Goodbye Lie Diaries - Aunt Noreen & Labor Day

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1889

Aunt Noreen

 
 

 

 

 

*Aunt Noreen writes:  I, for one, am concerned what this holiday, called Labor Day, will bring.  It is so difficult to get good help these days and now with this extra day for the hired hands and servants to just lay about... Well, I can endure if I must.  I can make my own tea and draw my own bath, but to have to make an extra three meals for my family?  Granted, they praise me for my cooking, still-- Yes, I already do these things when Winnie American has her regular day off during the week.  But to encourage idleness like this?  What will be next? Pet Your Rabbit Day or perhaps National Shine Your Door Knocker Day?  My word!  We live in absurd times. 

***********

Jane Marie writes: You can rest easy, Aunt Noreen. In your future, my time, studies show that rewarding hard work with a day off enlivens the spirit of workers and makes them happier and more productive.  So bake a peach cobbler for your family and save a piece for Winnie.  She'll appreciate your efforts.  Oh, and remember to take it out of the oven this time.  Happy Labor Day everyone!

*Noreen Dunnigan Duffy is a featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy and lives next door to her brother, Michael Dunnigan, just southwest of the Amelia Light (lighthouse), on the west side of the marsh.  Aunt Noreen is not known for her cooking but rather her difficult personality and is in constant battle with Grandmother Peeper.  Their squabbles make for interesting times at Dunnigan family gatherings or any time Aunt Noreen struggles her way across the cropped field for a visit.  Pepper makes sure her stay in never long.  

Year of Living Graciously - September / Goodbye Lie Diaries - Breelan

Write a paragraph or two about an every day event in newspaper style including who, what, when, where, why and how.  Once identified, be sure and refer to all persons in the story by their last names, adding a quotation if possible. 

***
Fernandina, Florida
1898


Breelan

*Breelan Dunnigan: "Writing articles for our Florida Mirror  is something I used to do quite often when I was a cub reporter.  I believe, in your time,  you now call our local paper The News-Leader. I'm currently working advertising for our family business, Aqua Verdi Passenger Line, but still submit a story to the Mirror when I can.  The last article they printed was about my brother, Pat Dunnigan, and the other boys in our family who have gone off to fight for our country in the Spanish American War.  We pray for them every day.  Jane Marie will tell you all about their trials in her next book, Mark of a Man.  Until that time, know we keep a candle in our window at Dunnigan Manor in hopes Pat, Warren Lowell and Mickey will be safe and home soon." 


* Breelan Dunnigan is featured in The Goodbye Lie, the title novel in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in 1882.  Mark of a Man  follows Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow in he series.

Chili Con Carne Recipe

A friend reminded me that Bruce's recipe for Chili Con Carne was in the

 Fernandina Beach American Legion Post 54 cookbook.  Copied from those pages, here it is. Although it may be warm where you live, chili is a year round delight. Enjoy! 

Off We Go!

 

Here is our Abby.  She loves to go bye-bye in the car in her car seat.  We introduced her to biking the other day and she loves that, too.  Wearing her harness and strapped in the basket, she didn't try to jump out once!  If she stood up, I stopped the bike and told her to sit, which she did.

Now all I need to do is find a doggie helmet with ear holes.

 

 

                         Note the shredded bath towel, courtesy of the cat, on which Abby sits.

 

Title Time

I continue my not-so-requested tradition of creating titles for books I will never write.  Here are more:

Gone With The Win - a guide to gamblers trying to quit

Gone With The Sin - how to be a better person

Gone With The Tin - recycling cans

Gone With The Fin - how to catch that big fish

Gone With The Kin - a destination family reunion

Then, of course, we have:

Love is a Many Fendered Thing - a car collector's guide

Love is a Heavy Burdened Thing - working through a troubled relationship

Love is a Many Gendered Thing - speaks for itself

Life is a Many Mentored Thing - your personal heroes

Drunk is a Many Bendered Thing - help for those who imbibe too often

Stay tuned...

Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trivia Question - Clover

Clover is the fiction Dunnigan family handyman and friend.  What is his surname?

Answer: Even I had forgotten I'd given Clover a last name!!!  I was scanning The Goodbye Lie for information so the continuity would flow in Mark of a Man, the third novel in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy, and found it.  Say hi to Mr. Clover Williams!!!  I now remember thinking since Clover was such a colorful name, his family name should be simple, less exotic. No offence intended to any folks named Williams, of course.

Page 33 from The Goodbye Lie paperback:

     "Did I see you waving to Clover?" she asked.

     "The man coming out of the cabin? Yes."

     "Clover Williams is our hired hand. More of a wonderful friend, really. With Daddy at his office downtown so much of the time, we needed someone to lend a hand with the heavy chores. Clover's been with us since just before I was born," Breelan replied, suddenly realizing she'd been giving out her family history to a stranger.

Moonglow over Amelia Island

 I was driving east at 5 pm and saw the HUGE moon!

  I walked to the edge of the ocean and took this picture.

 I used no blue filter.

9 pm with ships on the horizon

Whale of a Male -Goodbye Lie's Waite Taylor

Meet or get reacquainted with Waite Taylor. Using descriptions and quotes taken directly from the pages of my historical novel, Amelia Island's THE GOODBYE LIE,  here is a profile of Waite, the male lead in the story set in 1882 Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida.

Name:  Waite Montoya Taylor

Born: That face had seen many a scrap in its thirty-odd years, she guessed.

Parents: ...the sole child of a Venezuelan heiress, Carla Montoya, and an English seaman, Kenneth Waite Taylor.

Height:  He was easily a head taller than she.

Eyes:  Breelan looked into his deep black eyes. She had to speak for fear she'd tumble into their depths in the silent moment that followed.

Hair: The dark hair was full, damp, and wickedly wild from the weather, yet it suited him.

His Physique: The broad shoulders of a man lying on top of her were blocking her line of sight.

...how graceful his movement for a man of his size.

 A strong arm caught her round her waist.

His Scent: He smelled of leather and bay rum cologne. He smelled good. 

Facial Features:  The moon escaped from its cloud captors to better light his face. It was a smooth face, no beard, no moustache. The skin looked dark, like that of someone who loved the out of doors...
 His jaw was so square, ... the line of it broken only by the cleft in his chin. His nose was surprisingly straight, considering the small uneven scars he wore at his hairline, across his right cheek and on his neck, just below his right ear.

Occupation: Waite Taylor, captain of that passenger liner... His father ... was killed when his vessel was rammed broadside by a sinking Federal supply ship. They say that since that time, his son vowed to have a career at sea, no matter what manner of ship he served on, in honor of the man who'd shown him the wonder of the waters.

Character:  Strange. Miss Ella would even trust this man alone with her daughter. She was certain he would never physically harm her girl.

"I would say you were a man who'd experienced much in life and one who is probably capable of handling most any situation." 

He was certainly old enough to be married. His days of running after different girls should be over unless he was a widower or a philanderer. Yes, she'd known him long enough to classify him as a philanderer, snagging every fast trick his barbaric bulk craved.

Military Service:  " He joined the Confederate Army at sixteen. I understand his father wanted him by his side to fight the Yankees at sea, but Taylor chose to stand with the lads from his class on land. He served with the Third Florida in the Battle of Olustee.  ... he received a battlefield commission raising his rank to lieutenant.

Checking a nearby line, a young crewman interjected innocently, "Ah, go on, Cap'n. Tell the good folks how they give ya a medal for valor on the battlefield so's they can rest easy." 

 History: "He was raised in the Florida Keys and sailed the Caribbean with his father until his mother's passing when he was fourteen.  After the war, he earned his shipmaster's license and eventually became the youngest captain in the history of the transatlantic shipping company, Atlantic Eagle Cargo Lines. For a dozen years he commanded a regular run between Baltimore and South Hampton, England, delivering lumber, turpentine, cotton and phosphate. I understand he wanted a change, so built his passenger ship, Gentle Comfort, named in memory of his beloved mother, and he's been running the Comfort along the eastern shore of the United States ever since."

His Quote:  "Just to be in her town was an ordeal, but I had to take control. I had to face things. When we arrived yesterday in Fernandina, all my resolve left me. That's why I stayed aboard. I wasn't just reading. The truth is I was studying, investigating where she comes from, trying to get closer to her somehow. The more knowledge I acquired about her background, the worse I wanted her. So I purposely started drinking last night until I passed out. With enough liquor in me, I knew she'd be safe from the wild man who wanted to pound on her door in the middle of the night and take her away for himself.
     "This morning, with damn near the worst hangover I've ever had as a reminder of my determination [to stay away], I was prepared to be strong and leave town without ever attempting to see her. I was counting the minutes until we pulled out, until I escaped Amelia Island. You can't know how shocked I was when she arrived at the foot of the dock, her father handing her over to me! It was her uncle, Clabe Duffy, who corresponded with me. I didn't know the name. I swear to God, I had no earthly idea she was one of the girls I was to watch over. Now she's here, aboard my ship, and so is temptation."

There's GPS and GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The system consists of 24 Navstar satellites that orbit Earth. The satellites are monitored and controlled by stations on Earth. The satellites send back an exact location to anyone who has a GPS receiver. GPS is the most accurate navigation system developed to date. It gives latitude, longitude, altitude and time to an unlimited number of people anywhere on Earth in all kinds of weather. (copied directly from:  http://www.ehow.com/about_5040585_gps-mean.html#ixzz2cL3O0zmp)

Today in church, the pastor mentioned GPS. I didn't remember what GPS stood for exactly, so I looked it up.  After reading the above paragraph, now I know.  Of course, when we want to go to a new location, we punch in the destination on Garmey, what we call our Garmin GPS unit, and it spits out the directions.  Then it came to me how GPS could also stand for God's Perfect Salvation, God's Powerful Solution, God- Problem Solver, etc.  So if you ever need serious direction in life, GPS the Lord, and he'll guide you to the right road.

Grammy Camp Sprinkles and Peeper

The last day of Grammy Camp, granddaughter Ava and I had a blast creating beautiful cupcakes. We made butter frosting.  If it was too thin, we added more powdered sugar.  "It's getting lumpy and dry, Grammy." So, we added more milk.   Because of the different consistencies of the icing,

 the result was better than what we expected!

The sprinkles were completely Ava's doing.  To quote her, 

 "Sprinkles are what make a cupcake a cupcake."

  Such deep wisdom at a young age, she gets it from me.

 

1880s

Fernandina on Amelia Island

 

Grandmother Peeper* writes: 

 

Missy Ava and Miss Jane,

   Them is some perty lookin' little cakes and theys so full a colors.  As ya most likely heard, I have a eye fer knowin' my colors.  Everybody but Aunt Noreena says so.  She's wouldn't know red from ruby ifn ya buried her in a bushel basket a apples. Makes me wanta bake some for the Dunnigans.  I'll best be ahidin' 'um  if there's any left after supper lest Noreena  brings her big self over here, as usual, and stuffs some in her pocketbook.

 

*Grandmother Peeper is a favorite character, and I do mean character, of readers of Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy, available anywhere novels and ebooks are sold. For more info, go to our website at www.GraciousJaneMarie.com and refer to the top of the column on the right side of this blog. -jmm

A Goodbye Lie Favorite - Guess What This Is

We were visiting Fort Clinch here on Amelia Island and talking to one of the female reenactors participating that day.  As you can see in the picture below, they had set up tea and linens and other feminine finery. On item in particular caught my attention. Can you guess what it is?  I thought it was a curling iron.  Wrong. They had to tell me.

 

It is an antique glove stretcher used primarily for outdoor kid leather.   Click here to see more info on the subject. http://www.objectlessons.org/clothes-and-accessories-20th-century-to-present/gloves--stretchers-edwardian-original/s54/a1047/. 

Thank you to Fort Clinch and the site, Object Lessons.

Fishy, Fishy on the Pan

Why do these things keep happening to me?  No tellin', but I love it! 

Below, see my two "fish"  which magically appeared as we ate away the other thinly sliced baked zucchini chips!  Granted, the angel fish on the right is a smidgen scorched. Next time I'll pay attention to the timer when it goes off. --Or not because the blackened fins add to the realistic look, don't cha think?  And the scorch on the left fish appeared in the perfect spot for a closed eye to make her look like she's asleep!

 

Here is the link to my recipe for Baked Zucchini Chips- http://www.greenlightwrite.com/zucchinichips.htm

 from our 700 page website, www.GraciousJaneMarie.com.

  

Year of Living Graciously - August

In your best cursive, on your prettiest stationery, write a letter to future generations and hide it for them to find...

Hollywood Hearts - Romantic Ricardo Montalban

I am easily distracted and today's distraction was a Technicolor movie from 1953 starring Lana Turner and Ricardo Montalban.  Called Latin Lovers, the film depicts Hollywood's version of the title--and they do a right fine job of it with Ricardo.  This clip of him dancing the samba  in Rio with Miss Turner--speaks for itself. Oh, first he dances with Rita Moreno, the brunette, and then Lana, the blonde.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q7Z_cJGdnI

                                                             Link to the poster above:
http://www.amazon.com/Lovers-Poster-Ricardo-Montalban-Calhern/dp/B002S7ABB6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375067411&sr=8-2&keywords=latin+lovers+ricardo

While he didn't do his own singing here, he has in other movies. This song from the same Latin Lovers is called A Little More of Your Love.  It actually is the scene prior to their dancing. With his over-the-top masculine mannerisms, all I can say is, "Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, boom, boom!"  By the way, when you watch him singing this entire song in English, you may find it odd that Lana then says something to him in Portuguese and when he answers her in English, she says, "But you speak English!"  Duh!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNR5_0PUUfI

Ricardo, born in Mexico, was 6 feet tall and 33 years old at the time of this movie. Lana was 32. He was married to actress Loretta Young's younger sister, Georgiana, for 63 years and they had four children.  His back was badly injured during filming of Across the Wide Missouri and plagued him the rest of his life.  He died at 88.

In my research online, I found a quote by Mr. Montalban concerning his definition of debonair: "To me it means love of neighbor ... To always be considerate of others' feelings, to practice good manners ... Of course, you must know how to treat women ... A gentleman must not dress up too much or too little ... He should try to make everyone around him feel comfortable. Just modest ... No, no, you cannot buy debonair ... It has nothing to do with possessions ... Whatever it is, it has to be completely natural. You cannot be aware of it or else it disappears. I never tried to be debonair. I am who I am."  Source: Dan Neil. "A Gentleman, Naturally." Los Angeles Times Magazine. 11/6/2005. pg I.11.

Thank you to YouTube.com, Amazon.com and Dan Neil for this online info.
 

Grammy Camp - sit-upons

Here is an hour's worth of activity, something we made at Grammy Camp.  Easy, fun and functional, I recalled the sit-upon I made as a Girl Scout a few years back. So, granddaughter Ava and I created this 18" x 18" sit-upon made from folded newspapers which are then woven to form a square.  Clear packing tape secures the edges. To make it waterproof, we wrapped the entire sit-upon with more clear packing tape.  Except for the tape, this sit-upon was free of charge, too, once Grampy had finished reading the paper, of course.  Great for camping, the beach, the woods, pulling weeds or sitting on the driveway playing jacks, let everyone in the family make their own for their own unique use.

Since newspapers have narrowed over the years, (have you noticed?), we folded 12 double sheets in half lengthwise, then half again. Arranging them with six strips laid vertically and six strips laid horizontally, we began weaving and tucking in the ends once the weave was complete. Make sure the open sides of the outside edge strips face out so you can tuck in the ends. You can also make a more colorful sit-upon from the funny papers, but it could take several weeks to save enough of them.
Happy sitting!

Note the year 2013 on the sit-upon. Pure coincidence! 

Lucy Reception

I listen to the radio or attempt to when I'm bustling about the house and, for some electronic reason, the reception is often poor.  Yes, of course, I've tried balancing on three toes of my right foot with my left thumb in a semi-vertical position while I plug my right ear with a purple pencil eraser shaped like a gopher turtle for the count of 8.2 seconds.  That didn't help much.  Through trial and error, I finally discovered the best place for pretty good reception is to put the radio not beside the desk, not on top of the desk, but inside the desk. And not just anywhere in the desk. It won't work in the first, second, or third drawers on the right side.  No, the sweet spot is in the top drawer on the left side.  And you know how I control the volume? It's so simple. To turn it up, I pull the drawer open. To turn the sound down, I just push the drawer closed. Quite brilliant, don't you agree?  I think Lucy (Lucille Ball/I Love Lucy) would.

The best reception is in the desk drawer.

volume control set to low

Grammy Camp - a fairy house

What is Grammy Camp?  A sharing, crafting, playing, creating gathering of grandmother and grandchild. In this case, Ava and me and what a time we've had.  One of the extra fun projects  we did was to make a fairy house!  And it cost nothing because all the supplies came from my craft stash closet.

This is what we used:

-1 large shoe box
-purple and pink spray paint for outside
-flower and leaf foam stickers for around the outside entrance hole
-green felt for lining the inside bottom
-silk flowers
-small basket with scrap ribbon of all kinds and pearls and beads spilling out
-hairspray cap filled with batting, covered with pink felt, decorated with gold marker and topped with a small paper umbrella for the fairy throne
-foil for the pond with blue marker swirls
-cork for log by the pond used for fairy sitting
-glass pebbles for stepping stones from entrance leading to throne
-black marker, blue glass pebble and googly eyes for spider glued to inside
-small clear box with gold, silver and blue glitter for fairy dust which we sprinkled over the inside of the entire house
-misc. sequins and decorations
-glue gun

outside randomly sprayed with pink and purple paint, ribbon added for shady corner
 

                                                 

hidden entrance on the end

  

overview

left is basket with beads and ribbons, right is fairy throne

 scattered silk flowers, foil pond with sea shell stickers, glass pebbles for path

 

 spider with mismatched googly eyes, over box of fairy dust

 

After we took these pictures, we found a cat's whisker (we call them whickers) and placed it atop the throne for good luck.  We also found half a shell from a hatched birdie and added that.  Who knows what the fairies will use it for--maybe a punch bowl or perhaps a basin to wash their stockings.  We'll just have to wait and watch... and keep adding treasures for the fairies as they appear.

 

Making the Mark - Survey Says...

While attending my monthly Bunko party, I recently passed out papers with three short paragraphs on them.  I asked the girls to give their opinion on which of the three they preferred for the opening of my third historical novel, Mark of a Man in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy.  Of the eleven I asked, nine picked my favorite.  I should have gone with my instinct but it is always good to have feedback and, Lord knows, these gals are never shy in saying what they think. Since we've been playing Bunko for twelve years, I trust them.

 

 

 Thank you, ladies!

Patriotic Pin

Happy July 4th!!!!

 

You've probably seen these easy to make patriotic safety pins. They never go out of fashion so make some now or later but this craft is something everyone in the family can proudly wear year round!

 

 

 

                                  

 

You'll need:

one 1 1/2" safety pin

twelve 1" safety pins

25 blue seed beads

62 red seed beads

50 white beads

 

 

Follow the pattern of colored beads in the photo above, stringing the beads on the 1" safety pins. Close each pin when it is full.  When all smaller pins are completed, slide them onto the side of the longer safety pin that is permanently attached to the head.  Wear with pride over your heart!

Year of Living Graciously - July

Draw the lines on your right palm and left palm, put them side-by-side and connect.  Pretend they are streets and name them! 

 

Naturally, the names that came to my mind are from my novels, Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy, The Goodbye Lie, Velvet Undertow and the upcoming Mark of a Man, plus my website, www.GraciousJaneMarie.com.  This is what I called mine:

 

Breelan's Curve

Island Drive

Romance Road

American Way

Martha Bear Blvd.

Goodbye Lie Ave.

Teddy O Trail

Elvis at Doo Wop's!

We saw an ad in our local News-Leader that Amelia Island's  Doo Wop's, Best 50's Diner was hosting Roger Hawk & the Mystery Train Elvis Tribute Band, June 29th, from 3 to 5 pm.  Bruce and I like 50's music and the atmosphere and food at the Doo Wop is great- hamburgers are huge and I like their spaghetti- and the milkshakes... Well, we went and there on the sidewalk out in front was Elvis in his gold trimmed red jumpsuit, complete with huge collar, big belt and rings on his fingers.  And the music?  It was terrific! His combo of musicians/male backup singers added a richness to the overall sound.  Thank you, Doo Wop.  We heard things are going well for you.  That's wonderful news. We'll be back for another good meal soon.

Check out Doo Wop's menu here:  http://doowopdiner.biz/ and visit them at
1120 S 14th ST, Amelia Island, FL.

 Roger Hawk as Elvis

 

 of course they would serve this to honor Elvis

hanging on the wall inside the Doo Wop

Ramble Alert! - White Enough?

I’m always up for a challenge.  This time it’s drinking from a straw.  As you roll your eyes at my ineptness, let me continue.  I am on a quest to have a sparkling smile, so sparkling, in fact, that a tiny  star appears on my choppers in all my photographs, as it does on those of  Gaston, the mean guy in the Beauty and the Beast cartoon.  While I am sufficiently in touch with reality to realize this ain’t gonna actually happen, my mission continues.  To that end, I asked Santa for  those dental whitening strips you leave on your teeth for thirty minutes.  I must have been a pretty good little girl, last year, because he gave me a box.  Not only have they worked, more mentally than  actually, probably, but I get the added benefit of playing the part of a rabid dog any time I want as my lips overflow with the frothing product working its white magic.  Additionally, I have toothpaste and mouthwash and gum, all of which are supposed to assist in this process. 

 

Is this just another phase of my life, like knowing the Latin names of house plants, making stained glass, pouring candles, quilting, playing the spoons, etc?  Certainly not.  Why?  Because this has to do with vanity.  Let’s face it.  If you’re a girl, it's a lifelong affliction.  Enough said. 

 

So back to the straw. I’ve heard how red wine, coffee, etc., stain your teeth. I have never been a coffee drinker until Bruce, my thoughtful husband, suggested I try a cup with French Vanilla creamer and a packet of sweetener.  I was hooked after that.  However, since it discolors my teeth and the fancy creamer makes me fat, I stopped drinking it for about six weeks.  Then I heard something.  Remember,  if it’s on the news, in print or online, it’s true…  Here it is:  If you drink coffee and wine through a straw, it will bypass your teeth and they will remain pristine white.  I don’t know about you, but I am unable to suck on a straw without the coffee filling my mouth and surrounding my teeth.  No matter how far back in my mouth the straw is,  coffee abounds.  So the straw is out.  Besides, all that puckering  makes wrinkles around your lips and that will never do.  I end this ramble because my coffee is gone and it’s time to swish with a whitening mouthwash.  As someone once said, “Don’t hate me because I have a semi-brilliant smile.”  Or something like that.

 

PS  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that, as a public service announcement as part of the sometimes whacked world of Gracious Jane Marie, July is Find Your Favorite Tooth month- and the tooth has to be in your own mouth!  I’m leaning toward my upper right incisor.

PPS These are the things that clog my mind...

mini TV interview

Last Saturday, I was doing a book signing at Books Plus on Centre Street, downtown  on our beautiful Amelia Island.  Fellow writer, Chuck Barrett, author of Breach of Power, was also signing his novels. That's when I spied a News 4 Jax (Jacksonville) TV reporter and she spied us. She was doing a piece on the first day of summer, June 21, and taping segments around the island for it. And so we were interviewed. While that interview lasted all of two minutes, only 16 seconds made it past the final edit.

When it aired, I snapped a photo from the television and for some electronic reason I don't care to investigate at this time, the quality of the picture isn't good, but you get the idea. While my words were less than eloquent, I mentioned "island paradise" three times, these interviews are good practice for my acceptance speech when I'm awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Chuck Barrett and JMM interviewed

Baby Birds

My brother, Bob, sent this photo and I had to share. He found these babies inside the tool shed by his house.  He's been watching the feathery fluffs grow up and, as you can tell,

they are about ready to fly away!

 

Dad's Day

In the Irish, as they say,

'Tis Himself,

we honor today!

 

Happy Father's Day!

Clean Living

I saw these two items on my desk, side by side, laughed and said to myself, "Talk about your clean living!"  Yup, clean, wholesome and all-American- that's what it's all about...    :-)

 

Magnolia-Mark of a Man Favorite

The old talkin' tree, a magnolia, plays its part in Mark of a Man, the third novel in my Amelia Island Goodbye Lie Trilogy series.

My granddaughter, Ava, and I sing the chorus of a song A Hundred Million Miracles from the Broadway musical Flower Drum Song.  Click here to listen to the words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRWOtwweKUg&feature=endscreen&NR=1.  It's similar in meaning to "stop and smell the roses."  And so we do.  We examine the patterns on calico material or we'll study the differences in the sharks' teeth we find on the beach or--you get the idea.

So when a friend brought me a magnolia blossom, I started to examine it. Although I've seen hundreds of these flowers on the trees down here in Florida and Georgia over the years, and I know they are the most prominent flower of the South, plus  the very word, magnolia, is in the opening paragraph of Gone With The Wind: ...her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin — that skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns..., I never appreciated them until now.  I wanted to share because they are so beautiful, inside and out.  And I didn't realize the flowers open in the day, close at night and then reopen!  Enjoy!

 I  measured this blossom with a ruler.  It is 8 inches across!

 

As I looked closely at the center, I saw a real work of art.  I don't know what the parts are called, stamens?, but notice the curls on the top half and what appear to be closed petals below them.

 

 

The blossom closed during the night and would reopen the next day.

 

 

Day 2, the center turned brown and what I thought were petals on the lower half opened wide!

 

 

 

(As always, thank you to YouTube.com and its contributors for the video in this article.)

 

 

Goodbye Lie Diaries-Peeper

1880s
Fernandina, Florida
Grandmother Peeper writes:

When I was a small child, there was this here Indian called Walkin' Wise, who come every Sundee
and sat on the step of our church just awaitin' for us children ta come outside when service was finished.  I suspect he come for the potluck dinner at 12 o'clock noon but he would tell us stories. I recall one time when he told us every body has a good wolf and a bad wolf inside a them. And these wolves is always afightin'. When some one of us asked who won the fight, Walkin' Wise said it's the one ya feed.  That was about my favorite story a his.



        Peeper, a featured player in
    Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy,
 offers advice and elixir-fixers
 and if you don't agree with her,
 well--ask Aunt Noreen what happens...

 



Year of Living Graciously- June

Wash and press the clothes of your old teddy or dolly then dress them. If you have no clothes, find a scrap piece of felt or fabric. Cut out a triangle for a shawl and rectangle for a skirt.  Secure with old brooches.  If your stuffed friend is a boy, make him a paper hat and use a ribbon for a string tie. Proudly display for all to see and/or cuddle at bedtime. Who says you're ever too old to play with dolls?