Author: Eva
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Pumpkin Pie Spice

Nothing says ‘fall’ like a good dose of pumpkin pie spice! Fall is here in my part of the world! It is still warm in the day but cooling down nicely at night. The air has a different smell, and the merry little breeze has a slightly crisp rustle. The wheat and corn have been…
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A Few of Our Favorite Soups

Fall is definitely here and with it comes the chance to make some of my favorite meals. We love soup at our house, so without further ado, here are a few of our favorites! Chicken Enchilada Soup In a large soup kettle, cook: 1.5 chicken breasts, chunked 1 med. onion, chopped Small bunch cilantro 2…
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Author Spotlight: Anita Waller (Kat and Mouse)

Anita Waller is a British author who was born in Sheffield, England’s fourth largest city, in 1946. She has lived all her life there. She has three adult children and seven grandchildren. Anita and Dave have been married since 1967. She published her first book at age 67, so no age is too old to…
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Four Curmudgeons and a Hero
cur·mudg·eon /kərˈməj(ə)n/ noun a bad-tempered person, especially an old one. The curmudgeons: Ove. 59 years old. Sad, cranky, unlikeable. Harold. 65 years old. Stifled, unsure, unemotional. But he walks to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Eleanor. 29 years old, but seems much older. Misfit, traumatised, lonely. Major Pettigrew. 68 years old. British Army Officer. Starchy. Correct. A Man Called…
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It Takes a Village to Raise a Teacher

After almost nine years away from teaching I went back to teach music at the same school I went to all those years ago. It was a strange sense of Deja vu walking the same halls I went to all 8 years of my formal education. I taught the upper grade classroom for 3 years…
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Slow Down, Summer
Slow down, Summer. Sit awhile on my porch Drink a cold glass of iced tea Watch the kittens play. Slow down, Summer. Enjoy the girls playing No need to think about school Old dresses are the comfiest. Slow down, Summer. Take a walk down a country lane Dip your toes in the lake Have s’mores…
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What’s Saving Your Summer?

Ah summer… It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Long days of sun and water. Sleeping until mid-morning. Reading whole books in one day. Weeding gardens in the hottest part of the day. Playing with kittens in the dappled shade. Hamburger fries and watermelon. Hot dogs and s’mores. Friends and family. But, what if…
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We Need You, Teachers
We need you, teachers. Who else is going to teach our children the three Rs with such enthusiasm? Certainly not the moms! We tried that during c***d, and no one wants to go back. Plus, you all do such a great work! It’s summertime and you may not feel like being bothered with saying yes…
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Kurland St. Mary mystery series (and an explanation of cozy mysteries)

Catherine Lloyd, 2013-2021 Cozy Mystery This series is regency-set historical mysteries. They are all set in the rich countryside out of London. In Death Comes to the Village, the first book of the series, a wounded soldier and the rector’s daughter find strange happenings in the small village of Kurland St. Mary. Major Robert Kurland…
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The Ideal Life

Remember those pictures of pastoral beauty with farms dotting the countryside in every Ideals? Small (by today’s standards) silos proudly watch over the farmstead. Trees mark yards and creeks. Roads with miniscule tractors and pickups forever driving on them… All the crops are growing… Rivers wind through the countryside…. Farmyards are mowed and trimmed… The…
