Good News / Bad News Edition

The bad news is we cut down the ancient box elder tree in our front yard. It provided much-needed shade in the summer and a tidbit of privacy from the neighbors, but it had also recently developed an unfortunate habit of randomly dropping giant, 100 pound limbs onto the sidewalk. Small children and that old lady who takes forty minutes to walk past our porch were in danger. So the tree had to go.

The good news is I’m already working on its replacement. Shouldn’t be long now!

Grow little seedlings! Grow!

The bad news is that Daisy barks uncontrollably whenever my husband sneezes. Since he has recently contracted the bubonic plague, I now live in a house made of barking.

The good news is that soon it will be thunderstorm season and she will have something else to bark at.

The bad news is that I had the taxes prepared today.

The good news is that with a little soy sauce and ginger, they tasted great.

The bad news is that I haven’t heard anything from the book review people yet.

The good news is that no news could be good news. I am thinking of distracting myself by taking up a new hobby. Such as knitting a line of sweaters with the tumbleweeds of dog hair that have been blowing about our house since fall. Or maybe I could just make a book trailer. Sounds easy, right?* What do you think? All the cool kids are doing it. (Happy launch week, Lisa Daily!) Maybe a montage of road trip photos set to a Shins tune. I’ve got a few road trip pics, but certainly not enough to round out an entire trailer. (Speaking of which, I’m ashamed to admit it wasn’t until I was in college that I actually understood what a movie trailer was.)

Anyway, how about you? Got any good road trip photos? You know, of you riding a giant metal donut in Poughkeepsie, you and your brother peering out of face cut-outs in the Corn Palace. (Oh, yes! I did this! Two years ago!) If you have these kinds of photos, and you’d maybe-possibly be down with their inclusion in a book trailer, let me know in the comments. I can hook you up with a very limited amount of fame and fortune. I’ll also send you a little thank-you giftee, of course.

Don’t worry, it won’t be a dog hair sweater.

Daisy is wearing this season's warm, form-fitting and stylish belted answer to last year's stale cardigan sweater. Hairy, slightly stinky, and coarse, this is one sweater you won't want to be without. But hurry, supplies are limited!

*Said the techno-savvy girl who just figured out how to send a text message on her cell phone.