Hello Peoples! I think this summer has been slow. The temperatures have been nice, but not much rain. Then last week we had 100 degree 😎temperatures. Rick doesn’t handle the heat very well, but I don’t mind it so much. It’s really been a quiet, do-nothing summer. Rick is putting together a 2000-piece puzzle. It’s a photo of a castle. It’s beautiful, up in the mountains.

Rick and I found this great Mexican Restaurant recently. Rick speaks fluent Spanish, so when he orders, he orders in Spanish. Show off. And! The good news is ~ I had a veggie burger. And! it was the best I’ve ever had. Rick ordered beans🌶🥑 and rice, enchiladas and a salad. We’ll be returning to that restaurant soon.

Your Favorites At the Cottage In July ~

~The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude *July 8, 2023*

~Groceries *July 12, 2023*

~Bumblebees *July 5, 2023*

Enjoy you day!🌞

Much Love ~

Kathy

When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be boring. I don’t remember why? It is well-written and a very good book. So, I set the book down for a while and recently picked it back up and continued reading.

Our female protagonist is Skye Cameron. She lives in New England with her father and mother. Unfortunately, Skye’s dad, Bruce, is seriously crippled in an accident. Sadly, the financial situation became serious, and Skye’s mother felt she had no choice but to contact Uncle Robert and ask for assistance. Uncle Robert brings the family to New Orleans. He is a monster. Robert believes women are inferior and requires Skye to have a chaperone when she leaves the house. Skye was always taught by her father to think for herself. Skye and her flirtatious mother are unhappy to say the least, Robert is helpless. It gets worse. Skye’s mother is really no help in this stressful and difficult situation.

At the same time Skye arrives in New Orleans, a mysterious man known as Justin arrives. He’s actually the one of two good men in the story. Bruce is a great man, but he’s cripple and is unable to do much. Justin and Cameron are brothers. Cameron, the man Uncle wants Skye to marry doesn’t have a spine. He does whatever Uncle Robert tells him to do, which includes marrying Skye even though he doesn’t love her. This is a messy family. And! Justin has a bad reputation. As to whether this reputation is true or not, remains to be seen. A surprise around every corner and a surprising and dramatic ending.

I really enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.

Happy Reading!

For the monthly reading challenge, those of us who are taking part in the challenge in July, are to read a book set during a war. I think Three Words for Goodbye qualifies. This story is set on the eve of World War II. Europe is in a state of confusion or uncertainty. In the midst of the turmoil, Grandma Violet sends her granddaughters on a journey to Paris, Italy and Austria to deliver letters and take care of unfinished business. The granddaughters resist at first, especially Clara. Clara and Madeleine do not get alone at all. And! Clara is planning her wedding. Clara is an artist and Madeleine is a writer. In regard to the art and writing, the sisters do see an advantage of traveling to Europe, so after some hesitating, they agree to go.

I personally liked Madeleine better of the two sisters. Madeleine is the younger of the two sisters, however, I thought she was more mature or maybe street savvy. In the start of the trip Clara seemed to frequently yell at Madeleine with accusations and judgments. However, I did like Clara’s love and appreciation for art.

They meet interesting people and uncover secrets about their family they never expected.

In Venice, Mussolini is sending troops into the streets. Not good. Austria was very troubled. I thought Madeleine had a lot of courage throughout the trip, especially in Austria. She witnessed some difficult behavior from the Nazi’s.

And then, when it was time to leave, their grandmother arranged it so they could travel home on the Hindenburg.

It is a good book and so much more than I have revealed here.

For more information on the challenge, click on the link ~

https://abakersperspective.com/

Happy Reading!

Hello Peoples! There are just some things you don’t share with the person standing next to you at the grocery store. 🧐 It’s true. There is certain information one needs to keep to oneself.

You are probably saying, Kathy, what are your talking about???

Thank-you for asking. 🙂

I was at the bakery section, at the grocery store, minding my own business. I was looking, just looking. I usually do look. I rarely buy any baked goodies. I digress somewhat. There was an older lady standing near me and she starts up a conversation with me. She did the talking. The conversation follows something like this ~

Lady: I always buy these nutritious bars because they clean me out. The store is out of them today, so I just don’t know what to do. *Sigh* All I need is one nutritious bar and I’m cleaned out for the day. Chocolate use to do the same thing. I can’t drink hot chocolate anymore, it’s bad for my tummy.

I stood awkwardly smiling and nodding my head. I mean really, how does one respond to a comment like that.

Lady: That sometimes happens when you get older.

I’m still smiling and nodding.

Somehow, we ended the conversation and parted ways.

As my neighbor was known to say, never in all my born days!

Much Love ~

Kathy

Well! Upon my word. I say. I don’t remember ever reading a murder mystery where the weapon used for the nefarious deed was a bow and arrow! Yes, that arrow was right on target. An arrow through an open window through a head! The evil deed took me by surprise. Say what??? I wasn’t expecting a bow and arrow.

Aldous Barnet, a crime writer, is housesitting his sister’s home. He sends an invitation to his friend Superintendent Meredith to come join him. Shortly after he arrives, Meredith finds himself embroiled in a homicide investigation. Several of the inhabitants of the square are archers, so, as you can imagine Meredith doesn’t have an easy time. This is a tough case to crack. They almost called in the Yard! But, he persevered, plodded along, investigated and re-investigated and finally there was success.

This was the first time I had read a book by this author. I found the book at our local library. I liked 3/4 of the book, but toward the end, I thought it was a little muddy or confusing. I would definitely read books by this author in the future though.

Have you read any books by John Bude? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading!

Matt and Elena are having problems in their marriage, so they have counseling sessions with Connor Grantham, the pastor of Rock Community Church. It is not going well, then Matt is shot in a hunting accident. Not good. And! I thought Elena was crazy!

Liz Acosta is an attorney, Liz speaks fluent Spanish, so she does do a considerable amount of translating at the law firm she works for. She would like to live in Florida, however, she needs some experience before she can join a law firm in the sunny state, so she lives and works in Georgia for now.

Liz and Connor meet and start spending time together. They are also both trying to help Elena because she has been recently widowed and she needs legal help. As they are both sucked into the vortex called, Elena, they join together to do some investigating to discover what really happened to Matt. If his death is ruled an accident there is a double indemnity clause. The insurance would be required to pay double! The amount is substantial!

Connor, the preach, was my favorite character. He’s a good guy. He loves to hike and He hikes in the Appalachian Mountains. When Connor and Liz start spending time together, he takes her on his hikes with him. However, Matt’s death gets messier and messier as the police investigate, the GBI becomes involved.

Even if you solve this, it’s still a good whodunit. It’s safe for everyone. I don’t remember any profanity and the romance is mild. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I liked it.

Although it is not in the book, I thought of this quote while I was reading ~

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” ~Sir Walter Scott

Happy Reading!

Hello Peoples! As many of you might remember, Rick speaks fluent Spanish. That’s right, he does. So, today I was perusing the internet and discovered a Spanish word that seemed impossible to pronounce. The conversation follows ~

Me: Good grief. How do you pronounce “xicotencatl?”

Rick glancing at Spanish word: Oh. That’s blah blah blah. 😅🤣😉

Me: What? I try to pronounce “xicotencatl” again.

Rick: That’s close enough. Don’t hurt yourself.

Me: 😅What does it mean? Never mind. I’ll have my phone translate it. *I have a very smart phone.* I quickly check my phone.

Me: WHAT??? That doesn’t make sense???🐝🐝🐝 It doesn’t translate well.

Rick: Many words don’t translate well. What does it say?

Me: There’s a little more to it but it means, “at the edge of bumblebees.” *laughter*

Rick is silent. I’m cackling like a hyena. 🤣

I text a friend.

Friend: “I did not learn that in my Spanish classes lol. What does it mean? I’m sure I can’t say it either.”

Me: It means, “at the edge of bumblebees.”

Friend: “Well I guess that’s better than being in the middle of bumblebees.” 🐝

😀😁😄😅

As my neighbor was known to say, “never in all my born days.” 🙄

Much Love ~

Kathy

Hello Peoples! I was pleasantly surprised when my friend sent me a text message yesterday, informing me, she made vermicelli salad and cupcakes for us! YAY! The cupcakes are patriotic, and the vermicelli salad is almost gone. Finished! No more! Enjoyed! A BIG thank-you to my friend for the delicious gifts! 🤗

Today Rick and I went out to take care of business. We went here and we went there, and we went over there! As we were driving home, we stopped at a roadside stand that sold produce. This was our conversation.

Me: Hi! We’re looking for tomatoes. OH! There they are. Wow! They’re big. Are they big boy or beefsteak???

Woman at produce stand: Oooooooo. Ahhhhhhh. They’re big and they were grown on a farm, and they are very good. They’re $5.00.

Me thinking: $5 for a tomato! Upon my word! That’s ludicrous! I chose a tomato and paid the lady.

HELP! SEND TOMATOES! 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅 It is the size of a soccer ball! *haha* She never did answer my question. Is it a big boy or a beefsteak???

Rick and I laughed all the way home about our very expensive tomato!

Much Love ~

Kathy

Gone to the Dogs Mysteries 🦴 Book 2

Well! Never a dull moment in this mystery. Trina Potter, our country music star, purchases a ranch near Brenham, Texas, much to the dismay of her producer. Trina is worried about her fun mother and wants to help her niece with a rescue facility for dogs. It is one challenge after another. And! It seems someone wants to put an end to the rescue facility. There is a nice, gentle romance in the story. Wyatt is a good guy! Of course, I was happy to re-connect with our old friends from the first book and new friends in this book. There is humor in the story that caused me to chuckle. 😅😉 And, interesting, quirky characters.

Bitsy is the real estate agent in Brenham and I didn’t really like her at all, but at the end of the story I felt sorry for her, and I hope the author gives her a bright future in the books to come.

I think these books are so sweet. There is a mystery, and so much more. Safe for everyone. No profanity and no adult content.

Happy Reading!