December Snow

December Snow

Ned wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with her Uncle Javin Granger, her last living relative. It had been forty years since she and her family left her hometown of Ednalee, Oklahoma; now, she was back, hiding from a threat in Atlanta and needing the peace and quiet of the old Victorian house her […]

The Mystery of the Missing Centerpiece

The Mystery of the Missing Centerpiece

It’s a pretty Christmas centerpiece: large bowl, candle inside, greenery around. I like it a lot. But, three years ago, when I put away Christmas decorations after the big day, I did an especially good job putting this centerpiece in a safe place where the bowl wouldn’t get broken. The question is: where? I haven’t […]

The Warmth of a Friendly Home

Are there times when you long for the warmth of a friendly home, the sincerity of a smile, the familiarity of people and a certain place, the knowledge that you are welcome? Do you ever turn to a well-loved book to recapture that comfort? I do. I go to Mary Roberts Rinehart. How many times […]

A Carpet of Gold

A Carpet of Gold

A carpet of gold stretches across my front lawn and the maple has lost its glory. The last few days, the wind has done its part in whisking leaves from trees and spreading them on the ground. The white mulberry  hangs onto its leaves and they are mostly still green. It is a different sort […]

A Butterfly Surprise

A Butterfly Surprise

   

One Black Beetle

One Black Beetle

So far this morning, I’ve rescued one black beetle who was struggling to get from tile floor to carpet, and put him outside where he belongs, dispatched an unwary ant atop my stove, obliterated a drowsy mosquito who lit on the cabinet for the last time, fed a plump, fuzzy, dog, all this before I […]