"A Gathering of Spies"

"A Gathering of Spies" was John Altman's debut novel.  Although Altman is an American thriller writer, this novel is set mostly in Britain with some tie in with the United States in the years 1942-45.

I had picked up one of Altman's later novels but, when I saw that it was a sequel to this one, I immediately returned it to the library and searched for a copy of "A Gathering of Spies" to read.

The plot centers around a female Nazi sleeper agent/spy who has managed to live undetected in the United States despite many of her fellow agents being found and executed.  She's a ruthless and accomnplished killer able to assume the identities of her victims and remain undetected.  Her current husband was invited to work at Los Alamos and, as his wife, she accompanies him.  She uncovers secrets (that she is able to retain in her head without committing to paper) that lead her on a journey back to Germany via Britain to get word to the Fatherland of the new mass destruction weapon America has developed.

Meanwhile back in London, Andrew Taylor, whose wife is in a German concentration camp, has been contacted by an old friend, Winterbotham, who works for the government.  He wants Taylor to go to Germany on an undercover assignment for the British government.  Taylor, hoping to rescue his wife, agrees.

In the meantime, our female German spy is on her way to Britain to connect with fellow spies there and find a way back to Germany.  Along the way, all their paths cross but she doesn't make it easy for them to stop her.  You'll have to read the book to learn how it all ends but I'm on my way to look for the next book at the library.  pazt

"Castle-The Complete Eighth and Final Season"

Last week I watched the final season of "Castle."  I had read that the wrap up and finale were disappointing but I'm here to tell you that it wasn't for me!  I loved the whole season seeing Castle's daughter, Alexis, take a major role in his private investigation firm along with their friend  - an ex-British spy.  In addition to their usual crime solving, they are able to uncover who is behind Lockset and come out with their lives in tact.  Every beloved character in the series is involved in this final season -- except Castle's Dad.  I won't share the ending but it fulfilled my hopes for how the season would end - definitely not a disappointment.  pazt

"Artists In Crime"

"Artists In Crime" is the 6th book in Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn detective series that I have been reading in order.  Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn has taken some time off work and just returned to England from Australia where, even when he is on vacation, he ends up having a case to solve.  It was on board ship that he met the artist, Agatha Troy, who happens to live near his mother in England.

Alleyn returns to England and is staying with his mother before returning to work when a murder occurs at Troy's house -- where she hosts an artist school.  He is called back to duty early to work on the case which is a little awkward since he seems to have a crush on Miss Troy who is now one of the suspects.

It's an unusual murder and an unusual case to solve and kept me entertained as I read half the book on a flight from Seattle to Kansas City and finished the book on my flight home.  I love Marsh's style of writing and story telling and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  pazt

"Castle" - The Complete Seventh Season

The Seventh Season of "Castle" is my favorite -- at least as much as I can remember of the others.  Although murder is serious stuff, there seemed to be a lot more fun in these episodes.  One episode has Beckett and Castle at a Dude Ranch to solve a murder and another has them on Mars.  We also learn what happened to Castle during the months he'd disappeared.  As he begins to remember some details, he wants answers and just asking questions is dangerous.  Love, love, love this season and sad that Season 8 is the last season so I'm going to put off watching it for a while.  pazt

"Castle" Season Six

I just finished viewing "Castle" - the complete sixth season - and I have to say I liked it so much better than last season.  There's a lot of action as well as a lot of fun as Castle and Beckett make their wedding plans with a few glitches along the way, of course!

The episode with a time Traveler was especially fun!  In episode 6 Castle holds his own in a sword fight with an experienced Ninja.  This season finds Alexis more involved in cases, too.  All in all I have to say this is probably one of my favorite seasons.  However (there always has to be a but, right?) we ended the season with a cliff hanger so I'm glad there's no one waiting in line for the seventh season - I should have it in a few days!  pazt

"Castle" Season 5

When I checked out the complete fifth season of "Castle" from the library, I started watching it right away and, in the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Beckett and Castle are together at last but have to keep it a secret at work but the chemistry is there and they are having a lot of fun.

There are 24 episodes in all and in episode 21, they begin to do this weird flashback for most of the show and I just didn't enjoy it all that much.  The story ended ok but it was like they were trying to fill time and had nothing else to put there and it does kind of make sense given that particular story line but still....it didn't really work for me.

I've already requested the sixth season from the library and apparently it is on its way!  pazt 

"Yesterday" - the movie

Unfortunately, I missed seeing the movie, "Yesterday," when it was in the movie theaters but my daughter invited me to her home tonight to watch it with her and her in-laws on VUDU.  Although I didn't know what it was about, I'd heard it was good.  It was surprisingly funny with an interesting story line and great music - the Beatles songs.  An added bonus was Ed Sheerhan!  I give it a big thumbs up!  pazt

"Castle" Season 4

I located the fourth season of "Castle" on DVD at my local library but it was in high demand so I had to wait awhile for it to be available then it has taken me a few weeks to view it since I didn't want to sit down and view it all in a few days.  It is 23 episodes on five discs!

At the end of the last season we were left wondering who shot Beckett and whether she heard Castle telling her he loved her.  It all becomes clear in this season but it takes us until the last episode to put it all together then we're left with a new cliffhanger -- but not quite as dramatic.  I thoroughly enjoy this series and will be sad when the show finally winds up.  Happy viewing!  pazt

"Midnight Special"

"Midnight Special" is the 4th DVD I checked out of my local library.  The best one was "Georgia O'Keeffe."  "Midnight Special" is a mix of family on the run protecting their son from government agents and sci-fi.  I'd give it an ok rating.  pazt

"Stay Away, Joe"

"Stay Away,  Joe" is another DVD I picked up at the library.  I grew up when I was able to see Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show and, yes, I swooned like a lot of other girls my age.  So, when I saw this movie, I thought I might enjoy it if, for nothing else, the music.  Wrong - there were maybe two songs in the whole movie although I admit to falling asleep during it as it was pretty boring and juvenile.  It takes place on an Indian Reservation for the most part but none of the actors are actually Native American and the rowdiness and crudeness displayed was not flattering.  There was a lot of chasing girls and fighting so another thumbs down from me for this movie!  pazt

"Terminal"

"Terminal" is a DVD I picked up at the library and have put off watching it until tonight and now I wish I hadn't.  It's dark and not that good!  I was only able to watch the whole thing because I was checking Facebook and texting via Messenger throughout the whole thing!  Thumbs down on this one!  pazzt

Georgia O'Keeffe

I have always loved Georgia O'Keeffe paintings so when I discovered a DVD about her life at my local library, I had to check it out.  Joan Allen stars as Georgia and Jeremy Irons  as her lover turned husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz.  I'm sure they were quite a scandalous pair in the early 1900's but their pairing may be what allowed her paintings to be showcased and flourish.  It's a biography and a love story that perhaps mirrors many marriages.  Even marriages made in heaven are not always smooth sailing.  Allen and Irons are actors who bring this story to life and do it justice.  pazt

"The Wife"

As you may have surmised if you have read any of my previous posts, I love to read and I love mysteries but, since my husband's death in May, I have been unable to get "into" a book.  Instead I've binge watched NCIS and other shows on Netflix.  I think there is hope that I may be picking up a book soon.  I have a mini vacation coming up and I am going to take some books with me.

I was at the library recently perusing their DVD's and chose five to bring home and decided I would watch  "The Wife" today.  It stars Glenn Close whose acting ability really shines in this piece.

It's about a couple who met when she was his student in a college writing class and he asked her if she was free to babysit his daughter so he and his wife could go out for the evening.  What Joan sees in that home is a wife who doesnt' really respect her husband.  Although the movie is set in their modern day life, flashbacks tell how they got together and enough about their past life that we can surmise the back story.

Their relationship dissolves his marriage and they marry and go on to have a son and a daughter (now expecting their first grandchild) while he becomes a famous novelist.  Joan was a writer in her own right but gave it up when a woman author her husband introduced her to as a student tells her that male publishers are not going to publish female authors and they're not going to promote their books either.  Instead books like the ones she has written sit unread on shelves in the college she graduated from.

Our story begins with Joan's husband receiving a phone call that he's receiving the Nobel Prize for his literary work and they will be going to Stockholm for the awards.  He insists Joan be on the phone before he hears the news that he has won.

They and their son, a budding author himself,  head to Stockholm and a young female photographer is assigned to shadow Joan's husband and take lots of pictures.  One day when Joan has decided she needs some alone time, she is approached by a young novelist who has been asked to write her husband's biography and her husband has refused to cooperate.  They have a drink together and  he mentions that he's met the ex-wife and daughter from her husband's first marriage.  He's also visited the college and read some of her early work that was published in the university magazine.  He proposes an outrageous theory that she is the actual author of all the books - not her husband.  That's when the movie becomes really interesting but you'll have to watch it and decide for yourself what is true and what isn't.  pazt

An "Un Birthday"

Yesterday would have been my husband's 80th birthday but he died in May after receiving confirmation on his birthday last year that the tumor in his esophagus was cancer.  Later he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer because it had spread to his liver so all he was offered was palliative care.

He never had any pain and we were able to have lots of quality time with our children and grandchildren before his final 2 1/2 weeks when he was bedfast at home with Hospice helping me care for him.

I had hoped to have a big birthday bash for him (which he probably would have hated) but instead we had a Celebration of his Life in June. 

Our oldest granddaughter was also born in August and he and she shared a love for "Alice in Wonderland."  When she was small, they would watch it over and over together.  She does not like to be the center of attention and her husband is taking her away on her birthday weekend but her mother (our daughter) still had a party for her today.  However, so she wouldn't feel the focus was entirely on her, it was called an "unbirthday" party for her and her grandpa.  There were framed Alice in Wonderland pics as well as a framed pic of my husband with our granddaughter when she was small.

Yesterday was a hard day for me but today I weathered well surrounded by family and friends.  pazt

A Rant About Justice

Last month a father in his 50's was shot to death in what is being called a road rage incident.  I don't have the details about what happened before but here's the news from the local paper:  A man was driving along and another man came up behind him going 60 miles per hour and rammed the back of the first man's car.  Witnesses say that the 70 something man who rammed the other vehicle got out of his vehicle with a gun by his side and walked up to the vehicle he'd rammed.  The driver rolled down the window and they had a very brief conversation before the other man raised his gun and shot the driver in the head twice killing him at the scene.  When the police arrived, the man with the gun was standing in the crowd of onlookers and was identified to the police by one of the witnesses.  The man who was killed had a wife and three daughters waiting for him at home - he'd gone out to pick up dinner from a local restaurant.

The driver who shot him was involved in a similar incident in California 20 or 30 years ago leaving a man he shot paralyzed.  The jury had to find him not guilty per jury instructions but a number of those jurors said it did not sit right with them.

What is disturbing to me (beyond this incident) is the fact that the driver who shot the other driver has only been charged with 2nd degree murder and he is out on bail.  Do I feel safe?  NO!

Would I be able to be impartial if asked to serve on that jury?  NO!  If he is convicted, he could be sent to jail for twenty+ years which, at his age, is basically a life sentence.

Thanks for letting me rant!  pazt

Life After Death

My husband died a little over two months ago.  He was retired from the business world but had his own small company working from home.  He was diagnosed last August with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer so we knew it was just a matter of time -- hoping for as long as possible.  He was not eligible for anything except palliative care so he continued to work from home but began limiting his work assignments.

In the meantime, we were able to have a lot of quality time with our children and grandchildren, close friends, and each other trying to live each day as it came.  He was fortunate that he never experienced any pain -- just discomfort.

He tried to prepare me for his death and I kept putting off learning what I needed to know about the business side of his business.  He told me all I needed to do was close his business account and that would shut down all automatic debits.  However, it wasn't as easy as that because our internet, phones, and some other basic services were tied to his business account so I had to change information from the company name to my name and move debits to a personal account.  In some cases that has reduced the expense.

The state also sent me paperwork that I had no clue how to fill out when I informed them that I was closing down the business due to his death (after receiving a notice that a company report needed to be filed with the state in June).  I have procrastinated taking care of that because our children who live out of the area did not arrive until June then we had his Celebration of Life and scattered his ashes and spent family time together for three weeks.

I decided this was the week I needed to do something so I called the Secretary of State office for advice today and the young woman I spoke to suggested I obtain legal help in shutting down the company.  That's when I had the bright idea that perhaps our accountant could help me since part of what the state needs is financial information.  I called that office today and was told it was very likely they could help so I'm sending them copies of all the paperwork I've received from the state so far and they will then let me know if they can help.

I've closed a brokerage account and a checking account attached to it and moved it to a financial institution where I had already had my husband's name removed from the account.  He was a former banker so I was surprised that the money he had there was not earning very much interest so I made some changes to that account.

This week I took his name off another account.  I'd already moved a large amount out of that account to another financial institution but decided to keep it open.  What I learned at these two financial institutions was that I could name a "designated survivor" and unless I told them they wouldn't know that they were.  What it does is allow them to take my death certificate in when I die and the legal departments will review the death certificate and possibly my will and, if everything is in order, they will send that designated survivor a check.  I only have one of my children who lives near me and the others live out of country or out of state so she has been designated executor of my account.  I have informed her she is my designated survivor and this will allow her to empty my financial institution accounts and set up a trust account to pay off my bills and then distribute the remaining funds (if there are any!) to herself and her two siblings.

I was sharing this with a friend last night and she suggested I actually put this daughter as a signer on one of my accounts so, if I have a stroke or am incapacitated in any way, my daughter can pay my bills for me.  This is so much good information that I wish more people knew about.  I'm hoping I can make it easier for my daughter to settle my estate than it has been for me to settle my husband's.

When I changed the title on our home and our two cars, I learned that there was a way the title could have been set up when we purchased them that would have allowed me to just have my husband's name removed and I wouldn't have had to pay all the transfer fees I did.

So....anyone else out there have some ideas they would like to share about how to handle "Life after death.".......pazt

Rage

Recently a man was killed in what I suspect was a road rage incident not too far from my daughter's home.  All I know is what I have read in the paper.  He was close to home and his car ended up hitting the car in front of him  -- I don't know if there had been any interaction between the two drivers before this but the man in the car ahead of him got out and went back and shot and killed the other driver.  The paper said the man who was killed was only a few blocks from his home and his children who loved him.

The man who shot and killed him did not return to his car but stood on the sidelines in a crowd of people watching until someone pointed him out to the police.  It turns out many years ago in California he was involved in an incident where he shot and paralyzed another driver.  He was found not guilty by the jury but from what I read of the incident the jury felt they had no choice but that verdict even though they didn't feel right about it.  So my question -- why is that man out there again with a gun?!

As I told my family about this -- especially the grandchildren -- I reminded them how important it is not to escalate road rage incidents.

So....what did I do today?  I'm not proud of it but there is a three way stop to leave my subdivision.  Everyone is to stop at their stop sign and wait their turn to proceed to the exit.  Today I did just that and it was my turn when a young woman across from me came up to the stop sign  and proceeded to exit without stopping.  I honked at her and, since I was going the same direction she was, I followed her in the lane she was in and when she was stopped in traffic, I took out my phone & took a picture of her license tag.  She got out of the car and asked why I was taking a picture of her car and I told her it was because she didn't stop at the stop sign.  Her response - "I wouldn't want to live in your stupid subdivision anyway!"  Mine was that I was glad she didn't!

I live in an over 55 community and only residents are to be in the community unless they're accompanied by another resident so I suspect she might have been there visiting someone but I hope I don't see her again.

I am not proud of my behavior either and it has been on my mind most of the day -- Why did I react that way?  What kind of example am I setting for my grandchildren?

This was not a proud day, folks!  pazt

Taking A Break

I've been absent from my blog for a while - My husband died 63 days ago and, as executor of his will, I have had a lot of details to take care of.  Our children had been here to visit him several times since his cancer diagnosis last year so the two that live out of the area did not return the last 2 1/2 weeks of his life.   They had had a good visit with him earlier in the year which was the way I think he would have waned to be remembered. 

Our oldest daughter married a Brit and lives in England with him and their teenage daughter.  They were scheduled to arrive in June for a planned 3 week visit so our son came from Florida for the first two weeks of their visit.  The daughters planned a Celebration of Life for their father then we all made a trip to Mount Rainier the following week to spread his ashes in the valley he had shown me last September when we traveled through the area.  He had even made the contact and had the forms we needed to gain permission to spread his ashes which turned out to be easier than I expected.

Our daughter here found a house near Packwood that was perfect for the group of us going to spread the ashes.  It was large enough to comfortably house our 2 adult grandchildren, our 3 youngest grandchildren, our two daughters, our son, me, and our son-in-law.  We had room to spread out and a large kitchen and dining area in which to prepare meals and dine together and there were games!

We stayed there two nights and spread his ashes on the morning of the second day and spent some time exploring Mt. Rainier Park.

All of the children and grandchildren have gone home except the daughter and 4 grandchildren who live near me.  After our England clan returned home I had a couple of days to prepare then went to my local daughter's lake place to spend a few days there with her and my 2 youngest grandchildren.  We finished watching the third season of Netflix's "Stranger Things" which the two teenage grandchildren had us watching the first two seasons early on in the English cousin's visit so we'd be ready for the third.  My daughter is also catching me up on the Marvel movies in order.  (My husband wasn't much of a movie goer in later years and especially after his diagnosis.)  Yesterday we went to see Toy Story 4 - cute!

They returned to the lake this week and I am staying here.  I've been diagnosed with peridontal disease so have two separate deep cleaning appointments in the next week as well as planned lunch dates with two friends.  There is still a to do list to accomplish to shut down my husband's company and finish settling his estate.  Everything takes so much more time than I think it will so it is going slowly as I try to live my life around those "to do"s."

I still don't want to read and reading has always been something I loved to do!  I'm currently binge watching NCIS and looking for other shows to watch.  I restarted an every other week delivery of fruits and vegetables and my first order arrived today so I am working on getting back to my healthy plant-based eating.  I haven't entirely gone off it but I've allowed myself to eat some comfort foods off the list and I've gained 5 or 6 lbs. since my husband's death.  My husband's death hit my children and grandchildren very hard so I need to take care of myself -- don't want to compound their grief by becoming ill myself.

I am so lucky to have the support of my family and friends and now I have to learn how to live this new life without the man I was married to for 57 1/2 years!  pazt

Shazam!

Shazam!  It's been a bit since I posted as my children and grandchildren arrived from out of state and out of country 2 weeks ago for their dad's/grandpa's celebration of life and the scattering of the ashes.  Our son went home yesterday and it was harder than I expected so I suspect I'll have a difficult time when my daughter and her family leave next week to return home to England.

In the meantime, we've had a good time together reminiscing and enjoying one another's company and remembering their father/grandfather.  My daughter who lives near me has been hosting everyone at her home and tonight we watched the 2019 Shazam! movie together.  I didn't know what to expect but it was so much fun -- lighthearted super hero mingled with warm family stuff.  It's one of those movies I'll want to watch again!  Mark Strong is an excellent villain! pazt

Grief

Grieving is so personal....My husband of 57 1/2 years died last month.  He was diagnosed in August 2018 with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer and he thought, with the help of Richard Simpson Oil (cannabis), that he would beat it.  I do think it might have given us more time but it didn't save him (or us) from this cruel cancer.

As executor of his estate in a community property state where I am the sole heir, he told me it would be a piece of cake.  Well...he was wrong as it takes so much time to deal with each entity and produce the death certificate, etc. and I'm not done yet!  He also had a home based business that he continued to work in his 70's and while he was ill.  I'm also responsible for notifying vendors, customers, and shutting down the business.  Although all of this is time consuming, it does give me a "to do" list and keeps me busy.  I go about my day to day tasks missing him but the grief hits me at unexpected moments -- like when I'm driving to the county office to change the title on something or when I'm speaking in person with a representative of some entity about his death.  Mostly, people are kind and empathetic and express their condolences. 

What I seem to be having the hardest time with is the way people decide to tell me how to go about grieving.  I used to counsel clients on grief -- I know what it is and platitudes don't help.  The people I appreciate the most are those that tell me they are here for me if I want to talk - in person or by phone.  It's the ones who can't leave it at that who raise my hackles even if I know in their heart they mean well.

I started my grieving when my husband was diagnosed and I learned as a counselor that those who do "anticipatory" grieving often have an easier time of it.  I'm not sure if that will be true for me but I will probably find out.  I suspect when it will really hit me will be after his celebration of life and the kids and grandkids have gone home.  However, I'll still have that "to do" list.

I had a friend send me a message that "there's no right way to do this...just move through it as you feel things.."  Although she is a kind soul, that is not the kind of message I need or want nor do I need to be told I am capable and strong.  I know what I am!  I keep thinking, though, about my husband telling me to "be kind!"  He's still with me reminding me of his many messages.  He was always very intense but as he aged, he mellowed and would melt at the sight of small children and he tried always to be kind - a lesson I'm still learning.  I suspect he'll continue to send me reminders or lessons will continue to come my way to remind me!

What are your thoughts on grieving?  pazt

Meditation

I am trying to do a daily meditation and a few weeks ago I started reading a daily meditation from Anne Wilson Schaef's small book, "Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much."  It has small one page meditations for every day of the year.  Often it feels to me like it is for women who are recovering from an addiction to alcohol or drugs.  Although I haven't experienced one of those addictions, I do have trouble letting go of "stuff."

Today's mediation (June 10) is entitled "Satisfaction."  The last paragraph really hit me,  It says:

"Sometimes, when I take stock, I only look at what isn't done.  I also need to look at what I have, what's been done, and what's being done."

I have a daily to do list along with scheduled events.  I know realistically that, unless I keep my nose to the grindstone every minute, I am not going to complete every item on that list.  However, I still feel bad about myself when I don't so basically that means I'm feeling bad about myself daily!  What the above paragraph says to me is that I need to instead look at what I have accomplished each day!  So...my new focus is to accept I am realistically unable to do everything on my list so I must prioritize daily and pat myself on the back for what I do accomplish!  Wish me luck in making this change!  pazt

"Castle" - Complete Third Season

I binge watched "Castle," the complete third season, a few nights ago and it was worth it.  I love this show and am sorry it isn't still going but I'll enjoy all the seasons they have to offer.  This one is billed as their most fun season yet and it was!  pazt

"American Wrestler - The Wizard"

I saw the previews for "American Wrestler - The Wizard" when I was watching another DVD recently and it intrigued me enough that I decided to check it out from my local library.  However, it has been sitting in my family room for a week or two as I second guessed myself as to whether this was something I really wanted to watch.

Tonight I decided I'd put it on and, if I didn't like it, I could always stop it.  Well....I found it to be very good and it is based on a true story.  At a time when Americans were being held hostage in Iran and feelings against Iranians were running high with a desire to deport them all (sound familiar), 17 year old Ali Jahani is smuggled out of Iran by his parents to live with his mother's brother in California.

Ali is being sent away because he is considered too small to fight as a regular soldier so he would be used instead to walk into mine fields to clear them for the soldiers.  Having already lost one son, his parents decide he must leave.  He is smuggled safely out of the country and is in northern California 2 weeks later living with his uncle and trying to fit into American life.

Ali speaks Farsi, perfect English, and French (His mother is part French.) and is bright but is taunted by some of the students - particularly some of the athletes because he is Iranian, because he is different -- well some of you know how hard it is to fit into a new high school.

However, the way he wins over everyone is to take up wrestling.  While working with the coach, his uncle (an expert wrestler) is also teaching him at home.  He takes a losing team to the state championships and beccomes a hero to his school and seems to also improve relations with Iranians in his area.

This story is excellently done and very heartwarming.  I do recommend it!  pazt

"Parental Guidance"

"Parental Guidance" was a movie recommended in something I was reading recently so I checked it out from the library.  It stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler who are the parents of Marissa Tomei's character.  Her husband has won an award and wants her to go away with him for a week but his parents are not available to stay with their 3 children - a daughter 12 and 2 younger sons.  He convinces her to call her parents who quickly realize they're the "other" grandparents -- those who don't get as much time with the grandchildren.  Daughter is a type-A personality with all kinds of new-fangled parenting ideas while her parents are old-school.  Little does she know that her dad has lost his job as a baseball announcer for a minor league team -- something that has been the "best job ever" and he's pretty fragile right now.

The fun begins when the grandparents have to throw mom's rules out the window to deal with the grandchildren as well as the youngest one's imaginary friend.

It's a fun film with some substance about families and family relationships.  pazt

"Going In Style"

"Going In Style" is a movie starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, and Ann Margaret.  It's about three aging friends who are losing their pensions due to a corporate takeover.  One is losing his home and another needs a new kidney or he will die.  It's about second chances when one finds love and marriage.  It's about taking chances -- like robbing a bank - to fund your retirement and allow you to spend more time with daughters and granddaughters.  Most of all it's about friendship and the lengths one will go to support and maintain those friendships.  I expected it to be more comedic but it was just the right touch of comedy and seriousness.  pazt

"Alone"

"Alone" is authored by Lisa Gardner and is the first, I believe, of her Detective D. D. Warren novels.
D. D. Warren is part of a team investigating a shooting by Sniper State Trooper Bobby Dodge.  It would seem straightforward when a sniper team is called to a home in a wealthy neighborhood that has been the site of previous domestic disturbance calls.  Gunshots were heard and Dodge doesn't hesitate when he sees the husband aiming a gun at his wife and son and the look on his face informs Dodge he's about to pull the trigger.

Although it seems like a kill shot that needed to be taken, things are complicated by the fact that the victim is the son of a prominent judge who vows to see Dodge tried for murder.  The victim's wife is accused of child abuse because the son has been ill most of his life so the grandparents want custody.

In addition the victim's wife was the victim of a child abduction as a young girl and the perpetrator has just been released from jail and she was not informed.  When people around her begin to die, she turns to Bobby Dodge which makes D. D. Warren suspect they had a relationship prior to the shooting.  It's a great novel full of twists and turns!  pazt

"Castle" - the complete second season

I just finished watching the complete second season of "Castle."  As I started this DVD series a few weeks ago, I realized that when I watched Season 1, I didn't understand how many episodes were on each DVD so I may actually have overlooked some so I need to recheck Series 1 to see if I did miss anything.

In the meantime, Season 2 ends with Castle going off to the Hamptons for the summer with his ex-wife (also his publisher) to finish his second Nikki Heat book.  Detective Kate Beckett had started a relationship this season with a robbery detective who transferred in from another precinct and helped them solve some of their murder cases.  Seeing their romance begin to blossom, Castle decides it is time to stop shadowing Beckett.  Interestingly enough neither one of them seems too happy with his decision - can't wait to watch Season 3!  pazt

"A Walk In The Woods"

Although my hubby and I had already seen "A Walk In The Woods," it has been a while so I checked out a copy of the DVD from our local library.  Unfortunately, it had some defective spots in it but we found it as a free offering on our Amazon Prime account.

I'd forgotten a lot of the movie and thoroughly enjoyed watching Robert Redford portray Bill Bryson with Emma Thompson portraying his wife.  When Bryson decides (after the recent death of a number of friends) that he's going to hike the Appalachian Trail -- all 2,190 miles of it -- alone, his wife panics and begins feeding him articles about people who have died on the trail.  She insists that, if he is determined to go, he must hike with a friend.  Friend after friend turn him down -- or turn out to be dead already -- but he gets a surprise call from Katz (played by Nick Nolte) who says he wants to go with him.  They grew up together in Iowa and had some adventures together in Europe when they were younger then Bryson met his English wife and life changed for him and he lost touch with Katz.

Talk about a mismatched pair of hiking companions!  I've read the book, too, and I recommend it also as some of their adventures don't make it into the film.  It's a story of male friendships forged through challenges and life lessons learned along the trail.  pazt

"Knots And Crosses"

"Knots and Crosses" by Ian Rankin appears to be the first Inspector Rebus novel in a series and I'm hooked after reading it!

Detective John Rebus works in Edinburgh where the city has had a series of murders of young girls between the ages of 8 and 12 and Rebus has been assigned (along with a huge task force) to work the case.  In the meantime, he's getting anonymous letters at home and at work -- all hand delivered -- with phrases that make no sense to him.  However, when his 12 year old daughter is kidnapped and may be the next victim, it begins to look like a personal vendetta against John himself.  He has memory lapses from the time he served in the military.  Will his hypnotist brother be able to help him recover his memory and save his daughter?  I'm off to look for the next book in the series.  pazt

"Just Getting Started"

"Just Getting Started" starring Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo was recommended to me to watch so I found it at the local library. 

Morgan Freeman stars as Duke Diver, manager of Villa Capri, a luxury  retirement resort.  Tommy Lee Jones is Leo, an ex-military man turned businessman, who turns up at the resort and quickly becomes competition for Duke with the ladies, in poker, and on the golf course.

When Rene's character, Suzie, arrives, both men are smitten but Leo's is of a more permanent nature.  As they compete for Suzie, things begin to heat up.  Until then this has been a very slow paced movie and I've fallen asleep.  When I wake up, there's a gun battle going on and I have to rewind to see what I've missed.  From here on out it gets more fun as we discover there's mob hit out on Duke and Suzie has been kidnapped so it's Leo and Duke to the rescue!  If you rent it, don't doze through the beginning like I did -- just wait for the fun to start!  pazt

"Love You More"

"Love You More" is part of Lisa Gardner's Detective D. D. Warren mystery series but it is the first one I've read.  I think I must have picked it up on my library's new books shelf and I'm hooked.  This is the fifth book in what appears to be an eleven book series so I have a little catching up to do since I like to read series in order for continuity.

Detective D. D. Warren is called in reluctantly on a high profile case.  State Police Trooper Tessa Leoni's husband has been shot dead on their kitchen floor and her six year old daughter is missing.  Although Tessa admits to shooting her husband in self defense and she has the bruises to prove she's been beaten, something doesn't quite add up and where is her daughter?

Tessa ends up in jail accused of murdering her husband and daughter because the improbable story she tells isn't believed.  However, as a reader, we know her story is true so how will she convince D.D. and the other investigators that she didn't kill her husband or her daughter and how will she find her missing daughter from jail?  The investigators are convinced they're searching for the young girl's body even though they've put her picture out and an alert for her.  This story has so many twists and turns and is so well written that it really is hard to tell in advance what is going to happen.  It is solid writing that leads to a satisfactory conclusion for all.  pazt

"Castle" - Complete First Season

"Castle" was one of my favorite TV shows back when we had "regular" TV.  We decided to give up "regular" TV in favor of ROKU and DVD's and downsized to just one TV in the family room.  It has been a blessing in many ways as we choose what shows to watch together or individually get our own time to watch shows the other wouldn't enjoy.  I do miss the Hallmark channel and Lifetime and USA and I miss shows like "Castle."

Luckily I was able to find the complete first season of "Castle" (10 episodes) at my local library and just finished watching them after having them checked out for a few weeks -- watching an episode every few days.  I think I must have missed some of these early episodes from TV as I don't remember them but I am thoroughly enjoying getting back into this 8 season series.

Rick Castle is a fairly successful crime novelist whose stories start coming to life in the first episode as a copycat killer uses them to commit murder.  At that point he is enlisted to help the NYPD try to stay a step ahead of the villain.  During the case Castle comes to the realization that working with the police could provide him with new ideas for future novels which would be especially helpful as he has writer's block at the moment.  He also seems to have taken a shine to Detective Beckett but she doesn't always appreciate his unorthodox methods.

As he gets permission to continue working with NYPD and Beckett, he learns that her mother was murdered when she was a girl and the case was never solved and that is why she became a homicide detective.

We also learn from one of her ex-boyfriends that she has been a fan of Castle's books forever and they're what helped her deal with her mother's death but she warns him not to tell Castle.

In the meantime Castle decides to have a friend who is a forensic expert look at her mother's case but his mother warns that he shouldn't be delving into Beckett's life without letter her know.  However, when he approaches her about the possibility, she says if he looks into her mother's case, that would be the end of their working relationship because it took her years of therapy to put her mother's murder behind her.

Rounding out the cast are a couple of male detectives and their boss, the medical examiner, Beckett's mom (who lives with him), his daughter (who also lives with him), and his ex-wife who makes an appearance in one episode before returning to the West Coast.

The first season ends with Castle's forensic expert discovering something about Beckett's mom's murder and possible ties to a series of murders around that time that were never linked originally.  He's afraid to tell Beckett and ruin their friendship but his mother insists he must do it.  So...the first season ends when he sits her down and is about to tell her.....

I can't wait to receive Season 2 from the library so I can discover what happens next!  pazt

"Riding The Bus With My Sister"

"Riding The Bus With My Sister" is a heartwarming, tug at your heart story from Hallmark's Gold Crown Edition directed by Angelica Huston.

Rosie ODonnell does an excellent job of portraying Beth, the developmentally disabled sister living on her own and getting around on the bus system.  She knows all the drivers and all the bus routes -- It's her world and her circle of friends.

Beth has the safety net of her father, though, to call on when she needs assistance so, when he suddenly dies, she is lost and her caseworker requests that either her brother or sister spend three months with her helping her adjust to life without her father.

Beth's brother has a family and work in California so it falls to her older sister, Rachel, to take time away from her life in New York and her successful photography business.  Rachel (portrayed by Andie McDowell) has just broken up with her long term boyfriend.  Although she loves him, she is reluctant to commit -- especially to having children.

As Rachel spends time with Beth and gets to know her life on the bus routes and her boyfriend, Jessie, she also has flashbacks to their childhood.  Their father left their mother for another woman (now their stepmother) and, when their mom finds herself a new and unsuitable boyfriend, Beth is left with her but her siblings go to live with their father.

Beth and Rachel's relationship during Rachel's stay is not a piece of cake.  Beth can be rude and they both end up saying things they regret but along the way they find not only each other but new lives independent of one another once the three months is up and they reconnect as loving sisters along the way.  pazt 

"The Girl In The Ice"

"The Girl In The Ice" is the second Konrad Simonsen thriller by brother and sister writing team, Lotte and Soren Hammer.  This time the body of a young woman is discovered in the ice cap twenty-five years after her disappearance and her death is clearly a murder.  When the investigation begins, it is the tip of the iceberg because the investigating team soon discovers her death is the work of a previously unknown serial killer.

A suspect is identified fairly quickly but proving his guilt and tying the crimes to him is another matter and the rest of the book details the thoroughness of the investigation and how the life of one of their own investigators is threatened by the killer.

Once again the Hammers have crafted a believable and unusual thriller and I can't wait to read their third book in the series.  pazt

'Pictures of Hollis Woods"

"Pictures of Hollis Woods" is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie that is a fictionalized version based on a true story.  It is a wonderful, heartwarming movie about Hollis Woods, a twelve year old girl, who was abandoned as a baby and has been moving from foster home to foster home.  She thinks she's blown her chance to be part of a "forever" family but her encounter with a retired art teacher, Josie, changes her perspective.  Edna, her social worker, has had experience in the past with Josie who has been a foster mother to young girls so places Hollis with her.  Hollis has a talent for drawing and she and Josie hit it off almost right away.  Unfortunately, Josie is developing dementia and Hollis may have to be moved again.  She tries to hide Josie's forgetfulness from others but it soon becomes too much to hide so that's when Hollis takes matters into her own hands with surprising results.  pazt

"Sensational Salads"

"Sensational Salads" is what I've always longed for so I checked out this book by Barbara Scott Goodman.  I grew up in a household where, when we did have a salad, it was some greens - mostly iceberg lettuce -- and French dressing - which I hated!  No wonder it took me a while to discover that salads could be delicious -- especially those found in restaurants.

However,  I want to be able to make my own really good salads so I started reading "Sensational Salads" and came of with some great ideas.  Since I don't eat meat, I could skip over the seafood and poultry and meat chapters.  However, I was able to find some other ideas to try.  I may not try her recipes as written but I did find ideas for adding fruits and veggies to salads that sound yummy! 

Since I also avoid oil and I think every recipe in this book calls for extra virgin olive oil or some other oil, I am going to have to look for a replacement for that but I believe it is doable so now I'm excited about venturing into the field of good tasting and healthy salads.

The author also tells how to toast nuts and roast beets and cauliflower among other things and finishes the book with some dressing and vinaigrette recipes.

I couldn't find a bean salad that appealed to me but the Wild Rice, Apricot, and Pecan Salad would be great for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think.  I do want to try her Green Bean, Yellow Bean and Red Pepper Salad as well as the Tropical Fruit Salad and the Mango, Blueberry and Ginger Salad.  My taste buds are watering just thinking about them!  pazt

"Thug Kitchen - Eat Like You Give A F_ _ _ - The Official Cookbook"

"Thug Kitchen - Eat Like You Give a F_ _ _ - The Official Cookbook" may offend some of our sensibilities with all it's swear words but it is a great resource for those trying to eat healthier.  There are some delicious looking recipes that I have yet to try but they are on my future menu list.  Unfortunately, I eat plant based, no oil so I will have to make some adjustments to eliminate the oil in the recipes because they still include oil.

I think what I love most about this cookbook is the basics they teach.  Here are some examples:

How to make a simple tomato sauce,
How to make a basic pot of beans or cook grains,
How to make basic green smoothies where you choose the ingredients,
How to build a salad,
How to build a bowl,
How to cut a mango and how to cut vegetables,
How to bake tofu,
How to make veggie broth with scraps,
How to roast garlic or your own bell peppers...

Where will I start?  My husband has Stage 4 esophageal cancer which the medical community has no cure for - only palliative care -- so we're doing our own alternative treatment.  Since he sometimes has difficulty swallowing whole foods, we have been making a lot of smoothies and I've been trying different recipes.  This book gives me the confidence to try my own smoothie concoctions using their basic formula.

I also am excited about some of the dessert recipes -- pudding types should be easy for my hubby plus he seems to have no difficulty getting cookies down so I may try one of the cookie recipes this week, too.

If you have trouble with the swear words, try to find a way to replace them in your mind and take a look at this book as I think it's worth it!  pazt

"The Christmas Train"

"The Christmas Train" is a movie I've been waiting for from my local library for a long time.  It's one of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas movies and billed as "Believe in Second Chances."

When the hero of our story, a journalist, boards a train to fulfill a promise to his father who recently died, he doesn't expect to run into Ellie, the love of his life.  They were together as war correspondents for six years then she left and life has never been the same for either of them.

Not only does love happen on this train but miracles and friendships are part of the "Christmas Train" experience.  However, there is a twist at the end of this love story that even I didn't see coming.  This is a Hallmark movie not to miss!  pazt

"Vintage Murder"

"Vintage Murder" by Ngaio Marsh is the fifth Roderick Alleyn mystery in the series I am reading in order.  This mystery is set in New Zealand where Alleyn is supposed to be vacationing.  However, he is traveling with a theater company and, when the co-owner of the company is murdered in full view of everyone at his wife's birthday party, Alleyn finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation -- as a witness then on loan to the New Zealand police.  It's another intriguing Alleyn mystery where we have most of the facts but still aren't quite sure who the murderer is until Alleyn pulls it all together at the end.  pazt

"The One That Got Away"

"The One That Got Away" is Leigh Himes first novel and I loved it so I am hoping she is working on a second one.  My husband and I did a one night getaway last night and I had time to read all of her book without interruptions from my "to do" list.

Abbey Lahey is an overworked and underappreciated married mother of two who also holds down a full time job OR is she?

Maybe she's Abbey Van Holt, wife to a gorgeous congressional candidate from a wealthy family and mother of two who doesn't have to work or lift a finger.  She has it all and more!

Which is the real Abbey and which life will she choose?  You'll have to read the book to decide!  pazt

"The Poisoned Chalice Murder"

"The Poisoned Chalice Murder" is the second Black & Dod historical mystery in a series by Diane Janes and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book, "The Magic Chair Murder."  Since this second book was just published in 2018, I think I'll have to wait a while for her third book in the series but all hints at the end of this mystery point to their being a third Black & Dod mystery.

Tom Dod's Aunt Hetty has called on Tom and Fran to do some sleuthing in the sleepy village of Durley Dean where she lives.  There have been three recent deaths of members of the St. Agnes Church that Aunt Hetty attends.  Although they appear to be accidents, all three individuals took a stand against the new Reverend Pinder who has made some controversial changes that have not set well with all the members.  Some members have left the congregation but the three that died all were part of a group that wrote a letter to the hierarchy complaining about Rev. Pinder. 

In the midst of trips to stay with Aunt Hetty, Fran has also learned that her estranged husband's live-in girlfriend is pregnant and she has decided to give him a divorce so that the child can be legitimate.  However, it is going to have an impact on time she spends with Tom because of the archaic laws in place at this period in England.  She cannot seem to be in a new relationship or she might be tied to her ex-husband for life.

Tom and Fran do discover that there are some evil forces at play when one parishioner is charged with poisoning his wife and another is attacked in his yard but this time none of the attacks are aimed at them.  Will they be able to figure out who is behind these "accidents" and get the police to listen to their theories?  Another great mystery from Diane Janes with insights into England after the first world war.

"Just In Time For Christmas"

"Just In Time For Christmas" is a Hallmark Hall of Fame DVD billed as a "charming romantic fantasy."  Lindsay is a professor who has just received a once-in-a-lifetime job offer to teach at an Ivy League college thousands of miles from her small hometown.  It's also likely her thesis will be published by them and become a best seller.  Her positive philosophy for good shines through in her classroom and her life and is the theme of her thesis.  Right after she gets the offer by phone, she meets her boyfriend, Jason, for dinner and he proposes.  Now she's in a quandary as to what to do.  She doesn't think she can have it all but fortunately for Lindsay.....someone mysteriously appears to take her on a ride in a horse drawn carriage and this stranger is played by William Shatner.  Unknown to her she gets the chance to glimpse three years into the future and that glimpse just might be what she needs to come to a decision.  Her Grandpa Bob is played by Christopher Lloyd and he was the perfect choice given his "Back To The Future" roles!  I love this movie and I think it might just be one of my all time favorite Hallmark movies!  pazt 

"Engaging Father Christmas"

"Engaging Father Christmas" is the second movie in the Father Christmas trilogy which is part of Hallmark's Miracles of Christmas series. 

In "Finding Father Christmas" Miranda travels from Seattle to Carlton Heath on the east coast to learn the identity of her birth father.  When her mother died suddenly when she was a young girl, Miranda had never been told who her father was.  However, a picture returned to her in a suitcase that belonged to her mother led her to Carlton Heath and the identity of her father -- James Whitcomb, an actor, now deceased.

Although the Whitcomb family welcomes her, they ask her to not tell anyone that she is James' daughter as they don't want a family scandal.  When Miranda returns to spend Christmas with the Whitcomb family the following year and to become engaged to Ian, the local man she fell in love with last year, someone has discovered her true parentage and is threatening to tell all.  She fears the family she has found will want nothing to do with her if that happens.

I love this series and I cannot wait to see the last episode in the trilogy - "Marrying Father Christmas."  Unfortunately, it just aired in December 2018 and is not yet available at my local library!  pazt

"Snow Bride"

"Snow Bride" is another part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas movie series available from my local library now that Christmas is over and not all the other patrons are wanting to watch Christmas movies.

"Snow Bride" is a cute story about a reporter, Greta, who works for the tabloid, Pulse.  She and a fellow reporter are sent to get some dirt on a famous political family for their first on-line issue.  The successful one will become the new editor of the magazine.  Greta arrives in a snow storm, gets her car stuck in a snow drift and is rescued by one of the family's sons.  When his younger brother brings home his ex-girlfriend, he blurts out that Greta is his new girlfriend and she agrees to play along.  What she discovers is a nice family that has no dirt to spill but how does she extricate herself from the situation without hurting anyone and how does the ex-girlfriend's dirt get exposed?  Another heartwarming Christmas story from Hallmark...pazt

"What The Deaf Man Heard"

"What The Deaf Man Heard" is a Hallmark Gold Crown Collector's Edition movie and it is great.  Sammy Ayers is being raised by a single mom and they board a bus for Georgia hoping to change their lives.  En route, Sammy's mother gets off the bus to stretch her legs at a stop while Sammy is sleeping and she disappears.  When he arrives alone at his destination, the bus driver insists he is now the charge of the station master, Norman Jenkins (played by Tom Skerritt) and at some point Sammy decides to pretend that he is deaf.  He ends up growing up living in a room with a cot in the back of the station being watched over by Norm and a waitress, Lucille, who works there.  He becomes the town's handy man.  He also becomes friends with a local trash hauler played by James Earl Jones and, because people don't think he can hear, he becomes privy to a lot of secrets.  Eventually, some secrets are too big to keep and he has to speak out and use his voice to right some wrongs.  What he learns about himself in the process changes his life.  I think this is one of my favorite Hallmark movies!  pazt

"Heaven Is For Real For Kids"

"Heaven Is For Real For Kids" as told by Colton Burpo to his parents Todd & Sonja Burpo is the story of  how Colton experienced heaven during an emergency operation at three years of age.  This book is his story as told to his parents to share with other children.

I grew up in a Baptist Church and moved from Baptist to Southern Baptist to Methodist to Congregational to Unity and now belong to a Unitarian Universalist Church so,  you might think my views on religion might have changed over the years to reflect my transition to more liberal congregations.  However, my views essentially have always pretty much remained the same - It is not important to me what happens after I die.  I'm not afraid of death - more afraid of experiencing a lot of pain or suffering while dying.

Colton's experiences to me reflected what he would have expected to see from his Sunday School experiences but what I cannot explain is the little girl who "wouldn't stop hugging me" who is surmised to be his sister who'd died in utero.  If this story will bring comfort to parents and/or children, I thank the Burpos for sharing it.  pazt

"Finding Father Christmas"

"Finding Father Christmas" is part of the "Most Wonderful Movies Christmas" Hallmark series.

Miranda was 9 when her mother died in the midst of a Christmas play.  Miranda and her mother had traveled all over the United States for her mother's work as an actress.  Since she'd never told Miranda who her father was and there was no other family, some friends of her mother's took her in.

Miranda has a stable career in Seattle that does not involve the nomadic life she led with her mother but Christmas is always a sad time for her and she tends to work through it.  This year is different, though, when she gets a call about something of her mother's that has been found in a Seattle theater where her mother last performed.  A suitcase was discovered when the theater was being remodeled and an employee who remembered Miranda and her mother tracks her down to return it to her.

When Miranda opens the suitcase, she finds some items that puzzle her including a picture of Father Christmas holding a small boy on his lap.  This unexpected clue takes her to a small town in Vermont and a stay in an Inn over Christmas.  What she discovers there is the true meaning of family and of love.  I think this may be one of my favorite Hallmark movies to date.  There is a follow up movie that I will be looking for next, "Engaging Father Christmas."  pazt

"Lost and Found Sisters"

"Lost and Found Sisters" is the first book I've read by Jill Shalvis but it has left me wanting to read more of her novels.

Quinn Weller has been adrift since losing her younger sister in a car accident.  They were close in age and the best of friends.  She has loving parents, her dream job in a Los Angeles eatery, and  a long-time friend/boyfriend anxious to marry her (just as her and his parents are also anxious for that to happen).

Quinn's life changes in a minute, though, when a lawyer approaches her to tell her that she was adopted at birth and her birthmother has just died and left her a small cafe in the small town of Wildstone, CA (a few miles north of L.A.) and a teenage younger sister.

She confronts her parents as to why she was never told she was adopted and on an impulse heads to Wildstone to learn more about her mother, her inheritance, and her younger sister.  It's not all a bed of roses as she tries to connect with her grieving sister and become her custodial "parent."  She also finds herself reopening her mother's restaurant and learns there are no secrets in Wildstone!  Then she meets Mick who has a partnership in San Francisco but is reluctantly back in Wildstone regularly to help his mother after his dad's death.  Sparks fly between he and Quinn.  Will a blossoming romance and a younger sister who needs her be enough to keep Quinn in Wildstone?  Will she be able to resolve her conflicting emotions and forgive her adoptive parents?  There is a lot of depth to this story and it rings true to me having worked in the field of adoption and being an adoptive mother myself.  pazt

"Charming Christmas"

"Charming Christmas" is another movie in Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas series.  The story centers around Meredith who is taking over the reins of her family's Rossman Department Store.  They're in the midst of a busy Christmas season but she (and her parents who are still involved in the business) are entertaining a proposition to sell their store so it can grow and an old business school acquaintance of Meredith's is leading the charge.  I think he might have his eyes on Meredith as well!

In the meantime, Meredith's mom hires Nick to be this year's new store Santa in their Santaville Department.  Meredith is all business and about making money while Nick charms children and adults alike and gets to know everyone in town.  As Meredith fills in as Mrs. Santa on occasion in Santaville, she becomes better acquainted with Nick and he has the opportunity to open her up to the non business side of Christmas and help her get to know her employees on a personal front.

When the final offer comes in for the store. will Meredith still be trying to sell her parents on the idea or will she now be concerned about the fate of the employees who work at Rossman and what about her relationship with Nick?  "Charming Christmas" is a charming tale.  pazt

"The Old Man & The Gun"

Robert Redford portrays Forrest Tucker (a true life criminal) in "The Old Man & The Gun."  Tucker started his life of crime as a teenager and has been in and out of jail ever since as well as executing plenty of successful escapes from jail -- the last one at age 70.  The movie co-stars Sissy Spacek as a love interest who is unaware of the real Forrest Tucker.  Casey Affleck plays the detective determined to catch Tucker after discovering his identity and his role in the "Over The Hill Gang" -- made up of Tucker and 2 friends who are robbing banks all over the country.

I'd read a write up of this movie and the story interested me.  It's billed as a "charming comedy that will steal your heart" but I couldn't see it as a comedy.  I always enjoy watching Robert Redford in any role, though!  pazt

"The Indigo Girl"

"The Indigo Girl" is a novel by Natasha Boyd but it is based on the life of Eliza Lucas, who at age 16 was left in charge of her family's three plantations in South Carolina when her father returns to Antigua leaving his wife and two daughters behind as he pursued a military commission.

Eliza's mother is not well enough to take charge and Eliza's two younger brothers are still in England being educated and her younger sister is much too young.  Eliza's mother is determined to see Eliza married but Eliza is determined not to marry unless she can marry for love versus to enhance her family fortunes.

Evenutally, Eliza is able to pursue her dream of  raising indigo on the home plantation and making a dye that rivals the French indigo that breaks English dependence on the French for that product -- at a time when the two countries are warring.

Eliza's father does recommend she take advantage of some gentlemen he knows if she needs assistance - one a horticulturist and one an attorney -- and she does seek their advice. 

Although the families all own slaves, Eliza believes in treating them fairly and she does teach her slaves to read and she doesn't respect those who will not treat slaves humanely.  In return for teaching them to read, the slaves agree to teach Eliza the secrets of making indigo dye.    Eliza runs her plantation with a firm hand and a better head for business than her father had, I think, as she begins to pay off mortgages.  Unfortunately, she also has some setbacks.  When her brother, Charles, comes of age to return and take over the plantation, she and her mother and younger sister make plans to join her father in Antigua.

Eliza has made many good friends in South Carolina and is reluctant to leave this life behind.  Charles Pinckney's wife (a good friend to Eliza and her mother) dies after a lingering illness and leaves Charles, the family attorney friend, bereft and mourning her loss for several years.  Before Eliza departs for Antigua, she and Charles meet at her plantation and declare their love for one another so she ends up marrying him and staying in South Carolina.

If you visit Charleston, Boyd says much of the Pinckney history is told in the life of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Eliza's son.  Although she was ambitious and headstrong and didn't always conform to what society expected of her, she was never idle but not much is remembered of her other than her marrying Pinckney.

Charles and Eliza's sons are both historically significant - Thomas being tied to the Pinckney Treaty and Charles was one of the Founding Fathers of the USA who represented South Carolina at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  President George Washington was a pallbearer at Eliza's funeral.

Two hundred years after she died, Eliza Lucas Pinckney was inducted into the South Carolina Women in Business Hall of Fame.  In 2005, a new chapter of the National Society for the Daughters of the American Revolution organized in her honor naming themselves the Eliza Lucas Pinckney chapter of the NSDAR.  The state flag of South Carolina is still blue in honor of indigo.

I had not realized until I read this book what importance Indigo played in United States history and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this remarkable young woman. pazt

Collecting Recipes

Is anyone else a collector of recipes and cookbooks?  I have more than I can prepare the rest of my lifetime! 

Today is a snow day -- 7 inches at least in the past week and it's still coming down at our home.  That makes is a good day to go through "stuff" and recycle, purge, etc.  I found a pile of recipes that I collected from the internet or magazines in 2008 so that is 11 years ago.  What it has shown me is how much our lifestyle has changed in that time frame. 

Our oldest daughter has been plant-based for 16 plus years and encouraged us to check it out when my husband started having some health problems in 2016 and 2017.  On her advice we attended Dr. John McDougall's 10-day Intensive in Santa Rosa, CA, in December of 2017.  We made a road trip of it driving from Seattle to Portland the first night then to Redding, CA, the second night, and on to Santa Rosa the third day arriving a day ahead of the start.  On the way home we took the coast route going from Santa Rosa to the California coast staying in California the first night, Newport, OR, in a timeshare we have there the second night and on to Kalaloch Lodge in Washington for 2 nights before coming home in time to do our Christmas shopping.

It has certainly changed the way we eat - avoiding meat, dairy and oil.  When I went through that pile of 2008 clippigns, I was able to toss most into the recycle pile.  There were a few that I think I might be able to adapt or look on-line for plant based healthy versions of the same recipe.

Another daunting task ahead of me is getting rid of my non-plant based cookbooks to make room for all the new plant-based cookbooks I've purchased.  They have been with me through most of my 57 years of marriage so it may be hard to part with all of them but I am definitely going to try.  At this time of my life it is beginning to be about recycling, donating, and purging however way it works.  pazt

"A Very Merry Mix-Up"

"A Very Merry Mix-Up" is another Countdown To Christmas" Hallmark movie starring Alicia Witt as Alice and Mark Wiebe as Matt.  Alice inherited her father's antique store in New York City after his death when her mother decided to move to Florida to be near her sister.  She is struggling but loves the family business.  Right before Christmas Will, the man she met through internet dating, proposes and suggests they spend Christmas with his family so she can meet them.  When he is delayed by a real estate business deal, he sends her on ahead.

That's when things begin to go haywire as her luggage is lost and she bumps (literally) into his brother Matt and her phone stops working and they have a car accident on the way to the family home.  Things begin to improve when she meets his family and falls in love with them although they hadn't heard of "Billy's" engagement as Will wanted to surprise his parents with the news.

When Will turns up, though, with an offer to sell her store for several million dollars and she learns she's been getting to know the wrong family, Alice has to look at what she really wants in her life and who she wants to spend it with.  pazt

"Crown For Christmas"

"Crown For Christmas" is part of Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" and stars Rupert Penry-Jones, an English actor born into a family of actors.  My spouse and I first remember him from "The 39 Steps."  His co-star in "Crown for Christmas" is Danica McKellar who is an American actress.  Although Danica may be best known for her role as Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years," she has written a number of best-selling books about math, including "Math Doesn't Suck" plus she's an education advocate.   She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.  While there she and Professor Lincoln Chayes and a fellow student named Brandy Winn worked together to come up with a new mathematical proof which was named the Charles-McKellar-Winn theorem.

In "Crown For Christmas" Danica is Allie, a young woman who gave up  art school to return home to raise her younger brother and sister when her parents were killed in an accident.  Although her siblings are now grown, she and her sister are still supporting the family with jobs as maids in a hotel in New York while their brother attends college.  When Allie accidentally bumps into a VIP guest, little does she know the ramifications.  She and her sister lose their jobs at the hotel but she is immediately offered a position as a governess.  Thus begins her adventure!  The man (Rupert Penry-Jones) she bumped into in the hotel is King of a little known country whose New York born wife died four years ago and left him with a grieving and impossible daughter who has run through governesses like a steamroller.  However, Allie is prepared for that as it is much like having to raise her younger siblings!

The King's Chancellor believes it is important for the King to remarry and bring the kingdom together with a wedding.  His deceased parents destined him to marry Lady Celia but he found his own true love in New York (his daughter's mother).  Now the Chancellor is urging him to put his grief aside and announce his engagement to Lady Celia at the annual Christmas Eve Gala.

In the meantime, Allie has won over the Princess and begun to capture the King's heart as well.  Will he follow his Chancellor's wishes or his heart?  It's Hallmark - what do you think?  It's a delightful, heartwarming movie!  pazt

"Christmas Under Wraps"

"Christmas Under Wraps" is another movie from Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" series.  Lauren has a surgical residency at a San Francisco hospital and has her life planned out.  She's going to get a fellowship at the same college where her father had his and she's getting engaged.  There's only one problem -- her boyfriend doesn't like his life being planned out like a check list and breaks up with her.  Then...she learns the fellowship she wanted went to another doctor who had served with Doctors Without Borders.  Since she thought she was a shoo in there with her father's connections, she didn't apply for any other fellowships.  Her one alternative seems to be to accept a General Practice residency in Garland, Alaska!

Reluctantly, Lauren decides to give Garland a trial while waiting for another fellowship to come through.  She's surprised to learn that Garland is not a suburb of Anchorage and it requires a private plane to fly her in.  The pilot turns out to be the son of the town's major industry owner who has come home from Seattle where he'd been living as an architect.  Now he has to decide whether to continue as an architect or stay in Garland as the local handyman to then take over his father's business.

Against her better judgement Lauren falls in love with Garland, the pilot, and the spirit of Christmas that exudes there.  Now she has to decide if she'll follow her "plan" or her grandmother's advice to follow her heart.  pazt

"The Nine Lives of Christmas"

"The Nine Lives of Christmas" is part of Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" movies starring Brandon Routh as firefighter, Zach, and Kimberly Sustad as a mature veterinary student.  Zach is a confirmed bachelor who doesn't believe in true love but his life changes when Ambrose, a cat whose elderly owner died, decides to move in with him.  As much as he thinks he wants no cat, Ambrose finds his way into Zach's heart and leads him to Marilee, who finds him shopping for cat food in the grocery store.  She's in her last year of veterinary school and has no time for romance but circumstances throw them together and the confirmed bachelor and the woman not ready to date end up surprising themselves and each other.  pazt

"Christmas Next Door"

"Christmas Next Door" is another Countdown to Christmas movie from Hallmark.  Eric Redford is played by Jesse Metcalfe and his Christmas loving neighbor, April is played by Fiona Gubelmann.

April and her sister are exuberant about Christmas but Eric, a writer advising men to stay single, is not so much.  April decorates to the hilt and Eric not at all -- until his mother gets the flu and has to send his niece and nephew to stay at his house a few days before Christmas because their parents are stranded in Europe by snow.

The kids demand a Christmas tree and April helps out by providing decorations and slowly Eric's feelings about Christmas begin to change as does his ideas about being single.  It's a very upbeat movie all around.  pazt

"Moonlight In Vermont"

"Moonlight In Vermont" is a Hallmark original movie starring Lacey Chabert and Carlo Marks.  Fiona is a very successful New York City real estate broker who has to reevaluate her life after her boyfriend, Nate, breaks up with her because she never seems to have time for him.  Fiona's mother died when she was 20 and her successful Wall Street broker father sold the family apartment near Central Park and purchased an inn in Vermont which he now runs with her stepmother.  She hasn't quite forgiven her father for selling the family home.

When she is offered the job opportunity of a lifetime while still smarting from Nate's breaking up with her, her best friend (a therapist) suggests they take a few days to escape to her father's inn in Vermont to give her time to contemplate her future and perhaps heal the rift between her and her father.

Fiona is surprised to find her brother at the Inn helping her dad with internet marketing but her friend is delighted to renew his acquaintance.  When Nate shows up with a new girlfriend already to spend a few days at the inn, Fiona is hurt but decides to not show it by blurting out that she, too, has a new boyfriend - Derek, her father's very handsome and laid-back chef.

Of course, this is news to Derek but he decides to play along when she agrees to help him purchase a piece of land he needs to locally grow vegetables for the kitchen.  The scheme to make Nate jealous works but living a laid back life in Vermont for a few days, having a meaningful conversation with her father, and getting to know Derek better changes her priorities and transfers her affections - with a few glitches along the way, of course!  pazt

"The Magic Chair Murder"

"The Magic Chair Murder" is a 1920's English Mystery by Diane Janes and is so authentic to the period that I thought the author was, too!  However, Diane Janes is a current author and this is the first in a series she's written about Fran Black and Tom Dod and their sleuthing skills.

Linda Dexter is set to make a speech at the Robert Barnaby Society of which Fran and Tom are members.  In fact, it was Fran who suggested Linda as a speaker.  However, Linda disappears the night before the speech from her hotel room along with all her clothes and her automobile.  Her car (with her luggage in it) is found burned on a country road then later her body is found on a little used railroad track after being hit by a train.  Although the police deem it a suicide, Fran and Tom decide she's been murdered and they set out o find out why and by who.

This book reminded me a little of an Agatha Christie murder mystery as Fran and Tod work through clues and come up with suspects then discount them until they come up with a solution near the end of the book.  Although Fran and Tom are attracted to one another, they are both married and choose not to act on their feelings.  However, it appears they're going to team up again to solve a new mystery in Janes' second book in the series.  I look forward to reading it!  pazt

"Christmas At Holly Lodge"

"Christmas At Holly Lodge" is another one of the Hallmark channel's Countdown to Christmas movies.  It stars Alison Sweeney as Sophie, who is the owner of Holly Lodge, and Jordan Bridges as Evan who is the deal closer for a major developer.

Evan has been sent to Holly Lodge a few days before Christmas to secure the purchase of the lodge which is on the brink of foreclosure.  Sophie has been running the family lodge since her parents were killed in a car accident while she was in college.  Despite financial difficulties she continues to keep it open over the holidays to a group of guests who have become family friends returning for a special Christmas each year at Holly Lodge where Christmas miracles occur.

Evan and Sophie have an instant spark/connection when he walks in the door and what was to be a couple of days stay for Evan turns into a stay through Christmas.  When Callie, Sophie's friend and employee, discovers his real reason for being there, Sophie decides to not let him know she knows but do everything to discourage him completing the takeover that will turn the lodge into an "elite" destination lodge.

However, Evan has plans of his own once he gets to know Sophie and her friends and guests.  Is this jet setter who has never called one place his home ready to settle down in one place or can he convince Sophie it is time to join him and travel the world?  This may be my favorite, most heartwarming Hallmark movie to date!  pazt

"A Bramble House Christmas"

"A Bramble House Christmas" is part of the  Hallmark Miracles of Christmas movie series.  I ordered many Christmas movies before last Christmas from my local library and was 70 something on the waiting list so they're all arriving now that Christmas is over.  However, having a daughter and adult granddaughter that celebrate Christmas all year long makes it fitting we should watch Christmas movies all year long and that's according to my spouse who used to be Mr. Bah-humbug at Christmas!

"A Bramble House Christmas" is the story of Willa, a young divorced woman with a grade school age son without a father in the picture.  She's been nursing a dying man until he passed away recently and, when she's left $100,000 and a Christmas vacation at Bramble House in Oregon with her son, the estranged daughter and son of the man she nursed decide she's a gold digger who conned their father into leaving her the money.

Finn, the son, decides to travel from Seattle to confront her and serve her with an injunction that holds up her inheritance until a full investigation is held.  As is usual in Hallmark movies, plans don't always go smoothly and plans change.  When Finn arrives at Bramble House, he doesn't have the chance to tell Willa immediately who he is and why is there.  As he gets to know her and her son and see the caring person that she is and her power to impact positively the lives around her, he realizes she is not the gold digger that he thought she was and there is a powerful reason his father left her the money.

That would be a good place to end the movie but, of course, there has to be some twists and turns before romance blossoms.  It's an uplifting story!  pazt

"The Wife Between Us"

"The Wife Between Us" is a novel co-authored by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and it is a real surprise!  The best description is the one on the back of the large print edition and I don't think I can explain it any better so I'm just going to give you that:

"When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.

You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement -- a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.

You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.

Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, The Wife Between Us, exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage -- and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies."

Whoever wrote this synopsis truly captured this book.  I read a lot of mysteries and it is rare a book totally surprises me but this one did so, if you like challenges and surprises, this book is for you.  Read it!  pazt

"Christmas Cookies"

"Christmas Cookies" is part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas collection and, as such, is a feel good movie.  Jill Wagner stars as Hannah, a corporate executive who has been sent to the town of Cookie Jar to close the deal for her company on the purchase of "Aunt Sallie's Christmas Cookie Company" which is responsible for the livelihood of everyone in Cookie Jar.  Her negotiations are with Jake Carter (played by Wes Brown) and he's reluctant to have the factory moved from Cookie Jar to Buffalo as her company has proposed.  What she thought would be a quick negotiation allowing her to return home in time to attend (reluctantly) a corporate Christmas party with her boyfriend turns into a several day stay in Cookie Jar that changes not only her life but brings hope to the whole town.  pazt

"The Love Punch"

"The Love Punch" is another DVD I found at my local library.  It stars Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson as well as Celia Imrie.  Emma portrays Kate and Pierce is her ex-husband, Richard, who is getting ready to retire.  They have a computer hacking son and a daughter just off to the college in Edinburgh where Kate and Richard met and fell in love.

Their lives fall apart, though, when the company Richard retired from is gutted by the new owner and all the pension funds raided leaving he, Kate, and all his fellow ex-employees with nothing.  When he breaks the news to Kate, she immediately goes into action mode and they come up with a plan to steal a diamond worth $10 million that the new owner has just given his bride-to-be and she will be wearing at the wedding.

There are a few complications along the way but, with the help of their neighbors (played by Celia Imrie and Timothy Spall) and the bride-to-be they all just might live happily ever after without going to jail.  This is a fun movie with some of my favorite actors and actresses.  pazt

"The Love Letter"

"The Love Letter" DVD is one I picked up at my local library and it was billed as "the comedy that pushes the envelope."  It's a 1999 movie starring Kate Capshaw, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Everett Scott, and Tom Selleck when they were 20 years younger!  Although it is a fun movie, it wasn't the comedy that I expected.

The setting is a sleepy New England town called Loblolly By The Sea and Helen, owner of the local bookstore, finds a handwritten letter and is curious about who wrote it.  It's a love letter and she begins to imagine which of the locals might have written it and thinks it is for her.  She ends up in a romance with a young college student, Johnny, who is looking after his parent's home for the summer and ignoring the twice divorced man, George, she went to school with who has had a crush on her forever.

Although we find out who the author is in the end and who the letter was meant to go to, the letter seems to have a power of its own to uncover secrets and change lives.  pazt

"A December Bride"

"A December Bride" is a charming Hallmark Christmas movie with a twist.  Aspiring interior designer, Layla, was talking with her friend, Seth, when her cousin showed up at an event looking for a financial backer.  Seth points out that Layla's fiance is a investment backer and pushes them to get a drink and discuss what he has to offer.  What it turns out he has to offer is to break his engagement to Layla and propose to her cousin!

Layla's aunt encourages her to let bygones be bygones and, in the spirit of family, attend the wedding so Layla invites her next door neighbor to go with her as her "date."  However, when he comes down with a case of the flu at the last minute, she has to take Seth up on his offer to take her although she's pretty miffed at him for introducing the happy couple. 

Events get a little out of hand at the wedding and Seth says he and Layla are engaged and everything becomes complicated from then on!  Of course, in true Hallmark fashion, they do end up falling in love but the ride is bumpy along the way!  pazt

"Goosebumps"

A couple of nights ago, my spouse and I watched the "Goosebumps" DVD which he'd checked out from the library.  Although we'd seen it many years ago, I'd forgotten enough to make it still keep me on the edge of my seat.  I have to say I love anything with Jack Black in it!  Over the holidays we watched the second movie with our children and grandchildren at our daughter's home which may be why he decided to rewatch the first movie.  It's frightening and funny and even has a little romance!  I highly recommend it.  pazt.

"Angel Of Christmas"

"Angel of Christmas" is a delightful Hallmark romance and just what the doctor ordered.  My husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer in August of 2018 and he has been trying alternative nontraditional treatment since the medical community could only offer palliative care.  He'd hoped to beat the cancer but it seems to be progressing despite his best efforts.  The doctor has referred us to Hospice and, although he is maintaining an optimistic outlook and still hoping to "beat the cancer," he is also preparing in case it doesn't.

For several years now we have sat down together each evening to cuddle and watch a show together.  We've usually chosen mystery series and try to solve them together.  However, tonight he decided it was time to watch romances.  We started with a Hallmark movie but others on the agenda are Jane Austen works like "Pride and Prejudice" - a particular favorite of his.  Another one mentioned was "American Dreamer" which is a very funny romantic comedy.

I requested Christmas movies from the library in 2018 prior to Christmas but it appears I was not the only one with that idea so my requests (mostly Hallmark) didn't arrive until after the holidays but we decided to still watch them.

"Angel of Christmas" is the story of a young copy editor who is given the family Christmas Tree angel which was hand carved by her great-grandfather.  In her wish to discover more about the history of the angel, the angel helps her find romance.  pazt

"Darrow & Darrow: In The Key of Murder"

"Darrow & Darrow: In The Key of Murder" appears to be the second movie of a Hallmark series.  Claire Darrow's new boyfriend (D.A. Miles Strasberg) has a problem - His younger half-sister has been accused of murder and he needs Claire to defend her.  In addition, between the two of them they have to discover who is guilty.  In the midst of all this, Claire's daughter, Lou, is on the baseball team and needs her mother and grandmother to cheer her on -- and get the coach to let her play.  This is a great series -- good mysteries and humor, too!  pazt