GINGHAM MOUNTAIN From Mary One Note

Mary One Note because this is ALL I talk about these days. I'm sorry

I'm not going to write today about writing skills. Today is pure indulgence for me.

And NO my whole life isn't pure indulgence. You'd never say that if you knew my life.

I am ALL about work and responsibility and duty. Just ask anyone.

Except Ruthy.

Or Tina.

Or my children...who spent most of them childhood cold and hungry while I typed.

Or my husband...who spent most of his adult life cold and hungry while I typed.

Ask my mom. She'd back me--but then she's really sweet and not the most trustworthy women in the world. I dedicated Gingham Mountain to her too, so she owes me.

But today is pure indulgence because

FEBRUARY 1st,

MARKS THE RELEASE OF

GINGHAM MOUNTAIN!!!!!!

Despite the best efforts of the calendar and Father Time and Global Warming and the force of gravity, the day I never thought would come has finally come.

To celebrate--because celebrating is part of indulgence

I am teaching you nothing today (please, fellow Seekers no comments about my previous posts)

Instead I am giving away

two signed copies of

Gingham Mountain

(That's what the world Gingham Mountain looks like if you use the webdings font. I don't really recommend it for more lengthy writing.)

GINGHAM MOUNTAIN

I'll pick from the comments left today.

But you know what?

I don't think I'm doing a straight drawing...no eeney, meeney, miney, mo for this girl.

I'm feeling a little too self-indulgent for that.

Instead, I want sass.

That's right.

Who can make the sassiest comment?

And yes, it can be about me.

I can HANDLE the sass. (Think Jack Nickolson in A Few Good Men)

And no that doesn't include Seekers. Which doesn't mean they can't play, it just means they can't win. Because, this is more Olympics than Superbowl. I mean c'mon, competing with the Seekers in sass is just not fair. Because they are PROs. You should hear the things they say about me when I'm not around.

And no, I can't hear what they say about me when I'm not around but I am gifted with that wonderful combination of a blazingly vivid imagination and paranoia....so NOT a pretty combination...but, since she doesn't know much about the internet, I'm going to blame that frightening quality (paranoia plus imagination) on my mother who even now may be in her usual spot, under her bed because she thinks aliens are after her.

(just a note to those keeping score at home, yes that former sentence IS the longest run on sentence in the history of the known universe.)

And, to make up for insulting my mother, here is a picture of her with her first great-grandchild and my first grandchild, ELLE. Elle, by the way, is French for 'exquisitely beautiful wise and good'. Nice choice for a name huh? It's a wonder we're ALL not name Elle, seriously.

So, go for it. Sass me.

Sass my books.

Sass the weather. (nothing funny about ridiculous cold, nasty, brutal winter, but savage bitterness can be sassy if done well)

Good luck.

And be afraid

'cuz I'm gonna sass you back. :)

Oh, and if you say something sassy then later, think of something SASSIER, come back and mouth off again.