Fun With Zoey

A Few Blooms

Pictured above at the top is a Rose of Sharon, which is a type of hibiscus. My husband had looked in our local nurseries for one but couldn’t find any, so he ended up ordering a plant through the mail, and it has been thriving. Also shown are two different varieties of white gardenias.

Tiger Swallowtail

This beauty came into our yard to feast upon our fennel plant. My late mother planted this many years ago in order to attract butterflies. (Butterflies are also known to favor lantana and milkweed plants.) This one let me get quite close to him, but kept moving his wings, so it was challenging to get a good pic.

Exploring in Los Altos, CA

In our quest for new ways to amuse my 13-year-old English cocker spaniel, Zoey, my husband and I explored a new-to-us dog-friendly place: Purissima Park in Los Altos Hills, CA.

This is a small park, but it has several baseball fields, an equestrian arena, restrooms, and water fountain. We followed the path that goes along the back of the park and through a hilly, woodsy area to the nearby Los Altos Dog Park.

Zoey had the place to herself and happily explored the area seeking interesting scents.

We had a nice lunch on the dog-friendly patio at the Redwood Grill in Los Altos. Next to shopping, Zoey loves dining out the best. She is certain to get a few doggie snacks and a morsel or two from our meals.

Dessert

We had cold treats at Frozo’s Frozen Yogurt near Santa Clara University. To Zoey’s delight, they allowed her inside the shop, and that always makes her feel special. The frozen yogurt was delicious!

The Other Bennet Sister

I finally got to watch all the episodes of this astoundingly popular miniseries on Britbox. I have not read the book, so my comments only pertain to the miniseries. Overall, it was well-done with excellent performances. I enjoyed the story, and especially loved the Gardiners, although I cringed at the unflattering depiction of the mostly absent Mr. Darcy.

As an Austenesque author, I cannot help but note instances of Regency Era inaccuracies/improprieties or contradictions to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. (spoilers ahead!)

For instance:

Mary wears a red dress, a color that would generally be accepted only for married ladies.

At a ball, Mary becomes lively and loud, drawing the attention of everyone around her, which is way out of character for her and more like the way Lydia would have behaved.

In a rushed journey from London to Pemberley, Mary remains in the same dress, as though she took a non-stop ride. The trip would have taken 2 days or more.

Mr. Ryder appears at Pemberley on his way to see his aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh; yet she lives in Kent, which is nowhere near Derbyshire.

Mary says Longbourn is 5 miles from town, but P&P states it is 24 miles.

Mr. Ryder basically asks Mary to be his mistress and leave the very next day with him for Italy! It’s comically unrealistic, especially in consideration of her connection to Darcy. The notion that she would have considered accepting is also nuts.

Also, they would not have used the word “Italy,” as the country did not yet exist. They would have named the area, for instance, Rome or Calabria.

Twice, when offered a book as a gift from a man unrelated to her, Mary accepts, which is a breach of propriety.

Mary gives fishing advice to Mr. Gardiner; yet in Canon, he is an avid fisherman.

Also, Mary writes to Mr. Hayward, which have been scandalous in that era.

Finally, throughout the miniseries I noted a shocking dearth of gloves. :)

Book Review: The Blight

The Blight is Book 2 of E. Denise Billups’s fantastic series, Beneath Beauford Grove, which is also the title of Book 1. The Blight is now available at Amazon. In this series, Dr. Evangaline Beauford, AKA Eva, returns to her family’s Alabama olive plantation, which is abnormally productive due to a long-ago pact made with an evil entity.

Can Eva defeat this entity and free her family from the devastating payments demanded by the entity? The writing in this series is first-rate, and the story held me riveted throughout. If you enjoy supernatural tales, you will love this series! You can read my Goodreads review of The Blight here: Goodreads Review

That’s all, Folks!

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