My Favorite . . City

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme. I'm not much of a traveller and really haven't been to that many cities. There are some I love reading about, Venice particularly, but that I've never actually been to. I think my favorite city, at least of those I've actually been to, is probably Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is the city we're closest too, about 45 minutes from downtown, so it's where we head for a lot of performances and sporting events. It has three major league sports teams, hockey, football and baseball, and a minor league soccer team. The National Aviary is there and the zoo is very nice. We love the museums, especially the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art, but...
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Readers’ Workouts – 3/7

I made my step goal for the week, thanks to some extra work Saturday. I can't wait til it warms back up again.   This week: Tuesday - Elliptical Wednesday - Walk with the dog Saturday - Elliptical Sunday - Walk with the dog Monday - Walk with the dog Meal plan:   This week: Dinners: taco salad, haluski with city chicken, chicken enchiladas, pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. Down 1 lb (starting 141.6) - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - none, but am registered for the Campbell-Dickinson Fun Run on March 18. - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed: 8 How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog ....
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Thursday’s Tale: The Smith and the Fairies

I'm off a day this week. Maybe I should have title the post Friday's Tale instead. Anyway, "The Smith and the Fairies" comes from Scotland. It was retold by Sir George Douglas in Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, 1901. Years ago there lived in Crossbrig a smith of the name of MacEachern. This man had an only child, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years of age, cheerful, strong, and healthy. All of a sudden the boy fell ill, took to his bed, and moped whole days away. No one could tell what was the matter with him, and the boy himself could not, or would not, tell how he felt. He was wasting away quickly and his father and all his friends were afraid that he would die. At last one day, after the boy had been lying in this condition for a long time, getting neither better nor worse, always confined to bed, but with an extraordinary appetite, the smith...
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My Favorite . . Series

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme. I started writing this yesterday but never actually got around to posting it. I'll post my usual Thursday post tomorrow. I read a lot of series, mostly mysteries and some fantasy. It's really hard to pick a favorite. I love Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie, of course, and I can't wait for the finale of Robert Bennet Jackson's Divine Cities trilogy coming out in May. My current favorite though is probably Louise Penny's Gamache series. First, Armand Gamache is a great character, intelligent, introspective, caring, a detective who actually manages to have well-functioning relationships. Second, most of the books have the village of Three Pines as one of the settings. It's someplace I would love to live -...
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Book Blast – Pistols and Petticoats by Erika Janik

Pistols and Petticoats 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction by Erika Janik A lively exploration of the struggles faced by women in law enforcement and mystery fiction for the past 175 years In 1910, Alice Wells took the oath to join the all-male Los Angeles Police Department. She wore no uniform, carried no weapon, and kept her badge stuffed in her pocketbook. She wasn’t the first or only policewoman, but she became the movement’s most visible voice. Police work from its very beginning was considered a male domain, far too dangerous and rough for a respectable woman to even contemplate doing, much less take on as a profession. A policewoman worked outside the home, walking dangerous city streets late at night to confront burglars, drunks, scam artists, and prostitutes. To solve crimes, she observed, collected evidence, and used reason and logic—traits typically associated with men. And most controversially of all, she had a purpose separate from her husband, children, and home. Women...
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Good Morning, Superman! by Michael Dahl

Good Morning, Superman! is a really cute book. A little boy is getting ready for the day and everything he does is mirrored by something Superman does. For example, as the little boy gets dressed, Superman reveals his costume. The boy eats his breakfast, gathering his strength, as Superman flies above the buildings, getting ready to fight the bad guys. Even the boy's sister gets in on the act in her Supergirl costume, handing him his lunchbox, because helpers are super heroes too. The illustrations are bright and fun, just like the cover. It's a perfect book for any superhero loving pre-schooler. It may even help with the morning routine....
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