Ketch-up Day

 

 

I'm back....... 

If you celebrate, how was your Thanksgiving? We went to Philly via an eleven hour train ride to spend it with our daughter and SIL. The train we travel on is old, has bathroom issues and several cranky conductors. To be fair, there were a couple of nice ones. One was a model conductor, very helpful, so I shouldn't grumble too much.  I wanted to take pictures for Andrew, but that didn't work out. Anyhoo, we made it to Philly safe and sound.

The next morning we spent a little time at University of Pennsylvania then went back to the house where M and J prepared Thanksgiving dinner and the HH and I stretched out on the couch and watched the Christmas parade and movies.

This is the feeder my SIL made.

And this is a frequent visitor. Look how chunky he's getting.

This lovely little pond is located at Penn.

Can you see the sparrows? There's several in the leaves.

This little guy was a show stopper. He'd come right up to you and beg for food.

Back to the house and the cooks are hard at work.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Ah, dinner.

It was a lovely day and luscious dinner.

What about you blogger buds? Catch me up on what you've been doing.

Happy Thanksgiving

 To those that celebrate, have a Happy Thanksgiving week.

 Wishing you all much bounty. I'll be back next week.

Sandra

Weekend Wishes

 

 

I'm posting today on the Peacemaker at Cowboy Kisses. If you're in the vicinity, and so inclined, stop by and say 'hey'.

Did You Know

 

 Did you know, that if your freezer bag is just a tiny bit too small, you can put the object you wanted in the freezer bag inside one bag, take another freezer bag and turn it inside out. Put the two together and then zip them shut, tongue and grove method, and you have doubled the size of your freezer bag.

 

Writerly Wednesday

 What's your synonym or sentence for:

 Example: Hide your books. The biblioklept is coming for a visit.

AND

 

It's Ketch-up Day

 

How's your week going? We are still raking and hauling to the curb:)

 AND 

A little cost comparison.

Have the rest of you encountered sticker shock at restaurants? 

We met some friends for breakfast the other day.  With tip, the total was close to $50. For two breakfasts. Picture me clutching my heart and reeling backwards. Then we met a friend a few days later for lunch. (Honestly, there are things we do besides eat. Like rake leaves. Hehe.) Anyhoo, we went to a little Italian restaurant in town. Picked up the tab for the three of us and with tip, it was only $30.   I had a piece of veggie pizza shown below.  It's hard to tell from the picture but the slices of pizza are gargantuan. I'd already eaten a portion of it. It's served on a small platter instead of a plate.

AND 

From the garden

 

 AND

The critters

 

 

That's all folks.

 

Your Weekend Read: THE BOATMAN

 

 

Blurb:

Three women. Three stories. One pub where it all begins.

For Quinn, Ella, and Rona, The Boatman is the perfect place for respite. It’s the oldest pub in town and has been offering solace and comfort to those in peril for centuries.

Quinn is hiding from her past when she meets the captivating Murray.

Ella is running from her nightmares and the tragedy they predict.

And Rona is on the cusp of a spine tingling new ability.

But there are strange murmurs in the night. A woman who fell to her death walks the banks of the river. A clairvoyant is drawn to the Boatman, eager to discover its secrets. And who is rowing the boat which glides silently in the shadows?

These suspenseful, traditionally-inspired ghost stories will chill the bones of fans of Susan Hill, J.T. Croft, and Wendy Webb.

 

This book was previously published as Our Beautiful Child.

 

Food facts: 3 stories, 3 main characters, one fact for each of them. But, as each of them are somewhere between 25 and 30, none of them are particular foodies.

1. Quinn is a comfort eater. She loves the ease of scrambled eggs on toast, or when she's feeling especially lazy, a bowl of cereal for dinner. Followed by ice cream.
2. Ella is having a bad fortnight. She'll take a few bites of whatever people put down in front of her, hardly noticing it. But often followed by ice cream.
3. Rona lives in little more than a bedsit, with a table top fridge and a portable hob to cook on. So mostly she grabs a cheeseburger on her way to or from work in the pub. Followed by ice cream!
   

 

Bio: Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall, UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, and canine writing partner, Artoo. Her two sons have flown the nest, but still like a mention.

 Buy Link:   https://books2read.com/TheBoatman 

AND

 

 

Did You Know

Did you know, that technically it's illegal to dress up as a nun (i.e. a costume) in Alabama?

 

 

For more information:

8 Spooky Facts About Halloween | Interesting Facts

Writerly Wednesday

 What's your synonym or sentence for:

 Example: Our politicians spout so much malarkey. 

 

 

AND party down at Facebook:

 

 

Ketch-up Day

  Actually a revisions day, but you get my drift:)

Weekend Wishes

 

Did You Know

 Did you know, that Paul Newman made Richard Nixon's 'enemies list' AND by September of 2008, when Newman passed,  Newman's foundation Newman's Own had donated over 250 million to charity?

For more information:

6 Facts About Paul Newman (interestingfacts.com)

IWSG Wednesday

 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG

 

The awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!
November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I think NaNoWriMo is a wonderful idea. I love it. But have I actually participated? No. Though friends and I have challenged each other informally.  I have a word count I strive to reach daily and that works for me. I don't see that changing even if I joined.

 

More writing news -  On Facebook:

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October/November Reviews in no particular order.

* Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factor them into my review.

 

THE GIFT by Gwen Plano

Shelly is sixteen, pregnant and disowned. Completely alone, she and her baby are taken in by kind strangers.

The Gift is a lovely story of hope, love and kindness. It snagged my interest at page one and held it till the end. Recommended for those that love a good HEA. An excellent second story in the Harbor Pointe Series.

Available at Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRADS

 

SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE by Jill Weatherholt

Big city meets small town. Big city gal, Melanie Harper goes to the small town of Sweet Gum with the expressed intention of moving her aging aunt to the city.  Until that is, she meets her aunt’s business partner Jason Daughtry and his captivating daughter.

This is the first time I’ve read anything by Ms. Weatherholt and found it both entertaining and well-written. She did a wonderful job of world building and creating a homey small-town environment that has the reader stepping right into the story and  sauntering down the street. The characters were also finely-crafted and easy to relate to. One of the central characters: a little girl that tugs at the heart strings. So, grab your cocoa and cookies and kick back with this warm-hearted story.

Recommended for readers of Christian Romance.

Available at Amazon

 

 

RED RISING, GOLDEN SON, MORNING STAR AND IRON GOLD by Pierce Brown

This is my first dive into Mr. Brown’s books and what an adventure it was. This is one of those series that you can’t put down, that keeps you reading late into the night.

These books are science fiction about a caste system in space that a young man is trying to break through after his wife is hanged for a tiny infraction. It’s violent. It takes Hunger Games and ratchets it up several levels. Whatever can go wrong does and I’m not sure if the protagonist will make it to the conclusion of the series. I stopped half way through Iron Gold. I needed a break. I got bogged down in conflicts and setbacks. Then went back to it,  finished it and started on DARK AGE the next in the series😊

 

 

1^ST TO DIE by James Patterson

This is the first book in the Women’s Murder Club.

Four professional women, that include an assistant DA, a coroner, a reporter and a homicide inspector join forces to solve a murder.

Since the author is James Patterson it’s a given that it’s well written. The characters are relatable, the settings and surroundings are exceptional, there is lots of tension and suspense to keep the reader turning pages. The down side, the crimes and the villain/s got just a little too twisted for me.

 

THE LONGMIRE DEFENSE by Craig Johnson

Walt finds himself on a cold case that people in power don’t want reopened.

I loved the Netflix Longmire series, so I was anxious to read this book.  Having watched the series I already had an affinity for the characters and even though we started with the last book I didn’t feel like we missed anything.  I’m impressed with Craig Johnson’s writing. Great characters, world building and plot. Now we’re starting back at the beginning and reading Cold Dish😊

Highly recommended.