Month: July 2017

Wednesday Wanderings

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I’ve had a couple days in North Dakota so far. And have actually ventured into Minnesota a couple of times. I’ve seen sugarbeet fields. I’ve seen a demonstration of high-tech pesticide application. I’ve seen a WWII-era plane fly eleven feet over the ground, right in front of me, also demonstrating pesticide application.

I have eaten wurst, Mongolian grill, green chili pizza (although that was in Denver), kuchen, popcorn as an appetizer, and a lovely fruit pizza.

I’ve met people from all around the country. I’ve  learned about pesticide safety practices. I’ve  learned a lot about respirators.

All in all, North Dakota rocks!

Book Talk Tuesday: Jane Steele

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I love mysteries. I love spunky heroines. I love humor and dry witty banter. I love Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.

Imagine my delight to discover JANE STEELE by Lyndsay Faye.

Jane SteeleJANE STEELE is part homage to JANE EYRE, part fair play mystery, part Sikh primer, part romance, part faux-memoir, and a complete pleasure to read.

Young Jane Steele lives in the Victorian era, with her French mother in a guest house on an English estate. Her mother tells Jane that she is the rightful owner and heir to the estate.

The story begins with Jane confessing to the reader her first (yes, first) murder. After the death of her mother and her cousin, young Jane is sent to a boarding school. A truly horrible boarding school. Think more Little Princess/Jane Eyre and less Hogwarts.

The story follows Jane through her school, to London, then back to her estate home, now occupied by the dashing Charles Thornfield, his young ward, and his butler Mr. Singh.

Some of the reviews on Amazon describe this book as “Jane Eyre as a serial killer,” or “Dexter meets Jane Eyre.” These both miss the mark. There is death, but there is also justice, love, honor, and grace.

I loved this one!

Monday Musings: So Many States …

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I’m getting to check off two entries on my “States I Have Yet to Visit” list this week.

I’m in Fargo, North Dakota this week for a pesticide safety conference, for my part-time day job. Yes, I’ve seen the movie; no, I haven’t seen the television series.

img_8647I’ve never been to North Dakota, or Denver, where we had a layover yesterday. Denver was less mountainous than I’d expected, but still beautiful. Our less-than-an-hour-gonna-have-to-hustle-to-make-the-connecting-flight layover turned into five-plus hours, thanks to mechanical issues on a plane.

Since it’s important to me that any plane I fly on have no mechanical issues, I was just fine with the delay. The upside was my friend and boss has a daughter who lives in Denver,img_8641 and she readily agreed to come pick us up for dinner. And, of course, being introduced to Dion’s and their green chile pizza.

The downside was that I had finished my book and both magazines long before we finally landed in Fargo at 3 AM.

We were surprised and blessed to discover that the car rental agency had stayed open to accommodate our late flight, so we didn’t have to Uber or taxi or hitchhike to the hotel. I crawled into bed about 4:30 AM, Fargo time and managed to sleep a solid six hours.

We ventured to Fargo’s old town area, looking for lunch. The Smokehouse we found turned out to be closed on Sunday (not unusual, we soon discovered), so we went img_8643next door to Würst Bier Hall where we promptly ordered pretzels, wurst, porketta bánh mì, and french fries. Fabulous!! Stud Muffin would love that place, so I obviously have to come back.

After lunch, we walked around the old town area (gotta get some steps in after that lunch!), found a great coffee shop with scones (and a definite Seattle vibe), fun shops, and historic buildings. Dinner turned out to be peach kuchen and a root beer float at Krolls, a recommendation from our lunch server.

Don’t judge.

It’s now 8:00 Sunday evening. It’s only 6 PM in California, but my eyes are heavy. I won’t have a problem getting to sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we work!

Monday Morning Musings: Book Review

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Even though it’s not a Book Talk Tuesday, I’m posting a book review on Monday. I really enjoyed this one, and can’t wait to share about it.

cover-secrets

A few books stay with you after you finish the final page and close the book. SECRETS OF THE TULIP SISTERS is one of those.

The Tulip Sisters are a fun group of women. I wish they lived closer. I wish they were real.

Kelly is the uber-responsible older sister who works the family tulip farm and loves it. She and her dad are close. Her long-time boyfriend recently broke up with her and she’s sad that it didn’t upset her more. What’s bugging her now is that Griffith, her high school crush, is back in town and keeps showing up wherever she is.

Olivia is the flighty younger sister. Or is she? Olivia shows up in town after ten years away, expecting a reunion with her own high school boyfriend. The homecoming is not quite as heartwarming as one might hope. With either the ex or her family.

Helen is Kelly’s best friend, and an honorary sister, with a huge secret of her own.

Life is … if not good, at least acceptable, for all three women. Until Kelly and Olivia’s mother shows up, bringing havoc and leaving a trail of mayhem in her wake.

I love this book! Fun dialogue and situations, believable characters, emotionally engaging writing. It’s going on my keeper shelf.

——

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Which this is.

Saving the Best for Last

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We got up early and hit the road. Dirt roads, that is. 

CousinExtraordinaire is an amazing photographer (and hostess). She has an ATV (and access to another) and the five of us had an excursion today to see the wild horses and other wildlife in the area. 


We left the house and 7 AM and got back at 10. Then we showered, ate, and headed home. In between, we saw:

  • three bands of wild horses, including the beautiful filly, Pearl
  • 1 family of nesting Swainson hawks 
  • a RC airplane taking off
  • a satellite dish, in the middle of nowhere, on the ground 
  • some amazing scenery 

and we (Drama Princess and I) gave a grasshopper a ride. He flitted into the side-by-side I drove, landed on her arm, jumped to the door, then abandoned us. 

We had a wonderful week and can’t wait to do it again. We saw glorious scenery, ate delicious food, swam, and laughed. 

We’re home now. Queen Bee will go home tomorrow. 

Next up: two weeks of VBS Adventures with Grampy and Drama Princess.