Potpourri

Friday is Potpourri day.

I'm going to start with the latest journal page.
For some reason, my muse has taken a short vacation.
At least, I hope it is short!

I decided to use this journal page as a diary.
I went out and bought one of those *old-fashioned* date stamps.
I'm not sure you can see it in the photo, but I've date stamped each entry.

It was fun and I'm going to do another page similar to this.
I got a kick out of the background:
little gold, gold fish, giant angel fish swimming in the trees,
a pink palm tree on one side and a yellow palm tree on the other side.
All hard to see in the photo, but they are there.


It is almost time to announce the Edgar and the Agatha award winners.
I've posted the Agatha nominations previously.
Here are the Edgar nominees:

Best Novel:

Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House – Delacorte Press)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)



Best First Novel By An American Author:

The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)
Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House - Doubleday)


Best Paperback Original:

The Prince of Bagram Prison by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House - Dell)
China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library – Obsidian Mysteries)
The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House - Bantam)

***

Among the Mad: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear. This is the sixth Maisie Dobbs novel and, I believe, the best yet. Even Mr. Dragon reads the adventures of Maisie. These are historical mysteries set after World War I in Britain. Mr. Dragon has always read histories about WWI and, along with the mother/son team Charles Todd, these are his favorite historical mysteries.

It's Christmas Eve 1931. Maisie Dobbs is on the way to see a client when a man commits suicide by detonating a bomb on a busy London street. The following day, the prime ministers office receives a letter threatening a loss of life if certain demands are not met and Maisie is mentioned in the letter by name. Maisie joins a Special Branch investigative team to try to avert disaster.

Miss Winspear does a wonderful job describing London between the wars. These books are another example of falling in love with the characters and wanting to find out how they are doing! While there is a story behind each novel, it is the characters and the history that carry the day. If you haven't read the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, I'd recommend starting at the beginning and reading them in order. You need Maisie's history to completely understand the nuances.

Pay It Forward

Look at the surprise Pay It Forward the postman delivered.

I wish we all had smell-a-vision!

This beautiful heart was stitched by the lovely and talented Sharon
at Wild Flower House and stuffed with lavender.

How she knew what to put on the heart, I'll never know!
She got four of my favorite things:
the heart shape, lavender, the music note and sea shell.
All things I love.

Thank you Sharon.
Be sure you go and visit Wild Flower House to see her beautiful work.

My first Pay It Forward will go to its new home the beginning of next week.
Lori, be on the look-out!

Enjoying Your Age

I took this picture yesterday.
Teddy came to me and said *Mom! You have to come look!*
I looked. There was Momma Dove with her baby.
By the time I returned with the camera,
Mama was on the fence in her sentinel post watching out for her baby.

We checked this morning and all is well with this little family.

I caught up with my email and thought the picture of the baby dove and the Daily OM went well together. Here is the Daily OM. I hope it calls to you as it did to me.

April 20, 2009
Appreciating What Is
Enjoying Your Age

In each stage of life, there are wonderful experiences one can savor and valuable insights one can absorb. Every new decade and, in fact, every new year brings with it wisdom, transformation, and growth, as well as ends and beginnings. Many people, however, believe that there is one age that eclipses the others. They expend energy trying to reach it and, once it has passed, trying to retain it. But wishing to be younger or older is a denial of the joys that have been and the joys yet to be, as well as the beauty of your life in the present. Holding on to one age can make it difficult to appreciate each new milestone you reach. Taking pleasure in the delights of your age, whether you are in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or 80s, can help you see the magnificence and usefulness of the complex seasons of your life.

Each new year gifted to us by the universe is replete with exciting and unfamiliar experiences. In our 20s, we can embrace the energy of youth and the learning process, knowing it’s okay to not have all the answers. As we move through our third decade, we grow more self-assured as the confusion of our young adulthood melts away. We can honor these years by putting aside our fears of aging and concentrating instead on solidifying our values and enjoying our growing emotional maturity. In our 40s, we become conscious of the wisdom we have attained through life experience and are blessed with the ability to put it to good use. We are not afraid to explore unfamiliar territory or to change. In our 50s, we tend to have successfully navigated our midlife reevaluations and have prioritized our lives. In the decades beyond, we discover a greater sense of freedom than we have ever known and can truly enjoy the memory of all we’ve seen and done.

Try to enjoy the age you are at now, for each age presents its own unique wisdom to savor.

For more information visit dailyom.com

Sunday Morning

From Musashi's Garden

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love,
they will bloom like flowers."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Camera Critters 54

Last week I shared one of my Little Cats.

This week I'd like to share with you one of my favorite Big Cats.

This is Jonathan and he is magnificent.

He has a story. He was raised as a pet and then got too big.
(Well, DUH!)
He was lucky. The Houston Zoo had room for him and now he lives here.

The lions have a wonderful area to roam.
This is their door. Really cool.
The gate lowers (where the keeper is standing).
From here the keepers can *play* with the lions.
They go through different commands.
This one makes Jon stand on his hind legs
and allows the keepers to check his belly area.
Jon was declawed by his former owner.
Occasionally Callista will swipe Jon a good one!

Jonathan, the King!

We took this picture last week.
For those who have cats, this pose will look familiar!
Life is good!

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great weekend.