Kate Collins's Blog, page 156

Summer TV

by Leann


I have said before that I am a TV addict. Thank goodness I am a multi-tasker. I seem to NEED noise to work. It started when I was a child and nothing has changed. My husband is the opposite. He'd be happy to live in silence for the rest of his life. I don't feel guilty watching television when I have work to do because I can do it with the TV blaring or the music cranked up.

I watched the opening episodes of two shows this week--"Wayward Pines" and "Aquarius."
"Wayward Pines" was on the DVR waiting. I should have left it there. Pretty darn boring for me. "Aquarius," on the other hand, was quite good. It revolves around Charlie Manson, who is still alive. I
cannot imagine how much harm that man could have done in the 80 years he's been alive if he'd never been caught. He did enough damage as it is.

"Aquarius" does much more than I imagined by weaving all the issues of the times when Manson ruled his cult. I was young then and I remember it all very well. The music the producers use is absolutely perfect and I recall every word of the songs they use. Having read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, I am quite familiar with the crimes, but this limited series is telling it in a different and interesting way.

I do look forward to my other summer pleasures--"Royal Pains," "Major Crimes," "Murder in the First," "Rookie Blue," "Suits," and many more. And I cannot wait for "True Detective!"

What about you? Any TV addicts out there who love summer programming? Tell me your favorites!

I BRAKE FOR CRITTERS!

by Mary Kennedy               
                                                               
  Naturally, we all brake for cute, cuddly cats and dogs crossing the road, but do you brake for other creatures?  I do! (sometimes to the annoyance of drivers behind me.) What do they expect me to do? Run over wildlife? Geez.The other day, a slow-moving turtle was crossing the road. Luckily it was a back road without much traffic. This turtle was REALLY slow. Seriously, if he moved any slower, you could probably harvest his organs.                                                           I decided to just put the car in park and wait. And then...oh no! I heard a car coming up the hill towards me--and towards Mr. Turtle who clearly had a death wish.  I grabbed a beach towel from the back seat, jumped out of the car and raced to save the turtle. At that very moment, the car rounded the hill and I saw that it was a pizza delivery truck. A teen-ager got out and raced over to help me lift the turtle (who was surprisingly heavy) off the road. We deposited him in a neighboring field. I thanked the young man for helping me and said, "I'm glad you rescue turtles." He just grinned and said, "Of course."                                                       I insisted traffic come to a standstill the other day when I saved a raccoon trying to cross a busy road. (What was he thinking?) I became a temporary traffic cop, holding up traffic on 4 lanes so he could safely cross.                                     A couple of years ago, I famously rescued two baby geese who were separated from their parents and scooting down a busy highway. I saw their parents cross the road with their brood, but these two little rascals decided not to stick with the group and to beeline down the highway instead. A disaster in the making. People waited for the parents to cross the road with their baby geese but I was the only one looking out for these two "renegade" geese who seemed to be on a suicide mission. I pulled onto the slow lane, put my blinkers on and chased these foolish babies for what seemed like several blocks. Cats were whizzing by me but miraculously, no one was hurt. I scooped up the geese and walked back on the concrete divider (it was a 4 lane highway). Now that I had the geese, I had no idea what to do next!! Luckily some workers at a pizza joint had seen the whole drama and came running out to help me. Apparently the parents and babies were fond of swimming in the pond behind the restaurant. So I went behind the restaurant, found the pond and deposited the babies who were thrilled to be reunited with their squawking parents.                                                 Last week-end, I spotted something green lying in the road in our neighborhood. While my husband stopped the car, I jumped out to see it was a snake. I peeled off my blouse (don't worry, it wasn't a hubba-hubba moment, I had a stretched-out old tank top underneath) and carefully lifted the snake out of the road and laid him in the grass at the entrance to a state park.     So how about you? Do you brake for critters and rescue them when possible? When I told my friend about running down 4 lanes of traffic to rescue the baby geese, she said, "You're a good person, Mary. Totally insane, but a good person." Mary Kennedy

New on Tuesday ...

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

Booktown Mystery #9 ... A Fatal Chapter

While out walking Sarge, her sister’s Bichon frise, Tricia is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She’s startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies in the hospital, the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered.  Haunted by Pete’s enigmatic last words to her, Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far, only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town’s historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history…


Available on Tuesday, June 2nd

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Chapters  |  Books A Million
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Do we have the right robot for that?

By Victoria Abbott aka Mary Jane Maffini
Two things came together for me this weekend.  First I found the perfect toy robot for seven-year-old Connor to assemble. That will be hours of fun for him and his dad.

And then, while checking out robots on line (How do you spell procrastination?) I kept stumbling across news items with the exciting news that inventors are busily working to perfect a robot chef, a gadget that can be programmed to prepare gourmet meals.  
Huh.
Apparently, one model will be available within a few years at a proposed price of $15,000.Robots will come with recipes, but apparently will need someone to do the prep work.  That means assembling ingredients (after shopping for them), chopping veggies and on-going clean-up, not to mention hunting in the back of the cupboard for the wayward wooden spoons. 


Is it just me or is this all kind of backwards? Is the robot getting all the fun parts and the people getting to chop onions for eternity?  I’ll do a lot of cooking for fifteen thousand dollars, especially if someone else has done the prep.  I’ll even do it for free.

Apparently (and unconfirmed) the robots do not care to do (I mean are not programed for) doing dishes. That’s a different story.  
I would happily never do another dish again as long as I live. Face it, even with a dishwasher, there's still plenty to do, such as clearing tables, wiping counters to say nothing of the sink.  I think that would be a good use of those uppity robots. 
But will there be a robot that I’ll trust with my favorite wine glasses?  

They've managed to survive ten years even with those dyslexic, left-footed, ham-handed Maffinis lurching around.

What about this antique platter from my mother?  Of course, she got it at a garage sale and decades later we still cherish it. Would a robot 'get' that?  I think not.



On the other hand, I might want a robot to clear out my email INBOX or do my income tax and fold laundry..  Then there are all those deep-rooted dandelions on the lawns. They’re screaming for a robot.





So thanks.  I’ll keep the kitchen, cooking and dishes, as long as I can.  But I’m open to other robot ideas, including kitchen chopping and prep.
It’s your turn my friends. If you could have your choice of robot, what would it be?  Would you say yes to any? 

The Other Bruce Willis...

Readers are always wanting to know more about me,  Bruce Willis…the other Bruce Willis in the Consignment Shop Mysteries.

Once upon a time I didn’t have such a great life so I ran away and took up living under Reagan Summerside’s front porch. Don’t know why I chose her. Maybe because at the moment Reagan’s life sucked almost as much as mine.
But she’s an okay gal, even shared her McNuggets and fries with me but kept the martinis all to herself. I mean to tell you I could have done with a martini or two on these hot summer nights.
Reagan has a consignment shop on the first floor of her half-restored Victorian. She and her Auntie KiKi who lives next door were going to name me Calvin Klein to fit in with the upscale clothes she takes in. One look at my mangled left ear, crooked tail and scared snout not to mention my questionable linage and they knew I was much better suited as Bruce Willis.
Life is good right now. Reagan says I’m the worse watchdog on the planet but I sure do make a lot of friends. If I fake a limp I can usually finesse a cookie or two from the customers and if I sit in front of the fridge long enough I get my daily dog…hot dog that is. 
Reagan and I just celebrated our one year together in Demise In Denim. She  bought me  McNuggets again. She also tried to talk me into doing the laundry…fat chance that.

Life as the other Bruce Willis isn’t half bad. Mostly I snooze in the shade and maybe one day I can get a slurp of Reagan’s peach martini.

Sunrise, Sunset

by Maggie Sefton



I'm here with my 95-year old Mom, Benny, as she slowly, slowly leaves us.  She started sleeping more yesterday afternoon, slept peacefully last night, and is still sleeping peacefully today.  The nurses have the little plastic breathing tubes that go in her nose and supplies a small amount of oxygen.  The low dose pain-killer meds insure she's in no pain.

Doctor daughter Serena came on Thursday and was here till Saturday noon. Mom was still talking then. Oldest daughter Christine arrived yesterday with my 24 yr old grandson Joseph and nearly 8 year old granddaughter AnaSofia. They'll be here till tomorrow Tuesday afternoon. Daughter Melissa arrives tomorrow afternoon till Friday. Thursday, daughter Maria arrives until Saturday night.  As I said last Tuesday, we should all be as fortunate as my mother, who chose to leave on her own terms at the time of her choosing.  She had none of the Big Three Killer diseases to hurry her along.  She simply chose to stop eating.  We were able to tempt her to have a bite of PBJ every 2 or 3 days, but she stopped doing that yesterday.  Now, she's mostly sleeping peacefully.  God Bless.   

Daughter Christine and I stayed over here in her room last night and will again tonight.  Two of the nurses aides (guys) carried in a recliner chair for me last night, bless their hearts.  That helped.  Christine split her time on another chair and on the floor.     

I've read over the years that those who are dying may not say anything in those last days but they can still hear and understand what is said to them.  Consciousness is still there and still paying attention.  :)  One of the nurses gave me a little booklet, "Gone From My Sight:  The Dying Experience." From what I've heard over the years, the "sleeping more" is definitely one of the phases in the Final Stage.  And, I  will remember to open the window a little as the time draws nearer.  For those of us who do believe the "Energy" that we really are----call it spirit or soul or whatever----is Eternal and lives on.  But, then---I'm one of those who's always been interested in all things Spiritual.  Peace to all of you.----Metaphysical Maggie    

The Book I Have to Buy Next

by Kate Collins
Have to brag a bit here. According to a study I read yesterday, my blood pressure is just right. Oops, going by the news on TV this morning, it’s too high. But wait . . . okay, as of the six o’clock news, it’s borderline. . . . And now at ten p.m., it’s okay again. At least my cholesterol numbers are great.
Or are they?


Fugeddaboudit. I’ll just have another cup of coffee – oops, more than two cups will kill me. And now . . . it’s good for my heart. . . . But green tea is better . . .  except that now it has too much arsenic. Stay away!
I feel like a yo-yo, jerked back and forth, up and down, and sideways by all these “new and alarming” statistics we are constantly being fed by experts. Is that you, too?

Today I learned about a book that I have to read so my head doesn’t explode. It wades through all those scientific journals and pharmaceutically contrived data to pull out what’s actually true and what is designed to sell medicine to the gullible public. That would be me and you.
I love the title:  Doctoring Data: How to Sort Out Medical Advice from Medical Nonsense.  It’s written by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a family doctor whose problems led him to abandon much of what’s promoted in conventional medicine. In the book are 10 tools the average person (me again!) can use to help identify the truth in any study.
Also in the book, Dr. Kendrick takes apart the studies that have us convinced we will die of high cholesterol if we eat fat, high blood pressure if we eat salt, breast cancer if we don’t get regular mammograms, heart attack if we have more than one glass of alcohol, and any number of diseases if we are overweight. These are just a few of the studies that we’ve been led to believe – some for decades.
I don’t know about you, but this is extremely reassuring to me. I don’t want to be sold a bill of goods. I want the truth. And as he says, “Correlation does not imply or prove causation.”  One example is a study that seemed to prove that people who drank red wine lived longer. What the study didn’t test was whether there was another cause – were red wine drinkers the type to also take better care of themselves? Exercise regularly? But the company that paid for that study didn’t want to know that. And yet we are told that if we drink red wine, we’ll live longer!
See why this book is so intriguing? I don’t like being duped. I don’t want unnecessary radiation soaking into my bones, drugs with side effects that I don’t really need, vaccines that in reality don’t work.
The book is on its way to my house even as I write. And by the way, Dr. Kendrick also wrote, The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth about What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It.  That one is on its way, too.
Turns out the body manufactures cholesterol for a very good reason, and when we suppress it, we leave ourselves wide open for cancer.
The truth

Mother Nature Can Be Cruel!

by Leann


The joys of nature on the lake are certainly appreciated by an animal lover like me. We see all sorts of wildlife--owls, foxes, turkeys, deer, beavers, turtles, fish, osprey, eagles, hawks,, vultures, bobcats. I could go on and on. Of course the birds are very different in South Carolina than the ones we saw in Texas.

There are so many darling bluebirds. We NEVER saw bluebirds in south Texas. Our neighbor gave
us a bluebird house and sure enough this spring they claimed it as their own. The nesting took at least a month and kept them very busy. When the geese and ducks began swimming by with their recently hatched babies, we could tell the bluebirds had children in that little house, too.

I believe that when we started to see the number of goslings and ducklings decrease each day it was a foreshadowing. First a pair of geese had six babies, then four. It made me sad. But when I received a call from our
next door neighbor to look out the window at our bluebird house, it was tough. A big black snake had managed to slither up the metal pole and before we could react, it was inside that bluebird house and the little bluebirds were gone.

I understand this is how nature works, that every year there is this fight to survive--even that snake has to survive--but it wasn't fun to watch. Of the
three sets of geese who had babies only have two babies left. But they go on with their daily routine. The bluebirds, however, disappeared. Next year, my engineer husband will think of a way to keep the snakes out. It's as much of a challenge for him as it is for those snakes! I think the human will win next time!

I know this story isn't a happy ending, but we will prevail and make our yard a safe haven. Any similar stories? Did you cry like I did?

THE NIGHT I FOILED AN ATTACKER

By Mary Kennedy                            
  Picture this. It's late at night in a major metropolitan hospital at the close of visiting hours. I've been to visit a sick friend on the ninth floor and the wing is nearly empty--the hospital is undergoing renovations. As I walk down the long hallway to the elevator, I suddenly feel like a heroine in a Kevin Williamson movie. The hallway is dark, deserted, and the only sound is my footsteps on the linoleum floor. Most of the rooms are empty and hospital equipment is stacked in the hall, covered with plastic sheets. I am starting to feel creeped out, but blow off the feeling, telling myself I'm just tired and worried about my friend.                                                         And yet--the feeling won't go away. A little finger of dread curls in my stomach and goose bumps sprout on my bare arms. What in the world is wrong with me? I wonder. I take a deep breath and keep on walking. I reach the elevator, push the button and the doors open immediately.  As soon as I step inside, a man darts out of the shadows, rushes in next to me, presses the "close door" button and leers at me, standing way too close.  He reaches out and lays a hand on my arm. Where did he come from? And worse, what does he want? I'm teetering on full blown panic, but I spin around with my back to the door, reach over and hit the "open door" button. Now I'm facing him and I hurl a string of expletives at him while I back out of the elevator. He seems shocked as if he didn't expect any resistance. Maybe he thought I was a "girlie-girl." Hey, I'm from New York, I don't do "girlie-girl."                                                        I grab a passing security guard and he quickly radios down to the guard desk in the lobby. It turns out this creepoid has been lurking in the hospital for days, preying on women. They've been unable to catch him--until now. My instincts were right on target, but I tried to ignore them. Luckily, my story had a happy ending anyway. There's a wonderful book, The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker, that explains why we should *always* trust our instincts. I recommend it to my clients, and I think you might enjoy it.                                                                                 Stay safe, everyone, and always, always trust your gut! Mary Kennedy

Victoria Square Returns!

Like the picture says, Victoria Square is moving from the back burner to the front.

The series has been languishing while I've turned my attention to other things ... like writing The Booktown Mysteries, the Jeff Resnick Mysteries, the Lotus Bay Mysteries, and the Tales of Telenia adventure-fantasy series ... but readers have been begging for more Victoria Square and I'm happy to finally be able to oblige.

Cozy mystery author Laurie Cass and I will be collaborating on the series.  The next book is already in the works, and should be finished by year-end. Now we're waiting to hear when the series will be put back on the publishing schedule.  We're anticipating 2017 -- but have no fear, we'll let you know if it will be any sooner.

Laurie and I have been friends for years and we're excited to begin this journey together. Check out Laurie's website and if you haven't already read her wonderful Bookmobile Cat Mysteries, I hope you'll give them a try.

BTW, this is my inspiration picture for the next book, which I've tentatively called Dead, Bath, and Beyond or maybe Dead In The Water.  (But don't count on that being the actual title. Marketing always has their own ideas, which don't always coincide with mine.)


 
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