Peeps Across America Road Trip: update from OK

Just wanted to let everyone who's been kind enough to pose with Peeps that I hope to be able to update the blog with your pictures within the next day or so. You've made this trip a real pleasure and more fun than I can tell you! In Oklahoma without I'net service after no service in AZ (Navajo Nation) and New Mexico (black out at our hotel - no, I did NOT do it. *grin*) Who knew life with "free wi fi" included in the room could be so interesting! Posting this from my phone. Which did not work in AZ.

Tess

Peeps Across America Road Trip: Peeps Goes Climbing in the Rockies; Fluff 'n Puff Turn Up in a Deli Freezer for $3.99 a pound...

After finally getting out of Kansas and the parts of Colorado neither of us ever want to see again, Ann and I arrived in Denver for a long weekend with our sister, Kate.

















The weekend started well. After reintroducing Peeps to Kate, we immediately went to the College Inn for a brew or two. Peeps introduced himself around to the regulars who seemed a little leery but game about meeting him.

We spent the next day in the Rockies picnicking with Milo and Radmilla and their sons Stefan and Dejan and their dog Lola, with whom Peeps got along well. Peeps climbed mountains, went flying, picnicked (you can see him enjoying most of the food on the table). He explored caves, went badger hunting and smelled the bluebells with Kate.

Then we went to Buffalo Bill's grave site, where things went a bit sideways.

Immediately Peeps wanted to ride the buffalo, sit on Bill's grave, run rampant through the gift shop and eat chocolate. When we entered the gift shop he climbed into Buffalo's Bill's hat and refused to come down. In the gift shop he attempted to steal a Peeps-sized pistol and Stetson and was arrested by Sheriff Milo.

Outside he followed the Jolly Green Giant (aka Dejan) up a rock and tried to jump off. I have no idea what he was trying to prove, but parasailing was out of the question at that moment.

Later that evening he met Mike for a beer at the College Inn. I don't know what time he returned to the apartment, but...it had to be late. When we went out to get a few deli items at a nearby Russian deli the next morning he went exploring on his own. The screeching peep he emitted from the freezer section at the rear of the store was horrendous. The next thing we knew, Peeps and a pair of frozen rabbits ($3.99 a pound) were making a fast getaway in Kate's battered RAV.

Sure enough when we HIKED backed to the apartment Peeps had thawed out a seriously Hairless Fluff & Puff who were blue and shivering uncontrollably. He'd evidently stopped somewhere along the way to pick up some Rogaine because the bunnies were covered in... something and starting to sprout tufts of fuzz.

We took them with us to Idaho Springs when we went to enjoy the waters. Eventually they warmed up but remained blue blue blue.

To round out Peeps' visit to Denver, he and Kate visited a Tattoo parlour where they each had "MOTHER" tattooed on their biceps. Then it was off to Rodney's to meet Mary, the World's Greatest Bartender. She was somewhat leery of having her picture taken with Peeps, what with the threat of fame and all, but Peeps and "the boys" (Fluff and Puff) convinced her.

Fortunately for all concerned Ann and I left Denver the following morning and headed west. Unfortunately Peeps and the bunnies started bickering the moment we hit the road. A pink sword was involved and things got ugly quickly...

To be continued...

Peeps Across America Road Trip: Peeps Meet Fluff & Puff and Cause Havoc in City Garden St. Louis..

On a very hot morning (triple digit heat!) we were leaving St. Louis for points west when big white bunnies appeared to our right. Aghast, I stared at them and shouted, "Fluff & Puff! I wonder if Linda (Wisdom www.lindawisdom.com) knows where they are?"

A moment later Ann said, "Look, big giant head!", so we had to stop for pictures.

It was a bad idea. The moment we parked and walked over to the park, Peeps took one look at the children playing in the water and decided City Garden was THE place to Raise Havoc. He made a mad dash for the bunnies and introduced himself to Fluff without a by your leave. The two bonded instantly - as you can see. They played with the walking sign while Puff played with children nearby. Then Peeps went over and made Puff's acquaintance as well. Puff made sure to have his picture taken with "the pretty lady" (Ann).

Then... well, all hell broke loose.

The three of them went on a rampage. Statues were tipped, heads got broken, pictures were taken in eyes. Ann and I had to bandage the big giant head, then Peeps decided it was time to make a run for it. Fluff & Puff were on their own.

Peeps wanted to drive the getaway vehicle (a bad plan, as you can tell from the look on Ann's face.) But we made it out of St. Louis without getting arrested. Hopefully no one from there will read this and follow us...

Peeps Across America Road Trip Day 2, 3, 4: St. Louis; MO, KS & Way Too More KS; Parts of CO I Did Not Know Existed & Do Not Want To Visit Again...

We arrived in St. Louis on Tuesday evening and immediately went over to the Gateway Arch for a visit. Santa Peeps rode the tram to the top of the arch and met Park Ranger David Dawes who enjoyed posing with Peeps. Fortunately Peeps was well behaved at this point despite having a sense of vertigo from the Arch swaying in the wind.

The following morning Peeps posed with Denise at the checkout desk at the Drury Inn Convention Center where we spent the night - and then we found two of his compatriots standing on the jeep tires inside the parking garage in TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT! Do not ask me what they were thinking because I don't know. Suffice to say they were STUCK TO THE TIRE and Things Ended Badly for them.

Inside the Peeps container in the Jeep, chaos reigned. Had we not left instantly for the City Center Gardens, I suspect a mutiny of monstrous proportions would have occurred and there would have been melted marshmallow everywhere. We did, however, promise them a loooooooooong drive and a visit with a humongous ball of twine later in the day, so they Settled Down.

First, however, we allowed them to climb around in a giant shoe made of shoes outside the Brown Shoe company. At City Center Gardens they peeped through the eye of a giant head. And then....

Well, then they met Linda Wisdom's Fluff & Puff, who were apparently AWOL from Southern CA. As you can see from the big giant bandaged head lying on it's side in City Gardens St. Louis, things went decidedly downhill for Ann and I from there. But more about that little debacle later...

Later in the day, Peeps decided to play inside a sleeping giant's nose and... Definitely NOT a pretty sight when snot went flying everywhere.

Peeps Across America Road Trip Day 1: Tragedy Strikes

Today my sister Ann, several thousand marshmallow Peeps and I left Culleoka, TN for the first leg of our Peeps Across America Road Trip. In honor of this - and in celebration of nearly three weeks of freedom - we stopped at The Candy's Hair and Nail Salon in Mooresville so I could get feathers put into my hair. Apparently Certain Peeps thought that I'd shapeshifted into a Peep eating Peacock. In horror they jumped from the moving Jeep and...

Oh, the Peep-manity! It was horrible. The pictures are gruesome but I've put them in anyway. You can see the tread marks in the final shot...

Country Diary of a 21st Century Woman

It's a little after 6 a.m. and I just opened the door to let the dogs out for their morning ablutions. Lovely morning - birds chirping, frogs singing in the pond, sun coming up over the trees. Promises to be hot and humid later, but right now it's perfect and just the right combination of warm and cool. Pulled the screen door to in order to let in the air off the back deck while I write before anyone else gets up and nearly jumped out of my skin when the outside handle moved.

I'm not sure how well you can see the frog in the picture above, but it's fairly nice size. Throughout the spring and summer we frequently have tree frogs crawling up our screens to catch bugs, but this is the largest I've met sitting on the door. I am not telling the idiot dog (either of them *grin*) about it or they'll go through the screen in order to "meet" it.

Right now the frog and I are having a very pleasant morning communing with the muse. How about you?

It's Alive!

First post... Momentous occasion. I've just self-pubbed my first short via Smashwords (link to the right.) Shortly it'll be available directly from Amazon.com and B&N as well. Smashwords formats work on all the available ereaders I'm aware of, but diversity seems to be the rule of profit, so... I'll diversify.

Within the next month I'll get my second offering up - the prequel to the charitable collaboration Bewitched, Bothered and BeVampyred.

After that, the newly revised and re-edited BEWITCHED, BOTHERED & ReVAMPYRED will go up. This version contains nearly 50% (fifty percent) new material along with all of the favorite chapters from the old book. And it's too long delayed sequel, BEWITCHED, BOTHERED & ReVAMPYRED: FANGS AGAIN is also in the pipes.

It's good to be back.

Proceeds from the revised first collaboration will go to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild the weather-torn U.S. I will let you know as soon as it's available for purchase!

Terey