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| YELLOW SQUASH |
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| SQUASH AND ZUCHINNI |
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| SWEET AND SMALL AND SUCCULENT |
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| LOTS OF BIG TOMATOES |
How's THAT for a blog post title? LOL! It's Sunday and I'm home. It's for GOOD this time. Well, at least for quite a long time. Good thing, too because I've pretty much used every spare cent I HAD, so if I DID need to travel any time soon, I'd be hitchhiking! You're chuckling? I'm SERIOUS! Keeping the old thumb well-oiled just in case! At any rate, I am sad to say my play brother and best friend's husband passed away 4 hours before I got there. I won't go into details but say simply that I hope you will all keep her in your thoughts. She's feeling very lost about now. And NO! She isn't alone! I'd NEVER do that! She's with her closest sister and headed for Canada with her for a bit. As for me, I am bone weary. It's been a tough 3 months and I am fighting with my own health issues brought about by the wear and tear from stress and worry. I'll be fine - too ornery to be otherwise - as soon as I've had some days (perhaps a week) to get my routine going again and my body rested. With that said, unless it's very important or swap-related, I'm going to try NOT to email anyone personally during that time. I will blog, read and comment on YOUR blogs, get the house in order, work on any editing I receive, and work on my swaps - the one I'm IN on Cindy's blog and the two I am hosting! I want to REALLY thank those of you who have signed up for one or both of mine! There's still time to sign up for my Fabulous Petite Paper Fairy Swap for which I will assign partners Friday before 9 P.M.! MORE than enough time to sign up for my Vacation in a Matchbox Swap! So, C'MON! Join in the fun! You KNOW you wanna! And please, please put my button/s (see right side of my blog) somewhere on YOUR blog whether or NOT you are joining! I would love to have lots of people see them and sign up! THANK YOU for that! In addition, to this hodgepodge of chatter, I've posted some new garden photos Ray took this morning! (See beginning of this post.)We ate some of the DELICIOUS cherry tomatoes earlier and they are so sweet and juicy. YUM!!! All the veggies are doing well and we have chilis out the wazoo! I'm GLAD 'cause I use them to make homemade salsa! I have LOADS of squash cleaned, cut up, and frozen, as well as lots of bell peppers and plenty of peas left from when THEY were growing. Kudos to Ray this year for a nicely done garden! In OTHER news, I'm pleased to announce the engagement of my older granddaughter Megan Ashley P. to Sgt. Tony P. as of two days ago! Sweet, sweet young man and sweet, sweet granddaughter! Additionally, my grandson, Sgt. Jacob P. and his adorable fiance (also Sgt.) Vanessa S., are getting married next month in beautiful Hawaii! THAT makes a grandma PROUD and HAPPY!
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| THE NEWLY ENGAGED COUPLE |
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| ABOUT TO BE MARRIED COUPLE |
Finally, I would like to HIGHLY applaud a couple of authors for two wonderful books! One, I was ASKED to read for an upcoming event. I already HAD the book, but as most of you know, I read things in a typically oddball Kai order. So I pulled and read it and LOVED it! The second book I happened upon. It was on a JUNK table strewn with poor, disgarded and unloved books at our neighborhood Walgreen's drugstore! Had never heard of this book and - believe me - that's RARE. So I picked it up and loved the premise! I will let you see the cover photos and the synopsis of each from the Barnes and Noble website. I really enjoyed both!
When Wayland North brings rain to a region that's been dry for over ten years, he's promised anything he'd like as a reward. He chooses the village elder's daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she's hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she's heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.
The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North's dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.
In an expensive London restaurant Julia Lovat receives a gift that will change her life. It appears to be a book of exquisite 17th-century embroidery patterns but on closer examination Julia finds it also contains faint diary entries. In these, Cat Tregenna, an embroideress, tells how she and others were stolen out of a Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves.
Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat’s story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia discovers buried secrets. And in Morocco – just as Cat did before her – she loses her heart.
Almost 400 years apart, the stories of the two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner that will make readers wonder – is history fated to repeat itself?
With all of THAT said, I am going to stop chattering and post this, then call my best friend to check on her before I get busy again. Sending you all smiles and hugs this afternoon! And I'll be visiting your blogs tonight or tomorrow! LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOOOOOOVE YOU!
