I got to meet Margaret Maron a few years ago. Besides being a gifted author, she's a lovely person. When I grow up, I want to be just like her. (http://www.margaretmaron.com)

Since I met her, we've been reading her Judge Deborah Knott books straight through. Since I read other stuff too though, she's still a little ahead of me. I just read, "Rituals of the Season."

I love that book.

I recently read a different book, also by a well-known best selling mystery author. Who has succumbed to the Jessica Fletcher syndrome. Which is people are dying all around her for no good reason. And the amateur sleuth protagonist keeps on poking her nose where it's going to get shot off. Even though her husband begs and pleads with her to leave the detecting alone, she insists on going into the empty house where she knows the villain is. But she's just going to check and then she's going to leave and call for help. Really.

Oh, please.

Deborah accidently learned about some evidence. Her fiance' asked her to keep it to herself. And she did!

My writing teacher calls it emotional logic. When a character does something stupid, there is none.

Margaret is a classy lady who writes great books. That's why I love her.

There are four seasons per year: Football, basketball, baseball, and quilting.

Just kidding, everyone knows the fourth one is shopping. Well, shopping is more like golf and NASCAR in its season. There's always a tournament, a race, or a sale going on somewhere.

Today is the Daytona 500. A few weeks ago was the Super Bowl. Spring training is underway in Arizona and Florida while Roger Clemons is busy in Washington DC.

There are seasons in life, too. Childhood, young adulthood, parenthood, the empty nest, the sandwich generation, prime time, AARP, and then on to an assisted living center.

I've been a member of most of the above. We're blessed that our parents are still active and able to live on their own. We've lost a couple of fathers, but the one that's still here and the moms are all healthy. I know the day is coming though when my time will be more taken up with doctor appointments, and tests.

We're empty nest rebounders. We've had an empty nest a couple of times, but they keep finding their way back. And it's great. It's temporary, and I never want to look back on my life and regret wasting one minute of it in complaining or whining.

That doesn't mean I don't complain or whine. I just don't want to regret it. Someday, I'll be bugging these kids to take me to the doctor or to the grocery store or to the beauty salon for my cut and color.

Hopefully, I'll still be able to find the sale racks on my own.

"Mauwidge. Mauwidge is what bwings us togeder twooday."

Name that quote...

If you said The Princess Bride, give yourself a point.

Another line from that classic film, also from The Impressive Clergyman: "And wuv, twue wuv, will fowwow you foweva."

I don't know about you, but true love has never followed me anywhere. I have it, but we've worked hard for it.

Today is the day our culture has set aside to tell others that we love them. How boring.

I wonder if anyone has have done a survey to find out if couples married on Valentine's Day have a better or worse than average divorce rate. I'd be really interested in finding that out.

I don't know I'd find that info though, since the US government and Census department quit tracking marriage statistics in 1996. But if I want to know the status of Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal's relationship, well, that one's just a click away.

There's something sad about being on the outside looking in.

After Christmas, I got sick. Really sick. Kill-me-now-I'm-tired-of-suffering sick. I was only sick for about three weeks.

Since being back to full strength, I've paced myself. Just on the hard, demanding things like housework and fixing dinner. Not on reading or watching movies... um... I mean research, yeah, that's it... research.

Take illness, add the holiday season, then multiply it by a computer glitch and all of a sudden I was unable to blog.

Talk about withdrawals!

While I was down, I had many brilliant ideas for blogging. Now that I'm back, I can't remember a single one. sigh...

But, I'm back and celebrating that fact.

Hurray!! I know at least three of you faithful readers have wondered where I've been. Well, wait no more.

I'll be back to my lightening posting speed of at least two a week. That's my New Year's goal. Of course, since it's now February, I may have to tweak it.

But I'm on track to meet my other goals: 2 movies a week and 2 books a week. Walk 30 minutes 3 times a week... oops. But I did join Weight Watchers (for the 3rd time, but who's counting?? Hmmm??? Put that hand down!) and I've lost seven pounds, so far.

Ahhh... it feels good to be back.