Still cold so the snow hasn't melted yet. Went out to get the mail in a pair of clogs and remembered why I wear boots from October until March - freezing ankles. I was happy to get back into the slippers Steve gave me. They are most wonderful pair of slippers I have ever had - they look like puffy filled high-top sneakers. He laughs at me as I wear them all the time - they make my feet look huge, but they are so warm. Had to take a picture of them to share with y'all and Sophie had to get into the picture too. Actually, she was just about to jump into my lap. She loves this warm blanket too. And yes, those are books all over the floor of my home office. I am very messy when I am reading and going through books I want to recommend and Sophie loves to knock over my piles of books.

The second set of injections to numb the nerves in my neck yesterday seem to be working even though my neck is making popping noises. I can look over my right shoulder again and even do so without yelping in pain. It usually takes a couple of days before the pain really settles down en0ugh that I am full of energy and ready to hit the stores! I go back in on Monday to talk about the next step in the process. Poor Steve was coming down with the flu when he dropped me off for the injections yesterday afternoon. When I called him to come get me he had the chills. We got home and he crawled in bed with his jacket on, a heating pad, and our heated mattress pad on high. He was shivering so hard the bed was shaking. Was a miserable night for him, hence for me too as I am a very light sleeper. He slept most of today and was back in bed by 7:00 tonight. I sure hope I don't catch his flu. Just my luck I'll get it just before I leave for ALA Midwinter next week.

This morning while he was crashed on the couch watching an old b/w movie I enjoyed the quiet house. I think the wireless headphones I gave him for Christmas are more of a present for me than him! So while he watched TV as loud as he wanted to, I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the author at an Abrams event and he is such a neat guy. I had browsed through the book before but wanted to read it in one chunk before I start the sequel Rodrick Rules. Having just read the first book I know that Rodrick is Greg's older brother who plays in a band called the Loded Diper (pronounced like Loaded Diaper). Rodrick is not the helpful older brother. He does things like wake Greg up out of a deep sleep during the summer, convincing him it is the first morning of school. After all, Rodrick is in his school clothes, backpack on and ready to go. So Greg is eating Cheerios at 3 a.m. when his father wakes up, but Rodrick is fast asleep so Dad doesn't believe Greg that Rodrick had played a trick on him. Greg's best friend is Rowley, who is even more immature for a middler schooler than Greg is and keeps embarrassing Greg, but as a reader you can't help but love this kid who puts up with being the guinea pig for Greg's stunts. No specific grade level is indicated, other than middle school, but the content and characters suggest upper elementary - grades 3-6. The Wimpy Kid books are written as journal entries with numerous line drawings. The cover states "a novel in cartoons" - an appropriate descriptor. Great guy book for the boys who find themselves trying to deal with growing up in a school environment that isn't friendly to the kids who aren't exactly macho. I will most definitely buy these books for my grandsons when they get older. A perfect read for both the hallway tormentors as well as the tormentees!

That's it for today.