Kate Collins's Blog, page 129

Be Careful Out There

by Maggie Sefton


I am recovering from an attack of this season's Nasty Flu Virus.  Look out, folks. It's a bad one.  Meanwhile, I'm posting a lot of cute doggie photos today because they make me smile.   

As I mentioned in last week's post, I returned home midnight of Sunday February 14/Monday February 15.  Last Tuesday evening that vicious Flu bug bit me.  Hard.  I fought off the nausea with some anti-nausea prescription medicine that I had on hand for the specific purpose of chasing away the seasonal Flu so I wouldn't have to go to the Emergency Room.  It worked for a couple of days, then the nausea increased in intensity.  Prescription meds didn't stop it.  So----I had to go to the ER at our wonderful Poudre Valley Hospital here in Fort Collins, Colorado.

All my family is scattered around the globe, so I live alone and quite happily, I might add.  But it does  add a measure of inconvenience if an illness strikes suddenly.  I did not want to expose one of my neighbors to this vicious Flu, so I called a taxi.  Taxi drivers will tell you that during Flu season they do a brisk business of carting folks to and from the hospital's ER.  Who knew?



Anyway, the nice taxi driver pulled up to the ER, grabbed one of the outside wheelchairs
, and wheeled me inside.  By that time I was already bent over the plastic bag I'd brought with me.  I won't go into further descriptions, because you folks can paint your own pictures.  None of them will be pretty.





 The ER was packed.  Not everyone had the Flu, but a fair amount.  That nasty virus spreads like wildfire in a population.  After giving informations and checking records, they wheeled me into the inside of the ER which is located right in the hospital.  A shot of their strongest anti-nausea medication was given in my arm (faster that way),  meanwhile they hooked me up to IV's and monitors.  I began feeling better.  

They checked blood work and monitored oxygen levels with that little pinch-y thing that fits over your finger.  Meanwhile, I'm lying there resting, figuring they would discharge me in a couple of hours so I could call another taxi and go home.  But the ER doctor surprised me.  She said they were keeping me overnight in the hospital because my Sodium level had dropped to 19.  Uh, oh.  I remembered Doctor of Internal Medicine daughter Serena had always told me that was a risk with severe nausea.  Your Sodium levels will sink like a stone.  Not good.  And I recalled she'd mentioned the number 19.



So----medical staff wheeled me upstairs quickly and into a hospital bed, where nurses and other medical  staff checked me over, poked, prodded, and hung more IVs.  And they let me have three little packages of Saltine crackers.  It was 1:00 am by then, and I lay there nibbling Saltines and slowly sipping Ginger Ale while watching whatever was on TV until I drifted off to sleep.  Of course, in hospitals you usually don't get to sleep for long before nurses and medical techs come in to poke and prod you again.  :)


By the next day, my  levels had gone back to normal, thank goodness, and I was finally discharged in mid-afternoon.  Another taxi delivered me home, and I got to rest and recuperate on my own sofa and watch TV. . .and nibble Saltines.      As I said above, this is a Nasty Flu, folks.  Be careful.     

TEN LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY CAT

By Mary Kennedy
  1. Sometimes you have to do things that make other people happy (no matter how crazy it may seem to you.)    2. Raise your children with lots of love and affection. This is probably the most important task you can accomplish in life.    3. Take time to diet and exercise. A healthy mind in a healthy body. Don't let yourself go, You're too important!  4. Sometimes you really CAN have too much of a good thing. Your time and energy are limited. Choose wisely and don't act impulsively.    5. Take time to read. It will open a whole new world for you.   6. Ask and you shall receive. (well, sometimes.)                        7. Embrace new technology, sometimes it can be a time-saver. If it becomes a time-sink, you can always ditch it.    8. Sometimes you need to just get away and think. Find a place where you won't be disturbed and enjoy the solitude.                                      9. Be sure to think outside the box. Even if society tries to put you in one.   10. Be calm, confident and think before speaking. Keep your own counsel. Words said in haste can never be taken back.    I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into the life lessons I've learned from cats! By Mary Kennedy 

Getting to Know You…

Here is another interview from one of our lovely readers…Sarah Rebecca Davis Madden! 
So much fun getting to know those we chat with so often online. 
-I live in Hebron Kentucky I was born in Glasgow Ky but I grew up on a farm in Bearwallow KyI have one son who is the love of my life. Two cats who tolerate me and a mini schaunzer named Rocky that I adore. My hobbies include reading, singing and story telling. 
-Any spare time is spent with my family. 
-I am not well traveled.  (One reason I read .). I do love the water. Destin Fl is truly one place I love.  However my favorite get away is to my best friend's front porch. A cup of coffee early in the morning, not much better get away.
-I have read mystery's as long as I can remember. I have always devoured books and mysteries are my favorites. I use to sneak Mike Hammer books that my older brother read and read them. Mickey Spillane was a favorite author.   If I were to pick a book I could read over and over, and have, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Hound of the Baskerville 's.  I have also watched the old movie with Basil Rathbone too many times to tell. 
Now what character would I like to hang out with if possible. Their are truly so many, but I have to stick with Sherlock. 
I have the pleasure of knowing some writers of my favorite books. I can only say, it is even more fun hanging out with them than any character from a book. 
I like to live life as an adventure. I don't have bad days only character building ones. I try. 
Thanks so much, Sarah. Nothing more fun than meeting new friends. If you’d like to be interviewed email:DuffyBrown@DuffyBrown.com or message me on FB.

SPOTLIGHT: VICTORIA ABBOTT INTRODUCES: VERA VAN ALST

Victoria Abbott here!  We're thrilled to have another spotlight. The book collector mysteries woluld be nowhere without the book collector, Vera Van Alst, herself. Although, Vera is not our sleuth, she is the hub that the stories revolve around.  Without her, we’d be in a totally different series.
Vera is the owner of Van Alst House and the last surviving member of her illustrious family, now fallen on relatively (by Van Alst standards) hard times. She is also the most hated woman in Harrison Falls, N.Y.  You or I might be very unhappy to play that role, but Vera couldn’t care less. She only cares about her books and anything that leads to her acquiring more and better fine first editions for her vast collection.  
It was Vera who hired Jordan Bingham to be her researcher to search for a previously unproduced and, in fact, unknown Agatha Christie play in The Christie Curse. Being Vera, she chose not to mention that Jordan’s predecessor died in the search for this same manuscript. Love for her fellow humans isn’t top of list for Vera. 

 Vera does, however, dote on her Siamese, Good Cat and Bad Cat (not their real names). Sometimes it seems like Vera is a bit like Good Cat and Bad Cat herself:  capable of being nice and yet just as capable of slashing you with those claws. If you’re vigilant you can hear her call them. Have I mentioned her voice is like the crunch of tires on gravel?

Perhaps we can cut her a bit of slack because she spends her life alone (except for staff) in this historic house and an earlier accident left her in a wheelchair.  We might think she’s miserable. But she’s not: she has her climate controlled, rosewood-lined library, with its Aubusson rugs and leather club chairs, as well as a fortune in books. She has people to say “How high?” when she shouts “Jump!”
She enjoys doing the New York Times crossword every day during breakfast in the conservatory and also seems to get a charge out of refusing to eat the signora’s marvellous meals. More for the rest of the gang.  She does enjoy her large rambling historic house, even though some of her most valuable antiques and sterling silver artefacts have been sold to finance her hobby. 
Jordan works tirelessly to get Vera to switch from her large collection of frayed cardigans (all in variations of yak-herder beige) and wear some of the lovely silk blouses that Jordan has given her as gifts over the series a bit more often. Not much luck there, but we’ll keep you posted.It’s not easy to get to know Vera, but in The Wolfe Widow, we learn of a secret she will never reveal, a secret that almost does her in.  We also catch a glimpse of Vera’s courage and cool in a dangerous situation. 

The fun never ends.  Vera is thawing gradually as we near book five, but she will never be anyone’s fairy godmother.  Still, with Jordan, the cook Signora Panetone and Uncle Kev (all round handyman and gardener) she keeps three people in work and gives a very good home to a lot of valuable books.
In September, Vera was invited to purchase and exclusive collector of Ngaio Marsh mysteries and have lunch at a fabled mansion. But unfortunately, that didn't end well for her. Oh dear.  We'll never hear the end of it!





I asked Vera to come here for an little interview but she told me to get lost. Sheesh. Even the author doesn’t get consideration.  Never mind, we think Vera is essential to the books and the setting, so we’ll let her get away with it. 


Those of you who know Vera,  drop in and speculate about whether she’ll ever change. If you don’t know her, don’t let her scare you off. She never minds if someone joins in for lunch at Van Alst House.   Vera's back in The Hammett Hex next October, playing a slightly different role. 

What do you think? Will Vera ever change? Would you like it if she did?

Cat people will understand

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Wednesday night, we lost our girl. Her name was Betsy, and Mr. L and I adopted her and her sister Bonnnie nineteen years ago.  (In fact, we had our girl Betsy-Betts for nineteen years, one week, and one day. We lost Bonnie four years ago.)

Betsy was the runt of the litter. You could tell because she was small, and her back legs weren't quite right. At some point, she suffered a broken tail. But that little girl was a fighter! (That's baby Betsy in front by one of her favorite spots by the heat run in the kitchen.)  We had gone to the (kill) shelter to get a tabby, but these sisters were just so cute that we ended up bringing them both home. (They were four months old at the time.) They were our kittens. (In fact, up until we lost her, we called our girl Kitten.)

We had three cats at the time, but the kittens moved right in and captured our hearts. Not only our hearts, but the heart of Mr. L's cat, Larry. Larry disciplined the girls when they stepped out of line, and they loved to snuggle close to him. They looked at him with adoring eyes. He looked out for all the girls.

The girls were inseparable when they were younger, but as they got older, they sort of just tolerated each other. Still, come Happy Hour, I'd have them both with me. Usually Betsy on my lap, and Bonnie beside me. (All our cats have always been lap cats. We love it, but it makes it hard when you need a new drink, or nature calls and you don't want to disturb them.)

We had a terrible scare with Betsy about ten years ago. She wasn't being Betsy and was losing weight. A blood test confirmed she had lymphoma. We were skeptical when our vet said, "I can cure her."
We went through bi-weekly chemo with her over the summer and it was touch-and-go. She lost all her whiskers and looked incredibly young without them. At one point, the vet wanted to try one last-ditch effort. She ordered a HUGE cancer-fighting pill. It was so big, we had to take Betsy to the vet because we knew we couldn't give it to her. I had a signing out of town that weekend (my first book!) and the town was closer to our cottage than home, so we took Betsy with us (she was a great little traveler). She was so sick after that big pill and lay on the bed and didn't move for two days. We made the unhappy decision to take her to the vet on the Monday to be euthanized. I cried the entire weekend. We brought her home and she was deathly ill.  We were going to call the vet first thing on Monday morning.

Monday came and Betsy staggered into the kitchen with the other cats for breakfast. She wasn't well, but she was able to eat and was better than the day before. And the next day, she was better still.  Within a week, our girl was back to being our girl. I can't tell you how happy we were to have our Betsy-Betts back.

Getting old sucks. But Betsy aged with grace. Until a year ago, she (and the other two boys) slept with us.  Even a king-sized bed can seem crowded with the five of us in it. But then she couldn't jump up on the bed any longer (and I couldn't seem to teach her that she could jump on a box next to the bed and get up that way, although the boys took to it like a fish to water), so she came to live in my office full time. It's the farthest away from the furnace, and kind of cold, so I installed a little heater, and Betsy was very happy sleeping on her little checked cushion. (That's Chester on the other side. He likes the heater, too.)

 She used to jump onto the bathroom vanity to get a drink (we always left the sink dripping for the sisters). When she could no longer jump up, we installed a water bowl. Betsy liked fresh water. Often she'd ask me to change the water, and then I'd find out that she'd just begged Mr. L to change it. So sometimes she'd get fresh water five or ten times a day. (She had us wrapped around her little paw.)  She had a hyperactive thyroid and was on meds (a cream we put in her ears) and she was a real trooper. She always let me give it to her--or my Mum, and even my brother last fall when he took care of the cats when we went to a writers conference in Florida.

Betsy came to work with me every day and liked to come an sit on my lap every hour or so for five or ten minutes, and I never tired of turning around to see her on her little pillow, snoozing. It made my work day a lot happier.



I had the rights to my Victoria Square Mysteries for a dozen or so countries, and decided to self publish them. Betsy played Mason in the books, and Bonnie played Della. I knew who to put on the covers, too (Betsy is on all three plus the cookbook).

These last few weeks, Betsy was rather tipsy. Her back legs would slide out from under her on our slippery ceramic kitchen floor. But she was still eating, still showing up for kitty snacks at Happy Hour. She even came to sit on my lap, as usual (although she didn't stay for very long).

Wednesday our Kitten was frail, and we knew we were facing losing her, but we still felt we had a week or so. She showed up for breakfast, although she only licked a little of the gravy. She demanded water, and even tried to jump in the bathtub. She went back and forth between my office and the laundry room where the litter boxes are. I gave her her medicine at 5 pm as usual, and as usual she let me. She didn't come out for Happy Hour, but she did come into the kitchen around 7 pm to sit in front of the heat run--just as she'd done most of her life. She was sleeping at 7:30 when Mr. L went in the kitchen, but by 8 pm when we both went in to check on her, she was gone.

She saved us from having to take her to the vet one last time, but she broke our hearts anyway.

That's the thing. Whenever you get a pet, you fall in love at first sight knowing some day they're going to break your heart by leaving you.

Our hearts are broken.

Betsy was special. 

Have you had a special pet that ripped a hole in your heart--or are you like me, have many holes from the loss of a furry friend?

STONE SOUP

By Victoria Abbott  aka Mary Jane and Victoria Maffini
We always loved the old fable about Stone Soup. This fable/folk tale takes many forms. As I remember it, a starving hungry woman arrives in a village, asking for food. No one will help her, until she claims to have a magic pot. She insists the pot has the power to make soup from a stone. 

Everyone scoffs, of course. As the story unfolds, she adds the stone and water and brings it to a boil over a fire in the town square. Tasting, she says, “Not bad, but it could do with an onion.” An onion is produced. Another taste and the pronouncement that “a carrot will enhance the flavor”. 

Soon villagers happily add seasonings, celery, sweet potatoes, parsley, potatoes and even a chicken, to help the stone soup which is always missing a little something,  In the end the stone soup is done, a huge success, the magic pot and the woman are revered.  No one is hungry. Everyone is happy, especially the poor woman who finally got a meal out of the gullible villagers.
Every time I look at the very old cast iron Dutch oven I have from my mother, I think of that story. We usually make stews in it, but we do sometimes make soup too.  It’s quite magic: all it takes is an onion or three, 

celery, 

sweet and white potatoes, 


carrots, seasonings (and yes, a chicken or turkey bones or chicken legs) 


and presto, an hour or two simmering on your stove top and you have your soup. 

 You can fiddle with the ingredients and the amounts and it's hard to go wrong.

We try to get a bit of grated cheese out of our ‘villagers’ too. 
It’s a perfect pick-me-up on a cold winter day. 


 Come by some time and we’ll show you.

What about you? Any magic pots? Surprising soups? We’re all about sharing the magic here!

Oh the messes we get into…

Geared For the Grave (eBook)Feb 8 to Feb 21 only$7.99 Reduced price now$1.99
 click here for: Kindle          Nook          Kobo
Where biking takes a deadly turn
Shakedowns cover-ups and big fat lies keep bodies hidden on Mackinac Island and bike-riding tourist oblivious to it all.





We don’t always get to live where we want. Southern Belles wind up in New Jersey, New Yorkers get transplanted to L.A., Texans wind up someplace other than Texas. This is not fun!
      It’s finding out all over again where to shop? A good dentist and doctor? And the biggest headache of all...find a new beautician!
So why do people move when they are perfectly content with where they are? Most of the time it’s the job.
     In the Cycle Path mysteries, that is Evie Bloomfield’s plight.
Evie is in desperate need of bragging rights for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Her over-achieving brother and sister and even her parents do it right all the time while Evie’s stuck on the bottom rung of a design job in Chicago. She seriously needs a raise and a promotion.
To get her boss’ attention Evie does what we all would do...suck up to the boss. She volunteers to leave Chicagoland, the home of great pizza, great shopping, great public transportation to help her boss’ dad who owns a bike shop on Mackinac Island...wherever that is.
     Evie gets seasick on the ferry ride to the island, cannot find a taxi to get her to the bike shop...what in the heck are all these horses doing here...and where’s Macy’s so she can buy the PJs she forgot to pack?
     There are no cars on Mackinac Island. There are five-hundred horses, a ton of bikes, even more tourists and fudge shops and as for shopping try Doud’s Market on Main Street. Evie is completely out of her element. Geared for the Grave and Braking for Bodies are for sure a murder mystery so not only does Evie have to contend with the usual things of moving, she gets roped into finding a killer.

     So what about you? Hopefully you’ve never gone hunting for a murderer but have you moved? Did you wind up in someplace you never thought you’d be? What was the hardest part? Did it work out or are you ready to pack up and move home!

Caribbean Scenes

by Maggie Sefton



A beautiful beach in Martinique where we got to relax for a couple of hours then had lunch at the beachside cafe.


I got back to Colorado Sunday night and to my house in Fort Collins at midnight.  Since the cruise ship the Norwegian Breakaway returned to its New York City Port Terminal Sunday, we all arrived to the Winter Delights of a New York City and cold of 9 degrees.  Yep.  You read that right.  Boy, what a shock after all that Caribbean warmth.  Super Shuttle delivered me to LaGuardia airport and I hurried inside.

A banana plantation in Martinique



An evening flight to Colorado awaited and a return to Colorado where---believe it or not----the temps were in the 60s during the daytime and about 35 at night.  I can't tell you how happy I was to see the temps staying in the mid-60s the rest of this week. :)  I don't do Cold Weather well.  So----I thought I would post several photos of some of the last two places we visited before leaving the sunny and warm Caribbean.  Hopefully they will remind those of you in colder climes that Spring and Summer's warm weather is waiting just around the corner----well, next month's corner.  Enjoy-----




A pineapple plantation in Martinique.  Lots of sunshine and wonderful temps in the 80s.  




Young pineapple, half-way grown













My favorite beach of all was in Angtigua.  The people there are super friendly.

POTATO CAKES--MY FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD

By Mary Kennedy
                                                         
   The temperature's dropping and I'm longing for comfort food to banish the winter chill. What could be better than potato cakes? Especially when they're so easy to make.  They're great as a side dish, and since my version has protein (Greek yogurt and shredded cheddar) you could even have them for lunch with a salad and not feel too guilty! You start with Yukon Gold potatoes, which happen to be my favorite.                                                             Ingredients: 6 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 and 1/2 pounds)1/4 cup chicken broth1/4 cup shredded cheddar1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt1/2 cup finely chopped scallions1 and 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs (divided). Use Panko, they give a crunchier flavor to the potato cakes.Salt and pepper to taste  Directions: Start by chopping the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Place in a pan of water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let them simmer for about 20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and place in mixing bowl. Add the yogurt and chicken broth and mash. Now add the cheddar and 1/2 cup of the Panko bread crumbs to the mixture. (you are going to use the rest of the Panko crumbs for the breading) and mash again. Add the scallions and salt and pepper.  Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet. Form the potato mixture into cakes and dredge with Panko. Place in skillet when oil is hot.                                                            They take about 3 or 4 minutes to cook on each side.                                                              Remove from heat and enjoy! I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Bon appetite!  Mary Kennedy  

Getting to Know You…

Hi Jeannie Daniel. 


Thanks so much for doing the interview. Nothing more fun than getting to know our online friends. 

I live in Knoxville, TN with my hubby and two kitty cats, a Maine coon and a grumpy Persian. I am originally from
Northern Kentucky just across the river from Cincinnati. I still like to go back home to Cincy and eat Gold Star Chili and Frisch’s. 

I have a daughter and a stepdaughter, five grandsons and one granddaughter. My hubby restores old Oldsmobiles and together we are antiquarian book dealers. We love to go to car shows with our 442 Olds. We love to travel and look for books and to just travel, our favorite cities are New Orleans, LA. and Savannah, GA. 


My hobbies are baking, painting, playing guitar, gardening and reading of course. I collect teapots and I love lighthouses. I started reading mysteries when I was in grade school.

My Daddy brought home a Nancy Drew, "Secret in the Old Clock" for me. I devoured it and spent the rest of that summer getting my hands on as many Nancy Drew's as I could find. I still have that book. I am still a mystery reader, cozies mostly, I read at least two books a week. My TBR pile grows daily. I do reviews for several authors, but I try to review all the books I read, because I know how important reviews are for authors. 

The book that started my love for cozies was Lorna Barrett's "Murder is Binding." I love Duffy Brown's Consignment shop mysteries and her new series set in Mackinac Island. My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Mackinac Island, so finding a mystery that was set there was awesome.


 I would love to pal around with Aunt Kiki, I think she would be a hoot. I have so many favorite authors, too many to list, and of course I read all of the Cozy Chicks books. I love connecting with my favorite authors and fellow readers on Facebook.