a bookstore, I knew they were in trouble. This was years ago. I hesitate to say it, but groceries and books and DVDs aren't the same. The ambiance in a bookstore is different from most grocery stores.

I'm not gleeful, but hope springs eternal that the little bookstores I love will benefit from Borders' trouble. I often go out of my way to get books from the few indies in our area.

The Sword of Shame; Medieval Murderers

I found this completely by accident, it was shelved in the science fiction section (???). This title is an anthology of medieval set mysteries centered around a sword and what happens to those who own it or come across it over the course of several centuries. Individual stories are written by Bernard Knight, Ian Morson, Susanna Gregory and Philip Gooden. Not all of whom I have been able to find in my local bookstores. Jacket image found on Amazon.com. The photo of the authors found on Michael Jecks' website.

The sword was crafted by a Saxon sworsmith before the invasion of William the Conqueror. Very soon afterward the sword affects the fate of the swordsmith's family. It is then passed on and sold and traded and so on. We watch the sword as its form changes and as it touches the lives of its owners. It moves from Britain to Italy and back to London over time.

Can an inanimate object be evil? Without specific intent by the smith or anyone else involved in crafting it? As an example, in some stories an object is specifically made as a ritual object and over time with use and intent it becomes imbued with atmosphere or awareness. This sword, which I don't think ever has a specific name despite being inscribed, somehow manages to involve itself in shady goings on. But does it influence it's owners in a negative manner?

All of the stories are well written, but as is usual with anthologies of any type, possibly excepting those edited by Datlow and Windling, some appealed more than others.

Stressed and Conflicted

Work is still kicking my my butt, although at this point it's due to schedule changes which have resulted in closing one night, 10 pm and later, and opening the next morning, 6 am. Repeatedly. I'm looking for another job, the constant schedule changes and high stress levels are pulling me down into the abyss. The Husband took my blood pressure on a whim last week. According to the American Heart Association online, I'm now in the "pre high bloodpressure" category. Borderline. How fabulous! Hubby sat me down for a big lecture on stress reduction and eating better (as if) and maybe I oughta reconsider this line of work.

I'm really conflicted about the whole employment issue, to be honest. I found a job so he could return to school while he's already working full time. I didn't want him to have to work extra hours to make ends meet, especially while he's in school. I want to keep my promise. He points out that only four days of extra work per month and he can equal what I'm bringing home. He didn't say it to put me down, although it is discouraging, only in an attempt to help me feel like it's ok to let this one go. So that's one arm being pulled in one direction.

Another arm is held by the kids, who in the last two weeks, have seen me only a couple of days because of school. Meaning, to be clear, that I'm off mornings and then go to work right before they come home. I don't return until after 11 pm, long after they're in bed. Husband works late evenings as well, so over the last few weeks they've been home alone for the afternoon and evening three nights a week. Which isn't what I signed up for.

I know that most of my problem is simply whining. There are women I work with who can't quit, who are the main breadwinners or who have a financial situation where their income is absolutely required. While we'd have to be careful and Hubby would have to be sure to get his four days in, I could simply leave without finding a job first. I'm in a better situation than many others and I know it.

The third problem is that my schedule has greatly interfered with our church activities, most importantly Sunday attendance. I think I've only managed to get to Sunday services four or five times since Christmas. The kids' activities have been sharply surtailed too, because of transportation problems. We live 30+ miles away from the parish, so carpooling is out of the question. No one lives as far out as we do. Like all people, I'm made of clay. Skippinig church if I want to is ok, not great but ok. But having my option to attend or to stay home taken away is like a pebble in my shoe.

So Hubby's added four days to his schedule this next few weeks. I've not given notice yet. I've not made up my mind. I'm job hunting. I miss my kids and I miss my church. There's a huge part of me that says that I just need to grow up and get with the program, all adults have to make compromises with work and family life. I know that and it's ok. I just feel like the job is winning.

Visiting the Fam

Otherwise known as visiting the grandparents in the Tidewater area, most importantly the Graduate. Who signs his emails Coolidge Stoodant so that is what I shall call him here. Earlier this week he spoke with hubby and sounded homesick, so off we went. Only to arrive in the middle of a windstorm. My parents had no power.. So we ate Chinese- sort of. The kind of Chinese takeout that you can only get in semi rural America. Neither Chinese nor American, an odd kind of hybrid only found here.

Well, let me back up a little. I'd worked Friday closing shift, which is 2:00 to 10:00. Saturday I open, which is 6:00 to 1:30. It takes 45 minutes to get from home to work & vice versa. I think I got 4 and half hours of sleep if you're generous. So hubby scooped me up after work yesterday and we stopped off and got the kids and our bags. I didn't dare sit down at home for fear I'd fall asleep and be dead to the world for hours. I napped in the car along the way, about an hour and a half or so I think.

Anyhow. It was a great evening. We lit every candle we could find, which was plenty..My mom likes candles. Listened to Prairie Home Companion and talked and laughed for hours. My parents' house is pretty big, so normally we would've scattered all over, but with no power we sat together and visited. It was nice. That's a pathetic word, but it was nice. Coolidge Stoodant sat next to me and I ran my hands through his hair just like when he lived at home full time. Thick and wavy and soft, enough to make any girlfriend jealous. The big brown mole just inside his hairline that I always think is a tick is still there.

My mom knitted me a prayer shawl, a beautiful thisck yellow yarn just big enough and heavy enough to drape over my shoulders and it won't fall off. Now she's knitting me a silk and cotton short sleeved green sweater. It actually looks Asian, a Mandarin collar and frog closures down the front. When she's done I'll post an image if I can.

Map image above courtesy of Old Halifax.com

February Reads

I read and posted about the following:

A Lady of his Own, Stephanie Laurens

Much Ado about You, Eloisa James

I finished three others, but haven't had time to post about them. I hope to write them up this month.

Schedule Change

Work has preoccupied nearly my entire waking life these last two weeks. All of the computers and machines and programs and whatnot were changed overnight. Literally. Overnight. With approximately 4 hours training apiece we were essentially left to ourselves and the public. Who expected the same level of service as before, with no allowances for lack of appropriate training, software problems, mechanical problems, etc. We were supposed to get an additional three nights of OJT (on the job training) on other systems only a few of us use primarily in the late evening. However, the training team was from Ohio. All they wanted to do was investigate the nightlife downtown (DC, obviously). Therefore they did everything possible to shortcut the training so they could clear us the hell out and go party. Fabulous.

They left a week ago Sunday night. None of us had any idea what we were supposed to do or how to do it. Other than the instruction manual and the help line number. Which we discovered closed at 10 pm. So if you are an American taxpayer and wonder if your money is being well spent, rest assured your money is being thoroughly abused by the government contracting system.

And no this is not some fly by night little company who changed everything out either. This is a major, Fortune 500 international US company. Whose employees really don't give a $&^t what we needed because we've no say on their annual review. This is a huge contract with a government agency who is spread worldwide. This technology rollover will be/has happened all over the world. Hopefully other training teams actually did their job.

Much Ado About You; Eloisa James

Written by Eloisa James and published in 2005 by Avon, this is the first of the Essex sisters grouping. The others are: Kiss Me Annabel, The Taminig of the Duke, and Pleasure for Pleasure. The cameraderie between the women in Ms. James' stories is always a pleasure to read, like icing on top of an already delicious cupcake.

Raphael Jourdain, Duke of Holbrook, is expecting four young girls as his newest wards. To say he's surprised when four young Scottish women arrive is a slight understatement. But you know, he's rich & he can afford to support them until they marry- so he copes. One of Rafe's closest friends, Lucius Felton, shows up unexpectedly for dinner the night the Essex sisters arrive. From then on he and Tess and his buddy Garret Langham vie for Tess' attentions.

Poor Tess Essex meantime, is torn between her duty to her sisters and her confused heart. As the oldest of the sisters she feels her duty is to marry well to a man wealthy enough to support her sisters until they marry. And as we all know, in circs like these, love is both unlooked for and not the most necessary characteristic. She makes what IMO was a rash decision which she regrets later (of course; don't we all?).

So Tess and Lucius and Garret muddle along. Feeling each other and the situation out until everything boils to a head (so to speak, lol). Tess and Lucius end up married on a special license on extremely short notice. You know? Quite a few romances end up with a wedding via special license. How is that, I'd like to know? But I digress. One of Tess' sisters creates a huge crisis that ends spectacularly badly- and she blames Tess. You know where good intentions lead you, right? Well, Tess isn't going there exactly, but she needs to learn that sometimes you can't be everything to everyone. Anyhow.


So all's not really that well for Tess. Except for Lucius. Who turns out to be a boon, naturally. :) I must say I've very strong feelings about Tess's siblings. Not all of which are positive either. I anticipate reading each young woman's story entirely due to Ms. James' ability to pull me into her narrative. Like many other romance readers I find Ms. James' books uniformly excellent and I am pleased to say I'Ve several more on my shelves awaiting just the right time to pull them out to savor every word.

Thursday 13 #37- Family Update

I've not done a family update in a couple of months, I think. So this morning is as good a time as any. Right? I can't help it if my prof. drones on and on and on and this network is really fast and I'm bored and....it's supposed to snow tonight!!! YAY!!

Click link in title above for a list of other TT participants. Leave a link in the comments and I'll link to you. The purpose of TT is to help bloggers get to know each other better.

1. Husband is a reluctant blogger, link HERE to his/our fitness blog. One post each, not all that impressive. Yet. LOL :)

2. Graduate is now employed at a fast food restaurant & gets free/reduced meals. Leading to his grandmothers and I worrying that he is giving himself clogged arteries at 19. It's wonderful to have a teenager who's fabulous so much so that all I really worry about is his heart health.

3. Anime Queen is bucking for a college hunting trip out to Chicago to visit an art school out there. Husband wishes to go and see the Cubbies if we go.

4. Re: #3, I've already taken a week off in August & so has Hubby. We've not made any firm plans, but it's being tossed around.

5. Pianist is set to play intermission music at a play his school is putting on tomorrow night, weather permitting. He says he plans to play most of the pieces he's been working on with his piano teacher.

6. Also, I've asked Pianist's teacher (aka our church organist and choirmaster) to hunt around for voice and piano camp this summer. Pianist needs to be busy and his singing voice, when you can get him to solo for you- which is rarely, is still soprano. That beautiful clear bell tone only achievable by young men yet untouched by puberty.

7. Anime Queen and a girlfriend are planning to be a girls' church group camping trip youth leaders. This will be with the girlfriend's youth group, a different denomination than we are, but I don't care. Fresh air. Girlfriends. The great outdoors. Faith. It doesn't get much better, except that it'll be free to us. A twofer. lol

8. As for me..er I'm taking a computer class. As I mentioned above. Right now. But he's droning on and on and on about the origins of the internet. And Reston (VA, right up the road) being important to the WWW. So here I am instead. With you. :)

9. Work is ..worky. A word of my own invention, meaning ...meh, more of the same, you get the idea. Some days ulcer inducing. Other days quiet and uneventful. We're finally entering the 21st century and all new equipment is being installed over the next few days. Most everyone else I work with are stressed to the max. Not me. As far as I'm concerned it's about damn time and it'll make the whole work experience easier by far.

10. Valentine's was quiet and simple. Filled with chocolate of all types and colors and flavors. We spent it together at home. Maybe next month we'll do something for Hubby b'day and St. Patrick's day combined. If we're not exhausted by the work and school and family schedules that leave us with so much time together. NOT

11. Our neighbor had a screen pried off of their back window a week or so ago. I'd be very nervous except our backdoor a) barely opens because the floor is uneven and won't allow the door open wider than 12" and b) is partially blocked by furniture. The window part? No ideas on what to do about that other than the fact that most days we have an uneven schedule and you can never really tell who's home when. I really want a dog though. A dog who barks.

12. Anime Queen's talk of college hunting has kind of squeezed my heart a little. I'd not thought much about her getting ready to fledge out of our little nest. But here she is, talking about colleges and what she might like to study. Wanting a job where she can work anywhere around the world if she wants to. All of which we've encouraged, it's just my poor little heart isn't quite ready to consider it all.

13. Well, that's all the news that's fit to print for now I think. More next month.

January Reading Synopsis

As further evidence of what a slacker blogger I've become in the last few weeks, my draft January synopsis originally had a date stamp of 1 February. It's now 18, almost 19 February and it's just now getting up. Better late than never I suppose. LOL ;) Eventually I might get around to putting up my end of year, 2007! statistics. Listed in no particular order below.




The Snow White Bride by Claire Delacroix Medieval

A Splendid Indescretion Traditional Regency

Love Me Forever by Donna Fletcher Medieval

When I Fall in Love by Lynn Kurland Contemporary time travel, present to past

Love Came Just in Time by Lynn Kurland Anthology, all by Ms. Kurland

A Well Favored Gentleman, Christina Dodd Historicl paranormal, magical being

Stronger Than Magic, Heather Cullman Historical paranormal, faeries

Goddess of the Rose, P.C. Cast Contemporary romantic fantasy

Even Vampires Get the Blues, Katie MacAlister Love and Laughter paranormal, vampires

A Lady of His Own; Stephanie Laurens

Written by Stephanie Laurens and published by Avon in 2004, A Lady of His Own is the third novel in the Bastion Club series, which is unrelated to the Cynster books. I particularly enjoy the Bastion Club books as well as Ms. Laurens' shorter books which are slowly being rereleased- I think. Anyhow, I like her shorter books too. I know alot of regular romance readers are tired of the Cynsters and their related books, but consider trying these, they're quite good.

Charles St. Austell, Earl of Lostwithiel. Can I just say I love that name, Lostwithiel? No reason. Just do. Anyhow. Onwards. He's returned from the war and is at home on an assignment to find a French sympathizer operating from the English coast using the smugglers. Also nearby is Lady Penelope Selbourne, former childhood playmate. Charles never thought she'd be unmarried after all of his long years away, but here she is. Sneaking around his house in the middle of the night.

Two adults (Penny is in her late 20's & Charles is in his early 30's) discover each other amid murder, smugglers and nosy relatives. ALOHO allows us to watch two people build a relationship upon their shared childhood history. Penny realizes she has unconsciously used Charles as the template on her husband hunting, naturally no one matches up. Charles, for his part, has nurtured the memories of hearth and home to sustain him amid the horrors of war.

Can Charles convince Penny he's really the one? Will he be able to keep her safe from the murder terrorizing the coast? Can Penny and Charles come to terms with each other? And will Dalziel ever get his own book?

New Adventure

The Husband has embarked on a new adventure, as part of a class he's taking. He's begun a fitness blog- and has asked me to participate. He's called it BOB and Muffintop's Fitness Adventures. We thought a little humor might go a long way to easing us into a new lifestyle. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *gasp*

God knows I could improve my fitness habits.

Lifejackets aren't necessary??!

I'm a week late posting this, but a friend emailed me a request referencing legislation pending in the Virginia legislature- apparently there is no state law requiring children under the age of 12 to wear life preservers while on or near watercraft. Please email your local state representative in support of HB 1250, which would require children under the age of 12 to wear a life preserver.

If you live in the state of Virginia please contact your local representative. Apologies in advance for not making links active.


Delegate Harvey B. Morgan (Committee Chair, Co-Patron of the Bill)
(R) - House District 98 - Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex Counties
DelHMorgan@house.state.va.us

Delegate M. Kirkland Cox
(R) - House District 66 - Chesterfield County, City of Colonial Heights
DelKCox@house.state.va.us

Delegate Beverly J. Sherwood
(R) - House District 29 - Frederick County, City of Winchester
DelBSherwood@house.state.va.us

Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr.
(R) - House District 65 - Chesterfield and Powhatan Counties
DelLWare@house.state.va.us

Delegate Thomas C. Wright, Jr.
(R) - House District 61 - Amelia, Brunswick, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg and Nottoway Counties
DelTWright@house.state.va.us

Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr.
(R) - House District 54 - Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties
DelBOrrock@house.state.va.us

Delegate Christopher B. Saxman
(R) - House District 20 - Augusta, Highland and Rockingham Counties, City of Staunton
DelCSaxman@house.state.va.us

Delegate Clarke N. Hogan
(R) - House District 60 - Charlotte, Halifax, Nottoway and Prince Edward Counties
DelCHogan@house.state.va.us

Delegate Edward T. Scott
(R) - House District 30 - Culpeper, Madison and Orange Counties
DelEScott@house.state.va.us

Delegate Daniel W. Marshall, III
(R) - House District 14 - Henry and Pittsylvania Counties, City of Danville
DelDMarshall@house.state.va.us

Delegate Matthew J. Lohr
(R) - House District 26 - Rockingham County, City of Harrisonburg
DelMLohr@house.state.va.us

Delegate Charles D. Poindexter
(R) - House District 9 - Floyd, Franklin and Pittsylvania Counties
DelCPoindexter@house.state.va.us

Delegate Brenda L. Pogge (told the kids she would support the bill)
(R) - House District 96 - James City and York Counties, City of Newport News
DelBPogge@house.state.va.us

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum
(D) - House District 36 - Fairfax County
DelKPlum@house.state.va.us

Delegate James M. Shuler
(D) - House District 12 - Alleghany, Bath, Craig, Giles and Montgomery Counties, City of Covington
DelJShuler@house.state.va.us

Delegate Albert C. Eisenberg
(D) - House District 47 - Arlington County
DelAEisenberg@house.state.va.us

Delegate Stephen C. Shannon
(D) - House District 35 - Fairfax County
DelSShannon@house.state.va.us

Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr.
(D) - House District 100 - Accomack and Northampton Counties, Cities of Hampton and Norfolk
DelLLewis@house.state.va.us

Delegate David L. Bulova
(D) - House District 37 - Fairfax County, City of Fairfax
DelDBulova@house.state.va.us

Delegate Margaret G. Vanderhye
(D) - House District 34 - Fairfax County
DelMVanderhye@house.state.va.us

Delegate Robert W. Mathieson
(D) - House District 21 - City of Virginia Beach
DelRMathieson@house.state.va.us

Delegate Joseph F. Bouchard
(D) - House District 83 - City of Virginia Beach
DelJBouchard@house.state.va.us

Thursday 13 #36- Houseplants To Cheer You Up

It’s been several weeks since I’ve participated in Thursday 13, breaking yet another resolution. Maybe I shouldn’t use that word- for me ‘resolutions’ are bound to fail. I guess I could just say ‘goal’ but somehow that lacks the oomph of resolution. Anyhow. The only list I can think of is to list my houseplants. It’s a gray, drippy chilly January and the warmth of spring seems oh so far away.

1. Ponytail palm

2. Christmas Cactus

3. Palm tree

4. Spider plants

5. Pointsettia

6. Maidenhair fern

7. Norfolk Island Pine

8. Asparagus fern

9.Peace Lily

10. Philodendron

11. Epipremnum (pothos)

12. Thanksgiving cactus

13. Donkey Tail

The purpose of Thursday thirteen is so bloggers can get to know each other better. Include a link in the comments and I'll link to you here.