I took this photo with my photo booth thingie in celebration today. I woke up, bounded out of bed and thought” ok, what do I have to do today ” and stopped. I have nothing to do today. Nothing I HAVE to do. It’s still storming. I have no car. It’s Sunday so no work, I have no gig. Yesterday Mary the Housekeeper and I cleaned the HECK out of House, so that’s done. Nothing.

When was the last time THIS happened??? I have no idea.

I even came downstaires and flipped on the TV, more out of curiousity than anything else, and found that USA is running a marathon of my favourite TV show ( Law and Order SVU, oddly enough ) all day long. And the Oscars are on tonight, which I am watching to see Melissa Etheridge perform and get her Oscar .

A whole day. Wow. I say, Wow.

There are , of course, a lot of things I am going to do, shovel, practice, write, HOT TUB , re-do my clothes closet, finally get the craft room in order, take a long walk in the snow and such. But the point is I don’t HAVE to. Ahhhh……

Had to share with you all, as this is not something that happens to me.

And , oh, uh, Sue? You are stranded in Minneapolis in the middle of a blizzard with a shut down airport and sold out hotel and you don’t call me? One of the finest Personal Assistants living? Personal Assistants are really good at this sort of thing. Walk in the Park as a matter of fact. We can handle that situation before breakfast without blinking. Heck, even in the middle of a blizzard without a car I could have got you out here to House and you could have been hanging by the fire or in the hot tub… ( I am not any better with steaks tho than the Sheraton ) At least I could have got you a room next door at the 4 star French Hotel, at the same rate.

Silly girl.

Love, Lounging and snow,
Lorraine

OK, woke up to this Storm Warning from the Nationial Weather Service, and had to laugh. Someone has a sense of humour there. I particularly like in the first paragraph the phrase ” Do not be fooled ” What kind of weather serice warning says ” Do not be fooled” ???????????? I expect a slightly sinister weather dude in a long black cape to come out at any moment with a dagger and an ominious voice….

And then in the second ” will remain mostly a snow event” A snow event? Is that what we are having????? Will they be selling tickets????? Who’s appearing? And why didn’t I get the gig?

I will be staying in tonight for this event, not being fooled doing some writing by the fire. Kitty would love this. Malena? Not so much…..

Stay warm and safe where ever you are, and remember, Do Not Be Fooled. By anything.

Snowflakes and Weather,
Lorraine

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST SUNDAY.

OVERNIGHT MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA RECEIVED FREEZING RAIN… AND SLEET… RATHER THAN SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. DO NOT BE FOOLED… THE HEAVY SNOW IS STILL EXPECTED TO ENGULF MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA BY THIS EVENING. AREAS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM THE TWIN CITIES TO REDWOOD FALLS WILL CONTINUE TO SEE A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET… DURING PART OF TODAY… BEFORE THE CHANGEOVER. STORM TOTALS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED BEFORE THE STORM TAPERS OFF SUNDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER… SOME AREAS COULD EASILY SEE TOTALS REACHING THE 14 TO 16 INCH RANGE.

OVER WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN… WHERE SIGNIFICANT SNOW FELL OVERNIGHT… THE STORM WILL REMAIN MOSTLY A SNOW EVENT. AREAS JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE TWIN CITIES… LIKE RIVER FALLS AND DURAND… SHOULD ANTICIPATE A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TODAY. STORM TOTALS WILL BE GENERALLY IN THE 8 TO 14 INCH RANGE… BUT SOME AREAS COULD SEE CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN THIS.

Today it was 51 degrees. That is, quite possibly, the coolest ( or hottest ) thing I can tell you tonight. I ought to point out , 51 is 70 degrees warmer than two weeks ago. No one wore a coat or jacket and a lot of people were running around town in shorts. I myself, opted for the black sassy pants, which are a lot like shorts sometimes, as they keep falling down. Full moon in a small town!

It looks as tho, finger crossed, that Chris Ewen is going to come out on the 18th of March to finish the recording! I told him I had 20 hours of gigs in the THREE days before that and I would be one HOT fiddler. ( or one dead fiddler, which is right up me and Malena’s alley anyway. ) Seriously tho, I do like recording after playing live a lot, you can bring so much of that energy to the recording. Of course, Malena has done all her bits already, so listening to her sing while I lay down tracks is no bad way to go either.

I did all my laundry AND the cat boxes tonight after work tonight. Not bragging, just stating the facts. If it wasn’t so hot out tonight, I would go and hot tub. ( oh I slay myself! ) I am trying to watch Chasing Amy and have yet to figure out if I like it or not. Might have overextended myself on the laundry and cat boxes.

I will leave you with the flyer the oh so talented Miss Kitty did for me and Hera’s gig. If you can make it, please do. This is her first US appearance ever, and we are going to have some fun. Oh, did I ever actually SAY we were doing a gig? Or did I just hint at it?????? Now if only we can talk Malena into coming too, sigh ( if you haven’t been to her blog lately to see what MISS INSANE has been up to, you ought to go read her last post… )…….Well, here you go….

Music and magic,
Lorraine

I just wanted to tell you how much fun we both have talking to all of you. I hope we do as much for you with our silly rants as you do for us. Every comment is appreciated. In case you didn’t know…..The History of Valentine’s Day is…
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Special thanks to American Greetings.
WE LOVE YOU ALL!
Malena