What Was That Sound?

What Was That Sound?

This morning, a strange sound woke me. At first, I didn’t recognize it. It had a nice ring to it as it plunked onto something metal outside. Another noise over-shadowed it, a soft rumble. Aha! Thunder! Rain. At last, it was raining. Now, the morning is still dark. Rain has stopped, but the clouds promise […]

Shelling Corn

Shelling Corn

My mother, Susie Latty Day, told me this story about a fun time during her childhood. The year was around 1918. These are her words. One chore we always enjoyed was shelling corn to be taken to the grist mill and ground into meal. At supper, Papa would announce that we had to shell corn […]

Who Goes There?

Who Goes There?

Who comes through my yard at night When all is dark and still, When the only sound, for miles around Is the call of the whippoorwill? I’ve often wondered what animals amble through the yard under cover of darkness, maybe stopping for a drink at the bird bath? Nemo had an encounter with one the […]

The Menace in the Middle

The Menace in the Middle

Do the first lines of a new book tell you whether you want to read the whole thing? First lines are important. So are final lines, but how about the middle? The middle of a mystery is important too. These are middle lines from my seven cozy mysteries.  Can you identify the book each is […]

Sort of Eerie

Sort of Eerie

This is sort of an eerie morning. The sunrise was yellow, then clouds obscured it and rain began. Not a leaf is stirring. The nighttime cat headed across my lawn toward home a bit ago. The sky is dark now and I suspect rain is still falling softly.  My furry little four-legged barometer is sticking […]

When the Light Turns Golden

When the Light Turns Golden

There’s something about the late afternoon, just before the supper hour, when the day is winding down  and the light lies golden and still through the windows. There’s a hush, a silence in the rooms, a quiet acceptance that the day is over and soon the sun will slip beneath the horizon.  What do you […]