SimplyLife

I've been a mystery fan since I began reading my dad's boyhood favorites, the Sugar Creek Gang mystery books way back when. With a mystery, you have to put on your thinking cap to discover the murderer and really get to know the characters. One of them is the bad apple, but he or she is not always easy to find.  The scare factor is part of the thrill, too. Spooky old houses, storms, cryptic letters, hidden rooms, creepy suspects...all great fun. Writing about what I know, Family Matters is set in my hometown area of Western New York. It's a wonderful place to live, except for the winter part. The people are friendly and care about each other. When bad stuff happens, people show up to help. You can relate if you grew up in small town America. The local restaurant is the hub of information and the church is the other. Family Matters introduces you to the fictional village of Deer Creek, located somewhere in Wyoming County. Gracie is a recent widow, reinventing her lif...

The West has captured our hearts, but there are a handful of events, foods, etc. from New York that make us a little homesick. This time of year it's certainly not the cold and snow, but the maple syrup. Although real syrup is available in the grocery store, it's made in Northwest and not the Northeast. No, I'm not talking about the row of corn syrup products on the shelf, but bona fide maple syrup. If you were a kid back in the 60s or earlier  the sight of tin roof covered buckets on sugar maples was a common sight during February in Western New York. I remember a local family who borrowed trees to collect the thin, clear sap that would eventually turn into sweet amber syrup.  A big farm wagon and tractor would pull up to the neighborhood (a rural dairy farming neighborhood) loaded with buckets and taps or spiles.  A mallet quickly drove the metal spile into the tree and bucket would then be hung to collect a steady drip of maple sap. Big maples usuall...