Our Thanksgiving Week, and a New Card Game

 Travel on Thanksgiving day is always an adventure, but when you have to drive through the city of Boston, it's a challenge! This year we endured that adventure for a wonderful meal and time together. I also learned a new card game called "Kings in the Corner." 

THANKSGIVING DAY - My brother and his  fiancee, Kristin, moved into their first home together in Mass, and hosted Thanksgiving for more than 16 people. Kristin's mom was the chef and the food was delicious. 

  Her mom's homemade apple pie tasted like my mom's apple pie, which was always my favorite, so it brought a tear to my eye (since my mom has been gone since 2013).

   Our senior dogs, Dash (17) and Cody (13) came along as it was hours-long to get there and we couldn't get a sitter. Besides, Dash is 95% blind and has anxiety, so he would have a hard time if either one of us were not around. So Dash was quiet and calm, Cody was not!  Because Dash is 7 lbs. and Cody is 14 lbs, we could hold them, which made it easier. 

  Dash also enjoyed cuddling with one of Kristin's nieces. 

  

PRE-THANKSGIVING WEEK VISIT - my old friend Laureen visited from NC (she lived here in Northern New England for decades and recently moved south). So on her week of visiting family and friends she stayed over one night. I made homemade tomato meat sauce in a crock pot with pasta and fresh bread for dinner. Desserts were chocolate cake and cookies. 

Tom taught us a card game called "Kings in the Corner," and that was fun! 

(Right: Laureen poses with Dash and Cody) 

WHAT IS "KINGS IN THE CORNER?" - "Kings in the Corner" is a multi-player card game similar to Solitaire where the objective is to be the first to empty your hand by playing cards in descending, alternating-color sequences onto foundation piles.

. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck and involves players drawing cards and making as many plays as possible on their turn to discard their hand. Kings have a special role, as they must be played in the four corner spaces around the center, creating new foundation piles.

VIDEO TO TEACH YOU HOW TO PLAY - https://www.tiktok.com/@tabletopfamily/video/7424592268100767018 

@tabletopfamily Kings Corner rules here! This is a fun twist on Solitaire perfect to play with 2-4 players. @Bicycle Cards #bicyclepartner ♬ original sound - Kelsey - Tabletop Family

Idiot of the Week Teen Driving More Than 115 MPH on NH Highway

 This week's idiot is another teenager driving at dangerous speeds on a major Interstate in New Hampshire. Sigh. At least this kid wasn't drunk, like most of the others. 

Teen Accused Of Driving More Than 115 MPH On Interstate 93: New Hampshire

Tony Schinella, Patch Staff, Nov 17, 2025

CONCORD, NH — A teen from Milford was arrested on Friday morning, accused of driving more than 115 mph on Interstate 93, according to New Hampshire State Police.

Around 12:15 a.m., a trooper attempted to stop a driver of a 2021 Toyota RAV4, reportedly without functioning taillights, on the northbound side of the highway. The driver, Tyler Neumann, 18, of Milford, was accused of failing to stop.  

Troopers activated their emergency lights and sirens, but the driver refused to stop and continued at speeds exceeding 115 mph,” according to a report. The vehicle … failed to stay within its lane, repeatedly crossed over the fog lines of both shoulders of the interstate, and nearly collided with multiple other vehicles.”

The chase went through Concord and into Canterbury, a report said. Around Mile Marker 48.8, Neumann drove the SUV off the highway, regained control, and then stopped in the right breakdown lane, according to state police. Neumann was arrested on felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, disobeying an officer, operating without a valid license, and reckless operation charges, as well as lane control and tail lamp-reflector violations. He was released on personal recognizance and is due in Concord District Court on Dec. 12 for arraignment.

State police said an on-scene investigation determined impairment was “not a factor.”

Heroes of the Week: Firefighters rescue pets from burning home

This week's heroes are firefighters who rescued pets from a burning Connecticut home.

Guilford, CT firefighters rescue pets from burning home

Town firefighters from Guilford, Connecticut rescued multiple pets from a house fire.

Guilford Fire Department, Facebook page, Nov. 30, 2025

On Sunday, November 30, 2025, at approximately 9:21 a.m., the Guilford Fire Department’s 911 Telecommunications Center received a report from the occupant of 55 Maupas Road North stating that there was a fire in the house. The Guilford Fire Department was then dispatched at 9:21 a.m. for a structure fire response.

Upon arrival, Guilford Fire Department crews encountered heavy smoke throughout the residence. At 9:29 a.m. a working fire was declared. Firefighters immediately deployed two hose lines and began an aggressive interior fire attack. Firefighters were able to rescue several pets during the primary search of the residence.

Thanks to the quick and coordinated actions of responding crews, firefighters were able to contain the fire to a bathroom that was located on the second floor of the residence. The interior of the residence sustained extensive smoke damage throughout the basement and first floor. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control within twenty minutes of arrival.

Mutual aid was provided by the Madison Fire Department, the North Madison Fire Department, the Branford Fire Department and the North Branford Fire Department.

The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter is assisting the homeowner with temporary housing for several pets. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Guilford Fire Department Fire Marshal’s office.

Book of the Week: Hunting Time by Jeffrey Deaver (A Colter Shaw Novel)

One of my favorite current television shows is "Tracker" on CBS. It's about a man named Colter Shaw who is a "rewardist," that is, someone who tracks and finds lost people for a reward. Since we first saw the show, we really love the character. It's all based on a series of books by author Jeffrey Deaver, and I finally read one in the series called "Hunting Time." The book was awesome. It's over 400 pages (hardcover) and I read it in a week and a half! It was hard to put down. In this book, Colter doesn't have the team that he has on the TV show, though. Instead, he works with various others to accomplish his mission. - About three quarters of the way into the book, the reader is thrown for a loop when something unexpected happens. It really made the book incredibly memorable, and a 5 of 5 star book for me.. - Rob

ABOUT THE BOOK:

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CBS ORIGINAL SERIES TRACKER 

In New York Times bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver's riveting thriller, reward seeker Colter Shaw plunges into the woods and races the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems.

Allison Parker is on the run with her teenage daughter, Hannah, and Colter Shaw has been hired by her eccentric boss, entrepreneur Marty Harmon, to find and protect her. Though he's an expert at tracking missing persons--even those who don't wish to be found--Shaw has met his match in Allison, who brings all her skills as a brilliant engineer designing revolutionary technology to the game of evading detection.

The reason for Allison's panicked flight is soon apparent. She's being stalked by her ex-husband, Jon Merritt. Newly released from prison and fueled by blinding rage, Jon is a man whose former profession as a police detective makes him uniquely suited for the hunt. And he's not alone. Two hitmen are also hot on her heels--an eerie pair of thugs who take delight not only in murder but in the sport of devising clever ways to make bodies disappear forever. Even if Shaw manages to catch up with Allison and her daughter, his troubles will just be beginning.

As Shaw ventures further into the wilderness, the truth becomes as hard to decipher as the forest's unmarked trails...and peril awaits at every turn.

Letter of appreciation about my books from a famous French Author!

 As an author, we never know who is reading our books. In November, I received an email from Annie Ernaux, who was awarded a Nobel Prize for literature and is a beloved author in France and beyond. I was stunned and humbled. Today's blog shares that interaction.

From: Annie ernaux Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2025

Subject: Love your work

Hi - I recently came across your work, and I was really struck by the honesty in your storytelling and the way you blend personal experience with universal truth. As a fellow author, I deeply appreciate writing that challenges and moves readers the way yours does.

I just wanted to reach out to say how much I admired your work. It's inspiring to see writing that’s both fearless and artful.

Warm regards

Annie ernaux

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I RESPONDED:

November 13, 2025

Hello Annie- Thank you for the very kind words. My writings are all based on my experiences, and my intention is to teach people what I've learned so they develop an understanding. Especially to bring healing for those who lost people and pets.  

Are you the same Annie Ernaux who has written 20 books and received the Nobel Prize in literature and is beloved in France and worldwide? 

If so, your books (especially those of your personal experiences with the pregnancy and the two-year relationship) are courageous and incredibly powerful. 

As a fellow author, I am humbled by your words and so appreciative.

Sincerely,

Rob Gutro

SHE RESPONDED:

Dear Rob, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful message. I appreciate your dedication to sharing your experiences to help and heal others it is a noble aim and one I deeply respect. Yes, I am the Annie Ernaux you mention, and I am touched by your words regarding my work. It is always meaningful to connect with fellow authors who value honesty and courage in storytelling. Warm regards, Annie

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ABOUT ANNIE ERNAUX

Annie Thérèse Blanche Ernaux is a French writer who was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory". Her literary work, mostly autobiographical, maintains close links with sociology.

Awards: Nobel Prize in Literature, Prix Formentor

https://www.annie-ernaux.org/

Local Blog: A Maine Shoemaker’s Potato Patch Plan Feeds the Poor

Today's blog is about a man from Maine who came up with an idea to feed the poor in 1893, and he was scoffed. His plan was brilliant and was later adopted by cities across the U.S.A.!    Today's blog is about his story thanks to the New England Historical Society. 

(Image: Hazen Pingree. Credit: New England Historical Society.)

A Maine Shoemaker’s Potato Patch Plan Feeds the Poor

During the terrible depression that followed the Panic of 1893, a transplanted Maine shoemaker came up with a widely ridiculed idea to feed the poor: a potato patch plan.

Hazen Pingree, mayor of Detroit, wanted to let poor people plant vegetable gardens on vacant city land. Though he was mocked by his political opponents, ignored by the clergy, lampooned by the newspapers and stonewalled by the city’s elite, Hazen Pingree’s potato patch plan was wildly successful.

The potato patch plan also inspired the victory gardens of World War I and World War II.

Hazen Pingree was born in Denmark, Maine, on Aug. 30, 1840. At 14 he moved to Saco to work in a cotton factory. At 16 he moved to Hopkinton, Mass., to work as a cutter in a shoe factory.

When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the Union Army and fought a number of battles. When the war ended, he moved to Detroit, where he got a job as a shoemaker. He soon bought his employer’s shoe-making machinery and went into business, building Pingree and Smith into the second-biggest shoemaking company in the United States.

(Image: Denmark, Maine, birthplace of Hazen Pingree)

In 1889, Hazen Pingree was elected mayor of Detroit as a citizen reformer.

Detroit’s poor were suffering during the depression and the city’s treasury was almost empty. In many cases, Detroit’s poor were peasant farmers who had recently emigrated from Europe.

The Potato Patch Plan 

Pingree came up with his potato patch plan, and tried to enlist the city’s leaders in helping him.

Potato plants 

Pingree asked the churches to contribute money to buy plows, tools and seed.

One of his aides told a reporter, “The Mayor proposes to find out if those elegant churches are only for show or for doing some real good.”

The Church Made Fun of the Brilliant Idea

They were for show. Detroit’s clergy ignored or mocked the plan, contributing $13.80 to the effort. Pingree tried to retaliate by repealing the tax exemption for church property.

Newspapers made fun of him. His conservative opponents charged potato bugs would invade the city. They said the city’s poor were too lazy to work. “They are willing to work, and we ought to give them a chance to do it,” Pingree said.

The city’s wealthy families refused to contribute anything to the project. So Pingree tried to shame them by auctioning off a horse for which he had paid $1,300. He got $387 for it.

(Photo: A Polish family's potato patch in Detroit.  Credit: New England Historical Society).

Undaunted, Pingree found 430 acres of city land and levied a small tax on municipal employees to pay for seed and equipment. In the spring of 1894, fighting almost broke out among the 3,000 poor families who wanted one of the 945 half-acre plots.

Harvest 

That fall, Detroit’s lazy poor harvested potatoes and vegetables with a retail value conservatively estimated at $14,000. Pingree asked some of the city’s prominent merchants to display some of the best-looking produce, but the merchants refused.

“The unqualified success of the experiment has silenced the croakers,” Pingree said in 1895. That year, 1,546 families were assigned half-acre plots. Then the next season, nearly half of all families on public relief joined the plan. That year, the potato patch farmers had a cash value of $30,998, more than the $23,729 given out by the poor commission.

The potato patch plan was so successful it was adopted in such cities as New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Duluth and Denver.

Pingree was elected governor of Michigan in 1897. In 1901, he and his son went on an African safari and came home by way of London. Pingree contracted peritonitis. King Edward VII of England, to whom Pingree bore an uncanny resemblance, sent his own doctor to care for the former governor – but to no avail. He died on June 18, 1901.

DISCOVERY- High-fiber diet may 'rejuvenate' immune cells that fight cancer, study finds

Today's blog is another encouraging study to combat cancer. This study found high-fiber diets may help. The study was conducted with mice, and makes me wonder if it would have also helped with dogs (as our Dachshund Tyler passed from an agressive cancer). If you're recovering after cancer treatments or dealing with it, read this and discuss it with your doctor. Everything is worth a try.

(Image Credit: Iherb.com) 

High-fiber diet may 'rejuvenate' immune cells that fight cancer, study finds

By RJ Mackenzie , Live Science , nov 18, 2025

A laboratory study reveals an interaction between dietary fiber and the gut microbiome that may be helpful for fighting cancer.

A high-fiber diet may help support the function of immune cells that spot and kill cancer, mouse studies suggest.

Microbes in the gut can help the immune system fight cancer, and a fiber-rich diet may be the key to unlocking those benefits, a study in mice suggests.

The immune system is a key player in the body's battle against cancer. On the front line of this resistance are CD8+ killer T cells, a type of immune cell that marauds around tumors and then exterminates the cancerous cells. But after each successive battle, these cells become worn out and don't find tumors as effectively. As such, treatments that provide the cells with enough pep to finish their job are in high demand.

Now, in a study published Nov. 11 in the journal Immunity, researchers report that simple dietary changes may help revive these key immune cells by affecting the gut microbiome — the collection of microbial species in the gastrointestinal tract.

Chemo hurts both cancerous and healthy cells. But scientists think nanoparticles could help fix that. The team, led by Dr. Sammy Bedoui, an immunologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, didn't set out to study cancer at all. Instead, their project began nearly a decade ago with "blue-sky discovery research," without a particular outcome in mind, he told Live Science.

The team was broadly exploring how CD8+ T cells defend the body. Some of their research involved mice that were genetically modified to lack gut microbiomes, and the team noticed that T cells transferred into these rodents started to die out after a couple of weeks. They began to look for a factor released by the microbiome that could help T cells thrive.

In a 2019 paper, they found that factor. When a lot of dietary fiber reaches the gut, bacteria in the colon cause the fiber to ferment. This process releases different chemicals, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Bedoui, alongside study co-author and senior research fellow Annabell Bachem, showed that a particular SCFA — butyrate — rejuvenated tired-out T cells.

"They look very much like those cells that we would like to have when we treat patients or mice with immunotherapies," Bedoui said.

My Latest Paranormal Conference Adventure

Earlier this summer, you may remember reading a blog I wrote about my experience attending a paranormal conference in Connecticut with my good friend and co-author/co-investigator Monique Toosoon. That conference was good and bad. Recently I attended another Paranormal conference, (fortunately closer to home that didn't require 2 nights hotel and rental car)... and it, too, was a financial disaster. Today's blog is about the good and bad.

(Photo above: The Emery Group Reunited (minus Monique) L to R: Santa (Derick), Rob, Thomas, and Mrs. Santa (Candace). Credit: R.G/ 

Photo right: The "Paraclauses" hold up the Emery Estate Book that they are featured in! Credit: R.G.)

THE GOOD STUFF -  First, the good. The conference was in Salem, Massachusetts. You'd think that Salem, Mass. would be the perfect place for ghosts, haunted stuff, horror, and witches (the Salem Witch trials happened here). You'd be right, except that I learned after Halloween, everyone flees the city. The Conference happened on Nov 15th. I found a Dunkin' nearby, so that helped.

(Photo: My friend Thomas D. from the Emery Investigation crew! Credit: R.G.) 

During the 7 hour conference, I would be surprised if 150 or so people came. There were 20 vendors and several speakers. Fortunately, I got to speak and there were about 20 people in my audience. Sadly, none of them bought books. I sold 5 books (mostly to other vendors) and swapped one with my friend and fellow author Alex Matsou (she writes great books, like "Women in the Paranormal").

(Photo right: Me and my friend and fellow author, paranomal investigator and podcast host, Alex Matsou. Credit: R.G.) 

SEEING OLD FRIENDS - In addition to seeing Alex, my friends and fellow paranormal investigators from my Emery Estate book were there. The Paraclauses, Derick and Candace- a tech whiz and a medium who dress as Santa and Mrs. Claus and investigate haunted places known to have ghosts of children, so they won't fear communicating with Santa and Mrs. Claus (and it works). Thomas D. was also there, and he did the basement part of Emery. I also got to see Christopher Brown, an amazing Medium from Augusta, Maine. Seeing all of those friends were the highlight of the paracon.

(Photo right: Me and my friend Christopher Brown, an amazing medium from Augusta, Maine. Credit: R.G.) 

THE SAD PART - Second, the not-so-good. Packing up books, banners, postcards, borrowing a table and chair from the library, driving 3 hours round trip, no food vendors at the conference and really disappointing attendance led to selling just 5 books. That gave me a profit of $25.  The gas was about the same as my profit. 

The conference registration cost $200, and I was gone the entire day from home. So, although a $200 financial loss, at least I got to see some old friends. That's my focus. 

(Left: This half of the convention was empty of attendees when I took this photo at 3pm. Credit: R.G) 

(Right: My set up took some effort to put together, bringing in the table and chair, table cloth, banners, post card, books and signage)

BOTTOM LINE - The bottom line is that there's good and bad experiences. You learn from the bad and don't repeat them. So I won't be returning to the Connecticut or Salem events in the future. Instead, I'll focus on other things that bring people comfort and places that bring in a better reception. It's all good.

Idiot of the Month: GA Prosecutor Pete Skandalakis Drops Trump Election Interference Case

Why is everyone so afraid of the orange felon? This week's IDIOT, Pete Skandalakis, clearly had a strong case against the felon, who was recorded begging for interference with the Georgia Election in 2020. IT WAS ON TAPE. What more do you need? Yet, This Republican Prosecutor who is supposed to follow the LAW refuses to do so, and instead let the felon get away with yet another crime. What happened to morals and following the law if you're a Republican? Ironically, Skandalakis's philosophy over his decades as a prosecutor was:“If we do the right thing, we can always defend it." Well, he didn't do the right thing. He's an IDIOT.

New prosecutor won’t pursue charges against Trump and others in Georgia election interference case 

By Kate Brumback, Associated Press, November 26, 2025

ATLANTA — A judge on Wednesday dismissed the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others after the prosecutor who recently took over the case said he would not pursue the charges.

Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.

After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.

The abandonment of the Georgia case is the latest reflection of how Trump has emerged largely unscathed from a spate of prosecutions that once threatened to imperil his political career and personal liberty.

Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who had charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, dropped both cases after Trump won the White House last year. Smith cited longstanding Justice Department policy against the indictment of a sitting president.

And though Trump was convicted of felony charges in New York in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election, he was sentenced in January to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction intact but sparing him any punishment.

It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. Fourteen other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

(AND A SECOND IDIOT: Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney)

Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, applauded the case’s dismissal: “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”

The Associated Press has reached out to a spokesperson for Willis seeking comment on the dismissal.

“The strongest and most prosecutable case against those seeking to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results and prevent the certification of those votes was the one investigated and indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith,” Skandalakis wrote in his court filing Wednesday.

He added that the criminal conduct alleged in the Georgia indictment “was conceived in Washington, D.C., not the State of Georgia. The federal government is the appropriate venue for this prosecution, not the State of Georgia.”

After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take the case. McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than let the case be dismissed right away.

He said Willis’ office only recently delivered the case file — 101 boxes and an eight-terabyte hard drive — and he hadn’t had a chance to review everything yet. Citing the public’s “legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he said he wanted to assess the evidence and decide on appropriate next steps.

Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said in a court filing last month that he will get no extra pay for the case but that Fulton County will reimburse expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.

Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.

Hero of the Week: 16-year-old from Columbus, Nebraska Saves Man with CPR

 This week's hero is a 16 year old girl from Nebraska who saw a man lying in a parking lot and administered CPR, saving his life. Here's the story. 

(Photo: Ashley de la Cruz Martin was walking into Pawnee Plunge Water Park when she saw an unresponsive man, Chuck Putnam (right). Credit: KETV) 

  16-year-old from Columbus, Nebraska Saves Man with CPR

KETV Nov 27, 2025, Pete Cuddihy

COLUMBUS, Neb. —Friday marks the 15th annual Heroes Game between Nebraska and Iowa. Each year, both schools choose a person to represent the state as its very own hero. Nebraska's homegrown hero is a 16-year-old from Columbus.

Ashley de la Cruz Martin was walking into Pawnee Plunge Water Park when she saw an unresponsive man, Chuck Putnam, on the ground in the parking lot. "I found out that he fell on the floor, hit his head and was unconscious," she said. After checking his pulse and breathing, she noticed he was gasping for air and had a very low pulse. "So then I was like, OK, then we're just going to start with CPR," she said.

Putnam had gone into cardiac arrest, and de la Cruz Martin performed CPR on him until first responders arrived. "If she didn't perform CPR until the paramedics arrived, I wouldn't have made it," said Putnam.

Despite having learned CPR in school just two months prior, de la Cruz Martin was not afraid to act quickly. "I just started, like, looking at Chuck, and I'm like, he is in my hands right now. And that genuinely just made me take it more serious," she said.

"God put a guardian angel in that parking lot that they named Ashley, and thank goodness she, she played the role to a T," said Putnam.After being released from the hospital, Putnam made it his mission to meet and honor his guardian angel."I want to nominate her for whatever was out there because of what she did for me," he said.

De la Cruz Martin was first recognized by the Columbus School Board, then the city of Columbus. Her biggest honor will be Friday, when she represents the state as Nebraska's hero at the Nebraska-Iowa game. "Without you being there, I probably wouldn't be here today. So, she is my hero," Putnam said.

"I'm really thankful that I'm going to get supported," de la Cruz Martin said.In front of 90,000 fans at Memorial Stadium, Putnam will join his hero on the field. "I'm going to be so proud to be standing next to her, the person that saved my life," he said.

De la Cruz Martin's heroic act even inspired Putnam to learn CPR so he can be someone's guardian angel if needed. "What she did was not unbelievable. What she did was Ashley being Ashley," Putnam said. Her bravery has created a lasting bond between the two unlikely strangers. "This has been a friendship that started on July 27, and it's going to last forever," Putnam said.

Book of the Week: Dashing Through the Snow by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark

 I really enjoyed Dashing Through the Snow" by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark. It's a holiday-themed novel that takes place in a small New Hampshire town, and involves a kidnapping, a bunch of lottery winners and uncovers a years-old mystery. I picked this book up at a Library book sale, and am glad I did. It was a feel-good and fast read. I enjoyed some of the characters, and the story was great. I didn't want to put the book down until I got to the end. 5 of 5 stars. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: From the beloved mother-daughter duo of Mary Higgins Clark, America’s Queen of Suspense, and Carol Higgins Clark, author of the hugely popular Regan Reilly series, comes Dashing Through the Snow, a holiday treat loaded with as many surprises as Santa’s sleigh.

In picturesque Branscombe, New Hampshire, on the night before the village’s first (and many hope annual) Festival of Joy, a group of employees at the local market learn they have won $180 million in the lottery. But the one worker, Duncan, who decided at the last moment not to play, is nowhere to be found. And while a second winning ticket was purchased in the next town, that winner hasn’t come forward. Could Duncan have secretly bought it?

Alvirah Meehan, amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly have arrived in town for the festival. And as they dig beneath the surface, they find that life in little Branscombe is not as tranquil as it appears. But while Alvirah and Regan have to put aside their visions of an old-fashioned weekend in the country, this fast-paced holiday caper is sure to keep you dashing through the pages.

November: The Month X-rays were discovered in 1895

I didn't know that X-rays were discovered in the 19th century, did you? I also didn't know who discovered them, but it was German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen. Today's blog gives you the background, thanks to History.com.

(Photo: Various x-rays. Credit: Image care centers) 

German scientist discovers X-rays

HISTORY.com Last Updated: November 05, 2025

On November 8, 1895, physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) becomes the first person to observe X-rays, a significant scientific advancement that would ultimately benefit a variety of fields, most of all medicine, by making the invisible visible.

Röntgen's discovery occurred accidentally in his Wurzburg, Germany, lab, where he was testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass when he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature.

X-rays are electromagnetic energy waves that act similarly to light rays, but at wavelengths approximately 1,000 times shorter than those of light. Röntgen holed up in his lab and conducted a series of experiments to better understand his discovery. He learned that X-rays penetrate human flesh but not higher-density substances such as bone or lead and that they can be photographed.

Röntgen's discovery was labeled a medical miracle and X-rays soon became an important diagnostic tool in medicine, allowing doctors to see inside the human body for the first time without surgery. In 1897, X-rays were first used on a military battlefield, during the Balkan War, to find bullets and broken bones inside patients.

Scientists were quick to realize the benefits of X-rays, but slower to comprehend the harmful effects of radiation. Initially, it was believed X-rays passed through flesh as harmlessly as light. However, within several years, researchers began to report cases of burns and skin damage after exposure to X-rays, and in 1904, Thomas Edison’s assistant, Clarence Dally, who had worked extensively with X-rays, died of skin cancer. Dally’s death caused some scientists to begin taking the risks of radiation more seriously, but they still weren’t fully understood.

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT XRAYS AND SHOE STORES? 

During the 1930s, 40s and 50s, in fact, many American shoe stores featured shoe-fitting fluoroscopes that used X-rays to enable customers to see the bones in their feet; it wasn’t until the 1950s that this practice was determined to be risky business.

Wilhelm Röntgen received numerous accolades for his work, including the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901, yet he remained modest and never tried to patent his discovery. Today, X-ray technology is widely used in medicine, material analysis and devices such as airport security scanners.

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MOST COMMON REASONS FOR X-RAYS 

According to Image Care Centers, here are some of the most common reasons to take x-rays:

To evaluate symptoms in the body. An x-ray can help doctors look inside the body and may help them evaluate symptoms you’re having. This is especially useful when helping to diagnose illnesses, such as pneumonia or heart problems.

To diagnose injuries. When you have sustained sudden trauma, doctors may use an x-ray to identify injuries, such as broken bones and joint dislocations.

To perform dental checks. Dentists often use x-rays to check the oral health of their patients. X-rays are ideal for finding cavities and tooth decay.

To diagnose cancer. Doctors often use x-rays to diagnose and stage various cancers. They’re also used in mammograms to help detect breast cancer.

To identify joint changes. Specialists often use x-rays to identify arthritis in elderly patients. While a typical x-ray might not work to detect joint changes, special x-rays called arthrograms can identify problems and help doctors treat arthritis.

First world map to mention ‘America’ was published in 1507.

Did you ever wonder where the word "America" came from and when it first came to be? Today's blog is an article from History Facts dot com that gives the story!

(Image:  Created by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller and scholar Matthias Ringmann, the map was the first to show the New World as a separate continent, surrounded by ocean, rather than as part of Asia. Credit: U.S. Library of Congress) 

The first world map to mention ‘America’ was published in 1507 

History Facts.com Nov 16, 2025

In 1507, a group of scholars in the small French town of Saint-Dié published a world map that changed how Europeans saw the globe — and gave “America” its name. Created by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller and scholar Matthias Ringmann, the map was the first to show the New World as a separate continent, surrounded by ocean, rather than as part of Asia.

The two men drew on Portuguese nautical data and letters attributed to Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci to create the map. Though it later emerged they were doctored, the letters appeared to argue that Vespucci had found an entirely new landmass, not the eastern edge of Asia, as Christopher Columbus believed. Waldseemüller and Ringmann agreed with this idea — and in an accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, they proposed naming this “fourth part” of the world “America,” after Vespucci’s Latinized first name, Americus.

Though Waldseemüller later dropped the name from his maps, others embraced it. When cartographer Gerardus Mercator applied the name “America” to the entire Western Hemisphere in 1538, it quickly became standard.

Only one copy of Waldseemüller’s 1507 map survives today — discovered in a German castle in 1901 and now housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Sometimes called “America’s birth certificate,” it marks the moment when a new name — and a New World — entered the map of human understanding.

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KEY HIGHLIGHTS TO THE MAP - (from the U.S. Library of Congress)

1. The 1507 World map is the first known map to show the Continent of South America separated from Asia in a way that reveals the existence of the Pacific Ocean. This fact is problematic in that neither Magellan nor Balboa had reached the Pacific Ocean by this time. The geographic and cartographic sources that Waldseemüller used for his depiction of the New World remain unknown to scholars although Waldseemüller discusses some unknown Portuguese charts in his book the Cosmographiae introductio.
2. Waldsemüller named the continent of South America after Amerigo Vespucci. The name appears for the first time on any map on the 1507 world map and is discussed by Waldseemüller in his book the Cosmographiae introductio. Waldseemüller and Ringman say, “Today these parts of the earth have been explored more extensively than a fourth part of the world, as will be explained in what follow, and that has been discovered by Amerigo Vespucci [. . . .] I can see no reason why anyone would object to calling this fourth part Amerige, the land of Amerigo, or America, after the man of great ability who discovered it.
3. In several areas on the 1507 world map corrections have been made to the woodblocks. The most obvious change is the relocation of a group of islands off the west coast of Africa. The islands have been relocated a little farther north and to the east than their previous position. These islands were important in defining the line between Spanish and Portuguese territories in the early sixteenth century.
4. The northwest coast of Africa on the 1507 map has a shape that is not modern but was defined and modeled after that found in the Geographia of Claudius Ptolemy. Ptolemy was a Greek second–century geographer and astronomer whose works were important far into the Renaissance. Waldseemüller and Ringmann combined the new geographic information provided by Columbus and Vespucci along with that of Ptolemaic and other ancient sources to make the 1507 world map.
5. Besides naming the continent of South America after Amerigo Vespucci,  Waldseemüller also pays homage to him on the 1507 map by showing his portrait opposite that of Ptolemy.  The portrait is accompanied by a map that shows the new lands whose discovery Waldseemüller attributed to him. The insect that sits near Vespucci’s shoulder above the "q" in Aquilo may be a wasp (in Latin “vespa”). The pictured insect could also be a fly, thought by sixteenth–century printers to protect their works from damage.
6. Waldseemüller indicates why he made the 1507 map. In the last line he recognizes that his new view of the world might disturb viewers until they understand and accept the new discoveries. The full translation is "Although many of the ancients were interested in marking out the circumference of the world, things remained unknown to them in no slight degree; for instance, in the west, America, named after its discoverer, which is now known to be a fourth part of the world. Another is, to the south, a part of Africa, which begins about seven degrees this side of Capricorn and stretches in a large expanse southward, beyond the torrid zone and the Tropic of Capricorn. A third instance, in the east, is the land of Cathay, and all of southern India beyond 180 degrees of longitude. All these we have added to the earlier-known places, so that those who are interested and love things of this sort may see all that is known to us of the present day, and may approve of our painstaking labors. This one request we have to make, that those who are inexperienced and unacquainted with cosmography shall not condemn all this before they have learned that it will surely be clearer to them later on, when they have come to understand it."