Bogie and I went for a walk this morning.  Generally, I walk in the park with my exercise partner, Martha Powers, but Martha is off to SleuthFest, a mystery conference (her current book is a suspense/thriller!) for the rest of the week.  I feel better, more energetic, if I exercise, so I decided Bogie and I would stroll the neighborhood.  It was exercise all right . . . an exercise in patience.  

This was Bogie’s first sojourn down the street, and he felt it absolutely necessary to investigate every blade of the neighbor’s grass.  The tree bark of the palm tree seemed endlessly fascinating.  If there’d been a dog within fifty feet of the spot we walked, Bogie insisted on marking the territory.  My usual two-mile trek easily would have taken two days at the pace he set.  Okay, I decided, I was the master here; he had to follow me.   It was a struggle, but I won.

This is a special week.  My daughter, Jody Rose, celebrated her birthday on Tuesday the 17th,  which is the same day as my daughter-in-law,  Laurie 's .  Jody and I have a weekend getaway planned during my trip back to Seattle  in March.  We’ve ordered tickets to see Hello, Dolly for Friday night and on Saturday we'll be at the Northwest Women’s Show where I'll be signing.

Today is my writing friend  Martha Powers'  birthday.  Martha is  also my walking partner.  We walk and whine and plot for two miles,  four times a week.

Three birthdays  in one week for three very special women,  who have graced my life with a multitude of blessings. 

I’m back from the bitter cold of Minneapolis.  While the temperatures dipped well below zero, the people I met at  the  Mall of America Knit-Out and Crochet event kept me warm and toasty.   Thank you to everyone who came to participate, to support Warm Up America! and for your enthusiasm.

I arrived home just in time for Wayne’s and my swing dance class.  Yes, my friends, I was able to convince Wayne to step onto the dance floor.  You might remember that he paid me off the last time I wanted to take dance classes, which was during a cruise .  He insisted the ring was a lifetime buy out.  Apparently his memory has faded, but you can bet I’m not going to remind him!