“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...

Anime Rambles: Trinity Blood


I love Trinity Blood. Enough said.

Well, no it’s not all I have to say about it, but that sums it up.

Nine hundred years after Armageddon, tensions remain high between the two great world powers: the human (Terran) world, led by the Vatican, and the Methuselah—vampires—who are ruled over by their Empress in Byzantium. While some on both sides strive to achieve peace among the peoples, there are other factions undermining their efforts. Some humans want the vampires to vanish for good, some Methuselah hope to gain the upper-hand in this age-old power struggle.

And the Rosenkreuz want a whole new world order which puts them on top.

First off, I love the layers of this series. On top, you have the political battle between the Empire and the Vatican. But under that are other scrabbles for power. The Vatican, whose figurehead is young Pope Alessandro, is really directed by his siblings, Cardinals Caterina and Francesco, who have very different ways of handling things.  And so they have two separate teams to carry out their sometimes contradicting orders. Caterina’s AX Agency leans toward more discreet operations whereas Francesco’s Inquisition members strike first…well there are no questions after because God has seen the righteousness of their fight and granted them victory.

Yeah, they’re a little too enthusiastic about their job.

Meanwhile, in the Empire, Methuselah extremists would like to see the enslavement or annihilation of the Terrans. Some see humans as lower beings incapable of peaceful living. Some see them as food.

And underneath it all, the Rosenkreuz pulls its strings, manipulating both governments toward ultimate failure and sabotage.

So besides all the political intrigue, I love the characters. No one is purely good or bad. Everyone has flaws, makes mistakes, or has something they are desperately searching for. Not just little mistakes, either.

Which leads me to Father Abel Nightroad, a gentle and somewhat klutzy AX agent whose stipend never matches his appetite.

I love goofy heroes. (cheese grin) I do. Especially when that goofiness is set off by crazy and scary powers. Abel’s got them, yes he does.

Hey, evil vampire. It’s dinner time, and you are no longer top of the food chain.

You see, Father Abel isn’t human or vampire, but a Cruznik, a being who drinks the blood of vampires. And when he activates the nanomachines rolling around in his body, he sprouts wings and calls up a wicked scythe-like weapon made of blood.

Abel made a vow to protect the human race and swore himself into the service of Caterina, but he also made another promise to one he loved and is long dead. He promised to never kill, and it is a promise he is forced to break again and again. Despite the blood on his hands, Abel remains a loyal and gentle person, always looking for the best in a situation and guiding those he aids toward hope and redemption.


I could go on all day fangirling about Trinity Blood, but I think the blog would explode.     

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