Three Delicious Dishes to Prepare Ahead for Thanksgiving

FAMILY FAVORITE HOLIDAY FOOD

It is good to spend time relaxing and visiting during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Here are three easy recipes you can prepare ahead. Your guests will believe you spent hours making them.

Diane’s Five-Cup Salad

1 cup crushed pineapple

1 cup mandarin oranges

1 cup frozen coconut

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup sour cream

Stir the ingredients together and refrigerate overnight.  A few maraschino cherries may be added for color.                                                                                                    

  

Heidi’s Butterfinger® Pie                                  

1 (9”) piecrust

10 fun size (or 2 king size) Butterfingers®

1 small size whipped topping                                                           

Bake the piecrust and allow it to cool. 

Beat the candy bars while they are still inside the wrappers, unwrap them, and chop any large pieces that remain.  Mix the candy with the whipped topping and pour the mixture into the piecrust.

Freeze and keep it frozen until it is served.

Ruth’s Prize-Winning Broccoli Salad

4 cups broccoli (chopped)                                                                             

½ cup raisins

½ cup nuts (small pieces)                                                                                   

½ cup celery (chopped)

½ cup onion (chopped)                                                                                

½ cup real bacon bits

½ cup light mayonnaise                                                  

½ cup sugar

¼ cup vinegar (apple cider or white)

Mix the first 6 ingredients.  Make a sauce out of the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.  Pour the sauce over the salad. Toss and chill. 

In 2000 Ruth won a prize of $50 in the annual Laurel, Mississippi, Main Street Festival Low-Fat Cooking Contest, sponsored by the Heart Care Center for her broccoli salad recipe.
There is one problem with making this salad: if you don't put a lid on it fast and shove it into the refrigerator, it will disappear into your mouth before you have a chance to chill it.

(Source: Flavored with Love cookbook by Mary Cooke writing as Jane Riley)

                                                                                                                           

Cooking for Thanksgiving Weekend: The World's Most Famous Collard Green Recipe

Willie Crawford;s Awesome Collard Greens

During this week before Thanksgiving, let's talk about some of our favorite foods to cook. If you'd like to share a recipe, contact Mary Cooke on Facebook.

You're going to need something different to eat after your turkey dinner.  Collards would be great. Or maybe you'll have collard as part of your Thanksgiving meal.

Too much trouble. No, not really. Besides part of the joy of Thanksgiving weekend is bringing the family and/or friends together and enjoying cooking. Let me share with you a quick cooking tip. After you've purchased your collard greens and washed them thoroughly, cut out the stems.

Next take a three or four of them and roll them up like a cigar. Cut those in little strips, called chiffonades.  Click on this link for a video showing How to Chiffonade. The cook on YouTube is chiffonading smaller greens--basil I suppose, but the principle is the same.

A few years ago, Willie Crawford, famous marketer and author of the world's most famous recipe share his recipe with me for cooking collard greens. Here's Willie's recipe (copied from The Collard Patch Cookbook no longer in print).

                    Awesome Collard Greens

Willie Crawford is sharing the following, which is the world’s most famous written collards recipe.  For years it has been appearing on the Internet search as the most researched recipe for cooking collard greens. Here is his recipe with a comment:

Collard greens are a very nutritious and inexpensive treat. When I was growing up, my grandmother would buy about 50 cents worth of collard seeds and this would grow enough collard greens to feed us for the entire year. That 50 cents worth of seeds would produce hundreds of collard plants in our North Carolina backyard garden.

                Ingredients

2-3 medium smoked ham hocks or 2 pounds smoked pork neck bones

5 pounds of collards or several large bunches (If you can't get them fresh, frozen will do.)

2 teaspoon of salt

My favorite way to cook collard greens is very simple. I take 2 or 3 smoked ham hocks and put them in a large (6 quart) pot of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and let it boil for about 1½ hours. Add more water as it boils down. The idea is to boil the ham hocks until they begin to fall apart. You should always cook pork very thoroughly and use proper food handling techniques. You want the ham hocks to be falling apart before you add the collard greens.

Take the collard greens and separate the leaves (if fresh). Now rinse each leaf individually under cold running water. After you rinse the collard greens thoroughly, stack several leaves on top of each other. Roll these leaves together. Then slice the leaves into thin strips using a cutting board and large knife. Rolling them together speeds up the process as you are slicing through several leaves at once.

Next, add your collard greens to the pot. Since this is a lot of collards, you will need to add them until the pot is full. Then allow them to wilt as they cook - then add more. Add you salt, cover and cook for thirty minutes on medium heat. Stir every few minutes to distribute the smoked meat taste evenly. Taste to confirm they are the tenderness you prefer. Serve with your favorite meat dish such as chitterlings. Eat the ham hocks or neck bones right along with the collards.

If you used frozen collards, simply pour them - frozen - right from the package to the pot.

If you use smoked neck bones, they usually don't take as long to cook as ham hocks.

People in my neck of the woods usually sprinkle lots of hot sauce on their collards. I like them that way. Give it a try.

Since this is a large pot full, just save the extras in the refrigerator. They should keep for a long time and actually get better as the juices settle in.

Willie Crawford

Willie Crawford

Willie Crawford, president of Willie Crawford, Incorporated, is a veritable rags to riches story.  Growing up on a tobacco farm so poor that he once had to wear his grandmother's shoes to school, he decided at an early age that he would not be trapped by the cycle-of-poverty that permeated his world.

After high school, Willie worked his way through North Carolina State University.  He earned a business degree and an Air Force commission on the same day.  After serving more than 20 years in the Air Force, Willie decided it was time to start living his dream.

In 1996, while still in the Air Force, Willie ventured onto the Internet and started building the business he planned to be his full-time occupation after his military retirement.  With hard work and a good business plan, Willie's big break came when he decided to share some of his favorite recipes with website visitors.  

After being prompted to write a cookbook full of his recipes, Willie wrote Soul Food Recipes Learned On A North Carolina Tobacco Farm.  This book has also been a huge commercial success.

~~~

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! 
Tomorrow, November 16, THE DREAM BUCKET can be downloaded free in Kindle form at Amazon. Your thoughts in a review on Amazon or GoodReads would be a special blessing.

A Memorial to Lily of the Valley Dishes

Something horrible happened while House of Seven was being written.  

Let me fill in the background. We decided to remodel the kitchen. As a new bride and a senior citizen, I had too much stuff...still have too much after two years have passed.

As a man who has cherished his ancestors' possessions and has lived among priceless antiques, while acquiring a lifetime's worth of worldly good on his own, my husband, who is also a senior citizen, has at least twice as much stuff  as his bride brought into the marriage.

We've given away truckloads of our kitchen dishes and utensils. Family members received some dishes too. In the garage, we still have things we don't need.

When we married two years ago, we agreed not to use paper plates to serve our families as they came together to become one. We needed matching dishes, and we bought them.  I love dishes. We could set a table for an enormous group.

Oh, we were talking about remodeling the kitchen. The electrician paid a visit. He needed to run a wire down the space where we were moving the fan over the stove top. To do so he needed to go up into the attic.

My husband went into the hall, pulled down the stairs to the attic, and led the way. At the top of the stairs a box was in the place where the electrician wanted to step. When the electrician picked up the old cardboard box, the bottom fell out.

About that time, I heard a crash so loud I thought one of the men had fallen from the attic to the floor. Subdued by the force of gravity, the old box hit the floor, dishes flying to  the floor and shattering. I dodged missiles of fine china--Lily of the Valley.

Those dishes belonged to my husband's mother, and he has Lily of the Valley silverware. Maybe I need a new set of Lily of the Valley dishes for Christmas.

WHY UNCLE ALBERT NEVER MARRIED

Daddy said:

This is the truth...

~~~

Dear old Uncle Albert was a kind, sweet, gentle soul. He lived alone in a well-constructed, sparsely furnished farm house. We visited him often. We walked down the hill and around the corner. 

The second oldest son of Nehemiah and Sukie, he was a fine gentleman and a skilled farmer. He always had time to talk to his nieces and nephews. He cheerfully gave dimes to us for our March of Dimes cards, and he bought magazine subscriptions to support school functions. 

~~~

Daddy said: 

When Albert was a young man, he had a pretty girlfriend named Mary. She lived just across the way. He loved her and she didn't have eyes for anybody but him.

"Looks like we need to set the date," he told her, while they were taking a Sunday stroll.

"Why don't you come to my house next Friday night for supper?"

It was a fancy meal. Mary and her mama put on the dog. They laid out their best white tablecloth and fried up two pullets. They cooked mashed potatoes and gravy, peas with okra, biscuits, and they opened some blackberry jam. They took down their big platter from top shelf and stacked the chicken on it.

Albert showed up on time all dressed up in his best britches and his Sunday go-to-meeting white shirt.

"You sit here, Albert. Mary pointed to the foot of the table. Her pa  sat at the head. Mary and her ma and all the other little young ones sat on the sides.

"Let's bow our heads,: Mary's pa said. "Every head was bowed and every eye closed."

 Albert opened his eyes during the prayer and checked his clothes. In the dim kerosene lamp light, it looked like he left his fly open. He hadn't unfolded his napkin yet, but there was a white cloth in his lap, Must have been his shirt. He tried not to make a fracas tucking his shirt back in.  Maybe his shirt had come untucked from the top of his pants instead of his fly.

Everybody talking to him at once made him nervous. He tried to take food on his plate as it was passed. When his hands were finally free, he tucked what he thought was his white shirt inside his pants.

As soon as the meal was over and he stood, the dishes and remaining chicken came crashing onto the floor. Biscuits slapped him in the face, and blackberry jam splashed on his shirt. As he backed away, the tablecloth followed him. Dishes broke, and the little ones cackled.

While he walk toward the front door, the table cloth dragged between his legs.  He jerked the tablecloth out of his britches. Not taking the time to grab his hat, he ran out the door and never went back.

~~~

Stories my parents told me linger within my mind. When I write, the tales inspire scenes appearing on my computer screen. This bit of family history became a pivotal event in House of Seven. a book full of fun. 

Featuring Author Lyn Morgan, who sometimes lives in Shreveport

As a human being and an author,  Lyn Morgan is an inspiration. She's a person to follow and emulate.Thanks to Lyn for this interview. 

How old were you when you decided to be a writer?

 I was 12 when I submitted something I had written for the first time. It was to a children’s magazine. I was 26 before I ever had something I wrote accepted. I suppose you could say I decided to be a writer when I was 12.

What other talents besides writing do you have?

Okay, other talents include singing and playing keyboard instruments.

What other careers have you had?

 I was a bookkeeper for an agricultural fertilizer company. I was a bookkeeper/secretary for a Baptist church. I was a working musician for years. Teaching piano, organ and voice while also serving as an organist, or pianist or choir director. This lasted for 50 years.

Lyn, when did you write your first book?

I started my first book in November of 1994 and finished it in 1995.

What was it about?

This book was a romantic suspense with some paranormal undertones. Set in Hot Springs, Arkansas, FOR THE WEEKEND, had a young widowed mother for its heroine. In a happy-ever-after ending, Cassie, the young widow, finds love again with a handsome hotel owner, Jeb. Originally published by Zumaya Publications in 2001, it has found a new life in print after I got my rights back and is now out as THE BEST HOTELROYALE.

What genres have you written in?

Romantic suspense, true crime, historical romance.

What is your favorite of all the books you have written?

LOVE IS A VERB, which is the historical romance loosely based on my own grandmother’s life.

What is your most successful book and what is it about?

 STONE JUSTICE has been my most successful book. I wrote it with my critique and writing partner, Debi Collier. Stone Justice is a true crime and it is based on the short life of Annie B McQuiston who was also known at Toni Jo
Henry.

Tell us all about collaborating with Debi.

Writing with my friend, Debi, has been challenging and exasperating and fun and inspiring. We have locked horns over things we did not agree on. I have had headaches trying to follow her psychological mind. She has a degree in psychology. I do not and oh my goodness, struggle to keep up with her at times. We’ve gotten lost tons of times while on research trips. It has been a wonderful partnership of over 20 years.

You travel quite a bit. How difficult is it to write in different places, or is it fun to be inspired by a change of scenery?

I find it easier to write away from home these days. While at my children’s houses, I am much more free to spend time writing because I don’t have to cook or clean or shop - unless I want to. I also do often find great inspiration by sights and sounds in other places.

Please tell us about your pen names so we can find your work.

 I write under my own “real” name of Evelyn L. Morgan. I call it my “real” name because I have always been called Lyn and seldom ever Evelyn. I also use Lyn Lawrence as my nom de plume.

What projects are you working on now?

I am working on the second book I ever wrote which is MAGNOLIA HOUSE. It was originally published by Amber Quill Press in 2001. I got the rights to it back when that publisher went out of business in March 2016.

Have you gone to any book signings lately?

I was at a book signing at Mooringsport branch of the Shreve Memorial Library in September along with another author, CN Pinkard. 

NOTE: It's always fun to talk to Lyn and hear what she's been doing. She's in constant motions. This interview is primarily about her books, which are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

She is also involved in making videos, such as SKOOKUM: THE HUNT FOR BIGFOOT.

Visit her Author Page on Amazon, where she uses the name Lyn  Lawrence.

. 

Dream big. Believe.

My daughter gave me a beautiful bangle bracelet with two charms. One says DREAM BIG and the other says BELIEVE. By giving me this bracelet, she gave me a way to stay focused on what I believe. "Mama, " she said, "I'm just giving you what you taught me."

She dreams big, thinks big, and believes good will come to her as she spreads good all around. She loves her husband, who has a big love for her, and they have dreams of the fun they'll have every Saturday. She loves her church, she loves her God,  she loves all her family, and she loves her community. She loves her job, and she believes in what she is doing. She loves her big dog and dreams of taking him on a walk every day she can.

Cover by John Cooke

I dream big too. My biggest dream is to give you a book to read you will love. Of all my attempts to do so--of all the books I've published--one reaches the hearts and minds of more of you than all the others put together.

Wearing my bangle bracelet today to church, I think I discovered some of the reasons why this book has touched so many readers. The name of it is The Dream Bucket.  It's the story of two families in the same neighborhood...two families who lost many of their dreams and found it necessary to make new ones.

Maybe we are all like that. Maybe we have dreams on our lists and in our buckets. When some of them fall out of our buckets, thus becoming impossible to attain, we need to realize it's time to look for new dreams and to DREAM BIG.

What's in  your bucket?

Who is a veteran?

Are National Guard members veterans?

ARLINGTON, Va. -- A recently signed law gives official veteran status to National Guard members who served 20 years or more. Previously, Guard members were considered veterans only if they served 180 days or more in a federal status outside of training. 
(Quoted from the above link)

What is a veteran?

This question is complicated. The article in the above link goes into detail.

What is Veterans Day?

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. (Quoted from the above link)

What are some more facts about Veterans Day?

Celebrated annually on November 11th, the anniversary of the end of World War I.

There are 18.5 million veterans in the United States, according to the most recent statistics available.

There are 1.6 million female veterans.

There are 9.2 million veterans over the age of 65. (Quoted from the above link)

Is more information available?

Here is a sample of facts from the United States Census:

The number of living veterans in 2016 who served during two wartime periods:

• 1,150,328 served during both periods of the Gulf War 
• (August 1990 to August 2001 and September 2001 or 
• later).
• 285,649 served during the Gulf War (August 1990 to 
• August 2001) and the Vietnam Era.
• 140,101 served during the Korean War and the Vietnam
•  Era.
• 56,105 served during World War II and the Korean War.(Quoted from the above link.)

Blimping Out

Christmas time is coming
And we are getting fatter.
Soon will be Thanksgiving
And we'll empty Jenny's platter.

The weather's getting cooler
My clothes are getting tight.
Soon I can hide in jackets
So I won't look such a sight.

Does anybody else suffer an increased appetite because of increased exercise?  I started wearing my Fitbit and walking 10,000-11,000 steps a day, and developed a voracious appetite.  Since my Fitbit bracelet broke, I haven't worn it. If it doesn't show  up on the Fitbit, it isn't exercise. Right?

So, we quit exercising, but we continued to eat and eat and eat. The scales say my body is ten pounds heavier. Could they be wrong?

Food, wonderful food--what an obsession! If you feel the same, please drop me a note on Facebook and tell me how you are coping.

(Mary Lou Cheatham, Author)

Cauliflower Instead of Pasta

One cup of cooked cauliflower has 62 calories.
One cup of cooked  pasta has 220 calories.

Spaghetti is delicious, and cauliflower can be tastier.

To prepare cauliflower as a pasta substitute, you'll need a big heavy-duty stainless steel skillet with a lid.

This is more a method than a recipe. I'm simply telling you how to prepare the dish.

Ingredients (approximate, depending on the number and size of the servings)

• A cauliflower 
• Olive and canola oil mixed
• Sea Salt 
• Rosemary
• Coarsely ground basil leaves
• Black pepper
• Spaghetti or marinara cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Remove the green  underpart.
2. Cut the cauliflower with a large knife into large chunks.
3. Pour approximately 1-2 tablespoons oil into the skillet .
4. Sprinkle the salt, rosemary, and basil leaves over the cauliflower.
5. Grind some pepper over the cauliflower.
6. Cover the skillet and lightly brown the cauliflower over medium heat.
7. Turn it and lightly brown the other side.
8. Remove the excessive grease. (One way to remove the grease is to insert two slices of bread to absorb it.)
9. Add a generous amount of spaghetti sauce and bring it to a boil.
10. Simmer two-three minutes. (Cauliflower becomes tender fast. Don't cook it until it falls apart.)
11. Sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
12. Garnish with parsley.

The dish is pretty, tasty, and satisfying. It can be a main dish or a side dish with meat.

Seven Things Love Does and Seven Things Love Doesn’t

Love...

1. Is patient

2. Is kind

3. Rejoices with the truth

4. Protects

5. Trusts

6. Hopes

7. Perseveres

Love...

1. Does not envy

2. Is not proud

3. Is not rude

4. Is not self-seeking

5. Does not boast

6. Is not easily angered

7. Does not keep a record of wrongs

I Corinthians 13

When the going gets tough...

Domestic violence, mass murder, political corruption, white collar crime, threat of nuclear war, credit card hacking, sexual assault evoking horrible memories,  purse snatching, and a prediction of a pecan shortage in Louisiana and Georgia.

When my daughter was in high school, she would come home from school and find me cooking like crazy some days. She always new something had disturbed me. "What's wrong, Mama?"

Today I'm cooking. My soul needs it. Also we've committed to cooking cornbread dressing to feed forty people at the church's food bank. What a great way to spend the day!

And just think...we won't have to eat all that food. When the going gets tough, the tough get cooking.

What to do when someone steals your purse...

Coping with Purse Snatchers 

What is the first action you should take when your purse has been stolen?

Someone snatched your purse or your wallet. What should you do first?

You are shopping and your purse disappears. What should you do immediately? If you are inside a store, tell the checkout clerks and manager.

Don’t spend too much time looking for it. You need to move fast. 

First, your debit card. Get to your laptop as fast as you can. Go to the website where you have your bank account with a debit card. Other than cash, your debit card is the least protected item in your wallet. Here’s why. It may be linked to your checking account, which may be linked to your savings account, depending on the way you’ve organized your business. Banks don’t make a practice of backing it up. 

Your pin will keep someone from using the card to make a purchase as a debit card and/or withdrawing cash.
 BUT herein lies the danger: Someone can use your debit card as a credit card to make a purchase in a busy store. The thief scribbles a signature on the pad, and voila—a withdrawal from your checking account goes through.

If you aren’t sure whether you lost your purse or wallet, you can place a temporary block on  your debit card. Your bank will probably have a 24/7 service with a human answering the phone. Keep an eye on your balance. You can always go to the bank at your first opportunity to arrange for a new debit card.

Calling the police. You may say to yourself, "Why bother?" The police force needs to know even though little can be done in most cases. Sometimes, however, arrests are made for purse snatching.  It's important to have a record that you filed a claim for insurance purposes. If you are with a companion who has a cellphone, call if you have evidence of a theft. 

Next, your credit cards. Block your credit cards the same way you blocked your debit card. Keep an eye on your most recent purchases. If you don’t have your account numbers written down somewhere handy, at least try to know the last four digits, but don’t waste valuable time looking for account numbers. You’ll be asked your social security card number, your birthday,  your address, a telephone number where you can be reached, and your mother’s maiden name.

Calling the phone company. The sympathetic people at the phone company can tell when your phone was used last. Have the part of your account related to your phone blocked. At your earliest convenience to the local store for instructions to get a new phone. This may cost something, depending upon your situation.

The Department of Motor Vehicles. You’ll have to wait until the following day or the next business day to go to the DMV. For a small fee, you’ll receive a new driver’s license.

Some simple protective measures:

•      Use a fake mother’s maiden name. It’s easy to find your mother’s real name online.

•        Place your stuff in a big over the-head-shoulder purse.

•        Try not to make your purse so heavy you won’t want to carry it.

•        Always zip your purse shut. If it won’t zip, discard it.

•        If you absolutely must place your purse in the shopping card, secure it with the child-safety belt.

•     If you use a wallet without your purse, attach it to your body either as a wristlet or as a shoulder bag.  

•         Avoid placing extra cash and cards in your wallet. They may be safer in the big shoulder purse.

•         You need your insurance cards, but if you have a Medicare card with you, your social  security number will be readily accessible to the thief. 

•         Insure your cellphone.

•        Without acting too paranoid and making yourself miserable, don’t let other shoppers into your personal space. 

Don't beat yourself up.  

You've been violated. There's no denying the facts.  This can't be a time to panic or wring your hands. Instead, move fast. 

Chances are your heart is racing. Spring into action and make that adrenaline count to protect you. 

 As soon as the dust settles, take a critical look at your home security measure

All Saints Sunday, Remembering the Taylorsville Signal Office and Stories about World War II

The Watkins Sisters, the World War II Soldiers--Saints Not to Be Forgotten

Sarah Walker Gorrell and Mary Lou Cheatham
(Mary Lou Gregg Cooke)
Mayor Rosalyn Glenn
At Grillin' and Chillin' 2016

In the fall of 2016, Sarah Walker Gorrell and I signed Travelers in Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek at the Taylorsville, Mississippi, Chillin' and Grillin'. (Other books of the Covington Chronicles were included on our table too.)

My husband John and I walked around the corner to visit the Watkins Museum. Throughout my childhood, my mother, who was a good friend of the Misses Watkins, took me to see them every few days. They showed me their printing press and the way they set type.

The museum is a neat place. It's been restored into a  pristine building, which is full of authentic objects from the past. To read about the restoration of the Watkins Museum and to see a beautiful photograph of it, click on this link: Watkins Museum

Another link with details of the history of the museum contains some interesting old black-and-white photos. Here's one of them. shared from this web page.  Go to The Conversion of the Taylorsville Signal Newspaper Office and Creation of the Watkins Museum to read more of the story.

Looking around that day, we were amazed at the scrapbooks the Watkins Girls (as we used to call them back in Taylorsville)

They collected stories throughout World War II of the activities of the local boys who had gone off to war. They organized the pictures so that it was easy to find my brother John Edwin Gregg and our Gregg cousins. The scrapbook, along with all the other items of interest, would have kept me entertained for at least a week.

Sweet memories of childhood scenes spent talking to the Watkins sisters in their fascinating newspaper office washed over me. What a wonderful day it was! Below are three clippings photographed from one of the scrapbooks:

Free for a Limited Time: HOUSE OF SEVEN

House of Seven Kindle version is free for a short time beginning November 5, 2017.

It's the story of seven unlikely souls trying to live under one roof in the early twentieth century in Mississippi.

A beautiful young white woman, Beth,  has been required to take on a responsibility no one believes she can handle. She knows she can't do it, and so does her family. She has the determination to try though.

Her mentor is an elderly aunt, Aunt Genie, a bigot of the Reconstruction Era, who commits whacky acts at inappropriate times. Who knows what she will do or say next?

Through incredible circumstances, Beth has the opportunity and obligation to take her lovely biracial cousin with her on a challenging journey. 

The cousin's husband is running from evil men who plan to lynch him.

An elderly man with angina, a mischievous boy delivered by the postman because his mother sent him to the address where Beth lives, and the town marshal round out the cast of seven.

It's funny and full of romance. Honest reviews are requested.

One of the Bravest Women I've Ever Known

Birth of a New Novel~~

For the last few weeks,  a novel that is somewhat like a memoir about my parents and my first- and second-born brothers has been occupying  my brain. The youngest in a large family, I'm the only sibling remaining, except for one precious sister-in-law, who is like a sister.  Stories told by Mama and Dad  deserve to be shared with the younger members of a large family. 

It won't matter to readers who don't know us about the embellishments of the facts, and it will take only a moment at the end of the story to inform the descendants where these are in the story. At first a memoir seemed to be appropriate, but I am who I am, and my background is that of a novelist.

Back in the 1930's the family encountered the deadly choking disease diphtheria. The way they struggled with it presents a strong conflict. This story, as it was told to me, displays courage that I have admired all my life. Although Mother's account sounds incredible, she had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. The stories my parents shared with me predate my writing career.

Myrtle~~~

Myrtle wanted her life to count. The only way she could do so was to rear children to the best of her ability. Her greatest helper was her Lord. Having been a frail child with limited stamina and a queasy nature, she rose to occasions and performed as a hero.

Myrtle was born in the middle of a huge family in the pioneer days of Mississippi on a farm where her father and mother owned their land and didn’t believe in owing anybody. Bud and Mary Jane were puritanical in their thought processes. They were ethical to the point it hurt. They had values seldom seen in the twenty-first century. Sometimes  these values must have been too strict. If we didn’t have our plastic cards, how could we exist? Anyway, their word was their bond. 

Bud, a pioneer and yeoman farmer, cleared the land and planted his field. He expected a return, and he made enough money from his crops and grew enough food in his garden and patches—peas, watermelons, cantaloupes—what have you—to support his daughters and eventually two sons. He had chickens, cows, mules, and horses. It was a real farm that he maintained with a sense of accomplishment.

His oldest daughter Pearl had a desire to do more and go beyond such a life. When she was still in her teens, she became a well-loved teacher in a one-room school house. Her little sister Myrtle, a beloved student, who wanted to be like  Pearl, had desires also. Like Pearl, her mentor, she wanted to make her life count.

When Pearl was in her early twenties, she developed appendicitis. Six weeks after her surgery she died. Myrtle’s hope died with her. Mama Mary Jane, whose happiness died too, sank into such deep depression she was unable to function. Myrtle dropped out of school.

Myrtle looked around and found new ways to gain hope and do something in her world. From the time she was a little girl, Myrtle was different from the two older sisters closest to her age and who were at home with her.

Some of Myrtle’s earliest and happiest memories were going in a wagon with the others wherever Papa Bud took them. An old crumpled photograph she treasured showed what a cute child she was. She wouldn’t admit it or say it about herself, but she was a little doll. She had  beautiful dark red hair and deep-set dark blue eyes like Bud.

Mary Jane had the looks of a black Irish. She was a little woman who grew up Catholic and joined the local Baptist church because it was the only church around. She was a devoted Christian, and she couldn’t afford to allow human formalities and interpretations to interfere with her need to worship with her community.

Writing~~~

Participating in the National Writing Month will enable me to place the rough draft of this fact-inspired novel on paper by the end of November 2017.

What makes you happy?

What makes you happy?
--Enjoy what you have and be a blessing to those around you.

What gets in the way?
--Losing your keys, forgetting your password, a million worries, things too personal to mention, etc.

What is your purpose?
--Love god with all your heart and enjoy him forever.

What does God require of you?
--Love justice, give mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

What is in your way?

Second Day in National Novel Writing Monrh

So far, I've submitted 3718 words. By November 30, 2017, the goal of the program is 50,000 words by each participating writer.

https://nanowrimo.org/participants/hot-coffee/novels/a-counted-life

This novel is based on my mother's life as a child and young mother.  She was born in 1907 in south Mississippi.

A Counted Life

Author: Hot Coffee

Genre: Historical

Synopsis

 Myrtle begins her existence as an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She has the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she dwells in the prison of limited  prospects without an opportunity to receive an education. She wants her life to count. The only door she can open to a noteworthy life is motherhood. She plans to rear children to the best of her ability, but disaster threatens all her hopes. Can she become a hero, who lives a counted life?

Excerpt

 Myrtle's father sent her to get his hammer.  He came home from working one day and pretended to be irritable. He wouldn’t look her way. “Go get my hammer, Myrtle.”

“Where, Papa?” His hammer was so heavy she could barely lift it, much less tote it from deep in the woods all the way to the house.

“I left it down there where I was working.”

She was a little surprised because she didn’t usually have permission to go into the deep woods alone.

“Go on down there.” He seemed to read her mind. “I’ll keep my ears out for you.”

“Okay.”

“Hurry up.” He sounded grouchy.

Afraid not to obey yet afraid to go to the isolated spot alone, she ran. When she arrived at the clearing where he worked, she saw a new red wagon.

Oh.

The red wagon centered in the green clearing appeared to glow with light coming from it.  She stopped, wiped her eyes in disbelief, and stared.

With reverence, she stepped over to the wagon. Papa’s hammer waited inside the wagon. She pulled it to the house.

Along the way she thought about how she could play with it, carry her doll in it, pretend it was a baby bed where her doll baby could take a nap, and share it when her cousins came over. She’d be more important in the family because she had a good serviceable wagon, which she could use to haul wood to the porch from the firewood pile. She could take it to the garden and help pick tomatoes, which she could load into the wagon. From that day on, she’d be able to help more with the family chores.

November is National Novel Writing Month

Let's sign up for the November National Novel Writing Month.

Have you heard about the National Novel Writing Month? It's held each November. You may want to participate or at least learn about it. Until Halloween, all I knew was that a writer friend of mine tried it a couple of years ago and succeeded.

Last night, October 31, 2017, I signed up to enter the project. For the last few weeks, I've been planning a novel that is somewhat like a memoir about my parents and my first- and second-born brothers. Back in the 1930's they encountered the deadly choking disease diphtheria. The way they struggled with it presents a strong conflict. This story, as it was told to me, displays courage that I have admired all my life. Although my mother's account sounds incredible, she had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. The stories my parent shared with me predate my writing career.

Please excuse my digression. Back to the process:

Step 1: Find the site. If you type National Novel Writing Month in your search bar, your computer wiil take you to more information.

Step 2: Read about it. Webpage after webpage will answer any questions you may have in clear yet clever language.

Step 3: Relieve anxiety. What does it cost? That's always my first question. Nothing. What do you have to do? Write 50,000 words in a month. What if you don't do it? Nothing will happen.

Step 4: Go to the sign up page. Follow the guides through the website.

Step 5: Select a user name. Mine is one that  seems logical because it refers to a community near my childhood home. It's Hot Coffee. The results will be published for each of my day's progress somewhere on the site.

Step 6: Name your book. You need a title but it doesn't have to be the final one.

My mother began her existence as what she considered an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She had the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she was trapped in poverty without an opportunity to receive an education. She wanted her life to count. The story is about the way she succeeded. It gives me a chill to  type these words. It isn't about whether I liked her. I've always loved her, but if we are honest most of us have not always liked our parents. This  story is about my admiration for her character, strength, perseverance, etc. Since it all happened long before my birth, it is not about me.

My mother wanted her life to count. The only way she could do so was to rear children to the best of her ability. Her greatest  helper was her Lord. The first title that came to mind was A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but saying something in fewer words is makes a better title. In the little blank I typed A COUNTED LIFE. Several authors have written books entitles A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but for the moment A COUNTED LIFE doesn't appear on Amazon.

Step 7: Fill in all the little boxes that tell about the book. This step can wait. Since it was Halloween, we were exhausted from our trunk or treat project, and the World Series game tying the championship between Houston and Los Angeles had ended, I skipped to Step 8. I did list the genre though, which is history. It was way past bedtime.

Step 8: Click enter. Now Hot Coffee is listed with 0 words so far.

The last word: Oh, I did write a letter to the "Contact Us" Help address. I wanted to know what would happen if one enters the contest on November 1.  So far, I've received a form letter.

Wait a second! The letter showed up in my inbox a second ago:

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in! Yes, users can sign up to participate anytime.

Wesley Sueker
Customer Service Captain
National Novel Writing Month

See? This is real.

Happy Writing.

I you are working on this project, please friend and message me at Mary Cooke on Facebook. Can't you just visualize us with a turkey drumstick in one hand while hitting the keys of our computers with the other.

Happy Writing.