Merry Christmas To One and All

The Overly Friendly Holiday Mouse T'was a cold winter's night close to Christmas when we Risners nestled down in our recliners. Harold watching television, and me stitching on my Grandmother's Fan quilt spread in hills and valleys on my lap and cascading over my feet to the floor. Mid evening the quiet was broken when Harold spotted a mouse flash from the dining room into the living room. The furry speed demon ducked under the couch but not for long. For half an hour, Harold insisted on giving me a play by play of the mouse's marathon as he crisscrossed the room, looking for a suitable nest for the long winter night. On the mouse's next sprint, Harold announced the four legged racer dashed under the couch. After that nothing but silence which meant Harold didn't see the mouse anymore or was interested in television or he dozed off. I concentrated on my stitches. It was the dark movement on the quilt above my knee that made me glanced up. The MOUSE peeked over the bunched quilt at me. His beady, glittering, tiny eyes stared into my startled, wide eyes. My thought was now was when Harold should have given me a mouse alert. Remember me. I'm the one that didn't make a sound as the rat, AKA Sweet Potato Thief, propelled himself toward the live trap door, busted the door and catapulted to the basement floor. Mice have the opposite affect on me, especially one in my lap. I screamed at the top of my lungs. The mouse took my not too subtle hint and in the wink of an eye scampered over my feet and down the quilt. Now I had Harold's attention. His recliner came up with a clatter. “Are you having a heart attack?” I shot out of my recliner and frantically shook the quilt while I watched around my feet. “I don't know. I might be. Let me take my pulse, and I'll get back to you on that. The mouse was in my lap, walking all over my quilt with his dirty feet and staring at me.” “I didn't see him,” Harold said as if this was no big deal. “Of course not. You had to be awake to see him. Next time I will shoo him your direction so he can sit in your lap,” I offered. The rest of the evening as I kept a watchful eye, I made sure my quilt was piled high in my lap instead of dragging on the floor. As I quilted my problem solving skills began forming in my mind. Obviously, I didn't have enough sticky traps statically placed. I'd buy more. For a few minutes, I contemplated placing the traps all around my recliner for protection from lap mice. Maybe I could make a small sign with an arrow on it, pointing to Harold's recliner, signifying that way to the mouse's next race track. Nah, extra sticky traps were a bad idea! No way would that work. I'd be the one to get stuck in the sticky traps. Besides, I was hoping that mouse wasn't dumb enough to try scaling Mount Quilt again after the reception I gave him. So I did what I thought was the logical thing by surrounding the couch with sticky traps and hoped we didn't have company. UPDATE: I'm happy to announce in this house not a creature is stirring except the two large ones in their recliners wishing all of you Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Varmint Free 2019.

Seventy Year Old Dresden Plate Quilt Top

Finished a special project. This was a quilt top made by Harold's Aunt Gladys in Arkansas years ago. She put it together when she was first married from the better pieces of clothing in the rag box when every scrap of material was saved for use. Gladys sewed the print pieces on her treadle sewing machine and the white pieces were from feed sack muslin - cut and sewed by hand to fit around the circle called the Dresden Plate. This might have been when Uncle Elmer was in the Korean War fighting with the marines. Gladys was a young bride in her early twenties, milking close to a dozen cows by hand twice a day. I can imagine her on lonely nights sitting under a single light bulb that hung down from the ceiling working to piece this quilt and many others while she worried and waited for her husband to come back from the war. I quilted the top to the back and know the 70 or plus year old quilt to be fragile. Even covered up a couple of mouse holes with some of my own scraps. So this quilt will never be used but will be on display in my living room as soon as I find a quilt rack. So knowing the hard work and sacrifices women make in time of war I felt that Aunt Gladys deserves the credit for this quilt. On the back is her name and the year 1950 which is just a guess to date the quilt. Thank you for your service Elmer Powell and Thank you Aunt Gladys for your strength to keep the home fires burning for two long years.

A bit of history on the Grandmother’s Fan quilt: This pattern first appeared in print in a Ladies Art Company catalog of 1897. Prior to that, fans were common motifs in late nineteenth century crazy quilts. Their popularity likely was due to the fad for decorating in the Japanese style, which was prompted by Americans' exposure to Japanese art at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. By the 1930s, fans were standard favorites for quilt patterns which is understandable. The fan is made from scraps left over from making clothes or less faded pieces cut out of clothes in the rag box before the rest of the garment was turned into dish clothes and dust rags. The 1930s quilts patterns quilting came about during the depression when with brilliant thrift the women used to create useful, beautiful quilts from what they had.  Many of us have seen these quilts on our elderly relatives beds. The Great Depression of the 1930s was the longest and most severe economic crisis in American history. It impacted jobs, standards of living, well-being and many areas of American popular culture. It also created a sense of connectedness among those who experienced the period. Passed on orally in many families, the experience of life in hard times has become part of the common heritage of millions of Americans.

This is my version of the Fan quilt. The piece in the middle is a dresser scarf much older than the quilt top. I got two of these dresser scarves at a yard sale and realized they were some elderly woman's treasures. They had been stored in an wooden dresser and had the distinctive scent of oak permeating through them. The material was muslin from a feed sack or flour sack. In the scarves beginnings they had been used and washed often. I knew this because some of the embroidery thread had washed away. It was amazing to see the pattern still imprinted on the material. I replaced pieces of roses and leaves. The crocheted border was still as neat as the day the woman finished crocheting it. In the beginning of the fan quilt, a fan design was quilted in the white piece of the block. I got my pattern from an old quilting magazine given to me by my aunt. With that pattern was a quilting design of a rose with two leaves. I am planning on using that design so that it matches the roses on the scarf. If all goes well the finished quilt will be my entry at the fair next year.

Stealers of Our Children Need to Be Caught

Please keep an eye out for this young lady at the gas stations around you. She has been kidnapped and missing for two weeks from Brooklyn Iowa. She was last seen last week in a car headed south from Carney, Mo. north of Kansas City. In small towns in the midwest where everyone knows everyone else people feel safe to go jogging alone or not to lock the doors after dark. Mollie was taken in the night. There seems to be a pattern of missing kids in this area. Two months ago a young man was taken near Laport City, Iowa. No clue to where he is. Six years ago there were two young girls, cousins, riding their bikes in July and they were taken. Six months later their bodies was found in a wooded reserve. Over the years I have heard reports of a white van cruising near kids and trying to get their attention. Don't know if it is the same devious people or not, but please watch for Mollie and call the police.

Scammer Alert

I received this email this morning. Usually if I don't know the name of the sender I click it scam and go on but the fact that this person was using an old password of mine from eight years ago made me curious. What I found in the message is a person that is not me. I have nothing to hide and would never do the things this person claims. She may have watched these videos herself and is using them blackmail others. Am I sending her money if it is a her? No!! I'm assuming I have enough of a following on all my blog accounts to alert others not to fall for such a scheme as this. fayrisner - blue08pen From Marlee ArtusoAdd contact To fayrisner@netins.netAdd contact Date Today 2:36 pm Contact photo Message Body Lets get directly to the purpose. No person has compensated me to check you. You may not know me and you are probably thinking why you are getting this email? In fact, I placed a software on the X video clips (pornography) site and you know what, you visited this web site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were viewing video clips, your browser started working as a Remote control Desktop having a key logger which provided me access to your screen as well as web cam. Immediately after that, my software program collected all your contacts from your Messenger, Facebook, as well as emailaccount. Next I created a video. 1st part shows the video you were watching (you've got a fine taste haha), and second part shows the recording of your web camera, and its u. You get not one but two choices. We are going to read up on these types of solutions in details: Very first option is to neglect this email message. In this instance, I will send out your video clip to all of your contacts and just think about the embarrassment you will see. Moreover if you are in a relationship, just how it will eventually affect? Other solution would be to compensate me $1000. Let us name it as a donation. As a consequence, I most certainly will immediately eliminate your video. You could go forward daily life like this never took place and you surely will never hear back again from me. You will make the payment through Bitcoin (if you don't know this, search for "how to buy bitcoin" in Google search engine). BTC Address to send to: 1EJRxdwGTUtu32d6GqxttFCD5xuyK71Sek [CASE-sensitive so copy & paste it] In case you are planning on going to the police, very well, this mail cannot be traced back to me. I have taken care of my moves. I am just not looking to charge a fee very much, I wish to be paid for. You have one day in order to make the payment. I have a specific pixel in this email message, and at this moment I know that you have read this email message. If I do not receive the BitCoins, I will, no doubt send your video recording to all of your contacts including relatives, co-workers, and many others. Nevertheless, if I receive the payment, I will erase the recording immediately. If you want evidence, reply Yeah then I definitely will send out your video recording to your 13 friends. It's a non:negotiable offer that being said don't waste my personal time & yours by responding to this message.

Replica of Grandma's Crazy Quilt Quilt put together and quilted in the Spring of 2018 Webster's defines a crazy quilt as a patchwork quilt with no regular design, and as I like to repeat every quilt has its own story. Crazy Quilting and it’s “Recycled” History The centuries old history of the crazy quilt intrigues me as well. They were started by those less fortunate, by patching blankets, clothing, etc with scraps of fabrics and other clothing. Later, quilts and garments were made using elegant fabrics such as velvets and silks and embellishments of lace, beads, ribbons were added. Crazy quilts can be anything you want them to be. Have you ever thought about the colors of Amish quilts - blue, purple and black blocks? Now many quilts in those colors are made out of new material to sell to tourists. Back in the Amish Communities beginning, their quilts were made from the less faded and worn pieces of their discarded clothing for their own use just like the homesteaders or women living in cities. To this day, I imagine that is still an Amish custom to use pieces of discarded clothing for quilts for home use that the tourists never see, but now with relaxed color schemes, the Amish quilts may be in yellow, greens, purples and blues. I once saw my great great grandmother, Alvina Bright's crazy quilt from 1899. In each twelve inch square backing, she had used a piece she embroidered the simple outline of an animal. Around that she laid the scraps she'd save. Some of the silk pieces had disintegrated after a hundred years, but the quilt still held many memories of an experienced quilter who made the whole quilt by hand. The quilt had to be one of the last quilts Alvina made before she went blind, and made that particular quilt precious to her and her family. I was inspired to try my hand at a quilt like hers, embroidering free hand stitched animals in the blocks to duplicate my great great grandmother's quilt. I still use that quilt today in winter to keep us warm. To make a crazy quilt really special, add pieces of memorabilia such as lace from your grandmother’s doilies, or pieces of vintage linens that may have a stain that makes them unusable by cutting the stain off. Crazy quilts from the Victorian era are adorned with beads, fine threads, trims, lace, velvet, pearl or gold coated buttons. These quilts were found in homes of the wealthy and maybe used more often for a bedspread because of its ornate design. The quilt I gift to you is only a replica of crazy quilts from our great grandmother's day. I embroidered over the yellow-orange roses and leaves to give the quilt an aged flair. The laces was left over from years ago when I sewed Barbie doll clothes to sell at craft shows. The butterfly blocks were added simply because I love butterflies, which to me, compliments the yellow-orange roses on the quilt. There's another reason this crazy quilt is special. I decided I'd like to enter it in the Benton County Fair's Open Class division in Vinton, Iowa the last of June 2018. I believe we should try something new to us once in awhile, but having thought that, it took me a year and a half to get up my courage. This crazy quilt is the one I decided to take out of three that I had made that winter. Three days later I went back to get my quilt and found I had been given a third place ribbon. Also, the manager of that portion of the Open Division said I should keep the quilt show in mind for next year. What a thrill the whole experience was. So now this quilt is yours, because to me, you are a winner!

Here it is – Book 11 of the Nurse Hal Among The Amish series. Available in a couple days on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.com. For the month of July this book and ebook as well as all of by other books and ebooks will be on sale at Smashwords.com for half price. Give my selections a look through and see if any of them interest you while the price is right. Bender Creek Bridge's Troubled Waters synopsis The longest year of Joy Petermeyer's life is just about over. Nurse Hal's stepson, Daniel Lapp, is due back from Tennessee in August, and they planned to get married. Only according to his Aunt Ida's letters, Daniel is having a good time in Tennessee working with his Uncle Marvin's horses and dating an Amish girl named Arlene. Joy worries that Daniel isn't coming home, and decides she has to move on. Her only friend is Melinda Esch. One night, they go on a camping trip which ends up tragically. Joy is determined to never have anything to do with Melinda after that night. Just when she considered her life was in bad shape, Daniel's friend, Jimmie Miller invites Joy to step out with him to the teen singings. Joy is welcomed back by the Amish teens after months of avoiding the singings. That date with Jimmie leads to a picnic and horseback riding dates. Summer is fun again, and Joy realizes she has developed deep feelings for Jimmie. To Joy's surprise, not even her romance with Jimmie goes well. Samuel Nisely, Jimmie's stepfather, tells Joy to stay away from Jimmie as long as she is promised to Daniel Lapp. Even if Daniel doesn't come back to Iowa, Joy might not be able to see Jimmie ever again as long as Samuel Nisely says Jimmie can't date her. This series of events turned summer into the worst one of her life again, and it all started with Bender Creek Bridge's Troubled Water. Chapter 1 “I am going to have a bobbeli.” After a time of silence while Joy Petermeyer and Melinda Esch practiced their fancy work, Melinda burst out with that startling statement. Her hands shook slightly after making the revelation. She bit her quivering lower lip as she laid the dish towel, snugged in a metal embroidery hoop, in her lap. The pillowcase in Joy's embroidery hoop slipped from her fingers to her lap as her mouth flew open. For once she was speechless as she leaned back against one of two large limestone boulders wedged together. A gentle breeze blew a sprig of her bright red hair down over Joy's eyes. She moved the hair until it stayed behind her ear while she collected her thoughts. On the bank of Buggy Creek, Joy's special place consisted of those two rocks shaded by a stand of plum trees. Joy used them as backrests. This was the spot in her uncle and aunt's pasture where she chose to go when she wanted to be alone. As well, it was the spot she shared with her friends. “Please run that statement by me one more time?” Joy had been hypnotized by the ripples slapping against the creek bank. She worried about how high the creek was going to rise, knowing water could soon flood the pasture. With that worry on her mind, she hoped maybe she hadn't heard Melinda correctly. Melinda focused her attention across the creek at the timber to avoid looking at Joy. Her voice flattened to just above a whisper. “I am going to have a bobbeli.” Joy gave a disbelieving gasp. “A baby! No way!” Melinda slowly nodded a yes. She nervously pushed her gold-rimmed glasses back to the bridge of her nose as she leaned against the other boulder. Joy studied the dark-haired girl's fine features to see if she was serious. When her eyes lit on Melinda's swelling middle, Joy noted the dress fit way too snugly. A new life was taking form in her friend. What popped into Joy's head was that at seventeen Melinda was way too young to have and care for a baby. As for herself, in a couple of weeks, Joy would be sixteen. Her thought about her age was she was still too young to be responsible for a baby and so was Melinda. “You have knocked the wind out of my sails. I must admit I noticed you were putting on weight, but I never dreamed the cause was pregnancy. How long have you known about your situation?” Melinda wrapped her denim jacket around the front of herself to stop Joy from staring at her stomach. “A few months now.” “Like how many?” Joy demanded as she looked straight at Melinda. Her friend shrugged. “Maybe close to four months.” Joy huffed, “Is this Ben Beiler's doing?” “Jah, but I share the blame,” Melinda took a deep breath through her open mouth, showing her crooked teeth. “We spent too many nights alone in Bender Creek timber.” “When are you and Ben getting married? Time is ticking away toward your due date,” Joy pointed out. “I am not getting married, and I am kronk about it.” Melinda's trembling mouth fine lined as she tried not to cry. “You have the right to feel sick. Why forever not aren't you getting married?” Joy pushed, looking astonished. “That's what happens next when an Amish girl is expecting, isn't it? An English girl too for that matter.” Melinda's shoulders sagged. “When I told Ben about the baby, he said this was my problem. He has no intention of marrying me. I have not seen him since I told him, so I reckon his mind has not changed.” Joy slapped her leg. “Daniel was right about that guy. Before he left, he warned me Ben Beiler was bad news.” “When Ben started taking me out my mutter told me Ben is full of the deibel and I should stay away from him,” Melinda muttered. “I hate to judge a person I don't know, but I believe Daniel was right when he said Ben was no good, and your mother is right to say he is a devil. So what are you going to do?” Joy quizzed. “I do not know yet.” Melinda's dark brown eyes filled with the tears she had tried so hard to prevent. Joy scooted closer and put her arm around Melinda's shoulders. “Do your folks know about your --- uh --condition?” Melinda laid a hand on her belly. “That I am pregnant? You might as well say it. I have gotten used to the idea. I had to. My mutter does know because I told her. I had no other choice because I have no idea what I should do. I needed her help. Mamm says we are not going to tell my father unless we have to. She does not know how he will take the idea of me being second-hand goods. She fears he might be harder on me than either one of us would like. He is a very strict man.” “It seems to me, he's going to be able to see for himself before much longer. Don't you think?” Joy pointed out. “Jah, but Mamm says ferleicht she will come up with a plan before he figures it out. I will leave the solution up to Mamm. She usually knows what is best.” Melinda picked up her embroidery hoop and circled the rim with a finger. Sadness crept across her face. Joy grimaced. “Doesn't sound like your mother is too sure what she can do to help you if perhaps is her best answer. I'm so sorry you're going through this difficult time. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Melinda shook her head. “Nah, not right now anyway. Just do not tell your family or anyone about my secret. I would rather no one else knew. It's just that I have been so upset I had to share my trouble with you, my friend.” “If that is what you want, I won't say a word. Cross my heart and hope to die.” Joy went through the motion on her chest. Melinda's problem wasn't hers to talk about. Sure, she'd keep the girl's revelation to herself, but Joy worried about what was going to happen to her friend. The girl wouldn't be looked on in a favorable light from now on when her secret was revealed. Behind Melinda's back, the Amish community would always call her second-hand goods. That term still popped up when Plain people spoke about Bobby Keim's wife Priscilla. Bobby married her, knowing her baby was the result of rape by a no-good Englisher. Even though the incident wasn't her fault Plain people looked down on her. Now she had been married to Bobby Keim for some time and was expecting his baby soon. You would think that would make a difference in their opinions, but some people didn't seem to want to forget Priscilla's past. A week later in early May, Melinda went to the phone shed at the intersection near the Esch farm and called Joy. She invited Joy to go horseback riding with her on that warm afternoon. Joy agreed and offered to meet her at Bender Creek Road turnoff on the Lapp-Bontrager Road. Joy let her shiny, black horse, Raven, trot, enjoying the slight breeze that bounced her bright red braid back and forth. Ever since Daniel Lapp left, she had let her hair grow. Just before Daniel went away, she told him when he came home this August, after a year in Tennessee, she'd be ready to marry him. Hal Lapp had given her lessons in Pennsylvania Dutch and instructions on how to pass the catechism classes. When the time came, she'd pass the classes expected of her by Bishop Bontrager so she could join the church and become Amish. After that, Daniel Lapp and she would wed. First neighbors next to her uncle's farm were Eli and Mary Mast, a young couple about Emma and Adam Keim's age. Their two small girls were hoeing in the garden. The fair-haired little beauties, with beaming smiles, glanced up and waved at Joy. Joy noted the saying dangling from the Mast's black mailbox was Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they are there. On the fence post next to the driveway was a sign painted with block letters that stated For Sale Eggs Fresh Vegetables Fruit No Sunday Sales The last line was added for the benefit of Englishers who didn't know that the Amish didn't do business on Sundays. Mary Mast had a large flock of hens, so she probably had plenty of eggs for sale right now. The vegetables would be ready soon, and the fruit afterward throughout the summer. Behind the garden was an orchard with apples, plums, cherries and peaches. The trees were beautiful to behold as each variety of fruit took turns blooming. As she rode past the Nisely farm, Daniel's friend, Jimmie Miller, raised his hand in a wave and continued on to the henhouse with a five-gallon bucket of water. The breeze caused the sign under the Nisely mailbox to flutter. It read, Great peace they have that love the Lord. At the intersection was Chicken Plucker Jonah Stolfus's dairy farm. Jonah was hooking his six golden draft horses up to a disk in front of his new dairy barn. Across the road from the barn, Davie Stolfus was coming out of the house. He waved and walked away, dragging his left leg along. Daniel told Joy he broke his leg in a riding accident, and his leg didn't heal right. First place on the Lapp–Bontrager Road was Bishop Bontrager's farm. Jane Bontrager stopped hoeing in her garden and straightened up to rub her back. Joy waved at her, and Jane waved back. The sign under their mailbox said God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Reading all the mailbox signs made Joy want to paint one for their mailbox. She'd have to talk to Aunt Nora and find out if she had a favorite saying. As Joy rode past John and Hallie Lapp's farm, she right away noticed the yard was quiet. Their three smaller children, Redbird, Beth, and Johnnie must be taking a nap. Their dog, Biscuit, must be napping under the porch swing. Maybe he was getting hard of hearing. Otherwise, he would be barking at her. Suddenly, memories of how badly she missed Daniel came rushing in on her, creating a ladened weight in her chest. Joy pushed the thought away. Daniel wasn't here. As much as she missed him, she just couldn't dwell on him right now. If she didn't put him out of her mind, the sad feelings would ruin her whole afternoon. Joy reached the Bender Creek Road turnoff before Melinda did. She dismounted and stretched her legs. In a few minutes, Melinda came trotting down the road on her red horse, Sam, waving a greeting. They rode along Bender Creek Road with their horses at a walk so they could talk. Melinda said, “I have been thinking. We should have a change from camping out by Buggy Creek this summer. Try a new place, ain't so?” Listening to the horses' hooves clip-clop on the hard dirt road, Joy shrugged. “I am perfectly willing to camp in a new spot. Have you got a place in mind on your farm?” “How about we camp out here in Bender Creek timber?” Melinda suggested, rubbing her fingers up and down her reins. “That is a perfectly horrible idea,” Joy declared. “Those beer keg parties the teens attend get pretty rough. They never know when the sheriff is going to send his deputies out to raid a party. I don't want to get mixed up in one of those raids and get arrested. That would send Uncle Jim and Aunt Nora ballistic for sure.” “You are right about that. My folks would not be happy with me either.” Melinda rode quietly for a time like she was giving what Joy said proper thought. “Doesn't look like a good idea to go wading in the swimming hole right now,” Joy joked as she pointed toward the tumbling water. Melinda frowned. “Jah, we would drown for sure if we tried.” “I've watched the water rise in Buggy Creek the last few days. If the creek goes over its banks, I may have to move my sheep, the horses and cow up by the barn,” Joy shared. When they reached the red covered bridge across Bender Creek, Melinda arched her back and rubbed it. “After we walk the horses across the bridge, I need to stretch my legs before we ride on. For some reason, I have been getting cramps in my right leg calf.” “Fine with me,” Joy agreed. The wooden floor of the bridge made the horses' clip-clops thud twice as loud. The girls felt safer, leading their horses through the bridge. When the noises made the horses nervous, Joy and Melinda rubbed their faces and talked soothingly to them. That was enough to keep the horses calm. About midway through the bridge, the horses became used to the noise. They figured out nothing was going to harm them. Once they were off the noisy, wooden floor, the girls led their horses over to the side of the road where they could graze grass and calm down. Joy became enthusiastic as she took in the timber scene around them. “I love spring so much. That's when Mother Nature creates new births; leaves on the trees, wild flowers in the timber and ditches, and baby animals are born for us to watch.” When Melinda didn't reply, Joy glanced toward her friend. Melinda was rubbing her stomach, and her face puckered up like she might cry. “I'm sorry, Melinda. That was an unconscious slip of the tongue on my part. I will try to remember to be more considerate of your feelings from now on.” Melinda drew in a deep breath. “It is all recht. I have to be strong and not think everything said is aimed at my problem.” Joy focused on the dirty water as it rushed under the bridge, making an angry sound. Snow-melt and spring rains had filled Bender Creek as full as Buggy Creek was at home. Near them was a narrow trail into the timber. Joy studied it for a moment. “Looks like someone has been using that trail on a regular basis. The grass has been tromped down. Must be hunters using the path, but I don't think there are any animals or birds in season to hunt right now. It can't be fishermen. River's too full to catch fish.” Melinda nodded and faced her friend. “Joy, I was down that trail recently. I have something I want to show you. Sort of a surprise. Follow me and lead your horse down the path.” She clucked her tongue and pulled on her horse's reins. “Come on, Sam.” Joy looked worried. “Are you sure we can make it with the horses? The underbrush is bound to be extremely dense to get horses very far down the path.” Melinda nodded. “We can make it fine I promise. I have been down this path a few times recently, leading Sam.” She led the way. Joy noted the path did look like it had recently been beaten down for a long ways. The flattened plants in the path had wilted to a dark green color. Joy talked soothingly to Raven when his ears laid back. Her horse was leery of these strange surroundings as bushes tickled him on one side or the other. As they passed under a hickory tree, a squirrel, flattened on top a high limb, barked an angry warning. Raven's head bobbed up. He was on the alert. Joy rubbed his nose. “Easy, Raven. Mr. Squirrel isn't going to bother us. He just wants to warn us to be nice while we walk by his home.” Joy didn't like upsetting Raven. “Melinda, are you sure we can make it through this timber with the horses? I hate to work to hold onto Raven when he's upset. This underbrush and the noises are making him nervous. How much farther are we going?” Melinda glanced back over her shoulder as she kept walking. “Jah, we can make it fine. Like I told you, I have led Sam down this path before. We do not have much farther to go. I promise.” Melinda stopped about five hundred feet into the timber. “We can tie the horses loosely here so they can graze.” She tied Sam to one of the large limbs on a dead log. Joy walked Raven a few feet away from Sam and tied him to another limb. The horses relaxed. Their minds were on snipping the tops out of tender ragweeds, mayapples and pink lady's-slipper orchids around their feet. Joy frowned as she watched the patch of flowers eaten and trampled. If there had been anywhere else to tie the horses, she'd have suggested it. Melinda turned when Joy didn't follow her. “What I want to show you is just on the other side of these multiflora rose bushes.” Melinda parted the branches and disappeared behind the bushes. Joy followed. They stepped into a small clearing. Melinda pointed to a large log. “Sit down for a moment so we can rest.” She eased down and ran her finger up and down the tight seam on the side of her purple dress. “I will be taking the seams in my dresses out again soon if my belly keeps growing.” “You surely will have to enlarge your dresses since I'm sure you will keep growing. I wonder if there is enough seam left to make that dress as big as you will need it.” When Melinda gave her a quizzical look, Joy added, “But I'm no expert about having a baby.” “Nah, and I know I am not,” Melinda said softly. Joy surveyed the open grassy area. “You said you had been here before. Had hunters been using this clearing for a camp? From the way it looks, it has been kept cleared.” Melinda licked her dry lips and fingered one of the ties on her prayer cap. “Nah, the hunters do not know about this clearing, I am pretty sure. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember I said we needed a new place to camp just for a change. This clearing is the place I was thinking about. Lately, I have taken the time to clear away the underbrush and redd up the camping area. I made the path large enough to bring our horses in here with us.” “You have been busy. That was a lot of work for you to do in your condition.” Joy contemplated the area, still doubtful. “Ach, it did not take me long to get rid of a few months' growth. Ben and I had the place looking like this last summer. Ben did most of the work that time,” Melinda admitted. Joy stared at her. “You camped out here with Ben Beiler?” “Nah, we did not camp. We just came here to spend time alone. Mamm and Daed would not have let me stay here all night with Ben,” Melinda said. “I should think you would have such bad memories about this place now that you wouldn't want to come near it,” Joy retorted. “I do not have bad memories about this campsite,” Melinda retorted. “I have always liked coming here.” Joy looked around. “I'm not sure this clearing is perfectly safe for two girls to camp in alone. Not like in my uncle's pasture or near the pond on your farm.” “I know you sounded before like you had doubts when I mentioned camping in Bender Creek timber. That is why I wanted you to see this spot before you made up your mind. This is a big timber, and we are the only ones who know about this clearing. We are far away from the picnic clearing where the keg parties happen. No one would even know we are here. Recht?” Melinda asked, looking hopefully at Joy for her approval. “Well, maybe,” Joy relented. “I wanted a special place like you have. Joy, I chose this for my special place.” Melinda waved her hand in a circle. “Does this meet your approval? Please say jah.” “I truly think everyone needs a special place to call their own. It's just the Bender Creek area is usually so public in the summer. People come just to see the covered bridge and cross it,” Joy reminded Melinda. “People come to see the covered bridge during the day. They would not come after dark. This area is quiet at night when we would be camping here. Take it from me. I have been here enough in the evenings to know what I am talking about. Please say jah.” Joy's stand softened as she saw Melinda's hopeful gaze. “It is your right to pick your special place. I guess if you are happy with this clearing I should be, too. Right now we have to watch the water level. Soon this area may be under water.” “Gute, I will call you from the phone shack when I have a free time to go camping and set it up with you. It is so much fun to camp out when we do it together, my friend. I am looking forward to camping in this new spot in the timber.” Melinda stood up. She was satisfied now that she had persuaded Joy to go camping there. “I have rested long enough. We can go back to riding before the afternoon is gone. My mutter will worry if I am late getting home to do my chores.” Once they were on Lapp–Bontrager Road again, Joy said, “You want to stop by my cousin Hallie's farm with me. We won't stay long. It's just that I haven't visited with Hallie and her children for two weeks.” Melinda eyed Joy with a gleam in her dark eyes. “You sure we are dropping by to visit with Nurse Hal, or is that just an excuse to see if she has had a letter from Daniel Lapp lately.” Joy narrowed her eyes, not liking to be teased about Daniel. Melinda grinned and winked at her. “Maybe a little of both.” Joy admitted sheepishly. If the first chapter sounds interesting, get the rest of the story at the above mentioned places and don't forget to leave a review so others know you read my book. Enjoy Author Fay Risner

A Hen's Fate In Life

Two hens in waiting in the barn. These should hatch June 18th. Both are fenced in to keep the little goats from tromping on them. I'll put the one in the box behind the gate in the loft chicken room, because I can carry that box up the steps. As soon as the one in the hay feeder hatches I'll give her chicks to the hen in the chicken room. Setting hens don't get along when they are put together. They are territorial so they fight, but they don't mind adopting another hen's chicks. I feel lucky to have made it almost three weeks without a raccoon or opossum raiding the barn and stealing these hens. Usually, they would show up about now so I have my fingers crossed (not really) hoping for a safe delivery for both hens.

I love watching the animals and chickens at my place. My observations turn into moments in my books which add realism to the characters' stories. One morning last week I pulled foxtail out of the daylilies and bluebells. I knew about the tunnel through the bluebells, because I saw a hen using it. I'd glanced in the plants as I went by but didn't see any eggs so I figured the hen was looking for bugs. While I was weeding I found the nest behind the bluebells. The hen is in for a surprise when she comes back to lay again. I made sure the eggs were gone. That was not a good place for a hen to start a family with wild animals roaming across the yard in the night. That afternoon about four PM, as usual, my husband and I were sitting on the front porch, me drinking ice tea and he drinking coffee. A blonde feathered hen with a bright red neck and head eased over to the bluebells and ducked into the tunnel. In a few seconds, she came back out, looking confused, as if she was wondering where she had put her nest. She walked along the bluebells to the clumps of daylilies and entered again to take another look. This time she came out of the bluebell tunnel "mad as a wet hen" and expelled some x-rated caws as she announced whoever took her eggs better bring them back. Then she stalked away. The next afternoon, the hen came back and made a trip into the bluebells to see if her demand had produced the eggs. She came back out right away and quietly left with a subdued sense that this is a hen's fate in life, laying eggs that always mysteriously disappear.

Mi versión en español de El final del arco iris – Enfermera Hal Entre el Amish Standard

Fay RMi versión en español de El final del arco iris – Enfermera Hal Among The Amish – el segundo libro ya está disponible en Smashwords como libro electrónico y libro en rústica. Fay Risner, en el Libro dos de su serie de Enfermeras Hal Amish, vincula el mundo moderno con el modo de vida atemporal de los Amish cuando la enfermera Hallie Lindstrom se enamora del viudo Amís John Lapp. Esta es una mirada fascinante a dos culturas diferentes en un intrincado y rico tapiz de un ambiente Amish tradicional en el sur de Iowa. La forma de vida sencilla de Amish, basada en la fe, las convicciones y la honestidad, se entrelazan en esta historia de amor entre una mujer inglesa y un hombre Amish. Hallie Lindstrom, Enfermera de Salud en el Hogar, tiene el pelo rojo cobre, afición por los pantalones vaqueros y posee un sedán de cobre que inhibe la aceptación de la comunidad Amish de ella. Luchando con su decisión de convertirse a Amish, Hallie se da cuenta de que si le permiten casarse con John Lapp, las posesiones mundanas que ella valora tienen que ir. Viudo amish, la paciencia de John Lapp con Hallie se agota cuando ella se molesta por haber ayudado a una bonita viuda de los Amish, Roseanna Miller, en su granja. John señala que el total rechazo de Hal de las costumbres inglesas y la total obediencia hacia él es la única forma en que se casará con ella. Teme que su amor por ella no sea suficiente para mantenerla en la fe Amish si ella no puede seguir su camino. Stella Strutt, obstinada Old Order Amish, está decidida a deshacerse de Hallie convirtiendo a la comunidad en su contra. Hallie tiene que decidir si es lo suficientemente fuerte como para renunciar a su estilo de vida para ser Amish por siempre, hacer una vida en la comunidad administrando una clínica médica en la granja de Lapp y soportar a Stella Strutt hablando mal de ella y la clínica por la eternidad . Mi versión en español de El final del arco iris – Enfermera Hal Among The Amish – el segundo libro ya está disponible en Smashwords como libro electrónico y libro en rústica. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/796790

Mila's Baby Quilt

I have a large extended family which means lots of cousins, and they are all special to me. One of my cousins kept in touch with me by phone which was always a delight. I loved to hear her voice and catch up on what she had been doing. She suddenly passed away two years ago May 2nd. Her going so sudden was a shock to her family, and I miss talking with her. The first of April this year, I received word from that cousin's sister, who I email often and have been to visit, about a new baby in the family belonging to a granddaughter of the cousin who passed. We both knew that Ginger would be so proud of her great-grandchild. I wanted to do something for the parents of baby Mila and to express my thoughts in story form about a member of the family that we all miss. In about ten days time, I put the quilt together and a story to go with it, because it was something that I could do not only for the baby but for my cousin.

Every quilt has a story. With older quilts, the story has been lost in time with the quilt maker. This quilt is as new as you are to this world, Mila. My connection to your family is on the Bright side. In my growing up years, I played with your Great Grandma Ginger, Uncle Mike, and Great Aunt Sandy. They along with your great great grandparents Buck and Lois Bright hold a special place in my heart as part of your family and mine. We all have maybe at least one talent. Something I could do to show you how special you are to all of your family is to make this quilt as a reminder of those who can't be here to hold you. I hope you enjoy this quilt as much as I enjoyed making it for you. The ladies on this quilt are a reminder of the strong, hardworking women in your family. The quilt maker was your great great grandmother Lois Nichols Bright. The barefoot woman with the chicken could easily have been Grandma Lois Bright or your great-grandmother Ginger and Great Aunt Sandy. Your family has a rural background in the Olive Branch Community where Grandma Lois's mother, Louise Nichols, was a rural school teacher and Louise's mother was a nurse and midwife for the area. Some of the women represent family gatherings at holidays such as an Easter egg hunt, springtime in May with a basket of flowers, 4th of July with fireworks at night, Halloween which is such fun whether it be children wearing the costumes to go door to door or the grownups handing out the candy, and Christmas which was always a joyful time with large family meals and gift giving. You have been blessed with loving parents and proud, loving Grandma Marla. When you're older they can share their family memories with you so you know, Mila, you have a branch on a great family tree.

Bender Creek Bridge's Troubled Water - A Nurse Hal Among The Amish book

SOON TO BE PUBLISHED

Synopsis for the book The longest year of Joy Petermeyer's life is just about up. Nurse Hal's stepson, Daniel Lapp, is due back from Tennessee in August, and they planned to get married. Only according to his Aunt Lois's letters, Daniel is having a good time where he's at in Tennessee, working with his Uncle Marvin's horses and dating an Amish girl named Arlene. Joy doesn't think Daniel is coming home, and realizes she has to move on. Her only friend is Melinda Esch. One night, they go on a camping trip that ends up tragically. Joy is determined to never have anything to do with Melinda after that night. Just when she considered her life was in bad shape, Daniel's friend, Jimmy Miller invites Joy to go with him to the teen singings. Joy is welcomed back by the Amish teens after months of avoiding the singings. That date with Jimmy leads to a picnic and horseback riding dates. Summer is fun again, and Joy realizes she has developed deep feelings for Jimmy. To Joy's surprise, not even her romance with Jimmy goes well. Samuel Nisely, Jimmy's stepfather, tells Joy to stay away from Jimmy as long as she is promised to Daniel Lapp. Even if Daniel doesn't come back to Iowa, Joy might not be able to see Jimmy ever again as long as Samuel Nisely says Jimmy can't date her. This turns into the worst summer of her life, and it all started with Bender Creek Bridge's Troubled Waters.

Butterfly Swarms Quilt

The Story Of The Butterfly Swarms Quilt

Fay Risner remembers back to summer days when beautiful Monarch butterflies were so plentiful they flew over her flower beds in swarms. Sadly, those days are in the past. Many of the butterflies die before they reach their destination. Each summer at different intervals, I'm lucky if I see a solitary Monarch dining on my flowers. More needs to done to make the butterflies migration successful from south to north in the summer and the repeated trip back in the fall. As it is now, we have only our memories of how it was to see swarms of Monarch doing ballet dance like movements as they traveled across our yards. With that in mind, Fay gifts you this quilt of butterfly swarms to remind you of the real thing, butterflies in flight. If you want to help, do what Fay did. Plant as many flowers as you have room for to give the butterflies food for their trip. As for the Butterfly Swarms quilt, butterfly patterns are numerous on the Internet. They come in different sizes and shapes. The pattern Fay Risner used wasn't her pattern but copied from the computer. However, the way she set the butterflies on the quilt was her design. A swarm of large and small butterflies with butterfly quilting stitches in the pink panels. The queen sized top was made in 2004. Fay stitched the quilt together in February and March 2018. The pastel border that frames the butterflies represents flowers – white for Shasta daisies, blue for for-get-me-nots, yellow is for black eyed susans and green is for the foliage. The pink panel represents the milkweed plant blooms, a plant that is so vital to the survival of the monarch. Fay Risner hopes you enjoy this poem as much as you do using the quilt she made for you. The poet, Mr. Wordsworth, put from pen to paper his thoughts on butterflies so many years ago. He must have truly loved to watch butterflies to capture them so well. To A Butterfly By William Wordsworth I've watched you now a full half-hour, Self-poised upon that yellow flower; And, little Butterfly! indeed I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless!---not frozen seas More motionless! and then What joy awaits you, when the breeze Hath found you out among the trees, And calls you forth again ! This plot of orchard-ground is ours; My trees they are, my Sister's flowers; Here rest your wing when they are weary; Here you lodge as in a sanctuary! Come often to us, fear no wrong; Sit near us on the bough! We'll talk of sunshine and of song, And summer days, when we were young; Sweet childish days, that were as long As twenty days are now.

Iowa's Wild Rose Quilt

Every quilt has a story. Most quilts made by homemakers is made from scraps of material. In my case, I’ve been using material inherited from my mother as well as my own pieces. The quilts I’m putting together now will be wedding gifts for great nieces and nephews. Sometimes I think I should have started sooner. They have grown up way too fast. This quilt's story is packaged with the quilt as part of the gift. On the back of the quilt is the Made With Loving Care from Fay Risner label and the date embroidered beside it. It was my thought that this quilt and the others might serve as heirlooms for the recipients.

This queen size Iowa Wild Rose quilt pattern was designed by Fay Risner. The wild roses and leaves were hand embroidered by Fay Risner and blocks constructed to match the size of the diamond blocks. This was done in February and March of 2016 while Fay was confined to her recliner due to a foot injury. The wild rose is Iowa's state flower. Years ago, wild roses bloomed alongside the roads and in the ditches. Over time, the roses have disappeared after the ditches were sprayed with weed kill. So if you come across a wild rose bush, stop and take a good look at it. That plant will be gone the next time you pass that way. Or, you can do what I did. Dig that plant up and transplant it into you97-year-olde you can enjoy what is now a rare flower. A forgotten embroidering stitch called twilling is now making a comeback and was used as a frame around the rose blocks. Fay saw the twilling stitch for the first time while at the Rose Festival Quilt show in State Center, Iowa with Kathy Wisecarver in 2017. She googled the stitch on the computer, and practiced it so she could use it to frame the roses. The diamond blocks were made from vintage, fifties and sixties material and passed on to Fay Risner by her 97 year old aunt in Centerville, Iowa who had been given the blocks by a friend. They were constructed in to a twelve inch block by that friend which sped up the sewing on the quilt top. It took Fay Risner three weeks to cut the rose block pieces and sew the quilt top in her spare time in 2016. Working in the evenings while watching television, Fay hand quilted the quilt in two months time - November and December 2017. It took her another week in January 2018 to buttonhole stitch with embroidery thread the butterflies in the diamond blocks. It's Fay's belief, since she loves butterflies, that every flower patterned quilt should have a few butterflies in the design. May this quilt keep you warm and give you fond memories of Fay Risner

Joyful Wisdom-Nurse Hal Among The Amish book 10

Joyful Wisdom-Nurse Hal Among The Amish excerpt

Chapter one of Joyful Wisdom Nurse Hal Among The Amish book Ten. Book in ebook and paperback in Amazon, kindle, Barnes and Noble and nook and http://www.smashwords.com As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. Ezekiel 34:12 Chapter One The back screen door banged behind Jim Lindstrom. He stopped on the top step and greeted with gusto, “Good morning, world.” The crisp March wind compelled him to tighten his straw hat on his thatch of gray hair and tug the corduroy collar on his denim jacket tight to his neck As if in competition with the wind, the blue sky held up the brilliant sun while it sent glowing rays to warm him and his surroundings. With pleasure, Jim surveyed the landscape. The red, driving horse, Daisy, grazed in the dew-sparkled pasture. In the pig pen, grunts came from the two pigs fattening for slaughter. In the hen house, the rooster heard Jim’s shout. He crowed robustly, begging to be turned loose with his cawing hens. The milk cow, Gloria, nosed her calf through the space in the boards on the barn’s corral. At the sound of Jim’s voice, she raised her head and bellowed, eager to be milked and eager for her calf to nurse. That bellow jolted Jim into action. He had work to do. Chores he enjoyed. He swung the aluminum milk pail beside him as he hurried to the barn. In the meantime, Nora, his wife, smiled from ear to ear as she pumped water into the steaming aluminum dish pan. She didn’t believe she could ever be happier. She finally felt confident they made the right decision when they moved from Titonka to Wickenburg, Iowa. Listening to her husband greet the morning told Nora that Jim was happy with the move. That meant a great deal to Nora. If asked what she enjoyed, she’d say it was time spent with their only daughter Hallie and her Amish family. She recalled some years back. Jim and she faced the bitter pill of retirement. They sold the dairy cattle and the hogs when the animals were ready for market. Jim rented out his farmland to a young man down the road. That left her husband with nothing to do. That’s when she noticed Jim lost his energetic drive. Nora worried about him until she saw him come to life each time they visited their daughter’s farm. Now they lived practically next door to Hallie and John Lapp on the Fisher place. Jim not only had animals and chickens to care for, also had time to enjoy his grandchildren. When John needed extra help on his farm, Jim was quick to volunteer. What made Jim content made Nora happy. As quickly as the smile crossed her face, it faded. Trepidation took its place. As she looked out the window, she swiped the last of the silverware and put the handful in the rinse pan. Oh, oh! Her sister, Tootie, tromped across the yard from the grandfather house she lived in. Usually Tootie didn’t move fast enough to make her silver curls bounce unless she had something ruffling her feathers. But what else was new! Seemed like Tootie was unhappy about things as often as she was content. Then again how bad could her problem be this early in the morning. Nora watched Tootie’s curls spring out in the breeze like she’d had a finger in an electric socket. Feeling the length of hair on the back of her neck, Nora knew her once bobbed do was no longer short. Tootie and she needed to find a beauty shop in Wickenburg soon. Nora grinned as she thought the other alternative was to ask her daughter, Hallie, if they could borrow prayer caps to hide their hair. Tootie had a fine house in Titonka. Her women’s groups and church work kept her busy. That’s the only activities she had. She’d never had children, but that didn’t seem to bother her. Still she wasn’t very agreeable about anything since her husband, Art Klinefeld, died seven years ago. On the Lindstroms first visit to the Lapp farm for Hallie’s wedding to John Lapp, Nora offered to take Tootie with them. Tootie accepted, because she was very fond of her niece, Hallie. She wasn’t keen on farm life, but she was very curious about Hallie’s Amish family and also a little nervous. That’s why she bought a book to learn about Amish customs. Nora flinched when the front door slammed shut. She dropped her dish cloth in the pan of sudsy water and dried her hands on her apron. Footsteps treaded heavily across the living room’s hardwood floor, Nora headed to the kitchen door to find out what Tootie’s dire problem was this time. At the doorway, Nora came face-to-face with her sister. The short, chunky woman stopped short and leaned against the door facing, puffing to get her breath. A look at Tootie’s flushed face warned Nora that something might be physically wrong with her. “Are you all right? You’re not ill are you? Is it your heart?” “No, I’m fine.” Tootie brushed past Nora. She headed to the dish cupboard to get a coffee cup. Since they lived in the same yard now, Nora was used to Tootie coming over for a cup of coffee early each morning. She suspected Tootie didn’t want to dirty up her coffee pot and be bothered to wash it and a cup just for herself. So why not drink her coffee at her sister’s house. Knowing her sister as well as Nora did, Tootie might reason Nora’s pot was already dirty. Instead of second guessing Tootie, Nora decided she should give her sister the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was lonely living in the grandfather house and just wanted Nora’s company. One thing was sure. Nora didn’t think she’d ever seen Tootie in such a dither. “You don’t look fine, but I’ll take your word for it. If you aren’t sick, it must be you’re just in a real hurry to get at my coffee.” Tootie walked slowly and steadily over to the table to keep from spilling her coffee. She set the full cup down and plopped into a chair. “You aren’t funny. Never mind my drinking this coffee which I do every morning while we visit. That’s nothing new. You ought to be used to it by now. What is new is I’m not going to take that child in no matter what that social worker says.” Now Nora was confused. Tootie really was upset about something new. “Excuse me. I must have missed the explanation part of this conversation. Want to repeat it for me?” Tootie rubbed her forehead like she’d worked herself into a headache. “Sorry. You didn’t miss anything. Hang on. I’m just about to fill you in. Can you at least sit with me like you usually do and have a cup of coffee? I’m too worked up to watch you flit around this kitchen while I talk.” “I can see that.” Nora helped herself to the coffee and came to the table. Tootie looked around her. “Jim already doing chores?” “That man is one happy camper since we moved here. He can hardly wait for breakfast to be done so he can get outside.” Nora sat down across from Tootie and let out a long sigh. She might as well bite the bullet and get Tootie back on track. “Now tell me what this is all about. What social worker are you talking about? What child?” “I’m going to get to that. The nerve of some people to think they can just impose on my life,” Tootie fumed and sipped her coffee. Nora narrowed her eyes at her sister. “For goodness sakes, Tootie. Quit worrying me to death and tell me what has you so stirred up.” “All right, but I tell you right off I am not taking in a kid.” Tootie thumped the table with her finger on every word for emphasis. “I don’t have room for her in my small house. I’m too old to be a mother. Are those enough reasons for you?” Tootie listed with an edge in her voice. Nora’s brow furrowed. She’d seen her sister get nerved up many times. She was good at dramatics, but at least, most of those time she made sense. Speaking slowly and calmly, Nora said, “Those reasons might be all right if I knew what on earth you were talking about?” “I just had a call from Bernice Wittstone in Algona. You remember her,” Tootie said. “Yes, very well. She headed every church committee and bossed the other women into doing the work. For which she took the credit, I might add,” Nora drew out every word like she had a bad taste in her mouth. “That’s her. She woke me up early this morning. How rude of people to call so early. Now that I use a cell phone I keep it on my bedside table so it’s handy if I need it in the night. Guess that is a blessing. If I’d still been living in Titonka, I’d have ran to the wall phone in my house. I might have broken my neck getting there.” Tootie waved her hand over the steaming cup and took a sip of coffee. “Try turning the cell phone off when you go to bed. Solves that problem,” Nora said dryly. “Now will you please get on with this story? You’ve got me worried. I have a feeling something awful has happened. Just skip to the important part and tell me quickly.” “Something tragic happened. Peter’s son, Jeff, and his wife, Megan, have been in a car accident,” Tootie said bluntly. “That is awful,” Nora gasped, patting her chest. “You know how our brother used to complain that his son should never have married that gypsy woman,” Tootie declared. “Tootie, for Heaven sakes, Megan isn’t a gypsy. Peter called her that because Jeff and Megan liked to travel. He preferred to blame it on his daughter-in-law. Our brother was like us and never went far from home so he couldn’t understand why Jeff and his wife didn’t stay home like the rest of us.” Nora paused to think about their own recent move and finished, “Like us anyway until now. Are we gypsies, Tootie, because we moved to the opposite end of Iowa to live?” “Peter would have thought so,” Tootie retorted. Nora pursed her lips and nodded. “Perhaps, but that was his problem not ours. How do you manage to get us off track? Please tell me what Bernice told you. Are Jeff and Megan all right?” “No, they died,” Tootie said flatly. Nora’s head whirled with plans that needed to be made quickly. “Oh, dear! It’s a four hour drive to Algona. We have to leave right away to travel back for their funeral. They don’t have anyone except us and their little girl as family.” “No need,” Tootie said remotely. “No need,” Nora repeated. “Why on earth not?” “The funeral took place a month ago. It took Bernice all this time to find me. She finally thought to call the minister. I left my phone number with him,” Tootie explained. “I see.” Nora’s face saddened then she remembered her nephew had a child. “Jeff’s daughter! Was she in the car?” “Well, she is the problem,” Tootie drew out. Nora’s empty cup collided with the table. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Tootie. Will you stop torturing me? Did she die or not?” “No, because she stayed with a friend while her parents went on vacation,” Tootie explained, heading for the coffee pot again. Nora rolled her eyes at the ceiling. This was going to be a two cup morning for Tootie. She’d wind up having a nervous breakdown, trying to drag out of Tootie what happened to their great-niece. She twisted around in her chair. “Praise the Lord for the fact the girl wasn’t with her parents. Wait a minute. That’s a very good thing not a problem.” She glanced at Tootie now back at the table, pouting over her coffee cup. “Hurry and tell me the rest.” “The woman the girl is living with happens to be a daughter of Bernice’s. The child is friends with Bernice’s granddaughter. Bernice told me social services says the girl needs to be with relatives if they can find any. Bernice was only too willing to help out by hunting my telephone number for social services. Probably trying to get shut of the girl for her daughter. Coming from parents like she had, I can imagine the child is a handful.” “Oh, Tootie! How can you say that about a child sight unseen. She just lost both parents. That’s so unkind of you,” Nora scolded. “What will happen to the poor child now?” “I’m trying to tell you if you give me a chance. That is the problem. Bernice says I’m the only living relative. She tried to make me feel guilty by telling me the girl will wind up in a foster home if I didn’t take her in. She completely forgot I have a sister. Not that it matters. We’re both too old to put up with a child. Bernice no sooner hung up and the social worker called. I told her she couldn’t send that child here to me. I don’t have any place to keep her.” She sipped her coffee as she eyed Nora over the cup. “Foster homes can’t be as bad as I’ve heard.” Tootie looked guiltily into her cup when she saw Nora’s narrowed eyes. “Can they?” Nora was fuming as she tried to keep her voice steady. “Tootie, did the social worker leave a phone number?” “Yes, she said she wanted me to take her number down in case I changed my mind which isn’t going to happen,” Tootie said obstinately. Nora shook her head. “Tootie, you call the social worker back and tell her Jim and I will take that child. She’s our kin, and we’re all she has. She deserves to be with us. Make arrangements and call Bernice. Have her tell her daughter we’ll pay her back for expenses of the bus trip. Do you hear me?” “I can do that only if she will be staying with you. I don’t want her under foot at my house,” Tootie said as if this was a negotiation. “Of course, she can stay with Jim and me. We have plenty of room. It will be fun to have a child in the house to liven things up again, and the poor dear needs a home and family,” Nora declared. “Give this some thought. You best discuss it with Jim before you leap into a responsibility like this. He might think different. Besides, the child won’t be a thing like you remember Hallie was when she was young. This is a modern day city raised girl with all those doodads like laptops and earphones plugged in her ears. They like to play music loud enough on their boomboxes to rattle the windows,” Tootie warned. “Listen to you. For someone who claims she doesn’t have any experience with children, you certainly know a lot about them. In case you’ve forgotten, we don’t have electricity. It will be hard for the child to use boomboxes or computers here,” Nora said in exasperation. “Most of that equipment comes with battery backup,” Tootie informed her. “Is that so? How old do you suppose the girl is?” “Bernice said she’s about to turn fifteen, which is a difficult age, I think,” declared Tootie. “I know, why don’t you asked Hallie if she will take in this girl. After all, Hallie is a relative, too.” “I will not do that and neither will you. Hallie has a large enough family and a baby to care for. She doesn’t need one more mouth to feed,” huffed Nora. “All right, I agree. It was just a thought.” Tootie paused. “I know. What about Emma and Adam? The girl might be able to help her with the babies.” “No, no, no! Emma has her hands full with twin babies, and one of them so very ill. You’re just trying to get out of the responsibility of taking care of Peter’s granddaughter by palming her off on someone else.” Tootie puffed up. “Fine, Miss Know It All. What do you suggest?” “We have no choice. We’re sending for her.” Nora amended, “if Jim doesn’t object. So, Sister, get used to the idea.” Nora dropped her cup into the dishpan. It was better to keep busy and not look at Tootie’s stubbornly-flushed face. Tootie looked out the window and perked up at a cloud of dust on the road. “Oh, no! Something must be wrong.” “What is it now?” Nora asked, drying her hands on her apron as she walked to the window. “Noah coming in at a gallop,” Tootie said. By the time Nora got to the window, Noah raced past the house to the barn. The women headed for the back door and watched. Noah dismounted and talked to Jim. In a few minutes, the two of them headed for the house. Nora and Tootie went to meet them. “What’s happened?” Nora saw sadness on her grandson’s face. “Baby Joesph died in the night. Mama Hal sent me to tell you.” Tootie groaned. “When it rains it pours. Poor Emma and Adam. So sad for them.” “Do we need to go to Emma’s right away to help her with anything?” Nora asked. “Nah, nothing to do right now. Mama Hal was going to make Emma go to bed for a rest. We have been up all night. Adam is already building the coffin. Mama Hal just wanted you to know tomorrow afternoon and evening is the visitation. You can come early if you want and help.” “Of course, we will,” Nora declared. “The funeral will be the next day, so be there early for that and bring food for the fellowship luncheon after the funeral.” Noah shrugged. “That’s it. I need to get back to help Daniel and Daed with the milking.” Jim patted Noah’s back. “Thanks aplenty for coming to let us know.” “Yes, and tell Emma and Adam our prayers and thoughts are with them,” Nora said. Tootie nodded she agreed with Jim and Nora as she wiped her eyes.

NaNoWriMo over and New Book Out Soon

NaNoWriMo Over and New Book Out Soon

Having written a book during NaNoWri Mo contest for seven years, I love the challenge of writing 50,000 words by the last day in November. This time I was had over 51,000 by the sixteenth day. According to the site’s stats, I have 363,754 words written for the contest in the last seven years. Before I published each of those books, the total was more. Email from the staff of NaNoWriMo We’re so proud of you. This November, you set a goal to write 50,000 words in a month… and now, here you are, in December, goal achieved. The great Ursula K. Le Guin said recently, “One of the troubles with our culture is we do not respect and train the imagination. It needs exercise. It needs practice. You can’t tell a story unless you’ve listened to a lot of stories and then learned how to do it.” We don’t know anyone who respects the imagination quite as much as y’all do. You’ve dedicated the last thirty days to training your imagination, strengthening your diligence, and honing your creative perseverance. And now, with your imagination freshly exercised, the great, boundless, natural question: if you can do this, what else could you do? The sky’s the limit. Thank you for writing with us. We hope to do it again soon (the “Now What?” Months are coming up, wink wink, nudge nudge)—after your well-deserved rest. Proud to be your writing sidekick, Tim, and the NaNoWriMo staff Coming soon Who Killed The Schoolmarm Synopsis Gracie Evans and the other elderly residents living at Moser Mansion Rest Home for Women in Locked Rock, Iowa aren’t happy with the school board’s pick for the new schoolmarm. The young woman has been seen dating some of Locked Rock’s eligible young bachelors. Lois Harwood said Cecee Morgan claimed she caught the new teacher flirting with her husband. They live next door to the teacher. Lois Harwood drove past a buggy late one evening in the country and recognized Hubert Hadden and the schoolmarm acting unseemly so she said. Lois spread the news, and from what she was hearing from others, she says the schoolmarm had been rode more often than most of the horses in town. The town’s respectable ladies are up in arms enough to go to the school board members and complain before school starts. The board needs to hire another teacher. Too late! The Moser Mansion women go for an evening walk and find the schoolmarm’s body in a marsh outside of town. Now if that young lady was getting along so well with the men in Locked Rock, Who Killed The Schoolmarm? Latest Entry In NaNoWriMo Contest finished on time Date December 2, 2017 Comments 1 Comment Edit