Hello, Springtime!
Yesterday I came to realization that I am no longer bound by the rules and am now free to do whatever I want on this site.
• No more of that FTC-required statement about earning a commission if you click on a link.
• No more following Amazon’s operating agreement and operating policies.
• No more getting up at 5:30. Every Single Morning. Tuesday I didn’t wake up until 5:33.
Going forward, I will free-wheel my posts. It’s time to let our hair down. Don’t you think we are buddies after getting together every day for more than a decade? Our relationship has lasted longer than 33% of first marriages (scroll down on this linked page to Interesting Divorce Facts).
I will sometimes post great reads at great prices sans the associate tag so Big A doesn’t go over the edge. Look for book reviews in the coming weeks. Opinion pieces, freebies, secrets I’ve never told and more. We are going to have fun!
First free-wheel topic: The phone call.Our house phone rang yesterday afternoon. Ninety-six out of hundred calls on that phone are autodialed unwelcome annoyances. As soon as I answered, I knew this one was special. The man claimed he was representing Amazon. He said that I had placed an order for $349.99 and Amazon thought it might be in error. If I had placed the order, I should hang up and await delivery. I hung up and cannot wait to see what will arrive at my doorstep. Hahaha!
We all know the guy was a scammer. Part of me wishes I had stayed on to learn his hook. If he calls again, I’ll stick with him. I’ll let you know what I ordered when the delivery arrives. Wink. Wink.
The Joe Hill: Heart-Shaped Box, 20th Century Ghosts, Horns, and NOS4A2 ($3.99) If you want to be scared witless, then grab these four bone-chilling novels of psychological and supernatural suspense by Joe Hill, the author otherwise known as Stephen King’s son.These novels have been given the sort of overwhelming critical acclaim that is rare for works of skin-crawling supernatural terror. Who are these people who give critical acclaim to skin-crawling supernatural terror? I do not want to be their friend.
These books are also described as deliciously scary. My idea of deliciously scary is a pan of triple-chocolate brownies** made on Thursday and gone by Saturday, you know, a 48-hour life span.
PS: I have no idea if Joe Hill likes brownies.
Kindle Daily Deal Link
Audible Daily Deal Link (scroll down the page)
Daily Gold Box Deal Link
The links above are not affiliate links.
I’m sooo sorry that Amazon has done this. 🙁
But…I’m very glad you’re continuing on. 🙂 I look forward to your reviews. (I’m NOT taking you off my Bookmarked Sites on any of my devices).
As for the Amazon call, I’ve gotten several of those over the past year, as well as a number of emails. The first time, I called Amazon (the REAL Amazon customer service number, not the number in the email/phone call) and confirmed that it was a scam. Since then, I ignore them.
Re: the Brownies…oh my! I’m a chocoholic but I don’t dare make these until I can share these with friends at a potluck of some kind (post pandemic). I would be sooo tempted to eat the whole pan myself before the end of the day. I think I gained 5 pounds just reading/thinking about the substitutions! lol
One last thing: I encourage you to live a little–stay in bed till 6:33 tomorrow! 😉 When I was working, I always kept my same schedule even on weekends, getting up at 6 am. When I retired, I decided to “sleep in”–till 7 am. And on Sundays (pre-pandemic), well…the 11 am service was the same service as the 9 am., so I decided it was time to take life a little more leisurely. 😉
Hi, Yuki –
Thank you for being a loyal follower and keeping us bookmarked. You make me smile.
Yes, the brownies are lethal to a person’s weight, but what a delight to enjoy. Like you I make them for potlucks or when I am taking a meal to a family when they have a need. I do always save the edges when I take them out. My husband enjoys those the most. I do too but I give him the impression I’m saving them for him.
I have a day job as an accountant that I work from our home from 7-4 or 7-5 or 7-6 or whatever it takes to get the job done. I will eventually adapt to getting up around 6:00. We go to the early service (8:15) at our church….because I like the time in the afternoon. The preacher has to stop in the early service as Bible study starts at 9:30. The late service he can continue without consideration for the clock.
I hope you do have a reason to make those brownies soon. Little slice of heaven here on earth.
–Paula
Count me in on the free-wheeling!
The triple chocolate brownies sound like the recipe we used in 4-H waaay back, as in no box mix was allowed. They are very, very good! I think this might be the recipe if anyone wants to go really old school – https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/easy-chocolate-syrup-brownies.html
We received e-mails yesterday from our state attorney general about the Equifax settlement. In about two weeks we should find out how much we get back (not expecting much) and then can choose a virtual MasterCard debit card or Amazon gift card. I will go MC instead of the bid A-hole. 🙂
Hi, Judy –
Thanks for the old-school recipe! I do enjoy baking and just about all things food related. Maybe I should do your recipe and the cake mix variety and have a taste test to see if one is superior. As if I needed a reason to eat brownies.
I hope you get a very large settlement from the Equifax ordeal. With a MC you do have many more places to spend it. You could even buy ingredients for brownies. There’s a plan.
Thanks for staying aboard. Tomorrow I am featuring some freebies.
–Paula
“As if I needed a reason to eat brownies.”. The reason is *science*. I have used that for egg nog (8 different types, 4 testers!) and root beer floats. I think brownies are a worthy subject.
Judy and Paula–thanks for the brownie recipes!
I sleep in until 6:30 these days. So decadent!
Steve –
You are the master wordsmith! I will definitely being doing a bit of experimenting next week.
–Paula
Hi, Maria –
I would have never thought you to be a late sleeper. 🙂 Let us know how those brownies turn out.
–Paula
Just wanted you to know, this really sucks. You’re not the first site I’ve followed for books and had their credentials taken away by Amazon. I will continue to check your site daily.
Thanks, Susan –
For your support and for following our site. It is bad because Amazon thinks they don’t need us. But if consumers are spending their time looking for books instead of reading books they spend less.
–Paula
I think I am totally going to LOVE the new free-wheeling DCR content! On another note, I also kept my 5:30 am wake-up schedule when the pandemic started; I didn’t want to get “out of sync” because we’re going back to the office eventually, right? and my nightmare commute would begin again. So here I am 13 months later still on the 5:30 wake up, even though my commute is the two-foot distance between bed and desk… ha ha. How did I become such a morning person?! Have a great day everyone!
Hi, Donna C –
Glad you are enjoying our re-vamped site.
I understand your desire to stay in the groove for the pandemic….the two weeks to stop the spread. One of our sisters works for a major university health care system in administration. When they sent the admin staff home, the dean said to plan on working from home through August. She and I laughed at the idea that employers would let their employees stay home that long. We are not laughing now.
Glad you have kept discipline in your life. I believe that is one of the harder things to do through all this.
–Paula