Small Houses

Well, I finished "Aunt Dimity and the Duke." I am not sure I will continue with this series or not. It was a cute, quick read and did not have an ending I would have foreseen. I will probably get its predecessor "Aunt Dimity's Death" just to see how it all starts. My list is getting so long now that I keep adding books to my notebook of "to read referrals." Lynne, this is your fault.

Is anyone familiar with Sarah Susanka's books on small houses? She is an architect with a concept of living small instead of big, bigger, biggest. Her simple message is that quality should come before quantity. I just starting reading her first book (written in 1998) "The Not So Big House." Since I am in real estate I see many, many huge homes. Why do people need all that room (many are just vacation homes)? If I had tons of money, would I also be guilty of conspicuous consumption? (Shoes and books don't count.)

"Aunt Dimity and the Duke"

I have just started reading a series of books centered around "Aunt Dimity" by Nancy Atherton. This is the second in the series -- I am still waiting for my library to get the first. As Literary Feline discusses in her latest blog, I guess I like to read series of books by the same author. I have read all in Jan Karon's Mitford series, all in James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux's mysteries and all in Cara Black's Amy Leduc's mysteries.

As the end plate describes "Aunt Dimity and the Duke":

Emma Porter is forty, fat and frumpy -- and a passionate amateur gardener. When her longtime lover dumps her for a younger woman, Emma escapes the cloying sympathy of family and friends by setting out on a summer-long driving tour of England's glorious gardens."

I am halfway through this book and it promises to be one that will happily lead me into another mystery world series.

I will keep you apprised!

Memorial Weekend

This is a very big weekend in any resort town. The tourists are here for the day, weekend or to begin their summer vacations. We have a lot of foreign students who come here every summer to work. For the last few years there have been a lot of Russian students. They are all so cute and everyone is charmed by them and for the most part the community does all they can do to help them find housing and jobs. The major highway of Del. Rt. 1 runs past or through the small Delaware towns of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and south to Bethany Beach and Ocean City, MD. The foreign students usually buy bicycles when they arrive and they are seen at all hours of the day and night traveling to their jobs or home. One problem is that they do not like to wear bicycle helmets, even though they are given to them free by the local police departments or volunteer groups. Every summer there are some kids seriously injured because of the very heavy traffic on the highway.

Even though I live here year round it is always invigorating to see the summer arrive and feel the excitement in the air from everyone arriving for their holiday at the beach. I am seldom an early riser, but this morning I was up and about at 6:30! It is now 8:40 a.m. and I am off to a yard sale. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting.

BACK TO BLOGLAND

I'm back!!!!!!!!! I left for Massachusetts on May 8 and returned on the 15th and have been totally out of blogland since then. I wanted to put a picture on which I was waiting to get developed and just too, too busy to devote to it.

My daughter and family live in Andover, Mass. which is very close to New Hampshire so I fly into Manchester instead of Boston. A very nice airport -- fairly small and easy to get to and park, etc.

I had a wonderful Mothers Day with my daughter and son-in-law and two grandsons. We drove up to Wolfeboro, NH which we all love and wish we lived there. I am showing a picture of my favorite little restaurant and as you see, they are looking for help. Hmmmm......

Also here is a picture of the original home of Harriet Beecher Stowe -- the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It is located in Andover and is presently being used as a dorm and faculty residence for Phillip's Academy at Andover. This is a very exclusive and well-known private boarding school which includes John F. Kennedy, Jr. (maybe senior, too), George Bush (1 I think) as their alumni.

Here is also a picture of Lake Winnepasaukee (sp?). and Wolfeboro is one of the small towns that sit by this very large lake.

Ok, that is it for now -- I will write more later.

Happy Trials, oops, Trails, everyone!!

Cinco de Mayo, etc.

Tonight husband and I went out to a Mexican restaurant with some friends for Cinco de Mayo -- the place was packed and we ate our fill. Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico? The one place in Mexico that it is truly celebrated is in Puebla, where the battle between the French and Mexicans was fought on May 5, 1862 and the Mexicans were victorious.

I will be leaving on Tuesday to fly to Mass. to visit my daughter and her husband and my two grandsons and will stay a week. Really looking forward to it. I try to get up there every three months. I will be able to celebrate Mother's Day while there and an early birthday for my daughter. I will take pictures while I am up there. I love to travel, but hate the preparation for it -- what clothes should I pack, will I leave in time for the two hour drive to the airport, is the house clean enough, is there enough cat and dog food so husband won't have to shop for it, etc., etc., etc.

Well, time for some shut eye. Until tomorrow...

Library Books

Here we are - another day in Paradise (lol). I am looking forward to a call from the library to tell me that the books I put on hold have arrived. Two of them are the Cara Black mysteries I have been immersed in; one is the latest by James Lee Burke; one is by James (I think) Cozzens which I just learned has characters in it based on some partners in an old small town law firm I used to work in. The trouble with getting library books is that I often have to keep renewing them,but I am so greedy I want them all right away. I have been reading books from the library lately because not only is it cheaper, I don't accumulate tons of books I may never read again. My basement is full of boxes of books that are moldering away since our last move.

Well, that is the start of my day. Will write more later.

UPDATE: 10:10 p.m. The end of a nice day. The library had one of the Cara Black mysteries I requested ("Murder in the Bastille") so I picked it up and started to read it tonight. After work today my friends and I went to an opening at the local art league -- wine and free yummy hor d'oeuvres. Met a lady who owns another gallery and also gives belly dancing lessons. I took them about thirty years ago when all the young mothers were doing it. If I can talk my friends into it, maybe we'll all take lessons.