Ramblings And What Not ~

Hello Peoples! It snowed on Saturday! That’s right, it did. I woke up around 4:00 am. I looked out the window and it was snowing! Winter doesn’t give up easily. The grass is green and buds are on the trees and bushes. Before it snowed, I’d been going for walks in the sunshine everyday. It’s been great. This chilly weather will pass and I will walk again.

Rick and I ate at an Irish pub a few days ago. I need to remember to take photos! We had the best dessert! It was bread pudding with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, nicely drowned in caramel with cinnamon and whiskey. It was so decadent! I don’t know anything about liquor in desserts, and I don’t know anything about whiskey ~ non drinker here ~ it was so rich. They had a great Irish menu, however, I don’t eat meat and everything on the menu had meat, so I had a salad and Irish bread with butter and honey.

This weekend I had a great veggie sandwich on a bagel. I don’t eat many bagels, but I decided to try hummus and veggies on a bagel. It was very good. I ate half of it. Rick shared it with me. I don’t think he was impressed, but I thought it was good!

Favorite Book in April ~

Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer

As many of you know, Rick likes the old sci-fi “B” movies! He owns many of them and watches them frequently. Sometimes I watch these films with him and sometimes I don’t. Rick says, his favorite “B” movie is, Forbidden Planet. Saturday night, I joined Rick watching ~ are you ready for this??? We watched, The Blob (1958)! Steve McQueen ~ Aneta Corsaut

I thought The Blob resembled chocolate! That’s right, a big blob of chocolate!  🙂  This big blob of chocolate from outer space was absorbing people! How rude!

Your Favorites at the Cottage in April ~

Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason ~ April 10, 2019

Classic Movie Friday ~ Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) ~April 5, 2019

Classic Movie Friday ~ Portrait in Black (1960) ~ April 19, 2019

Much love ~

Kathy

 

 

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Classic Movie Friday!

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

Basil Rathbone   Nigel Bruce   Hillary Brooke   Arthur Margetson

Dennis Hoey   Minna Phillips   Hallewell Hobbs

Dr. Watson has volunteered his services at a convalescent home where someone is a killer! He contacts Sherlock Holmes for assistance and Holmes is only to happy to help. Holmes has plenty of suspects, including the patients. He manages to solve the mystery. Of course. And! The identity of the killer might surprise you.

Who doesn’t like a Sherlock Holmes mystery??? I like Dr. Watson. What a great guy! Dr. Watson is one of my favorite fictional characters. He really helps Sherlock Holmes! LOTS! Lots and Lots!

Enjoy!

The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker

Well! This is an interesting story. Apparently it’s the second book in a series. I didn’t know it was a series, much less the second book in the series. The story grabbed my attention right away and held it. There’s a sword, a journal, keys, plenty of doors and a tree that needs to be destroyed. This is a fantasy with dystopian themes, and the battle of good against evil. Abra is our heroine in the story. She is courageous and she perseveres. Abra has to enter the gateway to The Edge of Over There. It’s really an extraordinary story! The setting is unique. It’s well-written and can be read by any age. 4 **** stars!

I’ve reserved the first book in the series, from our local library.

Have you read this series? I’d like to hear from you.

Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer

Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. I think Miss Marling describes Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal accurately when she said, “He is very wicked and kills people in duels.”

This story is great fun! Mary is the sensible one in the family. Her mother and her sister are complete air-heads! Mary’s sister is going to be ruined by Vidal! How rude! So, Mary thinks of a great plan, disguises herself and takes her sister’s place. Little does she know, Vidal is taking her to France! What a merry ride! And! Vidal has met his match in Mary! There is so much action and drama in this story, it will most assuredly keep you reading. I loved all the characters and laughed at their antics and conversations. There is one chase after another and swashbuckling action. I was reading this book at the bakery and laughing out loud. Of course, I don’t want to forget, Miss Marling wants to marry the Nobody and this causes quite a stir! Highly recommended! 5 ***** stars!

What books have you read by Georgette Heyer???

Classic Movie Friday!

Portrait In Black (1960)

Lana Turner   Anthony Quinn   Sandra Dee   John Saxon   Richard Baseheart

This was the first film I’ve seen with Lana Turner. It was good!

Sheila Cabot (Lana Turner) is married to a horrible man (Lloyd Nolan). He is ill, bedridden and will never recover. His doctor visits frequently to administer injections for pain. Sheila has a stepdaughter (Sandra Dee) and a son (Dennis Kohler). As a result of her brutal husband, Sheila is having an affair. When she can’t handle the stress of her marriage anymore and the weight of their affair is bearing down on the couple, Sheila and her lover plot to kill her invalid husband. After her husband’s passing, Sheila receives a letter, congratulating her on the success of the murder!!! WOW! As a result of the murder and the letter, everything starts to unravel and it unravels quickly.

From the beginning of the film, the viewer knows the identity of the killer. The mystery??? Who is writing and sending the baffling letter??? My question throughout the entire film ~ why aren’t there any blackmail demands??? Sheila never recived a blackmail letter, not once!!! Mmm.

Someone knows.

Highly recommend this film!

 

Ramblings And What Not ~ North Dakota

Hello Peoples! Rick and I Have been to North Dakota. We had a great trip. Our journey was delayed because we had a snowstorm, but when we finally did leave, the roads were clear and dry, however, everywhere else there was snow as far as the eye could see. We stopped in Fargo and spent the night at a very nice motel. We spent the evening watching Hannah Swensen mysteries on the Hallmark mystery channel. We also watched a cute romance with Sara Rue on the Hallmark channel. I have forgotten the name of the film, but she managed a community garden and a developer bought the property and was going to build condos. The next morning we were awake bright and early and on the road. We traveled just west of Bismarck to Cross Ranch State Park.

We were early visitors. No snow! The season hadn’t started yet, so we were the only guests in the park! Rick made reservations before we left home. The park Ranger was so fun. She was friendly and hospitable and answered all our questions. We stayed in a yurt! Our little yurt is named, Levis Yurt! It was warm and cozy. I enjoyed it. We had the cutest remote control fireplace. That little fireplace kept us warm. It was VERY windy! During the night, the wind blew hearty and it rained, but our little yurt stood strong!

The following day it was chilly but the wind was much calmer. We dressed warm. We saw plenty of white-tailed deer. We also saw wild turkey and pheasant. Our yurt was near the Missouri River. We think the park is on the migratory route for geese. Geese were flying in, honking and landing the entire time we were at Cross Ranch. It was great fun.

The following day we visited Fort Mandan. It’s a replica of the fort the Lewis and Clark expedition built. They spent the winter at Fort Mandan. We visited the Interpretive Center and we went on the tour. Everyone was hospitable and friendly, eager to answer questions. It was highly education and fun. I could prattle on and on telling you everything I learned on the tour! *haha* I will say, they had a pet on the expedition. He was a Newfoundland dog. His name was, Seaman. He belonged to Lewis. AND! Seaman made it all the way to the Pacific Coast and back again!

On the return trip home, we spent the night in Fargo and watched, Aurora Teahouse movies on the Hallmark Mystery Channel!

Have you ever heard of a yurt?

Much love ~

Kathy

 

Classic Movie Friday!

Double Indemnity (1944)

Fred MacMurray   Barbara Stanwyck   Edward G. Robinson   Jean Heather

Byron Barr   Tom Powers   Porter Hall

Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is a successful insurance salesman for Pacific All Risk Insurance Co. In this film, Walter tells the story, after the fact. One day, while out and about working his job, he stops by the Dietrichson home and meets Mrs. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck).  An instant attraction ~ to say the least. The two devise a nefarious plan to kill Mr. Dietrichson (Tom Powers) and collect the insurance. Before they murder the poor man, Walter reveals that in the policy there is a clause so the widow will receive double indemnity, if it can be determined that Mr. Dietrichson’s death is accidental.

This was such a cold-hearted murder and so well-planned. Fred MacMurray is amazing in this film noir. He was also in Pushover (1954).

Lola (Jean Heather) is Mr. Dietrichson’s daughter by a previous wife. She’s grieving. Her mother died six years earlier and now her father is dead. She needs answers.

A very good film Noir. Highly recommend!

Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason

“Police Officer Isabelle St. John  loves her crazy, loud, law enforcement family. With three brothers and two sisters, she’s never without someone to hang out with — or fight with. And she knows they’ll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.” ~goodreads

This is the first book in the Blue Justice Series.

Wowzer!  🙂  This is one action packed story! It was VERY good. Well-written. Well-crafted. After the death of her partner, police officer Isabelle St. John and homicide detective Ryan Marshall won’t rest until they find her partner’s killer. The story is written at a good pace and there are plenty of twists and surprises along the way. I was happy to meet Izzy and Ryan and get to know them. Izzy has plenty of courage and she doesn’t get discouraged easily! I was with them all the way. I read two thirds of the book without stopping. The story is THAT captivating. There is a light romance in the story, however, the non-stop action has the spotlight. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 5 ***** stars!

Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon

Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon

#5 A Hope Harbor Novel

Dr. Logan West is a great guy. After the death of his brother and his mother, he relocates to Hope Harbor to raise his niece, Molly. Molly is grieving. She misses her grandmother and she doesn’t remember much about her dad. Dr. West misses his brother and his mother, while trying to care for his niece and a rambunctious dog.

Jeanette Mason relocates to Hope Harbor to begin a new life. She owns and operates a lavender farm and a tearoom. She’s a bit of a recluse and doesn’t want any emotional entanglements. You guessed it! Jeanette soon meets Dr. West and his sweet but sad little niece. And! Jeanette and Logan soon find themselves involved in helping a refugee family, fleeing Syria. Mmmm. Interesting.

The Hope Harbor stories are gentle literature. One will meet old friends and become acquainted with new friends! Charley, my favorite character throughout all the books, is a dependable fixture in all the stories. Love that guy!  🙂

I prefer reading books in order, however, I haven’t read this series in order and I wasn’t lost or confused at all. I read them as I got ’em. I recommend all the books in Hope Harbor. 4 **** sweet, touching stars!

1.) Hope Harbor

2.) Sea Rose Lane

3.) Sandpiper Cove

4.) Pelican Point

5.) Driftwood Bay

The Missing Years by Lexie Elliott

Lexie Elliott is also the author of The French Girl.

(Berkley Hardcover; April 23, 2019)

“When Ailsa Calder, a thirty something journalist who seems to live nowhere and everywhere, inherits the Scottish manor where she was born, she can’t fathom settling into a place haunted by so many memories. The years have provided much-needed distance, allowing her to leave her tangled family roots — and the devastating mystery of her father’s disappearance that has plagued her since childhood behind.”

“But when Ailsa’s mother dies, she learns that she has inherited only half of the estate. The other half belongs to her missing father.” ~Berkley

When Ailsa learns she has inherited her mother’s share of the Manse, she invites her sister Carrie to join her and the half-sisters find themselves living together in the family home. Who wouldn’t? I would jump at the chance. However, troubling, creepy and disgusting things are happening that left me with the feeling that someone wanted Ailsa and Carrie to leave the Manse. Someone, was trying to scare them off. Ailsa didn’t scare easily. She had enough tenacity to see her through the events that were happening at the family home. Carrie didn’t seem to take the occurrences quite as seriously.

The Manse seemed to have a personality of it’s own. And character! It seemed to be alive and breathing, watching Ailsa. It liked certain people and knew who was to live within it’s walls. There were stories . . . Not only stories of the Manse, but stories of her missing father. However, this isn’t a ghost story. But, there are events that needed to be explained. While I was reading the book, I thought it might have a touch of sci-fi in the story. There were several references to time and I thought it might end up being a time travel mystery??? And of course, Ailsa’s missing father was always an issue and I thought maybe he was alive and living secretly in the Manse somehow. So, the story gave me a lot to think about. And! There’s enough of the Scottish brogue in the book to give it a nice, Scottish flavor.

There was a considerable amount of profanity scattered throughout the book and a conversation with adult content. 3 *** stars!

A BIG thanks to Berkley!