Extortion Scam Alert - Beware!

Twice today I jumped when the phone rang, half expecting news about my ill mother, only to hear an ominous recording each time. The voice indicated a possibility of imprisonment if I failed to stand before a United States magistrate for a federal criminal offence. Skeptical as I am of mysterious threats, I looked up the phone number given and all kinds of scam notices popped up.

I doubt residents outside of the United States are being targeted, but beware of a David Gray threatening you with enforcement action by the US Treasury. The number left on my answering machine, 551-497-4103, pulled up a News Center article providing an alternative alias of Dennis Gray using phone number 567-203-4082. Below is the link if you are interested.

Washington County Sheriff's Office Warns of Scam

This is one of those times I am truly grateful for the Internet. Scams are all around us, whether through false advertising schemes or more insidious illegal fear tactics like this. I actually fell for such a ploy as a child, promised in the back of an Archie comic book that mailing $1 would buy me a stuffed animal in return. It sounds comical in retrospect but I was mildly brokenhearted. I wonder how much money that jerk made. Sad that I learned my first lesson so young, I am grateful it was not more costly and for my resulting tendency to be a little more wary.

What about you? Do you have any scams that you'd like to report?

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The Perfect Peanut Butter Milkshake

My very dear friend, A. Catherine Noon, is part of the Nice Girls Writing Naughty blog. And right now they are sharing some awesome recipes along with spicy book snippets for Better Than Sex November. As if all that isn't good enough, they are providing a baking goody basket as a prize to readers who leave comments for each post.

The only caveat besides posting comments (and who doesn't enjoy leaving a kind word?) is that you need to also share a recipe. So, I'm sharing with you a delicious dessert drink and will post a link to this in one of my comments for those Nice Girls. Have a delicious November! I hope you'll join in the fun.

The Perfect Peanut Butter Milkshake

For two servings - because who wants to drink alone? ;)

Two cups ice cream

One quarter cup of milk

Two tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Place ice cream, milk, and peanut butter in a blender; blend until smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

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A Cheap Travel Solution

It's been almost two months since some dear friends and I attended a weekend writers' retreat. What a wonderful time we had! But this non-veteran traveler encountered one minor problem.

You see, I wanted to make sure my toiletries followed NSA guidelines as strictly as possible. With all my lotions and potions for good skin care, carrying everything proved a challenge. So I poured shampoo and conditioner into little food grade plastic containers. It seemed perfect.

Until we reached our lodge, that is. Everything within my two quart plastic bag got covered with goo when my flimsy jars collapsed. What a mess. At least my friends are generous; Tina Holland kindly gave me shampoo and conditioner as I'm sure they all would have gladly offered.

Recently I shopped at a local dollar store. They are everywhere around here, more plentiful than the so-called "Five and Dime" stores of my earliest childhood. Cards are a particularly good deal in these shops. But then I found this:

Designed for arts and crafts, these should stand up to the rigors of my rare airplane travels. I'm tickled pink and ready to board a flight to our next meet-up!

Do you, dear reader, have any travel solutions you'd care to share?

How to Win at NaNoWriMo

It's National Novel Writing Month! Come check out the Writer's Retreat blog and read how I survive and thrive...

Darla's Writer Wednesday

Happy writing!

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You Know it's November When...

It's National Novel Writing Month again! As a result of procrastination, I decided to share a late night notion.

You know it's November when...

Your friends and family know better than to call just to chat.
Comfortable pajamas become a wardrobe cornerstone.
Laundry day results in writing sprints between loads.
You memorized the keyboard shortcut for strikethrough rather than delete any output.
Timers aren't used for baking.
You mine every experience of your life (and everyone in your vicinity) for plot ideas.
Headphones have become a daily accessory.
Online chats inevitably include cat photos, talk of weapons, or word wars.
You type until your hands are numb because leaving the patio for a sweater would cut into your writing time.

How about you? Notice anything unique about the month?

As a bonus, here are two of my distractions:

Are You Done Writing Yet?

Yogurt Face

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Flipping Over Flippers

My house's so-called master bathroom is very small. To make it more pleasant and usable I chose a pocket door and wall cabinets to open up the floor space years ago. A pedestal sink also helps the spaciousness, though I now have no counter top.

That sacrifice proved worthwhile, though toothbrush storage plagued me all this time. Holders all tend to be over-sized with multiple slots not needed here. We are only two.

Then an online search brought me to the Flipper brand. Two suction cups secure the individual holders to our medicine cabinet mirror as you can see here:

What you cannot see here is how seams in the animals' bellies part to allow easy removal of the brushes. They pop back into storage with equal ease, a simple press toward the mirror closing them securely.

I used rubber cement to ensure they stay in place. And so far, I am thrilled with the neat solution. If you would like to read more, you can check out the website here:

Flipper Hygienic Toothbrush Holder

There are numerous styles (I wanted a cow to accompany the pig but my partner liked the lion too much). Just be warned that these cute critters seem available only online in the United States.

Happy Brushing!

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Dancin' the Night Away

Apparently my late night dancing sprees do not impress my cat Jezebel. The face says it all, really, as she apparently can't bear to look at me here.

Must I Watch This?

That's okay. I have determined that my clubbing days may be over but rhythm remains in this body and music still gives me joy. So why not turn pleassure into exercise?

As a bonus I managed to mask my camera moves with dance, capturing that effervescent cat in a rare still.That's a win in my book.

What gets you moving?

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Gratitude Circle - August 2015

I really do have much reason for gratitude. Thanks go out to monthly Gratitude Circle hosts Vidya Sury and Corinne Rodrigues for reminding me to share. Since I list five things every morning to start my day's journal writing, I'll stick with that format. And if you'd like to join us and link up, here is the badge which you can put on your blog:

I'm actually posting this a day late, but here goes!

#1 My lower back pain went away after a few days and I never needed to take the muscle relaxants or pain reliever my doctor prescribed.

#2 A trip to the store provided me with four rather flattering new blouses with which to refresh my wardrobe. And coupons on top of sales made the foray satisfyingly affordable.

#3 My old winter coat's ripped seam can be repaired, saving me from searching for a replacement.

#4 For loving friends and family.

#5 That my parents' health insurance is allowing my mother to stay in a nice rehabilitation facility while awaiting surgery on her broken leg (at least for now! I pray this will continue). The surgery scheduled for early October will hopefully help her walk again.

I hope you find many blessings in your day. And please share them in the comments!


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