Monday, October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween with Lauren Carr's Shadow of Murder




Geography was not Teddy’s forte. After Dusty had finished cleaning up the kitchen while Erica took the long hot bubble bath in his tub, he poured a bourbon and sat out on the back deck to take in the night’s solitude. Landing on the porch railing, Teddy serenaded their host with a rendition of “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. 

“We are not in the Rocky Mountains,” Dusty told Teddy, who thought he had requested “one more time.” Through the windows, Erica saw Teddy perched on the porch rail. The bird chattered nonstop at Dusty, who gazed up at the moon and the stars high above them.

"Quiet, Teddy,” Erica said when she joined them. She giggled in response to seeing his surprise at her wearing his red plaid flannel robe. “Britney’s idea of a bathrobe is quite—what’s the word? Skimpy. It’s more suitable for a honeymoon than stargazing.” She took a seat on the lounging chaise next to his. 

“You look better in that robe than I do.” He shot a smile in her direction. 

“You seem more relaxed.” “I am. You were right. A long soak in a hot bath and I feel human again. Thank you.” 

“Hey, you cooked a delicious dinner. I can’t remember the last time our family had a real Sunday pot roast.” “You cleaned up. I think I dirtied every pot and pan you have in that kitchen.” “I guess we helped each other,” Dusty said. Silence dropped over the deck. They stared up at the sky and listened to the sounds of nature around them. He glanced over at her. 

“Have you stayed away from Deep Creek Lake because of what had happened to your parents?” “Combination I guess. My responsibilities in northern Virginia with my son and husband gave me an excuse to escape what had happened in that house. My blog keeps me very busy. But I still have close friends who live here who keep me in the loop with what’s happening.” 

“Your crew,” he said with a chuckle. “The last time I talked to David O’Callaghan was in October. The crew told me about a John Doe found in a car. David absolutely refused to comment on it.” She cast a sideways glance at him out of the corner of her eye. “Some kids flying a drone over the lake recorded the vehicle at the bottom. The police sent a diver to look. Sure enough, there was a car with a body inside. They brought it up. A source told Jayne that it had Florida license tags and that it had been in the water for several years. No name has ever been released. If he’s a missing person, his family has a right to know.” 

“Which is where the Cold Case Diva comes in,” Dusty said with a nod of his head. “I am familiar with the case.” “But when I called David to ask if they’d identified the body and contacted the family, he shut me down.” “That’s because the feds took the lead. David and our police department don’t have any jurisdiction in that case.” “The feds?” She cocked her head and squinted at him out of the corner of her eyes. “Why? Did the body belong to a federal agent?”

~~~

When Carr shares her latest Whodunit, she just doesn't know when to quit... First, she introduces a Blog Diva as a main character, along with her crew, and then adds, a handsome Dude to save her right from the beginning... Then she adds Teddy a talking Cockatou that has memorized so many phrases, that readers will begin to think that he is actually talking to those around him... on and on and on, we get to know and love the latest characters in her most famous, and first, mystery series...

But when you mix murder, religion, demons and those who practice wicca, you've got a whodunit that just won't quit! Whodunit when a body turns up on the grounds of a home that has just been purchased by Tristan, Mac Faraday's son... And, when an accountant turns up poisoned, we all wonder whodunit... Only to then, in the investigation, learn that Erica Hart, the death of the Diva's parents may have been something totally different than was reported... Whoa... Let's backtrack a little, OK?

Erica Hart is coming back to her home town, when, as she gets closer and closer, is startled by something dark coming out in front of her car, causing her to swerve and ultimately land into Deep Creek Lake!

And Teddy Saves Her! 

Well, kinda, Teddy left at Erica's urging to go find help and when he was seen by the local police, he starts talking!

Nope! Can't get that far in...because in the Prologue! The Prologue! She presents a mass murder to scare us into shock... So I, at least, am spending most of my time reading and wondering...when is it going to happen? Seven Killed!

OMG, Lauren, You more than grabbed my attention! You shook my beating heart into, for the first time ever, wanting to go to the end of the book to find out how it ends! Evil is indeed alive and well... but... Can good really win over such evil?!

So...since I'm all upset and planning on reading until I finish the book...you all are just going to have to wait too!

Later... Be careful of spooky things that cast shadows...

REMARKABLE!

BEST BOOK EVER!

Well, let's just say that Carr will really have to work HARD to surpass this outstanding novel!

The complexity and interconnections between all that is happening is impossible to discuss without giving away too much. I consider this a must-read for mystery/suspense lovers!

You know, folks, the climax for this book was not near the end. I think that was done purposely... Because, with all of the violence that is happening daily in America, through those who lie to gain power, it behooves each of us to look around us and see exactly what is happening. When we see attempted murder of an older man, wanting to kill his wife...we know it is evil. We must point it out as wrong... Because when you decide to mess around with drugs and people who openly hate, harm or incite others to do something wrong, we cannot afford to NOT speak Truth!


VENGENANCE IS MINE!

Saith The Lord! 

And I believe God's Watching America Right Now!

And Don't You Think He's Very Sad, 

Especially When People Claim to Follow Him

While lying, inciting violence... 

And doing things to make people afraid to even vote!!!




Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Coming Home with Lauren Carr's Newest Series - Nikki Bryant Cozy Mystery Series--Killer Deadline and The Wrong Side of Murder!

 

There's a Reason Especially for Sharing This Vid--
Find BRH!

Getting an email that one of your favorite authors has a new book out is just like getting an unexpected present! Especially, when there are already two out in the new series! I've been reading Lauren Carr since her first "Mac" book, so I was excited to see that she's taken a small genre turn for a cozy mystery series! One thing I know about any of Carr's books! There will be animals, a well-spun tale with tails that will add plenty of humor as well as one that will keep you guessing to the very end! 
Having once had a boxer dog in our family many years ago, I got a special memory of Duke (Elmo in the book) who we loved dearly... And a pleasant memory from meeting my first Sphinx cat... 
For someone who loves cats, it was still a surprise to meet my first hairless cat...especially, when she snuck into my bed that night and cuddled! I have to say that I fell in love at that point! Her name was Barbara, but the two cats in this series have the delightful names of Ethel and Lucy... Unfortunately, they are not thrilled when Elmo entered their lives! But I found a video that bodes well for the future of the three! LOL


Oh, great! Ashleigh Addison is here. So help me, if she’s Ryan’s date—What are you thinking? You walk through the door and suddenly you’re back in high school!
~~~
If anyone had told me five years ago that I’d be human to a canine social media influencer, I would have told them that the world would have to go mad first. Little did I know.” Together, they strolled toward the front door. “Do you get that a lot? People wanting to be photographed with your dog?” Nikki laughed. “Would you believe during the last governor’s race in Nevada, both candidates offered me $500 to have their pictures taken with Elmo and posted online?” She paused with her hand on the door handle. “Apparently, being Elmo’s friend increases your cool factor ten percentage points—according to their campaign managers.” “Did you take the money?” “Of course, I did. I’m no fool.” They stepped through the cut-glass doors into the foyer. Shrieks of delight from the game room located in the finished basement told Nikki where her dog had gone. Debra deserted Nikki to give chase after her granddaughter, who she saw zeroing in on the dessert table in the formal dining room. “Elmo is working the crowd, as always.” Kathleen Bryant declared while descending the staircase from the upper floor to greet her daughter. “Welcome home, darling.” She took Nikki into a warm hug. As they parted, a wicked grin crossed Kathleen’s face. “I hate to say this, but it is slightly pathetic that your dog is more sociable than you are.” “Elmo’s a party-animal. No one is more sociable than he is.” As the words exited Nikki’s mouth, a loud high-pitched screech erupted from the game room. Two hairless creatures, one red and the other gray, scurried up the stairs, down the hallway, and into the parlor. Both wore rhinestone collars to indicate that they were house pets. The curious boxer dog was in pursuit. Unable to gain traction on the shiny hardwood floors, his giant paws slipped and slid under him. Nikki chased after him. The cats jumped onto a loveseat and arched their backs. If they had hair, it would have been on end. They hissed at the dog. Nikki grabbed Elmo by the collar and lifted him so that his front paws were off the hardwood floor. “Elmo! Stop! They’re not armadillos! They’re cats!” Kathleen gasped. “What would make him think they were armadillos?” “Well…” Nikki flicked her eyes in the direction of the two hairless Sphinx cats. “Have you taken a good look at them?” The two felines growled at Elmo, who peered at them with intense curiosity. He so wanted to take a closer look at these animals that resembled some he had seen in the desert. “I never,” Nikki’s mother groused. She left the scene before it got too embarrassing. “Elmo, these are the evil stepsisters I’d told you about,” Nikki said. “Meet Lucy and Ethel. The red one is Lucy. The gray one is her sidekick.” His eyes wide, Elmo regarded the two creatures. He licked his stubby snout and looked back at her. “I know they don’t look like it, but they’re cats.” Elmo got his nose as close as he dared to take a sniff at Lucy, who swiped at him with her needle-like claws. With a snort and a shake of his head, he backed up. “Didn’t I warn you? Don’t turn your back on them.”
~~~

Starting the first in a series is always fun, but especially with Lauren Carr... For this series, Carr had picked out pets who are not well known, at least in books... Nikki Bryant is coming back to her home town to take over the family's television station, which has been run by her mother, after her father had been murdered. Yes, his murder had never been solved, so Nikki is hoping to look at this cold case as soon as possible.

Her mother had remarried and was now running a beautiful bed and breakfast with her husband, who happens to be the father of Nikki's first love... Yes! if you're thinking...Oh Boy!... you're right! For Nikki has never forgotten him and now, given this marriage, she had become her first love's...step-sister! Geesh!
Seriously, you can imagine what will be happening in this book as Nikki struggles with her personal, and totally unwanted set of circumstances she is now facing. And I, and you, I know, will be loving every word that is thrown back and forth between the two, especially since he is now head of the crime lab for the police! And they'll be working together.

Nikki is now a well-known investigative journalist and has won many awards for her work in helping to solve cases. So, while proud of her own background, she must now face all of those who were frenemies while in school years ago... One of which is now a homicide cop! Dialogue is fantastic as personalities flare and lower as Nikki moves to take over the reigns of a news oriented station.

Then when she finds out that two women, who were not very good as news anchors even when she was still around, are still there, and in prime times, she sees a real problem... Why weren't they fired long ago? Surely something had prevented it? Or was she missing something? One of those two actually became a rival years ago when she went after, Ryan, Nikki's boyfriend! And, of course, she, Ashleigh, was the one who was murdered! Leaving Nikki having her past thrown back at her...

“Come on, dear,” Conner urged his wife. “Have your picture taken with Elmo.” “I’m not posing with any dog,” Ashleigh said. “Especially an ugly one. His face looks like he rear-ended the back of a truck.” 
“At least he has a fan base,” Conner said. Ashleigh’s eyes grew wide. “Uh, oh. This isn’t going to be pretty,” Julie warned Nikki. Gripped with fear of the impending scene, the party guests scattered. Ryan held out his arm to ease Nikki back. Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Elmo stood in front of Nikki while facing Ashleigh.
 “And you think I don’t?” Ashleigh asked in a low tone. “Used to. Not so much anymore,” Conner said. Ashleigh waved her hand. “Did you see the crowd that turned out this past July for Summer Fest? Hundreds turned out.” 
“They turned out for the local pop singer whose song had made the top-40,” Conner said. “They didn’t come for you. The truth of the matter, Ash, is this. Beauty fades. Brains and talent are forever.” He gestured at Nikki. “Nikki is a perfect example. What she lacks in looks, she’s made up for with brains and talent. Her brains will take care of her long after her breasts and butt droop. You, Ashleigh, your beauty got you to the anchor desk, but where are you going to go from there? You’re a has-been. A dog with a pushed-in face has a bigger following than you.” 
Ashleigh looked around at the guests staring at her. She responded by slapping Conner across the face. “I’m not a brainless twit!” She spun around. “You just wait. All of you! You just wait. Monday evening, six o’clock news, I’m going to break a story that is going to have every news journalist across the country talking.” She gestured at Nikki. “Even the award-winning Nikki Bryant will be in awe.” She whirled around to eye all of them before elbowing her way out the door and into the darkness. “That was weird,” Nikki turned to her mother. “What story is she talking about breaking?” “I have no idea,” Kathleen said while opening the back door for Lucy and Ethel to scurry out like two over-sized rodents... 
~~~



Mr. Trumbull, a tall man with long, lean muscles and a winning smile, stopped at the table where Ryan and Jodi were working. He leaned over to ask a question. With a smile, Jodi gazed up at the teacher while Ryan answered. Nodding approval, Mr. Trumbull moved on. Suzanne said, “Any boy would consider himself lucky to have Jodi lick his wounds and other parts of his body.” “Like he stands a chance with Jodi Gibbons,” Nikki said. “She’s a sophomore. She’s got her driver’s license.” Suzanne leaned toward her and lowered her voice. “My sister Claire waits tables at the diner next to the insurance company where Jodi’s mom works. She found a used condom in the trash can in her bedroom. Jodi laughed in her face when she tried to ground her. I mean, like how can she ground her? Her mom works two jobs. She bartends on the weekends. Jodi can do whatever she wants. Who’s going to stop her?” Her voice trailed off when the principal, accompanied by two sheriff’s deputies, entered the lunchroom. A hush fell over the room. The principal craned his neck until he spied the student he was seeking. Like the other students in the room, Jodi Gibbons looked up in curiosity. The principal hurried to her table and spoke to her in a low tone. She shoved her books into her backpack. Her curiosity piqued; Nikki’s eyes met Ryan’s. Wordlessly, she asked him what was going on. His response was a shrug of his shoulders. One could have heard a pin drop when the principal led Jodi to the sheriff’s deputies, who escorted her out.
~~~

After a Prologue which takes readers back to what happened during their high school years, Nikki is now in her new position and accepting an award for another investigative newstory... for excellence in media! Nikki admitted to herself that it was one of the reasons she had decided to take on her new job--the ability to decide what stories would be covered! Plus the fact that her first love was still in town...and single!

And it was in celebration of that award that Nikki and Ryan showed up at a local bar to have a nightcap... and Nikki recognized the woman serving them. Jodi! There was no way that the death of her mother wouldn't come up, so Nikki started talking with her. Jodi admitted that she had been upset mainly because nothing had ever been done to solve the crime--thus she was condemned by public opinion and had to live with both the loss of her mother and...her own reputation. You guessed it. Nikki was soon on the hunt and offered to talk with Jodi to see if they could actually solve the still cold case that had occurred about 20 years ago...

About the same time that her father had been murdered...

I read these books backwards, since I didn't know at the time I started to read that it was the second book. Do yourself a favor if you've haven't read the first one. These two books are so intertwined that I just couldn't wait to have the entire story... You know, how people often say of relationships that "it's complicated?" Well, Carr is famous for having two or more mysteries going on at any given time. That's what makes her stories so fascinating, addictive and totally satisfying!

Family life is fun and somewhat frantic as readers meet Nikki's sister, her mother, her step-father (Ryan's Dad) and Trudy who is the comfort food provider for anybody in town who needs to be...comforted! LOL 

But, most of us, we will watch as Ryan, introduces being more than a step-brother to Nikki... Actually, there's a tease that readers will quickly guess, but Lauren's keeps it playing throughout the two books... Seriously, it is such an easy thing that could occur these days on the internet; but since it remains a secret almost through both books, it's a gem that readers will savor, wondering just when it will end... or moe on to the next stage, we hope! Carr even makes romance different and intriguing...and always, it seems, something new! Where she gets her ideas, I haven't a clue, but she continues to be one of the top writers for me and, believe me, if you haven't already found her books, do check them out! 

But I have to admit, my favorite is still her first series! and so I'm thrilled to be able to say...NEXT is 


Hey Lauren, I'm so happy to be back spending time with you and all of your Words! Love you! Bet you haven't had any other reviewer dedicate a song to you! LOL




God Bless,

Gabbie

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Visiting Poet, Regis Auffray, Sharing Listen (My Love) - Put a Little Love in Your Heart...

 




Listen (Loved One)


Listen to the stars
They desire to tell you
How to get back home

Listen to the voice
The voice of your inner child
Pleading to be heard

Listen to the rill
As it warbles down the hill
Spilling its secrets

Listen to the song
For angels are singing to us
From heavenly realms

Listen to the bird
It has flown from far away
It tells telling tales

Listen to your heart
It will reveal all to you
Including the truth

Listen to the owl
It strives to impart wisdom
From the depth of night

Listen to the wolf
Its howl stirs up memories
From our forever

Listen to this child
Her mind is not yet controlled
By life in this world

Listen to the universe
It has been here beyond time
Ever evolving

Listen if you will
To what I am imparting
Because I love you

© Regis Auffray



Thank you Regis... For Your Beautiful Words
We all need to stop and turn away from all that is happening in America, for at least just a moment, a minute, a lifetime...
We fear for our democracy given the lies of those running for office...
Can we stop it?
I depend upon God's Truth to win out
He is NOT a God of Lies, of trickery, of seeking power 
of violence...above all else
Even Him...
God is Love
God is Truth



Don't know how to judge truth?
Listen (My Love)
God Speaks to Each of Us
Listen (My Love)
What Would Jesus Do?
Listen to that still small voice churning within
Listen for HIS Truth...
Then Vote to Save Our Democracy...




Thursday, October 20, 2022

Walter Jack Savage, Artist, Author - Asks Just One Question! Whose America Is This?! Featuring Excerpts from The Big Truth!

https://wjacksavage.org/store.html
Two of Jack's paintings spoke to me today... So I'm spotlighting his fantastic art work, but also matching it with relevant words... By the way, the magazine cover of Jack is interesting...he submitted some work for publication, and all of a sudden makes the front cover! Cool, right! I have to add that, in my heart, I believe Jack's posting these two pieces today was at just the right time (God Incident) to allow me to share a little from The Big Truth:Upholding Democracy in the Age of The Big Lie  by Major Garrett and David Becker...


Whose America Is This?!




whose America is this?!

I don't think I've ever been more attuned to being a citizen in America than I have been during the last decade of my life... A little of that has been because I've had two major surgeries during the time period, and I have learned that I must spend time taking care of this temple that God has given me... Perhaps, more, though, I have lived sufficient years to see and respond to what Jack has asked all of us in his painting! 

Whose America is This?! 

For surely this is True... America has Never Before
Faced the loss of our
Basic Freedoms as has been seen and felt by ALL of Us
Yes, ALL of us have been ravaged by what has and is happening in America, even now...TODAY
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE SIGHT OF THAT KNOWLEDGE--THE AWARENESS, THAT AMERICA IS OURS!
AND WE MUST WORK TO KEEP IT SAFE FROM ALL WHO WILL TRY TO CHANGE IT IN DETRIMENTAL WAYS!
even from within the country


Men Without A Tree



I'd rather be a forest than a Tree...

When I think about the separation of man from nature, as surely displayed in Jack's painting, it is quite startling... I remember when the men from the power company who have a tower on my land, came in too far and cut down a beautiful pear tree that had been on this property for at least 100 years! I was devastated! The tree was gone and nothing could bring it back to bloom in the spring, or provide the pears for both animal and human consumption... 

Having it disappear by accident was bad enough, but consider those who destroy just because they want to make a profit... or they want the power that goes with being able to do anything they want to do, no matter the cost to the rest of us...

When we consider our freedom, shall we not also consider the basis upon which that freedom is guaranteed? When I look at Jack's beautiful painting, which I've made my screensaver, I realize that it is even more important to be a tree within a forest, as opposed to standing alone. The Declaration of Independence speaks clearly:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

But during the last administration and culminating on January 6th, 2021, all of us were faced with a group of internal domestic terrorists--yes, terrorists, who were led by the past president... Many of you will see that this has not just incited the insurrection, but republicans are trying in any way possible, especially by lying, to continue this move toward authoritarian government! 

This IS NOT AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT! THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT AMERICA IS TO VOTE OUT REPUBLICANS WHO DO NOTHING TO SUPPORT ALL AMERICANS... WE ALL KNOW THIS! LET US SPEAK OUT IN OUTRAGE AND GET OUT TO VOTE...!!!

The Big Truth is a book that stands as a counter-reference to all that is known about how The Big Lie is being used to scare Americans...

Election 2020 and the Truth 
The Big Truth: democracy is made up of millions of little truths, intimate and interlocking truths. Truths found in the votes cast by Americans in person or by mail. Truths found in the citizenry that voluntarily counts those votes and dutifully reports the results. Truths found in election officials who scrape together the means by which elections are held, public servants who create the voting precincts, buy the equipment to tally the votes, and manage the process of moving the votes along the line to be tallied and certified . . . so that they may be transparently confirmed and trusted. Truths found in this collaborative exercise of civic virtue are more obvious and verifiable than they have ever been in our history. The Big Truth is a variation of E Pluribus Unum—from many one. From millions of little truths we form a Big Truth, one we should celebrate, and almost always have before, but somehow now can’t, or that troubles us or feels less settled than it should. This book is about those little truths and The Big Truth. It is devoted to the people who make each little truth meaningful so that The Big Truth may flourish. 

Here is a truth that matters more than you might suspect. The 2020 election had more paper ballots than any national election in our history. Paper ballots are a hedge against hacking. You can’t hack paper. Paper ballots are the fingerprints, almost the DNA, of a verifiable election. All of the so-called disputed swing states used them. In fact, around 95 percent of the voters in our nation voted with them in 2020. And paper ballots are required for effective audits, confirming the results. Thanks to the pervasiveness of paper ballots in 2020, more states audited those ballots and confirmed the results than ever before, including all of the swing states. Another truth was vote counting had never been more visible or scrutinized. Despite what you may have read or heard, poll watchers and observers were present at all desired locations and in accordance with state or local laws. 

Anything different can only be attributed to one group! The republican party who continue to speak the Big Lie, even though it has been proven to be false!

Misdirection 
No one likes to be taken for a fool and no one likes to be told they’ve been taken for a fool. There are those who peddle The Big Lie who make money from it. There are those who use it to gain a momentary political advantage. Gaining wealth or power from subverting democracy and demeaning the Constitution is awful. Calling it patriotism bastardizes the word and insults those who truly love American democracy. 
These grifters occupy a narrow albeit influential range of the debate about the 2020 election. Many of them have written books on this subject. At various times, we will quote from them—not because we believe their varied arguments against Election 2020 are valid, but because none of the books actually agree on what happened. This strikes us as a kind of proof of concept of a con. Agreeing on what the con is makes it harder for many people to profit from it. By calling the con many things, lots of people can get in on the hustle. 
One book, by Patrick Byrne, contends “industrial scale vote flipping” stole the election from Trump. Another book, by Peter Navarro, says, flatly, that no vote flipping happened at all, but that the real culprit was “ballot box stuffing.” Another book, by Mollie Hemingway, dismisses both of those so-called explanations while contending the election wasn’t stolen so much as it was “rigged” by hostile media coverage, social media censorship, and Democrats who bent the rules. This tapestry of conflicting accounts conveniently keeps The Big Lie alive and tries to hide the fact that money has been made and appears certain to be made as long as that lie persists. We therefore have genuine concern and compassion for the millions of Americans over whom purveyors of these contradictory and self-canceling claims of a fraudulent election hold sway. Honestly, if the election had been stolen, don’t you think there would be a single explanation? There are not multiple ways a bank is robbed. There are not multiple ways someone is murdered or burglarized. There is one crime with one trail of evidence. That there is in the space of purported 2020 election fraud so many conflicting claims demonstrates that fiction is afoot, and for those beguiled by it we offer another explanation, one based on verifiable information, the truth. 
We believe most of the millions of Americans who express doubt about the 2020 election love America, cherish democracy, and believe in the rule of law. We don’t believe they have ill intent or seditious motives. They may feel alienated from cultural and demographic trends, they may have felt at some level left behind by the digital economy, and they may feel a kinship with Trump and fellow Trump supporters that, all other things being equal, makes them wonder what actually happened. It is to this wide and important swath of America we hope to speak. We especially seek to reach those who have donated money on behalf of “election integrity” or Stop the Steal appeals. 
First, we note that money has not been used for either purpose by Trump. Hundreds of millions of dollars were raised in November and December of 2020. Patrick Byrne, a Trump supporter and the former CEO of Overstock.com, claims in his book The Deep Rig that money raised to “Stop the Steal” was never used for that purpose. All available public financial records verify this fact. Let us quote Byrne: So I say to whatever Republican loyalists around the country coughed up those hundreds of millions, in donations of $10 and $20 . . . You were fleeced. It was a big joke: rank-and-file Republicans gave a pot of hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican Bigshots to unscramble what had happened on November 3, and from where I sat, nothing went to any activity related to doing so. It was all being stashedby people at the top, licking their chops...Trump spent little of what he raised. Other Republicans, seeing the same gold mine, began to mimic this tactic.

Let's look at two of the comments that were made by those who participated in the January 6th insurrection, planned for and incited by Donald Trump.

We didn’t see a coup in 2020. But we must be honest with ourselves about what we did see and, more importantly, what has been revealed since the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. 
When the history of this noxious era is written, federal judges who ruled on post-riot litigation will be credited with helping us all see through the haze—sharpening our view through the unflinching lens of the Constitution. 
“I sort of think about it as though we, all of us, on January 6th, we all looked into the abyss,” Liz Cheney told us. “And responsible public servants and responsible elected officials have a duty to pull the country back from that. And Donald Trump instead is trying to drive us into the abyss for his own gain and his own purposes.” 
Cheney said she spent months trying to put Trump’s actions in another historical context. “I’ve tried to think about how to provide people with an example of how dangerous his actions were. 
And one way to think about it, because we have become numb to Trump in so many ways, is to imagine if (President) Dwight Eisenhower had mobilized an angry mob and sent them to march on the Supreme Court during the Brown versus Board of Education argument and sat by and watched while they attacked and did nothing. That is inconceivable. It is inconceivable that he would have done that. But that’s essentially what Trump did to prevent the counting of electoral votes.”

There are so many victims of this grotesque grift. Some invaded the Capitol to save the country from what they now see as the phantom danger of a stolen election. The true theft, they came to understand, was perpetrated by Trump, a president who stole their faith in the law, incited them to violent trespass, and jabbered on while their lives crumbled.

Robert Scott Palmer pled guilty to assaulting, resisting, and impeding officers using a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to sixty-three months in prison, which, as of this writing, was the longest of any rioter charged. Palmer’s legal team said the following in court papers: Mr. Palmer went to the Capitol at the behest of the former president. Like many others who participated in the Capitol riot, Mr. Palmer blindly followed the many figures who falsely but persistently claimed that the election had been stolen from the president. Those voices, including the voice of the then-president himself, had convinced persons such as Mr. Palmer that the election was fraudulent and that they must take action to stop the transition of the presidency. 
It is relevant to consider that the riot almost surely would not have occurred but for the financing and organization that was conducted by persons unconnected to Mr. Palmer who will likely never be held responsible for their relevant conduct. 
In his letter to the presiding judge, Palmer wrote, in small, sometimes pinched cursive, the following: A lot if not most of the defendants I have been incarcerated with would object to me saying that we were rioting. To be quite honest your honor if asked about it when it first happened in January I would have been counted in that group. I have over the course of close to a year come to a different conclusion. Since then I realize that well-meaning Trump supporters were lied to by those that at the time had great power meaning the sitting president, as well as those acting on his behalf. They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was “our duty” to stand up to tyranny. Little did I realize that they were the tyrannical ones desperate to hold on to power at any cost even by creating the chaos they knew would happen with such rhetoric. 
For listening to them your honor let me offer please and I can only hope and pray it is accepted by the honorable court my most sincere apologies. Palmer apologizes first to all police officers attacked by “the angry mob.” 
“They are the real heroes of the day. The emotional as well as physical scars that some will carry for the remainder of their lives is a great tragedy and I wish with every fiber of my being that I could change it but I am powerless to.” 
He then apologizes to lawmakers inside the Capitol “who were carrying out their constitutionally bound duties to certify what now turns out to be the legitimate will of the American people. That is one of the greatest and proudest traditions of our country the peaceful transition of power and I am truly ashamed that I was part of a group that tried to circumvent that transition.” 
Palmer’s letter was by no means an outlier. It is, in its own way, pitiable and profound. It hurts Palmer that so much had to go wrong for him to reconnect himself to American traditions—ones Trump so carelessly debased...

I was going to share more from those who are now serving time for their part in the insurrection. But in rereading Mr. Palmer's words, together with those from Liz Cheney, who not only was removed from her duties in the House, as well as losing her re-election to an election denier, I think these two illustrate the range of, and the breadth of the devastation wrought by the Trump presidency. I may change my mind as I continue to finish reading this book...

In my mind, we have only one option. All republicans must be voted out by voting against those who lie and use lies to gain power. 

In the last day or so, we have seen the shenanigans being played by, for instance, Ron DeSantis, who sent police out to pick up Black voters for illegal voting... while they were doing just what they had earlier been told, that a change had been made to lift the ability of former prisoners from voting...What kind of man is this who would use lies and worse, humiliation for those who thought they were returned an earlier right to vote and then to jail them in the process! Honestly, folks, this is getting so dreadful that it is hard to stomach this type of abuse of our citizens!

At this point, I am worried for my own state since the republicans have thrown millions out there to get Dr. Oz elected, by lying about John Fetterman who has a proven record in law enforcement. And, the candidate for government openly states that, he will control the election machines to get whatever results he wants! 

I get lies through the mail, through my cell phone, and on my land line which I don't answer! Can we afford to NOT see that Biden has done more in two years than anything that republicans have accomplished in decades! And I do not credit republicans for taking away the rights of women in doing so! Women have fought long and hard to be able to be "recognized" as equal in law and in freedom... WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD FORCE US BACKWARDS TO ALLOW OLD WHITE MEN TO CONTINUE TO MILK US FROM OUR RIGHTS AND INTEGRITY! VOTE DEMOCRAT ALL THE WAY...PLEASE LISTEN TO THE TRUTH!








A final thought about the men without a tree. It is my belief that if we cannot see that the man who speaks on behalf of our country does NOT speak lies, then we are rudderless--men without the stalwart tree of justice and truth to represent all that America is...

And, all that God expects America to be... 



GOD And His Followers 
MARCHES FOR TRUTH - NOT LIES!

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Murder on the Poet's Walk by By Ellery Adams - Featuring The Lady of Shalott and Ophelia... Added to My Favorites!

 


The corners of Hem’s mouth dipped down as he turned to Jane. “Do all the guests write love poetry?” 
“No. They write all kinds of poems. A few are working on novels written entirely in verse, some are songwriters, and others write free-verse poems about everything and anything. Most of them are interested in writing short poems for greeting cards.” She smiled at her sons. “You might not know it, but you’ve created poetry. Think of how many verses you’ve come up with about Broken Arm Bend. And that jingle you’re working on for your jam business? That rhymes too. Songwriting is a close cousin to poetry.” 
“Maybe that’s why I like hip-hop. Remember that song I played for you the last time we slept over?” Fitz directed his question at Aunt Octavia. To Jane’s utter astonishment, Aunt Octavia replied, “The one from A Tribe Called Quest? I most certainly do. Such clever wordplay.” 
“Was I there?” asked Uncle Aloysius. “I don’t remember.” Seeing his confused expression, Aunt Octavia patted his hand and told him that he’d probably been in his study. “I ran into two of the poets in the garden. We had a nice chat about nature and Whitman. I showed them one of his poems and told them we’d named our spa after him. We spoke all the way—” After a pause, he said, “I don’t remember where I was headed, but it doesn’t matter.” 
Jane and Aunt Octavia exchanged worried glances. Uncle Aloysius had been more forgetful as of late. He’d even gone fishing without his beloved hat. Her uncle was never without his fishing hat, much to Aunt Octavia’s consternation, and when Jane drove down to the lake to return it to him, he touched the top of his head, clearly confounded to find that he wasn’t already wearing it. 
After the poets are gone, I should talk to Aunt Octavia about this. Doc Lydgate could pop over—just to be sure Uncle Aloysius is okay. Hem gulped down the rest of his cider and swiped his napkin across his mouth. “Can we go back to the kitchens? Mrs. Hubbard needs more cucumbers for the dinner service.” As soon as Jane excused the twins, they leapt from the terrace with the nimbleness of two jungle cats and trotted down the path leading to the kitchens. 
Once they were out of sight, she turned back to Aunt Octavia and said, “I have news.” “Oh?” “Tobias was working the deli counter at the Pickled Pig this morning,” Jane said, referring to the village grocery store. “I’ve never seen a man slice salami with such gusto, but he has every reason to be happy.” 
Aunt Octavia leaned forward in her chair. “Does this have anything to do with his children’s book?” 
“In a way. His book launch is scheduled for the second Friday in September, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to have it at Run for Cover.” 
“Why ever not? What better place for a book launch than a bookstore?” Jane grinned. “Because people have been calling Eloise for days, asking to buy tickets for the event.”
“I didn’t realize we needed a ticket to attend Mr. Hogg’s book launch. Such things should be free to the public. We wouldn’t want to discourage future readers,” Aunt Octavia grumbled. “Neither does Eloise. She’d never dream of selling tickets, but apparently, Tobias has become a legitimate celebrity. No, not Tobias. Pig Newton is the celebrity. Hundreds of thousands of people follow him on social media. And now, thanks to the publicity, The Near-Sighted Pig has had so many preorders that it’s already hit several bestseller lists.
“I wonder if he’ll retire from the grocery business,” Aunt Octavia mused. 
“You can ask him at his book launch, seeing as it’ll be taking place in Shakespeare’s Theater. The Storyton Players are going to perform a puppet show, Mrs. Hubbard will whip up a few hundred pig cookies, and Eloise will handle the book sales.” Aunt Octavia glanced around. “I love it when we host creative types. At the moment, Storyton Hall is full of poets. I see them scribbling away in the reading rooms and the Henry James Library. I see them in the Anne of Green Gables Gazebo, the dining rooms, and the lobby. I don’t think we’ve ever had such an industrious group of guests before. I can practically feel their energy. It’s electric!...
~~~





Wow! When needing to escape from political game playing, here's the perfect book for you to choose! Murder on the Poet's Walk is a stroll into Storyton, a fictional town where you can visit or stay in Storyton Hall where everything is named after some tale from literature! And where even the food is created to complement the theme! I loved it all, especially since it is also a cozy mystery where the guardian of the Hall is the amateur detective, along with most of her senior staff! And has the blessing of the local police in helping to solve crimes, especially when they happen to occur in the vicinity of Storyton and its surroundings! Even the town business owners use book or poetry-related names! I love it, not only because of the theme delight, but because it included a mystery where I had guessed not even one right clue about whodunit!

Scheduled at the Hall was a contest for poets, the prize would be the chance to create poetry for a new card company for all daily possibilities, called Current Mood Card Company. The selected individual would have to be able to create poetry for any given event or circumstance and provide complementary art work...

Many of the writers came for the fun of entering a contest; however, there were a number of those who were seriously looking to get the job...It wasn't surprising that a number of students who were majoring in literature would be interested. But it was surprising that one of those students was found dead!

Gretchen had been a recluse and hadn't participated much in all of the added fun events. Still when she was found sitting in a boat in the nearby lake, it was not only shocking for a visitor to die during a conference, but it was clear that she had purposely been posed... And that the pose clearly represented a historical poetry character. The Lady of Shalott...



I decided to use both the speaking and musical rendition of the poem... I loved the music, but the words were more clearly shared in the speaking... Hope you enjoy them both, as I did! 

During the investigation, readers have the opportunity to explore not only the many rooms and grounds available, but even to discover that there were secret passages within the Hall.  Each of the characters from town add a definite charm to the story as they are so supportive of Jane, the Inn Guardian as well as their book club leader. Sigh, I wish there was a book club somewhere near me! 

Part of the immediate family is Jane's aunt and uncle, who were the preceding guardians, as well as several men who both handle routine jobs such as a librarian as well as extra security... So, why is extra security needed?

Shhhh, don't tell anybody, but the Hall is a secret depository for many ancient books, manuscripts and more and are guarded at all times. Some of these have begun to be sold, but there still remain things like early drafts of poetry by famous Americans... Readers get to sit in with a book club meeting where each of the members chose a favorite poem to share... Here's a couple of those selections!



And while they were discussing their poems and books to be considered for the future, and began to leave, Jane immediately started to help clean up, and spied a loose piece of paper, with writing...and a sketch of a Victorian funeral hearse. 
  
 Below the image were a few lines of poetry.
 
There is a silence where no sound may be,
 In the cold grave—under the deep deep sea.

And on the back
Tell no one, or I’ll silence you forever.

Dread filled Jane--not again she thought... For this wasn't the first time that somebody had been found dead at the Hall. Indeed they even had a code to announce it to staff. And when she showed it to a staff member, quickly learned that the lines were from a poem called "Silence" by Thomas Hood. Surely it had been accidentally dropped in the lobby...but was it dropped from who received it, or who had written it--because it clearly was a threat! And they stood there reciting the words about Lady Shalott...

And the Sheriff hadn't even arrived yet!

Gretchen West was a medical librarian and as they began to gather personal information about her, they learned that she might have been considered as the top contender for the prize--the job... So naturally, they started looking toward the poetry submissions from the remainder of the contestants and learned that there were two other students who had been in class together were also attending... And while the poets were writing, another body was found, this time floating in a construction ditch that had filled from the heavy rain. But flowers had been tossed around the body that was facing down... Ophelia? Could it be?


Ophelia Roses

Out of the dawn
Trembling with moon-mist
The glow of a sun-gold rose!
Wild as a wood-bird note
Fragrant as crush-red wine.

Ophelia


I

On the calm black water where the stars are sleeping
White Ophelia floats like a great lily;
Floats very slowly, lying in her long veils…
- In the far-off woods you can hear them sound the mort.

For more than a thousand years sad Ophelia
Has passed, a white phantom, down the long black river.
For more than a thousand years her sweet madness
Has murmured its ballad to the evening breeze.

The wind kisses her breasts and unfolds in a wreath
Her great veils rising and falling with the waters;
The shivering willows weep on her shoulder,
The rushes lean over her wide, dreaming brow.

The ruffled water-lilies are sighing around her ;
At times she rouses, in a slumbering alder,
Some nest from which escapes a small rustle of wings;
- A mysterious anthem falls from the golden stars.

II

O pale Ophelia! beautiful as snow!
Yes child, you died, carried off by a river!
- It was the winds descending from the great mountains of Norway
That spoke to you in low voices of better freedom.

It was a breath of wind, that, twisting your great hair,
Brought strange rumors to your dreaming mind;
It was your heart listening to the song of Nature
In the groans of the tree and the sighs of the nights;

It was the voice of mad seas, the great roar,
That shattered your child's heart, too human and too soft;
It was a handsome pale knight, a poor madman
Who one April morning sate mute at your knees!

Heaven! Love! Freedom! What a dream, oh poor crazed Girl!
You melted to him as snow does to a fire;
Your great visions strangled your words
- And fearful Infinity terrified your blue eye!

III

- And the poet says that by starlight
You come seeking, in the night, the flowers that you picked
And that he has seen on the water, lying in her long veils
White Ophelia floating, like a great lily.
~~~

And it was only by an accidental confrontation by Jane that the identity of the killer was finally exposed!

Obviously, there are many to be interviewed, with an entire group of poets vying for the same prize, but the staging didn't seem to be a part of a run against another for envy or jealousy... Surely, something special had been planned...but...Why?

Well, this book is part of a series. I now have the entire series because of just how fantastic this writer has made it for we who are avid readers. She knows what we want to have happen and goes about creating the atmosphere of tension, confusion, and frustration that keeps us guessing, but with no real ability to even hazard close guesses... My kind of book of course! OK, there is a cat on the cover and even appears in the book...but was so minor I wouldn't have mentioned it, if the black cat had not been on the cover...which, I admit was the reason I took a second look...LOL But, my love of all things books was the key for this wholehearted recommendation! 

And when you see something on the next book, you can bet I needed to get away from seeing so many lies in political ads on TV and just needed to fall deep into an excellent mystery! Or I could wait until after election and binge on the entire series, which sounds like FUN! So, check it out--be prepared!


God Bless
Gabbie

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