The adventures of a small, green frog and a little brown toad inspired a generation or two or three of children and they also inspired me. Although a fictional series by Arnold Lobel, these small amphibians taught me some real life lessons I’ve never forgot. In the first place, Frog and Toad were friends and […]
Feb 22, 2018
Cold Day, Hot Coffee, Warm Critique
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Each Cozy Critter headed straight for the fireplace as she came into my house yesterday. Next stop, coffee pot, then the hundred year old table and chocolate chip cookies. You’ll understand that while all this activity was going on, we were talking non-stop. A good way to warm up a cold day. Nancy told us […]
Feb 11, 2018
Ice and Hibernation
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Only one thing to do on a morning like this–hibernate! We don’t have a major ice storm, just ice on the roads in enough spots to make them slick. At least, most of us won’t be in Darcy and Flora’s predicament: Sleet rattled against the worn boards of the barn, and a […]
Oct 26, 2017
That Warm, Wonderful Feeling
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The warm, wonderful feeling yesterday afternoon wasn’t due completely to the fireplace, although it was snapping and blazing, or the hot, aromatic coffee or even the gingersnaps. No, that cozy feeling was because three good friends were gathered around the hundred-year old table, laughing, talking, and sharing thoughts on reading, writing, and more. Much more. […]
Oct 21, 2017
Plain Poetry from a Plain Country Woman
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by Blanche Day Manos Don’t tell me they are gone, for I can see them still The house, the spring, the burr oak tree, the barn beneath the hill. I smell the sausage sizzling, I hear the rooster crow, The sounds and scents of each new day that woke me long ago. I feel […]
Oct 17, 2017
Out of the Shadows, The Cemetery Club
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The Cemetery Club, the first Darcy and Flora cozy mystery, was written as a joint effort between my friend Barbara Burgess and me. You see, it happened this way: Barbara and I had a mutual friend, Levern, who introduced us. We three were in Rogers one beautiful Arkansas day, in an upstairs tea room in […]
