Of Dolls and Murder, Dog Sitting, and James J. Hill

Roscoe meets Scott Seekins

I've been dogsitting for the past couple weeks. He's an adorable little fellow, Roscoe, unfortunately I've been too busy to keep him much company. So much so that he's begun taking himself on his own walkies. It's terrible, I know. And I felt really bad until I've seen what he's been up to.

Roscoe looking for giant table scraps

Went to the Minnesota premiere of Susan Marks' documentary Of Dolls and Murder. Great name for a movie,  isn't it? It's an amazing movie, too, and you must see it. Order it. You'll find out about Francis Glessner Lee, a woman and a pioneer in the early days of murder investigation, and how her dollhouse murder scenes continue to aid investigators today, and the influence on modern CSI tactics -- in real life and on television.

Recently did a podcast with Susan Marks, too, so you can find out more about her movie direct from her. Bunny and I also discuss cocktails with her, after all, the podcast is called Bunny and Coco Get Smashed. We named it after our book. Feel free to order that, too.
Listen:



Visited something much bigger than a dollhouse recently -- the James J. Hill house in St. Paul is massive. (You can vote every day to help restore the pipe organ) It's a pretty extravagant place; there are faces everywhere, carved in the wood that practically covers the inside of the house. I saw hand-tooled leather wallpaper, a golden ceiling, and a silver vault. Just getting decorating tips, really. Need to spruce my place up a bit. Didn't see a bar anywhere, though, but I don't really need inspiration in that area. I'm set.

Off to walk the dog, Chester!