When it rains it pours...

Why is it that when one appliance needs repair they all need it? Last week I had to get my car fixed. This week I had to buy a new washing machine. The cold water won't shut off in the washer, so last evening I went down to the basement to see a huge mess of water on the floor! Luckily we don't have carpet downstairs and we borrowed a shop vac from a neighbor. The washer is probably 10 years old and needs to be replaced, but I hoped to have it last a little longer. So today I went shopping for a washer.

In addition, my phone died. I can call out (although there is a LOT of noise on the line) but any calls coming in vanish into the great beyond!

Both the phone company and the washer people are coming wednesday afternoon. Ok. Now here is the real problem. We are supposed to have amajor winter event tonight and tomorrow. Unfortunately we are on the ice line (as usual). With my luck, I STILL won't have phone service or a washer on wednesday! The one bright side is that I have cable internet so at least I have some way of communicating!

I just finished a great book: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. David is a 12 year old boy who just lost his mother. His father has remarried, his new stepmother is expecting a baby, and they have all moved into his stepmothers ancestral home. In the middle of this turmoil, David begins to hear the books whisper amongst themselves. Then one night, an opening appears in a tree in the garden. And David finds himself in a strange new world. A world where fairy tales exist but are very different than the ones we have been told. A world where beasts roam and where David must use every bit of bravery he can muster to find his way home. This book was written for adults, but teens could definitely read it. The Young Adult Library Services Association recently gave the book an Alex award. This award is given to adult books that would be of interest to teens. The Book of Lost Things is an entertaining fantasy.