It costs a hefty piece of change to go to the movies these days. The price of a ticket may soon reach the height of the International Space Station, and the price of concession snacks rivals the cost of a surf and turf dinner. Going to the movies has become a large investment of time and money. The last thing you want is to be disappointed in the movie you chose to see.
My good friend Lora Lee, author of sweet romances and cozy mysteries, is Serious Whimsy’s special guest today. Lora Lee’s latest release, Bringing in the Thieves, Book One of her Joyful Noise Mysteries, is laced throughout with her signature knee-slapping Texas humor.
[I love the book title’s play on words, and Miss Nettie’s unintentionally humorous church newsletter column alone is worth the price of the book. See the excerpt below. :)]
Bringing in the Thieves introduces us to irreverent Frankie Lou Birmingham McMasters, a preacher’s prodigal daughter, whose former bad girl reputation still clings to her like hair on soap.
“Oh, it’s good to be bad.” So say the villains in recent Jaguar commercials on TV. Not so for Frankie Lou. When she returns to her hometown of Ruby Springs, Texas, she soon finds out that it’s not all that good to be bad, that people have long memories, and that Thomas Wolfe was probably right. You Can’t Go Home Again.
Here’s the author herself to tell you more. Welcome, Lora Lee! Continue reading »
There are so, so many franchise restaurants in this country of ours. Sometimes I think there are too many. I imagine that most people tend to patronize them because they know exactly what they’re going to get wherever they happen to be during their travels, and they don’t worry about unpleasant surprises.
But what about pleasant surprises? What about the thrill of discovery? We miss out on both if we overlook mom and pop restaurants and other little hole in the wall gems.
Take the mom and pop cafe that Macho Guy and I found on Mount Dessert Island when we visited Acadia National Park. This was a definite gem. We stopped in just for a little snack. MG had his taste buds set for a lobster roll, and that’s what he ordered. I was in the mood for blueberry pie. The wedge of pie served to me was huge, three inches high, and tightly packed full of blueberries with just enough blueberry juice for moistness. The crust was light and flaky. One bite and I was in Heaven. The cafe owners were retired military who met and married while in the Army. If that pie was an example of Army chow, I would have enlisted years ago. Continue reading »
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the day the torture begins. I should be more pious. I know I should, but I dread the start of Lenten Season. My will power—such as it is—simply isn’t up to it.
I never minded the fasting and abstinence all that much. It helped me lose weight as I aged. It’s the giving up stuff for Lent that bugs me. Who came up with that anyway? I could have missed it, but I don’t remember seeing anything about it in scripture. So why do we have to give up something we like for Lent? Why can’t we just fast, abstain, and suffer hunger pangs? Continue reading »
It isn’t fair when pet peeves pile on. Enduring one in a day is annoying enough. Enduring two in the same day is cruel and unusual punishment.
On a very recent Saturday afternoon, Macho Guy and I decided to see a movie. As it happens, I have a bone to pick with the movie theater experience. There once was a time when people went to the movies and actually saw just that—movies—and a cartoon or two, or even a double feature. Movie theaters hyped the fact that unlike television, when you went to the movies, you didn’t have to watch commercials. Continue reading »
