Food For Thought

Can a Tyrannosaurus Rex do push-ups?

The Walrus and the Carpenter

A poem by Lewis Carroll

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might.

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright - 

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done.

"It's very rude of him," she said,

"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky.

No birds were flying overhead -

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand.

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand.

"If this were only cleared away," 

They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose," the Walrus said,

"That they could get it clear?"

"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"

The Walrus did beseech.

"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach -

We can not do with more than four,

To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said.

The eldest Oyster winked his eye

And shook his heavy head -

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat.

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat -

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more -

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low,

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax,

Of cabbages, and kings,

And why the sea is boiling hot,

And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,

"Before we have our chat - 

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!"

"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,

"Is what we chiefly need.

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed.

Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

"After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!"

"The night is fine," the Walrus said,

"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come,

And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but

"Cut  us another slice.

I wish you were not quite so deaf -

I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,

"To play them such a trick,

After we've brought them out so far, 

And made them trot so quick!"

The carpenter said nothing but

"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said.

"I deeply sympathize."

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,

"You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?"

But answer came there none -

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.

9/11 Remembrance

One Tuesday Morning

In remembrance of the September 11th attacks, Karen Kingsbury wrote the 9/11 series. In the first book, One Tuesday Morning, two men - one a firefighter and the other a businessman - meet in a stairway of one of the twin towers. Both have the same face, but have never met before. Only one of these men makes it out alive. Not remembering who he is or what his life was like before that day, he winds up living the other man's life, and learns lessons about love, faith, and courage along the way.

This three book series is very moving, will touch your heart, and quite possibly will make you cry.

Click here to go to the series page on Karen's website.

Let's Roll

Please take time today to remember the men and women who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Please remember those regular citizens who fought and died to save our nation's capitol. Please honor our military, police, firefighters, and rescue workers who helped out on that day. Please stand strong for the United States.

Food For Thought

Do robots dream of electric sheep?

*I did not come up with this. It's from the song Alive by Superchick.

Who Done It?!

I love mysteries. I love trying to figure them out before the characters do. Although the best mysteries are the ones that have so many surprising twists that you can't figure it out. But you still try.

I also really enjoy cozy mysteries, or whodunits. Yeah, there's a murder. Yes, there's someone watching you. No, everything does not go according to plan. Yes, you most likely will run into danger. But it's presented in such a fun, quirky way that it doesn't seem scary. Not like suspense thrillers.

So here I've gathered the most memorable mysteries that I've read and loved.

Detective mysteries:

Of course, I have to start with Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. They're good on their own, each with their own set of friends and fathers and local police officers and arch enemies. But they're even better when the three of them (plus usually their aforementioned posses) team up and work on a case together. My personal favorite is A Crime for Christmas. It's actually one of my favorite books of all time. 

And don't forget about the late 70s show starring Pamela Sue Martin, Parker Stevenson, and Shaun Cassidy!

All of the books were written by Carolyn Keene. The Hardy Boys books were published under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon.

Another amateur sleuth who has her own book series is Trixie Belden. Along with her best friend Honey Wheeler, Trixie's brothers Mart and Brian, and Honey's adopted brother Jim, they form the Bob-Whites of the Glen, and solve mysteries around their hometown of Sleepyside.

The first six books were written by Julie Campbell Tatham. The other thirty-three were written by multiple ghost writers under the name Kathryn Kenny.

I'm sure you know who Sherlock Holmes is. The brilliant and witty detective and his sidekick Watson solve murders and other crimes in late 1800s/early 1900s London.

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 I've read the Dani Ross Mysteries multiple times. Dani is a private investigator from New Orleans. When her father gets sick, she takes over his private eye business, and hires a new employee, Ben Savage. Together, they face some of the toughest and most dangerous situations Louisianna has to offer in this exciting four book series.

Written by Gilbert Morris.

Whodunits:

Here's one you might not have heard of. The Deadly Decor Mysteries trilogy is about Haley Farrell, an interior decorator who always manages to get mixed up in the latest murder investigation. She and Dutch Merrill, a contractor and her biggest annoyance, have to work together to solve these murders before someone gets hurt or the wrong person gets blamed.

Written by Ginny Aiken.

One of my favorite book series ever is The Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum Mysteries. Unfortunately, there are only two books in the series. It's unfortunate because I could read hundreds of books about these characters, they're just so lovable. Nigel, an English businessman who's career goes south and forces him to take a job at the tea museum (even though he finds it boring, and prefers coffee), and Felicity, an American who moved to England just to work at the museum, obviously have differing opinions and personalities. But, of course, they must learn to work together, not just in the museum, but in the investigation of two murders that are tied to the museum in more ways than one.

Written by Ron and Janet Benrey.

In The Book of Hours, a stand-alone novel, Brian Blackstone heads to England to honor his deceased wife's last wish, that he take care of her family's estate. This crumbling castle in a small English village holds secrets, and Brian enlists the help of the local doctor, Cecilia, to help him uncover these secrets. More is hidden there than he knows, and what he finds may be dangerous, to him and others in the town.

Written by Davis Bunn.

Finally there's the Clue books. Yes, like the board game. And the movie. And the card game. These books feature a bunch of short stories, and at the end of each one is a card, just like in the game, with a list of suspects, weapons, and rooms. Your job is to read the story, and deduce who the culprit was, what they used, and where they did it. And some of the stories are outrageously funny and confusing! There's one in which all of the guests are playing practical jokes, so not only do you have to figure out who did what, you have to figure out which one of the murders was the actual murder!! It's super fun, and makes you think.