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Peace! Retirement?

ellenparkerwrites

Relax for a moment and imagine the year is 1783. You are visiting a prominent Virginia household.

The lady of the house greets you. You compliment her dress.

Oh, it is a “round gown.” The style is very comfortable. I purchased this one in Philadelphia. They have the best shops in that city.

This actor, portraying Martha Washington, poses in a costume suitable for greeting afternoon visitors.

In 1783, the fighting portion of the War for Independence is over. The diplomats are in Europe putting the finishing touches on the treaty to establish the United States of America as a true nation.

Martha is happy to be at Mount Vernon and no longer traveling to Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania when the army goes into winter quarters. She is looking forward to managing the household at Mount Vernon, raising two of her four grandchildren, and being hostess to friends and relatives.

From our vantage point of the 21st century, we are aware her peaceful retirement in Virginia was short-lived. Instead, when her husband accepted the office of president, she was required to become official hostess to a constant stream of politicians and citizens eager to consult and meet with George Washington.

An eventful 68 years later, the United States is in an era of great change. Take a peek at life in an Illinois river town in 1851. Polly Black, the central character of the wholesome romance, Stitching a Dream, is busy in the dress shop. She will stitch you a gown of a different style. Do you want your dress as one or two pieces? Buttons front or back?

Click on the link for book details. https://bit.ly/49FtvjF

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The Class will come to Order

ellenparkerwrites

Among all the seasonal graduations remain a few continuing classes. Independent study. Non-traditional school year. Refresher class. One-off lecture. Reasons remain for students of various ages to find themselves in a classroom.

What do you want to study in this space?

I believe a history lecture would be appropriate. This is a classroom on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Virginia. The design is attributed to Sir Christopher Wren.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you are one of the young men (no women allowed in 1698 [or many years following]). The light is from the high windows behind the student benches. A low fire burns in the fireplace to keep the chill of a cold winter wind moderated. The professor takes his place and begins to speak about The Battle of Hastings.

A century and a half later, young students (boys and girls), sit at similar benches in an Illinois schoolhouse and listen to the schoolmaster speak about the founding of Jamestown in Virginia. Not all the students are attentive. Joseph Black, for one, would rather tackle sums than history — unless knights are involved.

Seamstress Polly Black, mother of Joseph, welcomes you to read the story of events in 1851-52 in fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois. The story is titled, Stitching a Dream. Clean and wholesome — readers are encouraged to share between generations. (Male readers allowed.) Here’s a link to the kindle edition. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

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Dragon or Damsel?

ellenparkerwrites

No, I’m not thinking a fire-breathing reptile or human female in distress. I’ll leave that story to others to tell.

I’m talking insects. Flying insects. Two groups, rather closely related. Insects with have my vote of approval for eating mosquitos.

These extra-large dragonflies (or perhaps the less common damselflies) hang out in a public garden. Like the real-life insects represented, they hover over wetlands. After all, the largest portion of their incomplete metamorphosis is spent in the water-dwelling nymph stage.

I often watch, and attempt to photograph, dragonflies near water lilies. Carnivorous, they are not pollinating the blossoms, they are hunting smaller insects.

Do you suppose the early helicopter designers studied them? After all, they are able to fly forward, backward, up, down, left, and right.

Insects of multiple types visit the organic garden at Big Cat Farm near fictional Crystal Springs, WI. Meet Anita, Beth, and Carla in the sweet romance, Seed of Desire. Which of the cousins will find love first and claim the house build by their great grandfather? Here’s a book link: https://amzn.to/2RDFgxH

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Land of the Giants?

ellenparkerwrites

They grown them big in…Green Bay?

Don’t panic. You’ll find these honeybees, and numerous smaller, live ones, at the botanical garden. Like many public gardens, nature-themed sculpture is placed among the flower beds and trees.

Enjoy your walk on the paths in this former apple orchard. Find a bench and sit a spell to admire the view. Watch children at play on sculptures created especially for them. Enjoy the scent of the season — new growth, summer flowers, or autumn fruit.

The cousins at Big Cat Farm, in a different portion of Wisconsin, maintain a bee hive. (Normal size insects to pollinate a local orchard and their large, organic garden.) Lots happens at this farm maintained by three young women. Check out Seed of Desire, a clean & wholesome romance for an introduction. https://amzn.to/2RDFgxH

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Row upon Row

ellenparkerwrites

The markers are set in precise rows. Even spaces. No matter the number of dollars in the bank at the time of death, each headstone is equal.

Veterans from all of the United States’ wars are honored in this place. Each year the number grows — beyond the 237,000 recorded five years past.

I ask you to pause for few moments this holiday weekend. Ponder the sacrifice represented by each marker. All gave of their time and talent. Some developed skills buried within layers of civilian life. Some died doing their duty to country.

Memorial Day — more than trip to the lake or a picnic in the park.

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Lift your Gaze

ellenparkerwrites

To the hills. Several of the Biblical psalms begin by urging the reader to lift their gaze to the hills, for help is on the way.

Since my small hometown was in a narrow valley, it was easy to look at the hills. Standing in certain places, it was actually difficult to avoid.

Lifting your gaze is good advice. After all, a person can only learn a limited amount by watching their feet all the time. Or perhaps you tend to look straight ahead. When having a conversation, a person can pick up more than words by looking at the other person, or people.

In summer (photo taken in July) these Midwestern hills show off shades of green. In autumn they put on a show with a mixture of maple, oak, and poplar adding color.

Farms and homes populate the hills around this village. In the clean & wholesome romance, Seed of Desire, the couple meet at the county fair in a nearby town. Sharing an affection for dogs leads to much more. Check out details at the link: https://amzn.to/2RDFgxH

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Muffler?

ellenparkerwrites

Putt, putt. Chug, chug. Throb, throb.

The others hear me approach. Can I do the work? Stay in the field for hours? Yes, yes. I’m a hard worker — dedicated. All I need is fuel and a little basic care.

If the engine is a tractor’s heart, mine is equal to many. I just make a little more noise as I work.

Forget the almost hum of the four-cylinder vehicles. I do well on two — thank you very much. Actually, I’m retired now, like many of my companions from the 1950’s. A few humans give us extra care and show off our skills in parades. But our days of raking hay, pulling wagons, and spreading manure and behind our drawbar.

Have you attended any old-time farm shows? Antique equipment displays? Remember, this (and similar) were the first motorized vehicles driven by many farm children — long before they were eligible for a driver’s license.

City girl Mona Smith gets her first driving lesson on a similar tractor in the small-town romance, Hiding Places. Another way of life, full of apple trees, observant people, and a quirky will presents challenges. Check out the book at the link. https://amzn.to/2Jm26GQ Makes a quick weekend read.

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Focal Point

ellenparkerwrites

Many neighborhoods and communities in the United States have one particular place of importance. It may be a park, a museum, a natural feature, or a building.

Where I grew up, the focal point of the community was a spring fed pond. During my lifetime, changes have been made around the edges. One building was torn down. Curbing was installed. An aerator was added. A veterans monument was build. And trout — stocked for a child’s fishing contest during a celebration — then fishing prohibited aside from a few hours per year (some recurring celebration) has allowed these trout to grow and multiply.

At various times the grounds surrounding the pond have been used for outdoor movies, ice cream socials, and band concerts. A picnic table under a small shelter welcomes guests.

Fish are visible as shadows if the photo is enlarged.

Does your hometown have a focal point — a gathering spot — that “must see” place for returning travelers?

The fictional village of Crystal Springs manages to induce a few new residents over the course of three wholesome romance novels. Check out Starr Tree Farm as an introduction to the location. Prepare a warm drink — the story takes place during a Wisconsin January. Here’s a link: https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw

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Warning Sounds

ellenparkerwrites

May in the American Midwest means many different things.

In among the various Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and graduation celebrations are other, less noticed dates. Various crops or flowers are planted, or in the more Southern portions, gathered for bouquets.

The month also brings storms. The year I was eleven, a tornado came through on a sunny Saturday and damaged much property. (No people were injured.) More recently — a tornado damaged portions of St. Louis. (Unfortunately, people did die.)

So during May, keep your ears tuned. Unlike when I was eleven, many communities in the Midwest now have warning systems — often sirens — in addition to alerts sent to your phone.

Fog Horns

Audio warnings are not new. These fog horns at Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota were activated at the times the light may not have been visible. “Stay off the rocks. You’re getting too close to shore.”

Dogs provide a different sort of warning system in the fictional village of Crystal Springs. Visitors to Big Cat Farm are announced by one or more German shepherds in the wholesome romance, SEED OF DESIRE. The animals also demonstrate a good indicator of the visitor’s character. Check out the book at the link: https://amzn.to/2RDFgxH

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Going Home?

ellenparkerwrites

Two words. Rather simple. Both are words in an early reader’s vocabulary.

But they are far from simple.

How do you say them? With joy? Dread? Where’s home? Is is the place you currently live? A home you grew up in? A place? Or a group of people?

Often, when I meet a new person, they will ask where I’m from. Do they want to know where I live now? Or where I grew up? Are they the same?

When I first became serious with my writing, I remembered the advice to “write what you know.” This turned into digging into memories of my childhood and combining them with more current aspects gained from visits “home.”

If you enjoy small-town stories — perhaps because you have good memories from one or more — you may enjoy this trio of sweet romance. Visit Crystal Springs, Wisconsin (you won’t find it on a map) and discover hard-working people in a variety of occupations.

Here’s a link to the first one published: Starr Tree Farm. https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw