The holiday season starts early for children; Halloween is the unofficial start for a three-year-old. Accompanying their moms, they notice Christmas lights on a tree at the local department store. There are packages—boxes trimmed in gold—and twinkling lights around the doors and windows. Moms may say, “Christmas is still two months away,” but the Santa on his sleigh in the store window calls, “Christmas is coming.”
“Lizzie Christopher, you haven’t returned my calls!”
Lizzie was on her hands and knees on the floor of the local food market, perusing the bottom shelf. She saw two poison-green duck shoes and looked up to red corduroy slacks embroidered with candy canes, topped with a Christmas sweater festooned with gold rope trim and hung with small ornaments and tree lights. She grabbed a package of rice off the shelf and struggled to her feet. “Patricia, what a nice surprise and what a pretty sweater!”
There are three more parades on my schedule – let the countdown begin! On December 12 I headed south on 99 once again, this time to the tiny town of London. If you're confused, it's London, California I'm talking about. I'd be willing to bet most Central Californians have never heard of this community of 2500, located 20 miles southeast of Kingsburg and nestled in the middle of acres of vineyards, peach and nectarine orchards and citrus groves.
It has been nearly 20 years since the last time a Star Wars trilogy was kicked off and on December 17, we will be treated to The Force Awakens. Despite general disappointment with the prequel trilogy, the hype for Episode VII is at a fever pitch, not least because it promises a blending of what worked about the original series and some incredible new ideas and characters—many of which (like BB-8) are already beloved.
Dead to the Last Drop is the latest in Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mystery series featuring Clare Cosi, who manages the Village Blend Coffee Shop in New York. This series is a favorite of mine--every time I "walk" into the Village Blend through one of these books I can almost smell the coffee!
A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas, is the latest Bob the Cat book from James Bowen. A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob, along with various children's and youth versions of the story, have topped best seller lists all over the world.
Enjoy some more Penguin mysteries with a food related twist this holiday season-Fat Tuesday Fricasee by J. J. Cook, Claws for Alarm by T. C. LoTiempo, Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler, and Bun For Your Life by Karoline Barrett (this one is in ebook only). Details at the end of this post on how to win copies of all 4 books, and a link that can be used to purchase them.
During the winter holidays, Valley Animal Center receives multiple inquires from community members who would like to contribute or donate to help the nearly 400 dogs and cats cared for at our shelter. To best meet the needs of the VAC’s furry residents during the holiday season, a wish list is placed on the shelter’s website for easy access by donors who want to help.
Pepper’s Spice Shop is ready for spring brides, with a new bridal registry that includes cookbooks, gadgets, and exotic spice blends; and they’re planning ahead for the next season as well. Things are running smoothly except for Lynette. She has no social skills in dealing with the customers. Pepper had to give her a warning when Lynette got snippy over a return. It’s time to look for more help, just in case.
We hear the term thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean to be “grandiose?”
Well, some people think that they are better than other people; some people think they cannot be understood by anyone else unless it’s someone very special who understands them. Some people feel that they have special capabilities, at times even entering the delusional—they think that they are the only person who can solve all of the world’s problems.
