Sunday Synopsis - City Dark by Roger A. Canaff

 

City Dark by Roger A. Canaff
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a very frustrating crime/mystery novel! The book begins during a blackout when Lois is taking her two boys to New York City to visit their uncle. Lois abandons the boys during a blackout in the middle of the freeway and does not return. Through a lot of twists and turns, they make their way through the dark city to their destination and are raised by their uncle. I despised the segments of the boys finding their way through New York during the pitch black night. They were completely unreal and confusing.

Fast forward. Joe's brother Robbie, who was with him when Lois abandoned them, works as a custodian of sorts at a mental facility. Joe, the "successful" brother, is an alcoholic attorney who is accused of killing his mother and his ex-girlfriend. Since he gets blackout drunk most days, so he has no memory of where he was during the times the murders were committed and feels like it's possible he murdered them. His DNA is found at both scenes. On the other hand, he has some creepy sexual offenders who are angry at him for pursuing civil commitment against them and keeping them locked up after their parole.

The book alternates from 1977 and 2017, so you get the story in frustrating back-and-forth segments. It is also completely predictable like a soap opera. ***spoiler alert*** Think maniacal criminal who has access to computers and cell phones while in jail and persuades others to do his dirty work. A n'er do-well brother with an ax to grind. A secret twin brother who has been hidden away for almost 50 years.

I couldn't wait to be finished with this book!  Thank goodness it was a bargain buy!

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Fleece Baby Blanket

 Hi friends.  As you may know, I have another granddaughter, so I just had to make her a blanket!

I used a remnant I got at JoAnn a while back.  It was an unusual rectangular remnant which would have looked funny, so I ended up cutting it in half meaning it has a seam in the middle and the elephants don't match up there. It's still a rectangle, but the dimesions are more suitable now. For the back, I used some soft gray fleece.

I usually sew on flannel rather than fleece, and fleece is so much thicker that I had to use my Walking Foot (the same type you would use for a multi-layered quilt).  Otherwise, it was too difficult to get all of the fabric to feed under the regular foot.  I tried it.  The walking foot worked much better!

I want to make myself a shirt with this adorable  design from Creative Fabrica.

If you're a crafter, you really should check out Creative Fabrica for affordable designs!

Visit some more creative friends at Friendship Friday and Crafty Creators.

Have a great weekend!

Some links within this post are affiliate links meaning if you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  This is NOT a sponsored post.

Yuccas are not Cacti

 

Who knew?  The Yucca plant is often called a cactus but it isn't one.  Here's more than you probably ever wanted to know about yucca. (There were some yucca plants in my Fun Photos post from yesterday.)

1.  Yuccas are a type of flowering succulent.

2.  They are also evergreen, perennial shrubs or trees.

3.  There are at least 40 species of succulents.

How to grow Yucca, Better Homes and Gardens

4.  Yucca are known for their spiky, sword-like leaves.

5.  People sometimes mistake them for palms, which they are not.

6.  They grow in full sun on dry soil.

The tall part of the plant is the bloom of Yucca Whipplei

7.  Many yucca species are native to southern North America .

8.  It can take years for a yucca to bloom for the first time.

9.  The blossom stalk grows from the center of the yucca.

10. Some yucca blossoms reach up to 12 feet tall.

artifical Yucca plant

11. Yucca, agave, and cacti are all types of succulents.

12. Yucca blossoms are usually bell-shaped and white (or off-white) in color.

13. Yucca hold water in their leaves, stems, and roots which is why it can survive in drought-like conditions.

BONUS - You can actually purchase seeds  , starter plants, and (if you're like me and don't have a green thumb, artificial yuccas plants.

For more fun, visit Thursday Thirteen!

(some affiliate links, not a sponsored post.)

Fun Photos - Big Bend Plants

The desert climate of Big Bend National Park can be harsh, but there are plenty of interesting plants.

Agave Havardiana also known as a Century Plant

Cylindropuntia

Pinion Pine (I adore this tree!  Look at the cute little cones!)

Agave Americana

Opuntia (Commonly called Prickly Pear, but also known as Barbary Fig)

Ocotillo

Firecracker Plant

The tall plant (surrounded by other shrubs) is Yucca Whipplei sometimes known as Excaliber or Our Lord's Candle

Texas Ragwort

For more fun photos visit Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Happy to be a Grammy Again (and a little random)

 

My husband and I took a quick trip to see our new grandbaby.  It's a girl!  They did not find out the gender of the baby (or their first one) until it was born.  I'm too much of a planner and anxious to be able to wait that long!  And our daughter is so blessed.  Both of her labor times were short, especially this one!  They got to the hospital at 1 PM and baby was born about 3 PM.  Her first one wasn't too much longer than that.  So blessed.  And she and her husband are great parents!  We couldn't be any prouder. 

Meet the newest member of our family.

In other news, Google has a clever animation they are doing in reponse to the success of NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test.  Try it! If you type NASA Dart Mission into a Google search, an animated spacecraft will go across the screen and hit the word "news" making your screen go wonky.  It's pretty cool!  Give it a try! (BTW, my husband works for a contractor at NASA.)

Wonky!

And now...

And last, but not least...

I'm linking up with Random Tuesday Thoughts and Happy Tuesday.  Come visit!  Have a great week!