After finishing Clive Cussler's The Assassin, I read through National Geographic's Atlas of North American Indians. In the past day and a half, I've read The Cat Sitter's Whiskers by John and Blaize Clement, and just finished Haunted, a new Hannah Smith mystery by Randy Wayne White. I am now re-reading C J Cherryh's Tracker. I'm out of new books, and will have to visit the Public Library again… *sigh* If you're looking for a light-hearted mystery with a touch of romance, I highly recommend the Cat Sitter series, which takes place on Siesta Key. A widowed pet sitter (and ex-deputy) takes care of various pets at various houses and helps solve crimes she encounters. The Assassin is part of the Isaaac Bell series - if you like history and mystery combined, along with a fast pace and discussion about planes, trains, and automobiles of the early 20th century, you'll love this series. Randy Wayne White has written several non-fiction books, but is also the creator of two highly readable and entertaining series - one about marine biologist Marion "Doc" Ford and his unknown black ops escapades; the other is about Hannah Smith, a woman who runs a charter-fishing business and an investigative agency on the side. Both of these series are set near and around Sanibel Island (Florida), southern Florida, Cuba, and several other countries (for Doc Ford). Hannah Smith is the fictions great-grand daughter of two of South Florida's most well-known pioneer women - Hannah and Sarah Smith. You get a lot of education regarding the areas, fishing and history in every one of Mr White's books. I can't put any of them down - or don't want to - once I start reading them. And I wrote about the atevi world created by C J Cherryh at the end of last month. I would love to be there. The cat that I lost to poisoning 4-plus years ago was named Banichi, after a main character in Cherryh's series; Nedi is short for Cenedi-ji, also a main character. I do love my books and authors!
Will we have a Triple Crown Champion after Saturday evening? Who will win the Epsom Derby? Everything in those two questions can only be answered by "racing luck." What will the trainers and riders strategies be? How well will everyone break from the gate? Will there be early speed? Will the winner just keep getting faster with each furlong, as Secretariat did? We'll have to wait until Saturday to find out.
Showing posts with label mysteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mysteries. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Monday, October 11, 2010
Just Stuff
Yesterday was the first time since May that I got up and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. It was a grey rainy day, and the high temp for ten-ten-ten was 57. Last year, however, the high was 27, with the low being 17 - so I really can't complain. I returned home from Brighton just before midnight last night, greeted and fed my kits, then just fell into my bed until it was time to go take care of Rosie and Remy this morning. I've just returned home and the kits are running in and out through the patio door. A raven has been raising Cain for the last several minutes, and I think it's fussing at Neddy.
It was wonderful to spend time with Suki and Boo this morning after walking the Rs. The red kids had a quiet morning with us, but a little after noon several squirrels started taunting the Rs - and, of course, they responded. They barked and bayed and tried to climb the trees the squirrels were in. One little fella sat out on the only tree limb devoid of leaves, and shook his tail with each bark of his own at the dogs. I found it highly amusing. Suki was her usual laid-back self, and I had to knee Boo immediately after removing the Rs' harness, as she just had to jump up on me. I am just so happy to be back home with my kits in my apartment and my own bed.
I've read several more Linda Fairstein mysteries, as well as Alys Clare. I love both of them, and thoroughly enjoy the settings - one in current day New York City, and the other in Richard the Lionheart's reign in a market town near London. I am about half-way through the first of Katherine Hall Page's series of mysteries set in Maine, but am finding them hard to read. For some reason I'm not connecting with the main character... maybe it's because she's a city girl, and I'm definitely country. But the protagonist of Linda Fairstein's books is a New York City girl, and I have no problem at all connecting with and understanding her character.... Maybe I'm just not in the right mood for a caterer/Reverend's wife/mother-of-a-two-year-old protagonist - I just don't know. All I know is that I feel as if I'm wading through the Okefenokee in trying to complete this book. I don't know if I actually will finish it...
Pleasant Tap, the 23-year-old son of Pleasant Colony, was put down today due to uncontrollable laminitis. He has so far sired 53 stakes winners, who have won over $51.5 million. ... Devil May Care, the filly who ran in this year's Kentucky Derby, was pointed at the Breeders Cup Distaff as her next race. She has been diagnosed with hepatitis, and will be on a 60-day enforced vacation. ... And Wickedly Perfect, a beautiful grey daughter of Congrats, has a bone chip in her stifle, and has had to be scratched from the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.
And I am still loving the South Carolina Gamecocks game this past Saturday - where they beat number one ranked Alabama - it was fantastic!!
It was wonderful to spend time with Suki and Boo this morning after walking the Rs. The red kids had a quiet morning with us, but a little after noon several squirrels started taunting the Rs - and, of course, they responded. They barked and bayed and tried to climb the trees the squirrels were in. One little fella sat out on the only tree limb devoid of leaves, and shook his tail with each bark of his own at the dogs. I found it highly amusing. Suki was her usual laid-back self, and I had to knee Boo immediately after removing the Rs' harness, as she just had to jump up on me. I am just so happy to be back home with my kits in my apartment and my own bed.
I've read several more Linda Fairstein mysteries, as well as Alys Clare. I love both of them, and thoroughly enjoy the settings - one in current day New York City, and the other in Richard the Lionheart's reign in a market town near London. I am about half-way through the first of Katherine Hall Page's series of mysteries set in Maine, but am finding them hard to read. For some reason I'm not connecting with the main character... maybe it's because she's a city girl, and I'm definitely country. But the protagonist of Linda Fairstein's books is a New York City girl, and I have no problem at all connecting with and understanding her character.... Maybe I'm just not in the right mood for a caterer/Reverend's wife/mother-of-a-two-year-old protagonist - I just don't know. All I know is that I feel as if I'm wading through the Okefenokee in trying to complete this book. I don't know if I actually will finish it...
Pleasant Tap, the 23-year-old son of Pleasant Colony, was put down today due to uncontrollable laminitis. He has so far sired 53 stakes winners, who have won over $51.5 million. ... Devil May Care, the filly who ran in this year's Kentucky Derby, was pointed at the Breeders Cup Distaff as her next race. She has been diagnosed with hepatitis, and will be on a 60-day enforced vacation. ... And Wickedly Perfect, a beautiful grey daughter of Congrats, has a bone chip in her stifle, and has had to be scratched from the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.
And I am still loving the South Carolina Gamecocks game this past Saturday - where they beat number one ranked Alabama - it was fantastic!!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Books, Critters and Fall
Having just visited the public library, I decided I'd better check on some of my favorite authors to see if I've missed anything... I need to get a copy of Carolyn Haines' Bone Appetit, and Lillian Stewart Carl's The Blue Hackle; Blaize Clement's new Dixie Hemingway pet-sitting mystery is due out in January, but I don't know the title, as yet. I just finished Donna Andrews' Swan for the Money, and am looking forward to Stork Raving Mad... I also just finished the first two books in Clea Simon's series about Theda Krakow, a cat-loving free-lance reporter. I've greatly enjoyed all of them. I can't wait to get my hungry little paws on the newest books of these authors! It will be a literary feast for me and my kits! (I read aloud to them, you know... as well as all of the other critters I take care of.)
Lovey seems to realize that I was unhappy with her being down on the Boulder Creek Path last week. She's staying pretty close to home, and coming back inside to check on me at the desk every few minutes. Neddy still has a very high squeaky voice... I wonder if it will ever settle into a lower register. I sometimes think that the squeak I hear is Lovey, and then I turn and see that it's little Neddy talking to me. I'm still not quite sure how to describe his coat - it's definitely not short, but he has a ruff around his neck and ears, plus a tremendously plumed tail. The fur is extremely fine and where I'd think he would have highlights of red, he turns a blue-grey. I'll have to see what happens as he grows older. Today I'm getting ready to head for Brighton until Sunday morning. Thankfully, the family I'm sitting for always leaves me a vehicle, as it's a 45 minute drive to their house, and there are no bus connections for me. So I'll be able to run back home on a daily basis, take care of my kits, and walk both the Rs and Lucy each weekday. I'll miss sleeping with my kits, but will have four dogs and five cats as company where I'll be staying. It should be interesting!
I know that fall has arrived because I awakened Sunday morning to a strange sound. I laid there in bed and listened to it, trying to figure out exactly what that noise was... It was familiar, but I just couldn't place it. I turned over, and saw the curtains moving, and realized that the heater had kicked itself on. - That was the familiar, but not quite right, sound that I heard. So fall is finally upon us in the mountains and foothills. It was 38 degrees on the western slope at 10 p.m. last night. Sunday morning we had dropped down to 44, so I guess my heater had a very good reason to turn on. Even so, it's still very dry out there, and there is yet another wildfire burning to the west of Frazer and Tabernash, out on the east side of Sheep Mountain right now. The smoke is visible today here in Boulder. Usually, by the end of September, Boulder has had 2 inches of snow - but it doesn't look as though there's any in the forecast for the next 10 days or so, so I guess I'd better not count on it...
Lovey seems to realize that I was unhappy with her being down on the Boulder Creek Path last week. She's staying pretty close to home, and coming back inside to check on me at the desk every few minutes. Neddy still has a very high squeaky voice... I wonder if it will ever settle into a lower register. I sometimes think that the squeak I hear is Lovey, and then I turn and see that it's little Neddy talking to me. I'm still not quite sure how to describe his coat - it's definitely not short, but he has a ruff around his neck and ears, plus a tremendously plumed tail. The fur is extremely fine and where I'd think he would have highlights of red, he turns a blue-grey. I'll have to see what happens as he grows older. Today I'm getting ready to head for Brighton until Sunday morning. Thankfully, the family I'm sitting for always leaves me a vehicle, as it's a 45 minute drive to their house, and there are no bus connections for me. So I'll be able to run back home on a daily basis, take care of my kits, and walk both the Rs and Lucy each weekday. I'll miss sleeping with my kits, but will have four dogs and five cats as company where I'll be staying. It should be interesting!
I know that fall has arrived because I awakened Sunday morning to a strange sound. I laid there in bed and listened to it, trying to figure out exactly what that noise was... It was familiar, but I just couldn't place it. I turned over, and saw the curtains moving, and realized that the heater had kicked itself on. - That was the familiar, but not quite right, sound that I heard. So fall is finally upon us in the mountains and foothills. It was 38 degrees on the western slope at 10 p.m. last night. Sunday morning we had dropped down to 44, so I guess my heater had a very good reason to turn on. Even so, it's still very dry out there, and there is yet another wildfire burning to the west of Frazer and Tabernash, out on the east side of Sheep Mountain right now. The smoke is visible today here in Boulder. Usually, by the end of September, Boulder has had 2 inches of snow - but it doesn't look as though there's any in the forecast for the next 10 days or so, so I guess I'd better not count on it...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Books and Dogs
It's not yet 9 a.m. here, but the temperature is in the mid-70s and the humidity is all of 8%. The wind is blowing at 22 mph, and we are expecting gusts of up to 50 mph this afternoon. I got up earlier than usual (at 5), and watered the flower garden so it wouldn't lose too much moisture, as the fence protects it, and it doesn't get full sun until afternoon. Then I made blueberry pancakes, walked Indi and Steve, then fed and loved and brushed them. I finished reading the fourth Dixie Hemingway, pet sitter, mystery by Blaize Clement yesterday, and e-mailed her an appreciative comment - and was surprised to receive a nice letter in return this morning. The fifth book in the series is also out, and I highly recommend all of them. They are set on Siesta Key, near Sarasota, and are very well written. Now I'm back reading Ann Ripley's mystery series about organic gardening.
Not much else is going on here - Steve and Indi take a lot of time and loving, a lot of grooming and teeth-brushing, and are very good companions. They are very high-energy dogs, like Boo and Rosie, Lucy and Pepper. Sometimes just looking at them makes me feel tired - but they are such happy critters that I can't deny them fun and games and much more exercise (on my part). I know I've lost 4 pounds in the last week .....
Not much else is going on here - Steve and Indi take a lot of time and loving, a lot of grooming and teeth-brushing, and are very good companions. They are very high-energy dogs, like Boo and Rosie, Lucy and Pepper. Sometimes just looking at them makes me feel tired - but they are such happy critters that I can't deny them fun and games and much more exercise (on my part). I know I've lost 4 pounds in the last week .....
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