Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Giving Thanks, in June

(Before I commence with the post, I have to tell you that the ice cream truck has been tooling through my neighborhood playing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas." And I thought "Pop Goes the Weasel" was the ninth circle of auditory hell....)

Currently, my brain feels capable of little more than generating Charlie Brown teacher mwah-mwah sounds, so I thought it would be a good time for one of my illustrated hodge-podge posts. First, some exciting news: My gratitude goes out to EVERYONE who picked up a copy of Driving Sideways because thanks to you, I just learned that it will be going into a second printing! I'm beyond thrilled by this news...I'm somewhere near ecstatic and shocked, actually.

Thanks are also due to Julie over at Booking Mama, for the most excellent review and interview. (I heart that woman!) She's also sponsoring a book giveaway, and I think there's still time to enter.

There's also still time to submit, right here on this blog, your favorite strawberry recipes--I'm taking them with me to my first book signing this Saturday in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, during Strawberry Festival. If I get lonely because people are speedwalking past me and fervently avoiding eye contact while I sit at my little table with my little pen, I will look at my strawberry recipes and think of you, my dear, talented Internet Friends.

Also, guess who this is with her very own copy of that book I'm always telling you about?

No, that's not my aunt Louise...it's Al Franken's lovely wife Franni! I could faint. (Thanks to my awesome aunt Dottie for the picture.)


And because Daisy is being insolent and refuses to pose for a photo with the book (she is SO in the dog house right now), my new favorite dog is my cousin Lindsey's pooch Lucky, curled up with ... you guessed it, that ubiquitous book again.

This post comes to you courtesy of my mother, who gave me the armillary and just enough of her green thumb not to have killed the stuff growing in that flower bed...yet.


More from the "I Can't Believe I Haven't Killed It!" files...one of my windowboxes. They really take a beating when it rains, because we have no gutters to catch the run-off.


My first experiment with clematis. I ran out of space to plant horizontally, so I had to go vertical. There are pink roses planted beneath, but they're not blooming yet. Drat the timing...


And finally, a very dear friend of ours showing you what the Cool Kids are driving these days. (This photo may have a short shelf life, as I may be asked to unpost it. But I couldn't resist.) This Friday I'm posting at The Debs; stop by and say hi, if you get a chance! Next week, a recap of the Strawberry Fest signing and I shall FINALLY announce the winners of the DS book pimping contest. I promise.

22 comments:

  1. I'm really impressed with your gardening abilities. My attempts at gardening generally end it tears...not mine, the poor plants that realize that they are soon going to be seeing the pearly gates thanks to my inability to grow anything other than ivy.

    I wish Florida was nearer Wisconsin, I'd come to your book signing. Congrats on that second printing!!! I think I'm going to go back to Target and move all your books to the endcap facing the main aisle so they'll be easier to see!

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  2. Thanks for the shout out! I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to share your book with my readers!

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  3. Congrats on your success with the book!

    I'm stuck on one thing: Why does your ice cream truck even have a Christmas song on its soundtrack? It's never out in winter. Odd. :-)

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  4. why does the ice cream truck even have that song? crazy.

    also, i am very jealous of your window boxes. very.

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  5. I love your flowers. You live in a fantastic flower growing climate. Four distinct seasons get you all kinds of variety that we don't really get down here. I's so envious!

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  6. Your flowers are beautiful! I wanted to say thanks for stopping by my lil' blog and to say Congrats on the second printing of your book! That's awesome!! I can't wait to read it!

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  7. that clematis is gorgeous! Beware, those things go completely CRAZY after a couple of years! But they're sure are pretty. I love the purple with the white in the middle.

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  8. Anonymous10:44 AM

    I found your blog through the leap blogging that I do -- randomly clicking on a link in someone's blog roll.

    I saw your book at my local Target here in Georiga and impulse bought it because it was the last copy on the shelf. (what if Target didn't get anymore and I'd missed my chance!) I loved it. I basically read it in a day neglecting husband and kids. Thank god for DVD's and take out. I laughed at the mention of slacks in the book after your blog post about the word. I think it is a regional thing, not a generational thing. My husband and I are originally from Michigan and he calls his nicer pants slacks. Or maybe not. We are about the same age.

    Alas, I have no strawberry recipes for you.

    Congrats on the second printing. Very cool.

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  9. Anonymous11:37 AM

    Wow, Jess, you really do have an awesome aunt! Oh wait, that's me!!! Thanks for using the photo.
    Hugs and kisses,

    Aunt Dottie

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  10. CONGRATS on the second printing!!! That is awesome!

    And your clematis is stunning! Thanks for listing the plant name so that I know what to ask for at the nursery.

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  11. Just wanted to pop in and say that I'm loving Driving Sideways; I'm in the middle of a major x-country move right now myself, and taking a few moments each day to escape into the story is helping me cling to the last shards of my weary sanity! :-)

    Thanks so much!

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  12. Congratulations on the second printing Jess - that's great!!

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  13. Congrats on the second printing and your garden looks great!

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  14. Anonymous4:41 PM

    2nd printing? That's FABULOUS!!! Congratulations! Woot!!! (Though nobody should be surprised--it's a wonderful book.)

    Please tell me you did something fun to celebrate!

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  15. Anonymous1:08 AM

    Hi Jess, I just wanted to thank you for writing "Driving Sideways". I loved it so much, I'm going to read it again! To heck with my library books!

    Working at a hospital on a unit that has a lot of chronic dialysis patients, this gave me such an insight as to what they actually go through. I'd never heard of PKD before your book, however.

    Please write another book, or a sequel so we can follow Leigh's life some more!

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  16. I love your flowers! I have a green pinky myself.

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  17. Anonymous4:29 PM

    Jess, your flowers are amazing! And huge congratulations on the second printing and the press you've been getting (including Al Franken's wife).

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  18. Anonymous11:23 PM

    Your book arrived this weekend via Amazon. Can't wait to open it up.

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  19. I picked up my copy of DS at Target this weekend! Can't wait to read it! Congrats on the 2nd printing!

    Books & Cooks
    www.southerngal-lisa.blogspot.com

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  20. *sigh*

    Your garden is lovely.

    *gritting teeth to not be jealous*

    I noticed your book was not prominently displayed in the Borders downtown where I live. Clearly, you need to travel here and do a reading and signing. After BlogHer but before the political conventions would be fab, you know, if you wondered. :)

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  21. Gorgeous flowers, and a fabulous purple car. If we'd only stayed in Wisconsin a little longer, perhaps we'd have seen these great things :)

    Congrats on the second printing!!!!!!!

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