Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Sweet Times




Well, I only sold five books at Beans and Books, but it was good anyway.  I talked to a lot of people, enjoyed a “London Fog” tea drink – tasted a lot like a good chai – and got to spend time with my sister-in-law, Katy, who is intelligent, fun, and interesting.  My brother Kurt came in later and we drove behind him to their house out in the country.

It was good to get re-acquainted with Kurt, who is one of the hardest-working men in the state of Wisconsin.  He’s supposed to be retired, but he keeps busy driving sixteen-wheelers and tour buses all over the upper Midwest.  He talks about buying a dairy farm, but Katy would end up running it, because he’s always on the road.  Besides, they’re retired.  Or so they both claim.

Kurt makes maple syrup every spring, lots and lots of it.  And it's the really good kind, thick and sweet.  For some reason he doesn't want to get involved in selling it commercially, and so when he made a present of syrup to us this past weekend, we ended up with four gallons of it in eight bottles.  Guess what some good friends are getting for Christmas this year?

Last Thursday was Michaelmas, and it was another good one.  The goose was about the most delicious we’ve had so far, and all the other dishes were excellent.  The company was warm and the talk bright and funny.  The two cats were (mostly) well behaved.  But I’m hoping that next year the party room in our building will be available, so we can put on a bigger feast.

This weekend I’m attending Gaylaxicon, a sci-fi convention aimed at the LGBT community.  I’m on a panel about gay families, a subject of interest to me, as my two gay men in the Betsy Devonshire series are getting married and plan to add a son to their partnership.  Read my current mystery, Knit Your Own Murder, to see why they’re so sure they can do this. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you ever considered setting a Betsy mystery during Michaelmas?

Monica Ferris said...

Anonymous, I hadn't considered it, but maybe I should. Have to think about it - who would get murdered? How? Why?

Ellen said...

If nothing else, there is a skeleton in your trash -- a goose skeleton.

Monica Ferris said...

I don't think it would be much of a mystery, who killed the goose.

Betty Hechtman said...

Kurt sounds like an interesting person who must have lots of stories. I bet the syrup is wonderful!