Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Longwood Reimagined: New West Conservatory

My sister and I are avid gardeners and one of our favorite things to do is to visit Longwood Gardens. We try to go three or four times a year to see all the different flowers and since we go so often, we’re members. Because we’re members, we were able to explore the brand new spaces that have been in the making for nearly three years before the general public. It was lovely to stroll around the new West Conservatory, Cascade Garden, and Bonsai Courtyard. Today I’m sharing some photos from the West Conservatory which is a reimagined 19th century conservatory filled with lovely pools and a Mediterranean-inspired garden. It was a lovely area filled with all different kinds of greenery, mostly ones that require little water, which I guess is a nod to the theme of sustainability for the new conservatory. But there is an abundance of water in the space with many pools, canals, and fountains throughout the area. It was a beautiful space and we’re looking forward to seeing what they do with it for their Christmas celebration. P.S. I’m working on a book where a garden and garden tips play a big role. It’s still in the beginning stages but I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, please don’t forget about my upcoming November 26th release KILLER IN THE KENNEL. Grab your copy today at https://amzn.to/4dt8sk3.

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Meet Bloodhound Bongo

One of the fun things about writing the South Beach Security K-9 Division series was finding out all about the different dogs that would be the heroes in each of the stories. In my upcoming November 26th release, KILLER IN THE KENNEL, the K-9 hero is bloodhound Bongo. The olfactory area of a bloodhound is one of the largest of any dogs and their big ears and loose skin also help in both directing and holding onto scent particles. Because of their keen scent, bloodhounds are great for conducting searches of all kinds. In KILLER IN THE KENNEL, Bongo will help locate a number of cadavers near the kennel and also lead an exciting life and death search at the end of the book! Pre-order your copy of Bongo’s story today at https://amzn.to/4dt8sk3.

K-9 romance

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Road Trip or Flight?

I love to travel and visit new and exciting places. There’s just one problem with that: I hate to fly. If I could, I’d drive everywhere but obviously that really limits where you can go. If I didn’t fly, I wouldn’t have been able to go to far off places like Korea, Argentina, and Chile. Those are the farthest flights I’ve taken. But road trips have their own benefits since I can see the countryside and when it’s my time to take a break, I can whip out my laptop and get some work done. What about you? Would you choose a road trip or a flight? What’s the farthest place you’ve been able to visit? P.S. If you love stories set in other countries, grab a copy of THE FIFTH KINGDOM which is set in Mexico. It’s an action-packed romantic suspense with a twist you will not believe. Plus it’s specially priced at 99 cents. Grab your copy today at https://amzn.to/3O6FrjY.

road trip

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Thank you, Veterans

On this Veteran’s Day, please take a moment to thank the men, women and families of our military who sacrifice so much to keep this Nation free. Without them we would not be able to enjoy the liberties that we do. It’s the reason why my friends and I banded together to support the Stop Soldier Suicide organization by releasing our Strength & Honor anthology (no longer available). Thank you, veterans. We appreciate all that you have done for us and I hope our government will do a better job of taking care of you in the future. As for me, I regularly contribute to various veteran organizations and have now started a monthly donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation which is doing an amazing job at helping homeless veterans and those who have been injured in combat. I know times are tough, but if you can contribute to any of these organizations, please help them make our veterans’ lives better.

thank you veterans

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Happy Thanksgiving Countdown

OMG, there are only 18 days until Thanksgiving! My daughter and I are busy working up our dinner menu and deciding who will make what dish for the meal. We’re staying home for the grandbaby’s first Thanksgiving and having some family over to share the day with us. We’re grateful for so many things this year and want to share the optimism and happiness with our family and hopefully, with you. Are you already planning your Thanksgiving menu? Will you be making anything interesting this year? P.S. There are only 16 days until the release of KILLER IN THE KENNEL and just a little over a month until DANGER IN DADE (and Christmas Eve)! Grab your copies today at https://amzn.to/4dt8sk3. Yikes, time is flying by fast.

thanksgiving

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Killer in the Kennel Shoutout

This Saturday’s Shoutout is to Jeannie J. for her review of KILLER IN THE KENNEL! Thank you so much, Jeannie. I am so glad that you enjoyed this book. Check out what Jeannie had to say about KILLER IN THE KENNEL.

Caridad’s K-9 Division series is absolutely amazing, but this one in particular had me up late last night and this morning turning pages as fast as I could to find out how the hell the SBS team and the K-9 wonder dog, Bongo, and his handler, Sara would get to the bad guy —-

I loved this book, but then again Caridad is so multi-facet that everything she writes will take you on a ride – maybe a bumpy one some times, but always worth the little bruise!

The family dynamic and Jose (aka Pepe) and the rest of the Gonzalez family work with such synergy and bring in Search and Rescue, Sara – with her bloodhound, Bongo, well holy hell —-

Please go check out this award winning, NY Times bestseller and escape into her words!

It’s only a couple of weeks until the release of KILLER IN THE KENNEL, #3 in the South Beach Security K-9 Division series and just a little over a month until DANGER IN DADE (and Christmas Eve)! Grab your copies today at https://amzn.to/4dt8sk3.

book review

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Hearty Bean and Kale Soup

One of my fav things about colder weather is having soup for dinner. I love a good bowl of hearty soup with a nice slice of homemade bread. Hubby makes great bread! During the fall and winter, we usually have soup for dinner once a week, sometimes more because we love it so much. Bean and kale soup is one of my favs and it’s easy to change up by adding chicken, chorizo, Italian sausage, or potatoes to the mix. It’s also easy to make and keeps our little townhouse warm when I let it simmer for several hours. Today I’m sharing that recipe for you! P.S. If you love books with tasty food, grab a copy of SOUTH BEACH LOVE for 99 cents (https://amzn.to/4ekotta) or get it free for signing up for my newsletter (https://bit.ly/CaridadsNewsletter)!

Ingredients

1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups dried white beans (or 2 16 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed)
32 oz box vegetable broth
1 tsp chicken bouillon (optional)
1 tsp white miso (optional)
2 cups chopped kale (or any other greens)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a stockpot. Toss in carrots, celery, and onions and saute until softened. Add the broth, bouillon, bay leaf, and miso (optional) to the vegetables. If you’re using dried beans, add them now. It will take at least 2 hours for them to soften, maybe longer depending on the bean’s age and size. In the last hour of cooking, add the sliced carrots and the chopped kale. Simmer until carrots and kale are soft. If you’re using canned white beans, add them now and simmer for another 15 minutes or so to heat the beans. Salt and pepper to taste now. I don’t like to do it too early because the celery, bouillon, and miso could add enough salt on their own. Serve in big bowls with a slice of bread!

As I mentioned before, you can change it up by adding meat or potatoes to the soup. Turnips are another good addition. You can also add some tomato paste if you like. If you don’t have kale, try using spinach, escarole, swiss chard, or turnip greens. This is a versatile formula.

Autumn bean soup free recipe

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