Book ~ "Motto for Murder" (2018) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ For ex-CIA Agent turned Girl Scout troop leader, Merry Wrath, planning a wedding is infinitely more terrifying than the time she was a mole in Carlos the Armadillo’s drug cartel. To make matters worse, while plagued by insomnia (brought on by diabolical details that include bizarre things like "boutonnieres") Merry and her cat, Philby, witness a midnight murder next door. 

Or do they? With her record of sleeplessness, everyone from her fiancé, Rex, to her Girl Scout troop are questioning her sanity. And when strange incidents of arson start popping up all over Who’s There, Iowa, and a mysterious woman vanishes, Merry begins to believe her neighbors are foreign spies. 

Throw in meeting her fiancé’s odd twin sistersa nd a scary sleep study, and Merry wonders if she’s in danger of losing her mind ... or her life.

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. After changing her appearance, she returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life.

Merry is getting ready for her wedding but things get complicated when, during a sleepless night, she thinks she sees a murder happen in the house next door. Since she’s exhausted and stressed, nobody is sure whether she really witnessed something or imagined it. As strange fires, missing people and suspicious neighbors start piling up, Merry starts digging into what’s going on in town. Along the way, she also has to deal with wedding chaos, her fiancé’s eccentric family (who she recently discover exist), and reminders that her old spy instincts are still hard to ignore.

This is the sixth in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and for the most part I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Kinsey Millhone Knitted Scarf

The Kitchen Sink Shop creates a different dish cloth pattern every month and I adapted this month's into a scarf to donate. The year's theme is mystery sleuths and this month, tough talking, street smart private investigator Kinsey Millhone from the Sue Grafton series is the design inspiration. I enjoyed this series and was sad when she passed in 2017.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Merry Maximus) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 22 stitches. 

• Knit 4 rows in garter stitch
• Row 1 (and every odd row): S1 knitwise, K21
• Row 2: S1 knitwise, P to last stitch, K1 
• Row 4: S1 knitwise, P2, *K4, P2* to last stitch K1 
• Row 6: S1 knitwise, P2, *K4, P2* to last stitch K1 
• Row 8: S1 knitwise, P to last stitch, K1
• Row 10: S1 knitwise, K2, *K1, P2, K3* to last stitch, K1 
• Row 12: S1 knitwise, K2, *K1, P2, K3* to last stitch, K1 
• Repeat rows 1-12 until the scarf is the desired length
• Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more
• Knit 4 rows in garter stitch
• Bind off

Cherry Blossoms, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

Though it's a bit late this year, it's cherry blossom time in Toronto and Gord and I checked them out this morning.

There are various parks you can go to see them. The closest park to us is Trinity Bellwoods Park and they started blooming there last week. Cherry blossom time doesn't last long so everyone flocks to see them while they last.

KC's tree, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

I stopped by Trinity Bellwoods Park this morning and visited KC's tree. I had been by since November. The leaves are starting to bud.

Petty Cash Kitchen + Bar, Toronto, ON

Petty Cash Kitchen + Bar (Adelaide W and Portland) has been on my radar for a while. I finally stopped in had supper there this evening.

Book ~ "The Astonishing Lives of Older Women: How to Create Pleasure Over Peril in Peak Longevity" (2026) Moira Welsh

From Goodreads ~ There is a seismic shift underway in how we think about aging for women - and Moira Welsh is leading the conversation.

But beneath the glossy narrative of “aging well” lies a more complicated truth.

In "The Astonishing Lives of Older Women", Welsh combines immersive reporting with unforgettable real-life stories to reveal what growing older actually likes like for a massive - and rapidly expanding - demographic of women.

You’ll meet:

• A woman in her 70s forced to live in her car 
• A widow navigating love, rejection and financial insecurity 
• A lifelong professional quietly outliving her savings

These stories expose the hidden realities shaping women’s later years:

• The gender pension gap 
• Rising housing insecurity 
• Loneliness, ageism, and invisibility 
• The financial cost of caregiving, divorce, and survival 

But this isn’t just a diagnosis. It’s a guide to what comes next.

Drawing on insights from a CEO, a legal scholar and a feminist economist, Welsh offers essential, clear-eyed advice on careers, pensions, financial planning and relationships. It all underscores a critical truth: financial independence isn’t optional.

And yet, this is not a story of defeat.

As women live longer than ever before, many are redefining what those extra decades can mean: new love, deep friendships, sexual freedom, purpose and power on their own terms.

Part urgent social investigation, part cultural manifesto, The Astonishing Lives of Older Women captures a pivotal moment - for a massive demographic of women, and for anyone rethinking aging, longevity, and the future of women’s lives.

Before I retired, I worked in the group retirement industry, meeting with clients to help them save and invest for their future. Over the years, I spoke with women of all ages and in many cases, they weren’t on track to be financially ready for retirement. So that's why this book caught my eye.

This book looks at what life is actually like for women as we get older, especially now we are living longer than ever before. The book mixes real-life stories (with a focus on Susan, Pat and Elizabeth), reporting and expert input to show both the challenges and realities older women face. It covers things like ageism, gaps in healthcare, financial struggles, lack of relationships and intimacies and issues in affordable housing. Welsh talks to a wide range of women and professionals to show what aging can look like across different situations. 

For the most part, I liked the writing style ... I liked it more when the focus was on the personal stories. It's an eye opener for women and the choices we have made throughout our lives and careers that effects our retirement savings such as taking time out to have and raise children, being a single mother, leaving an abusive relationship, etc.

Cosmic Pizza & Donair, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today at Cosmic Pizza & Donair in the Stock Yards Village at Weston Road/St. Clair Avenue W. 

I ordered a large donair for lunch with the intent of taking half home for supper (which I did). It was jammed with meat and was messy as a donair should be. Decent price for it at $12. While it was tasty, it wasn’t quite a Halifax-style donair (as advertised) as the meat wasn’t seasoned enough nor was the donair sauce sweet enough.

Mistake Rib Knitted Scarf

I knitted a scarf to donate using a squishy mistake rib pattern, an easy fun pattern.

Toronto Tempo, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON

This evening Gord and I attended the inaugural Toronto Tempo pre-season game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Tempo are the first Canadian women’s team in the WNBA. Our friend and neighbour, Dawn, invited us to be part of the family and friends work event she organied.

Despite losing, it was a fun game with lots of enthusiastic fans!

Gord and I

Aggie, me, Gord and Dawn