Yes Rose, This One's for YOU!

OK, everyone, how about a rousing round of applause for Rose?!

(Insert applause here.)

Rose is my increasingly tech-savvy mother-in-law (shown here with Elisabeth) who is newly determined to navigate the Web. Why? Because I teased her on the phone and told her that she could see pictures of her grandkids and read (gasp!) stories about her son if she learns to open her e-mail, click on a link, and navigate around a web site with scroll bars and hot links. For almost an hour, Rose and I explored my blog over the phone -- she, from Palm Springs and me, from Seattle -- and she was able to finally see the new kitten we've been so excited about and vicariously experience Seattle's recent snow storm and freeze.

I am SO proud of her, and I knew that all it would take to get her to explore the Internet is incentive... and we all know that grandparents will do just about anything for their grandchildren!

After an hour, Rose mentioned that her hand and shoulder were aching and I realized that she was experiencing the same physical what-have-I-gotten-myself-into?! reaction that I had when I was driving home in the snow last week. But just as I could feel proud about a new accomplishment and breathe a sigh of relief when I pulled into the driveway after an hour of driving on ice, Rose should feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment and pat herself on the back after an hour of navigating her first website!

I promised her that if (no -- when) she finds her way to my blog again tomorrow, she'd find a new and different blog than she saw tonight... and that it'd contain something just for her.

So don't be shy, Rose -- take a bow in front of all 950-something readers from 40-something countries (but only 20 or 30 of whom visit on any particular day). Here's your award: