For hutch0 (and anyone else who's interested)

[jmward14]

...The cave was decorated. And if that wasn’t weird enough all by itself, it looked like the designer followed every rule set down in the collected works of the Margravine von Stewhard, including the ones that contradicted each other. Painfully symmetrical fans of exactly seven glowing feathers were arranged in as close to a checkerboard pattern as the pits in the walls allowed. Winking gems organized by color and sized turned a stone niche into homemade abstract art. Directly below it, a line of crevices boasted rolls of gold, silver and copper coins stacked as neat as bank rolls. The place didn’t even stink like it should--unless your definition of a monster was a little old lady who lived alone with a parrot and never opened her windows.

Where were the mounds of treasure? Where were the crunchy bones and late-night body part snacks?

 
Sorry to have been out of the LJ loop for so long.  A trip to Florida and a little bout of surgery will do that to a girl.  
Fortunately, the surgery went well, and I think I got some good photos of our stay in Tampa.  Fingers crossed I'll get to download and tweak them soon.  We visited Haslans, the bookstore supposedly haunted by Jack Kerouac.  I didn't see him, but that doesn't mean anything.  After all, as Teri said, I'm too stubborn to see most human ghosts.
Besides, I don't know what he looks like.  ;-)
Cheers and grins,

Comments

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

welcome back.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And big congrats on the scale results. Hugs and smiles, Jean Marie

[quietselkie.livejournal.com]

Florida in July? Eeeeeeeeeccccch. Not even to get a peep at Kerouac. Did you at least see some good lightning storms, there in the most-struck part of the USA?

Hope you're doing OK.

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

We had lots of showers, but nothing major--even compared with the DC area.
We went down for the 90th birthday of one of the few relatives who visited Greg's dad in the mental institution. The party was a lot of fun, and that branch of the family couldn't have been nicer.
The funny part was how much it was deja vu all over again. For me, anyway. Unlike the NJ relatives, half the FL contingent married Italians. I swear it felt just like holidays with my mom's family, only this time I was sitting with the grown-ups in the kitchen drinking wine, instead of camped out in front of the TV or squirting my cousins with a garden hose. (It isn't waterboarding if they hose you first.)
And they had fig trees! I ate figs off the tree! I didn't even get to do that at my grandma's house on 17th Street in South Philadelphia, even though she had a fig tree growing out of a hole in the concrete in the backyard.
Not only that, one of Greg's cousins made pizzelles. I haven't had pizzelles--not the real, thin ones--since my aunt Neli died.
Needless to say, I was more at home than Greg was. LOL But he had fun, and we're hoping they'll invite us back next year for a family wedding. Heck, we're hoping the happy couple will stop here on their drive up the East Coast in August.
Hugs and smiles,
Jean Marie

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Surgery? What's up? (Or, what's been up?) Delighted to hear it's all gone well, but . . .

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the concern {{{{{realthog}}}}}. It's not that serious, honest. It's mumble*mumble such a girlie thing. Hugs, Jean Marie

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"such a girlie thing"

Ah. Worth a dozen articles in the NYT, you mean?

[jer-bear711.livejournal.com]

Yay on the surgery! Not on having it, but on it going well, of course. Glad you had a good trip, even if you didn't see Kerouac's ghost. :-)

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much {{{{jer_bear711}}}}! Who knows, he may have decided to show in the pics. I can hope, anyway. Hugs and smiles, Jean Marie

[vonandmoggy.livejournal.com]

Surgery? You ok? I'm at least hoping that it was very minor and that you're perfectly fine. :)

Von

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much {{{{Von}}}}. Very minor, fortunately. I'm already motoring on my own steam. Still on antibiotics (translation: still can't drink) but everything is working as it should. Hugs and smiles, Jean Marie

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"translation: still can't drink"

Well, you can never drink anyway, can you?

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Well, I can't drink much...
Hugs and sighs,
Jean Marie

[vonandmoggy.livejournal.com]

Surgery! I had no idea either...I'm really glad you're up and about and posting and seeming like yerself. Here's to continued improvements and feeling perfect sooner rather than later! *sends tea and hugs*

[jmward14.livejournal.com]

Thanks {{{{moggy}}}}! Tea and hugs are always welcome. BTW, been meaning to ask--any chance you and von will be attending World Fantasy Con in Calgary this year?
Hugs,
Jean Marie