You've Got Mail Monday

Yes, it's Tuesday, but with this week's Muse Online Writers Conference and next weekend's conference coming up, I'm slower about blogging lately.

The mailman has been bringing all kinds of presents to me lately. Catalogs from Land's End, Gardener's Supply Company, and Oriental Trading have arrived over the past two weeks. My AAA Times newspaper came in. There is an article about taking an autumn visit to Sturbridge. I don't feel I have to go that far for some great fall pictures. Just driving up the mountain or walking through the woods behind our house is fun for me. The article on ghost tours, however, made me want to discover some history and heritage. My Fall 2012 issue of Gardening How-to also arrived last week.

I ordered some cold climate cover crop mix from Burpee recently. I figure instead of taking the raised beds apart, I would grow this over the winter. It should help improve the soil, so I'm all for it. It will also, however, probably attract deer and all sorts of critters I don't want in the garden. Anyone know?

As for books, I've received several. I'll be reviewing:

A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism by Sarah A. Reinhard

What Did Jesus Say: The Seven Messages from the Master by Rev. Terry Allan Christian

Last of the Seals by Greg Messel

I won American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar, which sounds fabulous. Bloomsbury sent me a copy of Dark Lord: The Early Years by Jamie Thomson. The girls thought it sounded hilarious, so we'll be reading this one at some point.

What else has been keeping me busy these days? Performing a little bit more research for the elementary historical I am ghostwriting. The first draft is already done. I'm in the middle of edits and adding in some historical details to make it more interesting.

Soccer and cheerleading continue. The Lil Diva (11) attended a cheerleading exhibition at Quabbin Regional High School in Barre, MA on Saturday. Tons of fun, but very loud.

Both girls' seasons end around the first week of November, so things will calm down here for a bit before the holidays arrive.

Hope you're having a great week.