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Book Review: Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M. C. Beaton (2007)

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Synopsis: Once again feeling the gloom that comes from investigating divorce cases, the only thing keeping Agatha Raisin going is her plans to once again attempt to have a perfect Christmas dinner party even though the holiday is still months away. When a wealthy widow, Phyllis Tamworthy, wants to hire Agatha because she believes her family will murder her, the detective, believing her would-be client might be insane, is reluctant to accept. However, when Phyllis is murdered while Agatha is in her manor, she decides to investigate and gets help from her newest employee, Toni. She soon learns just about everyone who knew Phyllis had motive to kill her. Review: I wasn't sure if I wanted to check out Kissing Christmas Goodbye from the library because it is only June and I'm just not ready to even start thinking about the Christmas holiday yet. However, I was concerned later books in the series would reference this one, leading to confusion or spoilers, so decided to read it aft...
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Movie Review: Black Gold (1936)

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Synopsis: After working 40 years in the oil business and digging wells for others, Dan O'Reilly has gone into business for himself and with help from a new investor, Hank, is close to striking oil and ensuring his teenage son, Clifford's, future. However, the oil tycoon he leases the land from, J. C. Anderson is determined to stop the digging long enough for O'Reilly's lease to run out so he can reclaim the property, including an act of sabotage that takes O'Reilly's life and leaves the well to Clifford. Who's in it? The movie stars Frankie Darro , LeRoy Mason, Gloria Shea, Berton Churchill and Fred 'Snowflake' Toones .  Review: I had to pick up my daughter from an overnight community theater "lock-in" with friends early this morning and, while waiting to pick her up, looked for a movie to watch. I picked Black Gold mostly because of Frankie Darro starring in it and, overall, I thought it turned out to be a good classic drama. I thought...
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Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/23/2026)

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I wasn't sure if I would get an opportunity to get a walk in at lunch today because of a surprisingly busy Tuesday. However, there was enough of a lull for me to get out for a short while and that's all I needed to get some great photo opportunities, including making eye contact with the deer I thought had moved out of the park weeks ago as I was walking past one of the ponds. Here are some of the photos: ____________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos 4/30/2018 Lunchtime Walk Photos 8/14/2017 Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/18/2019 Lunchtime Walk Photos 5/15/2019
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Movie Review: 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934)

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Synopsis: Once a promising Hollywood director, Jimmie Dale is now out of work with no studio willing to take a chance on him. Desperate for employment, he accepts a job teaching at a sham acting school run by J. Walter Delmar and actor Adrian Almont.  Delmar and Almont see a way to increase their profit by conning a new Hollywood arrival, Frank Young, into investing his inheritance into a motion picture starring Almont and one of Dale's students, Alice Perkins. However, their plan to keep a large percentage of the money for themselves goes awry when Dale decides to use the full $75,000 and make a legitimate movie. Who's in it? The movie stars James Dunn , Alice Faye, Frank Mitchell, John Bradford, Jack Durant and Grant Mitchell . Review: I have had 365 Nights in Hollywood in my library for a few months and, while I did start watching it once, only to be interrupted a few minutes into it, I didn't get around to finally watching it until this morning. At first, I wasn...
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Morning Walk Photos (6/22/2026)

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It was kind of foggy out this morning, but I decided to get out with my camera before heading into the office anyway. I stuck to the shoreline this time around, mostly because the grass in the park was soaked with dew and I didn't want wet socks, and it turned out to be a good choice, even if the fog prevented me from getting photos of the pelicans out on the lake. Here are some of the photos I took: ___________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos 9/18/2020 Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/3/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (9/21/2023) Lunchtime Walk Photos 8/7/2019
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Movie Review: Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin? (1948)

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Synopsis: After local physician Hugo 'Doc" Robbin is declared dead following an explosion at his office, his nurse, Ann Loring, is accused of murder. A group of children hear her testifying on the witness stand and call her a liar, resulting in them being called as witnesses. Their testimony ends up clearing Loring but implicating their friend and mentor 'Fix-it' Dan Cameron. With him behind bars, the kids decide to re-visit the scene of the explosion and find evidence to clear him. Who's in it? The movie stars George Zucco , Virginia Grey , Don Castle , Whitford Kane, Larry Olsen and Peter Miles. Review: I've been on the fence about watching Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin? since adding it to my library because, while the plot sounded interesting and the movie had some familiar names, I have a long history of not liking films that are centered around cute kids. I finally decided to watch it this morning, and it turned out not to be as bad as I feared. It w...
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Movie Review: Boardinghouse (1982)

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Synopsis: After inheriting a house with a long history of death, Jim Royce decides to turn it into a boarding house for aspiring models and actresses, creating his own personal harem. Soon after, the violence returns and guests begin to die. Who's in it? The movie stars John Wintergate, Kalassu, Lindsay Freeman, Brian Bruderlin and Selma Kora. Review: My wife and I finally had a couple hours to ourselves yesterday evening and, after getting some loaded nachos from the local bowling alley, decided to watch a horror film. It had been a while since we last watched a 1980s slasher, so I ended up picking out Boardinghouse. I should have gone with a different movie. I think the best way to describe this film is it is so bad, it was hard to tell if it was supposed to be a legitimate horror movie or a spoof. Most of the characters were comically one dimensional, especially the women, who inexplicitly answered Jim's (Wintergate) super creepy advertisement in droves (how in the world ...
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