Contest Give-away

Anne Bradshaw is running another contest on her blog. This time the give-away includes two intriguing books by Sarah Hinze, B.S.- Author, Speaker, Educator, Therapist – and a participant in the forthcoming Famous Family Nights . Not only is Sarah giving away a copy of each of her two books, but she is also adding a CD recording of a show she did on public radio. What a fabulous prize!

A New Day

Today is a holiday in Canada and I've spent some of the day tinkering with my blog. I added a few things and took some away. I changed colours and words. I added photos to the Pointer Island Showcase slideshow, and discovered a few spelling errors here and there along the way. It's been a great day so far! I appreciate the many who stop by from time to time to read and enjoy my blog. For those of you who wish to "follow" my blog, there is a new feature from Blogger (in the sidebar near the top) that will allow you to do so with a bit more ease. I haven't seen this feature on anyone else's blog yet, but I expect other bloggers will discover it soon enough. I wonder if you like the colour changes I have made to my blog? Please feel free to offer beefs or bouquets.

On February 12th I was waiting for Mike, a tired farmer, who had to clear enough snow so I could load some of his wheat. It took him and his tractor about two hours, and while I waited, I wandered out in his field in search of a photo opp. Wow, was I rewarded! Tiny patches and filigrees of ice on the stubble field were just far enough off the ground to fit my camera under them! This is nature's jewelry at its finest! I never knew you could grow gemstones in a wheat field. I wonder what other wonders I haven't seen yet??

My life, of late, has been rather hectic. I rarely seem to be able to squeeze out enough time to read the blogs of others and then there's the writing of my own posts that's mostly missing as well! (I do have a good excuse, but I find that excuses only satisfy the one who makes them. Here goes anyway...) For the past two months, my driving job has been inundated with visits to the repair shop. My truck is only two years old, but it has issues! Caterpillar (the maker of my engine) would not pay for warranty repairs unless they could prove that their workmanship was at fault. They sent me to a highly specialized test facility in Calgary - the nearest diagnostic facility with a Dyno (basically, a treadmill for large trucks). On February 5th, I left home at 4:45am and pulled back into my driveway at 10:20pm! Yee Haw! I was so tired!!! Here's the shot of my truck on the Dyno.

Now that the dust has nearly settled, Cat is repairing my semi under warranty and I am driving a rental unit in the interim. The first rental unit I had broke down, and now I have another one for a few more days. The first morning I tried to use the second rental unit, it wouldn't start and required a boost. I am feeling disillusioned and discouraged, since it takes me about an hour to move trucks, not to mention just starting the engine and then getting used to the way the unit handles. I really don't want to run over anyone by accident! (If you see me coming, just stay off the sidewalk and you'll probably be safe!) My unit should be done in two more days, but I'm not holding my breath quite yet. All the stress hasn't killed me (or anyone else) yet, so I think I'll be fine.

An Online Award Ceremony

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

I received this Blog wonderful award from Ainhoa, a Spanish young author (currently working on a novel). Translated to English, “Premio Symbelmine” means "Sublime Award". I am deeply honoured. Thank you Ainhoa!!
Ainhoa's blog is in Spanish, but you can obtain a fairly good translation by using an Spanish/English Translator. The free version of the translator can handle 500 characters at a time (about 90 words).
As a Premio Symbelmine award recipient, it is my pleasure to find seven other Blogs that I think merit sublime status. I couldn’t settle on just seven, however, so here are eight greats (in no particular order):

1. 
   James Ball - Author - So You Want to be a Pilot, Eh? James’s blog is loaded up with highflying fun!
2. 
   Tristi Pinkston - Author - Nothing to Regret - Tristi’s blog is always a nice place to visit. My wife recently enjoyed one of Tristi’s books.
3. 
   Traci Hunter Abramson - Author - The Deep End - Traci is on the move - another title is about to hit the stores.
4. 
   Anne Bradshaw - Author - Please, No Zits – Anne runs a happenin’ blog with a waterfall of contests.
5. 
   Autumn Ables - Author - As We Greet With A Kiss – Recently, Autumn has been too busy to talk about things in her corner of the world, but when she does, it is always interesting.
6. 
   Adam Letourneau - Author - So You Want To Be A Lawyer, Eh? – Adam’s blog leads its readers into some fascinating facets of the Canadian legal system.
7. 
   Deanna Raybourn - Author - Silent in the Moor – Deanna’s blog always promises something intriguing and unexpected.
8. 
   Candace Salima (LDS Nora Roberts) - Author - Dreams Die Hard, Lost Canyon Springs Vol. II – If you like political stirrings, this is the blog for you – and Candace doesn’t pull any punches, so just hold on for the ride!