Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Autumn in the Mountains

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Late in the afternoon yesterday, we decided to go on a hike up in the mountains. It was warmish and lovely. This is the first time we’ve been up there in Autumn.

Fall hike 1

Fall hike 2

Fall hike 3

Fall hike 4

Fall hike 5

Fall hike 7

Fall hike 6

Glorious. Our shoulders dropped, the endorphins kicked in, and all this is about a mile or two from our door.

And in case you missed it, I posted this photo of Scout on the blog’s Facebook page yesterday. A bit blurry, but adorable nonetheless.

simply adorable scout

Scout, in an uncharacteristic move, put her paws up on the arm of the loveseat and looked right at me like she was ready to have a little chat. Don grabbed his iPhone and called her name and this was the result. That smile will melt your heart.

I’m in love, love, love with this picture.

By the way, the MHC Facebook Page has been neglected lately, as has my Instagram page. I’ve even considered deleting the FB page. Between writing two blogs and all my other responsibilities, it’s hard to keep IG and FB in the forefront of my daily thoughts, nor do I feel the need to most of the time. I’ll try to be better, but frankly, that’s just the way it is sometimes!

My dad is a WWII Veteran who has never romanticized war and has nightmares about his experiences as a young soldier to this day. In honor of our Veterans, may we strive to find a way to end war and the destruction and heartbreak it brings.

Happy Tuesday.

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Book Review: My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

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Today I am reviewing My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am given a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book (from the publisher): Robert Dugoni’s bestselling legal thrillers have earned him comparisons to John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Nelson DeMille, among others. In My Sister’s Grave, Dugoni returns with the powerful and poignant story of a homicide detective determined to avenge the murder of her beloved younger sister – regardless of the cost.

Seattle cop Tracy Crosswhite was a high school chemistry teacher when her teenaged sister Sarah disappeared one night on her way home to their small town of Cedar Grove. A young ex-con, Edmund House, was quickly tried and convicted of her murder. Twenty years and a career change later, Tracy has dedicated her life to questioning whether the right man went to jail. When Sarah’s remains are uncovered from a newly-exposed lake bed, new evidence seems to support Tracy’s theory that the original prosecution was deeply flawed.

Working with a childhood friend, now an attorney, to exonerate House and find Sarah’s true killer, Tracy begins to uncover long-held secrets that point to a shocking – and potentially catastrophic – truth about what happened to her sister on that long-ago night. Somewhere in Cedar Grove, a killer is waiting, and Tracy must summon the strength to confront the past in order to save her future.

My Review: I’ve not read any of Dugoni’s other books, so My Sister’s Grave was my first experience with his writing. But I’m now suddenly interested in reading those other books, as Dugoni really knows how to write a mystery that you can’t put down.

The premise of this story – a disappearance of a beloved sister twenty years ago, the obsession her older sister has to find out the truth about her murder, and a small town that was irreparably damaged by the loss of one of their own – immediately draws the reader into the mystery. Dugoni provides us with flashbacks along the way that help to tell the story of Tracy and Sarah and what happened that fateful night when Tracy let her sister drive home by herself. Tracy’s guilt has never gone away; her parents are dead, victims, in their way, of their grief for Sarah, and the town of Cedar Grove has suffered. Never having found her body, much is unexplained and Tracy has spent years compiling information and files and reports, leading her to believe that the man convicted for the murder just might not be the killer. At the very least, Tracy is suspicious of the proof provided by the prosecution.

Why was the prosecution flawed? Was there a cover-up? What secrets are still being held?

The discovery of the body is what launches this story. From that moment on, we are taken on a journey with Tracy as she fights to find out the truth. Dugoni gradually peels away the layers of the mystery like an onion, until we, at last, discover the truth. Believe me, you won’t be able to put this book down as you draw nearer and nearer to the climax of this riveting story. I was completely transfixed, to the point of not moving from my chair or answering the phone until I finished the last page.

Dugoni paints a vivid picture of the Pacific Northwest, creating the town of Cedar Grove and bringing it to life. As the story builds to the climax amidst a winter storm, you will feel the cold and the wind and the terror that lies underneath it all.

Yes, this is an unputdownable mystery, but above all, it is a beautiful story about a love that never dies.

I recommend this book highly.

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About the Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed and New York Times-bestselling author of the David Sloan series: The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One, and The Conviction. Murder One was a finalist for the Harper Lee Award for literary excellence. He is also the author of the bestselling standalone novel, Damage Control, and the nonfiction work The Cyanide Canary.

Good news! One of you will be the lucky winner of a copy of My Sister’s Grave. Just leave a comment on this post and I will choose a winner on Wednesday evening. Good luck!

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Monday.

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Dollhouse: More Recent Additions

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During the drive home on Friday, the sky treated us to an always changing, amazingly dramatic array of colors and clouds and vivid blue skies. It was late afternoon, that time before sunset, when nature sometimes puts on a dramatic show. Honestly, we kept gasping as we drove west in the Interstate – it was better than any movie, always surprising, always shifting.

I was driving and Don kept taking pictures with his iPhone.

Here’s how it looked when we got home (from my camera):

SUNDAY Sunset

I admit it. I am now fully into dollhouse mania. The only somewhat major thing I have to do is figure out the rooftop garden. Beyond that, it will be all about adding little touches throughout the rooms. I like adding accessories, but I don’t think I will be the kind of dollhouse decorator where every room is chock full of little things, as tempting as that may be. Maybe I’ll rotate things in and out of the rooms. I like creative clutter, as you know, but not clutter-clutter. And detail is wonderful, but the eye does need someplace to rest. But who knows? I may keep adding and adding.

Anyway, my friends, here are a few more photos of recent additions to the dollhouse; Hummingbird Cottage, if you, like me, sometimes forget that it has a name.

SUNDAY dh fabric bolts

These are the fabric bolts that I bought in Chautauqua at Chautauqua Miniatures.

SUNDAY plate 2

One of the plates from Barbara (it’s normally in the kitchen, but I propped it up here so you could see the pattern.)

SUNDAY flower pot

I purchased the pot of flowers from Chautauqua Miniatures.

SUNDAY trug

I’m calling this a trug. It’s from Barbara.

SUNDAY dh biscuits

The box of biscuits was made by Norma. The owner likes to sip her coffee and snack on some chocolate biscuits. Her name is Caroline. Why? It’s my middle name, in honor of my grandmother, Caroline. And it’s also the name of my great-niece.

SUNDAY dh painting

This pansy painting was one of the items I got in the mini swap. It’s very sweet.

SUNDAY kitchen tin

There’s the other tin from Barbara, right next to the mixer.

SUNDAY silver cup & Jug

At the top of the shelf unit is a lovely pottery jug from Barbara. And on the shelf is a little silver tea cup, another item I received in the swap – it was handmade by one of the participants. Amazing. (I have to straighten that tea towel!)

I added some links to the Dollhouse section up there on the navigation bar. They link to some dollhouse posts that give some helpful information to those of you who are interested in decorating and finding your very own dollhouse. Sue, your request is what got me thinking about adding the links, so thank you!

And I also started to write down – room by room – where I got each piece in the dollhouse. Some pieces have been purchased, some I’ve found and rehabbed, and many have been gifts. I want to do a post soon with pictures of each room and all the information as to each piece listed below. Then I’ll list sources and links.

Am I soon going to be done with the dollhouse? Doesn’t seem possible, but it just might happen.

Nah.

Tomorrow, a book review for a great new mystery. I really loved it. (I’ll be giving away a copy of the book.)

Happy Sunday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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