Good day, lazy, happy evening

My friend Betty and I have lots of adventures on our weekly dining trips, but tonight was an old favorite--Pappadeaux. But with a twist. We split the Greek salad for one, as usual--so good, but so large--and then ordered oysters. We split the Oyster Duo with Rockefeller and a Romano Parmesan sauce--three of each. But we liked the cheese ones so much we ordered another half dozen. Lots of laughs and lots of good food--and a bit of nice chardonnay. After dinner, Betty swung by her house to show off her garden, which truly is lush and lovely--I love the use of all kinds of ferns. She of course can name them but was stumped when I asked her to name the yellow flowering bush in my yard. Greg has told me the name, but I don't seem to be able to hold it in my brain. I'll ask again when he comes Friday. I came home and went out on the porch to read but was antsy--not unusual--about what waited for me on my desk. So I came in, fed the dogs, changed clothes, and settled down to write this blog and the guest blog I should have written two days ago.
But it was a nice end to a good day. Maybe it was the peanut butter toast that started it out right. (I admit many mornings when I only have cottage cheese, I'm hungry well before lunch.) At a routine doctor's appointment, the doctor confirmed that no carbs might indeed by making me cranky. He said the trick is low carb, not no carb. I finally unhooked that ugly old, really old TV in my bedroom and gave it to Booker, the crossing guard, who says his grandkids will use it for video games. And I returned the U-Verse equipment from that set to AT&T at the UPS store that I didn't even know existed downtown. The kind of little things that you're glad to get done and off your conscience.
So now on to a blog about whether or not a serial killer fits into a cozy mystery--sure hope I can make a case for it, since that's the main plot point of No Neighborhood for Old Women.
And then? The luxury of reading someone else's cozy--just finished The Last Word by Ellery Adams and thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend it highly. Now starting The Scarlet Pepper by Dorothy St. James, one of her White House gardener series.
A good day.

A Sluggish Day and a couple of good mysteries

I don't know if it's the rainy day (blessed rain brought not only moisture but much cooler temperatures and our record-setting heat wave is over) or the fact that I didn't go anywhere, didn't even put make-up on or maybe a combination, but I have been sluggish. Where I intended to write on my non-fiction book this morning, I piddled, doing odds and ends. In retrospect, I did good things--ordered a new console for my exercise bike, made an appointment to have my brake light fixed--two kind souls have told me they were behind me and it's out, not the kind of thing you can test alone. I contacted the president of O. B. Macaroni (included in my book) and will go pick up a privately printed history of the company tomorrow, tried to call someone at Best Maid Pickles and left a message, and explored the website for Mrs. Renfro's salsas, etc. But it was also a good day for napping and reading, and I did both. Scooby had to come in very early  because of thunder (scares him) and he's outside now, but I know would love to be back in his bed.
I finished a good mystery yesterday--A Killer Plot, which is I think the first novel by Ellery Adams. Distinctive protagonist--a girl born on the coast of North Carolina and raised in a lighthouse by her widowed father until he disappears at sea; then she is sent away to boarding schools and so forth, and finally returns as a sophisticated, wealthy woman. She joins a writers' group and the fun begins. But the book wouldn't be what it is without her dog, Haviland, a standard poodle that she sometimes calls "Captain" and takes everywhere with her. Made me wish Scooby had more training, but this dog is probably too good to be real--trained to track, attack, etc., and yet always a perfect gentleman. Olivia  even takes him into restaurants, including the upscale one she owns, and Haviland is generally accepted by the small community. He really adds spice to the book, as does Olivia who is highly independent and does not suffer fools easily.
Now I'm reading Chapter and Hearse (could NOT make the italics work) by Lorna Bartlett and enjoying it a great deal--just issued, it made the NYT best-sellers list and some others. I've read other books in Barlett's Booktown Series, set in a town revitalized by several bookstores moving to town and attracting busloads of tourists--and, of course, the predictable murders. Much as I'm enjoying it, one thing bothers me: at one point she refers to an elderly lady as old and stooped, probably in her seventies or eighties. Hey, at 72, I resent that! But don't let it keep you from Lorna's books.
Back to work. I'm determined to write my daily thousand words tonight. I seem to have great momentum on Tuesday through Thursday, lose it on the weekend. Have to write when I can.