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This is the third in the Ryan Kaine series by Kerry Donovan, and it’s been interesting to see how the main character and his story evolve through the books. This one is quite a change from the first, which left me out of breath by the end with its fast and furious pace, and the second, where the pace had slowed marginally but gathered steam as it went along. On the Defensive opens in a small Greek bistro in London, where the owners, Justina Constantine and her husband Orestes, struggle to keep the business open. Justina’s father-in-law, Papa Onassis, had been killed when the flight he was on to Europe was brought down by a missile – one fired by Ryan Kaine, who didn’t know at the time he was set up. They owe thousands of pounds to the bank and business is way off because a developer has bought the block where the bistro is located and is systematically forcing the tenants to leave. This day Justina is visited by two men, who smash up the restaurant, rough her up and threaten to harm her daughters if her husband won’t sign papers selling their place to the developer. A terrifying opening and a great hook. What bothered me about the book is what came next: a long, long digression to a villa in France. There Ryan Kaine lives the veterinarian Lara, who is introduced in the first book when she rescues him from the people sent to kill him and who must now remain with him for her safety. Filled with their bandinage, the story drags while Kaine, who has promised to make restitution to the families affected by the death of their loved ones on the plane, is informed of the situation with the Constantine family. His plan to help them, his interactions with Lara, and the arrangement for a backup for him in London occupy the next seven chapters and to me, the story dragged. Admittedly, the author needs to fill in information about Kaine, Lara, and the mechanism by which Kaine is told when and where he might be needed. There is also Kaine’s internal struggle not to fall in love with Lara – a struggle he is losing – because of the mortal danger their relationship brings. However, this long a digression from what I’ve come to expect – a fast-paced story – detracted from my enjoyment. One the story returns to London, the pace picks up and the reader becomes engrossed in how Kaine inserts himself into the Constantines’ lives, identifies and finds their tormentors, manages to wreak justice on the man at the top, and rescue the bistro and the Constantine family. This is pure Donovan. As usual, the author’s descriptions of places are succinct but well-wrought and the villains are loathsomely three dimensional. All the characters are clear and identifiable, with quirks and foibles. There are the usual twists and turns along the way, leading to a satisfying ending, with more foreshadowed to come. All in all, a good, fun read, but maybe not up to the level of the first and second books. Nevertheless, for Ryan Kaine fans, this latest adventure will please. About the author: Kerry J Donovan was born in Dublin. Kerry earned a first class honours degree in Human Biology, and has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Sciences. A former scientific advisor to The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, he helped UK emergency first-responders prepare for chemical attacks in the wake of 9/11. This background adds a scientific edge to his writing. He is also a former furniture designer/maker. He is the author of a sci-fi/thriller, The Transition of Johnny Swift, which reached #1 on the Amazon Bestsellers List in December 2014. A citizen of the world, he now lives in the heart of rural Brittany with his wonderful and patient wife, Jan. They have three children and four grandchildren (so far), all of whom live in England. An absentee granddad, Kerry is hugely grateful for the development of video calling. You can find Kerry Donovan on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KerryJDonovan His blog at: http://kerryjdonovan.com/blog And on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/KerryJDonovan His books are on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Kerry+J+Donovan 0 0

Jupiter, fifth planet from the sun and named for the king of the Roman Gods, is in the news. It is a gas giant, primarily composed of hydrogen, with a quarter of its mass being helium. It may also have a rocky core, but lacks a well-defined solid surface. The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands, resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries. Jupiter was recognized in ancient times, and a giant storm known as the Great Red Spot has existed at least since the 17th century when it was first seen through a telescope. This planet has more than 60 moons, the largest among them are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The one billion dollar Juno probe program launched a probe on August 5, 2011. Its trajectory used a gravity speed boost from Earth, accomplished by an Earth flyby in October of 2013, to reach Jupiter, and arrived in Jupiter orbit on July 5, 2016, where it performed an orbital insertion burn slow enough to allow it to be captured by the planet. The spacecraft traveled a total distance of roughly 2.8 billion kilometers (1.74 billion miles). On board the probe are instruments that allow it to map Jupiter’s gravity fields, investigate the composition of its atmosphere and monitor the planet’s auroras, among other tasks. The probe fully orbits Jupiter once every 53 days and ventures as close as 2,600 miles to the planet’s surface. Its current mission is slated to continue through July, but scientists may propose to extend it at that time. “Juno is providing spectacular results, and we are rewriting our ideas of how giant planets work,” Scott Bolton, a principal investigator on the Juno program, said in a statement last February. Two citizen scientists, Gerald Eichstadt and Sean Doran, have enhanced the images from the probe by manipulation the color and contrast. This is something encouraged by NASA’s JunoCam project  because even though Juno’s abilities are literally out of this world, the images transmitted by the craft still don’t do the planet justice. As a result the pictures of Jupiter are spectacular. Here are a few: After its final trip around Jupiter, the probe will enter what NASA euphemistically calls its “deorbit phase,” in which Juno will spend the last five plus days of its existence hurling itself into Jupiter. The planet’s atmosphere is so harsh, the spacecraft will burn up. This is being done because NASA and its Office of Planetary Protection have strict rules about contaminating space, especially if it involves places where we would look for life. One of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, is thought to be one of the best sites for finding living organisms beyond Earth, because there may be an ocean beneath its frozen surface. NASA is currently working on how to send a lander to Europa. Two other Jovian moons, Ganymede and Callisto, are also on the list of contenders. Our thanks are due to the patient team who set this project on its way! 0 0

Charles Yallowitz has been one of my blogging buddies for several years. He’s quite an interesting fellow, and you can learn a lot about him from his blog. He has the writing energy of ten people, and this has resulted in fifteen (yes, fifteen) books in the Legends of Windemere series. His prodigious determination in writing has been in inspiration when I’m flagging. His biography tells us this about him: Charles was born, raised and educated in New York. He then spent a few years in Florida, but his fear of alligators moved him back to the Empire State. He has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with. When he isn’t writing, he loves to cook or go on on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. Legends of Windemere is his first series, but it certainly won’t be his last. Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age is the final book of in this fantasy adventure series, which comes after 15 volumes and 19 years.  Needless to day, they’ve been a big part of his life! I had some questions for him. What else have you  devoted time to over the years? This is actually a tougher question than it seems because when I’m an author and a stay-at-home parent.  If I’m not working on my stories, I’m either with my son or doing stuff around the house.  The latter is rather tedious, but I do enjoy cooking.  Not enough that I would take classes and make a backup career of it.  It’s very much like writing where you take all of these parts to make a whole.  Being the house cook also means I don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner and keep asking until it ends up being whatever can be defrosted quickly.  My best dishes are Penn with homemade vodka sauce, bourbon chicken, and kielbasa marinated in beer and horseradish for two days.  I should probably put grilled cheese and Mac & Cheese on there because my son won’t stray very far from those dishes.  At least I can get him to eat vegetables with his dinner and we’re having trouble keeping enough bananas in the house to keep the monkey happy. Honestly, this might be a cop out for the subject, but my favorite thing of all is to spend time with my son.  Most of the other things I enjoy end up getting tied into what I do with him.  He’s into superheroes now, so we’ve watched the Justice League animated series from the 2000’s and we play with superhero Legos.  My son has taken to the more obscure characters too like Black Canary, Firestorm, and Martian Manhunter.  Only one of those comes in Lego form, so the others have to be acted out.  As long as I’m not told to rest on the couch until I’m needed to be a sidekick or villain.  The bulk of my Lego fun comes from putting the sets together in the first place since I’m not really allowed to touch them afterwards.  His rules and I’d rather not get blamed for breaking one and unleashing a dramatic ‘everything is ruined’ speech while I hunt for the instruction manual. Aside from superheroes, my son and I both love animals.  He watches a lot of Wild Kratts and Planet Earth II when he eats his meals.  I’m a member at the Bronx Zoo, so I get him a free shirt every year when I renew and this is always a moment of excited because he wants to know what animal he will get.  We’ve had red panda, komodo dragon, and the recent one is a snow leopard silhouette.  Unfortunately, we can’t always get out to the zoo because it’s a trip and the bridge is expensive.  The smaller one is tough too because parking runs out really fast, so we have to leave early.  Thankfully, we live on Long Island and there are plenty of preserves that we can go to.  Some have animals in the central building, but most are just walking around a forest or the shoreline.  My son won’t get upset if we see nothing special since he could be excited to see a squirrel or a gull.  Really hope he maintains that mentality for as long as possible because cynicism can be quite crushing. What else fills your time? Everything else I’m into is rather tame like action movies, manga, and anime.  I’ve gravitated a lot more to the Japanese comics and cartoons as I got older because I find them to be better stories.  Compared to most American stuff, they usually aim for an ending, so it won’t be the same hero and villain fighting for the hundredth time over another bank robbery.  Don’t get me wrong because I do enjoy the American stuff.  I’ve just hit a point in my life where I like working on things that have endings.  To not see a light at the end of the tunnel makes me think that I’ll be reading it forever and eventually get bored.  This is another reason why I make sure have an ending in mind for all of my stories.  Legends of Windemere took a lot of influence from manga and anime in regard to having a finale in

These are new followers from the last month or so. Check them out – there might be someone in there whose blog attracts you. Strike up a new relationship! https://islandofreading.wordpress.com  On this blog are short, snappy book reviews. The theme seems to be mainly romance but there was a paranormal vampire in there, too. Urvashi at https://thelittlemermaid09.wordpress.com writes about things that pique her interest, not subscribing to a single theme. She thinks life is more beautiful when it is full of surprises and serendipity. You will find poetry, short stories, quotes etc. https://364life.com The author of this blog has been close to death many times and is alive because of body parts from other people. He wants his life to be a daring adventure, to live it to the very fullest. Consequently, the posts are quotes, reflections, and wonderful photographs. A blog after my own heart! https://bryanfaganblog.wordpress.com  Bryan Fagan is a divorce lawyer in Texas, and posts about the practical aspects of divorce. Not sure how he found me, but I’ve been married 50 years so I doubt I have need of him.  Maybe someone out there does? https://saltandcoconuts.co.uk/  is written by Sarah and Louis, a nurse and teacher from Wimbledon, London. They’ve travelled around some amazing countries while sticking to a strict budget and after many of their friends have asked for advice on where to go and what to see in preparation for their own adventures, they decided to make this website for people planning their own fun on a limited budget. The photography is fantastic and the places they’ve been are GREAT! Do check this blog out before your next trip! https://ellenjacobsonauthor.wordpress.com/ Ellen Jacobson who lives with her husband on a 34-foot sailboat. They to travel on water and on land in search of adventure. The interesting people we meet along the way, the amazing places we get to visit, and the things we’ve experience inspire this blog. Ellen is currently working on a cozy mystery series, The Mollie McGhie Sailing Mysteries, about a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth. If you want to know more about our travel adventures and what it’s like to live on a sailboat, this blog is for you! https://scarlettbrodie.com/2017 is a blog by Scarlett Brodie, a mystery writer herself. She loves to post about scenes from some of her favorite books, reviews of mysteries, and other observations. Her posts are fun – check her out! https://mybicolblog.wordpress.com The author of this blog has a degree in Journalism but works in the areas of finance and later on, public safety. Her blog is all about roaming the Bicol Region of the Philippines on a budget – great hotel deals, good food and where to go on your vacation. One of her latest posts was about a food stall making crepes. I am still salivating from the pictures and the descriptions. https://toplesswaiterscompany.wordpress.com How do they find me? They advertise really buff young men serving women at parties, while wearing nothing but an apron and a bow tie. Woo hoo! But they are in Melbourne, Australia. Too bad. https://robboworldtraveller.com  Robbo is a red wine and pizza connoisseur, corporate prisoner and perpetual traveler who lives restlessly with my wife and travel partner McGee and his dog Winston, impatiently awaiting his next adventure. His blog tells stories of escape and a relentless desire to be lost to the perfect moment and he hopes it inspires you to do the same. Really good writing about his travels with perfect photographs. https://ankurgaurav2001.wordpress.com is written by a young man named Festenstein and has very eclectic posts – one recent was on the World Wrestling Federation, with others about human phobias, imagination and inspirational people! Jonny blogs at http://theanxietyjunkie.co.uk. He is an ex-teacher living on Kent’s South coast, who’s spent most of his life worrying about one thing or another. Nevetheless, he’s busy, loves learning, reading and drinking coffee. His blog is partly a diary and partly an attempt to force himself to make a few important lifestyle changes. He posts amazing free wheeling poetry with acute observations. https://nepalholidaytreksandtours.wordpress.com/2017 This company can plan your trip for you. If you are thinking about seeing Nepal, you might start here! Paul at https://ramblingsfromawritersmind.wordpress.com says he is writing about writing for writers. Despite the overuse of one word, his blog does contain some interesting thoughts as well as free, practical advice – such as free giveaways of books is killing the indie market, all about marketing, must read books from 2017, and insights and publishing trends for 2018. Check him out! http://www.bestkitchencookwaresets.com/ A really good site if you are looking for kitchen cookware. This site compares all the pros and cons of the various cookware and appliances. How they found me, I don’t know, but the information is useful. You can tuck this one away. John Eidswick blogs at https://eidswick.blog. He I lives with his wife and spirited 9-year-old progeny in Japan, where he teaches English. His short fiction has appeared in several journals and he has written two novels. Check out his books: The Language of Bears and The Rabbit Skinners (a mystery). Suman D. blogs at https://freelancersumand.wordpress.com. He is a freelancer who works as a business advisor.  Right now I am drooling over two recipes (plus accompanying pictures) he posted. You might want to check them out. A Solomon – all I got was a gravatar, but it could be Andrew Solomon, whose site is andrewsolomon.com.  Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. I would be honored if he were following me. Phoenix <3 who blogs at https://thephoenixdesertsong.wordpress.com Known by her nickname “Ami,” Miss Phoenix Desertsong has written for many online publications, often under pen names. She has work published in several areas under her “Christian” name of Amelia Lockhart. I particularly liked a post entitled “How Your Anxiety Disorder Can turn you into Darth Vader”! and another on how

Fred’s Funeral is a novella by Sandy Day, inspired by hundreds of letters written by the author’s Great Uncle Fred, but a wonderful concoction of her imagination. Fred Sadler has just died in his room in a hospital for the mentally ill. He sees his cousin and his brother and a whole family of those who died before him, congregating on the other side of an ethereal divide. The problem is, he can’t cross the divide. He finds himself – or at least his consciousness – watching from the ceiling of his room, as his priggish sister-in-law, Viola, and her brother, Thomas, open his one possession, an old battered suitcase. It is Viola who gives her interpretation of Fred’s life based on old memories and the contents of the suitcase. As they paw through his belongings, Fred is shocked to find Viola’s version of the events of his life is not as he remembers it. Why had he spent so many years locked up in Whitby Hospital for the Insane? As Fred moves through his funeral and the gathering of the family afterward, and between his memories and the pronouncements of Viola and others, we learn that the young Fred went off to fight in World War I and came back damaged: addicted to binge drinking, constantly angry and full of anxieties. At that time, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome was not recognized, and the remainder of his life was consumed by his trying to govern his emotions and fit in, his family’s attempts to provide and adjust for him, and finally, his placement in the hospital. We are reminded of the barbarity of the so-called modern treatments for patients at that time in such institutions. What I particularly liked about this story are the ways different people look at the same events, and the ability to see how his confusion, frustration, and mental breakdown – now so understandable – were met with misunderstanding by his family. Fred desperately wants to gain control of his life, to spend his life in the home and with the family he so values, but can’t help pushing them away.  The reader can feel his angst and understand his actions, but at the same time see themselves in the family’s shoes. The author does a wonderful job of describing family relationships and deep-seated feelings. This is a short, but very profound read. About the author: Sandy Day is the author of Chatterbox, Poems. She graduated from Glendon College, York University, with a degree in English Literature and spends her summers in Jackson’s Point, Ontario on the shore of Lake Simcoe. She winters nearby in Sutton by the Black River. Sandy took 20 years off from writing to run a gift store and raise a family, but is now a trained facilitator for the Toronto Writers Collective’s creative writing workshops. She is a developmental editor and book coach. You can find her at https://sandyday.ca @sandeetweets And Fred’s Funeral on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Freds-Funeral-Sandy-Day/dp/1979556164 0 0

Well, I survived whatever the last two weeks are called – Christmas and New Year’s? My two legged was so busy every day, I hardly got any pets. So I had to do something to get her attention. Like walking around on the table, which was set with nice plates and napkins, and knocking stuff on the floor – or ripping the ribbon off the tree – or racing around the house as fast as I could go, skidding on the wood floor. I got swatted with a newspaper a couple of times, but then she petted me. I got some pretty nice snacks, too – some beef at Christmas and ham for New Year’s. And quite a bit of cheese. I love cheese. So two days ago, I decided not to be afraid of the stairs. They’d blocked them off with a gate, which had fallen on me the first time I tried to get around it. It scared the fur off me. Since then, they’ve put little treats on the stairs to convince me not to be afraid. So when they weren’t looking, I slunk upstairs. The problem was, I got confused and when they called me, I had to chirp to let them know where I was so they could put on a light or two. Were they surprised! Then I climbed up to surprise my two legged while she was writing. I was just going to breeze by her legs and maybe scare her, but I chirped accidentally, and she saw me. Last night I discovered this big, flat, soft thing where my two legged spends her nights. When she turned the light off, I jumped up and walked all over her – just to let her know I was there and needed petting. After petting me a little, she stopped. I think she fell asleep. So I stayed with her all night. It was soft and warm and a great place to flake out. Anyway, to all my four-legged friends out there, and their two leggeds, Happy New Year! I’m a lucky cat and I know you all are lucky, too! 0 0

This review is for Rosie’s Book Review Team. The book was purchased by the reviewer. A Tincture of Secrets and Lies is the fourth book in the Dr. Adam Bascom Mysteries series by William Savage.  His other series is the Ashmole Foxe Mysteries and both are set in Georgian England, in and around Norwich. I’ve read the previous three Dr. Adam Bascom books, mainly because I love mysteries, history, and am married to a physician. A perfect syzygy for Savage’s books. Despite being part of a series, A Tincture of Secrets and Lies can be read as a stand-alone, without any confusion on the part of the reader. The main character, Dr. Adam Bascom, practices medicine in Aylsham, a small town in Norwich. His closest friend, and the person off whom he bounces ideas, is Peter Lassimer, a pharmacist and a confirmed ladies’ man. Dr. Bascom’s unmarried status has the subject of many of their interchanges, but this book hints that his status may change,  sooner or later. Dr. Bascom has fallen in love with Lady Alice, young and wealthy widow of one of his former patients. The story opens on the night of April 13, 1793 with two significant events. Bascom is thrown from his horse on his way home, and lies unconscious for a long time on a remote country road. At the same time, some miles away, a young woman is viciously stabbed, her body pushed under a hedge to prevent it from being discovered. The good doctor, although badly hurt, rouses himself enough to let his horse lead him home, but his injuries are serious enough to keep him there for an extended recovery period. In previous adventures, Bascom has developed into an astute detective, and when two other murders are discovered, he is naturally sought out to solve them. However, this time he is frustratingly confined to his bed and must use Peter Lassimer, plus the nephew and niece of Lady Alice, and even his groom, William, to be his eyes, ears and legs to find the killer.  Through them, he uncovers a plot to destabilize the country, already on edge with a threatened invasion by the French, and the topic of smuggling, rampant on the English coast, becomes entwined in the story. I shared the sheer frustration of Bascom, being confined to his room and then his home, and at the mercy of his housekeeper, Mrs. Brigstone; Hannah, the nervous parlor maid; and Mrs. Munning, a warm-hearted young widow brought in to nurse him. I was nearly tearing my hair out, right along with the patient. How the author managed to keep the plot afoot from Bascom’s confines is a real feat, but allows him to write from different characters’ points of view, which keeps the readers interest. I particularly enjoyed, Professor Panacea (wherever did Savage get that name?), a snake oil salesman with real charisma but no medical knowledge. Characters from previous books in the series evolve in this one. Lady Alice’s niece, Ruth Scudamore, is a young woman who dislikes the trapping s of traditional society, and is more than happy to investigate and interview people at Bascom’s direction. She reminds me of a Georgian Nancy Drew. Her twin brother Charles, who has been unable to find a focus for his life other than genteel leisure, discovers what he’s made of working for the doctor. Through him, the reader gets to experience a military attack to stop a group of rebels. The reader is kept hanging about the outcome of the doctor’s relationship with Lady Alice, who keeps a huge secret from Bascom. Perhaps in the next book? The author’s ability to weave interesting characters into the social mores and historical detail of the day is his strength, along with a complex and complicated story line. The book is written at the pace of the time, and there is lengthy dialogue, both of which can take a period of adjustment for the reader; however, with the varied settings and points of view, the mystery never flags. I recommend it to all, but especially to readers who love mysteries in perfectly described, historically accurate settings. About the author: William Savage grew up in Hereford, on the border with Wales and too his degree at Cambridge. After a career in various managerial and executive roles, he retired to Norfolk, where he volunteers at a National Trust property. His life-long interest has been history, which led to research and writing about the eighteenth century.  But his is not just a superficial interest in history, but a real desire to understand and transmit the daily experience of living in turbulent times. You can find A Tincture of Secrets and Lies on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tincture-Secrets-Lies-Bascom-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B075LM2TZP/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 https://www.amazon.com/Tincture-Secrets-Lies-Bascom-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B075LM2TZP/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 William Savage’s blog is Pen and Pension:  http://penandpension.com/author/bluebrdz1946/ 0 0

I’d like to invite all of my friends and followers to join me for Christmas cookies and coffee (or tea if you wish). This is a rewrite of last year’s post with some new photos! I will meet you at our front door. Come on in and you can see our living room. When you first come in, you are greeted by my carolers.From the entryway you can look into the living room, where we always put a big wreath on the fireplace with red poinsettias for color. And here is our Christmas tree, which we have in our solarium. We like real trees and usually get something 10-12 feet to hold all of the Christmas ornaments we’ve collected over the years from all the places we’ve been. This year my daughter and her husband came over to help decorate with our 50+ year-old ornament collection. I needed my son-in-law to put on the Christmas lights since Hubs is down and out with his back surgery for three months or more. So have a seat in our family room, and I will get you some coffee and cookies, Try anything you like. I spent the last three days making ginger butterscotch, sugar, and devil’s food crackle plus orange and cranberry shortbread and some pretty powerful bourbon balls. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season, no matter what or how you celebrate. I’m taking a few days off to enjoy mine with my family and get some rest from taking care of everything while Hubs is healing up, so I’ll see you in the New Year! Merry Christmas! 0 0

They’re back! My two-legged and Mister came back on Saturday. While they were away, some big two-legged with a beard came and took care of me. I eventually warmed up to him – he played with me and fed me, so what could I do? – and I eventually let him pet me. He took pictures of me every night and sent them somewhere. In any event, I’m glad my owner is back. What I really wanted to talk about is how much I love my cat tree. It’s the greatest. I can sit on the top and watch the birds, or just sleep there. Sometimes I sleep in the tunnel right below it, but I’m getting too long to fit if I stretch out, and parts hang over the end. Then there’s the bottom, where I can scratch and scratch. Lovely. Right now, Mister is spending most of his time in the recliner, which sort of blocks the cat tree. So I’m not on it very much. He’s not happy. I think he hurts. And my two-legged is running around getting things for him. I’ll be glad when he is better and moves out of that chair! In the meantime, I am getting a ton of cuddles and am so happy everyone is home! Yesterday, men brought a large, green tree into the house. Now it has colored lights on it. I’m thinking of climbing it, but I’ve been shooed away. I also tried eating the leaves of some red flowers but got swatted for that. Honestly, what’s a kitten to do? 0 0

Can you guess which on of these made me chuckle? https://40before40.blog  is a son, husband, and father who loves New York City, photography, country music and movies. He is in a long-term relationship with Diet Coke/Pepsi and cakes. He writes about his thoughts, feelings, opinions, and goals on his road to becoming 40. I think he is a rare blogger! Misty English, a square peg in a round life. I couldn’t find her blog site, just her gravatar. https://helpfulhunkswaiters.wordpress.com This is the website for a group of men in Australia who – for a price – will attend to you every need and treat you like a queen (their words, not mine). They will be your butler, tradie, bodyguard, topless waiter, champagne filler, compliment giver and ultimate party accessory all in one. Ladies, check this one out. So sad I don’t live there. Wonder how they found me? Healthy Lifestyle at https://theuntold854.wordpress.com says “I can’t control everything in my life, but I can control what I put in my body” and writes a blog about healthy food. Just what we need. She had a recipe for almond milk chair latte that looked fabulous. Pooja Thapliyal  at https://rootsntrails.wordpress.com  blogs about having a rich inner life, an urge to make the world a better place,  and a desire to explore the unknown, and she has posted some stunning photo essays of places she’s traveled, from Singapore to Venice and beyond. Eveline blogs at https://historicalromancegirl.wordpress.com. She blogs in hopes of finding new friends who are as passionate as she is about historical romance. She plans to post reviews, lists of favorite books and also those not so favorite. I know there is a huge number of historical romance fans out there, so her blog is right up your alley. http://bitaboutbritain.com blogs about everything you need to know if you plan to visit Britain. Fabulous photos with lots of history, travel tips and where to go’s. I will definitely scour this blog for my next trip! Mind and Voice at https://masalahealth.wordpress.com/ writes a food blog. All you foodies, listen up. I salivated at the pictures and recipes she’s posted on Indian cooking. This is a great site. Christina, or Crazy Dreams Girl, blogs at https://justabucketlistdream.com has 214 items on her bucket list, but, hey, she’s still very young. In one of her latest post, she writes about her bucket list trip to L.A. You can’t help but catch the enthusiasm! https://shereadsreviews.wordpress.com is written by a young woman who reviews historical fiction, YA, fantasy, contemporary, literary, and non-fiction books. I’ve enjoyed reading some of her reviews. Check her out – maybe she’ll review you! 0 0