SimplyLife

Living pretty much in the middle of nowhere limits your dining choices, but happily we're not too far from Bisbee. My husband surprised me with a romantic birthday dinner at the Cafe Roka last night. He managed to get a window table at on the third floor and we had the space to ourselves. Our attentive attentive server whose name was Bronwen (for a character in How Green Was My Valley) only added to our wonderful evening. When dining in Bisbee you get the chance to get to know your server. The restaurant has an eclectic menu, featuring local produce and meats. Everything is fresh and homemade. The exquisite appetizer of Medjool dates stuffed with bacon and Gorgonzola got the evening started right and we finished with a dessert sampler of Key Lime tart, Nutella cheesecake, and flourless chocolate cake with fresh strawberries. While we leisurely ate our entrees, we had a bird's eye view of the light foot traffic ...

A couple of weeks ago, I took the picture below. I thought it pretty much sums up our life journey. We never know what's around the corner for us.  Circumstances change in seconds some days. Whether the circumstances of life are good or bad, we're fond of blaming them for how we behave and think. Here are a few of the well-used excuses: "I'm a victim of circumstances.""The situation is impossible." "The circumstances are beyond my control." "Under the circumstances"...fill in the blank. Funny how principles, self-control, and  positive thinking can go out the window when we're "under the circumstances."  And lest you think the author is above blaming circumstances, she is not. I've used most of the excuses above, whether spoken or unspoken.  An imprisoned and wrongly accused Jewish Christian  talked a lot about circumstances in a letter to some men and women in the ancient city of Philippi roughl...

As I've written before, Cochise County doesn't have a long history of law and order. From the early days of the Apache wars to wild times in Tombstone, there's a healthy supply of interesting tales.  Cattle rustling was one enterprise that the Indians, Mexicans and Americans seemed to enjoy.  The terrain is well-suited because of the multitude of canyons, arroyos, and undefined borders which benefited rustlers.  Curly Bill's gang (of the OK Corral shoot out fame) headed an active bunch of rustlers whose most famous exploit was killing a group of Mexican smugglers in Skeleton Canyon. After that awful deed, they proceeded to steal 300 head of cattle in Mexico and jubilantly returned to the Tombstone area with their catch. The Mexican vacqueros pursued the bovine bandits back into the U.S. and recovered the cattle and managed to rustle 200 more head on the way back across the Mexican border.  This only escalated the whole affair with Curly Bill who wasn't going t...

We went to dinner with friends over the weekend and started discussing some favorite movies.  We decided one has to step back in time for really good films. An actual plot and good acting are lacking in many films today.  Those two elements beat glitzy special effects any day.  I'm an Alfred Hitchcock fan myself and never tire of watching his collection of suspenseful and downright scary movies. And don't we all love a good scare? My all time favorite is Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart, the stunning Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr.  The movie was made in 1954  and is based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, entitled It Must be Murder .  It was nominated for four Academy Awards and is considered one of Hitchcock's best. The Rotten Tomatoes website says "Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece." I consider it his best.  The cinematography alone is worth watching the movie.  He ...

This blog is interrupted for a special announcement. 3-Mice Productions proudly presents its second novel this year-- Darklings by C.D. Davis.  This is C.D. Davis' debut novel with plenty more to come.  You'll be drawn into the little seen world behind the walls of opera houses and grand palazzos where mice and other creatures of the night scamper into danger and thwart all manner of evil plots. With original illustrations for each chapter by C.D., you'll be charmed by this tale of intrigue, danger, and a touch of romance for ages 10 and up. Book Description: Gabriella Caprella, a young mouse with a singing voice like an angel, travels from her home in 1912 New York City to beautiful Venice to claim her inheritance as the new Contessa d’Asiago. With the help of her friend, the bat Mercurio, she fends off murderous relatives, would-be vampire bats, and persistent suitors, while learning to be a contessa worthy of the House d’Asiago and...