IT'S HERE! (And a Meme)

There was a package in my mailbox today and I knew exactly what it was: How to be a Spy: The World War II SOE Training Manual. (Cue Hallelujah chorus here.)

I've been wanting this book for months now. Yes, months. Sure, it's been available, but at a price I couldn't pay. So I've been patiently watching Amazon.com for another used copy to show up, one that would coincide with payday. ;-)

Lo and behold, The Miracle happened last week and voila! Here it is!

Why this book, you ask? Let's see...

1) it deals with World War II; (a given that I'd like it, right?)

2) it deals with espionage (another given since I lurv espionage, especially anything to do with WWII and James Bond)

3) it explains in detail the way spies were trained in England for the War in Europe, and

4) because my next book deals with this very topic. WWII, espionage, danger, etc., etc., and I can't wait to start working on it.

Ok, ok, enough blathering. The book is here, all is well, and the checking account didn't suffer too much.

Favorite Childhood Memories

Sue tagged me for a meme on favorite childhood memories. Oh, I have TONS. Let's see if I can push back the cobwebs a bit...

~Strawberries fresh from my grandma's garden, sprinkled with sugar. YUM.

~Making sailboats and racing them with my two brothers on the big puddles that used to appear in our farmyard after a huge rain storm

~Dressing up like Brainy Smurf for an elementary Halloween school party one year. Yup, blue make-up and all (I was Brainy 'cuz I wore glasses. Heh.)

~Sitting in front of the kitchen stove with the stove door open on a cold, winter morning, waiting for Mom's homemade bread sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar to finish toasting while we put our feet on the door to get warm. No better way to start off the school day than that!

~Playing motorcycles with my brother complete with sunglasses, hats, and t.v. trays.

~Taking walks with my grandma and grandpa down the country road and throwing big rocks at rattlesnakes to kill them. Yes, this really worked - my grandma was a crack shot.

~Playing plastic bat and ball baseball games in the front yard with my brothers during the summer months. We'd always have "ghosties" on the bases if we hit anything but a homerun. Throwing the ball at each other counted as an out. Believe me, platic baseballs sting.

~Reading every single Nancy Drew book one summer.

~Having a "bead war" in our living room. We used plastic beads (roughtly about three inches long) and zipped them around the room (we had a HUGE living room) and usually one of us was behind the couch. That was the best spot. If you got that spot, you were SET. The blue beads hurt the worst - they had sharper angles than the others.

~Playing King of the Mountain on the steps to our house. I don't know how many times I got pushed off, but I'd always climb back up again. Hey, I was the only girl - I had to be tough. ;-)