The Talens' Tales

The past can certainly haunt people. Guilt and shame can drastically change how a person acts in a certain situation and what he or she thinks reality is. In The Devil Walks in Mattingly the characters are forced to face their past, learn the truth and move on to be able to grasp the fullness life can really hold. Jake Barnett is the sheriff in the small town of Mattingly. Mattingly is a sleepy town, where there is not usually too much trouble. But all of that changes the day Taylor Hathcock comes to town and commits the most brutal crime in the town’s history, Jake is forced to step up and do what a sheriff really needs to do. But, events of the past haunt him and his wife. They both blame themselves for the death of classmate twenty years ago. Jake has tried to hide behind his job, while his wife Kate helps the poor in the town. But little do they know that there was a third person in that mess of twenty years ago. And it now time for the truth to come out and forgiveness to ...

Well, this has been a rather exciting last two days. I would think most of you have heard about the blizzard that hit the East Coast by now. Well, that was us and boy did it hit hard. It started around noon yesterday, winds picked up to over 100 km over night. We got 53 cm (about 21 inches) of snow and the winds settled down only around 8 pm this evening. I do have some pictures for comparison. Now, I don't think these are as dramatic as some. We are on the top of a hill in a pretty open area, so our snow blew away. There are some really good size drifts at the farm. I did have to wait for my in-laws to come over and shovel out my door. I could not open it this morning. It wasn't crazy deep, maybe 6 inches or so. The wind had just packed it in so tight that I could only open the door about two inches. And what about my husband? Well, Wilbert spent the storm in Halifax at a Dairy Conference. He went down a day earlier than planned and is staying the night tonight there as well...

Well, Mataya has recovered and she is stronger than ever. It is quite interesting to see how different the kids are already. Joash wasn't doing this muscle move until about 15 month. But, looking back on the blog, he was already pulling himself up to stand by things. Mataya is so fast in her army crawl, so doesn't even really think about standing yet. But I am sure it will come quick enough.

A Draw of Kings , the final installment in The Staff and the Sword series by Patrick W. Carr brings the world of Illustra to the final battle for its life. Will the dark forces of the surrounding worlds prevail, or will light and hope of a new king and saviour overcome? Errol and his companions return from their last journey to find the king is dead and the kingdom is in chaos. The only thing that will bring order is for the new king to be crowned. But the lots still cannot tell if Liam or Errol should be king. So, they each set out on different journeys to help the kingdom prepare for the impending battle that will come as soon as winter ends. Will the people from the boarding countries rally to help Illustra? And how will the herbwoman’s prophecy that either Liam or Errol must die, come true and lead to the salvation of Illustra once again? Having read the first two books in this series, I was so excited to finish it off. And this book did not disappoint. The action kept ...

Mom: Mataya, how are you feeling today, my 10 month old? M(ataya): Much better mom. I still need my rest, but I am doing much better. Mom: I am so glad! That was a pretty rough go for you. You slept away almost a whole week of life. M: Is that why you are interviewing me a day late, mom? Mom: Well, yes, I guess so. And I really don't have many pictures of you to share either. But, lets do it anyway. M: Sounds good. Mom: So, other than being sick, what are you up to these days. M: Well, I still like to move and check out all of the interesting places in the house. I also really like to try new foods, especially ones that I can fee myself.  And I really enjoy music and I like to dance a little. Going outside is fun too, though it is quite bright and cold sometimes. And I have two teeth now, so that has been a lot of work getting those to come through. Mom: I know. The warmer weather will be so nice. Are you working on talking at all? M: A little. I am getting muc...

First, a joke from Joash (who didn't even really know this was a joke, but I thought it was pretty cute.) J: Knock, knock Mom: Who's there? J: I Mom: I who? J: I love you! That was a nice joke that certainly made me smile. And now the reason I haven't been posting much lately. This sick little girl. She has been so sick this week. Super sleepy, no appetite, a fever for a day and super congested. I did take her into the doctor and she is on an antibiotic for a sinus infection. Her ears were clear, so that is good. She seems to be slowly getting better, but I am eager to have my smiley, giggly, energetic girl back. 

Already in the womb, Mataya was crazy active. And she really hasn't slowed down at all. Here are some of her latest tricks.  Up on her knees and climbing. She gets up on her knees a lot and likes to climb over all sort of things (legs, her brother, her exerscaucer.) She even managed to climb up the one step that goes into the bathroom in the basement.  And she like to crawl under things, especially the computer desk to the power cords underneath it. In this picture, she crawled in from the left side into the middle of the chair and then duck under the cross bar to get to the cords. She is a sneaky!

What if the largest untapped reserve of oil was found underneath Antarctica? Would that discovery set the foundation for the largest military war in the history of the world? Storming the Black Ice fictionalizes what that reality could be like. In Storming the Black Ice , Austin Rivers is on assignment at a British outpost in Antarctica when it is attacked by Special Forces from Argentina. This attack leads to war at sea between the British and their allies from Chile and Argentina and their allies from Venezuela. The battle ensues and ships and subs are lost. The British are finally forced to seek help from the United States. Can this battle end before more lives are lost and more families are separated forever? I feel like I am sort of on the fence about this book. It was a pretty interesting story and I really enjoyed learning a bit more about life in Antarctica. But, I think the book was too military to really excite me. There was too much jargon, too many maps inserted...