The Art of Perfume Plus The Goodbye Lie Excerpt

                    

        As Waite continued to breathe her in, he mindlessly commented, "You should not smell so sweet." 

      Breelan responded with a proud smile. Was her perfume alone enough to drive him mad? What power woman had over man and what a thrill this power gave her. Her fear of him was forgotten, as she understood she had the upper hand.
      "You were never meant to wear such a light scent." His warm breath carried his words to her ear. "That fragrance is for old women and little girls. I have in mind something heavier for you, richer. It will better match the grown woman you are."

The Art of Perfume

   "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart."  -Proverbs 27:9  

     "The perfume is not goods; its creation is an act of love. It must reflect the heart of the woman who will wear it."  -Robert Ricci 

     People have been wearing perfume for thousands of years.  Perhaps they got the idea from the the fumes of smoke or, maybe, burnt offerings.

     Technically, the first distilled essence or modern perfume was made in the 10th century when the Persian philosopher Avicenna [Abu Ali Sina or Ibn Sina] distilled rose petal oil for use as a medicine.  Everything was natural until 1868 when the first artificial scent was created.  Today, the perfume industry is worth billions.

Strong Scents

     Traditionally, perfume should only be applied strongly enough to be smelled 12 inches away.  But no matter how delicate the application, some people with sensitive allergies would prefer you forgo the use of scent completely when you will be traveling in a closed container such as an airplane.  As with most things, moderation is best.

Application

     Apply your perfume after showering or bathing, but if you have time, wait a few minutes since you've washed away the body oil that helps hold the scent on your skin.

     Don't rub perfume into your skin because it breaks down the scent.  Let it air dry by waving your arms.  You'll be getting very mild exercise to boot.

     Let perfume dry completely so the alcohol in it won't stain your clothes. 

     Wait until your perfume is dry before applying jewelry, including pearls or beads, so it won't discolor them.

     Layering scented lotion with perfume on top will make the scent last much long.

More Tips

     Holding the perfume bottle over your hair, spritz a few times and let the scent waft down upon your locks.

     For an instant, but expensive, air freshener, you can spray a few spritzes just above the floor.  As heat rises, so will the scent.

     Don't mix scents.

     Keep your perfume away from window sills and sunlight, which may degrade it.

     Don't buy large bottles of perfume.  You might tire of the scent.  Instead, purchase several different smaller sized perfumes to go with the different moods you may be feeling.
     Above all, if you have expensive perfume, wear it today.  Who better to enjoy it than you?  

Art of Wearing Perfume is reprinted from the original Gracious Jane Marie Newsletter by Nancy Kamp and Jane Marie Malcolm.  (I give us permission to run this article again.  It's an interesting little piece and I have other stuff to do, like work on my next novel, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin! - jmm)

The Goodbye Lie Series - Available in E-book and Paperback Here.

FYI: Breelan is the scond oldest sister in the family of four Dunnigan siblings in north Florida in 1882.  Life on an island is filled with sun and salty times and she is prime in the mix in the first novel in the series, The Goodbye Lie. Her naivete does not serve her well with regard to matters of the heart. She will learn from her mistakes, but not soon enough ... 

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Nora's Anytime Breakfast Wedges

Late 1800s, Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

    

Nora writes:  My friend, Isabella, lives in town on Ash Street in the yellow cottage with the blue and white striped awnings.  Her mother has a statue of a pug dog on the front porch by the door.  Well, she brought these Breakfast Wedges

Nora

to our Sunny Ladies monthly tea.  They were very filling and delightful.  Isabella was happy to share her recipe with me and she gave me permission to share it with Jane Marie’s friends.

     By the way, Isabella is forever telling me how fortunate I am to play a role in Jane Marie’s novels. I told her that being Breelan Dunnigan’s first cousin who lives next door certainly helps, since Bree is the heroine in The Goodbye Lie.  I also told her that  if she lets Jane Marie know about a particular adventure in her life, perhaps she, too, might become a character in The Goodbye Lie Series or another of JM's writings.

     Now, I’ve told Jane Marie how to make this recipe and, as she often does, she has translated it into her modern products and culinary practices, which I find fascinating.  To think one can make bacon in this machine called microwave and not get attacked by spitting grease from the iron skillet, well, it is a wonder to me!

******************

Present Day, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

     Jane Marie writes:  Thank you, Nora.  I honestly enjoy making the very same or as close to the same recipes that you make in your time.  Not only do we live on the same Amelia Island with the same beach, the same streets, the same buildings, the same vegetation, the same weather conditions, etc., but through the magic of these electronic Goodbye Lie Diaries, we can eat many of the same foods.  Rather than me only hearing your whispers in my ear and seeing your escapades in my mind's eye as I walk the shoreline, I can taste the breakfast foods, meats and desserts that you prepare. It brings us even closer, if that’s possible. Thank you, Nora, and please thank your friend, Isabella.  Perhaps Isabella may appear between the pages of one of my books.  Perhaps …

**********

Nora’s Anytime Breakfast Wedges

You'll need:

• 1 16.3 ounce of Pillsbury Honey Butter Grands    with flaky layers( 8 biscuits)
• 8 slices crisp bacon (Publix brand fully cooked hickory smoked- I only purchase this when it’s Buy One, Get One Free, but I love the convenience of microwaving it.)
• 4 eggs- scrambled
• Cheese- 4 slices, ½ slice per biscuit, folded in half to fit biscuit or use shredded cheddar cheese
• Parchment paper on cookie sheet

 Procedure:

• Gently pull each of the eight biscuits apart in half horizontally, top and bottom, not side to side.   Lay them out on the parchment paper.
• Scramble the 4 eggs adding a teaspoon or so of water before stirring in the pan.
• Microwave the bacon, saving enough for the Breakfast Wedges, you big pig!  I’m talking to myself, here.
• Spoon the scrambled eggs onto the center of the 8 biscuits, trying to keep the biscuit edges exposed. 
• Top each with a piece of bacon, broken in two.
• Top the bacon with cheese. 
• Pinch the edges of the top and bottom biscuit together, letting the bacon poke out if you like.   
• With a fork, score the edges to make them pretty.  Also with the fork, poke a hole in the top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cut each biscuit into quarters or wedges.
• Pass your favorite sauce, if desired: ketchup, ranch dressing, salsa
•  You can use ham instead of bacon, of course, and add mild green chilies for a Mexican flavor or seeded tomatoes with Italian spices.
• Get creative!

Remember the Maine - An Amelia Island's Mark of a Man Excerpt

Excerpt from                                           

 in E-book and Paperback

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man               

February 15, 1898

Fernandina, Florida

     "I'm ready, Sheriff." Stepping away from his parents, Pat said, "I'm sorry for this embarrassment, Mama. I'm sorry I can't go with you, Daddy. I'm hoping for the best for Aunt Kathleen." He added in afterthought, "Oh, you may want to have a look at that newspaper extra I brought in to show you. The Spanish sunk the Maine in Havana Harbor. My guess is we'll be declaring war on them any day." 

     "Dear God!" Miss Ella put her hands flat to her chest in distress, thinking how everyone alive would remember where they were when they heard this ghastly news. 
     Aunt Noreen, mercifully, was still passed out and unaware of the dispatch. However, by this time, most others in the building had filled Michael's office and were listening. Officer and prisoner walked through the grasping, sobbing maze of relatives, secretaries, clerks and draftsmen.
     Pat noticed Angelique running out the back way, her arm thrown across her weeping eyes. Had he meant that much to her? Of course not. Thunderation! He could be a conceited bastard, he concluded. She must have other troubles. 
     As he climbed into the barred prisoners' wagon, he saw Marie sitting on the front porch railing, swinging her legs and smiling his way. Her ice-blue eyes cut through him. Her attitude seemed somehow—reckless. What had gotten into her? What might happen to her with him not there for protection?  

     The U.S. Battleship Maine was sent to Havana Harbor, January 26, 1898, by President McKinley, to protect United States interests and the Cuban rebels. She was mysteriously blown up while at anchor on February 15, 1898, killing 260 Americans on board. William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer of the New York Journal printed the cry: Remember the Maine. Spain declared war on the United States, April 24, 1898. It was the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Merry Christ Christmas

     Many years ago, I learned a rub-out painting technique. You fill a section of the canvas with solid paint then use Q-tips to slowly remove the paint and develop your picture.  Mine is painted on a wooden board and encircled by a straw wreath. To me, the babe in the manger with the chipmunk, lamb, redbird, bunny and donkey looking on, is sweet beyond measure.  I hope it reminds you of the love radiating from the Christ Child into all the world.  Merry Christmas everyone.     
                                                         - Jane Marie

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan's Hidden Perfume Tip

Jane Marie's recreation of Breelan's perfume bottle hidey-hole 

Late 1800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Breelan writes: I do not have a care if my perfume gives Aunt Noreen the sneezes.  During the day I will often wear a sweet scent. At night, spice is my preference. When I feel the need for instant refreshment and I don't want climb the stairs to my room or haven't the time, I will splash a few drops on the nape of my neck from one of the perfume bottles hidden about the house. Inside the china cabinet,  amongst the books on the shelf and in the pantry, I have several scattered about.  I was afraid my mother, Miss Ella, or Grandmother Peeper might object, having to dust around the bottles, but they understand the importance of always smelling delightful. And I know for a fact, they, too, spritz a scent on their wrists or necks.

**************

Breelan Dunnigan is the heroine in The Goodbye Lie, the first novel in the series by the same name.  Available in e-book and paperback, the stories are set on Amelia Island in north Florida in the late 1800s.

The Goodbye Lie - Mini-Excerpt

The Goodbye Lie series- CLICK HERE for

E-books and Paperbacks

1882 - Amelia Island, Florida

      She stood in the pounding breakers, her heavy wet skirts slapping her legs. With agony beyond endurance, she howled into the night. The insatiable ocean gulped away at her despondency, swallowing all sounds, leaving only its own. At that moment, she hated ...

Spokes-dog Goes Undercover

Abby is the spokes-dog for Gracious Jane Marie, our family owned business promoting the silly, the patriotic and Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series, a whole lot. She is aka The Abster, Abbykins and Stinkhead.  She loves role playing and this day she is pretending she's a spy, going undercover(s). Clever doggie, that one! 

What Is It? - Goodbye Lie Diaries - Carolena

     What on earth, or off the earth for that matter, could this be?  An underwater scene from an animated horror movie?  Perhaps the landscape of a death star?  While you guess, read an entry in our Goodbye Lie Diaries from Carolena, the heroine from Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow, part of The Goodbye Lie series set in the late 1800s in north Florida in the tiny city of Fernandina.

Late 1880s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Carolena

     Carolena writes: For anyone who does not know, I am the interior designer for our family's Aqua Verde Passenger Line and Shipyards. Let me clarify.  I draw the plans and add the colors and materials and oversee the creation of our ships and private yachts.  Before discovering my affinity for this,  I feared my career choices were relegated to  teacher, nurse or shop girl. Since I love to draw, always have, I found myself suggesting the silks and brocades, the style of column and layout of cabins and staircases to the men working for our company.  To my happy surprise, they were more than willing to take my suggestions, appreciating my apparent eye for a vision of the finished product.  

     With regard to your picture, Jane Marie, I can only guess it comes from a dark mind, seeking hope, what with the lighter, welcoming shading on the upper left. Is this your imagining of what could be mysterious black ice cycles?  

Present time

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
     Jane Marie writes: Perhaps you are correct in thinking you might not be suited for teaching or nursing. Aren't we glad there are others who are.
     With my dark mind, I can see your black ice cycles, Carolena. (I am smiling.) I must say I have enjoyed the variety of comments I've received so far as to what this picture could be. And yes, this is my creation, but only because of a combination of nature and a program we have in our time to alter photographs.  It's generally referred to as photo shop. 

     So what was my original photograph?  It was a shadow of landscape against a white door.  I noticed this shadow, thought it was pretty in its simplicity and took a picture of it.  Then I applied the photo shop program to disguise it and try and fool folks. I can be a little minx, you know. 
     See the original shadow photo below.

Perfect Romance-Hollywood Hearts

If you've never seen Barbra Streisand in the 1970 On A Clear Day You Can See Forever movie, you are missing one of the most ultra-romantic songs ever sung or filmed. Play the video in this post and you won't be disappointed. While the movie is often silly, as it is meant to be, about a character with ESP (extra sensory perception) who has past lives, the tasteful love scenes are spectacular.  This particular song,  Love With All The Trimmings, has lyrics that would inspire Cupid, himself! Add the lush surroundings and her over-the-top costuming, plus the memorable melody and that equals perfect romance, in my book (The Goodbye Lie -hahaha).

Read the lyrics to Love with All the Trimmings:

My dearest love who existed in a dream
Till this evening when a wave came and swept me out to sea.
None of the loves that you have known
Could prepare you for the love raging everywhere in me.
For all the arms that have covered you

The hands that have touched you

And the lips you have lingered on before,
Added together would be less than an olive
In the banquet of love I have in store.
Love seasoned to entice,
Love with all the trimmings filled with spice,
Love flavored to your whim,
Served piping hot with all the trimmings.

Ooo... For I'll decode every breath and every sigh,
Till your every lover's wish
Is fulfilled before it's made.
Toss in some jealousy and doubt
Should it be required,
Not to rest till there's nothing more desired,
Thus loving as I do,
Never, never will you ever be untrue.
Having love with all the trimmings
Waiting home for you ...

There is another wonderfully rich romantic song I will post, but at a later time.  I don't want to overwhelm your heart ...

First on Broadway, then adapted for screen, On a Clear Day was directed by Vincent Minnelli with Barbra Streisand, Eves Montand and, yes, Jack Nicholson.

Thank you to YouTube.

#BarbraSteisand, #OnAClearDay, #romance, #romanticsong, #lovesong, #tasteful, #sensual, #romancenovel, #AmeliaIslandRomance, #drama, #series, #Irish

Found Funny Email-Goodbye Lie Diaries-Aunt Noreen

     Oft times, my e-mails overwhelm me.  I don't delete as I should.  I found one from 2013, which I don't remember composing, so as I read it, I chuckled out loud.  I thought I would share.

     I am writing to a friend who is engaged.  We are chatting about our early beaus.  This is me talking: 

     Tell your fiancé, my first boyfriend, when I was a little kid, was named Henry.  He was a neighbor and he squinted all the time.  He also ate worms. Seriously.  I think I remember your mother saying I ate worms.  Well, I didn't and still don't.  I also think Barbra, our daughter, had an early boyfriend who licked rocks. With beginnings like that, it's a wonder we didn't end up marrying men who chew their own toenails. - Jane Marie

   

***

Aunt Noreen

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Aunt Noreen writes: I am beginning to see a nasty pattern with regard to your writing, Jane Marie.  If you are not scribbling something mean about me in your Goodbye Lie series (GBL), you are making up less than socially acceptable stories in this blog of yours. My stars, but I would think you might make better use of the hours in your day by counting flower petals or listening for bird calls.  That's what I do.

***

Present Day

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie writes: Dearest Aunt Noreen,

      I think YOU might make better use of your hours by trying to improve your disposition. 

     Just so you know, by comparison to many authors in our 21st century, my writings are tame.  I had a reader send me an email which said: There is no raw sex [in The Goodbye Lie] and it's still a good story.  I put her comment on this blog because I am extremely proud of that fact.  My intention, all along, is to keep my work family-friendly and tastefully romantic.  After all, I dedicated The Goodbye Lie to my father, so I would not be embarrassed when he read it. 

     And another thing.  Quit hogging all the entries in the GBL Diaries!  Give some of the other characters a chance to correspond with us.  I'm beginning to get complaints from our readers.  Enough said, except have a lovely time counting your petals whilst you think how you might do a kindness to ... Peeper. Everybody know how much you concern yourself with her business.  

With all their shenanigans, Aunt Noreen and Grandmother Peeper are comical characters in The Goodbye Lie series.

#funny, #silly, #childhood, #GoodbyeLie, #series, #dramatic, #Irish, #tasteful, #gracious, #GoodbyeLieDiaries, #AmeliaIsland, #Fernandian, #beach, #AuntNoreen, #Peeper

Breelan's Pear Salad - Goodbye Lie Diaries

Late l800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Breelan writes:  If you have read Jane Marie's telling of my life story in her Goodbye Lie  novel, you will understand my feelings about food preparation. Such a thing should be as simple as reading a recipe from a cookbook.  In this regard, at times, my meals have been less than palatable ... 
 

Breelan

    However, the Pear Salad from my mother, Miss Ella, is tasty and presentable enough to be served on board the ships in our Aqua Verdi Cruise Line.
    Only four ingredients are required and they are:

• one large lettuce leaf
• a square of cream cheese rolled in 
• chopped nuts and placed on
• half a pear

     I feel sure you will enjoy the sweet and soft of the pear in combination with the cheese and crunch of the nuts.
     As Jane Marie says, "Enjoy!"

***

Present day

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie writes:  Breelan, dear. Your Pear Salad looks delightful and light.  I wanted to be sure what we call cream cheese in our time is the same cheese as you use.  So, I googled it.  Just like the way we communicate in these Goodbye Lie Diaries, through the magic of electronics, we also have the ability to find most any answer instantly on a program we call Google.  There I discovered cream cheese was invented by a Mr. William Lawrence, an American from New York, in 1872.  By 1880, his cheese was available for purchase, wrapped in foil.  That is still how we buy ours today!  Some things should never change and cream cheese is one of them.  

****

The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man are all part of The Goodbye Lie series.

#Breelan, #GoodbyeLie, #recipe, #salad, #drama, #romantic, #island, #AmeliaIsland,  #series, #Fernandina, #Irish, #pear, #nut

Squirrel Babies

A friend found this large pine needle nest, nearly 12 inches in diameter, on the ground.  It had fallen from a palm tree while workmen were trimming the fronds (palm leaves).  Inside were these two darling little squirrels.  She took them to The Nature Center on Amelia Island Plantation, here, to be raised.  With the right care, the two will grow up to delight the humans they encounter and have babies of their own.  So sweet ...

PS  I hope Aunt Noreen doesn't see this post.  In her time of the late 1800s or now, she would complain mightily how squirrels are just another form of long-tailed rat.  So don't tell her our little squirrel secret, PLEASE.

*****

(If you don't know, Aunt Noreen is a featured player my Goodbye Lie series, about an Irish family and their grown children, set in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s.  Aunt Noreen is, shall we say, extremely opinionated and is always willing to share those opinions!)

#squirrel, #AmeliaIsland, #Fernandina, #beach, #palm, #rescue, #babyanimal, #GoodbyeLie, #drama, #AuntNoreen, #complain, #rat, #Irish, #family

Art of Wearing Perfume, Goodbye Lie Excerpt - Breelan

     "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart."  -Proverbs 27:9  

     "The perfume is not goods; its creation is an act of love. It must reflect the heart of the woman who will wear it."  -Robert Ricci 

The Art of Wearing Perfume      People have been wearing perfume for thousands of years.  Perhaps they got the idea from the smoke of fumes or burnt religious offerings.      Technically, the first distilled essence or modern perfume was made in the 10th century when the Persian philosopher Avicenna [Abu Ali Sina or Ibn Sina] distilled rose petal oil for use as a medicine.  Everything was natural until 1868 when the first artificial scent was created.  Today, the perfume industry is worth billions. Strong Scents      Traditionally, perfume should only be applied strongly enough to be smelled 12 inches away.  But no matter how delicate the application, some people with sensitive allergies would prefer that you forgo the use of scent completely when you will be traveling in a closed container such as an airplane.  As with most things, moderation is best. Application      Apply your perfume after showering or bathing, but if you have time, wait a few minutes since you've washed away the body oil that helps hold the scent on your skin.      Don't rub perfume into your skin because it breaks down the scent.  Let it air dry by waving your arms.  You'll be getting very mild exercise to boot!      Let perfume dry completely so the alcohol in it won't stain your clothes.       Wait until your perfume is dry before applying jewelry, including pearls or beads, so it won't discolor them.      Layering scented lotion with perfume on top will make the scent last much long. More tricks and tips      Holding the perfume bottle over your hair, spritz a few times and let the scent waft down upon your locks.      For an instant expensive air freshener, you can spray a few spritzes just above the floor.  As heat rises, so will the scent.      Don't mix scents.      Keep your perfume away from window sills and sunlight, which may degrade it.      Don't buy large bottles of perfume.  You might tire of the scent.  Instead, purchase several different smaller sized perfumes to go with different moods you may be feeling.    Above all, if you have expensive perfume, wear it today.  Who better to enjoy it than you?   Art of Wearing Perfume is reprinted from original Gracious Jane Marie Newsletter by Nancy Kamp and Jane Marie Malcolm.  (I give us permission to run this article again.  It's an interesting piece and I have stuff to do, like work on my next novel, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin! - jmm) The Goodbye Lie, an excerpt:      As he continued to breathe her in, he mindlessly commented, "You should not smell so sweet."        Breelan responded with a proud smile. Was her perfume alone enough to drive him mad? What power woman had over man and what a thrill this power gave her. Her fear of Waite was forgotten, as she understood she had the upper hand.       "You were never meant to wear such a light scent." His warm breath carried his words to her ear. "That fragrance is for old women and little girls. I have in mind something heavier for you, richer. It will better match the complicated woman you are." The Goodbye Lie series available in e-book and paperback #perfume, #scent, #tradition, #romance, #heart, #GoodbyeLie, #AmeliaIsland, #Florida, #series, #drama, #Irish, #family, #mystery, #suspense

Walla-What???

I've come across a few strange characters while book signing over the years. Two-legged and four-legged ... Do you remember the unicorn??? (If you missed it, click here: http://graciousjanemarie.blogspot.com/2015/11/unicorn-pays-visit.html)  Well, add this to the list. 
     There I was, outside Sea Jade, Amelia Island's favorite Old Florida souvenir shop on Centre Street in our historic town of Fernandina Beach.  Chatting with some very nice tourists, I interrupted myself to exclaim, " Holy moly!  Is that -?  Sure is!"  Not a kangaroo, but according to the owner carrying the precious critter around in a cloth pouch, it was a wallaby!   Much smaller than a kangaroo, she explained Oliver will get to two feet or a little more.  Like a dog, he is her pet.  At night, he sleeps in this pouch, which hangs from a door knob.  He has recently discovered he can jump out of the pouch. She and her husband are going to try a playpen to corral the little critter next.  Good luck.  Me thinks it won't be long before Oliver will be running the household and pretty much their whole world. 

     What fun it was for everyone who spied the sweet, gentle animal she's raised from a baby.  Her kindness has clearly rubbed off on it because anybody could pet it.

So next time you're on Amelia Island, keep a lookout and be prepared to be surprised in a wonderful way.




















#wallaby, #kangaroo, #surprise, #AmeliaIsland, #Florida, #drama, #goodbyelie, #AmeliaIsland historicalromance, #drama, #Irish, #family, #islandromance

Lizard Alert - Goodbye Lie Diaries - Aunt Noreen

Late 1800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Aunt Noreen writes:
   Jane Marie!  You claim to know me as well as I know myself.  Hmm.  I do not think that is true.  Why?  Because if you had my sensibilities, you would never have shown the picture in this entry of those awful crawling reptiles.  I cannot abide them.  Those nasties are everywhere, so you do not need to promote them in any form or fashion. I am certain a photograph of a delicate rose or a bird on the wing would be preferable and appreciated much more than these images.  All I can do is avert my glance.  Perhaps you should have some sort of cautionary warning to others with the same delicacies as mine.

***********************

The time is now.
Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie replies:
   Dearest Aunt Noreen,
       Thank you for alerting me, yet again, to your issue with crawling creatures.  Please trust me and know I would not deliberately upset you, lest I get a pain in my side from laughing at another of your many protestations.  Do not be  insulted.  I am being honest and honesty is best.  I am sure you agree. 
        As for the awful image I present in this post, well, I find it just plain interesting and, frankly, beautiful.  The pristine sand filled me with questions the moment I spied the imprints from the lizard.  Where was the little fellow going?  Was he on a quest for food or just on a leisurely stroll?  Was the sand hot on his tiny feet?  Why is his route serpentine versus a direct path toward his goal?  Was he distracted by a nearby flying bug and, therefore, his way is not straight.  The best part of the photo for me is the nearly perfect impression of the lizzie, third indentation from the top.  When I saw it, I just had to take a picture to share with the world.  You, most interesting of aunts, are part of that world.  Sometimes we see things we do not want to see or hear things we do not want to hear.   
       I can only hope you will continue to read this blog and comment upon what I post. Those comments are so entertaining. 
             The magic of electronics in my time is simply wonderful. Don't you agree?
            


-Aunt Noreen is a featured character in The Goodbye Lie series by Jane Marie Malcolm, author of this blog.


#Aunt_Noreen, #Amelia_Island, #lizard, #sand, #beach, #Goodbye_Lie, #nature, #silly, #drama, #Irish, #reptile,

Possible Aunt Noreen Quote

Aunt Noreen

See if you agree that Aunt Noreen, less than lovely neighbor to the Dunnigan family on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s, and a major player in The Goodbye Lie series, might have said the anonymous quote below. Let me set the scene:  

Think back to 1882. You are on Amelia Island.  Relax as you imagine the soft sea breeze blowing off the water onto the shore.  Ladylike, you are sitting on a blanket as the sun begins its descent into the cool waiting ocean.  Your mother would not approve of the novel you are reading. She thinks it is a book of poetry.  You are glad she is a few yards down the beach, sharing the shade tent with her sister-in-law, old troublesome Aunt Noreen.  You are also glad you are not in that same tent, enduring the chatter of said aunt.  As the sea rolls, the gulls are calling. You are lulled to near sleeping until your mind snaps to attention, jarred as it is by Aunt's gruff blurting.  

   "I do not repeat gossip,

so pay attention the first time."

Click HERE to get theGoodbye Lie Series 

in E-book and Paperback

#gossip, #AmeliaIsland, #novel, #beach, #island, #AuntNoreen, #Irish, #Victorian