The Miller Report 11132025
Greetings and Welcome!
Good morning, friends, and welcome to Miller’s Mysteries Blog! ☀️ The sun’s shining just right over Southington, and even the neighbor’s goats are leaning on the fence to see what’s going on, while my cats plot their escape through the window. 🐐🐱
I’m gearing up for Calendar House Shows, AMC movies, and the all-important mission: discovering which local restaurant has fries worth writing home about. 🍟🎬
With Christmas lights waiting to be untangled and shopping lists that are growing faster than a winter storm, let’s dive in and enjoy every sunny, chilly, mystery-filled step together!
• Across my Desk!!
23 years ago, young people in Venezuela were cheering for Chavez and Socialism. Today their children are eating out of garbage cans.
My wife thinks it's weird that I stare at the window during a heavy rainstorm.
It would be a lot less weird if she'd just let me in.
Someone told me today that humans eat more bananas than monkeys.
Pretty obvious, can't even remember the last time I ate a monkey.
Ok CT peeps, it was so cold in Florida yesterday, I felt like I had a snow day off from school!❄️
🌌 There’s a chance to see the Aurora Borealis tonight (11-13-26) in Southington, as a strong geomagnetic storm could push the northern lights farther south than usual. 🌠 NOAA and local stations like NBC Connecticut report that visibility may peak after 10 p.m., especially if skies stay clear toward the north-northeast. ☁️ Clouds and city lights could block the view, so head somewhere dark and open, and use your camera’s night mode for the best shot. ❄️ Bundle up, let your eyes adjust, and you just might catch a rare Connecticut light show!
• The Reader
Colleen keeps her routine simple: Saturday mornings with coffee, sunlight, and a blog. She sits at her wooden desk, pulling a crisp sheet of paper from her notebook. Mindmyst Tales Blog fills the screen as the steam curls above her mug. She traces lines of the story with her eyes, jotting down words that sound like they could belong in her own writing. The paper fills quickly with arrows, notes, and small sketches. Her coffee cools, but she hardly notices. By the end, she leans back, satisfied, as though she’s returned from a journey only the blog could take her on.
• Math of the Week
1. Bob, Michele, and the Southington Bakery Caper
Bob and Michele stop at a bakery on Main Street in Southington, where the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls fills the air and warm chocolate croissants glisten under the golden lights. Bob buys 3 cinnamon rolls for $2.50 each, and Michele grabs 4 chocolate croissants for $3.25 each. St. Nick happens to stroll past, tipping his red hat and jiggling a bag of presents that weighs 25 lb. How much do Bob and Michele spend in total, and if St. Nick’s bag is 5 times heavier than the combined weight of their pastries (assume each pastry weighs 0.5 lb), what is the total weight of all pastries plus St. Nick’s bag?
2. The Thomaston Ice Skating Adventure
Bob and Michele glide across the frozen pond behind the Thomaston skating rink. The crisp air smells of pine from nearby trees, and their skates carve lines through the ice that sparkle in the low winter sun. St. Nick is skating circles around them, dropping candy canes at 15-second intervals. If Michele collects 7 candy canes in the first 2 minutes, and Bob collects 3 fewer than twice the number Michele gets, how many candy canes do they have together after 2 minutes? If St. Nick drops a candy cane every 15 seconds for 10 minutes, how many candy canes does he drop in total?
3. Southington Market Sleigh Problem
At the Southington Farmers Market, Bob and Michele push a cart full of apples, pumpkins, and gingerbread cookies. The smells of roasting chestnuts and fresh-baked bread make their mouths water, while jingle bells ring from St. Nick’s sleigh overhead. If their cart holds 12 pumpkins and each weighs 6 lb, plus 24 apples at 0.75 lb each, and 18 gingerbread cookies at 0.25 lb each, what is the total weight in the cart? If St. Nick flies by with a bag containing 10 times that weight, what is the combined weight of the cart and St. Nick’s bag?
4. Bob, Michele, and the Christmas Light Chase
Walking through Southington’s decorated neighborhoods, Michele points out a house with 320 twinkling lights strung along the eaves. The air smells like mulled cider from a nearby café, and Bob can hear St. Nick laughing as he rides by on a bicycle decked out with tinsel. If the lights are divided evenly across 8 strings, how many lights are on each string? If St. Nick adds 45 more lights to his own miniature bicycle display, how many total lights are shining on both displays?
5. Thomaston Cookie Bake-Off Problem
In Thomaston, Bob and Michele help at a Christmas cookie bake-off. The kitchen smells of vanilla, nutmeg, and hot chocolate, and they hear St. Nick cheering contestants on. If they bake 6 batches of sugar cookies, with each batch producing 24 cookies, and 4 batches of gingerbread men, with each batch producing 18 cookies, how many cookies do they have in total? If St. Nick tastes 5 cookies from each batch before the contest begins, how many cookies are left for the participants?
• Now, This Week's Exciting Story
“Fondue & Fourth Downs”
On a golden November Saturday, the Southington sky glowed like burnished copper, and Jack Dark laced up his sneakers for what he swore would be a “friendly” football game at Memorial Park. Emily waved from the picnic blanket near the old oaks, a pot of bubbling cheddar-and-ale fondue beside her, sending out a fragrance so irresistible even the wind seemed to linger for a taste. She’d set out soft pretzels, roasted brussels sprouts, and apple slices so crisp they snapped like applause.
Jack jogged back and forth across the field, yelling plays that made no sense. “Go long, Jimmy! No, not that long—you’ll end up in Plainville!” Emily laughed and called, “You’re supposed to pass the ball, not chase it!” as his throw veered into the bleachers.
When the game ended in predictable chaos, Jack returned to find their blanket buried beneath a storm of scarlet and gold leaves. Emily dusted them away, grinning. “Nature just added its own garnish.” He reached for a pretzel, dunked it into the molten cheese, and sighed like a man at peace with the world. “If football came with fondue every time, I’d actually train.”
That’s when the chicken arrived. Not just any chicken—this was a determined, slightly muddy, fast-trotting escapee from the neighbor’s coop, heading straight for the fondue like it had a reservation. “Jack,” Emily warned, “we’ve got company.” Jack froze mid-dip. “If it wants the cheese, it’ll have to tackle me first.”
The chicken flapped, Jack lunged, and chaos bloomed again. Pretzels scattered, cheese wobbled, and Emily doubled over laughing. “You realize,” she said between giggles, “if this makes the Southington Observer, I’m not bailing you out.” Jack grinned, holding the wayward chicken like a football. “Relax, Em—it’s just a new recruit for the team.”
As the late sun dipped low, they sat beneath a swirl of color and laughter, sharing fondue with a newly named friend: Coach Cluckles. The chicken seemed content enough, perched beside the brussels sprouts like royalty. Emily sighed happily. “Only in Southington can you lose a game, wrestle a chicken, and still call it the perfect Saturday.”
Jack leaned back, grinning. “And only you could make fondue the MVP.”
===========SHADOW
Connecticut's UFO Inferno: Discover the hellish truth behind Connecticut's UFO sightings in this bloodcurdling book. From ominous lights in the sky to terrifying encounters with extraterrestrial entities, this collection of testimonies will leave you trembling with terror.
SHADOW by Joseph Miller
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4Z36PS3
Real stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss out! Get yours now.
============SPACE TALES 2
The aliens didn’t invade Earth for resources — they came for our coffee. Unfortunately, their first stop was a decaf café in Southington. ☕👽
SPACE TALES 2 BY JOSEPH MILLER
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKHGKSL3
Buy a copy now. Begin your next great reading adventure.
============Special Dark
When Detective Jack Dark follows a trail of ghosts, maps, and midnight energy surges, he discovers Southington’s quiet streets hide cosmic secrets.
SPECIAL DARK by Joseph Miller
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FX9LTS74
Grab a copy now. Begin your next great reading adventure.
Visit and enjoy my Author Page 🍂📜 ♣️❤️♠️♦️
https://warlockpublishing.com/author-joseph-miller.html
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KelDel Creations
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090364412851
Experience the magic of handmade art at Kelly’s craft fair booth! Every item is crafted with care, imagination, and a personal touch. From charming home accents to playful jewelry, there’s something for everyone. Kelly delights in sharing the stories behind her creations. Explore the textures, colors, and craftsmanship that make each piece unique. Whether searching for a gift or treating yourself, you’ll find inspiration. Visit Kelly’s booth and see creativity in action!
Nov 16 -- Torrington Christmas Festival 🌲️
Torrington Intermediate School is now the former Torrington Middle School.
It is located at 200 Middle School Drive.
Go support our local makers and community! Put this on your calendar! We look forward to seeing you again!! 🌲️
============
• Thank you for stopping by!
The firepit’s burning low, the stars are bright, and the wind smells faintly of apples and smoke. I’m thankful you came by to keep company on this cool October road. There’s always room here for another mug of coffee or a bowl of soup. Safe travels till we meet again.
• Please do write a comment. You could, if you dare, ask me a question. If I like it, I'll publish it right here in Miller's Mysteries Blog!
[send to mindmyst@yahoo.com]
Until next Thursday,
Happy November!!!
Joe Miller 🍻🎃️🦃
• Quick question
If you could only eat one type of dessert for the rest of your life, would you choose ice cream or cake, and how would you make it thrilling? I’d definitely go for ice cream, but I’d want a new flavor every week, like “Avocado Explosion” or “Mystery Chocolate!” Cake can be so… predictable!
• weather forecast
Today’s forecast calls for a 70% chance of leftover Halloween candy colliding with Thanksgiving leftovers in your fridge.
NASA warns of a sticky nebula forming somewhere near your microwave.
Expect gusty smells and cranberry fog through noon.
• Questions from readers:
“Still driving that Murano around like you’re auditioning for a detective movie?”
Joe: “I’m not auditioning — I am the movie.”
“Did you ever find time to relax, or are you still wrestling deadlines like an alligator in a necktie?”
Joe: “Relaxing is for people who don’t own keyboards.”
“Joe, are you working on another book already, or can your readers catch their breath first?”
Joe: “Breathing’s optional — I’m fueled by plot twists and coffee.”
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