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 ... 

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

Dog Brushes Own Teeth

     Abby is the spokesdog for this blog and just about anything else she wants to talk about because she can bark louder than I can. Well, she has mastered a new skill.  She can brush her own teeth!  Please refer to the photo for details of this feat.
     Being the independent sort, Abs prefers being self-taught vs learning to do the usual doggie tricks.  Oh, she can fetch her blue baby, which is code for her bringing any and every stuffed toy she owns to  me when she wants to play.  She will also come when I call treat! 
     However, this dental hygiene thing was a surprise to me.  Having recently been to the vet for a cleaning, I suppose she wanted her teefus to stay bright and shiny.  To that end, she discovered one of my old toothbrushes I use for cleaning those tiny spots around the house.  And she was off in her efforts to maintain that lovely grin she flashes at strangers to lure them in and then nip at their jeans and shoe laces.  Did I mention that Abby is a rescue doggie?  We don't know her history, but do know she is always up for the challenge we call Bite a Hole Through The Pants game, which, again, she invented.
     She let me shoot this picture to demonstrate her tooth-technique so you can share it with your small dog. I should have taken a photo of her with three toothbrushes in front of her.  I was surprised to learn she is also a part time thief, in this case, somehow retrieving our fresh toothbrushes and claiming them for her own.  
    So next time you come to visit us at Stately Martha (Bear) Manor, fear not.  Should you and your jeans and shoelaces make it past Abby and you find she's confiscated your personal toothbrush, I have begun buying the bristly things by the pound and have extras to spare.  

WARNING: ONLY ALLOW YOUR SMALL DOG TO CHEW ON THE TOOTHBRUSH BECAUSE A BIG DOG MIGHT SNAP IT IN TWO AND CHOKE!!!

Semi-Ingenious Repair

     I am sure there are those who would be thrown to discover they had a hole in the only pants they had with them. Not me. Other than having to go to the trouble of shopping for new britches, such a hardship, not, I was content to finish-out the day dressed in the same clothes in which I had begun that day. You see, I like to think I would have made a good frontier woman, sharp shooting, plowing, dipping candles, kneading bread and all, so a little rip in my drawers is nothing to a gal who would be able to milk cows, churn butter and slop the hogs all at the same time.
     However, because a mini-speck of my skin  was visible via the hole, the difference between my flesh tone and the white of the pants caused most eyes within twenty feet to take notice and the owners of those eyes to comment, "Do you know you have a hole in your pants?"
     My remedy to relieve their worry?  I raided the first aid kit of one Band-Aid, opened it and placed the sterile white pad to the inside of my pants, pressing the sticky tabs firmly to the fabric, covering and masking the hole. 
     Lest I carry one extra of everything I am wearing each day, I shall depend upon the resources learned whilst I was a Girl Scout, a bit of ingenuity, and a whole bunch of dumb luck to get me through. Prayers for the big stuff, although my dearest friend, Bonnie, once told me, "There is no prayer too small."  I like to remember that.  
  
  
#dumbluck, #ingenuity, #mend, #holeinyourpants, #silly, #handy, #GoodbyeLie, #drama, #family 

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

Aunt Noreen's Favorite Song - Goodbye Lie Diaries

1894

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

     Aunt Noreen writes:  Oh, Jane Marie.  I heard you playing I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard.  How you are able ,in your time, to do this will forever be a puzzlement to me.  No matter, this is a new song in my time and I adore it. I only recently received my copy of the sheet music in yesterday's mid-morning post. I am thrilled to add it to my very large collection of such. Once I learn to play our square grand piano, this will be one of my first pieces. In the meanwhile, I will have Miss Ella play it for me.  She hits a wrong key occasionally, but then only our Lord is perfect.  Isn't that right?

Aunt Noreen

    You must be wondering just why I love this song so.  It is because it carries me back to my childhood.  The song tells the tale of  little girls who quarrel and make up and quarrel and make up.  As I think on it, my life is still that way.  While I have so very many friends, more than most other people, my friends can be so unreasonable and difficult at times.  I realize today this song still describes the spats caused by the now grown girls who attack me. I won't name names, but that adopted Dunnigan grandmother, who is short and fat and lives next door, never apologizes for her harsh words toward me, but the other women who offend me, usually do. They cannot endure their otherwise grim lives if I, Fernandina's true society-sophisticate, turn from them.

     Jane Marie tells me you should "click on the arrow in the picture" above and the music will begin. As you listen, think of me and the trials I live through because some women can be just awful.   

YouTube from Sheet Music Singer

words by Philip Wingate
composed by H. W. Petrie                               

Published - National Music Co., Chicago, 1894                         

                                               .

Aunt Noreen is a featured character in The Goodbye Lie series, an  Irish family saga in E-book and paperback at  Jane Marie Malcolm's Amazon.com author page here: The Goodbye Lie series

#sheetmusic, #grandpiano, #youtube, #AmeliaIsland, #AuntNoreen, #Peeper, #drama, #Irishfamily, #series, #novel, #beach, #romance, #mystery, #family, #touching

Grammy Camp's Pancake Apple Chips plus Peeper Says ...

     Granddaughter Ava found a recipe and photo online for what appeared to be  perfect circles of cored and sliced apples covered in from-scratch pancake batter then pan fried to a golden brown. Well, this is our version.  Not so perfectly round, but fun shapes.  In the photo to the left, can you see, perhaps,  a whale on the top right of the plate, a  puppy on the top left, maybe a sea horse in the middle and an upside down lion's head on the bottom right? That's what Ava saw and I tend to agree with her.
     We measured all the different ingredients as per the pancake batter recipe, and the taste was really yummy when syrup was added. We decided that next time, though, we would use pancake batter from a box. (Yes, I know, horrors.) This shortcut will only give us extra time to do more things at Grammy Camp.

     To the left is a fancier version we served to Grampy, which we dubbed Pancake Apple Chips.  Thin slices of apple, dipped in batter, browned on the grill or griddle, add some syrup and you've got a fun, healthy meal or snack.  Give it a try.

*********************************
The Goodbye Lie Diaries
Late 1800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Grandmother Pepper writes:  I been afixin' this here apple treat for my youngin's fur long as I can recall.  They love 'em.  Sometimes I slice strawberries on top, too.  Glad ta know you haven't lost all yur sense in yur time and are still amakin' good food. I approve most mightily.

#pancake, #ApplePancake, #GrammyCamp, #CookingWithKids, #RecipesForKids, #Peeper, #grandmother, #family, #Victorian, #GoodbyeLie, #AmeliaIsland, #Florida

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

Capt Fancy Patch Spies on the Rocks ...

     Howdy to all me buckos out there.  'Tis I, 

Captain Fancy Patch of me ship, The Rosey Freckle.  Whilst docked a mere half mile off shore of our home port of Amelia Island, Florida, being in the United of States, on the continent of North America, my sailors rowed me in a wee dingy to the beach sos we could go exploring.  Whether at sea or on dry land, in this case, sand, we are always on an adventure because life means livin' and that is one thing we know all about. 
    

     So, there we were, makin' our way down one road and then the next with me leadin' the way, naturally. That was when I threw up me hand, and my crew took my meaning to stop sudden-like and be still as a starving mouse in a cheese factory with a cat  watchin'.  I pointed to the bed of small rocks to the east and all heads turned with eyes followin' to see three brown speckled eggs! There was no soft nest, no gathering of twigs and leaves to cushion the eggs.  Nope, just hard stones, but whatever
laid the eggs, sure did a fine job camouflaging them.  Bein' the reasonable man I am, I calculated they were bird eggs, having spied the mama bird not ten feet away, pretendin' to have a broken wing so as to distract us from her soon to be born babes and toward her.  A brave mother she is.  I'm thinking mama is of the killdeer species since she lays by water, the ocean bein' not far, and on the gravel.  Again, it would make sense that her babies would be killdeers, too.  
  
     Should any among ya know different,  please let Jane Marie know and she will pass the word onto me.  Her email address is graciousjanemarie@yahoo.com. If I hear no dispute, I will assume those are, indeed, killdeer eggs, and hope the stray cats and dogs in the area will let the little creatures alone to hatch and fly away.  Jane Marie has promised to keep me informed as the good friend she is.  
    
     Until next time, may the tide be with ye, the wind fill your sails and your barnacles be few.

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

The Goodbye Lie series set on Amelia Island, Florida

Click on the link above for E-books and Paperbacks

Captain Fancy Patch makes a cameo appearance in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man.  Click on the YouTube link and watch him read The Great Amelia Island Sniff-Off, a bedtime story for the whole family.


Click here for more killdeer info and pics. Thank you to birdwatching.com for their wonderfully educational sight. - jmm

#killdeer, #Captain_Fancy_Patch, #pirate, #beach, #Amelia_Island, #bedtime_story, #family

Annual Holiday Letter

It is time again to acquaint you all with the frolicking fancies which swirled around our Amelia Island family over the last twelve months.  If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you have come to expect the exciting,  grandiose and spectacular in these annual letters.  If not, may we suggest you sit down, lest you are overcome by the thrills our loved ones have experienced.  Steady yourself.  Here goes:

 

The cupboard door was left open.

 

Father won a trip for one to the North Pole.  The accommodations weren’t bad since the polar bear had just been fed.

 

A glop of something fell from the yellow pitcher into the glass of orange juice. 

The rats have moved out.  

 

In order to help with cleanup after a family dinner, Mother asked Son-in-Law where the dish cloth was.  “We use a sponge, but it smells funny,” he replied.  “You can use the pink one in the bathroom, on the floor by the toilet brush.”  Mother remembered Son-in-Law was a boy scout, so he’s always prepared.  

 

Sunday, there was no mail.

 

Daughter counted 37 glass ornaments on the Christmas tree and 18 gold plastic ice cycles.  With such acuity, she will either go into accounting or fishing line untangling.

 

The grass grew and tickled the dog’s bottom.

 

The new neighbors eat dinner.

 

The waves are wet.

 

The rug has a dark spot to the left of the  green-leafed easy chair .  Interrogations are on-going.

 

The streetlight burned out.

 

The family is changing Uncle Knuckle's nickname.  Since he shaved his back and now wears clothes, he doesn't look so much like a chimp. 

There are feathers in the blue pillow.

And so you have the details of another stupendous year in our lives.  May your future be filled with peace, harmony and issues not nearly as challenging as ours!  And please don't eat any more lint. Auntie Wanna's tongue is still stuck to her teeth because her mouth is so dry.

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

P.S.  Here are just a few of our Annual Letter reviews we have received over the years from fans.  We are especially proud of all the exclamation points folks have used to show their sincerity. Thank you all:

-What is the matter with you?  This is the dumbest &*^% I have ever read!!!

-Every body is royalty in some way.  You're the Queen of Stupid!

-You have wasted 30 seconds of my life!!!!!!!!

Goodbye Lie Diaries-Aunt Noreen VS Mrs. Ickles

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida 
Late 1800s   
Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow is part of The Victorian Goodbye Lie Series
Aunt Noreen writes:

Dear Readers of Jane Marie's stories,
This is your favorite and very well-known Aunt Noreen, once again coming to you by the magic of what Jane Marie Malcolm calls electronics.  Today, I thought I might mention a little something about my dearest acquaintance, Mrs. Ickles.  You have occasionally seen her name in Jane Marie's Goodbye Lie trilogy, although not nearly as often as you have mine. We both live in Fernandina, the seaside city on Amelia Island and are very proud Fernandiners (pronounced Fern-an-deen-rs). Mrs. Ickles and I participate in many of the same activities, including the Orchid Society and St. Michael's Linger-Longer small prayer group, where we study scripture.

In the interest of getting to know the personalities of the people in the books better, I thought it would be useful to tell you something about Mrs. Ickles.  I'm writing this now, before she makes her own entry in these Diaries and distorts matters. So, there we were, in small group.  This time it was in Mrs. Ickles' home. We had each finished a serving of her somewhat soggy lemon pound cake and melted lemon ice cream. Mrs. Ickles isn't known for her baking or cooking, as am I. It was her turn to recite the required memorized scripture aloud.  She was unable!  She could only recall one line out of three!  Shame, I say.  Being her friend, I thought it best to point out why she had become so unconcerned with regard to her Bible verses.  "If you didn't spend so many hours setting such a beautiful table, you would have time to memorize your verses." I thought this was grand advice, given in a kindly manner.  Complimenting her table removed any sting she might have felt at my observation of her lack of effort on doing what she should.  I expected praise from the others gathered. To my utter surprise, no one said anything.  In fact, they all rose, thanked Mrs. Ickles for being a lovely hostess and left, rudely leaving me behind to help clean up the tea cups and plates. Mrs. Ickles was quiet, too, I'm sure contemplating how she could remedy her short comings.  She is blessed to have someone like me, who cares enough to instruct her as to what is right and proper.

Amelia Island Museum WWII Exhibit

     Bruce, my husband, and I recently attended the newest exhibit, Florida in WWII, at our wonderful Amelia Island Museum of History. Being temporary, you can catch it until September 23, 2015. It is sponsored by RockTenn.   
     A traveling exhibition by the Museum of Florida History, Florida in World II presents an overview of this seismic world event and its effect on the State of Florida.  Topics include: life on the home front, military training, the German U-boat threat, and Floridians in military service... The museum will feature a companion exhibition drawn from the personal collections and war-time reminiscences of museum members and people from our community.( Copy in italics is taken from Amelia Island Museum literature.)
     We also were graced with the presence of a WWII veterans and others, recounting their service/experiences or that of a relative during the war.

Left to right are Gerhardt Thamm, author of The Making of a Spy: Memoir of a German Boy Soldier Turned Army Intelligence Agent and Boy Soldier: A German Teenager at the Nazi Twilight, Calvin Atwood, Marine vet WWII, poet and educator, William Birdsong, vet, museum docent, Frank Ofeldt, vet, Fort Clinch re-enactor and collector of military memorabilia, Thea Seagraves, director of museum tours and volunteers, Dave Roeser, vet and Coast Guard re-enactor. 

     If you will be on Amelia Island before Sept 23rd, I encourage

Bruce as captain of the ship

you to stop by the museum at 233 S. 3rd Street in Fernandina to see this presentation. And it's not just this exhibit. There is so much more that tells the tale of our Isle of Eight Flags over time. One of my favorite parts is the tall ship area. Steer the ship's wheel, look out the porthole and watch the coastline pass by as you sail or turn your face into that of the captain of the ship with a handheld mask!
     Always  educational and so interesting, the Amelia Island Museum of History is certainly worth your time.  For info, please visit http://ameliamuseum.org/.

Grammy Camp - Braided Rug - Goodbye Lie Excerpt

braided rug from tee-shirt hems

Granddaughter Ava and I made this braided rug at Grammy Camp. Unlike the rugs my grandmother created from folded strips of old clothes, ours is made from the hems of tee-shirts. You see, we were making diapers for Honduras at church one afternoon. We cut off the hems from all the shirts and they were going into the trash until it came to me how we might use them to make a rug.  I tried looping one randomly colored hem into the next, pulled tightly, making a knot and then we braided three strips into one long length. The final step will be to sew that long braid flat and into an oval using the zigzag stitch on the sewing machine. I could hand sew the braid, of course, but that would take too much time from playing with Ava. 

Loop one circular tee-shirt hem into another, pull tight and make a knot

 ******************************************************
The following Goodbye Lie excerpt was inspired by my Grammy: 

Miss Ella

     Miss Ella shook her head at her sometimes moody, but very wonderful husband, thinking how lucky she was to have him. Back inside the aromatic kitchen, she checked the steeping jelly kettle of peaches, stirred the pot of salt pork and bean soup, and cleared a spot for the hot cornbread among the fresh radishes and onions. It had been such a peaceful afternoon. Too peaceful, she realized.

Grammy

     Where was Jack Patrick? Her only son, age eight, was usually so noisy, she knew his whereabouts every minute. She left the kitchen, went down the long hall past the stairs, and entered the front parlor to find her mother, Hettie Eckert, known to all as Grammy. Grammy was swaying in her rocker, intently working on a braided rag rug, and there was Jack Patrick, sneaking up from behind, scissors in hand, about to cut the soft wild-hair wispies from his sainted grandmother's head. 

     "Jack Patrick!" yelped his mother. 

     Calmly placing the shears back in the sewing basket, he stated, "Mama, I hope lightning flies through the window and kills the cat. I'm innocent!" 

     She knew exactly how innocent he was. She allowed the boy to dash out the front door before he caught her laughing.  Fortunately, since Grammy's hearing was not quite as keen as it once was, she was oblivious to her grandson's near attack, figuring only that his mother was yet again reprimanding the boy for his usual mischief.     

Breelan

     Leaning against the wall, Miss Ella thought back to yesterday, remembering her middle daughter, eighteen-year-old Breelan, as she’d mimicked Grammy in the construction of her own rug. Over the last few weeks, Breelan had torn three-inch strips of cloth, folded their frayed edges inward and sewn the long thin tails, one to another. She had arrived at the final step of braiding and stitching the tails into a flat oval rug, when her mother had overheard her say, "This will be my scrap mine of colorful memories. I've made it from the worn dresses and torn trousers we've saved, Gram, just like you taught me. When I have my little girl, I want you to show her how to make your rugs, same as you've shown me."

     Miss Ella hoped her mother would still be around in the time it took Breelan to have a child old enough to learn the art of rug making. And interestingly enough, Breelan seemed certain her child would be a girl.

     "Whenever I look at my rug, I'll think of this pretty dress." Breelan pointed to the tail made from green plaid taffeta. "I couldn't wait for Carolena to outgrow it so it would be mine. Its lace petticoat was edged in red satin ribbon. I'll tell you a secret, if you promise not to tell Mama."

     "I promise, honey," Grammy had conspired...

******************************************************
Miss Ella, Grammy and Breelan are featured characters in The Goodbye Lie, set in 1882 on Amelia Island, Florida.

To order e-books or paperbacks in the trilogy, please click here:
amazon.com/author/janemariemalcolm