- My plans for decluttering the house are starting to include a 30 foot dumpster and a snow shovel.
- It probably says a lot about my mood lately that I’ve been watching videos of Japanese game shows and giggling like a fiend.
- Note to self – When the overnight diner doubles the size of a large order of hashbrowns prepared “All the way” and adds a healthy dollop of sausage gravy to top it off, that is not to be taken as a personal challenge.
- Man does not live by bread alone. You have to add in coffee and chocolate to have a truly balanced diet while working third shift to monitor computers.
- Irish Woman noticed that my home town had a high temperature in the negative teens the other day. I didn’t help my chances of convincing her to move there someday when I commented that this was before the wind chill was factored in.
- My stories of predawn newspaper delivery during a North Dakota winter were probably counterproductive, too.
- Irish Woman got me an espresso machine and a new coffee maker for Christmas, along with two boxes of pistol ammunition. I fall more in love with her every day.
Musings
Posted by daddybear71 on December 30, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/30/musings-270/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/25/todays-earworm-724/
CLFA Stocking Stuffer Sale
If you’re looking for some good reading to get you through the holidays, some really good folks have banded together to put their wares on sale in the CLFA Stocking Stuffer Sale.
There’s something for everyone in the selection, from fantasy and science fiction to thrillers to historical fiction.
All of the works on the sale page are either free or on sale for a limited time, so please take the opportunity to discover new writers and series.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 23, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/23/clfa-stocking-stuffer-sale/
Christmas Book Sale
Since it’s the season, I thought I’d offer a few books for 99 cents from now until December 27. These are the three shorter works that make up “Coming Home“.
First, we have “Quest to the North”
Long before the comfortable adventures of the everyday, Ruarin, the Lady of Eyre and Daddybear the Minivandian make a harrowing journey to track down the ghoulish remnants of a friend, and the captive he took.
In the frozen north, they must brave not only killing weather and hidden monsters, but the secrets of Daddybear’s past, including his true name…
Second, we have “Lost Children”
Elsked’s adventure continues! In the second of three stories, the Minivandian’s son trades tales of his pets and their misadventures for another story from his parents past.
After escaping the frozen north, Daddybear and Ruarin find refuge with the magical kin of an old friend. Before they can make their way home, treachery will strike the city, leaving death and disappearances in its wake. In an idyllic lakeside city harboring the ancient evil that drove its people from their ancient homeland, can the Minivandian save his Lady of Eire?
Finally, there’s “Lady of Eyre”
From the young prince’s competition in the derby of wooden chargers to the tales of his family’s past come close calls, challenges, and triumph!
When the Lady of Eyre and Daddybear make it to her native land, all is not well. One lord is raiding and enslaving, and others are silenced by gold or lies. When he sets his eyes on Daddybear’s lady and her lands, though, he awakens the full cunning and fury of her barbarian!
I hope everyone enjoys the books and has a happy, and safe, holiday!
Posted by daddybear71 on December 20, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/20/christmas-book-sale/
Review – The Last Closet
Moira Greyland has published The Last Closet: The Dark Side of Avalon, the story of her upbringing in what can only be described as appalling circumstances.
Marion Zimmer Bradley was a bestselling science fiction author, a feminist icon, and was awarded the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement. She was best known for the Arthurian fiction novel THE MISTS OF AVALON and for her very popular Darkover series.
She was also a monster.
THE LAST CLOSET: The Dark Side of Avalon is a brutal tale of a harrowing childhood. It is the true story of predatory adults preying on the innocence of children without shame, guilt, or remorse. It is an eyewitness account of how high-minded utopian intellectuals, unchecked by law, tradition, religion, or morality, can create a literal Hell on Earth.
THE LAST CLOSET is also an inspiring story of survival. It is a powerful testimony to courage, to hope, and to faith. It is the story of Moira Greyland, the only daughter of Marion Zimmer Bradley and convicted child molester Walter Breen, told in her own words.
This is not an easy book to read, but that is because of the subject matter, not the writing. The fact that the author has been able to survive the horrific circumstances of her early life is uplifting on its own. I have known folks who went through abuse, both as children and as adults, but nothing I have heard or seen prepared me for the images this book put into my head. Greyland has the good taste to not go into minute detail about the sexual aspect of her parents’ sexual abuse, but what she did share will shock and horrify any decent person. She also paints a vivid, detailed picture of the physical and emotional abuse heaped upon all of her parents’ victims, not to tittilate, but to inform.
Throughout the story, and especially as I read the appendices that included testimony from lawsuits in the late 1990’s, as well as reports of an earlier scandal involving her father from the early 1960’s, I kept thinking to myself “Why didn’t someone step in?”. Greyland’s story reinforces the duty that adults have to speak out when something seems wrong, and to not accept those things that bring harm to the defenseless.
This is definitely a book that I will recommend to others, but it’s not a casual read. Greyland grabs you and doesn’t let go. She doesn’t use tension or action to do this. Rather, her candor and courage in telling this tale draw the reader in, helping them to envision the places and situations that she and others endured.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 16, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/16/review-the-last-closet/
100 Years On – Armistice in the East
On December 15, 1917, a general armistice between the Russian Communist government and the Central Powers went into effect. Effectively, Russian participation in the war was over. Negotiations toward a peace treaty began, and would conclude in March of 1918 with the Russians ceding vast tracts of land to Germany, Austria, and the other members of the Central Powers.
The Bolsheviks had swept into power with a promise to end the war, and their almost abject surrender of the western portion of their country in order to fulfill it gave Germany an opportunity to move men and weapons to the Western Front for the fighting of 1918.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 15, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/15/100-years-on-armistice-in-the-east/
Musings
- If you can’t make monster faces at your youngest son when he’s on stage for a Christmas pageant, what’s the point of having kids?
- Note to musicians – Silent Night does not need new lyrics or arrangement.
- Every time someone sings Jingle Bells as hip-hop, the baby Jesus cries.
- The 12 Days of Christmas is so much better in the original Klingon.
- If you’re over the age of 7 and can’t sit through an elementary school Christmas pageant without constantly talking and laughing with your buddy in the chair next to you, don’t go to said Christmas pageant in the first place.
- If you are six feet in front of me and use a flash strong enough to send semaphore to low earth orbit to take a picture of your child who is two feet behind me, your kid is going to learn a few new Anglo-Saxon words while I wait for my sight to return.
- There are three kinds of kids in Christmas pageants:
- Those who are absolutely thrilled to be there and are having the time of their lives.
- Those who are there to make their mothers and grandmothers happy, no matter how distasteful the experience might be.
- Those who were given a choice by the judge: Go and sing “Oh Holy Night” or go to jail.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 14, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/14/musings-269/
Musings
- It’s not every day that I get to use a hatchet, a bow saw, a bush hog, and a claw hammer. Today was one of those days.
- You know you’ve done some funky stuff when you have to scrub the tub after your shower.
- The tree is up, it’s twinkling, and the Grinch is in the DVD player. Ho freaking ho.
- We, being traditional folks, went through the annual ritual of “Where did we put those bloody lights?”
- I’m not a redneck for putting my beer out on the porch to keep it cold. I’m an environmentalist.
- We have found that the only way to get Derby to sleep on her dog bed is to put said bed onto the couch where she prefers to sleep.
- Either Irish Woman is trying to fatten me up for the mid-winters feast, or she just feels like making huge breakfasts this weekend. I haven’t needed lunch since Friday.
- The office had their Christmas lunch and gift exchange on Friday. The most hotly contested gifts were a yard long Snicker’s bar and 10 pounds of country sausage from a local butcher. Not sure what that says about the folks I work with.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 3, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/03/musings-268/
Combat Preparation
A repeat from 2010. Enjoy!
The old warrior slowly ran the stone down the length of his sword. This weapon had been made for his grandfather, and he was planning on passing it along to his own grandson. He could be buried with some of his lesser weapons, but this piece of family hardware would pass down the line along with the strong bodies and tough minds that had set him and his brothers apart during the wars. Once the edge was sharp enough to shave with, he ran an oiled rag down its length to protect it from the elements.
Next came the shield. He polished the leather, wood, and iron of it lovingly. He noted every chip and dent, remembering the blows that had made their mark over the years. He would need this old friend’s protection again today.
Next came his war kilt, chain mail shirt, and helm. He strapped his sword…
View original post 264 more words
Posted by daddybear71 on December 1, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/01/combat-preparation-2/
Thank You!
A few weeks ago, several of us publicized a GoFundMe campaign for a member of the Farm Family who needed a bit of help. I’m happy to report that the campaign has raised over $18,500 for Andi, and it’s still open if you can help.
Thank you all so much for your generosity. I’m sure it will go a long way toward helping Andi and her family recover.
The raffle that OldNFO set up to encourage and reward donors has ended. Looking at the list of prizes, it’s quite impressive. Winners are being contacted, and will be announced soon.
To the winners, congratulations! To all of you who were able to help out, thanks!
Posted by daddybear71 on December 1, 2017
https://daddybearsden.com/2017/12/01/thank-you-2/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 