| Home » Diary Home » 10 November 2003 Diary Page |
|
Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary Week of 10 November 2003 Latest Update: Sunday, 16 November 2003 18:16 |
|
Monday, 10 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| I mentioned last week I am reading another review copy for
the Mystery Morgue web site. And Not a Penny More is the
second book in the Bay Tanner series by Kathryn R. Wall. Set in Hilton
Head, SC, Lydia "Bay" Tanner gets involved in solving a string
of murders of widows who are on holiday in foreign countries arriving at
their destinations via a certain cruise line. Bay is a CPA with an
accounting firm in Charleston. In the first book of the series apparently
she was badly injured trying to prevent a land deal scandal. Her husband
was killed by drug lords he was investigating for bringing drugs in the US
via the East Coast.
One of Bay's old school friends' mother is murdered while on a cruise. The local authorities declare it an accidental death but her daughter believes otherwise. She comes to Bay to help her solve the crime and to get the family run business books looked at for settlement of the estate. The sub-plot is Bay's connection from the first book about some legal papers she used to make a deal. Now the drug runners are after her for these papers and out to kill her. Bay's father, a retired Judge confined to a wheel chair, does not know she still has the evidence that sent the men to jail. Wall writes a good mystery. Her setting is similar to Carolyn's Hart's Broward's Rock, SC. I like Wall's main character, Bay. My only fault with the book is her smooth transition from book one to book two. While I hate to read series where the author repeats most the previous plot or plots again and again in a book, in Walls' case she doesn't give enough of the story. She makes fleeting references to things that happened in the first book but keeps me puzzled as to what happened instead of spending a paragraph or two to get me caught up. She has a third book out now, Perdition House. Hopefully the library has the first one and the new one, I would like to read them. --------------------------------- I left work early today, 2 pm, so I could get my leaves vacuumed and the grass mowed. It took about an hour and half to get it all done. Guess that's about all for now. Hope your week got off to a good start. [Top] |
|
Tuesday, 11 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Today is my one year anniversary working at the law firm. I
feel very fortunate that a part time job turned into full time and is
something I enjoy doing. I remember when I first started working at the
public library right out of library school. I was so excited about my job
and continued to love what I was doing until the last three or four years
before I quit. There are parts of that job I do miss that I try to fulfill
with my journal page doing book reviews. I loved doing what we called
Reader's Advisory, helping people to find books. Of course the research
aspect I get to do continually in both my full time time and consulting
work.
Having had to start a second career so to speak, at the law firm, I feel very fortunate to have something come along that fit my skills. In some ways it is tough having to start over with minimum days off and low pay but the benefits are good and it is a steady income. I finished up the review mystery and started another Laurie R. King, The Moor. Just got back from the gym. Time to cool down and play some ball with the guys.
[Top] |
|
Wednesday, 12 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| We have our FAS meeting tonight instead of next Wednesday
to accommodate our speaker. Several of us from the club are meeting for
dinner as usual with the speaker joining us.
Unseasonably warm weather today then turning colder. Tonight's low is to be tomorrow's high then things plummet from there with highs in the 40's and low's in the 20's with 15 to 20 mph winds! Not much else to report for today. We need to get things ready to go, dogs situated, etc.
[Top] |
|
Thursday, 13 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
|
TO make a long story short, we had to have our speaker's presentation outside with him projecting his laptop onto the side of the building. You can read the long version on Bob's page. Mike did a wonderful job presenting his research project and showing us where he works. I would love to go up there sometime and see the place plus set up a scope with the dark skies. We got home around 9:30, fed, walked, and played with the dogs. I went to bed sometime around 10 and tried to read a few chapters before turning out the lights. This afternoon I stopped by the bank and the frame shop to pick up a print I had framed then went on to the library for Friends meeting. By the time I left there at 6:45, picked up the pizza from Pizza Hut and got home it was after 6. We ate dinner and started watching West Wing from last night. Around 7 we stopped the show to walk the dogs. When I stepped into the foyer to put on my coat and grab my leash I noticed a wet place on the floor of the living room just beyond the baby gate separating the living room from the foyer. Sometime this afternoon or evening Kerry had an accident. We walked the dogs then I had to come in and mop the floor. Once I get my mail checked and this post up I will go back out and finish watching my show. Sure am glad to tomorrow is Friday.
[Top] |
|
Friday, 14 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Malcolm had his annual check up this afternoon. For the
past week he has been bothering with a place on the back of his leg up
near his butt. This afternoon while the vet was checking him over we found
a raw place he had been chewing due to allergies. Both the dogs have been
doing a lot of scratching the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, we
were at the vets when I found it because he would have had to go in anyway
to get it looked at. She gave me some cream and pills. I can also give Duncan
the same pills for the itches.
It has been a long week and I am pretty beat. Sorry for the short post.
[Top] |
|
Saturday, 15 November 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| We had a busy day at the Thompson Techno Grotto. I did a
quick bathroom and vacuum first. Then Bob and I went downstairs to tidy
and clean up that area. We have guests coming in a couple of weeks
but I have another commitment next weekend. We spent about two hours
moving around the furniture and other stuff that we had sort of let pile
up down there since Lenore died.
After vacuuming, dusting, and getting rid of the cob webs it looks pretty nice down there. Of course, in this house, when we clean up one area we always create a mess in another one. Now the unfinished side of the basement needs some work. I will tackle it tomorrow. We took a break, I walked the dogs and then we took a shower. Yes, WE took a shower...Malcolm and I, then Duncan and I. The guys got their baths in the downstairs shower. It is much easier on me because I can sit down on the built in seat rather than wrestle with them outdoors on leashes with the hose. They aren't really fond of having to get in the shower but they did pretty well once I closed the doors. Afterwards I took my shower then scrubbed down the walls and shower floor real good. Bob will clean the sink and toilet next weekend. Needless to say I was ready for a for lunch at noon when we finished up. After lunch I tackled my office then got some contract work done for a couple of hours. It has been a rather dreary, drippy day. We had an observation at Pilot Mountain scheduled for tonight but it has been clouded out. [Top] |
|
[Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| The weather liars came through again. The forecast for
today was to be rain off and on all day. We called off the golf last night
since it looked like that system coming up from the Pacific and the gulf
would be coming right over us. I slept in until 8 and when I got up it had
rained it. However, my dad lives south of us and they never had a drop.
I spent the morning relaxing and reading the paper then went over to have lunch with mom and dad. On the way home I had to stop at the store and pick up something to take for our Thanksgiving luncheon tomorrow. When I got home I started on the unfinished side of the basement. I swept the floor with the broom, which Malcolm took an exception to. Pictures on tomorrow's post. Several hours later it looked a lot better down there. Then I went out and picked up all the sticks that had blown down last week in preparation for getting the leaves up tomorrow. It is supposed to rain again on Tuesday so I want to throw out some grass seed in the some of bare spots. I've paid the bills, caught up on some mail and done a few other minor chores. The remainder of the evening will be spent reading. I did finish the Laurie R. King last night. Another great book in her Mary Russell series then started a Leslie Meier, Happy Birthday Murder. Well, tomorrow is going to be extremely busy at work if the upgrade went smoothly over the weekend. There will be a lot of data changes to handle plus learning new software. I need to get a good nights sleep tonight to be sure mentally I am sharp in the morning.
[Top] |