A Dusty Cottage (Lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: A Dusty Cottage

WEB ADDRESS: http://adustycottage.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Happenings from daily living in the country. What we do, what we see. Sometimes interesting, sometimes funny and sometimes sad but join me and I will share.

MY REVIEW: I think a lot of people will enjoy this blog. Mostly women then men, but everyone who enjoys reading about gardening, exercising, the "golden years" and so on, will enjoy it.

The author writes well, has a sense of humor, and has cats. What could be better?

Sample post:

How does my Garden Grow ? [I don't include the photos from the entry]
Hello ! Thought I would show you how my herbs are doing. I have Rosemary, Sage, Oregano,and Mint. It alway smells so good and I love to go pick some and add to my meals. Then it really smells good especially in the kitchen. Believe it or not I have a mini Rosebush behind the Rosemary. You can't see it so it definately not the place for it. So Jim is going to replant it on the other side of the house. The Roses on it are so tiny and beautiful I want it out to enjoy. Do wish the kindle was in color just so you could see how green the plants are. The other side of the house we have a small garden which I have cherry tomato, beefstake tomatoes and squash growing together then we have our berries which are wild. Rasberries that is. I can hardly wait for them to become ripe. A lady at the swim class I take, Colleen told me about growing blackberries. She said she bought 3 at Lowe's, you buy them in the winter time, plant them and it usually takes a few years to get a good amount. Colleen has had hers three years and she says they are doing very good and she even got quite a lot on the second year. I will get me some plants this fall for sure.

Oh must tell you about the book I finished a few days ago. It's call Tuscan Holiday by Holly Chamberlin. It was one of the best reads I have had in a long time. If you have a daughter you'll understand, she is self centered and everything is for me,me,me. You have to feel for the Mom as she struggles to remain calm and handles everything with class. It was great as they talked a lot about Italy, the towns, especially the cafe's and notable spots. Although I have never been I feel like I was able to enjoy the magic and romance of Italy. Read it, I'm sure you will enjoy it, plus it's one of our free books.

I think I am also going to be buying (don't faint) "The girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. I have read some reviews and it look pretty good plus I like it that it's one of three. If it's a good book I never want it to end so with three that would be great. I'll let you know. Good health, Healthy food and all that. Tootles

RECENT POSTS:
--Thank God, it's only 95' and An Angel in my Garden...
--Eleanor and Elviria
--Hello and Welcome !
--Wildflowers
--How Does My Garden Grow

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Fawnskin Flyer (lifestyle & culture, local news)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Fawnskin Flyer

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.fawnskinflyer.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Join GG and the gang for updates, news, and tips from the quaint mountain town of Fawnskin located in the forest area of Big Bear Lake, California.

MY REVIEW: The Fawnskin Flyer blog covers a local area, Fawnskin, CA, but is a fun blog for all that. Fawnskin started life as an art colony - and a few actors still have second homes there - most famously Marty Ingels and Shirley Jones. If you live anywhere in California, or plan to visit the state, check out this blog to see what's happening in the area.

Sample post:

Fawnskin Flyer Update
July 1st, 2005

All the Fawnskin, California locals are scrambling to get chores done before the onslaught of this weekend. If you are new to the Fawnskin Flyer online–Fawnskin, California is located in the resort area of Big Bear, California. Tourists flock to town for hiking, boating, fishing and for the annual July 4th holiday.

Mountain residents tend to hide out, unless they are merchants. This weekend is the official kick-off of the summer season. I like the influx of people but not the bad behavior. So, what is bad behavior? Lack of manners mostly, many visitors are rude. They leave trash on the lakeshore and in the woods instead of packing it up and taking it home or depositing in receptacles. We don’t get it. People come up here to get away and then they leave a mess. The wildlife suffers from fishing twine and eating inedible stuff that attracts them. We locals spend lots of time picking up the litter after.

The speed limit through our town (a block long) is 25 mph. Visitors are oblivious and speed through at 55 mph or worse. We see them trying to pass on the right, flipping u-turns on blind curves OVER the double yellow line and other poor choices.

Why? My theory is that it is the oxygen deprivation. When visitors hit the high altitude their brains shut off due to thin air. *Snicker*

Anyway, use caution and show a little respect if you visit. We love to have you but trespassing and playing in the yards of residents and other such faux pas aren’t welcome here anymore than they are in your neighborhood. At least we share!

Other news: I didn’t have room to list all the stuff going on or the other events happening around here in the first issue so here are the notables:

July 2, 2005 (Saturday)
Moose Lodge: Yard Sale (Sat, Sun for sure) All Day
Moose Lodge: 4th of July BBQ 4:00 PM

July 3, 2005 (Sunday) 2:00 PM
Friends of Fawnskin meet on Flicker get the number off the Fawnskin Flyer in town.

July 6, 2005 (Wednesday) 6:00PM
Fawnskin Chamber of Commerce meets at the Gold Pan.
(We outgrew the conference room and changed the date due to the holiday.)

July 11, 2005 (Monday) 6:00 PM
Northshore Improvement Association Community Potluck
The whole community turns up for this one. Bring your favorite dish to Captain John’s Fawn Harbor and catch up with your neighbors.

BTW:

Butler Peak was opened up on June 29th. This is later than the April opening during the heaviest part of the draught. Use caution with cigarettes and your BBQ’s.
The independent film crew also gets a bad behavior award for breaking stuff in the Fawnskin Market AND helping themselves to snacks without purchasing! The word from Doris is that she is only going to welcome the major studios from now on.
Loggers got a big thanks from one of the locals this week and just about fainted. Seems that they are not the most popular guys when they visit most towns. They have been working as a team to safely get those dead and dangerous out of here. That helicopter pilot rocked!
Brent Construction: I hope you all welcomed Rick and Tina into the community. They are working on the dredging project and hired a bunch of people. (Plus they are nice hard workin’ folk.) Say hi to them down at the Moose if they ever get any time off.
Red trucks? Those guys in the construction trucks are fixing the road up to Camp Whittle. Seems they have been busy in many mountain communities. I didn’t see them this am and guess they will be scarce for the holiday.
Demo Days: Jim says that Northshore Trading Company is going to be having canoe and kayak demos in August courtesy of their supplier. Stay tuned for details.
New vehicles: Realtor Andy Campbell and Robert Nuzzo both got new vehicles this week. Guess we are going to have to be extra alert to spot them!
The Fawnskin Flyer chronicles life in the small mountain town of Fawnskin, California.

RECENT POSTS:
--Dam Bridge!
--The Doo Dah Dump
--West Nile Virus & Other Irritants
--Fawnskin Flyer Update
--The Fawnskin Flyer Online: Small Town Chronicles

_______________________
Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death