Friday, December 17, 2010

Snowy Days in Northern New York

The snow here in this part of the country is legendary. Stories of the the hardships of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 are common in the history lessons at school. When anyone in the military hears they are being assigned to Fort Drum, New York their first fear is... The Snow! But here we are, in the middle of it all. It's a bit exciting, and already exhausting. The almost daily shoveling can be a bit much.

Why so much snow, people ask? Yes, lots of states in the country get snow. But when you live in an area where it rains for much of the spring, summer and fall, it only makes sense that it snows the entire winter. There isn't a dry season here. There isn't even a week in the year where there's no precipitation of some kind. Well, unless those historic below freezing temps kick in, and then it's just too cold to snow. That's a whole different kind of suffering. The constant precipitation comes from the "lake effect" weather systems off Lake Ontario. So the most common phrase on the news right now is... "there's another 'lake effect' storm watch for the following counties..."

The snow can be beautiful. It's soft, fluffy, sparkly, and when there is no wind it sits so nicely on the trees. It can also be trouble. Like last night when I agreed to substitute for another gymnastics teacher who couldn't make it to work. I drive a half hour up and down a pretty windy, hilly country road to work. It was especially fun when I slid the entire length down a rather large hill. A small mountain, I'd venture to say. My 4x4 truck didn't take that hill as well as I'd hoped. It barrels through the city streets like mad, though! My half hour trip took more than 45 minutes. Not too bad, but I was still late. Coming home was even less of a picnic. After being at work for 3 hours, none of the roads had been plowed. All that snow just kept piling up.

Northern New Yorkers all seem to take this in stride. This is their life. For 5 months out of the year it *is* going to be colder than, well... you know. And for those 5 months there *is* going to be so much snow that you will likely lose your small dogs and children in it. The schools rarely close for even a foot of snow. Our town got about 8 to 10 inches last night, and the buses were right on time this morning. The plows work double over time, and the bus drivers know how to get around in this stuff. That comes with the (sometimes) burden of living here.

This is what we woke up to this morning. Here is a picture of the boys down at the bus stop.
Across the street there is an old church that someone has converted in to a house. And I like taking pictures of Husband doing all the work!
The little candy canes I have in the front yard are almost covered up. Poor little guys! I wondered why NO ONE up here puts outdoor Christmas decorations in their front yards. Now I know! You never see it!
They do look pretty all covered with snow, though :) This picture was taken last week from my front door. We got a lot of snow, and then it got very very cold so the moisture was sucked from the snow. I'd rather have the fluffy stuff!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Being a published author is cool!

Actually, I don't know if it's cool or not yet. I'm a newbie. But I assume there's all sorts of awesome somewhere in the experience of being a published author!

And here.... is my *official* press release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Elva Resa PR, 651-357-8770, pr@elvaresa.com
Local Author is Published in New Picture Book Anthology

Peggie Brott writes story "Saying Goodbye" in Military Life: Stories and poems for children,
a collection of original stories and poems about the joys and challenges of military life.

Book: Military Life: Stories and poems for children

Local Author: Peggie Brott
Publisher: Elva Resa Publishing
www.elvaresa.com/pressML.html
ISBN: 978-1-934617-09-0
Publication Date: December 2010
Retail Price: $12.95
Format: 8"x10" Paperback, 48 pages

(St. Paul, MN) Award-winning independent publisher Elva Resa Publishing is pleased to announce the
publication of local author Peggie Brott's story "Saying Goodbye" in its December 1, 2010 release of
Military Life: Stories and poems for children. Brott's story was one of thirteen original stories and poems
selected for this anthology about military life from a child's point of view.

In "Saying Goodbye," a young girl helps her dad pack for his deployment and, along with her mom and
brother, says goodbye to her dad as he boards the bus to deploy. Brott captures tender details of an
emotional parting, including special gifts exchanged between Squirt and her dad.
Military Life gives a glimpse of the many joys and challenges military children experience, from moving
to making new friends, deployment, homecoming, patriotism, and tender family moments.

About Peggie Brott
An army wife for ten years, Peggie Brott believes in helping her three children find the silver lining in any
situation and enjoys all the adventures army life brings. She was inspired to write “Saying Goodbye,” a
story in Military Life: Stories and poems for children, during her husband’s second deployment.
Peggie has been a stay-at-home-mom, Girl Scout and FRG volunteer, gymnastics teacher, and a student
in the culinary arts program. Her husband is currently stationed at Fort Drum, New York.

Elva Resa Publishing is based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Its mission is to make a positive difference in
people’s lives. For more information, visit www.elvaresa.com.

To arrange an interview with Peggie, please contact 651-357-8770 or pr@elvaresa.com.
For more information about this book and its other authors, please visit
www.elvaresa.com/pressML.html.


If you are interested in purchasing this book, it's available on Amazon.com- Military Life: Stories and Poems for Children, for $12.95. I'm more than happy to sign something and send it to you after you've purchased the book. I cannot get book plates from Elva Resa at this time.
Here is my Author Page on the Elva Resa website.

So if I've done nothing else in life to fullfill my dreams, I'm a published author and that's all I've wanted. Prayer and patience have brought me here. I will continue to put myself, and my books, out there. I just pray this isn't the last one. But if it is, I'm ok with that, too.