Michigan Browns

This picture was taken in 2005. It's such a good picture of Aunt Edith, just had to share. The front row, l to r: Charles Brinkman (Bobbie's husband), Aunt Edith and Bobbie; second row: Pat, Jim, Betty, Aggie and Keith. Don and I are in the back row.

Team Kathleen to Expand Soon!

Get ready for another player for Team Kathleen: Amy and Martin are pregnant. Well, okay, Amy's doing most of the work at this point, but Martin helped. Due date is May 2, and Amy reports: " I think we
may have a future soccer player the way baby Fields has been moving around and kicking lately."

Okay, Grandpa-to-be John, make sure your heart rehab is all in order -- you'll soon have a brand new grandbaby to be spoiling!

Linda

Connect the Dots

I just found out I can download episodes from Pee Wee's Playhouse on iTunes! I cannot possibly tell you how happy that makes me. My best friend Frannie and I used to drive Tim mad singing one of the songs from that show: "Connect the dots, la la la la la. Connect the dots, la la la la la. Connect the dots, la la la la la. Connect the dots, la la la la la."

We'd generally only get a few verses out before he was putty in our hands, his mind mushed -- I don't recall, at this point, why we wanted to drive him mad. I suspect, knowing Frannie and myself, it was simply because we could...

Be sending love and good thoughts to Cousin John Fields, who is having heart surgery today.

Linda

A Twist on the Game of Blog Tag

I was trolling blogs today, and came across a version of blog-tag I hadn't encountered before: pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123, and jot down lines 6-8. Then, tag 3 others.

What I found ironic is this: first, I picked up the book closest to my right hand (I'm left-handed, go figure), A MERRY BAND OF MURDERERS, a short story anthology by mystery writers that also includes a CD of original music. (We sell it at The Mystery Bookstore, it's great, check it out! THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE)

Page 123, lines 6-8 takes us smack in the middle of Mary Anna Evans' short story, "Land of the Flowers": "The natural soil around the spring was almost pure sand; it could never support the kind of grass Americans liked to walk on. The excess nutrients in the fertilizer obviously washed into the water. Where else could they go? "

Hmm...not exactly reeking of suspense, murder or mayhem (but, knowing Mary Anna, something will come up!)...

So, then I picked up the first book on the shelf over my desk that caught my eye: WOE IS I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O'Conner.

Page 123, lines 6-8 illustrates how to avoid a particular trap of redundancy -- and, honest, I didn't choose this segment because of the example, however apt it may be to my line of work! "Because means 'for the reason that,' so the example says, in effect: The reason Ned stayed home is for the reason that robbers tied him up. Use one or the other, not both: The reason Ned stayed home is that robbers tied him up. Or: Ned stayed home because robbers tied him up."

Hmmm...this is more like it -- but now I want to know: what happened to Ned?!

Now I'm supposed to tag 3 other people. Alas, I only know one other active blogger well enough to tag her: Answer Girl (aka Clair Lamb who writes The Mystery Bookstore newsletter). Come on, family, start blogging! Meanwhile, I'll email around. And you can leave your responses in the comments to this blog.

Linda

Hell Freezing Over?

It SNOWED in L.A. today!

I walked outside the bookstore around 3 this afternoon -- and it was SNOWING!

Granted, it was wet and slushy glops that fell from the sky, but it was SNOW!

And I'm not talking up in the mountains. I'm talking Westwood Village, about a mile from the ocean. I am still flabbergasted.

Linda

Grandmother's Gingersnaps are Not for Sissies!

Christmas Day, Tim and I went over to our friend Gigi's house for a wonderful dinner. Cornish game hen, rice, Tim's homemade bread, a collaborative salad courtesy of Linda and Jill, and Grandmother's gingersnaps! The kids went off to play computer games, and we broke out the Drambuie (the liquor store was out of B&B) and my new camera. Tim's college chums Scott and Gigi were bold enough to dip the gingersnaps in the Drambuie -- but no amount of warning prepared them for that SNAP!
Linda

Auld Lang Syne?

It sounds like everyone is starting off the New Year with a bang. Dad tells me Lindsay (Bruce and Donna's daughter) made the Dean's List! Stuart and Leslie just came back from a holiday in Rome. Tim started a new job yesterday at TMZ.com (the fourth busiest website on the Internet!!!). Janet's off later this month to visit Leila in Mexico, where Leila's cats have discovered a new cat toy: geckos...

And I'm scanning old family photos like mad. Yes, the Brown Family reunion DVD/memory book is still in the works. It may not be ready until the next family reunion, but I haven't forgotten about it. The two pix above were taken circa 1974 -- check out the hairdos -- and Dad's crazy pants!

Linda