Ann

I just finished reading "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. This is definitely one of the most heartwarming books I have red in ages. Usually, I read books and then pass them on for others to read. Not this one...I'm keeping this one to read again. Here are some reader reviews to share with you, in hopes you'll read this great book. A truly marvelous book for any animal lover! The reader cannot help but fall in love with Marley and his family. Wonderfully written; it will make you laugh out loud and cry real tears. I will be recommending this book to many friends and patrons of the library. If you loved Jon Katz's wonderful books about his border collies, John Grogan's book has to be on your "must-read list." I cannot wait for it to be published!" -- Margaret Quick "This book is one that I will never let go -- it made me laugh out loud several times every night (much to the chagrin of my sleeping husband) and also brought heart wrenching sobs. It is fully human, and a spectacular read... BUY IT. LOVE IT. But keep tissues nearby, for laughter and tears." --Kathryn Van Rooyen "This has to be the best book I've read in years... [it] will stay in my heart, and already, people at work are on a waiting list to get their hands on it. If you have to read one book this year, this is it. Marley, I love you." -- Bonita Stuhlmiller "Just reading the description made me tear up. This soul-searching, but simultaneously hilarious, memoir really makes you wonder what the human race would do without man's best friend." --Nomi Maeyama "As a Lab owner, I couldn't wait to read Marley & Me; as a dog lover, I couldn't bear for it to end. I haven't laughed out loud so much since reading The Diary of Bridget Jones. And like the readers of John Grogan's column, my tears at Marley's demise were endless. Grogan has a wonderful voice; his mutual love story will resonate in my heart throughout the life of my own "bad dog." -- Elizabeth Engl "I loved this book and Marley! I laughed and cried my way through it in one day. An eloquent and loving portrayal of a sometimes less than lovable dog, Marley & Me is not to be missed! Thank you, John Grogan, for a wonderful book." -- Bettye Aboud "This book had me literally laughing out loud at many of Marley's foibles, yet also had me sobbing with grief at the end of his life. It made me realize how much I love and care for my pets and made me cherish them all the more. Marley & Me is a book I highly recommend to others, and would make the perfect gift to pet lovers everywhere." --Melissa Parcel "Touchingly beautiful story about one of the world's worst behaved dogs. Marley reminded me very much of our beloved Rio, who was one of the world's best dogs ... This book is a must-read for all dog owners who have ever loved and lost a treasured friend." -- Sandra Herbert "I couldn't put it down!! What a wonderful, heart-warming read. It made me love my dog over and over again." --Aimee Dunlow "I immediately fell in love with the Grogan family... I felt like I was reading a lively magazine article. Each word was infused with emotion ...." --Tiffany Tresidder "Marley & Me is a must read for anyone who has ever loved a dog... At the beginning I was laughing and shaking my head at Marley's antics, and at the end, I was sobbing as Marley's life drew to a close. John Grogan truly captures the joys and sorrows of canine companionship." --Patricia Sanders "Marley & Me is truly a wonderful tribute to human's best friend. I definitely would recommend it to anyone who has EVER loved a pet ... this one will definitely have you buying some extra doggie treats or kitty nip tonight." --Shelley Krush "From the very beginning, I was hooked on this book... In spite of his faults, Marley was a very special dog that touched the lives of everyone who knew or met him. I couldn't put this book down, and I enjoyed it very much from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more of John Grogan's books in the future." -- Diane Kilmer "Marley & Me is just a really good book that stretches beyond the story of a dog. I am going to recommend it to all my friends -- but they have to get their own copy!" -- Diane Snyder "This is a... heartfelt book about middle class life, and how it relates to the life of a dog. It has humor, tragedy, a sense of wonder, and the ability to make me laugh out loud." --Kenneth Fricklas

Oh, Maylou...I am so very sorry. Please remember we are here for you.

Lillian...I am so very happy to read about all of these wonderful things that are happening in your life right now! The importnat thing here is that you realize that you deserve all of these good things. Sometimes, I think you are way too hard on yourself and that makes me sad! It's not a crime for any of us to be happy, especially after the hell we have gone through. You are worthy of lots of happy times!!! You're a great person and through your job, you give so much love and caring to others. I know Johnny is happy that you are finally getting joy from life again! God bless you, Lil!

What is the last book you read? How would you rate it?

Shirley...I hope yesterday went well for you. I was saying prayers. Please let us know how your treatment went,

Sorry you are once again dealing with this feeling of not knowing what to do. From what I have learned, Don is correct that cancer seems to grow much slower in older people. Apparently, this is true in your mom's case. Since her cancer is slow growing, you have time to make important and wise decisions. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your mom.

I think light blues, yellows, peach and khaki colors seem to relax me. Reds, hot pinks and greens are a bit too strong for me. I wear yellows, peach and khaki a lot but rarely ever wear reds, pinks or greens. When I worked at Target, we had to wear red shirts as part of the uniform. I have never been able to wera red after wearing it almost every day for five years! Also, I have read that wearing the color red can bring on hostility and Lord knows I want to keep my boss as calm as possible!!!

Many studies have been done on the effects of different colors on people and their moods. What colors do you find tranquil? Which ones make you tense? Do your clothes reflect these thoughts?

I love so many pasta dishes that this is a very hard call to make. This...is the reason low carb diets are out of the question for me. I crave pasta like some people crave chocolate. I can give up the fried food, sweets, meat...just give me pasta! Althought this sounds terrible, I have been known to eat cold mac and cheese for breakfast. Now...I think my favorite pasta is Fettucine Alfredo. Dennis used to call this "heart attack on a plate." Ooh...also love Red Lobsters Crab Alfredo. This post is making me very hungry!!!!

Dennis always had a runny nose for several days after chemo. I would always worry that he was catching a cold but no other cold symptoms would ever develop, so we finally decided the "athletic nose syndrome" was due to chemo.

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words! Maya Angelou said this: "I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights." "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." "I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life." "I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance." "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back." "I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision." "I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one." "I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back." "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn." "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I'm saying prayers for Bob's family and his very good friend Val. So very sorry for your loss, Val.

Thank You, Ginny for being our "coupon captain." I got my new issue of Southern Living in the mail yesterday and Coldwater Creek has a $25 coupon in this issue. So...I spent last night pulling these coupons out of other magazines I have. I will send them to you the first of next week. I have a couple of friends that are also pulling the coupon cards from their magazines. I really think this will make an impact on their corporate offices.

Ellen, I just love it when we have happy news like this to share on this board! I will be thinking of you on this very special day for your family.

What is your very favorite pasta dish? If you are like me, this is a hard question, as there are very few pasta dishes that I don't like.

(((((((((((((((Beth)))))))))))))) Yes, these little notes are priceless.

Now.... We've all listed some things that we would like to learn. We all know that we're never too old to learn new things. So...how many of you are ready to actually jump in and make your dreams come true???

Such wonderful news! Congrats from someone that's thrilled about being a first time grandma!!!

Ginny....maybe we could mail all the coupons to one LCSC member and they would forward them to the CWC Corporate Headquarters. I think that would put more "bang" in our cause!!! Any one want to volunteer?

We love you, Kasey!!! Keep posting. I can never, ever read enough of your posts!

Trish...I'm praying for good results today! I do know what you mean about these guys never asking questions. Dennis was the same, so I always was the one to ask and then take notes.

Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. So they loaded up Jack's mini van and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night. "I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbours will talk if I let you stay in my house." "Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light." The lady agreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night. Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way. They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing. But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the attorney of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend. He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you remember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our ski holiday up North about 9 months ago?" "Yes, I do." said Bob. "Did you, er, happen to get up in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?" "Well, um, yes," Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out. "I have to admit that I did." "And did you happen to use my name instead of telling her your name?" Bob's face turned beet red and he said, "Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy. I'm afraid I did. Why do you ask?" "She just died and left me everything."

I'm not happy at all with the responses that Ginny and Beth got. I was all set to send a nice email request but after reading these two responses, they have really lit a flame. I think we all need to get on Ginny's bandwagon with this one. I have an idea!!! Coldwater Creek has coupons in every issue of most women's magazines I subscribe to. The coupon is a post card sized coupon for $25.00 off a purchase of $100 or more. I think we should all pull these coupons out of our magazines, bundle them all up together, and send them to the corporate headquarters with a letter on LCSC letterhead. The letter could state our cause and the state that all these coupons could have been used in their stores if their response to our suggestions had been a bit more realistic!!! What do you guys think????

I have always wanted to learn how to make stained glass. I think stained glass is absolutely beautiful!

What is one thing you have always wanted to learn to do but have never yet attempted to learn?