SATURDAY SMILES 9/21/2019

*  I am getting ready for my trip to Nevada to visit my oldest son and dil.  I am so excited.  There is also a new member of the family...a new grandpuppy by the name of Buster.  Sadly, my son's dog, Snoofer, passed away in June and they both have been so sad.  I was happy to hear that they went to the animal shelter and adopted another to lavish their love on.  I can't wait to meet my newest grandpuppy and see the kids!

*  I've discovered a new book series.  I love to read a book series.  The characters, setting and story lines become so familiar that you swear you are living in the same place and know them as neighbors, friends, family, etc.  The only problem with reading a series is that I get caught up and have to wait, what seems like forever, for the next one.  I started with Sue Grafton's alphabet series which got me hooked on book series.  Then I went to Joann Fluke's "Hannah Swenson Mysteries".  Now I am happily involved in Jenn McKinlay's "Library Lover's Mysteries".

* Our neighbor came by while my youngest son was visiting.  They talked for a bit and then my son headed for home.  A little while later, my neighbor returned with a jar of homemade bread and butter pickles (yum) and as he was leaving, he said to me "Your son has grown into a fine young man."  I agreed wholeheartedly with a big smile.  It was nice to hear someone say that other than family.

*Since we are getting to the end of the month and it will soon be time for our big monthly grocery shopping, we decided to clean out the freezer before filling it up with all the winter comfort food.  After pulling everything out of the freezer downstairs and putting it in the refrigerator freezer in the kitchen, we have been creating menus for each item.  I am happy to say that we have used up a lot of food items and there will be plenty of room in the downstairs freezer for winter comfort food.

A Rave and a Rant!

My husband and I went out of town for a few days and on the whole had a very good time.  We discovered new shops and new restaurants in a place where we have been going for years.  It was such fun to make new discoveries in an old familiar place.

First, the Rave. 

I always go to Barnes & Noble when we visit this city.  It is my happy place.  Books, Vanilla Cappuccino, music, bathrooms, cafe...I could live there.  I have a member rewards card which I use to get discounts on my purchases including my vanilla cappacinos.  I was standing in the line to get my favorite delicious drink behind a woman who was also ordering.  The clerk asked her if she had a rewards card, she said no.  I pulled mine out and said, "use mine."  The clerk took it and told the woman she would get a discount on her order using my card.  The woman looked surprised and turned to me and thanked me.  This is something I do fairly often just as a small kindness to someone else.  I thought nothing more about it and sat down at a table with my drink and books.  A few minutes later, the clerk came up to me and set a plate with 2 large cookies on it in front of me.  I explained that I had not ordered them but she smiled and said that the woman I had let use my card ordered them for me as a thank you.  What a thoughtful gift on a Thursday afternoon.

Now, my Rant.

My husband and I were driving on our way home from our mini vacation and stopped at a traffic light.  I looked at a house next to the road and saw that the resident had hung an American flag on the front porch.  It had the blue field with white stars and white stripes but in place of the red stripes were images of AR15 rifles in red.  I was shocked to say the least.  Let me start by saying that I believe in the Consitution and the right of free speech but that, to me, was an insult to a symbol of this great country.  With all the mass shootings that have been happening and it seems the AR15 has turned out to be the gun of choice, how could anyone display such a thing and in such a context as the American Flag!  This desecration of an American symbol is, in my opinion, unpatriotic, insulting and shameful.  It was an upsetting end to a very good mini vacation.

Did You Know...Anatomy of a Murder?

The 1959 film "Anatomy of a Murder" was filmed on location in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan?

1.  The author of the book was Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver. Voelker based the novel on a 1952 murder case in which he was the defense attorney. John Voelker lived in Ishpeming, MI which is apx 30 miles from my home.

2.  The film was shot in several locations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Big Bay, Marquette, Ishpeming, and Michigamme). Some scenes were filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, one block from the Lumberjack Tavern, the site of the 1952 murder that inspired much of the novel.

3.  My father-in-law was the coroner for the real life murder that the book and film are based on.

4.  My husband recalls riding on his bike with friends to the Marquette County Courthouse to see if they could get a glimpse of any of the stars who were filming there.