The Storms of November
November and December brought distinctly bad weather to this northwest corner of the country, and we’re grateful to see it straightening around. Fortunately, at my house, winds that roared to nearly a hundred miles per hour and sent me racing to the basement, brought down only a few trees. Giants, to be sure, but aside from crashing through the supports of my wooden swing, they did little damage. On a small acreage, each tree and plant, each curve of the land, becomes an intimate part of your life. You learn where the owls perch and when the pinecones form and which trees the woodpeckers prefer and where the coyotes lurk. To see huge cedars and firs lying on the ground, some with roots still attached, is a painful and personal loss.
..As the fallen trees have been cleared and turned into firewood, there's been plenty of evidence of Henry David Thoreau’s statement that when a man cuts his own wood, it warms him twice, once when he cuts it, and again when he burns it
..This year, instead of mailing boxes of presents, I’ve donated money to the food banks in the towns of the people I love. During the cold winter months, remember those who are struggling. The line between having enough and desperation can be very thin sometimes.
..It was a busy October and November, with trips “back east” as we say out here to denote any place on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, for conferences and book signings. Oshkosh, WI was a highlight, as was the wild and stormy trip across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger. "Sisters in Crime Goes to Hollywood" in November left me breathless: an excellent time but oh that traffic!
..This is a “skinny” newsletter, because I’m neck-deep in writing the next Miss Zukas, INDEX TO MURDER. CATALOGUE OF DEATH, the tenth Miss Zukas entry, goes on sale March 27, 2007.
...Happy New Year!. Enjoy these (finally) lengthening days!

Dewey Passes On
After eighteen years as the beloved mascot of the Spencer, Iowa city library, Dewey, who’d been found as a kitten in the library’s bookdrop in -10 weather, died in a librarian’s arms. Cats and books: an unbeatable combination. Dewey’s full name was Dewey Readmore Books.

Books are Dead?
That’s what some people are saying, but check out Forbes magazine’s special report on books, reading and publishing. Lots of tidbits on the business, the bottom line, who’s making big money and who’s reading, who’s buying, etc. You’ll be surprised – and reassured – by the state of our reading health!

Good Reads
Helma is reading Timothy Egan’s THE WORST HARD TIME, a harrowing look at the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, made all the more moving because it’s told through the eyes of survivors.
Ruth has always thought she should read Charles Dickens’ BLEAK HOUSE but could never get past page 18 so now she’s listening to it on audiobook.. “Does that count as reading?” she asked Helma. Helma's answer: “Definitely.”