This is the sort of story that could well start out Once Upon a Time....The best stories do you know. Well, Once upon a time three travelers were traveling and they came upon a House deep in the woods, they were hungry and thirsty, and so they begged food and a nights lodging...



The Very Kind People in the House gave them food and a nights shelter, and warned them to Beware of Certain Doors and then left them to their own devices. In the course of exploring the House, one traveler came across many wondrous objects, and told the world that He could obtain anything, for there seemed to be no guards anywhere. (never, ever, covet the riches in a fairy tale)

The other two found a Certain Door, and ignoring the advice from the Nice People of the House (as they do in fairy tales) went Thru the door.

This is the beginning of our story. And perhaps the end.



For you see, none of the travelers were ever Quite the same again. It was no longer possible to see them without a Charm, merely trying would relegate one to the limbo which is No Back Stage Access, without the Charm.



Only one Nice Women ever managed it. She, however, used her powers only for good.



As a band, the travelers were never quite the same either. They played their Spooky Songs, but somehow, they were never quite Spooky enough anymore, and they had to go to great lengths to achieve even greater levels of spookiness...



But it was never enough.

The Nice People felt sorry for the Travelers. And said to them gently...

Come now. Let's go and visit the Bees.

Love and Happily Ever After,
Lorraine

Yesterday Spring came. It was kind of fleeting this year, as you can see. It was the kind of snowstorm, well, I have lived here most of my life, and I have never seen one like this. Think The Fellowship of the Ring, going up Khaza-dum (WAY to lazy to go and look that up spelling wise, but you know what I am talking about.) or Laura Ingalls Wilder in the Long Winter.



I was in town doing errands (Doesn't that sound like LIW?) and knew it was going to snow, and it just sort of got darker and darker, and I saw the first flakes, and within half an hour, we had inches of snow and white out. This was before it got heavy. These first three photos are the first 20 minutes of the storm.



We decided if I was going to take the dog for his second mile walk, I had better get out there and do it before I couldn't , but I wanted a few photos first. Lovely photos in the heavy snow.

I went for the walk, and by the time I got to the end of the drive, couldn't see anything. No road, no nothing. Every so often a car would go by, and moments later, the tracks would be full, when I got to the half mile mark and turned around, no steps in the snow. Surreal is what it was. Way freaky weird. I know now how people got lost on the prairies.

Cabel, of course, when I asked how he was doing looked at me and said (In dog thought) "Snowing? Why yes, now that you mention it, it is snowing, hadn't noticed. I am going to mark my territory now. Where ever we are."

A white out blizzard didn't bother him, but when we were nearly back, at the place of whirling whiteness that was the road in between two fields, all of a sudden lightning and then Thunder.

"WHOA" said Cabel (in Dog thought) "WHAT ARE WE DOING OUT HERE THAT IS THUNDER HELP WE MUST GET TO SHELTER!!!!"

I am not even going to tell you how many times I fell on my, fortunately, as Boss says, "Well padded" BUTT. (Started doing that this morning, in fact, on the way to the car, way pre snow, as the road was sheer ice from yesterday's meltdown. Torn my brand new Wal Mart Strechy pants, and scraped the heck out of leg and hand. But no worries, I grew up in an ice rink and as a former figure skater, I know how to fall on ice, I'm fine. Part of the fun.)

When I finally got back, I could have been an extra (heck could have STARRED) in Star Wars on the planet Hoth, and I asked Boss to take an after photo, as the snow was Really heavy at this point.



I will be staying in tonight. For the record.

Love and A Whole Lot Of Snow,
Lorraine

Remember Kylie Aka Selena Kyle, the little Kali-co Kitten I rescued from the shelter here who went off to LA to live in the Treehouse with Kitty and Batman? (what a sentence!) Well, here she is in all her glory! It was, I think, one of those things that Fod arranges from time to time, if we listen closely. Boss told me take the wish list from the shelter and go shopping, I stopped in with the loot, and looked at the Kitties, like I need another? And there she was, WAY on top, not even WITH the other kittens being cute, and SHE told me she was coming and was I nuts could we PLEASE get out of here.

What do you do? You take her, and wait three weeks till your friend Miss Kitty comes and falls in love, and takes her home to crusty old Batman, crusty no longer that he has his Kylie! Here she is out in the land of glitz, modeling her sun catching crystal collar with hot new male supermodel Dreeuuw! (All supermodels have names that get spelled weird,it's how you can tell)



Listen, carefully, sometimes, and you can hear things. (Not about Supermodels, but when Fod whispers.)

Speaking of Miss Kitty,she has a new blog up HERE about some fun happening out West this weekend....

Spring came today! All the way up to 45! And I am not being sarcastic here, that IS Spring in this part of the world. I felt so alive, and energized I sent WoodsmanHans right out to the garage to organize the new and old bee hives. Only a matter of time until the bees get here!



He did a great job, but I had to laugh at this next, it looks like some sort of HazMat area! What ARE we doing out here????? (Not telling, really)



Spring, sadly, does not last long here. In fact, as of about nine tomorrow morning it is over, as the Winter Storm Watch has been changed to a Winter Storm Warning, and we are likely to be buried by nightfall. It was so lovely, I say wistfully. I really enjoyed today. Here, this next picture, I think, says it all, my poor suit, hanging there, waiting, for a Spring that will never come...



You know what it is?

Armageddon.

Love and Winter,
Lorraine

This is going to be a very tired post. We've upped Cabels walks and between that, and the riding and the WII'ing with Maddy, I am getting a pretty good picture on just exactly how out of shape I am.

Not a great picture. Fortunately, one that can change rather quickly, as I intend to keep walking the dog, riding my horsie and WIIing with Maddy.

Hurrah for fit.

I have been eating right too. Mostly.

It's too early to say for sure, but I may be onto the single greatest discovery in the history of dieting and losing weight. I know, I know you say there IS no easy answer, and the entire weight loss industry is based on that, but it seems to me, with the country in the state it is in, if I can help at all, I will.

Now, I am not a poor women, but neither am I a rich one, so I am going to be getting my own infomercial, and selling this New Plan to the world, backed by all sorts of experts and charts and everything else one needs to make an easy million, but for 24 hours, I will tell you now, for free.

(and if you call within the next 20 minutes, I will throw in, absolutely free, a second all new patented Fabulous Lorraine's weight loss system!!!!!!!)

Here you go:

Eat the healthy stuff and get off your butt.

Ah, I hear the skeptics now, "If it were THAT easy, everyone would be doing it!"

I just saying, it could work.

I'll make millions.

(Keep it to yourselves for now, I need the millions)

Love and Fit,
Lorraine

Few things for you tonight. I was reading in the comments tonight where people were talking about being worried they posted too much, or erasing what they wrote thinking no one wanted to hear it, or worrying about what they are saying.

Well stop it. This is my blog, and I don't much know or care what any other blog etiquette says, here is for Fiends, and if your heart is good, and what you say does not hurt anyone, I for one want to read it and hear it. Here is a place where you can come on and say you had a hard day. Or a great one. Or share something cool. Or just say Hi, I'm here. It's a place where people DO care, and where new people are welcome, where people love and support eachother. Kid you not.

'Cause that's what Fiends are for. So there.

I was talking with WoodsmanHans today and he was sad as he had realized he had no Followers on Twitter. I asked him if he posted Tweets and he admitted he did not, and I suggested if he started, he might gain a Following.

The Man is now a Tweeting fool. If you want to follow the Twitter Adventures of WoodsmanHans, go look him up. He makes me laugh. And he will tell you about sites like this one.

(Sigh. I am up to 70 followers. When it hits 100, I will Tweet too.)



And now for the promised Cabel Report...

Cabel went to the vet today, and while there was a lot of good news, I did jump the gun Sunday on this play date with best bud Freckles, even tho they were in the dog run (jail as they think of it)

Good news is, he is healing really well, and has gained weight. The Dog EATS now, he has never really ate much since we got him, and it seems the leg injury may have occurred some years ago, and only worsened with time, and he may have been in pain, and not wanting to eat.

THAT has changed! He is eating 3 pounds of beef or chicken a day, plus all the high quality kibble we give him and is wanting more. He is up to 82 pounds, from 70-75 tops, (very thin for him, he LOOKED too thin) and could gain another five and still be good.

Bad news, no off leash or play dates for 2 more weeks. We need to walk him 4-5 times a day, at a mile at a time for a week, then on week two, 2 miles at a time 4-5 times a day. THEN he will be good to go.

Good news: Family will be getting fit to.

He does his laughing face all the time now too.

And I think he knows Boss is coming home tomorrow.

Love and Laughing,
Lorraine

I ride for a lot of reasons. I love horses. I love the workout. I love the people who love horses and hanging out with them. I love the feeling of learning a new skill, of working at it, mastering it, and even of learning that wanting it isn't enough, and that I have to work at it.

But I realized today, I think the biggest reason is that I feel really beautiful doing it. Totally, completely and wonderfully. At work I feel tough and competent, and with Bengals, well, they are concerned with other things. Doing the music shows is wonderful fun, I love the comedy, connecting with people, making people happy. I am so shy, and on stage, I'm another person who isn't shy, who always knows what to say, or if not, who cares, play another song. But it's not about being beautiful.



Riding, I feel every bit of beauty I've ever seen in my head. If that makes any sense. I know I am dressed to the nines in the most beautiful riding clothes ever, and my horse is a 17 hand black (stallion, of course) champion. And we are getting ready for the World Universe of All Championships. But it's more than that. And less. I feel beautiful, like everything I've ever wanted.



I've always thought that beauty had nothing to do with what you looked like, but rather how you felt. I am glad to know that I am right in this. Yes, yes, I know I look lovely, and fine, and have GREAT purple hair but I am talking about something else. Want to be really beautiful? Find something that makes you feel that way. And you are, and will be.

There, enough of my thinking out loud. Here's an unexpected picture. Nope, not Cabel. Pearl. Eerie tho, eh? Trainer Mel and I (well, my Boss) acquired White German Shepards the very same month, unbeknown to the other.



And this, because I know the Birdchick will be very proud of me, taken after I got back from the stable today. Not one bird, but THREE. A Palliated Wookpecker, a Cardinal, AND some sort of small grey bird! I knew I should ave entered her Guest Blogger Contest!!!!



Love and Beauty,
Lorraine

I got the best cat toy, as I mentioned, and thought we haven't done much Bengal posting, so it was high time we checked in with them, as tomorrow it's leather and horses, and Monday is Cabel the Dog's big day. But first, dinner....

Mim likes to eats hers by Castle Greyskull....



While Venus prefers more elegant dinning on the granite countertop...



Venus loves to play with the Bug Glove. Or the Featherstick. Or Tampons. (She will fetch them if I have company over, instead of mousie's. This gives me a kind of weird reputation. NOTE: I do not give them to her, she goes in my purse and takes them)



Queen Mab meets the Bug Glove. She is not SURE, but is always up for something..



King Lear the Huge has wet food. King Lear the Huge has his priorities straight. King Lear the Huge will demolish the entire plate.



Then he will dessert on the Featherstick.



Claws Under The Door takes on a whole new dimension with the Bug Glove. I do not have to wear it anymore. Magic, Venus and Mim like this game.



And finally, the closest picture of F1 Magic yet! He's coming nearer all the time, and did reach out to touch me tonight. Sadly, he got shocked, which is something we're going to have to work on, but still...



Magic!

Love and Bengals,
Lorraine

What's a girl to do on a cold, cloudy day, while waiting for yet more snow? I couldn't think of a THING new to tell you about when I remembered that I had forgotten (funny sentence that) about my Gmail account and it was possible there were some missed Birthday wishes hanging about in there, and there just might be some cool attachments..

HA! Got it in one.

Time to play "What's in my Inbox"

You have probably seen this one, but I hadn't, Fiends meeting up in Ireland!



That's Marjorie on the left, and Louisa on the right. Unless it's the other way around. I am pretty sure that is Coraline in the middle. Did you guys blog this meeting?

Now for you fashionistas there, just LOOK what the cool kids are wearing down under (I will feel really silly if you have seen this one too!) From Sally, just thinking of my on my Birthday!



Some Freaky Venus art from Jess....Can we all say "AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!"



And, uh, one I surely hadn't seen before, but it is clearly me and Hera, but when I was still doing red, and she was up doing concerts.....Gotta love it! From Miss Kitty, of course.



There you go. This has been another exciting Episode of "What's in my Inbox!" Stay tuned for next week when we play again!

(And uh, if you all send me weird things, I can have something to post....)

Love and Inbox,
Lorraine

Hello All!

Back and feeling fine, not so fun tho! Spent the day catching up with things and drinking lot of mint tea.

Proper post tomorrow, what's the point of having a shiny new website and not having new posts?

I am for a bath and then to explain to a grumpy dog that it really won't be very long before he gets to go out again.

Love and better,
Lorraine

Hello all and very sorry I have been gone. Loving the comments tho.

(Sorry Guys) Been down with some Moon Time Madness and alternating between Bengals and Dog, and other than that curled in bed with Advil and hot water bottle.......

Keep me amused with your chatter and I ought to be back with you in a day or two.. Miss you I do!

Love Women's things,
Lorraine

Well... I got up today and started my day, made some plans and talked with Merry Housekeeper, had some ideas did a few things laid down for a moment, and FIVE hours later woke up! WHAT?

Do you think it is possible I was a bit tired?? Must have really needed it, didn't even think I was going to sleep!

So, is it Ticia and Adri having the Firbay wishers today? And many happy returns to you!

And I don't think we have heard much from Marjorie and Louisa in Dublin, having gone to the screening and one hopes AFP tonight and a signing tomorrow? Let's get some stories here!

I know that as a blog post "HEY! I slept!" lacks something, but at the same time, you have all been there and KNOW how good i feels to catch up on sleep. For now, I am off to take Mr Dog out, he is doing great by the way and wants his restriction lifted, Friday he goes in for his final check up and after that will be free again, hopefully.

Love and sleep,
Lorraine

Home from the gig and it seems to be my Birthday!!!! The Bengals seem very excited, tho that could be from the amazing long fingered ending in toys glove Kimberly Butler sent to me. Hard to tell.

I know I went to the gig, STILL tired from last nights party, thinking ah, V-day, ballads, long slow love things (forgetting completely we don't know that sort of stuff) but the night had other plans. Anyone spending V-day with Paul and Lorraine knows what they want out of the Holiday.

Full on, the whole night, and it got pretty funny, with me saying things like "Here's another for you lovebirds out there, an entire song about a guy with a horrible life who gets hung!" Moving on to back to back songs about dead guys at a wake, and then a song about the guy drinking himself to death, rounding it out with dude sitting on a grave talking to dead dude he doesn't know!

We also, oddly enough, snagged serious tips for Danny Boy. Someone was clamoring and I hit the tip jar and said show me the $$ and someone dropped a 20. I asked For or Against? Against it was, so I said, right, tips are non-refunable, anyone who wants to outbid you, we need $30 more to play it.....Got it, and Paul played it straight and got his first standing.

Nothing screams V-day like Paul and Lorraine!

All concerned had a blast.

Last night was almost too much fun! Still can't take it in. THANK YOU for being there, and thank you for all the wee gifties!

But I especially want to thank you for the Unicorn Song. For those who didn't know, everyone in the Irish scene requires big cash tips to play it, and I challenged the Fiends and the people at the show. $500 and we would do it. Total came in at $539.68. All going to Great Lakes Bengal Rescue! The Kitties THANK YOU!

(Adam Stemple has checked in with this, and at first was horrified we would play it, but when he heard what we got for it and what it was for, passed on that this was the coolest EVER and the bar had been raised. Serious cred in the scene!)

Another cool thing is that there are glow in the dark tee shirts commemorating last nights show. Lysandwr designed them and has set it up. Price is cost plus $5 to Great Lakes Bengal Rescue, with all monies going direct to the fund. Anyone needing a tax deductible receipt will get it.

Lys also says there are MANY more sizes available and she will help set up what ever you need. Also, she says she has had inquires about putting different Fiendish sayings on shirts, and I say go for it. The shop is totally for the Bengals and so we get cool shirts, coffee mugs whatever. If you want it on something, we will do it. Cost plus $5.

See the shirts HERE

The next webcast is St Pats Day. We are, apparently, playing the Water Street in, in the pub and moving to the ballroom from 2:00pm to 1:00am. I know that looks strange, but no, that is not a typo. 11 hours of Paul and Lorraine (Fod help us all) if we can talk Dr Wicked into it, it will ALL go live.

There will not be a new post on March 18th.

And finally, this made me feel so good! Boss remembered!!!!!!! (Louisa and Marjorie, we expect a FULL report on the Dublin Screening and signing!)



Love and Happy Birthday to me!
Lorraine

Welcome Fiends!!!!!

See? I told you I would find us a new home and here we are!

It even still has that New Blog smell!!!!!!!

It ought to have everything your little Fiendish Hearts desire, which, on Valetnine's Day, seems appropriate, yes?????

Standing ovation for Dr Wicked , please!!!!!

So settle in, make yourselves comfortable and if you want me, look in the spookiest corner of the Garden, where all the cool fish swim. I'll be there.

We're home now.

Love and New Blog,
Lorraine

This is my new blog! The first for my new site! We shall see! Maddy is with me for this momentous occasion!!!!

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