Book Review: The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

I know it has been a while since I have sat down and put my fingers to the keyboard. It isn’t that I haven’t had tons of things to write about, there just never seems to be enough time to write. Last fall I begin the journey to complete my Master's degree, so school takes precedent over blogging. Since the spring semester ended I have been trying to catch up on one of my greatest joys, reading. I have a very long to-read list and it seems to grow every week. 

 

That being said this first blog for the summer of 2021 will be a review of my latest read,  The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict. 

One of my favorite literary genres is historical fiction and some of the ones I like best are about the lives of real people. As I am reading and after I finish a book I normally spend some time researching them. Growing up I had a vague knowledge of Agatha Christie. I knew that she was British and a mystery writer. I was most familiar with her novel Murder on the Orient Express. I must confess that I have never actually read a book by Agatha Christie and I have only watched one screen adaption of her novels. That being Murder on the Orient Express (the latest version starring Johnny Depp).

I discovered The Mystery of Mrs. Christie completely by accident as I was browsing my local library's collection. As I read the premise for it, I knew that it was a must-read. I was intrigued to learn that Agatha Christie had indeed vanished for 11 days in 1926 and that it was never revealed what happened during those 11 days. It seems that Mrs. Christie kept that mystery close to her heart. This of course is where the fiction comes in. Marie Benedict weaves an amazing story of what happened during those days.

Synopsis

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car—strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter do not know her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

Archie and Agatha

The story moves along two lines, one follows Agatha's husband Archie and begins on the day that her disappearance is discovered. The other story-line begins when the couple first meet and how their relationship progresses, eventually the two story-lines connect. This may have been the reason that it took a little time to get into the story, but after a few chapters I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I won't reveal too much about either story-line, but let's just say that Archie is the kind of character that leaves you angry and hoping for his downfall. Agatha on the other hand is the one that you sympathize with and root for throughout the entire story.

Final Word

Marie Benedict is an amazing storyteller who brought the mystery of Agatha Christie‘s disappearance to life and made it an irresistible read. I thoroughly enjoyed The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, with its historical figures, mystery, and look into marriages of the time. I highly recommend this book. Due to the fact that I enjoyed Ms. Benedict's storytelling so much, I have decided to give another one of her books a chance. I am currently reading The Only Woman In The Room and I’m looking forward to learning more about the story of Hedy Lamarr.

 

"That's my two cents worth, whats yours?" 

 

Birds

Have you ever just sat and watched the birds?

I’ve always liked birds and I’ve always been interested in them but I never really took the time to sit and watch them until the quarantine/shutdown started. In March when the quarantine first started I was still in college (see the previous blog) and I didn’t have a lot of time for anything but trying to finish the semester dealing with very unusual circumstances. I had one college-age child trying to finish up the semester online and I had a middle schooler trying to finish up the school year at home, it was a very interesting and as Thomas Paine would say "These are the times that try men’s souls.". When the semester finally ended and we were still in a state shut down I decided to get the birdfeeders out, clean them up, and get them filled with food for my little bird friends. I started going out onto our back porch early every morning to do my yoga and have my quiet time. My quiet time consists of my Bible reading and my morning devotional. Throughout this whole time, my devotional has been focused on learning about different women of the bible (it’s been a very interesting devotion which has three parts and when I finish all three I’ll do a review). After my quiet time, I would just sit and watch the birds. It was during this time that I started noticing different kinds of birds that I’ve never noticed before. I started to listen to the different calls and trying to identify which bird was which by sound. I also noticed the interactions between the male and the female of the species.

We have this one red cardinal and he is very dark red, I named him Red Daddy. At the time that I noticed him, I also noticed several other male cardinals who are not as brightly colored as Red Daddy. I observed that when he was around the female Cardinals tended to flock, for a lack of a better word, to him and just completely ignore the other Cardinals. Eventually, I also noticed that he was the only male cardinal around, I guess he’s made this his territory and ran all the other males off.

Now you know that the male of the bird species is always the more brightly colored that’s to attract mates and the female is a lighter color that’s for camouflage and hiding on the nest. I just thought it was very interesting the way these females reacted to this very brightly colored male. Other than the interactions between the birds themselves I also began to notice something else about birds based partly on what I noticed about the male cardinals. I started to pay attention and I noticed that when an environment is not good for these birds regardless of whether they are male or female they don’t stick around. I let myself run out of birdseed and when I didn’t fill the birdfeeder back up immediately I noticed that the birds didn’t come. I also observed that when I filled the birdfeeder back up it took a couple of days for them to realize the food was back and then they were there all the time.
You see it’s not just about any one particular thing it’s about all things of the environment. Birds need food, water, shelter, and companionship in their environment. If they don’t have the things that they need to sustain themselves they leave. It made me wonder about humans.  Why can’t we see that our environment is not sustainable for our existence? In answer to my question, I think we can. I think what holds us to the ground is the fact that unlike birds we can’t just fly away. If a spot is not good for a bird they can just fly to another spot and start all over again but people aren’t like that. We get bogged down by responsibilities and obligations, maybe different people are depending on us or we don’t have the financial means to make our flight. We’re just not birds! Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes a person may say my environment is not good for me and make up excuses just to leave, but at other times the environment is bad and they do need to take that step and get out.

I guess taking that Biology course this past spring really put my scientific brain into overdrive, it seems that I am always making some sort of observation lately.

That’s my two cents worth, what’s yours?

College is complete, maybe?

So it’s been a long time since I did a blog post, I don’t think I’ve done one this entire year. To say things have been crazy since I started college would be the understatement of the century, well except for this year which has been an understatement in itself. I started the year off in with my last semester to complete my bachelor's degree. It was kind of bumpy to start with and there were just some things that we weren’t sure about, but it got better. Of course, as soon as it started to get better, about halfway through the semester, boom corona hit. I went from being home during the day by myself to being home with two other students, one in middle school finishing up the year and one college student finishing up the semester online. It made the days very interesting, bogged down our internet service, and made it for some very testy interactions. People got ill and aggravated, it just wasn’t a very pretty thing in the beginning. After we had been home for a few weeks we settled into a routine and then my semester was over.

Of course, my graduation was canceled and that was a bummer I cried. The university said we would have a ceremony but they couldn’t tell us when, so we had a virtual recognition and I graduated with the highest honors summa cum laude, which I was very proud of. I had to wait several weeks because of the virus for all of the paperwork and everything to come from the University but I finally got everything that I needed to start the process of applying for my teaching license. Well, I started the application only to discover that I was still missing two pieces of information that I needed and that was three weeks ago. I had to make some phone calls and was able to request some of the paperwork, from one organization, that was mailed and the other paperwork I have to go pick up today. I’m hoping to get this whole licensure application completed by the beginning of next week. I guess we will see!

Anyway, I have no idea what I’m doing next as I don’t want to go into my first year of teaching when we have no idea what the school year is even going to look like. I talked about the possibility of just returning to school and working towards my Masters with my family and then contacted the University. My name has been placed on a waiting list for a class this fall as a visiting student, as it was too late to apply for the Master's program for this fall. Now I just wait for a phone call or email letting me know if I have gotten into the class. The way I see it is if I get into the class then that's the Lord's way of letting me know that he opened this door and he wants me to go through. If I don’t get into the class then I know that it’s not what he wants me to do. I know my college days are not over because once I get my license I have to take so many glasses in a certain amount of time to keep it. Therefore, I know I’ll be going back to school I just don’t know what I’ll be doing this coming up school year. For me the waiting is hard, I like to be able to make plans and figure how things are going to go, but I have had to learn to take my hands off of things and let God do the work. The Bible says in Psalm 46:10a, "Be still, and know that I am God:".  I just have to give it to him and let him guide me in what he would have me to do. So the question remains masters program or not? I don’t know if I wanna bite off going to school again or if I just want to be finished for right now and take classes as I need to keep my license. I hate being indecisive, it’s never been my thing!

That’s my two cents worth, what’s yours?

Our Southern New Year Tradition

Ever since I was a tiny little girl, as far back as I can remember, my family has gathered around the table on New Years Day to partake in our traditional meal of black-eyed peas, greens, cornbread and hog jowls. It wasn't just our family, but every family that we knew. I remember one year asking my Mama why we "had" to eat the same foods every year and she responded, "It's tradition". As you can imagine that didn't get rid of my curiosity. I wanted to know more, so I went to the best source I had, my grandmother. She explained to me that each food represented something for the new year. The hog jowl was for health, the greens for paper money, the black-eyed peas for pennies, and the cornbread was for gold.  I never questioned my Grandmothers explanation and even though they weren't my favorite foods at the time, I forced myself to eat them.

Time moved on, my grandmother passed away, but still every year we had our traditional first meal. Of course, my family has added other dishes to the menu like Mac&Cheese and potatoes, but we still have those traditional foods every year.  As I grew older I learned to appreciate each of the foods we ate and to respect our family/cultural traditions.

Today as I write this I am preparing for my first meal of the year. My family and I will be headed to my brothers, with hog jowls in tow, to spend the day with him. I was interested in where the traditions came from so I decided to do a little research and what I found out was very interesting. It seems that during the Civil War, when Sherman marched through Georgia, the only food he left was black-eyed peas. He didn't think they were suitable for anything but the animals. It turns out that was a fortunate belief for the southerners, it gave them something to eat over the cold winter months. It just makes sense that pork would be on the table, as hog would be salted and kept for months. Greens being on the table makes sense as they are a late crop, so they would still be in season at the beginning of the year.  When the Civil War (aka The War of Northern Aggression) ended, the south was crippled and brought to her knees, which was what the North wanted. The people had to learn to make the best out of what they had and much of the time that was almost nothing, but survive they did.

The people of the American South have always risen from the ashes and lived to fight another day. I am so very proud to say that I am descended from such an extraordinary and amazing group of men and women.

Now let's eat! 

"That's 'my two cents worth', what's yours?"

Saying Hello

Losing a pet is an extremely difficult thing to go through. It doesn't matter if you have had them a few months or many years, the loss still hurts. I often looked at our Dixie like another child and a part of our family. When she passed away I could still hear her walking through the house, laying in her spot on the couch and standing at the door waiting to get in. I knew in my heart I needed another dog and I prayed each day that God would send us just the right one for our family and within just a few weeks he did.  

 

We visited a couple of local shelters, but not a single dog "spoke" to us. It was a few days later after checking the local humane society's website multiple times a day, we saw a face that we just couldn't forget. We made a trip to visit and fell in love with a tiny little puppy they were calling Shelby. She had been dumped on the roadside , in a trash bag, with her brothers and sisters when they were a week old and had been in foster care since then. We felt like she was the perfect dog for us, but we had no idea how perfect until she settled into our family.  We decided to call her Mocha Joy because her coloring looked like coffee after creamer was added. The vet believes she is Boston Terrior/Chihuahua/French Bulldog mix, but I think she believes she is part Pit Bull. She is protective and fierce when she has to be, but loving and gentle the rest of the time.  

Why did we get another dog you may ask?

Companionship was the biggest reason for me. I really missed that little fur baby running around the house and keeping me company.  I thought it would be interesting to see how others felt about dog ownership and I found the following blog spot that explains it perfectly. 

https://barkpost.com/discover/17-reasons-why-a-dog-would-make-your-life-more-awesome/

I am so very thankful that we waited and let God send us the perfect addition to our family. We still miss our Dixie and Mocha will never take her place, but having her has made the loss easier to bear and filled that empty place in my heart (except for that tiny space that will always be for Dixie).

"That's my 'two cents worth', what's yours?" 

Saying Goodbye

 A while back I blogged on my little furry companion, Dixie. It is with a sad and broken heart that I report to you my readers of her passing away.

It was a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 2017.  We came home from church that afternoon and found her. My heart shattered into a million pieces. She had been my guard, my friend, my secret keeper. She laid by my side when I was sick and comforted me in my grief.

I remember how tiny she was when we first brought her home. We made her a bed in a cardboard box and she cried all night long. The second night she somehow managed to escape and I woke up with her sitting next to my bed howling.  She slept with me every night after that for 4 years, then she started sleeping with my daughter.

She hated cold weather and loved to lay in the sunshine. At times she drove me crazy, but I loved that dog with all my heart. She was twenty-five days shy of her 13th birthday when she passed, but she loved us more in her 13 years than most humans can love in a lifetime. Right after she passed away I discovered this story. I touched my heart because it described my Dixie perfectly.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life - - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

I don't know if all dogs go to heaven, but Pastor Billy Graham once said, ""I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there (in Heaven), I believe he'll be there."I pray every day that God will let my Dixie be there in heaven to meet me when I cross over.

  "That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

My Return

I hope this short post finds my readers well, if any of you are still hanging around. This year has been full of adventures, life milestones, college for two living in this house and just everyday living. I am hoping to get back on the blogging wagon in the upcoming year, but I don't think it will be a regular part of my life. As I continue in college, with two internships coming up in the next year, I can only hope to get a little time for blogging. I have a few things I want to work on in the coming year and goals I want to work toward. I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you are looking forward to the new year to come. I look forward to doing more writing this year and sharing our adventures and misadventures with y'all!

 As always, "That's my 'two cents worth, what's yours?"