Goodbye Lie Diaries: Small Town USA

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

2014

 

Jane Marie writes:

 

   We love living on a small island in a small town.  The island part is wonderful for obvious reasons, like we’re located at the edge of the world on the Atlantic Ocean, for goodness sake!  The small town part is inviting and offers charm, friendliness, trust, easy access to every basic item we need, no traffic jams and it’s just plain homey. 

   One mini-event I witnessed is the perfect example of friendliness and trust.  I was at a local hardware store.  As I waited in line beside another customer, the customer said, “Put it on my bill.”

   The clerk replied, “Sure thing.”

   It was then I unintentionally noticed the clerk had made out the invoice to Henry, no last name, just Henry.  Where else but small town American?  Hopefully, lots of places around the world.  Hopefully …

 

   By the way, have you ever heard this?  The nice part about living in a small town is when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else always does. -Anonymous

 

***

 

Aunt Noreen

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

1880s

 

Aunt Noreen writes:

 

   I am so glad to hear that our little Fernandina continues to be a fine place to live in your time, Miss Jane. I am proud to call myself  a Fernandiner.  However, when I think back to  Friday last and Mrs. Clapsaddle telling me at the park how Mrs. Ickles was talking about the widow Mrs. Misseldine who was seen at the grocery purchasing, not one, not two, but three watermelons, why I do not want to think what manner of men she may be entertaining.  Mrs. Fishpatcher said she was certain Mrs. Misseldine was donating them to the school, but I have my doubts.  Someone should find out if this is the case or not. If this activity is less than seemly, I will take it upon myself to lead a movement to shun, spurn and exclude Mrs. Misseldine from polite society.  It is women like myself who must keep our island a haven of decency for future generations.

 

 

Aunt Noreen is a featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy, historical romance series set on Amelia Island, Florida in Victorian 1880s.

A Goodbye Lie Fave-Handmade Lace Hankie

In the 1880s when The Goodbye Lie takes places, girls and women, all, carried pretty hankies.  That's no longer the custom. For a special occasion, a wedding, a Christening, a theatre production, a ball, an anniversary or anywhere you might shed a few tears and need to dab your eyes, then a lace handkerchief is perfect and oh so feminine.   You can purchase one, of course, or make your own.  It's not difficult and will be treasured as an heirloom. If for a bride, it can easily be made into a baby bonnet for her first child.

(click on the links above and enjoy articles from our website, www.GraciousJaneMarie.com)

 

 

You'll need:

• One 9"x 9" square of batiste or any finely woven white cotton fabric or linen that is soft to the touch
• 44 inches of one inch wide lace, flat on at least one edge, cut into four equal pieces
• Sewing machine or minimal experience in hand sewing
• Matching thread
• Straight pins
• Embroidery thread and needle, white or colors (optional)

Cut the lace into four 11 inch lengths. 

Wash and press the fabric square.

Lay out the fabric square

Center the flat side of an 11 inch length of lace on each edge of the square and pin in place.   You want any scallops the lace might have to be on the outside edge, away from the cloth square.  The ends of the lace pieces should overlap at right angles. 

With a tiny zigzag stitch, carefully sew the lace around all four edges of the hankie. 

With a tiny zigzag, carefully sew from each corner point of the cloth square out to the edge of the lace.   When all four corners are sewn, carefully snip the overlapping lace off the corners close to the diagonal stitching and discard.  The lace will be joined in a diagonal seam at each corner.  

You may also roll the raw edges under and secure them by hand with a small whip stitch.  Add the lace as mentioned above using tiny straight stitches.

You may choose to embroider a few white on white or colored flowers and leaves in one or all the corners.  You can even put the initials of the bride or baby or grandmother or godchild in one corner.  I sewed a white shamrock on the handkerchiefs I made for the bridesmaids in my daughter Barbra's wedding.

 

If time is short, just add lace to a store-bought hankie that has the edges already finished.

 

Article reprinted from www.GraciousJaneMarie.com



Dog Sings Goodbye Lie Theme Song

After hours and hours of practice aka suffering on my part, our very own Abby, Chihuahua Extroverted, has completed her rendition of The Goodbye Lie theme song. (Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie trilogy is set in north Florida in the 1880s.) Thinking the harmonica might be the perfect period instrument to accompany this little ditty about the high seas sailor, Captain Waite Taylor, and the women who love him, Abby went through three tubes of bacon and squirrel flavored lip balm, so as not to chafe her kisser as she played.

Sit back and enjoy. 

You'll never hear anything like this!

 

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan

2012
Fernandina Beach, Florida

Jane Marie writes:  I saw on Facebook that it's National Brothers Week. If you have a brother, like I do, then you are truly blessed. What a great idea to tell the world you love your brother, but more importantly to tell your brother!  Love you tons, Bobby. We're proud to claim you as an honorable man and sailor who is the patriarch of our Harkins family.

Bob aka Bobby Harkins

***

1880s

Fernandina, Florida

 

Breelan Dunnigan writes:  National Brothers Week sounds wonderful to me. I have a baby brother. He is my one and only brother and his name is Jack Patrick Dunnigan.  He is grown now and likes us to call him Pat, so we mostly do.  Having no one to compare him with, he is a good brother, I think.  Yes, he's a scrapper and is often in trouble, but he also always fesses up, even if he isn't the culprit. Why he took the blame for me when I ate the last fried chicken leg Peeper was saving for herself.  Had it been Aunt Noreen's chicken leg, she would have been all over him. Not Peeper. She loves Pat so much, it was like he had done her a favor.  She thanked him "fer akeepin' her from gettin' a belly ache from the grease of it." I think Pat just might surprise everyone and do great things some day. We can always hope so, anyway. 



 

Jack Patrick aka Pat Dunnigan

                                                              
(Breelan and Pat Dunnigan and Peeper are players in the historical Amelia Island Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in 1880s Florida. - www.GraciousJaneMarie.com )

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Another Peeperism

1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Grandmother Peeper

Grandmother Peeper, player in Amelia Island's GOODBYE LIE Triology writes:

If'n you are one a them folks who's so pig headed, ya won't change your ways fer nothin' or ya always dun somethin' one way and, by wingle, you won't never do it no other way, well, my friend, you are what I call a rut-stucker.  Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. You are stuck in a rut. Ain't nothing' ta be proud of. Don't be like that Aunt Noreen.  Why Noreena is such a rut-stucker, she still wears that same smelly perfume which I'm aguessin' she must make herself out in the barn cause it smells like...like what she finds in the barn. How poor Clabe ever got close enough ta her ta produce two children is beyond my knowin'. That man must have a stopped up smeller, is all I kin think. So Noreena is a rut-stucker fer certain!  And who ever wants ta be like her is crazy. So just don't be.