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Monday, May 28Don't Cry For Me, I'm Already Dead.
You'll be happy to know that I'm currently in pre-production of the very first CDP book.
I'll be working on it until further notice. There are almost 600 posts in the archives to tide you over in the meantime. I'll try to keep you updated as much as possible, however.
Sound off in the comments section or send e-mails to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Thank you so much for your support. This has been many years in the making.
(EDIT 05/29 - Here's a link to the Top 30 CDP Posts Of All Time, to whet your appetite while I'm incommunicado. The countdown starts after the Lost Season 3 Preview.)
(EDIT 05/29 - My Mom canceled BBQ plans and Chuck Lidell got knocked out at UFC 71, so I spent the rest of Memorial Day weekend drinking heavily and spending hundreds of dollars on clothes and entertainment. It did the trick. Pre-production on the book is coming along nicely.)
(EDIT 05/30 - I'll be in the Live Video Chat room at 9pm Central time (10 Eastern) to talk about the book, along with anything else that's on my mind. Please stop in and say hello by clicking on the Live Video Chat link on the right.)
(EDIT 05/30 - Thanks to the handful of folks that came out for the Live Video Chat; I always appreciate getting to talk with you. As this whole book thing goes further, I want to maybe get together like that once every week or so. JT? Kenny? I'm wagging my finger, yo!)
(EDIT 05/31 - Pre-production continues. I've managed to take over 1600 pages(!) of CDP material and sift it down to about 500 over the course of this week. I also want to mention that prior CDP essays will probably account for no more than 50-60% of the finished book. I'm in the process of writing about a dozen book-only essays to grace the pages; essays that I've been kicking around and saving for years and consider to be my best work. I'm hoping that by the end of next week, I'll cut those 500 pages in half again and really get down to fine tuning. It's been productive; I'm taking the weekend off.)
(EDIT 06/01 - Thanks to over-consumption of Wii Sports, Mario Party 8 and WarioWare, my left rotator cuff is pretty jacked up today. I'm not used to playing a video game that I need to stretch out for in advance, so there's a good chance I'll be reeking of Icy Hot all weekend. If anyone asks, I'll tell them that I hurt myself punching out Trick Daddy at a nightclub.)
(EDIT 06/04 - I'm getting a lot of work done.)
(EDIT 06/04 - Over the course of 3 revisions, I've gone from 1580 pages of material, to 416 pages, to 343 pages. One more good revision and I'll begin the meat of the production process; editing, polishing, re-writing and formatting all of the best 'classic' CDP material. Depending on how vast the final revisions become, I'll see how many 'new' essays I plan on putting into this first book. I want this to be a really good 300 pages of material, so it's becoming apparent that I won't have much room for new stuff this time around; I'll save that for Book #2. The goal is to create a book of CDP essays that stands completely alone from the site itself. The day-to-day quoting, in-jokes and hundreds of throwaway posts are being mercilessly scrapped in favor of the sprawling and timeless essays that tend to pop up every month or so. I need to make this book enjoyable for the 5,999,999,800 people on the planet that are unaware that I even keep a blog. The edits continue. Dream about me, won't you?)
(EDIT 06/05 - Heath Ledger is the new Joker in the next Batman movie, and boy does he look terrifying. Seriously, if you still don't recognize Christopher Nolan as one of the best filmmakers in the world by now, you've got to do something about that. With films like Following, Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins and an upcoming film re-make of The Freaking Prisoner, man... I just don't know why other directors bother to exist. I'm re-watching Batman Begins this week, and you might want to do the same. Edits rage on, hearts continue to be broken.)
(EDIT 06/06 - Enjoy one of the funniest prank calls ever. I am in my final stage of pre-production, which only means more headaches and revisions heading into the next phase. Things are going quicker now, so it can't be all bad. I haven't worked out in weeks, and I ate at Burger King last night. What will be left of me when this is all over?)
(EDIT 06/06 - Here are my 20 favorite TV shows for the 06-07 Season:)
20. Cops (FOX) - I have a thing for shirtless people.
19. Friday Night Smackdown! (WB) - I have a thing for shirtless people.
18. King Of The Hill (FOX) - Still funny after 12 years. Kind of.
17. Heroes (NBC) - Like Lost, only for dumb people.
16. Rob & Big (MTV) - The only reason to ever watch MTV.
15. The Ultimate Fighter (SPIKE) - I have a thing for shirtless people.
14. Dirty Jobs (DISC) - Watch and appreciate your job a little more.
13. Mythbusters (DISC) - Watch and appreciate your job a little less.
12. Ghost Hunters (SCI) - Watch and appreciate pooping your pants.
11. Saturday Night Live (NBC) - Always the best thing on at midnight.
10. House M.D. (FOX) - Hugh Laurie pwnz all you n00bz.
9. American Idol (FOX) - Melinda Doolittle pwnz me.
8. Monday Night Raw! (USA) - I have a thing for shirtless people.
7. My Name Is Earl (NBC) - It gets darker and dirtier each week.
6. The Simpsons (FOX) - Season 19? Respek, y'all!
5. 30 Rock (NBC) - Tina Fey is my secret Girlfriend Wife.
4. Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (NBC) - RIP, overwritten dramedy.
3. The Office (NBC) - The funniest show on television. Ever.
2. Friday Night Lights (NBC) - Without question, this is the best TV drama I've seen since the premiere of Lost. The acting, production, storylines and mood are second-to-none and really need to be seen to be believed. Regardless of how you feel about the feature film or football in general, the characters, believability and human emotion on this show is seriously incredible. Already heavily nominated and universally adored by critics, the first season of Friday Night Lights is an absolute gift from the TV Gods. Even the Missus loves it!
1. Lost (ABC) - I've heard good things. I'll check it out at some point.
(EDIT 06/07 - The trailer for Sicko.)
(EDIT 06/08 - This is Rough Draft #1. A lean 260 pages of CDP goodness. I took today off, and I'll start digging into it come Monday. Don't forget to watch Brian Regan's new Comedy Central special tonight, yo.)


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Announcing KidLitCon 2015!
Kidlitcon Baltimore is happening! Kidlitcon 2015 will be held October 9 & 10 at the Hyatt Place Harbor East in Baltimore, Maryland.
The theme for the conference is Celebrating Young People's Literature and the celebrating will happen throughout the conference! We hope to examine what makes a good children's book, hear from judges who have participated in various award programs, and celebrate any authors or illustrators present at the conference. We're also planning a birthday party for our own Cybils Awards, which will be entering its 10th year. Cybils will be a tween! Although diversity is not explicitly the theme this year as it was last year, diversity will be at the forefront of the discussions throughout the conference. We're also planning to make career development a focus in some of the sessions, including sessions on blogging as a pathway to professional writing.
Similar to last year's conference, Saturday will be the main day of the conference, but we plan a full day of sessions on Friday, so if your schedule permits, we hope that you can join us for both days. In addition, since the conference is scheduled for Columbus Day weekend, which is a holiday for some people, we are planning a tour day on Sunday for those who are able to stay. We want to show off our beautiful city and visit a number of sites, including hopefully some with literary interest! (Did you know that Edgar Allen Poe lived in Baltimore for a time, died here under mysterious circumstances, and is buried here?) So when planning your travel dates, we hope that you can join us Sunday for some touring!
We will be issuing the call for program proposals soon, so start thinking about what you might want to speak about, and keep an eye out for the call! If you have served on an awards panel for the Cybils, ALA, National Book Awards, or any other award for young people's literature, especially if you've served on more than one award, and are planning to attend the conference, we want to hear from you: please email Charlotte Taylor [ charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com ] and let us know, even if you aren't sure at this point whether you can attend. Authors interested in participating in the author program should contact Paula Willey [ pwbalto at gmail dot com ]. Publishers interested in discussing sponsorships, opportunities for authors, and/or providing ARCs or Swag, should contact Sheila Ruth [ sruth at wandsandworlds dot com ].
The Hyatt Place Baltimore Inner Harbor is a brand new hotel and everything is shiny & sparkly! The meeting room is just the perfect size for us, and can be easily divided into two sections for breakout sessions. It's an actual meeting room, rather than a ballroom, and it has nice features including built-in A/V. The guest rooms are beautiful, with plenty of space for room sharing, and breakfast and wi-fi are included. The conference room rate is $175 per night, which is a significant discount from their regular room rate. All rooms have a sitting area with sofabed, so it will be easy to share rooms to save money. Conference registration will be open soon, once we finalize a few other details, but you can reserve your room now at this special reservation link or by calling the hotel and telling them that you are with Kidlitcon 2015.
We'll be posting more information as we have it, so be sure to add Kidlitosphere.org to your feed reader or follow @kidlitcon on Twitter for updates. We hope to see you in October!
Paula Willey & Sheila Ruth, Conference Co-organizers

subset: commoncrawl


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Pancakes for a good cause at Magnolia Heights
This Saturday, September 16, stop by Magnolia Heights Gracious Retirement Living for a delicious pancake breakfast. The breakfast runs from 7:30 AM to 10 AM. To RSVP, please call 508-520-3471.
Proceeds will benefit the Food Pantry and victims of the recent hurricanes. It's a sweet way to make a difference.
|Pancakes for a good cause at Magnolia Heights
NerdsToGo Grand Opening is this Saturday
When you've had your fill of pancakes, head to NerdsToGo and celebrate this new Franklin business. Their Grand Opening celebration begins at 11 AM.
The NerdsToGo franchise is located at 205 East Central Street in Franklin. In typical NerdsToGo fashion the event will be fun for everyone in the community.
|NerdsToGo Grand Opening is this Saturday
Car Show this Sunday at Dean College Campus Center
The Franklin Rotary Club and Dean College will be hosting their first Annual Car Show for Charity and Community on Sunday, Sep 17
- Event Details
- September 17, 2017
- $15.00 per entry
- Show: 11:00 - 4:00p.m. at Dean College Campus Center, located at 109 West Street, Franklin, MA
- Judging at 3:00p.m.
- Trophies awarded for specified classes
- Dean College Dining Hall will be open for a Discounted Brunch
- Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, soda and water available for purchase
- Entertainment and DJ hosed by The DJ Car Guy
|Car Show this Sunday at Dean College Campus Center
These were shared from the Franklin Downtown Partnership email


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Phishing news and stories
Brought to you by MillerSmiles - the web's dedicated anti-phishing service
New! 419 scams
Users can either use a dedicated News Reader which runs from their computer or a web based Aggregator service. These readers allow users to add and view multiple feeds of their choice. Desktop RSS Readers look and feel similar to email programs like Outlook Express™ and display the web pages, which are summarised in the feed, and from within the reader itself or a your web browser.
News Readers for your desktop include RssReader available for download from rssreader.com .
Web based aggregators include Feedster.org , Bloglines.com and NewsApp . Yahoo are currently running a beta version so that their users can include their chosen feed(s) in their My Yahoo pages. Dogpile.com also offer a free tool bar with RSS Feed display capabilities so you can see news within your browser bar.
There are some very good sites which list and detail the many RSS News Feeds that are available to tap into, including Syndic8.com , Feedster.org
Once you have chosen a means of accessing RSS Feeds, you will want to add the Phishing News Service. You can do this by using the following URL in your reader or aggregator - http://news.millersmiles.
Our RSS Feed lists the most recent and up to the minute reports going back over the last calender month.
Each program or aggregator gives their own options for changing the amount of headlines and/or detail included for viewing.
© Copyright 2003-2019 Oxford Information Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Site design by Oxford Information Services Ltd and Jag Design


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With the growing trend of consumers moving towards mobile devices and interactive displays, it was only natural for PADI to continue to lead the way in technological advancements within the dive industry. The PADI Open Water Diver Touch Digital Certification Paks are now available in Arabic, Dutch, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Korean and English with the exciting news that there will be many more languages coming out soon.
These Certification Paks bring the traditional Crew Pak to a fully integrated digital-delivery system and a welcome addition to the ever expanding PADI Digital Product Suite. To download the full PADI Digital Product Suite brochure click here.
Open Water Certification Pak – Offline (Touch) includes:
- Open Water Diver Touch
- Open Water Diver eManual
- Open Water Video clips
- eRDPml Touch/RDP Tables
- eTraining Dive Log
- Certifying Credit (PIC)
Where do I find it?
PADI Library App, and ScubaEarth for the eTraining Dive Log
Who can purchase it?
PADI Members can purchase it via PADI Sales Consultants or the PADI eShop.
Students can purchase it through padi.com.
For more information about how to buy and sell PADI Touch products click here
Do I need an internet connection?
This is only necessary for the initial download to the PADI Library App, to submit Knowledge Reviews, Quizzes, Final Exam and to Log Training Dives on ScubaEarth.
For more information and/or to order copies of the Open Water Certification Pak – Offline contact firstname.lastname@example.com, call your PADI Sales Consultant (+44 (0) 117 300 7234) or visit the PADI eShop.


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Useful Links
Current Service Opportunities
Forms & Documents
Community Service Fair - Watch for Spring 17 Date
Community Partners
CPSP has over 500 non-profit and public organizations locally that are eligible to participate and take volunteers earning credit through the RSSW courses. Our community partners must be registered 501C3 non-profit organizations or public organizations. They must have a bricks and mortar location and be able to provide 35, 60 or 100 volunteer hours per student per semester. Students can also participate at locations close to their home, given the above criteria is met by their organization for which they wish to volunteer with.
Community Partners List:
Organizations by Areas of Interest
Organizations listed Alphabetically
UAlbany Campus Departments/Programs
UAlbany Certified Fraternal and Student Organizations - (Available when Certifications are complete for Fall 2017)
Community Service Fair -To Be Announced - REGISTRATION REQUIRED - No Charge - If you didn't receive an invitation and are currently a community partner, please contact us now to receive a registration form.
Update Organization Contact Information
New Organization Application Form
New Organization Application - Electronic Form
Supervisor Permission Form
Supervisor Information Document
Electronic Forms:
Supervisor Evaluation Forms
Supervisor's Permission Form/Information For Supervisors
New Organization Application - Electronic Form
Student Registration Packet - Coming Soon


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|A Collection of Informative and Interesting Articles
|Debt Collections (Advt.)
Qualification or Experience in SalesBY: Raja Vikram | Category: Sales-Marketing | Submitted: 2012-04-04 21:07:51
Article Summary: "This is to brief whther a qualification is enough for sales or do we need an experience for selling..."
Selling is an art. Most of us feel that selling is an inherent thing and it does initiates from the childhood days. But the other part of sales is that it is an art if you learn then even you can do your numbers. There is nothing like inherent it is a skill which needs a practice and zeal to learn for applying concepts in the field. Sales cannot be done just like that; it needs a lot passion and patience too. People talk about a qualification can make a better salesperson. For ex: if a person passes MBA Marketing as specialization then a thought comes to mind that he or she can be great salespersons. But remember one thing dear it is all about field experiences and convincing your customer. No doubt that in MBA Marketing you will learn lot of concepts of marketing, sales and distribution and so on. But it needs a field talk with customer to hit the numbers of sales.
Let me take you through one example , a student who has just passed MBA Marketing and SCM as his specialization and joined in a company as a sales executive. After the training the boy got a task of developing a territory and increases the numbers in that area. As a fresher he has lot of zeal to sell and develop the territory. That's great that he has great knowledge of concepts of marketing and sales. Day one he went to meet his dealer or channel partner and had a great discussion about his part of life and so on but a lower end discussion on business and territory. Then he asked the dealer let's move to the field tomorrow as we need to sale high this time. The partner said ok, both started to field the next day. They were moving to all customers of dealers but no results out. Then the boy moved to his place and again arrived after one month and from the day one they started to meet the customers for four days continuously but no results of at least prospect. But the next day one customer was showing interest about the product and then the boy started giving sales pitch in English and at the end of conversation customer told him it is ok but I do not need it now. Then the boy was sitting idle but the partner stared talking in regional language with the customer by saying that the product or projector gives you longer lamp life where you can save a rental charges of Rs.15-18K which made the customer to rethink and he has a given a cheque to the dealer for delivering the product . It made the boy to shock and after completing the call the boy asked him it is great that in a single talk you have done it. The partner is a graduate not even a BBA or MBA. The partner told that in this conversation the customer told that he has spent that amount of money for rental purpose which is a waste for him and which is a solid point for sale of our product. Then the boy learned the lessons that "know the pain and need of the customer to sell the product not the concepts". But after a period of one year the boy started applying both the concepts of MBA and field sales it made him to hit his numbers and developing the territory in a three months of time.
But if we talk about MBA marketing then it has its place, all you need to know where and how you should apply the concepts which will come only after on filed experience. A sale is a part of our life where each one of us do whatever be the profession it may be? For Ex: For something in personal, to get a smile or for a healthier relationship between two we always try to convince the other. For a chocolate to buy a child try to convince his or her father, for promotion to our boss, for relief from pains to god and so on. Hence selling does happen at every point of time. Let's don't mess up this with qualification but it does have its role to play in sales.
About Author / Additional Info:
The example is not related to any one external, This is for understanding the concept.
initiation @ nirmana.
Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
Additional Articles:
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• Prepping For the MLA (the Mortgage Loan Application)
• Healthcare Screenings For Females
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• Customer Satisfaction - Part 1
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England bowed out of their own Rugby World Cup after a devastating loss to Australia, becoming the first host nation in the competition's history not to make it through to the knockout stages, a much-publicised and unwanted title. The blame has been spread evenly through the media, with head coach Stuart Lancaster, backs coach Andy Farrell and the team itself all taking flak for their respective roles in their demise. But does the blame really lie with any particular person or group? And if so, who deserves to shoulder the blame of an entire nation? Alex Plimmer looks into the reasons behind England's poor showing this autumn.
Dropping Burrell was a step backwards
The Six Nations in 2014/15 saw the birth of a seemingly new England, an attacking team who could run in tries from all angles and positions (18 in 5 games). Whilst they were disappointed to finish second behind Ireland, thanks to a slightly inferior points difference, it had been a long time since the country had seen a side with such flair and offensive verve, led by outside centre Jonathan Joseph.
Fast-forward 6 months and England are facing a meltdown. A desperately disappointing three point defeat to Wales and a calamitous 33-13 rout from Australia have left the nation wondering where it all went wrong and calling for Stuart Lancaster's head. But when you look at the team sheets for each match from March to September, there doesn't appear to be much difference. The only significant change has been to bring in Brad Barritt ahead of Luther Burrell.
Burrell was criticised during the Six Nations for performances seemingly lacking in defensive steel and the try-scoring form he had shown the previous year. It seemed a logical, if very brave, decision from Lancaster to drop Burrell from his World Cup squad in favour of the defensive work rate of Barritt and the untried talents of Sam Burgess and Henry Slade. It was assumed that Burrell would be too much of a defensive liability in a pool including Australia and Wales.
Whilst this may be true, the fact is that Burrell provided the perfect foil for the quick feet of Joseph and Anthony Watson outside him. He played excellent roles as a dummy runner, working with fly-half George Ford's delayed passes to set Joseph free into the gaps created. A powerful runner, Burrell also breaks the gain line almost every time, whether running on to the ball at pace or from a standing start.
A few ostensibly indifferent personal performances in the Six Nations in fact created the base for his country's thrilling attacking play, but tragically cost him his World Cup place. How different the pool could've looked with Burrell at 12 is unclear, but you can bet it would have at least been a more entertaining ride for England fans.
England's set pieces are a mess
Aside from Jonathon Joseph, the line-out was the other lynchpin of England's success in the Six Nations. Dylan Hartley's accurate throwing and power at the scrum were much missed in the World Cup, however, as the line-out continually let them down at crucial moments and swung the momentum towards the other team. Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury are fantastic workhorses in open play, but their set piece play needs considerable improvements if England are to kick on next year.
A once formidable scrum was also the poorer for Hartley's absence, as England struggled to gain their usual stranglehold on the opposition forwards. Joe Marler and Dan Cole have had average tournaments and so far the Wales and Australia matches have only gone to show that replacements Mako Vunipola and Kieran Brookes are not world-class scrummagers and will not make a substantial impression on the game.
Even if it is not my place to argue with Lancaster's ruling on off-field incidents, he must at least make sure that his back-ups are up to the task. Hartley's presence was greatly missed in the pack.
Why pick Slade?
Henry Slade is a fantastic prospect for the future and looks comfortable at 10, 12 and 13, a rare quality for a player so young. His debut against France showed his clas
s and his lack of intimidation by the big occasion. Slade was an ideal pick in many ways for Stuart Lancaster: young, fearless, hard-working, versatile. He fits the bill as Lancaster's ideal player and giving him the World Cup experience would've been a fantastic idea. If he had played.
After the despair of the defeat by Wales, many suggested that England should play the territory game against Australia, not allowing their backs to run at them and cause issues. As a natural fly-half, Slade has a well-honed kicking game, which he can use from centre as well. Yet, Lancaster stuck with the safe option of Barritt and Joseph – a fair choice, it must be said. But the inclusion of the frankly one-dimensional Sam Burgess on the bench was baffling. More powerful in attack than Barritt, but more defensively naïve, Burgess brought nothing to the table that Australia would not be ready for. Slade, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity. Equipped with a completely different skillset to the others, he would've brought a new dimension to England's play. Playing him would have been a risk, certainly, but risky is better than predictable – an apt word to describe England's entire campaign.
I truly believe that Stuart Lancaster's tenure as England coach can, without a doubt, be classed as a success, but their performance this September can only be described as shambolic. It showed a lack of ambition, a lack of nous and an unbearable predictability. It showed the need for a new direction, which will have to be undertaken by someone other than Stuart Lancaster. It's been a good journey, but he has to go.


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Louise Cooper
(1952 — 2009)
Louise Cooper was a British fantasy author who lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall.
Cooper was born in Hertfordshire, and began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published at the age of twenty. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977.
She became a prolific writer of fantasy, known primarily for her Time Master trilogy. She published more than 80 fantasy novels, both for adults and children.
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1999 — Fantasycon 23
|http://www.louisecooper.com/ (IA) Website
|This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc.
page revision: 4, last edited: 21 Jan 2018 21:18


text: Tesla 21" inch wheels silver with TPMS and conti tires 3000 miles Four 21" Model S turbine wheels with OEM conti tires and TPMS sensors Tires have 3000 miles on them. One wheel has minor scratch on the edge $2500 if local pickup, $3000 if i have to ship them ( will listen to any reasonable offer ) Would greatly prefer someone to pick them up for free in Seattle area but can ship ( higher price ) and shipping cost Please PM me. List Date: 8/3/2014 Location: Seattle, WA, United States For more info, click here to view the original listing: Tesla 21" inch wheels silver with TPMS and conti tires 3000 miles -------------------------------------- SOLD --------------------------------------


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BruMed Marine Surveyors is an independent marine surveying bureau on Mallorca (Spain), exclusively dedicated to surveying and investigating incidents involving all types of boats, ships, yachts and commercial vessels. Handily located just a few kilometres from Palma de Mallorca airport , we are able to quickly reach any incident occurring around Ibiza, Formentera, Menorca, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona.
Company websites
www Main site


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How we organize and get things done as governments, communities, and companies needs to change. We are shifting to a new economy, with global surveillance, and new ways of work. As we shift from a society focused on institutions and markets and prepare to enter the network area, three areas require greater emphasis.
Change happens where these intersect, and this has been my focus for the past 12 years.
- Connecting work and learning through Personal Knowledge Mastery
- Adopting a Triple Operating System for organizational Awareness, Alternatives & Action
- Maintaining a perspective of Perpetual Beta so that our networks can make better decisions


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Groups & Weddings
If you are looking for one of the most romantic and scenic places anywhere for your wedding, Sun Valley is just the ticket with a robust offering of businesses who make the perfect wedding their business. It's the perfect place to tie the knot and celebrate it right with a rager that you and your families and friends will reminisce over for years to come.
For groups small and large, major corporations, and conferences we have the sophisticated hosting capability you need for a quiet retreat with Sun Valley as your backdrop.
Large-scale meetings are regularly scheduled events in this year-round resort community, best known for its world-class ski mountain, second to none mountain biking and hiking, big city arts and culture, and incredible fly fishing. Organizations like Allen & Company and Merrill Lynch as well as medical professionals and the Ninth Circuit Court are satisfied customers who return regularly to Sun Valley to make the most of its services and atmosphere. Have an event that requires specialized, group transportation? Mountain Rides can provide private charter transportation for your group or special event, subject to certain rules and regulations of the Federal Transit Administration.
Check out the resources to the left for each type of gathering.


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Jane of Cottage at the Crossroads along with
had a giveaway
I was one very lucky excited winner!
I want to thank you all very much! Please pay Jane and Leo a visit at Cottage at the Crossroads, a wonderful blog.
I love it and you will too.
To Print Runner I am very impressed and love my new business cards!
They are gorgeous and I intend to order more soon. You should check out their site, the links are above. I am just happy with my new business cards.
Jane and Leo a great big hug and a huge thank you for this timely gift.
dolly's designs is getting up and running and I am excited.
Print Runner you do very excellent custom work and I am thankful to you!
card front
I wanted back to look as pretty or prettier than front so
card back
Sewing on the wonderful vintage rooster pattern now and pictures will be up within a week.
Please pay dolly's designs @HandmadeArtists Shop and @ ETSY...Only few items but more up shortly.
My heartfelt thanks to all!


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Strategies to Support Students with Autism:
Ministry of Education F & P Gradiant Link:
Ministry Document – Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties & Disabilities:
Asberger's Webinar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWJh2zAS1Uk – very informative video on Asperger Syndrome
FLASH curriculum is a printable, online resource that has two levels and ready lesson plans with enjoyable activities. The initial parts of the cirriculum link very neatly into the CIRCLES program. The higher level curriculum is listed in the GSSD Alt Ed life trans 38 curriculum.


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Siffringer's Auto Detail of Clinton's aim is to exceed customer expectations with our skilled automobile detailing companies, which are tailor-made to satisfy your needs. Our employees prides itself on our skill to all the time go the additional mile, and our consideration to detail is simply amazing. We offer courtesy transportation to purchasers within a 20-mile radius, and similar-day auto detail service is available if scheduling permits. Siffringer's Auto Detail of Clinton, New York, is quick and environment friendly when remodeling your experience. Firms don't all the time get more benefit by reducing wages. They get less expert, less educated, much less productive staff. As automobiles turn into more and more subtle, there's lots of variety too. So now's the right time to turn your passion into a bright future. Thank you for a beautiful hub with plenty of inside data. My son would be in seven heaven if he would have any person to assist and begin a storage. He is studying on a regular basis about vehicles.
At the opposite finish of the issue spectrum there are specific deadbolts and New York police locks that malfunction or put on out in a sure manner that they can't be opened by key from the surface. In these instances it is useless to choose or otherwise attack the cylinder as a result of the shopper truly has the important thing, however although it nonetheless turns fantastic, it won't operate the lock. Such lockouts may require greater than an hour of exhausting work eradicating the cylinder with energy and hand tools without harming the door, so that the lock itself may be destroyed. Afterwards, after all, your entire lock should be replaced.
Whereas the country has the capacity and sources to accommodate three major carmakers – Škoda Auto (Volkswagen Group), TPCA (Toyota/PSA joint venture) and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech – and holds wonderful business alternatives for suppliers, the Czech Republic is poised to consolidate its position as one of many leading European centres for automotive-associated design and R&D exercise.
Both the Bosch and Toyota methods deal with assisted driving somewhat than full autonomy, however offer an interesting glimpse into the future of interior automobile design, the place passenger comfort is precedence, and travelling is an indulgent expertise. Automotive Technology: Rules, Diagnosis, and Service (5th Edition), by James D. Halderman James D. Halderman Barry Hollembeak James D. Halderman Ebook.
Establish retail sales course of strengths and weaknesses at the individual dealership and model degree. The splitting technique is among the most powerful methodology to unravel the summary Cauchy problems. The main concept is to steer the complicated problem to the sequence of sub-issues with easier construction. Brazil is the leading nation in the manufacturing of versatile-fuel autos. In 2010 it bought 10.6 million units of such automobiles, followed by US with 9.three million models. The U.S. is the world's chief in term of hybrid cars; producing greater than 1.8 million models of such vehicles in 2010, adopted by Japan with 1.1 million units.


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Sheep dip contamination is being blamed for the latest blow to the white-clawed crayfish - the only species of crayfish native to Britain.
Ecologists said it would take years for the population at Mill Beck in Cumbria to recover.
Pollution killed almost all of the stream's crayfish in 2000.
Five years later the species was still struggling to recover, so ecologists introduced hundreds of the crustaceans into Mill Beck in 2005.
But efforts to repair the damage may have been set back several years by the latest incident.
Last stronghold
Environment Agency ecologist Brian Ingersent said: "We had a major sheep dip pollution incident in 2000 which wiped out over one thousand of the crayfish and the remaining population wouldn't have had the time to reach these kinds of numbers.
"So unfortunately the majority of the crayfish killed this month would have been those from last year's restocking."
Cumbria's waterways are some of the last remaining strongholds of native white clawed crayfish in England, a species that has been decimated in the south by pollution, the invasive American signal crayfish and disease.
Farmers are being reminded to take extra care when using and disposing of sheep dip.
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A former secretary for a southwestern Illinois sheriff is suing the law enforcer, accusing him of violating her civil rights by sexually harassing her.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the lawsuit filed on Jaimie Linton's behalf in federal court in East St. Louis seeks $4 million in damages. It names Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz and the county.
Hertz says he's not surprise by the lawsuit and says court is where Linton's claims will be vetted.
Linton alleges Hertz engaged in a pattern of abusive and inappropriate workplace behavior toward Linton.
Linton filed a complaint earlier this year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming Hertz followed her during her lunch hour, threatened her job and questioned her morals and character.


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Animefringe Coverage:
Fruits Basket: What's a Little Curse Between Friends?
By Holly Kolodziejczak
When in the world of Fruits Basket, one can't help but like Tohru Honda.
Her pure, kind-hearted, good nature is impossible to dislike, and her unwitting wisdom always manages to improve the lives of people around her. Everyone who gets to know her somehow ends up loving her, but in her total lack of egotism, she never quite realizes it. She is what many people aspire to be - a truly kind and generous soul who never expects anything in return for her blindly-performed good deeds and who always repays the kindness of others with everything she has. She is, in fact, utterly selfless.
There are only two kinds of people who know Tohru - those who like her, or those who are jealous of her. Even though she never really asks for much of anything in life, serendipitous circumstances always manage to befall her. Some would call it fate. You could even call it karma. But you can almost see where the jealousy of others comes from - for most of us, it's difficult to be a truly good person all of the time. For Tohru, however, it's not.
Tohru has two close friends - Uo and Hana. Uo is a tough and brash Yankee, and Hana is a creepy goth-ish girl with psychic powers. As you would expect, both of these girls are outcasts from society at large. When they met Tohru, however, she saw through the outward appearances and stereotypes and accepted Uo and Hana for who they were. Ever since, they have been at her side, fiercely protecting the one person who ever truly understood them.
You see, Tohru has this way of stumbling into the lives of people who need her and don't even know it. And somehow, no matter how difficult the problem or how deep the hurt, Tohru's kindness, honesty, and generosity always seem to help things come out all right in the end.
Fruits Basket is, at its core, a series that addresses all of the hardships of coming of age in a completely unorthodox manner. Teen romance? We got it, right here. Angsty relationships? Got that too. Troubles with fitting in and accepting your own differences? Oh yeah, Fruits Basket has that in spades. But this isn't your typical shoujo anime by a long shot. Sure, it happens to be positively *dripping* with bishounen, but it also has sexual tension (ahn!), violence (kick his ass! KICK HIS ASS!), a heroine who's the best friend every girl wishes she had, a crazy hot-springs lady, people who temporarily turn into the animals of the Chinese zodiac when touched by a member of the opposite sex...
Yeah, that's right, animals. And they're naked when they turn back. Yeah, that's right, naked.
The Souma family is far from normal. They're a clan of loners, by no fault of their own, ruled by a young and cruel leader, Akito. The Souma family bears a unique curse... certain members of the family turn into the animals representing their Chinese zodiac sign under certain circumstances - the most common and worrisome of which is being "hugged" by someone of the opposite sex. Of course, "hugged" also means catching someone who falls on you, and the female characters in this series are not notorious for their balance or grace.
So, ergo, when Tohru appears on the doorstep of the house of Shigure, Yuki, and Kyou Souma one morning, all of their lives are bound to change forever.
Shigure, the Dog of the zodiac, is an author who maintains his own household on the outskirts of town, away from the main Souma compound. Yuki, otherwise known as the Rat of the zodiac and the "Prince" of his high school (Which Tohru and friends also happen to attend) lives with Shigure. Kyou, the excluded Cat of the zodiac legend, intermittently makes his home there as well.
Tohru, recently orphaned after losing her mother in a car accident, took to living in a tent in the woods to avoid being a burden on her friends and family. Working part-time and struggling to complete high school as her mother wished, she unknowingly lived her simple life on part of Shigure Souma's land. Of course, being who she is, Tohru ran herself ragged without ever disclosing her plight to anyone except the photograph of her lost mother. Yuki and Shigure eventually discover her while they are on a walk through the grounds. Soon after, a landslide crushes her tent and she falls to an oncoming fever.
Shigure and Yuki take Tohru back to the house and Shigure watches over her while Yuki retrieves her belongings from the ruined tent. The next day, it is decided - Tohru will live at the Souma house until the renovations are completed on her grandfather's house, and will do the housework and cooking in exchange.
Taking in a stranger is no small feat for a group of people as secretive and closed-off as the cursed Soumas, but Tohru is not just any stranger. She impresses them with her strength and courage from the outset, and slowly - through their interactions with her and one another - Yuki, Kyou, and many of the other cursed young Soumas learn that they don't really have to be alone in life.
As much as Fruits Basket sounds like an anime that only the girliest of girls could possibly get in to, nothing could be further from the truth. The characters of this series are so real, and the issues that they come up against transfer into real life, albeit in a slightly exaggerated manner. Most people can find a character or a number of characters in this series that they can relate to in some way or another.
Fans of this series will surely be impressed with FUNimation's handling of it's transition to North America. With the exception of the opening and ending credits, the dub is truly phenomenal. Many purists can't stand listening to the English language track on US releases, but the Fruits Basket is not only tolerable - it's actually pretty good. The voice actors were well chosen and put emotion into the scripting. Other domestic distributors would be well advised to take FUNimation's example with Fruits Basket and follow suit with their own future releases.
Some fans, however, may have mixed feeling about some other aspects of the release. While the original tune and lyrics of the song remain, they have been dubbed in English, and the vocal arrangement leaves something to be desired. Some things that might be addressed in future releases are the lack of any kind of translation notes, the overly plain cover, and the subtitles that you can't turn off on the "textless" opening extra.
The first volume of this series does have a very nice "Introduction to Fruits Basket" segment that apparently aired on Japanese television a few weeks before the premier of the show. The character profiles are also nice, but fans of image galleries will be left wanting with the first domestic DVD of this series.
FUNimation threw in another fan-pleaser when they included episodes 1-6 on the first DVD volume. With this particular series, this number works out phenomenally well. It gives even the skeptical viewer plenty of time to learn some of the nuances of the main characters, get a peek at the true backbone of the plot, and get some hints at some upcoming surprises. The first six episodes has a nice mixture of drama, romance, and comedy, and ends in a suitable stopping point that isn't really a cliffhanger, but still leaves you salivating for more.
In all honesty, Fruits Basket is an anime that doesn't really fit into one category. It's not ass-kicking martial arts or sappy romance; it's not out-and-out slapstick comedy or staple-your-hand-to-your-forehead shoujo; there are no real magical girls or bad guys to fight or giant robots; it's not based around school or sports. Fruits Basket is just a sweet story about real-life difficulties that people face while growing up (just in some extraordinary situations) and how true friendship can change your life forever.
Images Copyright FUNimation. All rights reserved.


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Cultural Resilience Program
The program provides cultural & First Nation arts-based programming for at risk First Nations youth aged 12-18. The Program will involve workshops and on the land sessions, one-on-one counselling, and resource development. Recruitment of participants will be done through referrals by police, agencies such as schools and social services, waiting lists for similar programs and self-referrals.
The program will address risk factors such as aggressive and anti-social behaviour, early use of substances/addiction, having been the victim of violence in childhood, lack of parental care, harsh or inconsistent discipline, low attachment to school and learning difficulties.
The program includes three major streams of activity, one-on-one counselling, cultural programming and resource development. Each stream is organized to provide a wrap around affect upon each participant which will enable the high risk youth to develop their artistic abilities, learn new coping skills and enhance their sense of self worth while receiving practical support.


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The market has been favoring soybeans over corn, but local farmers say corn is making a comeback and an area ethanol plant's demand strengthens the crop's prices locally.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in March that producers surveyed across the country plan to plant about 89 million acres of soybeans this year, down 1 percent from last year.
Plans for soybean acreage dropped or did not change in 20 of the 31 estimating states. The biggest boost is expected in Indiana with 6.1 million acres, 150,000 more than last year. If realized, it'll be the state's largest planted area of soybeans on record. The same goes for Kentucky, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Corn growers plan to plant 88 million acres this year, down 2 percent from 2017. If realized, it'll be the lowest acreage since 2015. Corn is expected to decrease or not change in 33 of the 48 states estimated.
Jeff Berlet, who farms in southern Cass County, said his operation's acreage usually consists of two-thirds corn and one-third soybeans. But this year he's planting a little more soybeans than corn because of the extra expense to plant corn and bean prices being more attractive than those in the maize market.
Berlet said corn prices have been rallying lately, however, possibly aided by the soybean surge.
The USDA reported last month that corn in Indiana sold in March at $3.72 per bushel, an increase of 12 cents from February but a decrease of a half-cent from last year. Soybeans in the state went for $10.10 per bushel, a boost of 33 cents from February and a 13-cent hike from 2017.
John Webber Sr., who grows a specialty crop of corn near Lucerne, said corn prices have been the way they are lately because there's an abundance of the grain in the country. Good weather, productive hybrids and genetics that shrug off drought and insects are driving up yields per acre, he added.
The tight margins for corn farmers the surplus creates have a trickling effect, Webber went on to say. Less net income for farmers mean they don't buy as much machinery and other tools of their trade. The effect can be especially significant in agriculture-heavy places like Cass County, he said.
Karl Eshelman, who farms near Walton, said he's planting a little more soybeans than corn this year. While he acknowledged the recent state of corn prices, he said Andersons Clymers Ethanol helps keep local corn prices strong.
Eshelman said his crops are usually half corn, half soybeans but this year he will plant maybe 5 to 10 percent more soybeans because of the more appealing price.
With this year's cooler spring and because corn requires more heat to reach maturity, Eshelman said farmers in the northern part of the country are likely planting more soybeans than corn.
Another factor to keep in mind, Eshelman said, are corn-growing farmers who also raise livestock because they have to grow corn regardless of the market. Those without livestock are more receptive to soybean prices.
Kevin Wilson, who farms in southern Cass County, said he's planting slightly more soybean acreage than corn this year but only because crop rotation calls for it.
China continues to consider a tariff on U.S. soybeans. Wilson called it a "big question mark" and "moving target" as far as how it would impact U.S. agriculture, adding he's "cautiously concerned."
Editor, John C. DePrez Jr.; Executive Editor, Carol Rogers; Publishers: IBRC and IAR
Software © 1998-2019 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved


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In northern Mexico, grilled quail are found everywhere from casual cookouts to fine dining restaurants. They are very easy to prepare, especially if you get them partially deboned and are done in just minutes, preferably over a mesquite fire!
8 quail, partially de-boned, if possible
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Season the quail. Brush the quail with lemon juice and then with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to grill.
2. Grill the quail. Prepare a wood or charcoal fire, heat a gas grill, or a ridged iron grill pan to high heat. Grill the quail on both sides until just cooked through and serve with your favorite rice dish. Serves 4.
Austin Website Design by: Site Street and Graphic Granola


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Interview Profile
Back in January I had the good fortune to sit in on a Veteran's History Project interview conducted by Jim McCannell. The subject of the interview was one Kenneth L. Shephard, a native and current resident of Fernandina Beach.
Kenneth joined the Army in 1965 and served for three years leaving the service in 1968 as a Sergeant (E-5). He returned to Fernandina Beach and will soon be retiring from a local company. While in the Army, Kenneth was trained as a radio relay operator and served in Germany in addition to several Army posts in the U. S. The remarkable things about Kenneth….. and I am sure there are many more than documented here…. are his love of country; his love of his fellow man; and his unwavering patriotism.
Kenneth's interview may be found on the Amelia Island Museum of History web site (www.ameliamuseum.org) and I urge all readers to go to Ken's interview and, like us who were at the interview, bask in this fine gentleman's positive attitude about his country. By the way, Kenneth had a smile on this face throughout the entire interview process.
I hope you get a chance to meet Kenneth, thank him for his service and enjoy the company of this fine veteran and Fernandina Beach native.


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Clue: 1940's Tigers All-Star Newhouser
We have 1 answer for the clue 1940's Tigers All-Star Newhouser. See the results below.
Possible Answers:
Related Clues:
- Hotspur's slayer
- Kubrick's "2001" mainframe
- Old-time Yankee great Chase
- Shakespearean prince
- "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" co-writer __ David
- Falstaff's prince
- "2001" mainframe
- Prince of Broadway
- "2001" computer
- "Alfie" lyricist David
Last Seen In:
- New York Times - June 21, 1998
Found an answer for the clue 1940's Tigers All-Star Newhouser that we don't have? Then please submit it to us so we can make the clue database even better!


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Homeschool Mother's Journal–Possessed Strollers and Dealing With Public Displays of Domestic Violence
In my life this week… I'm sure a lot of interesting things happened to me this week, but they were all overshadowed by today, which was just one of the most bizarre days that I have ever had. Honestly, I could probably spend an entire year blogging just about today, but I will just share the two events that stood out the most. Today ended up being quite nice here, in the mid 40's and very sunny, so Dora and I decided to go to the Woodland Park Zoo. As we were walking from our car to the entrance, a man, woman, and child came out and the man was yelling at the woman. His voice clearly carried across the entire parking lot. The woman's apparent crime was suggesting that they park on the street, to save the cost of paying for a parking spot and that they bring in their own sodas, rather than pay the exorbitant cost of buying sodas at the zoo. I really could have cared less about this debate, but this man was yelling at the woman like she had suggested stealing food from an orphanage. Not only was he verbally abusing her, but he kept grabbing her shoulders very firmly, as if he intended to shake her violently. He was clearly in a rage and I expected him to become physically violent at any moment. Meanwhile, the woman just stood there, mute, eyes cast downward. The child silently observed, taking it all in. I stayed near by, ready to call 911 and physically intervene, if need be, but things never escalated to the point, where either option was appropriate. The man finally got into his truck and the woman walked away to wherever her car was parked. Even then, the man started yelling out his window, mocking her, saying she could have his paid parking stub. By that point, a couple of us mothers had formed a group, all of us itching for the man to cross that invisible line that would give us permission to let loose on him. The whole event soured my entire day and I spent many hours replaying the experience in my head, trying to think of what I could have done to help that woman. I can't think of anything that I could have done that would not have just made things worse for her, but I am curious as to whether or not anybody else knows of something positive that I could have done for this woman (ideas such as hanging the man by his toes above a moat of hungry crocodiles have already occurred to me – okay, I'll be honest, hanging him by his toes over a moat of hungry crocodiles would have been mild compared to what I really wanted to do to him). I felt so powerless, the man seemed to know exactly how badly he could behave without bringing down the wrath of a group of rabid, frothing at the mouth, banshee moms who would have gladly torn him limb from limb. I have had similar experiences where children were involved. Where I have been left with the feeling that if this is how the parent acts in public, most assuredly the child is abused at home. Yet, once again, the parent does nothing illegal and I don't see any physical evidence of abuse, so there is nothing I can do, but wring my hands and worry.
The second event worth noting happened as Dora and I were exiting a bird building. We came out to see the back of a stroller, which I had previously believed to be empty, shaking in an extremely violent manner. I won't lie, the first thought that ran through my head was that the stroller was possessed by some sort of exorcist-baby. Then I panicked, thinking that previously I had simply not noticed that there was a baby that had been left unattended in the stroller. Then I realized that no baby would shake a stroller like that and not be screaming his head off. I probably would have just fled the area, except for the fact that the possessed stroller lay between me and my stroller. I should mention here that I have a Bob's stroller and love that stroller so much, I would have married my stroller, if I wasn't already married. So I timidly approached the possessed stroller, to find that there was a squirrel ransacking the stroller. In was running in and out of the lovely baby bunting and just behaving in a generally insane manner. I managed to shoo the squirrel away from the stroller, grabbed our stroller and ran back to the bird building, by which point the squirrel had gone back to ransacking the other stroller. I ran in the bird building and hailed a father with his little girl, who I was pretty sure the stroller belonged to. I breathlessly told him that there was a squirrel in his stroller. He stared at me blankly and I began to worry that he was Russian or something and couldn't understand me. So I repeated myself and started gesturing, at which point comprehension dawned on his face (it was only later that it occurred to me that I also would probably stare blankly at someone if they came running up to me and said, "There's a squirrel in your stroller."). He ran outside and chased the squirrel away, but the squirrel had taken some of his stuff and ransacked the bunting. He half-heartedly tried to convince the squirrel to give him back his stuff, but finally left dejectedly. There is probably some sort of life lesson to be learned from this experience, but I'm not sure what it is, other than "watch out for crazy squirrels".
In our homeschool this week… Gohan continues to do much better with the 3rd edition of Saxon Algebra, though he is having to write his first full essay in his Oak Meadow Language Arts program and I may pull out all of my hair before we get through this ordeal.
Things I'm working on… 50 handmade, felt valentines. We learned on Monday, the 4th, that our co-op is having a Valentine's Day party on the 12th and that if we want to participate, we should bring 50 valentines and a dessert to share. Of course, Dora HAS to go. She is totally the type of kid who is into these things (in fact she recently told me that she plans to go to school when she is 7, because she wants to eat school lunches). So, I knew that I had to make the effort to make this work, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy the store bought valentines. So, I'm making 50 felt valentines in 8 days. Amazingly, I am not stressed about it at all. I've accepted my self-chosen fate and hold no resentment about doing this whatsoever, even though I consider not dealing with mass quantities of un-heartfelt valentines to be one of the many perks of homeschooling. I'm putting love into every stitch of every single Valentine I make, which no store bought valentine could ever do. I hope that the recipients are able to feel a bit of that love, which is what Valentine's Day is supposed to be about. What about you, are you doing anything special with your children for Valentine's Day?
A photo, video, link, or quote to share: The poem that Dora and I read this week is from Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature, by Nicola Davies.
The Horse
The horse is so big!
It runs across the field, mane flying.
It's exciting and scary at the same time.
But its warm breath smells of the barn,
of hay and comfort,
and when it takes the carrot from your hand,
its dark eye is quiet
and its nose is velvet,
softer than your own cheek.
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Labels: Things To Do Around Seattle, Valentine's Day, Wrapping Up Our Week
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Homeschool Mother's Journal–Still No Snow
In my life this week… I watched the entire third season of Downton Abbey. I even ordered some Downton Abbey fan shirts, one of which reads, "Free John Bates". This is all very unusual for me. I think the last show I was obsessed with was Star Trek: Next Generation (in the late 80'sand early 90's), and I never bought a fan shirt for that! I am happy that I don't need to worry about reading anymore Downton spoilers! I won't spoil anything for all of you though, so I won't say anything more about the show, other than I am eager for season four.
It looks like Tertia did not have tonsil stones after all, she went back to urgent care and they diagnosed her with mono. I had no idea about this, since everyone I knew growing up, had their tonsils removed, but mono can cause horrible tonsillitis. The doctor gave Tertia some prednisone and it seemed to help some with her tonsils. Plus, her boss forbid her to come in to work all week, so she has been able to sleep a lot. So she is doing some better. The silver lining in this cloud is that Dora may have been exposed to mono and I guess young children don't get mono as badly as teens and adults do, so she may never have to deal with full-blown mono when she is older. In fact, this might explain some of Dora's recent "less than ideal" behavior. I know that some people bring their kids to "pox parties" to expose their children to chicken pox while they are still young, but it seems like they should also add "mono parties" to their social repertoire while they are at it.
Places we're going and people we're seeing… My mother-in-law left on Wednesday. Her visit was rather non-eventful, other than she was miserable with our weather and didn't want to go many places, as a result. So, we did not make it to the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which is partially outside. I did take Dora to the Imagine Children's Museum yesterday. We stayed for several hours, during which Dora spent the whole time stressed out, because other kids kept "milking" the pretend cow and Dora felt it should be her cow. I had no idea that she was so obsessed with cows, but now she wants us to buy a cow (not happening)! We finally had to leave when our paid parking was about to expire and Dora threw the worst tantrum in her life. She was so exhausted by the end of it! Waldorf educators warn about exposing young children to too much stimulation and I am not sure if that was not the case for her. The museum is always crowded when we go and many of the kids are out of control. It has tons of visual and aural stimulation and overall, I wonder if it is just not too much for Dora's delicate sensory system.
Things I'm working on… I'm still trying to finish Dora's scarf. I also added acorn caps to the fall monthly gnomes that I made for Dora and I've cut out some felt to make flower hats for the spring gnomes. I still needed to settle on what I am going to do for the summer and winter gnomes.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share… This is the song that I read with Dora this week. We are still trying to read poems and sing songs about snow, in hopes of encouraging some snow to appear, but still no luck. In fact, we're about to give up. This poem comes from an anthology from Wynstones Press, entitled, Winter: A Collection of Poems, Songs and Stories for Young Children.
Where the country's deep with snow,
carts and coaches cannot go.
Now's the time to take the sleigh,
down the hills and far away.
Down the slipp'ry slope we slide
Bumping swaying side to side.
If you tumble now and then-
Climb the hill and start again.
-G. Russell-Smith
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Disclosure: Some item links in this post are affiliate links. I will make a small amount of money if you click on them and make a purchase. All opinions expressed, however, are 100% my own.
Homeschool Mother's Journal–Hanging Out On Seattle's Waterfront
In my life this week… I did hear back from my nephrologist. She said that it appears that I have a rheumatological disease that has damaged the tubes in my kidneys. She wants me to see a rheumatologist before she does anything more than continue to supplement my potassium, which may be all that she ever does, besides monitor my kidneys, anyway. She said that it is highly unlikely that my kidneys will get better, even if the rheumatologist gets my immune system under control. The rheumatologist is booked until the end of February and this doesn't bother me at all, as I am in no hurry to start taking the medicines that are used to treat rheumatological disorders, which really seem rather unhealthy to be taking. I do know that the meds will help to prevent my body from attacking any of my other organs, which is good, but I am unclear as to whether or not I will have more energy once I am on these meds.
In our homeschool this week… Gohan started Algebra 1. Mathematically, he is capable of doing the work, but the vocabulary is tripping him up (dyslexia rears its ugly head even in math). So he is needing much more help than usual. He is learning a lot about using an index and being more careful to be sure which word is being used (today he looked up the definition for "constant", when the word he needed to know was "coefficient" – needless to say, this made him quite confused and led to a very confusing conversation between me and him, before I figured out what the heck he was talking about).
Places we're going and people we're seeing… Last week, we did end going to the The Seattle Great Wheel. While it had been overcast at our house, it was clear and sunny, albeit cold, in Seattle. So we enjoyed a spectacular view. The top photo in this post was taken from the ground and is of the Olympic Mountains as seen across the Puget Sound. The second photo in this post is of the Space Needle, which I took from the Ferris Wheel. You can see the Seahawks' flag was flying on top of the Space Needle, as this was two days before their intensely emotional defeat by the Falcons (I don't follow sports at all, but even I can't avoid, but to hear some sports news on occasion). The cars of the Ferris wheel are all enclosed, with heat/AC, kind of like mini-airplanes. Dora, Secunda, and I were the only three to go and none of us minded the height, but if you are at all prone to a fear of heights, it does go up 200 feet high. After the Ferris Wheel, we went for a short stroll on the Seattle Waterfront and Dora enjoyed some cotton candy and a ride on the merry-go-round.
Finally, we walked over to the aquarium for about an hour. We were all a bit pooped out and I wanted to leave early enough to beat Seattle's Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic, so we didn't get to enjoy the aquarium as much as we usually would have. Still, we saw many exhibits, including these sea horses…
…and this very active octopus, which I had never seen before and which scared Dora. They had released an octopus last year, so I thought there would no longer be an octopus exhibit, but it sounds like they bring a new one in every year or so and then release it after having it mate on a blind date on Valentine's Day (I really did not make this stuff up). Anyhoo… whenever I have tried to see the octopus, it always hides in the corner and looks very small and muted to me. This octopus was huge and a brightly colored. It was also moving around a lot. I didn't get the best photo of the it, as I did not want to use my flash when it was so close to me, since I felt it would hurt its eyes.
My favorite thing this week was… Watching Kiki's Delivery Service with Dora. One of the older kids started watching it and Dora got really caught up in it. I was quite surprised, but excited, as I am a real fan of Hayao Miyazaki's films. Unfortunately, most of his movies are a bit too scary for me to allow Dora to watch them, but Kiki's Delivery Service is a good movie, whose main character is a strong, grounded, and genuinely-kind female role model. Dora watched it a couple of times this week and it was lots of fun to sit with her watching one of my favorite movies and trying to answer all of her questions.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share… This is the short poem that I read with Dora this week. We have been trying to read poems and sing songs about snow, in hopes of encouraging some snow to appear, but no such luck. This poem comes from an anthology from Wynstones Press, entitled, Winter: A Collection of Poems, Songs and Stories for Young Children.
Whenever a snowflake leaves the sky,
It turns and turns to say goodbye.
"Goodbye, dear cloud, cool and grey."
Then lightly travels on its way.
And when a snowflake finds a tree
"Good day," it says, "good day to thee."
Thou art so bare and lonely here
I'll call my friends to settle near."
- anonymous
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Disclosure: Some item links in this post are affiliate links. I will make a small amount of money if you click on them and make a purchase. All opinions expressed, however, are 100% my own.
Seasonal Field Trips
This year, Dora has been at a wonderfully fun age for enjoying Christmas with. As such, we've been going on a ton of fieldtrips. We made our annual trek to Seattle to see some of the seasonal highlights there, starting with the 20th Annual Gingerbread Village, an event which raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Northwest Chapter. As always, the gingerbread "houses" were amazing! The theme this year is "Once Upon a Time". The gingerbread castle above is a replica of the castle which the Beast, from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, lives in.
This is the Brother's Grimm Castle of Fairytales.
While in Seattle, we also went to the Seattle Festival of Trees, which is hosted at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The Festival "raises funds for uncompensated care, which allows Seattle Children's to provide quality medical care to all children of the Region regardless of a family's ability to pay."
In addition to the Christmas Tree display/auction, the Festival of Tree includes the famous Teddy Bear Suite. This is a hotel suite that has been decked out for Christmas and is full of teddy bears. It makes a great photo-op, but can get really crowded later in the season. I am hoping that one of these years we might just stay at the Fairmont for a night and enjoy the seasonal displays without having to deal with parking, plus partake of their holiday tea while we're there.
Last weekend, we went to a gingerbread house making workshop, which is a fundraiser for the local Children's Museum, KidsQuest. If I have it my way, I will never again try to make a gingerbread house outside of these workshops. The houses are pre-assembled, which in itself, is worth the entry fee. They also have tons of candies, cookies, sprinkles, gum, etc. to decorate your house with. Dora decided that she hated the feeling of the frosting, so she nominated herself for dictator. She told us where things were to go, while Secunda and I did all of the actual work (Dora also noted that it was much easier to dictate if she was chowing down on candy at the same time). As you can see here, Dora had a one-track mind, which was saying "when can I get my mouth on that gingerbread house?".
Of course we had to go to the Reindeer Festival at Cougar Mountain Zoo, where we not only were treated to two new baby reindeer (only one shown here, with his mama rolling her eyes at me), but low and behold, we found a fairy house in the Magic Forest! This was a total surprise to us. Dora had just asked me why it was called the Magic Forest and I speculated that maybe fairies lived there or something. All of a sudden, we came around a corner and the fairy house, complete with Christmas tree and lights, was just sitting there. I guess it has been there all this time, bit we never saw it before!
Dora told everyone how disappointing it was that we never got to see the fairies that lived in this house, though we waited, and waited, and waited (oh yeah, did I mention that we waited?).
Another fairy-ish-themed event that we attended in Seattle was Dora's first concert, which was the Kindermusik Symphony Serenade. One of the characters that was part of the show, was the Story Fairy. Dora fell madly in love with the Story Fairy and was crying in the bathroom, because the Story Fairy's wings were "just so beautiful". I kid you not!
An event that we actually attended last month, was Dora's first play, which was not Christmas themed, but fun nonetheless. She sat through the entire play with no problem. It was a highly-adapted version of The Three Little Pigs. I had planned to buy a CD of the play's music, but after listening to Dora sing "Piggy Power" all day for several days in a row, I decided that such a purchase was not in my best interests, psychologically speaking.
This weekend, we will be off to ride the Santa Train at the Northwest Railway Museum. This picture is one of the museum's from several years ago, I only wish we would be greeted by so much snow tomorrow, that would make for a truly memorable affair (in fact, Dora's memories of Mommy freaking out from driving down the mountain in so much snow, would probably be permanently seared into her brain and result in many hours of future therapy for her).
Labels: Christmas, Things To Do Around Seattle, Winter
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
The Homeschool Mother's Journal–The Election Is Finally Over, Thank Goodness!
In our homeschool this week…Gohan was too sick this week to do any schooling. So Dora got a lot more quality time with me. With the short hours of daylight, these made for some long days. Fortunately, I had a few rabbits to pull our from under my hat. Firstly, we made a calico corn necklace. I read many sets of instructions for making these and I have decided that all appear to have been cut and pasted from one source. None of them tell you how to actually remove the corn from the husks – it ends up that you can just pop them off with your fingers. They all claim that you need to soak the corn in water just over night – after 48 hours, our corn was almost as hard as it was when I first put it in the water, so I finally microwaved the bowl of water and corn for five minutes and the corn softened right up. Then we were able to easily thread the corn with a sewing needle. Dora was even able to do some of it by herself.
Places we're going and people we're seeing… Dora wanted to go to the Children's Museum, but since she has turned four, she is no longer allowed to go into her favorite part of our local museum. So we traveled to Everett to renew our membership with the Imagine Children's Museum. This is one cool museum, it even has a roof top playground to go on, if it happens to stop raining long enough while you are there.
We also took Secunda's dog for a hike at Evans Creek Preserve, a new park that just opened in our area. It was very nice to enjoy some of the last sunny days of the season, though the temps were dropping into the mid-40's.
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The Homeschool Mother's Journal–We Finally Make Some Melted Crayon Art
In my life this week… it looks like Mr. Mo has a new job. It is at the same large company that he has worked for the last 15 years, but it is a better position on a project that he is passionate about. He hasn't officially been given the job as his prospective boss has been out of town, but the group has already given him loads of work to do, so we're taking that as a positive sign that he has the job. Unfortunately, he has to finish up his current project at the same time, so he is being pulled in two directions at once. Were it me in the same situation, I'd probably implode or something, but Mr. Mo handles stress fairly well.
In our homeschool this week… Dora and I did the final vertebrate craft project that I forgot to do last week. This one was about birds. It was one of those melty-crayon projects that was all the rage on Pinterest last spring. I finally just got around to doing one. I cut out a bird template on black cardstock. Then I needed to temporarily affix it to our background paper somehow. I admit that this part of the project temporarily flummoxed me. How does one temporarily attach paper to paper and have a good seal, but not have the adhesive stick out beyond the template? I'm sure there are some wonderful temporary adhesives that I could have gone out and bought, but I did not feel like dealing with that, so I rolled up loops of painter's tape to make "double-sided" painter's tape and used that. Were I to do this again, I would get a better temporary sealant.
We then used glue tape to attach unwrapped crayons all around the bird in a rainbow pattern, of course. We opted to use any and all crayons that we don't use anymore, including broken, soy, and beeswax crayons (beeswax crayons are really hard to melt, so I don't recommend them). At this point I would like to point out the real reason this is not a good preschooler project, Dora unwrapped one, yes count them, one, crayon and I unwrapped the rest. Unwrapping that many crayons takes forever and leaves tons of crayon wax under your nails!
We then blow-dried the crayons with our hair dryer on the hottest setting. I know that the people on Pinterest use heat guns, but I don't have one of those either. The hair dryer worked fine, though it may have taken longer than a heat gun would have (I wouldn't know, having never used a heat gun and not being really sure what a heat gun is for). Unfortunately, some of the crayon seeped under our bird stencil, which is why I would use a better temporary adhesive, were I to do this again.
I am inspired by… Charlotte Mason. Not to sound like a broken record, and no, I am not abandoning Montessori, but after reading Charlotte Mason's books this week, I took Dora on a nature walk. Dora was not really interested in much and was being a bit whinny. I followed some of Charlotte Mason's advice and said, "What was that I just heard?" Dora looked at me like I was crazy. So I said, "I think I just heard an interesting bird sound." Suddenly Dora started really listening to what was going on around us, for the first time in her life! She spent about 15 minutes listening to the various bird calls, none of which I could identify BTW, because I have never made any attempts to learn about nature, until just recently.
Places we're going and people we're seeing… We did the usual drama, music and co-op classes. We also went on two nature walks. Then today Dora and I went to Remlinger Farms with some great friends (we even got to meet their Grandma, who Dora started calling "Grandma" also). We had a blast at the park and a blast seeing our friends and to top it all off, we got to take home two new pumpkins! Tomorrow, we're supposed to go on a tour of our local fire station. Plus Secunda is home from college this weekend.
I'm reading… The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (wait a minute, did you just do a double take!?!? You should have!). Yes, the book is by the J.K. Rowling of the Harry Potter fame! I'm only on chapter 6, as I just started it, but so far, it is excellent. It is a murder mystery that takes place in an English village. I wouldn't go so far as to call the book a cozy, as there is a bit too much sex and profanity for that, but it is heading in a cozy-ish direction. It's definitely a book for adults, not children or tweens (perhaps teens???).
Please note my left sidebar for all the awesome link-ups that I am participating in.
Disclosure: Some item links in this post are affiliate links. I will make a small amount of money if you click on them and make a purchase. All opinions expressed, however, are 100% my own.
Labels: Arts and Crafts, Nature Study, Things To Do Around Seattle, Wrapping Up Our Week
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
The Homeschool Mother's Journal–A Week of Bat Guano
In my life this week… I spent a good portion of the week with my hands in bat guano (AKA bat poop). True story! Why in the world would I do that, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked! This summer has been a very dry summer in the Pacific Northwest. Almost all of the perennials that I planted in the spring were fried, despite my best efforts. I decided that I am getting a bit tired of the vicious cycle of buying new plants every spring and then having them fried every summer. So I decided that I am going to experiment with planting more native-ish seeds in the fall and see if I can't get my plants to survive heat waves by having more established root systems. Anywhoo… long story short, I really wanted to enrich my soil to improve the chances of my experiment working, so I found some awesome compost that has bat guano, chicken manure, and worm castings (that would be worm poop!) in it. You'd think I would have worn gloves to work with the stuff, wouldn't ya? Well, a normal person would have and I had the best of intentions, but I just have this thing about working with my bare hands… I guess I feel like I make a better connection with the soil or some other esoteric something or other…. I can't really explain it. I pretty much only wear gloves to protect myself from prickles and bugs.
In our homeschool this week… Dora and I finished up her study of vertebrates this week, by studying fish. We labeled the parts of the fish on a Montessori puzzle, read some fish books, and made this fish diorama by using two painted paper plates and Saran Wrap for the "window".
Places we're going and people we're seeing… On Monday, Gohan had drama and Dora had music class. Tuesday, they both had co-op. Wednesday found us at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (that blurry little thing in the photo above was a Coho fry, which was smaller than my pinky and jumping after a tiny little bug – it took 75 photos, shot non-stop, to get this image!). Thursday we attended our first Park Day with our local homeschool group and had a blast. Friday will find Dora and I had a Tiny Tots Symphony concert.
My favorite thing this week was… That the weather turned more fall-ish. I know a lot of people have been loving the extended summer that we have been having, but I've not been enjoying it at all. I LOVE autumn! It is my absolute favorite season! As is, we lost out on a lot of fall color, due to this wacky weather. A lot of leaves just went straight from green to brown.
What's working/not working for us… So far, Gohan's homeschooling is going really well. We're using Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra and I honestly don't care if some people consider it to be "light", which I'm not sure if I even agree with, it works for him and that's what is important.
Questions/thoughts I have… Should I try to incorporate more of a Charlotte Mason approach into Dora's homeschooling, she clearly learns really well from "living" books, yet there are many aspects of the Charlotte Mason approach that I do not like, such as dictation and memorization, not to mention that we are what would could be considered "secular humanists".
Things I'm working on… I'm needle felting some pumpkins, using the wool and directions from Bear Creek Design. So far, so good! Needle felting seems to be a fiber art that I am actually competent at! I find it incredibly relaxing to do in the evenings (especially while playing My Little Ponies!).
I'm grateful for… Mr. Mo, I couldn't ask for a better husband!
A photo, video, link, or quote to share… Dora grew her own pumpkin this year!
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Labels: Arts and Crafts, Science, Things To Do Around Seattle, Wrapping Up Our Week
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Visiting the Museum of Flight to See an Aerocar
If you haven't noticed, we have been going on a lot of fieldtrips the last couple of week. This is something I do every year, at this time. September is the absolute best time to fit in field trips. The weather is still fine and since school just started, the museums aren't packed with public school field trips yet. Our most recent trip was to the Museum of Flight in Renton, WA. Our trip was inspired by Dora's recent interest in cars that can fly. She really didn't seem to be able to understand why cars can't fly. The idea of being able to have a vehicle that can easily convert from road travel to air travel does seem like a good idea, on the surface. I wasn't really interested in teaching her about all of the logistics that make this idea quite difficult, I just thought it would be cool for her to see that people have actually created such a device.
The Museum of Flight has really grown since we last went there! Dora's favorite part of the place was the "traffic control tower" where you can listen to flight chatter and watch the planes come and go from the small, regional airport (as opposed to SeaTac, which is the big passenger plane airport in our area).
The museum has a Space Gallery, but Dora was scared of the area, because it was dimly lit.
The museum has a whole building devoted to the history of early aviation. This building is actually a two-story barn, which is the "historic birth place of the Boeing Airplane Company" (whatever that means).
The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing has two floors dedicated to World War I and World War II fighting planes. Unfortunately Dora was pooped by the time we got to this building, so I really didn't get to see much, which was disappointing as it was the only part of the main museum that I have never seen.
Dora is too young for us to have seen everything, such as the movies, Air Force One, etc. but she did see a lot of planes…
…and enjoyed a lot of the museum's interactive exhibits.
What about you? Have you been on any fun field trips recently?
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Labels: Things To Do Around Seattle
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Wordless Wednesday–Houghton Beach in September
Labels: Things To Do Around Seattle, Wordless Wednesday
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Homeschooling With Field Trips–Kubota Garden Is Not Haunted!
I have wanted to go to Kubota Garden for many years now. We actually tried to go once, but it was on Mother's Day and let me just say, "Do yourself a favor, stay away from gardens on Mother's Day." It was so crowded that we left and I kind of forgot about Kubota Garden, until recently, when something reminded me that I wanted to go there. I thought Dora would enjoy going there, so I typed "Kubota Garden" into Google to get the address. Well, imagine my surprise when Google suggested that I try "Kubota Garden haunted"! According to Ghost Hunter's Guide to Seattle (referring to the Heart Bridge in Kubota Garden):
When walking over this bridge from west to east, sensitive visitors may feel the rush of unseen men running past them as if they are being chased. The sensation is not detected when walking east to west. One psychic described the men as short, dressed in black or dark Asian clothing, and wearing small cloth hats. These spirits are frightened, but they dash across the bridge in silence.
There is no record of civil disturbance taking place in the Kubota Garden. But in the early days of World War II, Japanese living in this neighborhood – including the Kubota family – were rounded up by military police and loaded on trucks destined for internment camps in Idaho. The sadness and horror of that experience may have created an energy vortex isolated at the Heart Bridge.
Obviously, as an educated and enlightened individual, I immediately dismissed this notion with a quick snort of laughter, but still, every time I planned to head out to Kubota Garden, I found myself saying things like, "Oh, it's too rainy" or "Dora is too tired" and so forth. Then last week, we happened to be exiting the freeway, when right before me was a sign stating that Kubota Garden was 1.5 miles away! Of course, I still went to our intended destination and dilly-dallied there. When all was done, however, I had no excuse, other than irrational paranoia, to not go to Kubota Garden. It was sunny and clear, not too hot, not too cold. In other words, a perfect day to explore a beautiful 20-acre garden!
Kubota Garden was built by Fujitaro Kubota, an emigrant from the Japanese island of Shikoku. Fujitaro Kubota was a self-taught gardener, who installed many gardens throughout the Seattle area. Originally, Kubota Garden served as his family home, his landscaping business's office, and his design and display center. Thanks to the Kubota family's generosity, the garden also served for many years as a center for cultural and social gatherings for the Japanese community in the Seattle area. The garden was abandoned for four years, while the family was interred, but Fujitaro and his sons rebuilt it soon after the war. In 1981, the garden was declared a historical landmark. In 1987, the City of Seattle acquired the garden from the Kubota family. It is currently maintained by gardeners from the Department of Parks and Recreation and many dedicated volunteers.
Kubota Garden is nothing like the Japanese Garden in the Seattle Arboretum, which completely surprised me. Kubota Garden does not have all the Japanese maple trees that I usually associate with Japanese gardens. Plus, there is much more natural vegetation and winding trails in Kubota Garden. My best guess as to why Kubota Garden is so different, comes directly from the garden's website, which states that Fujitaro Kubota "wanted to display the beauty of the Northwest in a Japanese manner". The site does not say that he wanted to recreate a Japanese garden in the United States, instead he wanted to use Japanese design principles to work with the landscape that is native to the Pacific Northwest.
Dora and I really enjoyed Kubota Garden. I loved following the smaller trails, which were often hard to find and entailed walking through forest overgrowth which resembled "tree tunnels and caves". Dora loved jumping over the river stones, playing under the giant wooden umbrella, and running up and down the Moon Bridge, which symbolizes the difficulty of living a "good life" – "hard to walk up and hard to walk down" (they aren't kidding about the "hard" part, the bridge looks normal, but when you start to walk up or down it, it is amazingly steep, though not dangerously so).
I'm also happy to report that, though we crossed over the Heart Bridge in both directions a number of times, we neither saw nor felt any evidence of the garden being haunted!
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Labels: Things To Do Around Seattle
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff
Posted by Maureen Sklaroff


text:
TLC Book Tours has graciously provided me with a copy of Cane and Abe in exchange for an honest review!
Goodreads Summary:
An explosive psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author James Grippando in which Miami's top prosecutor becomes a prime suspect when his wife's disappearance may have a chilling connection to the vicious murders of beautiful women in the Florida Everglades
Unbelievable was the word for her. Samantha Vine was unbelievably beautiful. It was unbelievable that she'd married me. Even more unbelievable that she was gone . . .
Samantha died too soon. Abe Beckham's new wife, Angelina, feels like Samantha never left. Through it all, Abe has managed to remain a star prosecutor at the Miami State Attorney's Office. But his personal life is a mess, and it's about to get worse.
When a woman's body is discovered dumped in the Everglades, Abe is called upon to stay on top of the investigation. The FBI is tracking a killer in South Florida they call "Cutter" because his brutal methods harken back to Florida's dark past, when machete-wielding men cut sugarcane by hand in the blazing sun.
But when the feds discover that Abe had a brief encounter with the victim after Samantha's death, and when Angelina goes missing, the respected attorney finds himself in the hot seat. Suspicion surrounds him. His closest friends, family, professional colleagues, and the media no longer trust his motives. Was Angelina right? Was their marriage failing because he loved Samantha too much? Or was there another woman, and did Abe have a dark side that simply wanted his new but very unhappy wife gone?
My Thoughts:
This is not my usual genre of book. Normally I read young adult books and memoirs. I have never read anything by this author either, but know that he is a bestselling author, and has written over 20 novels. This book is about Abe an attorney in the State's Attorney's Office. First thing, I was unaware that attorneys help with, or are so much involved in, homicide cases. I guess I assumed they just handle the cases after the criminals are caught. According to this book that is not true. Abe gets involved with a murder case that appears to be the work of a serial killer nick named Cutter. Agent Santos (the FBI agent working the case) is not certain that the victim is a Cutter case, because the head has not been recovered, and they need it to decide if the serial killers signature is there. The Florida Everglades are apparently a very good place to dump bodies, because they decompose faster, and have a good chance of being devoured or at least chomped on by alligators. Abe is also having issues with his new wife Angelina. She seems upset that he is still associated with his former wife's (she died) family, especially with his bi-polar brother-in-law. I read the book in just a few days, and I kept wanting to know what was going on. Abe ends up being a suspect in the murder of headless woman, and is also suspected of domestic violence, especially when his wife goes missing. You are reading mainly from his point of view, so you know he is not the killer, but you keep reading because you have to know who is. I didn't really like Abe, because I felt like he made a lot of strange decisions, and kept telling lies, which obviously made the police and FBI suspicious of him. If he is a top attorney for the prosecution (which the book says he is) then he should know what problems he is creating for himself. Also, Agent Santos seemed to go back and forth a lot, with accusing Abe of all these crimes, and trying to prove he was guilty, then telling him information he didn't need/have a right to know about the case. The book has a bunch of twists at the end, even when you think it is over and you know who the killer is, the ending has more surprises. I wouldn't read this book again, but I am not ruling out this genre for future reads!The author has a website as well as a Facebook page.CANE AND ABE is on Goodreads, Amazon, IndieBound, and Barnes & Noble.
Is this a genre you normally read? Have you read any of his other books, that I should check out?