Lisa R. Howeler's Blog, page 55

Peace That Passes All Understanding

This is a post that I wrote two years ago after I was released from the hospital for Covid. Recovery was not pleasant but somehow I managed to push out some blog posts like this one.

Faithfully Thinking: Peace That Passes All Understanding

Sunday Bookends: Driving my husband’s big truck, editing Gladwynn’s second book, and started reading Little Women for first time

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with  Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer  and Kathyrn at  The Book Date.

Affiliate disclosure: Today’s post may contain an affiliate link, which could provide a small commission to me as a blogger.

What’s Been Occurring

I wrote about what I’ve been doing in my Saturday Afternoon Chat post yesterday. You can read that HERE.

When I wrote my post yesterday, I said I hadn’t left the house all week. That wasn’t exactly true. I left it on Monday when my son said he needed a ride from his bus stop and I remember this because I had to drive my husband’s gigantic Chevy Avalanche down the hill to the convenience store downtown where the bus dropped my son off.

I have not tried to drive his truck yet because it is very tall and very big and I am not a tall person. I am always afraid to drive it because I can’t see over the front very well and I feel like I will run over something or, worse yet, someone.

But my son needed me so I took off, after figuring out how to adjust the seat, and headed down the hill. When I got to where he was supposed to be, though, he wasn’t there. I called him and he said he’d texted me that he was going to walk up the hill so I didn’t have to drive the truck and he was on our street. I found out later that he’d never actually sent that text so I’d had no idea.

Since I was already down the hill in town, I decided to go to the little supermarket we have and pick up the flour I needed for dinner, but I was terrified the whole time I might hit a car or person while I was driving.

When I got back to the house, I texted my husband and told him about my journey and how nervous I was. His only response? “Is my truck okay?”

I said, “Thanks for worrying if I was okay.”

He texted back, “Oh, right. Are you okay?”

I said, “I was worried I was going to hit something or someone the entire time.”

Him: “Don’t worry about it. You’re in a truck. It’s like a bug on a windshield.”

I said, “Not if I hit an older lady!”

Him: “She’ll bounce back.”

Anyhow, I won’t be driving that truck again unless absolutely necessary.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I finished The Hidden Staircase, a Nancy Drew Mystery, by Carolyn Keene yesterday.

This week I will finish Walls Crumbling by Alicia Gilliam. It’s so good. I love her writing.

I also started Little Women for my cozy winter read and I’m really enjoying it so far.

The Husband is choosing a new book because he just finished a Joe Pickett novel.

Little Miss and I are reading The Black Stallion on some nights and Paddington others and also listening to Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman because she really loves that book.

The Boy isn’t reading anything right now but we will be reading something historically related soon for school.

What We watched/are Watching

This past week we watched Tea With The Dames for Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and my Comfy, Cozy Cinema. We really enjoyed it. I shared a short clip and talked about it on Instagram and that clip went viral – why? No idea but I think everyone just needs a dose of happiness right now. The documentary about Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins, is available on Tubi for free or on other streaming devices for a rental fee. You can find it on Amazon HERE.

I also watched Forgotten Way Farms videos as a way to relax. Here is her latest:

I am looking forward to when All Creatures Great and Small’s fourth season starts airing in the U.S. I read online that that will be January 7, so not too much longer. Until then I will catch up on Miss Scarlet and the Duke this week.

What I’m Writing

I am editing Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage so I can release it on December 4. If you want to pre-order it, you can find it HERE.

A description? Why, yes, I can provide you with that:

More mystery, intrigue, and loveable characters in Brookstone, Pa.

Gladwynn Grant hasn’t been living in Brookstone, Pa. very long but already she’s been mixed up in two attempted murders and the aftermath of a jewel theft.

Just when she thinks life has settled down and her new job as a small-town reporter will begin to be routine again, the recreational director at the local retirement community is found dead.

Was Samantha Mors death an accident, or was it murder?

Since she was the second person to discover her body, Gladwynn wants to find out what really happened.

Local State Police Detective Tanner Kinney lets her know that her job is reporting the news, not investigating a possibly suspicious death. The father she barely speaks to stops for a visit and also urges her to not get involved.

When warnings to stay away from the case come from handsome pastor Luke Callahan Gladwynn wonders if he knew the victim better than he is letting on.

Quieting her inner sleuth will prove difficult for Gladwynn, though, especially when her eccentric grandmother Lucinda tags along to help her solve the case.

I am also writing Cassie, which will release in August of 2024. I will share more about that as it gets closer to the release date but I have shared a little bit about it here already. It is part of a multi-author project, which you can learn more about in our Facebook group HERE.

The first book in that project, Polly, comes out January 15 and it is available for pre-order now. You can pre-order Polly HERE.

This week on the blog I shared:

Saturday Afternoon Chat: The missing cat, the viral reels that made me no money, and I didn’t leave the house all week (oops) Fiction Friday: Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage Chapter 14 and 15 Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot for November 9 Comfy, Cozy Cinema: Tea with the Dames A visit to Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pa. To My Son On His 17th Birthday 

What I’m Listening To

This week I will be listening to the end of an audio book: Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey and the new Needtobreathe album.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Saturday Afternoon Chat: The missing cat, the viral reels that made me no money, and I didn’t leave the house all week (oops)

The flames are curling around the pieces of wood in our woodstove as I write this. My daughter made me a cup of hot cocoa sweetened with maple syrup and it was so good.

Earlier this week we lit the stove one day and didn’t the next, pretty alternating like that all week, because the temperatures were warm, then cold, then warm. Today they are back to cold and I think they are going to stay that way through tomorrow.

My sinuses (and those of my family) are not a fan of the up and down temps of autumn and spring in our area.

I need the weather to pick one temperature and stay there.

I did, however, appreciate the sun and warmth we received this week, even if there was a bit of a chill to it.

This morning I realized that I had not left the house all week. I had no reason to because the Husband took Little Miss to her events and I stayed home and worked on my books, blog posts, social media posts, and washed dishes. I washed dishes all week. That’s how I felt at least. I would finish dishes right before dinner and then everyone would use dishes for dinner and then it would start over. The day our dishwasher died was a very sad day for us, but that’s life.

Usually, The Husband does the dishes and folds the laundry more than I do because he gets to it quicker. I seem to be interrupted every five minutes when I am trying to do something but no one interrupts him, I have no idea why. He’s also just very organized and I am not, which I think I’ve mentioned on here before. I am trying to do a bit better at the housework but if the pile of unfolded laundry in our laundry room is any indication of how I am doing – well, you know how that is going.

On Tuesday I thought we had lost our cat for good when she didn’t show up after being out all night. I woke up early to the sound of Zooma the Wonder Dog barking and when I went downstairs to find out what was going on, our other cat ran in, but not the youngest.

The Husband and The Boy (my now 17-year-old teenager) went to work and when I came downstairs later, I thought I would find Scout, the youngest cat, back inside or on the back porch. She wasn’t there and a quick text to The Husband confirmed that she had not returned that morning. I had to wait a couple of hours for The Boy to come home from trade school to ask him if he had seen her and in that three-hour wait, I had this horrible feeling that she had been hit by a car or eaten by an animal the night before.

Usually, when she comes in in the morning she heads straight to my daughter’s room and curls up with her but she wasn’t there. She is also usually around my feet at some point in the morning.

We do our best to make sure the cats are inside at night because we do have foxes, bears, and occasionally coyotes in the area. A text to my neighbor to see if she had seen Scout made me even more nervous because my neighbor said there had been a huge catfight that morning in her backyard but she didn’t see which cat it was.

A friend of ours down the street has a male cat that likes to come up and try to act like he lives here and can tell my girl cats to get lost, so I worried he might have attacked Scout, but another neighbor also has a cat that fights with my cats (or vice versa).

When The Boy came home, I decided not to mention the cat’s disappearance to him because it was his birthday and I didn’t want him to be worried about her on his birthday. Finally, though, I asked him if he’d happened to see her when he walked to the bus for school.

“Yeah, I let her in this morning,” he said.

So, at some point, she’d been in the house.

That’s when I asked my daughter if she had been in her makeshift fort that morning (she has turned one of our couches to face our large window and has her stuffed animals and toys in there for her own little safe haven). She ran to the fort and – yes, there was the cat. She’d been there the whole morning and completely ignored me while I called for her. I felt stupid for not checking in the fort since she loves to curl up there.

This is the second time in two weeks Scout has done something like this, which should be a sign to me that I need to stop worrying about her and accept that she’ll show up eventually.

Now that the weather is colder, I want to make more soups for dinners and lunches. Earlier this week I made chicken noodle soup. I cooked a whole chicken in the Instapot and later added some carrots and farfalle pasta. The one thing I forgot about cooking a whole chicken down in the Instapot is that the bones crumble so you have to strain the broth and catch them in a strainer.

The only problem is that I don’t have a strainer right now so I tried to pick them out. That didn’t work great since we still found some bones in the soup. Hopefully I’ll get better at the soup making as winter sets in. Also, I’ll hopefully get a strainer.

My plan this week is to make butternut squash/sweet potato soup and maybe vegetable beef (we had some beef left over from the week before last and I froze that) and potato and ham soup. I’ll keep you updated on how that goes.

On Thursday I created a reel on Instagram to promote the blog post feature that Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I do together. It was simply a clip of the documentary we watched about dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins with a quote from the clip above it. I tossed it up and moved on with my day because usually Erin and I don’t get a lot of views on those reels or on our blogs (which is fine – we do this stuff mainly for fun and distraction for us and our blog readers).

By the end of Thursday I had a lot of people commenting on the reels or liking it. By Friday morning I had some 250,000 views and even more comments and shares.

By Friday night the number was 450,000 or so and the comments kept coming from people who just loved the clip and said how happy it made them.

This morning the number was 1.2 million. As of the time I am writing this, it is at 2 million plus views, 56.2 thousand shares, and 809 comments. I have reached 1.3 million accounts

What does all this mean? Will it help me sell books or make money or … do anything exciting with my life?

Nope. None of that really at this point. I don’t get paid on Instagram for my posts and people are liking this video but they aren’t really there for my books. I did gain more followers but, again, they are following me for my posts that aren’t related to my books.

And, honestly? That’s okay because the clip is bringing people joy and one thing I realize as the number of views increase on this is how hungry the world is for joy right now.

Here is a link to the reels:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lisa R. Howeler (@lisarhoweler)

There is so much sadness, hatred, depression, darkness, and hopelessness. Escaping for even three minutes as we watch four legendary actresses laugh and tease each other is a blessing. Then finding out we can escape for 90 full minutes? Whew! That’s a Godsend for many people right now. I’m glad that people were able to enjoy that clip.

So often lately I am trying to figure out how I can use any kind of social media success to help my family financially as we struggle, but most of the time it is enough that something I put out there gives people joy.

Sometimes we look for a bigger meaning in the things we do in life and I think it is okay if there isn’t a bigger meaning beyond what we did, saw, heard, read, or participated in that brought us joy.

If you want to read the blog posts where Erin and I talked about the documentary, you can find my post HERE and Erin’s post HERE.

How was your week last week? Did you do anything exciting?

Do you like to cook soups when the weather is colder? What kind of soups are your favorite to make or eat?

Fiction Friday: Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage Chapter 14 and 15

As always, this is a work in progress and there could be (will be) typos, plot holes, and other errors but those will be fixed before the book is published a couple of months from now.

If you want to read the first book in the series, you can find it on Amazon HERE.

If you don’t want to read this story in chapters on a blog and would rather read the fully-finished and polished version, you can pre-order it HERE.

Chapter 14

She drove back to the house slowly, knowing she should call Tanner. He needed to know what she’d overheard in the bathroom, but he also needed to know about the missing button on Luke’s coat.

She didn’t want to tell him about the missing button though. She couldn’t.

Not until she’d talked to Luke first.

As for the conversation between the woman, she would pass that information on at least. It probably wouldn’t help at all, but at least it would offer proof that the family knew Samantha was Derek’s daughter. She wondered if Tanner had figured that out yet.

She considered a stop at Brewed Awakening for a cup of coffee but couldn’t face seeing Abbie right now. The intuitive mother would know something was wrong and would do her best to drag it out of her. There was no way she could tell Abbie that one of the town’s beloved pastors might be a murderer.

To her right she noticed a woman walking slowly, looking at the sidewalk, her shoulders sagging. She looked how Gladwynn felt.

As the car began to pass the woman, Gladwynn realized it was Eileen and that she was crying. She didn’t feel like she had the mental or emotional energy to comfort Eileen, but she pulled the car slowly into a parking space in front of the park in the center of town anyhow.

The recently painted gazebo stood in the center of a myriad of sidewalk paths, benches, light poles and a variety of types of trees. Gladwynn watched as Eileen walked up the steps of the gazebo and sat down, placing her head in her hands.

In some ways Gladwynn felt she needed to leave the woman alone, but another part nudged her to go talk to the woman, not only to comfort her, but learn more about what she knew, or didn’t know about Samantha. She closed the driver’s side door gingerly and made her way across the grass to avoid letting her heels click on the concrete and alerting Eileen to her presence. That couldn’t be avoided as she made her way up the steps of the gazebo, though.

Eileen looked up sharply, her eyes red and swollen. She sniffed loudly, her eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here? I don’t want to talk to the media.”

“I’m not here to talk to you for the paper. I saw you walking here and looking upset and I wanted to see if you were okay.”

Eileen glared, hands gripping the bottom of the bench she was sitting on, her straight, long hair falling loose around her face. “No you didn’t. You want to know what I know about Samantha and the day she died.”

Straight and to the point as always, but she was right. Gladwynn walked over slowly and sat next to her, tilting her knees in Eileen’s direction, her hands folded on her lap. “You’re right. I do want to know what you know about Samantha. She was a good friend to a lot of people and I want to know what happened to her. I have a feeling you’d like to know what happened to her too.”

Eileen let go of the grip she’d had on the bench, her knuckles white. She reached inside a small purse for a tissue. “I do want to know but telling you what I know about Sam won’t help anything. I don’t know who did this to her. I have ideas, but I don’t know for sure.”

“You and Sam were closer than you’ve let on weren’t you?”

Eileen nodded as she blew her nose, her voice breaking. “Yes. We became friends shortly after she moved here and grew closer in the last several months.”

“And you knew Derek well too?”

Eileen continued to cry, looking down at the hardwood floor of the gazebo. “Yes. He was a good man.”

Gladwynn decided to go for it and reveal her theory. “So you knew they were father and daughter?”

Eileen looked up quickly, tissue to her nose. “How did you know?”

There it was. Another confirmation.

“I guessed. They hung out a lot. Samantha had moved here not long after Derek did. A few other things tipped me off too.”

That really wasn’t a lot to go on to guess the two were related, but Gladwynn didn’t want to reveal what she’d read in the letter or what she’d heard in the bathroom. “When did they tell you?”

Eileen crumpled the tissue, shoved it in her purse and reached for another one. “We’d been hanging out a lot, watching movies together and playing cards. I came over early one night with a special cake I’d made and overheard Samantha asking Derek if he’d told his children yet that she was his daughter. I was shocked. I just stood there on the back patio with the cake, unable to move. Sam saw me standing there, assumed I had heard them talking and told me to come in. They talked to me and asked me not to say anything. I said I wouldn’t, of course.”

Eileen drew in a ragged breath. “Derek’s death had seemed natural, but after Samantha died – I don’t know. I just feel like it’s too much of a coincidence that they died so close together. I wasn’t surprised at all when the police said Samantha’s death was suspicious.”

Gladwynn leaned forward slightly. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask but was a cause of death ever determined for Derek?”

“I couldn’t tell you. I called the coroner and the funeral home to come after he died but the family handled things after that.”

“You had a number for the family?”

“Yes, Derek had given me his contact information but I didn’t recognize the last name.” She shrugged. “I’m not really up on billionaire hotel owning families.”

Gladwynn laughed softly. “Yeah. Me either.”

Eillen shrugged a shoulder. “It wasn’t until I found out about Sam and Derek that they told me who Derek was.”

Gladwynn hesitated to ask the next question, but in the end decided Eileen could simply decline to answer if it was over the line. “Who found Derek?”

Eileen’s expression crumpled. “Me. I went over to take him the coffee I’d ordered him from a specialty place in Italy.” She closed her eyes as if to block out the memory. “He didn’t answer but the back door was unlocked so I let myself inside. I called for him and then I went to look for him in his room. The door was open and he was in bed, peacefully sleeping. Or so I thought. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized he was gone.”

She pressed her face into her hands and began to sob. Gladwynn’s chest tightened. The woman hadn’t been standoffish or rude all this time after all. She was simply a grieving, traumatized woman.

Gladwynn reached out and laid a hand against her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Eileen. You’ve been through a lot the last couple of weeks. Do you have anyone close to you who you can talk to?”

Eileen shook her head slowly. “No. I moved here six years ago from Florida to take this job and don’t know anyone really. Sam and Derek were my only friends.” She blew into the tissue in her hand. “That’s how Sam and I first connected. We’d both had lived in Florida.”

The postmark on the letter had been Traverse City, Michigan. Vince had said she told him she was Nebraska but had attended Ohio State. Who had this woman really been? Why did she have so many different stories about where she was originally from?  

Gladwynn squeezed Eileen’s shoulder gently. “I know we don’t know each other well, but if you need someone to talk to, I’m around.”

Eileen no longer looked like the hard woman poised to argue with anyone who spoke to her. Her guard had been let down. “Thank you.” She hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s very sweet of you, but, honestly, I think I might move back to Florida after all this. I need to reconnect with my parents and siblings. We had a falling out before I moved here and we’ve stayed connected some but I really just need to go home.”

That story sounded familiar, though Gladwynn had no intention of going back to Carter anytime soon. “I understand. Until then, though. I’m here.” She paused, looking out over the park as a couple walked hand-in-hand from the direction of a small thrift store. She watched the man and women look at each other, smile and give each other a quick kiss. Pulling her gaze away, she focused on Eileen again. “Eileen, do you think Derek died of natural causes?”

Eileen shook her head slowly. “No. I really don’t. I mean, I did, but now that Sam’s been murdered and knowing what I know about Derek’s family . . . ” Her voice trailed off. She looked down at the crumpled tissues in her hands. “Sorry. I really shouldn’t talk about that.”

Gladwynn thought about what she’d heard in the bathroom. “Did Samantha ever say they threatened her?”

“No, she didn’t, but she did tell me they weren’t happy when Derek told them he’d made a change in the will to leave money for her. She was very upset he’d done that because she’d never wanted his money. She just wanted to get to know him. She hated that it looked like she’d contacted him so she could get his money.”

“Do you have any idea who would murder Sam besides someone in his family? Maybe someone who didn’t like her or someone she’d argued with?”

Eileen dabbed at the corner of her eye with the tissue. “No. Not at all. Everyone loved Sam. I can’t imagine anyone who would want to hurt her. Anyone other than Derek’s children and their spouses. They’re selfish, vindictive and bitter people. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them killed Derek too.”

Gladwynn caught a glimpse of Luke driving by and her stomach clenched again.

She focused her attention on Eileen instead. “Have you met them before? Other than your interaction with Michael the other day?”

“No, but Sam and Derek told me a lot about them. Derek was very disappointed in them.” She sniffed and opened her purse, pulling out a small container of breath mints. “He didn’t want Sam to have to deal with them after he passed away so he wrote her into the will. Also, I saw Michael here in Brookstone a couple days before Derek died. I didn’t know it was him at the time but I recognized him the day he confronted me at Willowbrook.”

“Where did you see him?”

“Coming out of Berry’s Pharmacy.”

That was an interesting bit of information. She wondered if Tanner knew it. “I wonder what he was doing here. Maybe talking to Derek? I also wonder if his family knew for sure he was going to write her into the will.”

Eileen placed one of the breath mints in her mouth. “I don’t know but it would be a very good reason for one of them to kill her if they did know, wouldn’t it? Or maybe even to kill Derek.” She took a deep breath. “I know I shouldn’t have but I sort of lied to Michael Thornton that day. I do have a waiting list and someone did want to move into the apartment, but I had Derek’s belongings placed in storage because I didn’t want anyone in that family going through all of Derek’s stuff before Samantha had a chance to look through it and take some mementos of him. They’re a bunch of vultures. That’s where I was that morning. The morning Samantha died. I was renting out space in a storage facility.”

Gladwynn stood and walked across the gazebo, looking out across the park toward the Brookstone Theatre. A few movie goers were walking through the front doors for the matinee. She turned back toward Eileen and leaned back against the railing. “Who would have been the last person to see Derek alive do you think?”

Eileen shook her head slowly, staring somewhere beyond Gladwynn’s shoulder. “I don’t know for sure. Probably Sam. She usually was the last one to leave his place or him hers. Why?”

Gladwynn pressed a hand against her forehead. “I don’t know. I guess I just wondered – I don’t know really. Just brainstorming ideas of what could have happened to him if it wasn’t natural causes.” She moved her hand from her forehead to her hair, pushing a strand back from her forehead. “What about this Mary Kendall. Who is she?”

Eileen eyed her suspiciously. “She’s Sam’s aunt. How do you know her?”

Gladwynn tipped her head down briefly before looking up again, her cheeks flushed. “I happened to see the name when Bridgett knocked some paperwork off the desk the other day when we stopped by for the key.” She held her hands up. “I promise that I wasn’t snooping on purpose.”

A small smile tugged at Eileen’s mouth. “I like how you said, ‘on purpose,’ but, really, I shouldn’t have left that paperwork out where anyone could see it. I was a little flustered that day. I pulled that information out for the police so they could notify her of Samantha’s death. Then Mr. Thornton stopped by and I had to leave.”

“Did you ever give that information to the police?”

“Yes, when I came back to the office.”

So the police already had Mary’s name and information. Then they could ask her more about Samantha’s past and the letter. 

Eileen hugged her arms around herself. “I also told them about something that happened the night of Sam’s murder, after they left. I saw someone trying to get into Sam’s condo. It was the middle of the night and I’d gotten up to get a drink of water. I saw a figure outside her door, grabbed a flashlight and my phone and headed out to find out what they were doing. They were gone by the time I got there and it looked like the door hadn’t been opened. I must have scared them off. When I turned to go back to my apartment, I saw a dark truck or SUV pulling out onto main street. I don’t know if it was related or not but I’ve been on edge ever since. I check her condo every night before I go to bed to make sure it is still locked and I also remind all our residents to do the same.”

Gladwynn’s eyes narrowed as she considered this new piece of information. “Do you have security footage of that?”

“I do. I gave it to the police as well.” She stood and smoothed her skirt down. “Thank you for checking on me, but I need to get back to the office. I had a call for a repair needed in condo number 23 before I left and have a call into a plumber. I apologize for how rude I’ve been acting lately. This has all been such a shock. That day at Sam’s I just wanted to get out of there. I couldn’t believe she was dead. My mind kept racing, worried that she might have killed herself but feeling that there was no way she would have. She was so full of life.”

Gladwynn heard her phone ringing in her purse, but ignored it. “I’m sure this all has been very hard for you. I was serious about you contacting me if you ever need to talk.”

“I may do that,” Eileen said. “Thank you.”

Gladwynn watched her walk down the steps of the gazebo and across the sidewalk to her car parked on the other side of the park. There were a lot of people who had the wrong impression of Eileen and she’d been among them before today. The cold demeanor people saw in the woman was really her way of coping with all the hurt in her life. It made sense.

Eileen’s grief was yet another reason Gladwynn hoped the police would be able to find out who killed Samantha sooner rather than later.

When she arrived home William was locked in her grandfather’s office. She knew Lucinda would be helping to clean up after the dinner at the church, which meant she had some time to relax and try to process Luke’s missing button.

She didn’t take long to think about it, though, because she needed to call Tanner and fill him on what she’d heard in the bathroom.

He’d given her his work cell phone during the Stabler investigation and she used it now to try to reach him, fully expecting to reach his voicemail.

She was surprised when he picked up.

“Detective Kinney here. How can I help you, Miss Grant?”

“Do you have my number saved in your phone?”

“I felt I should since you seem to pester me so much. Have you been busy sticking your nose in police business again?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, Detective, I have not been sticking my nose in anything. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and overheard something.”

“And where were you at when you heard this?”

“That’s not important.”

“It is if you are sharing information for a criminal investigation.”

“I was in the ladies’ room at the Brookstone Methodist Church if you must know.”

There was a brief pause, then, “You were hiding in the bathroom, spying on people?”

“No, I was using the bathroom when they came in.” Her face flushed warm. “I mean, I wasn’t actually using the bathroom. I was preparing to – let’s just change the subject. I was in the right place at the right time.”

“Or the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Either way, I overheard them talking about Samantha Mors. They said she said she was Derek Thornton’s daughter.”

“Okay, so?”

She tapped a pen on top of the kitchen table. “So, isn’t that important to your investigation? That two people who died a week apart from each other were actually father and daughter?”

“Yes, but I already knew that.”

Gladwynn sat up straighter. “How did you know?”

“Quite frankly, I don’t have to tell you how I know that, but I will anyhow, since you don’t seem to think we can do our jobs. We found a letter from Derek to Samantha in her bedside table. The letter you found was simply another confirmation of their connection. I don’t know how we missed the letter you found when we went through the apartment. I’m guessing the officer I asked to check that room didn’t pull the drawer all the way out and empty it. I’ve asked for him to be placed on administrative leave.”

“In his defense, it really was wedged up in there pretty good. I think Grandma just shook it loose when she opened the drawer fast.”

Tanner cleared his throat. “Excuse me? Grandma? I thought you found the letter and that she was just there with you.”

“Well, yeah, I mean, I think I just shook it loose –”

“Now you have your grandmother snooping around with you. Really?”

“We were looking for some scripts Samantha had at her place. I told you that. There was no snooping going on for anything other than finding the scripts we needed.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Except you just lied to me about who found the letter.

Gladwynn groaned softly. “I didn’t really lie. I just wasn’t specific about who found it. I didn’t want you to think my grandmother was snooping around.”

“But she clearly was.”

“She wasn’t! I already told you what happened.”

“Okay, while we are talking about true things, is it true you’re going to be in the play?

“Why is that important and who have you been talking to?”

Amusement tinged his words. “A little birdie told me.”

“Yes, I’m going to be in the play, but that’s really not important. Back to the women in the bathroom.”

The scratching of a pen on paper could be heard on the other side of the phone as she filled him in on the conversation between the women.

“Do you have identifications for these women?” he asked when she was done.

“I believe one was called Marjorie and one Beatrice. I don’t know the third woman’s name.”

“Did you see them?”

“I didn’t.”

“And this is supposed to help us how?”

She clutched her hand into a fist and pressed it against her mouth, biting at her finger before answering. “Tanner, I am just passing on what I heard.”

Tanner sighed. “Okay, thank you. Really. We were already planning to question Mr. Thornton, his wife, his sister and his sister-in-law so we will discuss this conversation with them.”

“Are you going to tell them who overheard it?”

“I don’t think that would be wise, no.”

“Okay, well, I just wanted to fill you in.” She took a deep breath, contemplating how to handle the situation with Luke. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell Tanner about the button.

“And I appreciate that.” Tanner’s tone softened. “I really do, Miss — Gladwynn. Thank you for filling me in and to show you my appreciation I’d like to fill you in on something as well. We found an earring in Samantha’s room. It may or not be related to this case but it was –”

“A silver hoop earring with a dangling green jewel.”

“How did you –”

“I wasn’t snooping! I saw it when I went into Samantha’s room the day I found her. I just happened to see it. I did not snoop. I promise.”

“Okay, well, we don’t think it was Samantha’s. It doesn’t match any of her other jewelry. Can you keep an eye out for anyone who wears similar jewelry. I don’t want you to do anything other than call me if you see anything suspicious, do you understand?”

Gladwynn smirked. “I certainly do.”

“Also, don’t get any ideas here. I’m not asking for your help beyond this.”

“I understand perfectly, Detective.”

“Okay. Good. Thanks for the information.”

“I do have a couple questions, though. Did you ever find Samantha’s cell phone?”

“We have not. No.”

“So you can’t find out who she was talking to that day at the lake?”

“Unfortunately we can’t, no, but hopefully we’ll get a breakthrough soon.”

She took a chance on another question, sure he’d hang up on her soon. “And what about the security footage from Willowbrook the night of her murder. Did you see anything on it?”

“How do you even –”

“The information was voluntarily shared with me. I didn’t ask for it.”

Tanner’s voice had switched the soft tone he’d had before to the harder one. “Uh-huh. Sure you didn’t. But, yes, we did see something on the footage. Someone was trying to break into the condo. Vertically challenged and slightly overweight, possibly a woman. The person was gone by the time we arrived.”

Vertically challenged? Had he really just said that?

She knew he wasn’t going to be forthcoming much longer. “Thank you for telling me that much at least. Does the person fit any of the profiles of the suspects you have?”

Tanner sighed into the phone. “Gladwynn, you really need to get another hobby and stop reading all those Agatha Christie novels. Let me know if see anything similar to the earring. Other than that, go write about the new lights in the park or something.”

Gladwynn straightened her shoulders at this news tip even if it wasn’t very exciting. “There are new lights in the park? What kind?”

“I have no idea. Call the borough. That’s their department.”

“I’ll do that, but before you go can you tell me if Samantha really had a small hole above her—”

“I think this office needs a reminder on keeping a tight lid on investigations,” Tanner grumbled. His voice softened at his next words, though. “Listen, we’ll find who did this. Tell your grandmother and her friends we are working as hard and as quickly as we can on this.”

A small smile tugged at her mouth “I will, Detective. Thank you.”

“Now go away,” he said, his voice gruff again.

She laughed as he hung up the phone.

Chapter 15

When Lucinda arrived home, it was around supper time and Gladwynn was already in the kitchen cooking up stir fry. William hadn’t left the study and Gladwynn was fine with that. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him about their conversation the other day.

Lucinda winced as she sat down at the kitchen table. She groaned softly and pushed her shoes off as she leaned back in the chair. “What are you making there, little lady? It sure smells good.”

“It smells good but we will have to see if it tastes good. You know I’m not a cook.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You made a pretty good three bean salad last week.”

Gladwynn laughed. “Grandma, I opened the can and poured it in the bowl.”

Lucinda stretched her legs out on a chair opposite her. “Well, it was still good.” She stretched her arms up over her head. “Have you seen your father today?”

“Nope.”

“And I’m sure you’re fine with that.”

“Yep.”

“So what was the real reason for you looking like you had seen a ghost today when you left the church?”

Gladwynn continued to cook, her back to Lucinda. There was no way she was going to tell her grandmother that their pastor might be a murderer.

“I overheard a weird conversation in the bathroom.”

Lucinda’s voice was full of concern. “What does that mean? What kind of weird conversation?”

Gladwynn turned around, spoon in her hand. “What would you say if I told you that I think that Derek was Samantha’s father and that what I overheard today confirms that?”

“I would say that I had that theory floating around in my mind as well. Who did you overhear talking about it?”

Gladwynn began to spoon the stir fry into a dish. “I think Derek’s daughter and daughter-in-laws but I couldn’t see them. They said Samantha said she was his daughter but they didn’t believe her and one of them said she was glad Samantha was dead so she wouldn’t get any of their money.”

Lucinda frowned as Gladwynn placed the bowl in the table and turned to pull the plates out of the cupboard. “Did you tell Tanner what you heard?”

“Yes, I called him before you came home.”

“And what did he say?

“That he will look into it.”

“Then he will. The police will figure this out.”

She sat and filled Lucinda in on her conversation with Eileen as well.

Lucinda sighed. “Poor Eileen. What a tough thing for her to deal with.” She reached over and laid her hand on Gladwynn’s. “Now, hon’ you know you can’t figure this all out on your own. Let the police do their jobs now. I want you to go upstairs and rest after dinner, okay? Take your mind off things. You finish setting the table and I’ll go tell your father dinner is ready.”

When she did go upstairs later, though, Gladwynn couldn’t rest. Her mind kept going back to her conversation with Luke, to that missing button on his suit coat.

She rolled over on the bed and sent a text to Laurel to try to stop thinking about the theories of why the button had been in Samantha’s room.

Have you asked Lance why he didn’t sign the papers?

Laurel: He said he thought he signed everything and told me to have my lawyer send it back to his lawyer

Gladwynn: Then it will be final?

Laurel: Yes, technically, but really, it’s already been signed off by the judge so it is final.

Gladwynn: And you’re sure you want it final?

Laurel: Gladwynn. Stop. Yes. I want it final. This isn’t a Hallmark movie. We aren’t getting back together.

Gladwynn: I understand, but if you change your mind, you know it would be okay to admit you made the wrong decision.

Laurel: Anything new on the Mors case?

Gladwynn: Maybe. I’ll fill you in later. I’ve passed it on to Tanner and I’m not sure how much to share yet.

Laurel: Fill me in when you can. Back to the grindstone for me. See you tomorrow.

Gladwynn rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling for several moments before closing her eyes and letting sleep overtake her, drawing her into a hazy world where Luke laughed with his blue eyes shining and Samantha fell onto the carpet with her eyes wide open over and over until Gladwynn woke up gasping.

She spent the rest of the day reading books, listening to Harry Connick Jr., and wishing she’d never found that button.

***

In some ways Gladwynn was surprised when her father agreed to go to church with them the next day. He’d been mainly working in his father’s office since he’d arrived. They had also talked very little since their conversation over dinner on his first night in town. Gladwynn had a feeling they’d both been avoiding each other, but church was important to them both and this was one day where they’d need to put their issues aside.

Missing a Sunday service when she was growing up was rarely allowed unless someone was sick. She’d missed services more than she should have in college but after college her faith became even more of a center of her life and she had returned to regular attendance.  

There were times she doubted her father’s pride in her, but she didn’t doubt that his faith was an important part of his life. She wasn’t sure if it was the center of his life like it had once been most of his life, but she hoped it would be again one day if it wasn’t now.

Rain smacked against the windshield as her father drove and she looked down at her hot pink shoes and realized she should have worn rain boots. Wearing inappropriate footwear for the weather was a common theme for her. She’d wanted to change that, but she thought the rain had been mainly sprinkles when she woke up. Now it was a full-on downpour and running from the parking lot to the church in these shoes would be a challenge.

Seeing Luke was going to be another challenge. She’d much rather deal with the shoe challenge.

No matter how many theories she came up with about how Luke’s button broke off in Samantha’s room she came back to one that made more sense than the worst possibility. Samantha and Luke had been having some sort of affair. If that was true, though, then why hadn’t Luke seemed more upset by Samantha’s death? He wasn’t callous to the news by any means but he also didn’t act like a grieving lover.

A small-town pastor who encouraged others to live like Christ from the pulpit while being involved in a secret sexual affair was a hard concept for Gladwynn to wrap her mind around. He didn’t seem the type of man who would speak with a forked tongue as the saying went, but she supposed it was possible.

As William parked the car her stomach clenched with a sudden horrible thought. What if Luke and Samantha had been having an affair and she’d threaten to tell the church board? That would have been plenty of motivation for him to murder her.

As soon as she glimpsed him in the doorway of the church smiling as parishioners arrived, though, she couldn’t seem to accept either of the most sensational theories she’d come up with. She couldn’t imagine Luke as someone who would sleep with a woman he wasn’t married to nor could she imagine him being a violent person who would murder anyone.

She watched him shake hands with Tanner’s sister and then Tanner himself. Tanner had recently started attending more regularly. Doris was next and then a woman she didn’t recognize but who was carrying a baby. Luke touched the baby’s head gently and Gladwynn’s chest constricted. There just had to be a perfectly innocent explanation for why his broken button had been in Samantha’s bedroom.

“Earth to Gladwynn!”

She snapped back to her surroundings at the snap of Lucinda’s finger and thumb in front of her face.

“Oh! Yes, what?”

“Good grief, what color are the clouds in your sky this morning, girl?” Lucinda asked with a laugh. “Your father has pulled up front to let us out so we don’t have to run in the rain. Are you ready?”

Gladwynn grabbed her purse and Bible. “Of course. Thank you.”

“You should have drunk the rest of that smoothie I made for you,” Lucinda said as they walked under the porch toward the front door. “You seem like you need some energy.”

“I’d be in the bathroom most of the service if I had,” Gladwynn responded in a whisper.

She prayed that Luke would disappear to get ready for the service before she and Lucinda reached the front door but instead, he caught her gaze and smiled.

“Ah, my favorite Scottish ladies are here. Good morning to you.”

He offered two quick kisses on each of Lucinda’s cheeks and then reached his hand out to Gladwynn. She slid her hand into his slowly as his fingers wrapped around hers in a gentle shake. The palm of his hand was soft and warm.

“Good morning, Gladwynn. Are you feeling better today?”

She stared into his blue eyes, her brow wrinkled in confusion. “Better?”

His smile faded slightly. “Yes, better than you were yesterday after the funeral.”

“Oh. Right. Yes, I do feel better. Much better. Just needed a cup of coffee and a nap.”

His rich laughter tickled across her skin. “That sounds like a bit of an odd combination, but okay.”

Lucinda nudged her gently in the ribs with her elbow. “This one can drink coffee before bed and still sleep. Must be nice, eh?”

Luke laughed again. “It must be, yes. I have a fairly high toleration for caffeine myself. Not that high, however.” He glanced at Gladwynn’s shoes. “Still wearing shoes not meant for the weather we’re having I see.” He grinned and warmth flushed from her chest into her face.

Music began to play at the front of the church before she could respond. “Oh,” he said. “Excuse me. I need to get ready for the service. I’ll see you ladies later.”

William slid into their pew with them a few minutes later, his hair and suit coat damp but not soaked. He gave a quick look at Jacob sitting next to his mother, then focused his attention on the worship team as they started the first song.

Gladwynn did her best to concentrate during the service, but she found herself trying to imagine Luke with an angry face, grabbing on to Samantha and tossing her around the room. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t. She was grateful when the service ended and she, her father, and Lucinda headed out into the sunshine that had now broke through. Luke hadn’t been at the back of the church when they’d left and she was relieved.

“What do you girls think about lunch at the country club this afternoon?” William asked as they left the church. “I’ve been meaning to visit there all week and this would be a nice time to do it before I leave Tuesday for the conference.”

Lucinda looked over her shoulder at Jacob who was speaking to another parishioner. “I would love to but I invited Jacob over for lunch and have a roast in the crockpot remember?”

William adjusted his tie and took a deep breath. Gladwynn watched his jaw clench slightly before he said, “I’m sure the roast will be fine until we get home and Jacob can follow us if he’d like to come.”

“I’ll ask him what he thinks,” Lucinda said. “A dinner out would be nice and we can always have the roast for lunch tomorrow.”

“We’ll meet you in the car,” William said in a tone that sounded to Gladwynn a lot like a teenager who wanted to do something fun but was told he had to do a chore instead.

A few minutes later as Gladwynn pulled her door closed William turned around to look at her from the driver’s seat. “Why didn’t you tell me about Jacob and your grandmother.”

“Tell you what?”

“They are clearly seeing each other.”

“Yes, they see each other. They’re not blind.”

“This isn’t the time for your humor, Gladwynn. My mother is dating a man and you didn’t think to tell me about it?”

“You and I don’t exactly check in with each other if you haven’t noticed.”

A vein near William’s eye flinched. “I have noticed but that’s not my doing.”

Gladwynn tipped her head. “Isn’t it? I don’t recall receiving a bunch of calls from you that I never returned.”

William hugged out a frustrated breath. “You have made it clear in the past that you don’t appreciate my interference in your life so why would I call?”

“Is saying, ‘hello, my dear daughter, Gladwynn. How are you doing?’ really interference or is it just a father showing he cares?” She pasted the broadest smile on her face that she could.

William pressed a hand to his forehead. “Then I apologize. I will try to remedy that in the future but as you will recall, when I have asked you in the past how you are all you have said is ‘fine.’ That word really doesn’t give a father much to go on to know how you are actually doing.”

Gladwynn leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, laying her hands folded on her knee. “Because saying much more opens the door for you to criticize my life decisions.”

William was glaring now. “Gladwynn, as I have said before, I am only expressing concern, not criticism. Now quickly, before your grandmother gets back, how long have your grandmother and Jacob been dating?”

Gladwynn lifted her chin slightly, liking the fact that she had information her father didn’t have, yet so desperately wanted. “She doesn’t like to call it dating. She simply says they are enjoying each other’s company or spending time together.”

“Fine. How long have they been enjoying each other’s company?”

Gladwynn sighed, deciding to stop toying with her father “I’m not actually sure. They were enjoying each other’s company for an unspecified amount of time before I arrived here. I only found out when I saw them out together at a local diner and it took me a bit to drag it out of her.”

“Well, I –”

Gladwynn waved her hand and pointed out the windshield. Lucinda was almost to the car. “Save your closing argument for later, counselor. The defendant is on her way back.”

Lucinda slid into the passenger seat with a soft sigh. “Jacob says he thinks it would be nice for us to have a family dinner together and he will catch us tomorrow for some lunch. He’s going to go grab a grilled cheese at the diner. I tried to talk him coming with us, but he insisted.”

William started the car. “That was nice of him. He was completely welcome to join us, however.”

Lucinda patted William’s arm. “I’m sure he was. Thank you, William for this spontaneous plan. I haven’t eaten at the club restaurant in years. I didn’t realize you were still a member.”

William backed out of the parking space. “Send in my donation every year.”

Gladwynn wasn’t as thrilled about going out for lunch, but when she’d visited the country club with her parents as a child and teenager, she’d always loved the food, the atmosphere, and the second story view of the golf course below.

She noticed that the country club had changed more than she expected as they made their way up the long road to the restaurant portion of it. An addition had been added to the front of the club house and it looked like the course had been expanded.

Inside, the restaurant had definitely been renovated with the addition of large windows in the dining area that made the view of the course and the hills surrounding it even more picturesque. The walls were now painted white, making the entire space look large and brighter. Each table was fitted with a white tablecloth and red napkins. The bar area had also been refurbished and improved with a long, curved bar stretching around a mirror that reflected the entire dining room. Gladwynn found this fact both fascinating and terrifying. She wasn’t sure how she felt about everyone in the dining room being able to see her eat from any and every angle.

The waiter sat them at a table near the large windows and took their drink orders.

William opened the menu they’d been handed. “Quite an improvement to the place. Almost looks like something you’d find in the city now.”

Gladwynn knew that William saying “something you’d find in the city” meant he felt it was up to his standards. She wasn’t exactly sure when he’d developed a wealthy standard. Her family had always had more money than most with her father being a corporate lawyer, but they’d never been at the level of the Thornton family.

Still, over the last 15 years or so, her parents had become more particular about the restaurants they ate at, the people they associated with, the clothes they wore, the places they visited, the cars they drove. More and more of their life became focused on what they looked like to others and if they were popular or not.

To be popular they seemed to need the finest clothes, a house in a “better” part of town. This had started while Gladwynn was in high school and only got worse while she was in college. She half expected her father to tell her one day how important it was for her to marry within her class.

Luckily her sister had married “within their class” when she’d married a doctor straight of college and immediately began having children.

Gladwynn looked over her menu at her father, studying him and wondering what switch had been flipped in his early 40s to take him from casual and relaxed to stuffy and uptight.

“So that was a nice sermon.” He spoke without looking up from the menu. “The pastor seems like a fine young man. Not up to Dad’s standards, of course, but I’m sure that will come with time.”

Lucinda laid her menu down. “He’s young and he’s not your father. Of course he won’t preach the same way. We like him very much.” She smiled at Gladwynn. “Don’t we Gladwynn?

Gladwynn narrowed her eyes and looked at Lucinda a few seconds then looked back at the menu. “Yes,” she mumbled. “He’s a good speaker.” She laid the menu down. “I think I’ll have the grilled chicken salad.” She made sure not to make eye contact with Lucinda. “So, Dad, have you talked to Sheena recently?”

She knew she’d regret asking about her talented older sister, but at least it would steer the conversation from her personal life.

William laid his menu down. “Yes, actually. She’s on tour in Australia right now and will play at Buckingham Palace in October. I was sure she would have told you that already?”

The regret solid in her chest, Gladwynn reached for her water and took a long drink “I can’t imagine why she would. We rarely talk.”

She’d never been super close to either of her sisters, but as the oldest child, Sheena was almost from an entire other generation. Gladwynn had little in common with her other than their love of music. Sheena was currently on tour with the London Philharmonic as a violinist. Her talent was something Sheena and her parents had nurtured since she’d been very young and Gladwynn had always been impressed with her dedication, if not a little bit jealous of the attention it brought her.

She didn’t dislike Sheena, but they didn’t often talk and when they did, Sheena didn’t exactly confide in her.

William continued to share some more about Sheena’s accomplishments and then the waiter came to take their order. Gladwynn was thankful for the break.

William stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to visit the men’s room.”

Gladwynn let out a breath as he walked toward the back of the restaurant and relaxed back in her seat.

“Could you be any more tense?” Lucinda asked, squeezing a lemon into her water.

Gladwynn shrugged her shoulder. “I could. Do you want me to try?”

“Clearly, I was joking, young lady. Now, you really shouldn’t –”

Lucinda’s eyes widened and she tilted her head to one side suddenly.

Gladwynn’s heart pounded in alarm. “Grandma? Are you okay? Are you having a muscle cramp?” She reached her hand out to touch Lucinda’s arm. “A stroke?”

Lucinda straightened her head and narrowed her eyes. “No, I’m not having a stroke. I’ve just spotted someone who might know more about who killed Samantha.”

Gladwynn scowled. “Why didn’t you just say that?” She started to look over her shoulder. “Who?”

Lucinda grabbed her hand. “Don’t look! We don’t want to be obvious.”

“How else am I going to see who you’re talking about?”

“Fine, but turn slowly.”

Gladwynn turned slowly in her chair. Michael Thornton was sitting two tables away with another man. Both were wearing suits and both wore serious expressions as they spoke.

She turned back to face Lucinda. “Well, so what? What can we do about him being here? We can’t just go over there and talk to him.”

Lucinda bit her lower lip. “I could.”

“No, you couldn’t.” Gladwynn shook her head. “You don’t even know him.”

“I knew his father and I could –”

“Grandma. No. We are not getting involved. We are not police officers. We are a newspaper reporter and a retired, elderly woman.”

Lucinda mocked gasped. “Elderly? Gladwynn, really. How could you call me elderly?” She smiled and lightly touched a hand to the bun her hair was pulled into. “I don’t feel a day over 30.” She lowered her voice as she sipped her water. “A day over 30 times three, but that is besides the point.”

“How do you think he even got in?” Gladwynn asked in a whisper. “He isn’t even local so how does he have a membership?”

“You don’t actually have to be a member to eat at the restaurant,” Lucinda responded. “But also – he’s a billionaire, remember?”

William’s return to the table ended the conversation. After they placed their orders, Gladwynn couldn’t help but wonder what Michael and the other man were talking about. She had just told her grandmother that they needed to stay out of it and now here she was wanting to get into it somehow, see if she could overhear anything that would incriminate Derek’s family in Samantha’s death.

She really needed to listen to her own advice, but she wasn’t going to.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot for November 9

Hello everyone! Welcome to a new Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, the post where you can share your posts from the previous week, or even before, and get some new eyes on them. You can also connect with other bloggers so I really encourage you to click on and comment on the other blog posts.

I am a co-host for this feature with Marsha in the Middle and Melynda from Scratch Made Food For Hungry People but we are looking for a couple more hosts, so please let me know in the comments if you are interested and I’ll put you in touch with Marsha.

How was your week this week?

Mine has been mostly filled with housework, homeschooling, writing blog posts, and editing the second book in my cozy mystery series. I am so excited for those who read the first book to read book two in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries! It comes out December 5 and is called Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage. The first book is Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing.

One blog post I worked on this week was about our trip last week to a reptile zoo. I know there are soooo many people who love snakes and lizards (ha!) so here are a few photos from our visit:

Let’s get on to what post was our most clicked last week. It was:

Flowers on a Friday by Deb’s Corner

Here are three of my favorite posts this week:

Fall Field Trip Outfit Shopped From My Closet by Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes With Skin on by The Copper Table

Somethings Can Only Be Learned by A New Lens

Now it is your turn to leave a link to one of your blog posts from this week! Have fun and keep it family-friendly! Then visit some other bloggers and find new friends.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enterhttps://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

Comfy, Cozy Cinema: Tea with the Dames

For October and November, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I will be watching cozy or comfy movies, and some of them will have a little mystery, creepiness, or adventure added in. You can find out about the other movies we watched by searching Comfy, Cozy Cinema in my search bar at the right.

This one was a different one this week because it was a documentary about four British actresses who are legends in theater, movies, and television. All four of them have been named “dames” by the British monarchy. This is the female equivalent of being dubbed a knight.

The documentary is a series of sit-down interviews with Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Joan Plowright, and Dame Eileen Atkins.

The documentary was made in 2018 and all the women were in their 80s. They are now in or nearing their 90s but all four are still alive.

All four women have been friends for probably 40 years or more.

If you haven’t heard of one or the other of these women, I’ll detail below some examples of what they’ve been in. Most would be familiar with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith at least.

I watched this documentary a few years ago and found it enchanting, hilarious, touching, and inspiring. I made my husband watch it with me and now I’ve made Erin watch it with me too.

The entire documentary consists of the women at Joan’s cottage where she used to live with actor Laurence Olivier, simply telling stories about their careers and families and the time they spent together as friends.

All four actresses have worked in theater, the small screen and big screen.

They all started in theater and hearing their early stories about those days was very interesting to me, even though I’ve never been interested in participating in it myself.

Judi Dench is well known for her work on British sitcoms (As Time Goes By and A Fine Romance. She stared in A Fine Romance with her future husband Michael Williams) but more prominently an entire line of movies from the Bond movies where she played M, to Shakespeare in Love where she played a queen. She also played queen in Mrs. Brown.

Her list of movies also includes Chocolat, Philomenia, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and … well, there are tons of them. (A link to her work: )

Maggie Smith is most well known recently for Downton Abbey and Harry Potter. She played the Dowager Countess Violet Crowly in Downton Abbey and Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter. (a link to her work: )

Eileen has been in a ton of films and television as well, Paddington 2, Wicked Little Letters, The Crown, The Archers, Beautiful Creatures, etc., etc. (A link to her work: )

Joan’s film list includes The Spiderwick Chronicles, Mrs. Palfrey at the Clairmont, Dennis the Menace, and 101 Dalmatians among so many others. (Here is a link to her work: )

The documentary is pretty laid-back and easygoing. There are some great quotes from all four women about acting and life in general. They bounce off each other in hilarious exchanges between the women and the interviewer and the crew helping with filming. There is footage from their past films and plays woven throughout.

This is not a rated G film with Judi dropping a couple of f-bombs during the filming, especially in regard to a question about growing older.

Maggie is so funny because she seems unable to use the word “child” throughout. She refers to the son of Joan and Laurence (they call him Larry)’as “a small person.” Like when she tells a story about him she says, “When Richard was a small person…”

The story she tells is hilarious too. She once overhead Laurence Olivier begging his young son to tell him if he had thrown the key to his liquor cabinet down the dumb waiter.

“Richard, tell Daddy where the key is. Daddy needs his num-nums.”

Maggie laughs and says, “The idea that a great actor was reduced to using the word num-nums.”

I also really giggled at the conversation about how they each became dames.

Judi became one first and called Maggie when she became one and said, “Don’t worry…you can still swear.

“You can swear more actually,” Judi says with a laugh.

“You just do it privately,” Maggie snickers and speaks with a very posh accent.

Joan was a lady before she was a dame because she married Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie points out.

“Well, darling, it is quite difficult to have two titles,” Joan replies. “People don’t know which one to use.”

“You’ll have to grapple with it, Joan,” Maggie smith says while the other women laugh.

There are also some very profound quotes from the women mixed in with the laughs.

At one point Judi is asked how people face the fear associated with acting.

“Fear is petrol,” she states in a matter-of-fact tone. “Fear is the petrol. It generates such an energy. Fear. Being frightened. If you can somehow channel it, it can be a help.”

I really love this documentary because it is a wonderful reminder of what women can do when they cast aside societal expectations and just go for their dreams.

These women had a passion for acting. They wanted success and went for it and didn’t let anything stop them. In a day and age where women had to fight for every crumb, they won the whole loaf and then showed other women how to do the same thing.

As I told Erin, I just love watching these women talk about their past but also teared up when they showed all the roles they have played. I mean these women were pioneers for women who were told they couldn’t play certain roles and couldn’t be mothers and wives AND successful in their careers at the same time.

Not only did they defy expectations but they completely exceeded them. I mean Judi Dench was literally in Shakespeare in Love for eight minutes and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She is 88 years old and two weeks ago she recited a Shakespeare soliloquy from memory on the Graham Norton Show:

I found the documentary for free (with commercials) on Tubi but you can also rent it off various streaming services.

If you want to read Erin’s impressions of the documentary visit her blog: https://crackercrumblife.com/2023/11/09/comfy-cozy-cinema-tea-with-the-dames/

We are taking a break from the Comfy, Cozy Cinema for Thanksgiving but will be back next week for The Fishermen’s Friends and then on November 30 with a bit of Jane –Sense and Sensibility.

I’m not sure what we have on tap for December but stay tuned. If Erin and I don’t do a joint Cozy Christmas cinema together, I’m sure she and I with both be watching our favorites and sharing about them on our blogs.

A visit to Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pa.

Last week I was able to pull off a surprise for Little Miss who is a huge fan of reptiles, especially snakes.

She watches a show called Snake Discovery on YouTube a lot and learns all about snakes, their habits, the different ones, etc.

Two years ago she was bit by a non-venomous snake and fainted from the excitement of it all. As she fainted she fell into the kitchen table at my parents and we had to take her to the hospital by ambulance. I thought that after that she wouldn’t like snakes anymore but, on the contrary, she was even more fascinated.

She has no qualms telling an adult, by the way, that a snake is not poisonous or non-poisonous, they are venomous or non-venomous.

When I found out the county library – the only library in the county was sponsoring a trip to a reptile zoo I used to hear wasn’t a very good one but had improved, I signed up immediately. I managed to keep it a surprise despite talking about the logistics of getting there with The Husband in front of her more than once. She thought I had a doctor’s appointment and that’s why we were driving so far but when we pulled up and she read the sign she yelled out, “Yes!”

The Husband was working that day so I took The Boy with us. I thought he would have fun too and it meant a day off from his trade school so he was all for it (even though he doesn’t hate school).

Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland is named after a Clyde Peeling, a native of Muncy, Pa. As far as I can tell online he is still alive. The zoo was first opened in the 1960s but has grown over the years.

Little Miss was overwhelmed when we walked into the zoo. There were so many exhibits with snakes, geckos, lizards, turtles, and alligators she could barely contain her excitement. She ran from exhibit to exhibit, her eyes wide while she told me about them without even reading the signs on their exhibit. She probably could have told a few of the staff members some things about their charges that they didn’t even know.

When you first walk in there is an open exhibit with alligators. They don’t look real. They don’t even move. They seem to be completely bored with life. I was convinced the place was a scam and their alligators were real wax figures. The next time we came by, though, one of them had moved and his eyes were a little more closed and The Boy insisted he had seen it move. They also had an albino alligator who he said he saw move even more.

From there you enter a gallery of turtles, snakes, tree frogs, toads, lizards, and geckos. They are behind glass, of course. We briefly viewed the gallery on the way in and then headed for the small amphitheater where a young man with a very Irish accent talked to the children about the various reptiles he held up. He held up a small crocodile, a lizard, and a python. Little Miss was very disappointed that she couldn’t hold them. She thought it was interesting that she could touch the crocodile on the head on her way out but she really wanted to hold it or the snake.

After the presentation finished, the group moved on to the parakeet tent which is a type of greenhouse completely full of parakeets and a few cockatiels. The zoo sells seed sticks for $3 and visitors can hold the sticks out and the birds will land and eat the seeds. The birds will also sometimes land on the visitors as well, but mainly they like to stay in the trees, along the edges of the tent structure or they like to drop the ground and chew at shoelaces.

I was completely in panic mode in the parakeet tent, not because I don’t like parakeets (I owned two when I was a child), but because I was petrified that I might step on one, killing it and traumatizing a bunch of preschoolers (since most of those who attended with the library group were of that age group). They even have a sign as you walk into the facility, warning you to watch for the birds on the ground.

I ended up backed up against the wall by the staff member while The Boy and Little Miss walked through the greenhouse – or at least part of it. The Boy was wearing steel-toed boots and I think he was also petrified he might kill one.

Two of the birds really looked like the birds I had growing up and I felt nostalgic for Perky, the one who lived longer. He used to sit in a cage in our kitchen and Mom would talk to him while I was at school. We said “Perky bird” to him so often that he actually started to call out “Perky bird! Perky bird.”

Unfortunately, he passed away when we left him with a friend of mine when we went to North Carolina for Christmas one year. My friend had birds herself and we don’t know if Perky was overwhelmed with all the bigger and louder birds around him or what happened. I felt so guilty for leaving him and my friend felt guilty that he died on her watch. We’d had him for several years so I guess it was only a matter of time. We didn’t try another bird after that. I don’t think my heart could have handled it.

Once we left the parakeet area, we headed back to the exhibits so Little Miss could get a closer look at the various snakes and lizards.

In one exhibit there were four turtles and an iguana and at one point the iguana really took an interest in Little Miss and kept watching her intently through the glass. I don’t know what it was about her that fascinated him but I think he would have gone right home with her.

She and the boy were fascinated with the Komodo Dragon and we were all fascinated with the Aldabra tortoises housed in the same building as the dragon. The building was empty of other people when we got there so we just sat and watched the tortoises for several minutes and it was the most relaxed I had felt all day. If we ever go back there I think I’ll just go there first and watch them while everyone else explores the rest of the zoo.

We also had fun watching a trio of garter snakes who were curious enough to come up to the exhibit glass and check us out while we watched them. I’m not sure why we paused by their exhibit in the first place since we see so many of them in our yard in the spring or summer, but I’m glad we did because they were so entertaining.

In the courtyard outside in the back of the facility, there was a dinosaur display with animatronic dinosaurs, which we enjoyed seeing and interacting with. In that same area, they had an enclosure with three Australian Emu.

The library paid for the tickets for everyone who signed up for the event, which was really amazing of them because the tickets are $20 a person for anyone 12 and up and $16 for those 2 to 12.

The prices are steep but the place allows you to stay as long as you want, see all the educational KU live programs they have going on during the day, and bring and eat your lunch in the pavilions they have there or inside their gift shop. It isn’t a huge zoo, but there are 40 exhibits of various reptiles, the parakeet area, and the dinosaurs out back.

I am sure we will be visiting there again in the spring. Most of the exhibits are inside but running between buildings was a little chilly that day and it will be nice to go on a warmer day as well. I know Little Miss is already looking forward to another visit and I told her we would even pay extra so she can hold some of those snakes she loves so much.

To my son on his 17th birthday. Some memories of letters when you were younger.

Today on my son’s 17th birthday I found myself thinking about him through the years.

Here are a couple of letters I wrote to him and posted on my blog.

The first one was a day before he went into third grade in 2015.

I wrote the second in 2016.

2015: I’m not going to lie. I’m having a very hard time with you going back to school in a day. When I say hard, I mean my chest gets tight, my face scrunches funny and my eyes feel hot with tears and I feel weak in my knees.

I’m not ready for you not to be home with me every day. I’m not ready to not be able to rub your little back or kiss your cute head whenever I want. I’m not ready to not hear you building your Legos and creating stories with them, or listening as you tell me what you’ve made on Minecraft that day.

Someday I won’t be able to reach the top of your head to kiss it, I know that. Someday I won’t hear you ask me to come see your latest creation on Minecraft or your latest drawing. Someday you won’t even care if I watch you jump off the side of the pool or ride your new bike, or build your latest Lego robot.

You are so bright and creative and witty and fun. You make every day better, more fun, more interesting, and definitely more worthy to live. I never know what new adventure awaits me when your feet hit the floor each morning and that’s a pretty awesome (yet sometimes scary) feeling.

You’re such an amazing big brother. I hope you know that. You care for your sister, keep her out of trouble, help me care for her, and, as Grandma once said, you show her how to love by being loving to her. Each hug, each kiss, each cuddle shows Gracie what love really is and the fact you know this at only 8-years of age makes me realize we must be doing something right as your parents.

Here we are with only a few days left of summer. I can’t put the brakes on time; I can’t make it stand still, no matter how much I want to. Instead, I’m trying to enjoy each time you put your arms around me. I’m trying to focus on each moment we have together, each story you tell me, each kiss you give me and each laugh we share. I’m letting my cheek linger against the top of your buzzed head when I hold you.

You’re going to have an amazing school year. I know that. Third grade is going to be challenging. There will be tears. You and I will both get frustrated. We may even yell at each other a bit. But we’re going to survive it – together.

Love you, kid

Mom

2016

When I look at this photo of you I see a little boy who has my heart completely and has since the day I first learned you were growing inside me. I see your brilliance, your wit, your charm, your amazing ability to look at almost any situation in a positive light. How hard it must be for you to have been given parents who sometimes lean too much toward the negative yet God gave you the gift of compassion and encouragement because he knew we would need to be reminded. 

You wanted to cross the entire bridge that day but daddy and I were tired and said “no.” I wish I had said yes. I don’t ever want to limit you in your dreams or your goals. I don’t ever want to slow you down.

Your future is so wide open and though I often want to keep you close to my side, tucked under my arm, I know I’ll someday have to let you walk the path there on your own.

Before we know it, it will be spring and I hope we go back to that bridge because we are going to walk all the way across it together. 

Happy 17th birthday, kid. You mean the world to me and your dad and sister and the rest of the family.

You’re bright, compassionate, sweet, funny, silly, crazy, and an absolute blessing.

A look back at October in photos

October seemed to be a very busy month for us while also not busy. I don’t know how to explain that. It was full of little spurts of busy mixed with a lot of mental busyness for me as we try to figure out some next steps in life.
Today I’m looking back at October through some photographs.

We had beautiful foliage this year. I didn’t get out to take as many photographs as I should have or would have liked to, partially because of the rainy and yucky weather we had part of the time and partially because of apathy, for lack of a better word.

We also had some nice family time with my parents in October and also celebrated Little Miss’s 9th birthday.

Sunday Bookends: Working through my autumn TBR, comfy movies, and launching a new writing project

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with  Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer  and Kathyrn at  The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

I rambled a bit about what’s been going on yesterday in my Saturday Afternoon Chat. You can find that HERE.

The bottom line was we saw reptiles last week, ran some errands, and yesterday we made two apple pies for my son’s birthday because he likes pies better than cake.

I’ll be writing more about the visit to the reptile zoo later this week and maybe about my son turning 17 but I might cry too much while I write that.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Last week I finished Polly by Naomi Musch and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr.

Polly is the first book in the Apron Strings Book Series, which I am writing a book for. Polly is up for pre-order on Amazon here:

Here is a description for anyone who is curious:

One cookbook connects them all…
Polly ~ Book One in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020.

The Great War has ended, but Polly Holloway’s heart is shattered when her fiancé finally returns home—with a French war bride. Now her future feels desolate, until she fastens onto the idea of using her skills and a special cookbook to turn her grandfather’s Victorian house into a fashionable ladies’ tea room. Yet, how will she endure the patronage of the woman who stole her sweetheart? Moreover, the suave tavern owner down the block is interfering in her business, personal and otherwise. Heaven only knows what goes on behind his doors.

Ross Dalton can no longer sell liquor in his establishment. With prohibition in force, it’s a mixed blessing. Ross met God on the battlefield, and he wants to start fresh, but he must earn a living. Converting his bar into a coffee house offers a partial solution. Still, bootleggers are pressing him to pedal their moonshine, and the girl up the street is convinced his place is a front for a speakeasy. She’s awfully cute when she turns up her pert little nose at his friendly overtures. How can he convince her he isn’t going to tarnish the neighborhood or ruin her business? And will she believe he’s a changed man when the bootleggers double down?

This week I plan to finish Walls Crumbling by Alicia Gilliam.

I’ve also started my winter read – Little Women — a little (no pun intended) early.

I probably won’t get through all of the autumn picks I said I would try to read by the end of November but I have started Nancy Drew, The Hidden Staircase. That should be a quick read. I also hope to finish The Cat Who Talked Turkey in time for Thanksgiving. We will see how that goes since I am a mood reader and sometimes my mood involves not wanting to read much at all. The funny thing is, if I push myself to read when I am stressed, I do feel better because I am able to escape into a fiction world and leave my own.

Little Miss and I are reading The Black Stallion by William Farley at night.

The Boy and I aren’t reading anything together right now because he finished Red Badge of Courage for school last week. I will finish it this week and then I am going to choose another book for us which I believe will be Around the World in 80 Days.

What We watched/are Watching

Last week I watched Little Women as part of the Comfy, Cozy Cinema with Erin at Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. We watched the 2019 version and I shared in my blog post why it isn’t my favorite version but I still like it and recommend it.

I didn’t have a lot of time to watch anything else but this week I hope to just watch some homey, cozy classic movies.

Erin and I are watching Tea With The Dames for our Comfy, Cozy Cinema. It is a documentary with Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Judith Plowright, and Maggie Smith and I think it is very quirky and funny. I hope Erin does as well.

I also rewatched last week’s sermon from Elevation Church and it helped me yesterday as I stressed over finances and some other situations in my family’s life.

What I’m Writing

Last week I sent Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage to my editor/husband and started working on Cassie. I’m excited to write Cassie and introduce her to all my readers on August 15, 2024!

I’ll be sharing more about that project in the weeks and months to come.

If you would like to read some of my books you can find out more about them here: https://lisahoweler.com/order-my-books/

On the blog this week I shared:

Saturday Afternoon Chat: Lighting our first fire of the year, a trip to a reptile zoo, and The Boy turns 17. Fiction Friday: Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot for November 2 Comfy, Cozy Cinema: Little Women (2019) A simple man, a simple job. Remembering Sonny Decker

Photos from Last Week

I will be sharing more photos later this week because I left my Nikon at my parents last night and couldn’t take the photos off the camera for today. I plan to have a post recapping October’s photos at some point so I will share more then. Here are a few from our trip to the reptile zoo for now.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.