Monthly Archives: October 2013

29 10, 2013

Ideas for Romancing Halloween

By |2015-10-22T18:47:29-05:00October 29th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

 On Monday, we talked about the origins of Halloween and the legend behind why we carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Today let’s enjoy some vintage Halloween cards and explore folktales that help young women identify their future husbands.chooseRomance writers should love these folktales and see potential romance stories.

According to folklore, young women have tossed apple-peels over their shoulders on Halloween, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands’ initials.valentine couple

 Or, peered at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water to learn about their futures.

Or, stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands’ faces.

Bobbing-for-ApplesOne legend claims the first successful apple-bobber will be the first to marry.

 Another suggests that matchmaking Irish cooks bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who finds it.

 Scottish fortune-tellers recommend eligible young women name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace on Halloween night. The nut that burns to ashes rather than popping or exploding, represents the girl’s future husband.

 In a confusing version of this same tale, the opposite was true: The nut that burns symbolized a love that would not last.

Another option with food suggest eating a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night can bring dreams about a future husband.

hugBut what if you’ve already found your mate, you say. hugging on jack-o-lantern

Then try some of these ideas for romancing your Halloween night.

~~Decorate your house for a Halloween evening. Let flickering candlelight set the mood. Place gourds or pumpkins hollowed out and filled with orange and purple flowers.

~~Prepare a warm and intimate Halloween dinner. How about a delicious pumpkin soup, followed by a herb roasted chicken with mashed potatoes – maybe you’ll find a ring inside –, and, of course, dark chocolate for dessert? Click here for the chicken recipe. And here for a wonderful pumpkin soup recipe from the Pioneer Woman.

~~Cuddle together on the couch and watch a scary movie. Frightening moments give you the perfect excuse to snuggle. Check out IMdb’s list of the 60 Scariest Movies if you need ideas.

~~Plan midnight picnic with finger foods. Head into the woods –  near a graveyard if you want to be spooky. If you want to be warm and safe, picnic in front of a roaring fire or in the middle of your bed.

~~Enjoy a hayride if you live in a rural area. Nothing better than burrowing beneath a warm blanket and watching the night sky to stimulate romance.

~~Book a bed and breakfast in a rural, isolated area for a romantic escape.

~~Attend a Halloween costume party BUT don’t tell each other about your costume and arrive separately. Pretend you’re truly strangers meeting for the first time.

~~Head out to a local haunted house for a scary date night holding each other’s hands.

Wishing you a fun-filled, romantic Halloween evening.kiss

28 10, 2013

Why do we carve pumpkins on Halloween?

By |2017-10-05T09:45:17-05:00October 28th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|5 Comments

This week is a time of celebration and superstition and tradition. It’s Halloween.vintage halloween postcardBut do you know why we celebrate Halloween?

The origins date back to The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.

November 1st was the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The Celts believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred the night before their New Year. On  October 31st, the New Year’s Eve, they celebrated the festival of Samhain. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.

By the eighth century the traditions evolved when Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs, incorporating some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before became known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween.

Through the years, Halloween has become the secular, community-based event we know today.

halloween-decorThat’s the history of the holiday, but the Irish in me loves finding the story behind the holiday traditions.

Like the legend behind making jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween decorations, which originated from an Irish myth about an old drunk called “Stingy Jack.”

Can you guess why he was called stingy? Of course, because he never wanted to pay for his drinks.

Jack and devilAs the story goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him.

When it came time to pay, true to his name, Stingy Jack talked the Devil into turning himself into a coin he could use to pay for their drinks… And then the story gets interesting.

Jack dies. But, because he made deals with the devil, God won’t let him into heaven. Because of his deal with the devil not to take his soul, he can’t go to hell.

stingy-jack-character-designSo Jack roams the dark Halloween night with a burning coal in a carved-out turnip. The Irish refer to his ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack O’Lantern.”

Read the full story here or watch to the fun, spooky video below:

On All Hallow’s Eve, the Irish hollow out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets then place a light inside to keep Stingy Jack away and ward off evil spirits.

Turnip Jack-o-lanterns changed to pumpkin jack-o-lanterns when waves of Irish immigrants came to America in the 1800’s to escape the Potato Famine. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out.

And thus begin our tradition of carving and lighting pumpkins for Halloween.pumpkin-carve-24Oh, and one more tidbit of information about jack-o-lanterns. This advice comes from the antique dealer me, not the Irish storyteller.Room-decor-for-HalloweenBe careful where you display your cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns. The base of a pumpkin can stay moist for days and will rot and stain wood or even marble. Put either foil or a dish with a raised edge under any pumpkins or gourds you display this fall.

I’ve stained more than one old piece of furniture decorating for fall with gourds and tiny pumpkins.

YOUR TURN: Have fun carving your pumpkin now that you know the story behind the tradition.

25 10, 2013

Dog Hotel – Miller Farm Friday

By |2013-10-25T06:20:12-05:00October 25th, 2013|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We had two extra dogs last weekend bringing our total to 6.  One of them is a frequent visitor.  He is one of the puppies Sadie had 5 years ago.  A coworker of Brian’s bought the puppy and named him Miller.  Whenever they leave town, the new owners book a room for Miller at the Miller Dog Hotel.

Miller now has a friend living with him named Jengo. Jengo is not a dachshund, but we allowed him to stay anyway.

Jengo

The guests arrived at about 10:30 on Saturday morning.  Fortunately Rachel was at the house to help me introduce Jengo to the rest of our pack.  Miller considers himself one of us so no introductions were necessary for him.

When Rachel and I prepared to leave, poor Jengo was being chased from one end of the kitchen to the other. We tried putting three dogs in kennels, Tucker in the bedroom and leaving Jengo and Miller out in the kitchen.

Miller, who considers Miller Farm his second home, was not thrilled to be sharing kitchen space with Jengo. So for Jengo’s protection, I put a leash on him and loaded him into the car.

We headed to Conroe to meet the high school band. The plan was for me to relieve Beekeeper Brian, who had travelled with the bus full of teenagers since 5:30 that morning. He was to take Jengo home, and I would ride the bus with the kids.

That was the plan, but when lightning started, the band reloaded the bus before I could get there. Jengo and I turned around and headed for Bryan High School to meet the busses and bring Brian home.

After we got home, the rest of the afternoon went smoothly.

Not so for the night.

Tucker usually sleeps on our bed but when Miller visits, he sleeps under the bed. This time, Jengo also got to sleep on the bed. Tucker didn’t want to miss the fun and joined us. (If we are going to do this often, we will need a bigger bed.)

Did I mention that Jengo is a puppy? He got up in the middle of the night and pooped in the house, which meant I also had to get up in the middle of the night to clean up and then feed him. After Jengo ate, he wanted to play.

Reminded me why I had children when I was younger.  I’m getting too old to stay up all night.

I thought about driving him around in the car to put him to sleep only I was afraid it would put me to sleep. We stayed at home and I laid on the couch and tried to convince Jengo to go to sleep. I gave him a rawhide bone to chew, but he tried to bury it in the newspapers.

At 6 am, I gave up and started the coffee. Then I unloaded the dishwasher and started breakfast.  Jengo helped:

dishwasher2

By the time he left on Monday afternoon, Jengo was right at home. This is a good thing as I imagine he will be returning the next time his owners leave town.

That is unless there is “No Vacancy” at the Miller Dog Hotel.

23 10, 2013

THE SOUTH – One Word Wednesday

By |2013-10-23T06:45:26-05:00October 23rd, 2013|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Below are some fascinating facts I uncovered while doing research for a new series where the heroines will be southern belles.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states

Censusmap

Other terms associated with THE SOUTH:

Old South includes the slave states of 1776 (Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) and/or all the slave states before 1860 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas)

New South used to differentiate states of the slavery-based plantation system during the antebellum period with southern states since 1877. Includes Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware

Deep South: those states and areas where things most often thought of as “Southern” exist in their most concentrated form. Includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina

Dixie: most commonly associated with the eleven states of the Old Confederacy, which were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

I still haven’t decided exactly which southern state to use as the setting, but you can be sure I will be using these delightful characteristics of THE SOUTH throughout the series.

Jody's plaque2

YOUR TURN: Did I uncover any facts you didn’t know about THE SOUTH?

21 10, 2013

Today’s the day to clean your virtual desktop. Are you?

By |2013-10-21T06:57:58-05:00October 21st, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Personal Computer Museum has designated the third Monday in October as the day to…

CYDTLogo

According to Forrester Research, there are one BILLION computers in use in the world today.

If every one of those computers has an average of 10 unused icons on their desktop, that represents a staggering 169 acres of wasted virtual space!

As you can see, unused icons on my desktop hide half my grandchildren.

desktopI guessing your desktop probably looks a lot like mine.

Or worse.

Unused icons not only clutter, they can show down your computer.

Whether you placed the icons on the desktop for quick access to files or the icons came through program installations, the clutter can be counterproductive. You lose time searching for the icon you want.

So how do we clean our virtual desktop, reclaim the wasted space, and banish the unused icons?

Tina Sieber offers 7 Simple Steps To An Awesome Minimalist Desktop

There’s also a Facebook event you can join. You’ll find lots of advice.

YOUR TURN: Join me today and let’s clean our desktops.

18 10, 2013

Chicken Coop Limbo – Miller Farm Friday

By |2013-10-18T06:58:33-05:00October 18th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I’m afraid we have a problem with inbreeding in our chicken flock.

This latest group of recently hatched chickens seems particularly dumb. They do not appear to know the function of the nest boxes.

I thought at first the “hen in a hive” was boycotting the nest boxes and laying her eggs in the abandoned beehive.

However, I am finding eggs in a variety of places. For example, on top of the nest boxes.

on top nest boxesNo problem.

Out in the yard. Again no problem.eggs in yard

However, when they lay their eggs under the quail cage in the quail coop there is a problem.

quail rail

Eggs on the wood rail require some major contortions in order to collect.

The wood rail going across the coop is where the chickens roost (and poop) at night.  I try very hard not to let any part of me or my clothing touch this rail.  (See previous post on “Fully dressed”)

I can reach over the rail, arching my back as high as possible and stand on my tiptoes and hope I don’t lose my balance.

Or I can crouch low and reach under the rail. The latter method reminds me of a dance – the Limbo.

Collecting eggs these days I’ve decided Miller Farm has its own dance –

the Chicken Coop Limbo.

16 10, 2013

Tips for Living With a Writer – One Word Wednesday

By |2013-10-16T06:24:30-05:00October 16th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

Okay so that’s more than one word, but I saw this neat graphic on writerswriter.com and had to share.

Living with a writer is not easy. Or maybe I should say, living with writer me is not easy.

I spend most of my time sequestered away in an imaginary world. My mind is always plotting the next story. I talk about people I’ve created as though they existed.

It’s a different world. A solitary world. I think these tips are useful.  That’s why I’m sharing.

10 tips for living with a writer

My husband says, from his perspective, #5 is the most critical. In fact, his tip advice would be NEVER interrupt a writer at work…the results are not pleasant. (He’s learned from experience!)

I’ve heard Nora Roberts say she told her two children during the summer not to interrupt unless there was blood or fire and, when they got older, it had to be arterial blood and an active fire.

If you have young ones around, Geek Mom offers Ten Allowable Reasons for Interrupting Mom Check it out. You’ll enjoy the creativity.

YOUR TURN: Which of these tips would you say is most important? Or what tip would you add?

14 10, 2013

Columbus Day-More than you may want to know

By |2013-10-14T06:01:08-05:00October 14th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

On this day in 1492, one of the sailors on the Pinta sighted land, an island in the Bahamas, after 10 weeks of sailing from Palos, Spain, with the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña.

The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus believed he’d reached East Asia. He sighted Cuba and thought it was China, and when the expedition landed on Hispaniola, he thought he’d found Japan.

Columbus Day has been celebrated since the 18th century, but only became a U.S. federal holiday in 1937. Interesting that Hawaii, Alaska, and South Dakota don’t recognize the holiday.

Many celebrate Italian-American heritage on Columbus Day.

statue of Christopher Columbus in Lavagna, Genova, Italy.

Statue of Christopher Columbus                           Lavagna, Genova, Italy

Columbus’s contribution to world history was introducing Europeans to the New World, which led to cultural exchange, commerce, and exploration, and eventually to the discovery of the real westward route to the Indies.

But Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have also generated controversy.

Many argue that Europeans got land, slaves, and gold, while the aboriginals were dispossessed, enslaved, and infected.

Protests of Columbus Day celebrations resulted in the creation of Indigenous People’s Day in the 1990s, which coincides with Columbus Day.

When I think of Columbus Day, I think of the jingle I learned in school to remember the man’s accomplishment.

Christopher Columbus sailed in the ocean blue in 1492.

Turns out that’s only the beginning line of a much longer poem by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr., who was known for poems, rhymes, and mnemonic jingles to aid in the recollection of information.

Curious, I looked up the complete poem published in the anthology Yankee Doodles: A Book of American Verse, edited by Ted Malone and published in 1943 by Whittlesey House (NY and London).

“The History of The U.S.” by Winifred Sackville Stoner

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue
And found this land, land of the Free, Beloved by you, beloved by me.

And in the year sixteen and seven, Good Captain Smith thought he’d reach Heav’n,
And then he founded Jamestown City, Alas, ’tis gone, oh, what a pity.

’Twas in September sixteen nine, WIth ship, Half Moon, a read Dutch sign,
That Henry Hudson found the stream, The Hudson River of our dream.

In sixteen twenty, pilgrims saw Our land that had no unjust law.
Their children live here to this day, Proud citizens of U.S.A.

In sixteen hundred eighty-three, Good William Penn stood ’neath a tree
And swore that unto his life’s end He would be the Indian’s friend.

In seventeen hundred seventy-five, Good Paul Revere was then alive;
He rode like wild throughout the night, And called the Minute Men to fight.

Year seventeen hundred seventy-six, July the fourth, this date please fix
Within your minds, my children dear, For that was Independence Year.

In that same year on a bitter night At Trenton was an awful fight,
But by our brave George Washington The battle was at last well won.

Two other dates in your mind fix—Franklin born in seventeen six,
And Washington first said “Boo-Hoo” In seventeen hundred thirty-two.

In seventeen hundred seventy-nine, Paul Jones, who was a captain fine,
Gained our first naval victory Fighting on the big, wide sea.

And in the year eighteen and four, Lewis and Clark both went before,
And blazed for us the Oregon Trail Where men go now in ease by rail.

In eighteen hundred and thirteen, On great Lake Erie could be seen
Our Perry fight the Union Jack And drive it from our shores far back.

In eighteen hundred and sixty-one, An awful war was then begun
Between the brothers of our land, Who now together firmly stand.

In eighteen hundred sixty-three, Each slave was told that he was free
By Lincoln, with whom few compare In being kind and just and fair.

In eighteen hundred eighty-one, At Panama there was begun
By good De Lesseps, wise and great, The big canal, now our ship’s gate.

At San Juan, eighteen ninety-eight, Our brave Rough Riders lay in wait,
And on the land brought victory, While Dewey won it on the sea.

In nineteen hundred and fifteen, Was shown a panoramic screen
At San Francisco’s wondrous fair; All peoples were invited there.

But cruel war in that same year Kept strangers from our land o’ cheer,
And nineteen seventeen brought here The war that filled our hearts with fear.

Thank God in nineteen eighteen Peace on earth again was seen,
And we are praying that she’ll stay Forever in our U.S.A.

Are you celebrating Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day?

Me, I’m celebrating both and very thankful that my teachers never made me recite Stoner’s entire poem!

11 10, 2013

Chicken Coop or Aviary? – Miller Farm Friday

By |2013-10-11T06:06:01-05:00October 11th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

It rained off and on all Saturday night. I had to be at church early Sunday morning so I went to let the chickens out before the sun came up.

This is what I found:

bird in coop

A small bird had shared the coop with the chickens during the rain.  The chickens didn’t seem to mind.

It reminded me of a song – of course.

This song has no words. It is an orchestral piece entitled “Aviary” from Camille Saint Saens: Carnival of Animals.

Here’s Aviary for those who have never heard it.

I use the piece in my elementary music classes when I talk about music being high or low. And, every time I have to explain “aviary” is another name for a large birdhouse.

I didn’t realize it could also be a chicken coop.

9 10, 2013

CREATIVITY – One Word Wednesday

By |2017-04-08T18:36:39-05:00October 9th, 2013|one word Wednesday|3 Comments

creative_imagination_background-wideWhat is creativity?

Being creative or artistic doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to draw or play an instrument.

Creativity is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.

Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas and produce something original. 

don-draper

Dan Draper of the AMC television series Mad Men portrays a creative.

istock creative

Writers exist in a world of creativity.

Consider Steven Jobs-highly creative. He changed our world.steven jobs

David B. Goldstein, co-author of “Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive,” maintains every person is creative.

“Contrary to popular belief, no one is born without a creative bone in his or her body, and not all creative types are starving artists. In other words, we’ve all got it, but our personalities play a role in the kind of creative we are, and how we best feed into it.”

Creativity is a function of how your brain works. Creative types use the RIGHT side of their brains more than the LEFT.

Click HERE for fun tests to find out if your brain is wired for creativity. (Special thanks to Jack Milgram for the tip on this great infographic.)

One caution though, according to Barbara O’Neal, being a creative person is not easy. From her blog, The Creative Personality:

“The mental and personality traits that make it possible to be creative can also be annoying and irritating to the rest of society. Aside from the crime of introversion, creative people are often non-conforming, haughty, brilliant, intense, restless, prickly, with a sense of destiny (see the whole list here).”

If your test results show you do operate in the creative right brain…

or you exhibit any of The Traits of Highly Creative Adults, this quote from artist Henri Matisse is for you:

Creativity takes courage.

Now go be courageous and CREATE.

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