Even though we got a ton of snow and ice yesterday, I decided to take the dog out for a good walk this morning. It had been too long since he’d had a long walk.

So I bundled up and was getting ready to head out the door when I realized something: I had only one of my green gloves. Then I looked for my black gloves to wear instead–and found only one.

With my snow boots already on, I trudged up the stairs to the dresser in the hallway where we store all of our winter accessories. I found three left-handed Thinsulate mittens in one drawer and a right-handed maroon LL Bean mitten in another. Eventually, I found my candy cane-striped mittens (both of them–yeah!) and the hat that matches with the silly pom-pom on top. I put them on and took the dog out for a walk.(By the way, on really cold days it’s better to wear mittens than gloves, because your fingers all together keep your hands warmer.)

When I got back I found it somewhat fortuitious that I got this email from Lands’ End about the “lost mitten club.” Like socks that lose their mate in the dryer, it seems that lots of people find themselves like I did this morning–with one mitten only. And unless you’re Captain Hook, you really do need two mittens or gloves if you’re heading out in the cold.

So here’s the cool part about this offer from Lands’ End: if you’ve purchased a pair of gloves or mittens from Lands’ End and can find one part of the pair only, Land’s End will sell you the missing mitten or glove for half off the pair’s price. It’s a good deal–not a great deal, though. I think giving you a whole new set for half the price would have been better since you’re down a mitten already and have laid out the cash. But at least Lands’ End is offering to ship the replacement mitten or glove for free.

FYI, my favorite green gloves, of which I could only find one this morning, are from Lands’ End. But if I were going to order a replacement glove, I’d probably go ahead and spring for a whole new set. Because wouldn’t you know it? The day the replacment single glove showed up, I’d somehow manage to find the previously missing glove. And then I’d be left with three gloves.

It seems that in honor of Harlequin’s 60th anniversary (or birthday), the company is giving away free ebooks for readers to download. I just read about this on the blog Book a Week with Jen. Check out www.harlequincelebrates.com for details.

By the way, if you are stuck for something good to read, I would recommend checking in with this blog. (It’s the same person who writes Down the Shore with Jen, another very smart blog on all things about the South Jersey Shore.) Another great website for getting book recommendations–GoodReads. I’ll usually check this site before heading out to the library to pick up my latest book.