Trouble In Store - Book Review

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/trouble-in-store/330600

There's Trouble In Store, when a young governess finds herself alone in the world, with only a letter from a distant cousin bequeathing his share in an Arizona mercantile to her. Melanie Ross takes the next train west but what she finds when she arrives in Cedar Ridge, is not what she expected. Instead of a warm welcome from her cousin's business partner, Alvin, she discovers a rival claim to her inheritance. Alvin, now deceased, has left his half of the store to his nephew and Caleb Nelson doesn't want Melanie around. Melanie is determined to claim her inheritance - it's all she has to hold onto. Soon, bigger problems come their way, as a mysterious stranger is murdered on the steps of the mercantile and no one is free from suspicion. Will Caleb and Melanie lose their last hope of livelihood? Or will they join together to solve the murder and find something more precious?

Once again, Carol Cox paints a vivid picture of 1880's Arizona, alive with piercing blue skies, red sunsets and raging flash floods. Even the townspeople are a colorful mixture of the rogues, rebels and wanderers that inhabit small-town Arizona to this day. Meticulous research and a love for history keep Carol writing enjoyable and interesting stories about old west Arizona, with a healthy dose of spiritual direction. I enjoy her wry sense of humor and had to laugh as Caleb kept trying to get rid of Melanie, while Melanie kept trying to "improve" the store.

I recommend this book for ages 12 and up. Available from Baker Publishing for $14.99, as a 352 page paperback or in e-book format. Also available from Amazon and other distributors.

Thank you to Carol Cox and Baker Publishing for providing me with a free review copy of this book. Looking forward to your next one, Carol.

What IS a Lotion Bar?

These yummy looking candies are actually solid lotion bars.  I have been making lotion bars for many years, now, but since a lot of people don't know what they are, I will give you a brief overview.  

Lotion bars are solid lotion. Not soap. Lotion. Rub one between your hands to soften, then spread wherever you need extra moisture and silky softening.  I use mine on my face, hands and body.  My friend uses hers on her cracked heels: she massages it in before bed, puts on cotton socks and in the morning - soft feet. For especially tough dirt and grease, even makeup, rub some lotion bar in and let it set for a few minutes. Then wash with some good old-fashioned homemade soap (which I also make) and watch the grease float away. Baking soda can provide grit to help get the grease out, if necessary.  Rub some more lotion in to moisturize after that tough scrubbing.

Now for the exciting news!  For years, I have been making my lotion bars with shea butter, beeswax, olive oil and essential oils. This combination makes a nice, solid bar, which is just a bit too solid. I have had an ongoing discussion with my friend and sometimes business partner (mostly brainstorming partner) Maryruth, about the virtues of coconut oil and at what percentage to incorporate it into the lotion bars. I am happy to say that I have finally hit upon a formulation which produces a solid, spreadable, silky-soft product. The addition of coconut oil was pure genius on Maryruth's part. Getting it right has been purely hard work for me. 

Mrs. D's new and improved lotion bars now contain shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax and essential oils. They are also available in unscented. We are also offering the same formula in our Lucious Lip Butters, in a handy tube. Several flavors and unflavored available.

I hope you will give Mrs. D's new formula lotion bars a try. I think you will be as pleased as I am at the improved performance. Visit one of our stores below:

Mrs. D's Homestead
Mrs. D's Etsy Shop
Cool Canine Clothing

Ants!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ant_and_the_Grasshopper_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_19994.jpg

We have ants.  Lots of ants.  Ants of every size and variety.  Crawling ants, flying ants, carpenter ants, red ants, black ants, white ants, who knew there were so many ants? Ants all over the garden, ants everywhere after a rain.  Ants all over my feet in sandals! 

According to  Wikipedia,  "More than 12,500 out of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified".  Apparently, the flying ants are males and new queens.  After mating as they fly, the males die and the queen finds a place to start her colony, breaks off her wings and starts tending to her eggs.  Wikipedia also mentions that ants, depending on species, eat anything.  The Orkin man says that different ant species require different treatment to get rid of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Meat_eater_ant_qeen_excavating_hole.jpg

I have tried to eradicate some of the worst anthills with Borax, the ones where we tend to walk and work and stand the most - in the driveway, next to animal pens.  I've had some temporary success, but they always come back.  I believe their tunnels are deep and meandering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WeaverAntDefense.JPG

Yet, they are all by the living areas.  There are none out in the "back 40" or the "east 20" (okay, the "back 5" and "east 2.5" acres).  Why do they stick so close to the house?  Luckily, I don't have them in the house.  Here is an interesting article about how to get rid of ants, I ran across it while researching ants for this brief post:  How to Get Rid of Ants.  Can't wait to try it on a couple of my more annoying anthills.

My Budding Photographer

Gave the camera to the boy the other day and this is what he came back with.

They just don't pose like this for me!

I think I need to hire him to do my pictures from now on.

Mabel seems to agree.

Pioneer Days in Ash Fork, Arizona

I love living in a small town.  Once a year I don my 1890's garb and saunter through the streets, making my way with other, similarly clad characters, to the local museum.  There awaits a feast of homemade chili and pies along with local entertainment.  

     

Many small towns in the west celebrate a special day centered on their town's history.  In Ash Fork, Arizona, it is known as "Pioneer Days".  Established in 1882 as a siding of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (now Santa Fe Railroad), Ash Fork reserves the first Saturday in May to celebrate its ranching, quarrying and railroading history.  There is also a good deal of Route 66 memorabilia involved, as the longest remaining stretch of the Mother Road runs right through town to Seligman, Arizona, 30 miles to the west.  My son and I love to pick out scenes from the movie "Cars", pinpointing them on our drives from our house to Kingman, Arizona or Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Since suffering the loss of the main line of the Santa Fe Railroad, which was moved north of town in 1960, and the bypass of Route 66 by Interstate 40 in the late 1970's, Ash Fork has remained a small, quiet community, claiming the distinction of being the "Flagstone Capitol of the World".  

Stories abound of the town's better days, when bars and businesses lined the streets, underground tunnels ran between city offices and houses of ill repute, and moonshine was quietly exchanged for cash through basement windows.  Ranchers once drove cattle through these same streets, to be loaded onto railroad cars for wealthy appetites in California and in the east.

Now the wind blows without mercy.  Cattle graze on sparse grasses and seek shade under juniper trees.  Preppers and homesteaders buy up one-time ranch lands and put up solar panels to power their trailers and pursue their self sufficient lives.  And an outlaw or two still has a hideout back in the hills where the GPS doesn't reach.

Blustery Days of May

range cows sheltering "neath the spreading juniper tree"

April showers did NOT bring May flowers to this part of Northern Arizona this year.  Maybe that's because we didn't have any April showers...While other parts of the country are experiencing late spring snows, here on the Homestead it's balmy temperatures and blustery winds.  Early mornings and late evenings are the best part of the day, not just because of the delightful play of light and shadow, or the gazillion stars that are visible, or the overwhelming quiet, but also, those are the times when the wind dies down or stops.  

This time of year I like to have my morning prayers outside, sometimes walking the property with a homestead dog or cat tagging along.  This is when I find the freebies - wild growing plants and herbs to add into the daily meals.  Dandelion greens for salad, tender horehound shoots before they send up flowers for cough syrup.  Soon the algerita bushes will bloom - or not - and I will know which ones to watch for fall berries.  Ditto the prickly pear cactus.  These fruits are bitter and take determination to collect because they are protected by thousands of tiny stickers, but they cook up into delicious syrups, jams and jellies in the fall.

Another month and I'll have to get out early in the morning just to get the outside chores done before it gets too hot.  But for now, spring on the Homestead is a welcome respite from frozen water pipes, frozen water troughs and generally cold bones.

Liebster Blog Award - Wow!

A huge Thank You! To Christy Willis for nominating "Around The Homestead" for the Liebster Blog Award.  Well, okay, it's really a "pass it on" kind of thing for small blogs, but hey, it's nice to be noticed!  

Now I get to post 11 facts about myself, answer Christy's 11 questions, and nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers for the Liebster.  This could be fun;)

11 Facts About Me:

1.  I have 4 of the most amazing, awesome children anywhere!
2.  I am Grandma to 1 incredibly intelligent, genius grandson!
3.  I love to travel.
4.  I make my own soap, lotion, deodorant and toothpaste.
5.  I write.
6.  I have played the flute since I was 7 years old, piano since 8.
7.  I love camping.
8.  I get my milk right from the goat and cow.
9.  I raise my meat in my backyard.
10.  I steal eggs from my chickens.
11.  I love to sew.

Whew!  Now for Christy's questions:

1.  Who or what is your inspiration?
            There are so many inspiring women out there.  I love the wisdom of Mother Theresa of Calcutta and the courage of Dorothy Day.

2.  What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
             Fill the kettle for coffee.

3.   How do you handle a stressful day?
             Pray, pray, pray.  Chocolate.

4.    What book do you recommend all parents read to their children?
              Just one?  Definitely The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Also The Chronicles of Narnia.

5.    When the kids go to bed what do you do?
              Read to them, then read to myself.

6.  What is one thing about your past you wish you could change?
              Nothing.  Everything has brought me to where and who I am today.

7.   If you had a million dollars, what would you buy?
              I would pay off my debts, put the rest in the bank, and set up special funds for scholarships and other needs in my community.

8.    Why did you start blogging?
              To discipline myself to write more and experiment with writing styles and topics.

9.     Are you going to follow all the award nominees?
               Yes.

10.   What is one thing you hope your children remember about you?
                That I love them.

11.    How would you define your character?
                 Strong, stubborn, loyal.

My 11 nominees:

Following Him Home
Homesteading In The Southfarthing
I Can't Decide
Joy In The Journey
Live, Laugh, Learn
Reaping A Harvest
Rowangarth Farm
Spring Peeper Farm
Sunshine Sentiments
The Home Front
Training 6 Hearts 4 Him

And so, my awesome nominees, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is:  

Post 11 facts about yourself.
Answer my 11 questions to you.
Choose 11 of your favorite blogs under 200 followers and nominate them.
Share the love by following my other nominees.

My 11 questions for you are:

1.  What is your favorite hobby?
2.  What is your favorite dinner to make for your family?
3.  What is one thing you do to keep your sanity during your busy day?
4.  What is your favorite book?
5.  If you could go anywhere in the world for 2 weeks, where would it be, and why?
6.  Who is your favorite musician, and what is your favorite type of music?
7.  What is the big thing you want to do "when you retire"/"when the kids are grown"/"whenever"?
8.  How do you relax at the end of the day?
9.  What is the most important thing you try to teach your children?
10.  Are you going to follow all the award nominees?
11.  Why do you blog?

Okay, my friends, I hope you enjoy doing this as much as I have.  Link back here when you're done, so I can follow your answers;)