Happy International Corgi Day!

 In celebration of Corgis

Princess Annabelle



Now


And



Then

Baby Annabelle





And, we'll always have wonderful memories of our Harley ❤

https://kayewilkinsonbarley.com/books/my-name-is-harley/

Baby Harley

❤ ❤ ❤ 

Museum for One

 

This photo popped into my feed at Facebook.  Entitled "Museum for One."

This intrigued me.

And got me to thinking . . .

What work of art would I choose for my Museum for One?

I love art.  Love wandering through museums and galleries. 

 Choosing a piece to bring home while on vacation.

There are, of course, many works of art, by a wide array of artists, I love above all others.  I've been lucky enough to have seen several of them, and look forward to seeing more.

If you could choose ONE piece of art that you love more than any - what would it be?  A piece you want to spend time with.  Maybe be able to just sit with it for as long as you want.  Soak in every detail.  Get lost in it.

(I know.  It's HARD!!)

Here's mine.

I was unprepared for the impact Pompon's sculpture made.

  I was unfamiliar with François Pompon, had never heard of The White Bear.  Donald and I happened on him in the Musée d’Orsay and fell in love.

The White Bear (Ours blanc) at the Musée d’Orsay

"The White Bear (Ours blanc), created by French sculptor François Pompon between 1923 and 1933, is one of the most celebrated works of modern animalier sculpture. It is a monumental white stone statue measuring 163 cm high, 251 cm long, and 90 cm deep, weighing about 4 tons Musée d'Orsay. The piece was purchased by the French state in 1927 and has been on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris since 1986 LP ART."

I ended up buying a small version so I could have him close by.  He sits on a shelf in our bedroom.  

I love him

❤ ❤ ❤

About the Bracelet Thing . . .

I'm still making bracelets.  Still enjoying it.

Some are political.

        Some mildly political, some more aggressive . . . 

Definitely leaning left.

Some are whimsical.

Some have a message.

Some are just a single word that I happen to like.  

The word might be "sparkle."

Or, it might be "fuck."

I never really plan them ahead.

I just sit down with a full table of beaded letters - some small, some larger.  Some in black and white, some in colors.

Beads, beads, beads - lots of sizes, lots of colors.

I may have just read the news and I'm feeling angry, sad, pissed, whatever.  

So I make a bracelet.

I let the beads speak.

Sort of like when characters let a writer know where they want to go, what they want to say, and who they might want to slap.

The question has been asked, "Do you sell them?"

I think probably not.

Here's why.

First, they're very cheap.  They're on elastic string that I cannot imagine will last too long before breaking from being worn often, or suffering from dryrot from non-use.

Second.  Postage costs have gone crazy.  I put three bracelets, wrapped only in tissue paper in a brown 5 x 7 envelope to mail to a girlfriend.  The Post Office charge was over  $10.00.

So.  The little bracelets pile up.  I dig through to choose a few to wear when i leave the house.  If someone notices them and mentions liking them, i will give them one or two of those I'm wearing.  Or leave one or two (non-political) behind when we leave a restaurant.  I hand them out to friends.  And if postage wasn't so high, I would mail them out to more friends willy nilly.

All that said, I'm happy to hear suggestions.  What would you do?

OR, if you really want one if these little bracelets, i would really love for you to have one (or more).  

Their original intent, as Friendship Bracelets, after all, was making them for sharing.

 but, honeys, I'm not gonna be spending $10.00 + to mail them.   ❤ 

 Wish I Could.

 

 

40 Years Ago On This Date

 

For better or worse, through thick and thin,

You’ve been there by my side Sharing the laughter and the tears
Through life’s uncertain ride. We don’t know what the future
Has in store for you and me
But this I know, without a doubt: The best is yet to be.
Happy Anniversary, you darling man.

–Anonymous

My Mom - Mary Hazel Messick Wilkinson

 

Congratulations!

 I love when mystery award season rolls around.

I love seeing names of authors who write books I read and love.

I especially love seeing names of authors I am lucky enough to know and call "friend."

When two friends are both nominated for the same very big award I just cross my fingers and hope for a tie.  

Here's to Louise Penny and Hank Phillippi Ryan 

Congratulations to ALL the Anthony nominees!  Well done, and much deserved!  

Voting will take place at Bouchercon in Calgary. Winners will be announced on October 24, 2026.

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Crooks by Lou Berney 

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny 

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts 

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover 

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove 

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs 

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg 

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook 

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern 

Edge by Tracy Clark 

Crimson Thaw by Bruce Robert Coffin 

River of Lies by James L'Etoile 

This Violent Heart by Heather Levy 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘀/𝗬𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History by Chris Chan 

Miles in Time by Lee Matthew Goldberg 

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson 

Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala 

Risky Pursuit by Nancy G. West 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹/𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay 

L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood by Anne Soon Choi 

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy 

Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida by Gilbert King 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆/𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 

Whatever Kills the Pain by C.W. Blackwell 

Blood On the Bayou: Case Closed edited by Don Bruns 

Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons edited by John Copenhaver & Salem West 

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 

"Six-Armed Robbery" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier 

"AITA for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson" by Mindy Carlson 

"Hollywood Prometheus" by Christa Faust 

"Brotherly Love" by Cheryl A. Head 

"Finding Jimmy Baldwin" by Cheryl A. Head 

"The Skies Are Red" by Richie Narvaez

Today's Poem by Raymond Carver

 

"Woke up this morning with

a terrific urge to lie in bed all day

and read. Fought against it for a minute.

Then looked out the window at the rain.

And gave over. Put myself entirely

in the keep of this rainy morning.

Would I live my life over again?

Make the same unforgiveable mistakes?

Yes, given half a chance. Yes."

         ~ Raymond Carver

Perfect Souvenirs

 Or -

Souvenirs Parfait, as they would say in France.

A souvenir (French for 'remembrance' or 'memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a memento of a visit. The object itself may have intrinsic value, or be a symbol of experience. Without the owner's input, the symbolic meaning is lost and cannot be articulated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvenir

* * *

Souvenir (Object Lessons) Paperback – March 8, 2018

by Rolf Potts (Author)

4.4 out of

Part of: Object Lessons (103 books)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

For as long as people have traveled to distant lands, they have brought home objects to certify the journey. More than mere merchandise, these travel souvenirs take on a personal and cultural meaning that goes beyond the object itself. Drawing on several millennia of examples-from the relic-driven quests of early Christians, to the mass-produced tchotchkes that line the shelves of a Disney gift shop-travel writer Rolf Potts delves into a complicated history that explores issues of authenticity, cultural obligation, market forces, human suffering, and self-presentation. Souvenirs are shown for what they really are: not just objects, but personalized forms of folk storytelling that enable people to make sense of the world and their place in it.'

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Souvenir features illustrations by Cedar Van Tassel

* * *

Isn't part of any trip the choosing of little tangible remembrances to bring home along with the memories?

For me - yes.

I have known people who say their trips are all about the experiences and the memories, and tend to roll their eyes at the word "souvenir."

But for me, a person who loves being surrounded by pretty things that have memories and meaning attached, souvenirs are part of the trip as well.  

Usually, my souvenirs include cheap little items from souvenir shops - a refrigerator magnet, a Christmas tree ornament - the usual typical sort of item that you expect to find in a souvenir shop.

But they also might include an original piece of art, or a nice piece of jewelry.

Being a bit of a magpie means I am definitely going to pick up something(s) that, for some reason, speak to me.

The things I brought home from my most recent trip included some good chocolate for Donald.

And an assortment of "stuff" for me.

I love shopping in French pharmacies for skin care products.

Some pastels from La Maison du Pastel, which has a fascinating history - https://lamaisondupastel.com/home.php?lang=en  found their way to Meat Camp

As did some cards and prints from a delightful little papeterie in our hotel neighborhood.

And, my treasure of this trip.

An Hermès scarf - A l'Ombre des Boulevards (In the Shadow of the Boulevards).  A 2015 design by Virginie Jamin.

"The large boulevards... Baron Haussmann's Paris with its buildings, its doors, its inhabitants... it's up to you to find, in this richest setting, the winks made by the artist to the Paris of today."

I will remember this Paris trip with my pal Vickie whenever I wear this special, beautiful scarf.

Souvenirs Parfait

❤