Good morning Starshine,

The earth says hello!

I am writing to you from my parents' house, where I am staying on a mini vacation before I go to my brother-in-law's wedding. Though I love being back home for a visit, I have to say that so far this vacation is a little more tiresome than the day-to-day for me (perhaps because my parents' house is noticeably less baby-proof than my own,  so I am CONSTANTLY chasing my pre-toddler around and keeping her out of "owies")

In relevent news, I have been thinking of holding contests to gain followers. I know your number of followers shouldn't matter, as long as you have a good group (and I do!). But I just figure that the more people know I exist, the more likely it is that these toys will find good homes. I think as soon as I figure out something I can give away as a neat little prize, I will be holding a conest.

Currently I have two toys in the works for the Mom and Pop Place, where my toys are consigned. I would REALLY love to have 3 done and a fourth at least started by the time this little trip is over. That means I have to really get to work. Since I name my toys after authors with some kind of connection to the animal (with the exception of Daisy, who is named after a bunny), here are some clues:

1. Elwyn
2. Vern
3. Doyle
4. Martha

Two of the names are tricky, as one of them is the author's lesser known first name, and one of them is not an author's name, but the first name of the main character of the books (the animal is purple and the author's last name is pretty masculine, so I did it this way instead).

You can post your guesses in the comments, and I will let you know if you're right. Maybe I will end up making this a little contest, and maybe there will be a prize for the winner at the end. We'll have to see.

HAPPY GUESSING!

You can post your guesses as a comment, and I will let you know if you're right! Happy guessing!