I am going to my niece’s wedding in August and I cannot wait! Unfortunately, I am going to be going alone. My husband was planning on going but I decided that since it will be sort of a family reunion for me, I would rather not have to worry about keeping him entertained.

Of course, I have a few things that I must do before I go…

I need to buy three new outfits that will be fitting of this wonderful occasion…
I need to decide whether to go with a gift from her gift registry or a gift of money…
I need to reteach my family how to give Sprite (our 13 1/2 year old puppy) her (five different)medications…
I need to teach someone how to get Sprite’s two injections ready for my husband to give her the shots…
I need to (perhaps) write a few blogs about new cozy themes…
I need to clean the house so that it isn’t a total mess when I get home…
I need to be extra nice to my family so that they miss me a whole lot…

And, of course, there are a lot of other things I have to do before going.

But, I did want to say that at the very end of all the preparations, as my husband is driving me to the airport, I will need to do one more thing…

I need to get $15 cash so that I can pay the airline to take my one piece of luggage!!! (Which has to weigh less than 49 pounds…)

Yep!!! You read it right!!! That’s what it now takes to fly the friendly skies!

I am always on the lookout for scented soy candles. I don’t actually light them, though. I scoop the soy wax out of the candle jars and put the wax in tin containers which I buy at Michael’s. I then put the tin container on one of those little coffee cup warmers, and let it “simmer” throughout the day. (It never actually simmers, my coffee cup warmer is just hot enough to melt the wax, letting the aroma fill the air.) I just love the soft scent that permeates through the house. I know, I know… and yes, I am VERY CAREFUL! My coffee cup warmer has a bright red light on it so that I am very aware of when it is on… I never leave it on while I am gone or at night. But, I do enjoy it during the day. (Obviously, I don’t have a cat that can jump up on the kitchen counter and I didn’t do any of this when our children were young. Also, I have never put anything on my coffee warmer that has a sticker on it… like a price tag, etc.)

It is a bit of a drag to have to scoop out the wax from the original candle container, and then to have to continue to change the wax out of the tin when it loses its scent. But, it just one of those things that I am so used to doing that I don’t think anything about it.

I have different candle scents for the different times of year… cinnamon and spice for the autumn, pine and a soft mulberry for the winter months, and I alternate between hazelnut coffee, lemon, and lime during the rest of the year. (I may not be diligent about dusting and polishing, but my house sure smells lemony clean!) Of course, I have tried some scents which none of us like, but I think that I now have our selections down to scents that all of us like… or at least that none of us dislike!

We moved here over fifteen years ago, and I think that the lack of four definite seasons has made me look for ways to create some types of environmental differences which can mimic the seasons… adding the scents of the seasons into our home is just one of those ways.

Man!!! It is hot right now in San Antonio! I am already thinking about the coming autumn and winter months. Of course, our autumn months are not at all cold… but at least they don’t feel clammy, humid, and HOT! So, having said that…

I do not watch television channels devoted to selling products during the year. I simply don’t enjoy shopping, and I am not a collector of anything other than (mostly cozy) mystery books. But I have to confess that as the fall approaches, I start “peeking in” on a few QVC shows to get ideas for gifts that I can give as “gift fillers”… the types of things that can be included amongst the “main gifts” that I send out>>> little things that can be added in to make a nicer presentation>>> sort of like stocking stuffers. Things that aren’t too big or expensive. Things that can round out the big boxes that I send out.

Anyway, let me get to my blog idea for the day… Tomorrow night (Thursday, 24) QVC is starting their “Christmas in July” sale… and, since I never watch television live, I have already set up my Replay machine to tape all of the shows that look interesting to me.  I’m hoping that I am able to get some ideas (and purchases) of doo-dads for all of the people on my list. And, perhaps just seeing QVC’s fake snow might make it feel a little cooler outside!

PS>>>> A Replay machine is like a TIVO. I prefer the Replay since (I think) that it’s easier to navigate. Unfortunately I think it went the way of the Betas, 8-Tracks, and laser discs!

I have read many Agatha Christie novels during my life…  and I have also watched (and re-watched) many different adaptations of Christie’s novels on television. But, I never tire of her oh-so-very cozy works. It is for this reason that I have decided to start at the beginning, and work my way through her novels.

I have just finished listening to The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) and The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1922). Both of these are the first novels of her two most famous series… the Vicarage introduces us to Miss Marple’s unassuming role as the elderly spinster sleuth. The Styles Affair introduces us to Captain Hastings, Inspector Japp, and, of course, Hercule Poirot. What a delight it was to go back and listen to how Christie brought those characters to life. It had been years since I read either novel, and I was most interested in listening to how the two main characters were described.

The audio version of the Mysterious Affair at Styles that I am listening to is actually read by David Suchet… who most of us immediately identify as the best Hercule Poirot ever caught on film. What a treat it is to listen to Hercule’s dialogue by “Hercule himself”… well… almost! 

At first, my plan was to “plow my way” through all of the Agatha Christie audio books that I have available to me. I have since then decided to hold off on that particular plan. I am going to intersperse the Miss Marples and Poirots with other audio books that I have. I don’t want to “overstay my welcome,” so to speak. I have found that many times, when I try to go through a series with no interruptions by other books, I sometimes don’t enjoy the books as much as I would, had I visited the characters more times>>> but less often.