Ocotillo, "shag" and other popular topics

Apparently Linda's book and "shag" are both comment-worthy topics. Frankly, Linda's book should be - "shag" is just an interesting side note.

This topic is popular, at least in our house: Progress is being made in the maple sugaring season. After burning our first batch of sap, we have successfully boiled down about 1 quart of maple syrup (end product). My husband is shocked that it worked, I think. He's convinced I come up with these kooky ideas for the kids to take part in and this was just next in a series, but he's been more excited than anyone. We had pancakes the other night for dinner (lazy cook dinner) - the syrup was delicious. I love New England.

Again, popular with my husband and me: my completed manuscript has been requested by a publisher. Yahoo! Even though it's just the first step, it's something to be excited about.

And your opportunity to bash on me for anachronisms: I'm working on my next book, set in 19th century England, and used a phrase in the first draft of it that seems to have come into the language in the 20 c. in the South - "hung the moon and stars." A combination of lazy writing, procrastination on research, and the hope I could scoot by with it and let it stay in the draft, but I've been caught. Properly so. At least it wasn't "shag."