Tuesday 15 December 2020

A Postcard a Day - Tuesday 15 December 2020 - T for Mark Twain, a nativity scene and chocolate brownies

 Hello lovely ladies,

How are you all? I hope you are all well. Hubby and I are fine and healthy. We have made the decision (against better judgement) to go to Holland and visit my mother. She is 96, and when I heard that my cousin was going away and that my mother would be all alone over Christmas, we decided to catch a flight and go. So fingers crossed, it all goes well. The Netherlands will be in lockdown, but that doesn't bother us as we don't need to go anywhere. Everything will be closed apart from food shops. That is fine by me.

To be able to come back into Spain we need a negative Covid test, so we have already booked the test. My next T blog will be from Rotterdam and I'll tell you how the journey went.

My postcard for today is an interesting one. You guys across the pond will have recognized the photo, but I didn't know this was Mark Twain, the author of Huckleberry Finn. Wikipedia writes this:

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was lauded as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature". His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), the latter often called "The Great American Novel".


It was sent to me by someone called Muchu. He or she bought the card at the Mark Twain house and museum in Hartford, CT.
The stamps are colourful and feature grapes, Santaclaus and a Halloween scene.

Of course I then had to look up the Mark Twain House (as you do). And I discovered it is the most beautiful house I have ever seen!



I found a virtual tour of the house on the Internet and I have spent a good deal of time wandering around that beautiful home.

 Twain was born shortly after an appearance of Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well; he died the day after the comet made its closest approach to the Earth.

What has my week been like?  We have had some storms. Here you can see one coming at the end of this street in our village.

I have baked bread twice this week. I've made honey whole wheat bread and a rye bread. I made the dough in the bread maker and then I baked the bread in the oven. I got the recipes at saladinajar.com.

When I went to the local shop the other day, I passed a house that had their nativity scene outside. Very pretty it was.


I also made chocolate brownies for our friends. They had made pizzas and gave us some. I had made the choc brownies and gave them some. Fair exchange is no robbery.

Last week hubby wanted fish and chips again, so I obliged.

We had a glass of Radler beer. (beer with lemon). And this beverage is also my 'ticket' for the T-party hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard. 



The storms have passed and the skies are blue again. The weather is lovely again. This is the view from one of our terraces.
I have just finished my book The Beekeeper of New York. I absolutely loved it. It is about a girl called Yusra (originally from Yemen) who looks after her autistic brother. Her best friend Sophie is a practicing Muslim, and her brother believes in the healing powers of honey, but Yusra herself only believes in things she can see. Then one day her brother falls off the roof and ends up in hospital....

I have now started this book The Lie Tree. It is set in Victorian England about 10 years after Darwin publishes his theories.  

Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered.

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .


So far i'm liking it. 


That's it from me girls. 

Have a good week and 

Happy T-Day to everyone,

Hugs,

Lisca









19 comments:

  1. A children’s card game called “Authors” used to be very popular with kids. That’s the image of Mark Twain we all had — couldn’t forget him! His books are really fantastic, though not at all for kids.

    I hope your trip goes well.

    be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. Wishing you safe travels and all the best during your trip. I get that you want to go for your mother!
    Always wanted to visit Mark twain's place- only saw a documentary about him and this home on TV.
    A wonderful and yummy exchange of foods with your neighbors.
    Happy T day!

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  3. The Mark Twain house is on my wish to visit place. It is a little over 2 hours away from my home, and one day I am going to get there. It does look so beautiful in photos, doesn't it? And those brownies look delicious. I may have to switch up some cookie plans and make some brownies-smile. What a great storm cloud photo also Lisca. Glad your storms have come and gone and the sun is out. Safe travels Lisca. I hope you have a good trip to the Netherlands and a nice visit with your Mother. And happy T day too. Hugs-Erika

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  4. Wow I had no idea Mark Twain's home was so lovely-I will be taking the virtual tour once I finish my comment-thank you for sharing this.
    All of your foods look so good-swapping homemade goodies is wonderful. your fish and chips looks really good. we haven't had any fish for some time now and its my favorite protein.
    Safe travels and hoping the covid tests go well. Happy T and Merry Christmas too Hugs Kathy

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  5. Good decision and good luck with the journey!
    Wow on the stamps and house!
    Wow, I ran into the wall!!! Great link, I´ll go back there!
    Ow on the coincidence of his death.

    The storm pic looks great.
    I´d share cookies to Pizza any time!! I still have the darn Spekulatius. Hmmm... peas, good idea.
    To avoid Christmas-crazy I plan to go VERY early food shopping tomorrow and you just helpede big. Fishfingers! (if I can get them).

    Hmmm. Radler. And your books! Help, my list is so long already!

    A happy T-day and hugs. Have a safe trip. And a great time with your Mum.

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  6. Mark Train's house is fantastic! your fish looks spoon good, yummy. Have a safe journey to Holland, take care! Hugs, Valerie

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  7. Mark Twain also has a childhood home in Hannibal, Missouri. It is a white two story, nondescript home with the white picket fence at the side that represents the one Tom Sawyer got others to paint for him. You can see it here:

    https://www.visittheusa.com/experience/hannibal-delightful-story-itself

    Nothing spectacular compared to his home you showed.

    Enjoy your trip home to your mother's for Christmas. I'm sure she will be happy and you will enjoy your time with her, too. It sounds like it's a win-win all the way around.

    Your bread looks wonderful and your fish and chips make me hungry. That beer with lemon sounds refreshing, too.

    Thanks for sharing your postcard, upcoming trip, bread, food, and beer with us for T this Tuesday, Lisca. Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

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  8. I love Radler! Ice cold! Espcially great in summer. The Mark Twain house is fantastic. Thanks for sharing the pics with us. Fun stamps on this postcard. Have a nice day!

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  9. Great postcard and stamps. I visited the Mark Twain House a few years ago. It was beautiful inside, but they didn't allow photos, unfortunately. Your books sound like good reads. Lovely assortment of photos. Happy T-Day!

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  10. So nice that you checked out Mark Twain. There is a lot of history around him. Yes, that house is amazing. Lovely breads, brownies and fish. My Mr. M. would love that meal too. Be as safe as you can on your trip to see your mom. Have a nice day.

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  11. I'm happy for you that you've been able to plan a safe trip. I know you're excited! Your food looks delicious! You can never go wrong with fish and chips :) Happy T Tuesday!

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  12. we used to go to Hartford Connecticut a lot, and our hotel was close to the Twain house

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  13. Travel mercies for your trip to see your Mom ~ I clicked on your link, and Mark Twain's house is beautiful! Enjoy your new book & stay well ~

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  14. Loving the Santa and Halloween postage stamps - gorgeous 😁. The pizza and brownie swap sounds perfect to me and those stormy skies look very dramatic. Stay safe and sending Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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  15. Mark Twain was an amazing man. I'd never see his home. It is, as you say, very beautiful. The video tour was fun, but I had a hard time navigating - lol. Like a video game - I wouldn't have a clue.

    I've never seen such an elaborate Nativity scene. It's an entire village. Some Nacimientos here in Mexico include the countryside and events from the shepherds to Three King Day, when the Magi arrived. They're lovely but tend to be rustic where I live.

    The books both sound interesting.

    Happy T-day! Stay safe and well. Hugs, Eileen

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  16. I have been to Hartford, CT, but have never been to the Twain House. I'll have to put that on the bucket list. The Nativity is very beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before. Pizza and brownies two of my favorites. A fair exchange indeed. Have a good trip to visit your mom. Happy T Day

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  17. Mark Twain is nothing like I imagined him to be - that hat is hiding some very curly hair by the looks of it! The house is spectacular - it would take me ages to walk round!
    The stamps are great too!
    The nativity scene is beautiful and so are your sky pics!
    Great idea to food swap! Your brownies look wonderful!
    Hope your trip goes well, take care!
    Belated Happy Tea Day, Chrisx

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  18. The Lie Tree sounds like a very interesting book. I never read the Beekeeper but I have it on my to read list.
    That nativity scene it SO pretty. It looks like there is a lot of detail.
    You have been busy. All that baking and cooking makes me hungry. Yum to those brownies.
    I hope that you enjoy your trip.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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