Doggie Workout Video

Amelia Island's Abby, our talking, singing, joke-telling Chihuahua, is at it again.  Now she has her own exercise video.  You see, it all began when she put on the workout suit I made her from an old sweat sock.  Yes folks, with a no sewing and a few snips of the scissors, you can create a new outfit for your small doggie, too. 


Abby in her sweatband made from the sock cuff





Abby speed digging beneath her dog towel while wearing her sweat sock exercise togs





May we suggest that you and your dog take a look-see and a listen to Abby's workout video  below with the hope it will inspire your lumpy, porky puppy AND you to get up and MOVE. Even if it is  just one extra wag of your tails, to Abby's way of thinking, that qualifies as exercise. 

 

In case you don't speak Chihuahua, here are the lyrics to her workout ditty:

 

Hello everybody!  It's time to exercise!

And a one and a bark and a sniff and poop.

And a two and a bark and eat and poop.

And  three and a bark and run and poop.

One and two and poop, poop, poop!

Now, don't you feel better?

 

***

 



Use these instruction to make your dog a sock sweater: 

How-To: Make a Dog Sweater from a Sock | MAKE by Phillip Torrone.

Thank you, Phillip.

 

***

 

(Abby I is our current Abby's ancestor. Given as a birthday gift in the 1880s to Aunt Noreen, a major player in my Goodbye Lie series of novels, Abby I lives out back of Duffy Place with Justice, Noreen's hired hand.  Since Aunt Noreen dislikes everything about dogs, from their fur to their smell, Abby I is fat and happy with Justice.  Abby I makes a cameo appearance in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, the third novel in my trilogy. -jmm)





Mark of a Man Excerpt + Aunt Noreen's Potpourri Recipe

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is the upcoming novel in my historical suspense/romance Goodbye Lie series.  Set in 1898 on Amelia Island, Florida, Aunt Noreen and her daughter, Nora, are having a lovely time at the John Philip Sousa concert, which unexpectedly is presented in Fernandina, the small town on the island. Yes, a lovely time, that is,  until Aunt Noreen starts her stuff. 

Excerpt:

   Casually standing and stifling a yawn, Noreen added, "By the way, daughter, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but did you speak to Austin about his pigs and their smell?"
   Nora sprang to her feet.
   "I am aware your father gave him permission to corral his animals out back of your house, but the odor …  You know how I hate to complain …"
   Nora was proud of herself for not choking since her mother was the queen of queens when it came to belly aching.
   "And I've been so patient in not saying much about it, yet I must alert you to the disagreeable situation. Since Clabe brought Abby home, I can't seem to catch my breath in my own house. Why else would I relegate that dog to live with Justice in his cabin most of the time?  I admit, she has made me smile once or twice when she's not tearing up the newspaper or tracking sand inside or leaving her fur on my rugs, but she smells like the animal she is. My tender constitution requires open windows as weather permits to keep the house fresh. When the wind blows, it blows Abby's odor out and then it is quickly replaced by all that pig stink. There are times Duffy Place smells as bad inside as it does out! Oh, how I dread rainy days like today or cold days when we have to button up everything and that nasty odor gets trapped indoors.  Should Mr. Sousa smell it, I would die of embarrassment on the spot! On the spot! By way of a natural perfume, I have instructed Winnie that she is to steam apples, cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peels at the first sign of a cloud."
   Unable to keep her patience, Nora sniped back at her mother, ever the hypochondriac. "Tender constitution?" 
   Remembering her daughter was still young and had yet to appreciate the depth of her physical and mental suffering over the years, Noreen said, "We will save the discussion about me for later. Now we are talking about your husband's offensive pig farming occupation.  How you can stand to be touched by a man in such a line of work?"
   "How dare you. How dare you!" Nora spit in anger and none-too softly. "Austin is a fine, honest, loving husband to me. You knew when we married he was a pig farmer and a volunteer fireman. I don't ever hear you saying a prayer for his safety when it comes to risking his life to save others or their homes. All you do is carry on and find the negative in everything. When you and father suggested we build our house behind Duffy Place like Breelan and Carolena did behind Dunnigan Manor when they wed, it was explained how Austin's animals needed to be close by for him to care for them. We built on the back of your property, as far from your house as possible with the pigpens behind that. We could have just as easily gotten a piece of land somewhere else, but you insisted we stay near to you.  You assured us you'd have no problem with this. Besides, Austin keeps the pens in pristine condition. Like most of your problems, this one is all in your head. The only foul smell in your house is when you burn the beans! And my husband bathes twice a day, if you must know!"
   Noreen crossed her arms over her ample bosom, tightened her lips and tried to close off her hearing, as was her usual when she was admonished.
   "You pretend that if you preface your comments with an 'I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but--,'  it takes away the sting in what you say.  You know it doesn't! Who made you Lord High Executioner anyhow, dear mother?"

Aunt Noreen's Potpourri Recipe

quarter  2 apples

3 to 6 cinnamon sticks broken in half 

small handful of cloves

peel of 2 to 3 oranges- chopped into 1 inch pieces

water to cover

Simmer above ingredients, uncovered, to refresh and deodorize your home.



Trivia

An Almost True Story

Hubby Bruce and I went to a local restaurant and stayed for the weekly trivia game.  We’d heard about it and, heck, you can win free food.  Since we like their pizza, why not have an extra large, thin crust, double cheese with mushrooms on half and pepperoni and green pepper on the other half, on them?  Oh, may I mention we are pretty good at trivia?  It’s been a while since we’ve played Trivial Pursuit, a game from the 1980s, but when we did, we beat the socks off our kids. 

 

Once the rules were explained, mainly no cell phones allowed with which to google the answers and no shouting them out, we chose a name for our two-person team.  Being the well educated sophisticates that we are, we cleverly decided upon Team Malcolm.  (In case you don’t know, Malcolm is our last name.)

 

We began.  The first question: How many days are in a fortnight?  I jumped on that one, writing down the number 14.  Correct, of course.  Then I got Joint Chiefs of Staff right and Bruce got Pulp Fiction. It went downhill at lightning speed from there. 

 

After ten minutes, we were doing so poorly that when they asked five questions about television theme songs from the '90s, I hollered, “We didn’t even own a TV back then!”  Not true, but I was hoping for a little sympathy at our wretched showing.  When none was forthcoming, we left at half-time having learned a couple of lessons.  #1.  Just because I beat a radio DJ out of a pizza twenty-one years ago by stumping him with Bruce’s question:  What was Li’l Abner’s legitimate day job?  Answer:  He was a mattress tester for the Stunned Ox Mattress Factory.  Yes, just because I won that one, doesn’t mean we know quite everything.  #2.  Never assign your real last name to your team because Amelia Island, where we live, is a small place and word spreads quickly of any humiliation.  Examples of such: So far this morning, the mailman asked me if I know what color the sky is and a store clerk asked me how many toes are on a human being’s left foot.  While I’m pretty sure the sky is blue, I’m thinking the toe thing might be a trick question.  Is that with our without webs?  Do webbed toes count as one or two toes?  Hmm.  I’m still thinking about this one over …

 

Beach Warning

When you are at the beach, it is always a good idea to know what the different color warning flags mean. The International Lifesaving Federation has determined these colors define the surf conditions and hazards in the water.

 

a weekend at Main Beach in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

- note yellow flag on lifeguard chair

 

 sign posted on lifeguard chair explains the meaning of each of the different colored flags

 

 Rip currents are a serious danger to swimmers but can be survived by swimming parallel to shore. Read the sign above for details.

 

Lightning Alert

When there is lightning within two miles of our Main Beach area, a fifteen second alarm sounds and a strobe flashes, warning that a storm is headed our way and will arrive anytime from eight to sixteen minutes. Everyone is to clear the ocean and the beach.  After the bad weather passes through, you will hear three five-second  blasts of the horn indicating it is safe to return to the beach.

 

Remember it's safety first when it comes to the all-powerful

Mr. Ocean, as we like to call the great Atlantic. 

24 Hour Salad - Miss Ella's

24 Hour Salad from Miss Ella's  Fernandina Flavors Cooking Collection

 
Matriarch Ella Dunnigan concocts, creates and is responsible for foods served on the fictional Dunnigan family Aqua Verdi Passenger Line ships in the 1880s.  A little bit of make believe  plus a whole lot of real good taste result in this delightful salad still made in modern times.  (For your convenience, recipes are generally written in today's amounts and measurements.)

Layer ingredients in order and DO NOT MIX :

• 1 head of lettuce torn (or 16 ounce bag of prepared lettuce)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 chopped celery (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
• One 8 ounce can of sliced water chestnuts (optional) 
• One 10 ounce box of frozen peas

Combine and spread over peas:

• 2 tablespoons sugar     
• 1 cup mayonnaise (lite is optional)

Sprinkle the mayo mixture with Parmesan cheese to taste.

Garnish: 

• 1 boiled egg, sliced (optional)     
• Radish roses or slices (optional)
• Bacon bits (optional)

Cover and refrigerate or keep on ice over night.

(Reprinted and tweaked from graciousjanemarie.com)

Lavender Stick - Goodbye Lie excerpt



  lavender stick before dog attack

I like history and many of its gentile customs. One of those customs is the making and gifting of a lavender stick. The lavender stick or wand in the photo was given to me many years ago by a friend.  Handmade, it has always been one of my treasures.  In spite of it now being half chewed, it still is.  You see, Abby, our singing, joke-telling, talking Chihuahua got hold of it,  leaving her chopper marks behind. (Do a search on this blog for Abby or scroll down through past posts to find out about her.) I caught her in the act of destruction as she proudly trotted it about the house.  Happily, I was able to retrieve it.  Bent but not completely broken, it is visually less than its former self.  Additionally, the sweet lavender scent has been replaced by the pungent odor of doggie tonsils.  Oh well.  I still have the picture.

 

I made mention of a lavender stick as a gift to Breelan Dunnigan in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie historical novel.  Here is a short excerpt from that novel:

     With every meeting, Breelan discovered Trip to be more attractive. When they weren't together, he sent a daily messenger with suitable gifts, all of which were to be carried, eaten or looked upon. Aware of the proprieties, Trip understood that a gift to be worn was too personal and certainly too improper to accept. One day the present was butterscotch candy. On another, an envelope of lily-of-the-valley seeds was accompanied by a note saying he didn't know if the warmer weather in Fernandina was conducive for this particular specie's growth, but it might be fun to give the seeds a try. Then, it was the sheet music to Vanishing Moments. He'd penned along the margin:

We danced to this song the night we met.

                     A time remembered, I shan't ere forget.

      Later, a scented lavender stick tied with pastel ribbons was discovered on the porch. Finally, Trip surprised Breelan with a charcoal drawing of them both, side-by-side on a swing. He wrote how he'd described her beauty to the artist. The resulting resemblance was remarkable!

     The most exhilarating event of all was the ride in a hot air balloon. Two days before they were to set sail for Fernandina, Trip turned his back to Nora and Will and the man in charge of controlling the basket in which they all flew, and took Breelan's hand. Up there in the blue of a cloudless New York City sky, he said, "What I'm about to disclose may shock you."

Discover how to make your own lavender stick by clicking on the link below.  Thank you, Fairegarden. http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/how-to-make-lavender-wands



Grammy Camp - Catty Shack

Lions and tigers and leopards, oh my! 

I like to think of myself as being in touch.  I don't know how I missed it, but missed it I did.  I'm talking about Catty Shack Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, not far from Amelia Island, Florida. It's been around for over 25 years and I only recently found out about it!

According to our tour guide, the tour was included in the price of entry, there are currently 45 animals living there. Sadly, the animals come from situations where they have been mistreated, illegally owned or in too small cages. Whatever the reason, once a cat enters this happy
place, it is welcomed and cared for there the rest of its life.

 
 
 

Open to the public on the weekends, we took granddaughter Ava on a Sunday afternoon in July during her stay at our house aka Grammy Camp.  Man alive, was it ever hot for us, but not for those cats. We arrived to find mostly tigers, also lions, cougars, leopards and even arctic foxes, almost all asleep in their huge wire fence enclosures. That was until about 2 pm when all the cats came alive, seemingly for no particular reason. Then in a carefully choreographed dance of unlocking and opening gates, the cats knew the drill, and momentarily wandered into their holding spaces. It was then we saw the head keeper driving around in his jeep, placing treats for them on cement slabs inside their cages. The huge kitties instinctively understood it was time for their snacks and when directed back into their homes, they were excited to munch on large paper red, white, and blue balls filled with chicken parts.  As it was explained, they don't eat the paper. They remove the chicken, gobble it down and play with the smashed and torn balls.  There is no fighting because there are enough balls to go around.  

 

Oh, did I mention we watched as several of the tigers enjoyed a cooling splash-about and swim in pools inside their enclosures.

 

In a perfect world, these wonderful creatures would be living free.  It is clear the folks running the Catty Shack love their animals and treat them as the treasures they are.

 

For more information visit www.cattyshack.org or call 904 757-3603.

For Book Lovers

I was looking through photos on my computer and found this picture below.  It was with a group of shots from the little town of Madison, Georgia, but I don't remember from what book it came.  Apparently I liked the paragraphs enough to make a permanent copy for myself at the time, only to be forgotten until discovered again now.  I especially like the second paragraph.   It makes you think. I'm glad I found it to share with you.

 





Joke Telling Dog + Goodbye Lie Diaries - Aunt Noreen

Abby, the sometimes Talking, sometimes Singing, and now the Joke Telling Dog, once again delights her fans and tickles their giggle spots with a direct quote from the upcoming Amelia Island's Mark of a Man.  Turn up the volume, click on the picture and smile! 

If you can't quite understand what Abby is saying because of her canine accent, listen again, or read her words below and then laugh out loud:

"Ooo!  A bug!  You step on it, Aunt Noreen.  You have the biggest feet!"

***
1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Aunt Noreen writes:  Honestly, Jane Marie.  Sometimes I think you

Aunt Noreen

deliberately encourage your dog to make fun of me. Just because Abby read Peeper's insulting quote in the manuscript of your next book, is no reason for you to put it on this blog, as you call it, for the whole world to hear and see. Peeper has already told  the ladies at our monthly bunco game what she said and they tittered at me behind their fans. And you call yourself gracious? Anyone would guess you are blood-kin to Peeper because you both are so much alike. Do not assume I mean that as a compliment.

(Aunt Noreen and Peeper are featured players in Mark of a Man. They fuss, they fight, they're funny and always, always suffering at the hands of the other.)

Grammy Camp - Perfume People + Goodbye Lie Diaries - Marie


Granddaughter Ava and I planned on making Perfume People last summer at our annual Grammy Camp, that's when I first thought of the idea, but just ran out of time.  This year, we made sure to do this fun project and you can see the results. 




Ava's Bing-Bong

 

Some empty, fancy perfume bottles and scraps of ribbon, lace and netting, plus markers, buttons, rhinestone jewels, hot glue* and whatever is in your stash of craft goodies and you and yours can make your own Perfume People.  No two will ever be alike, either! Create a create family, a theme, create a holiday scene. Enjoy!

*Always keep a cup of water beside you when you work with hot glue.  Should you burn yourself on the glue, and it happens, quickly dip your finger into the water and it will stop the hurt.

Ava's Glugette

Grammy's Fruitie Hootie

Grammy's Clowngwin

Grammy's Calipsoul

Ava's Art-Pooch

***
1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Marie writes:  Oh my goodness! Your Perfume People are

Marie Dunnigan

delightful!  I can entertain the children for hours making these.  I will put forth the word immediately that all the women we know should save their empty perfume bottles. Between Breelan, Carolena, Nora, Sophie Belle, our mother, Miss Ella, and the girls in our Aqua Verde office, we should have enough in no time.  And with all the sewing and mending that goes on around Dunnigan Manor, there will be enough ribbons and so forth that the little ones won't fight.  I don't know what your hot glue is but it sounds dangerous.  We will use our usual paste and, hopefully, get the same wonderful results. I can't wait to tell everyone about the new friends, Perfume People, they are about to meet.

(Marie Dunnigan is a featured player in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, part of the Goodbye Lie Trilogy, set on Amelia Island, Florida in 1898.)

Lucy Moment - Could It Happen To You?

So there I was, peacefully deep in thought about how best to shock readers into believing the blind woman was about to drill a ... Well, that's when I was interrupted by a man, fortunately an acquaintance of mine, holding a gray rag of some kind.  Being an expert on rags, you should see the contents of my closet because I hate to go shopping, I quickly deduced it was more than a mere rag.  My friend asked if I recognized the item he was holding.  I shyly admitted that, indeed, I did.  It was my husband's boxer shorts!

After they all, there were others in the room, finally cleared the tears of laughter from their eyes, my friend explained. "I was walking past your car and spotted this hanging from the mirror on your passenger door.  Explain yourself."

"It's quite apparent, isn't it?  Bruce is a bad shot," I said. "He must have tossed his shorts in the dirty laundry basket in the garage or thought he had.  Not realizing he'd overshot the target, they landed on my car mirror and I've been driving around town for two days with his drawers flapping in the wind for all to see, like a football fan flying his colors." All I could think to say after that was a weak, "Go team?"

recreated drawers hanging from Graciousmobile

 

close-up of drawers

Editor Says

My Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is in the final phase, with

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man
working cover

the editor.   An editor is necessary to catch typos, loose ends, consistency. The author just can't because his/her brain fills in how the copy should be, thereby, missing those typos, etc.

I'm getting excited.  I hope the editorial comments I'll pepper throughout this blog will get you excited, too, because the more readers who join us, the more feedback we get and the more fun it all will be. I just love hearing different takes on the characters, the storyline, the whole feel of a novel.  

Here is one quote from my editor: "This is the most romantic line I have ever read, so put it on the back cover with the rest of the blurb."  Time past, she longed to live solely from the air of his lungs for it would mean they were completely dependent upon one another.

Stay tuned, dear readers. Amelia Island's Mark of a Man is just off shore and will be landing soon in book stores and book sources everywhere! 

Goodbye Lie's Breelan- That's My Name, Too

Hello-

  

My name is Shannon and my daughter has the same spelling

Breelan Dunnigan

as the main character in your series. Breelan.  Being that the name is not one you see all the time, I have to ask how you came up with it?  I think it is wonderful because you have no idea how hard it is to find those little license plates for bikes with Breelan on it. LOL. I think it is great that as my daughter grows old, she will be able to purchase these books and see her name being utilized in them.  I am just tickled really.

  

Thanks from a Newly Found Fan,

 

Shannon

 

********

Dear Shannon,

 

Good to hear from you and I am so pleased you discovered my Breelan, heroine in The Goodbye Lie.  As to the origin of her name for me -  It was long ago and I can't give you a definitive answer.  I wanted a soft, romantic, dreamy name and Breelan just came to me. Perhaps I had heard it somewhere but have no recollection. I also wanted something unusual yet pronounceable. I don't like to read a book when I'm uncertain how to say a name.  I like to think that everyone reading about a character in my novels is saying that name the same way. Miss Breelan fills my need and serves our stories well.  She and I are great friends, you know.  We're glad to have you and your daughter enter our world where love and lace reign.

                                                        Jane Marie
   

A Gift - B for Breelan

    Mary Jo W. from Sacramento, California,  surprised me with this handmade and very, very pretty letter B representing Breelan Dunnigan, the heroine in The Goodbye Lie! 

    "Your Breelan touched the deepest part of my heart with her self-sacrifice and devotion," writes Mary. "I wanted to do something to honor her.  Nothing fancy, nothing that Leona Visper, her rival, would appreciate, just something simple and sweet. It is a craft they might have made back in 1882, as well.  Clover could have cut out the letter and then Breelan or Carolena or Nora would crinkle the pretty paper and glue it on.  Thank you, Jane Marie, for bringing Breelan Dunnigan to life for me and all those others in the world who have come to love her, too.  And it is always great fun to read about her and the Dunnigan family, including Aunt Noreen and Peeper, in your Goodbye Lie Diaries."

 

 

Dear Mary,

   When I hear from a reader who "gets" our Goodbye Lie world, it makes me smile. The fact that you took time from your life to make this for me, well, I will treat it like the treasure it is.  I think I will hang it in my Story Central office.  Each time my eyes fall upon it, I will be reminded of my new friend, Mary Jo, who clearly has a gentle and generous spirit, just like Breelan.  I thank you for your kindness.

                                                                Jane Marie

Another Lucy Moment - Lunch

This proves I don't have writer's block because my mind is in constant whirl, often causing me not to focus on the task at hand.  So there I was serving my husband his lunch.  Mmm - Crockpot chicken drizzled in BBQ sauce, three bean salad and a third bowl, which I don't actually remember putting in front of him.
 
When he calmly asked, 'Is this cat food?', (not sure of the punctuation here, but that's what my book editor corrects), I stopped mid-stride on my way back to the kitchen and returned to look down into said bowl. By jingo, it was! 
 
Had I been paying attention  and not thinking of the book signing I was to attend that afternoon on our pretty Victorian downtown Centre Street then segueing into the phrasing for the end of chapter 21 in Mark of a Man, I'm sure I would have served him the dog's food he prefers.  

Goodbye Lie Diaries- Breelan's 5:01 Club

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1880s

Breelan Dunnigan

Breelan Dunnigan writes:  Miss Becky's mother broke three toes on her left foot when she dropped a full jar of canned tomatoes on it. Grandmother Peeper has a swelling in her thumb joints.  Mrs. Branson is having severe headaches which Doctor Tackett is unable to remedy and Miss Juniata's sister lost her baby early. Because there has been such illness and sadness in our Aqua Verdi Passenger Line office, I thought it might be a good idea that some of us gather to say prayers, asking God for help. Others must have been feeling the need, too, because anywhere from three to seven of us now meet regularly at one minute after five o'clock, five being the hour when the office is officially closed.  We go into Miss Ella's office and  pull the shades, hold hands and offer up our thanks and praises.  The prayer session lasts only a few minutes, but we all leave to go home and feed our families with smiles on our lips and comfort in our hearts. We have been doing this now for several months and it seems it will become a tradition. Peeper and Aunt Noreen join us, as well.  It is a fine day when the two of them bow their heads side by side.  It pleases me and I hope what we now call our 5:01 Club pleases the Lord.

*******
Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
Present Day

Jane Marie writes:  What a wonderful idea.  I know several people who may be interested in something like that.  After a hard day of work, be it in an office or outside in the field, saying prayers for needs of family and friends would certainly sooth the people saying them and anyone overhearing. Where there are two or more gathered in His name... Thank you, Bree.

Breelan Dunnigan is the featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie, a Victorian romantic drama, part of Amelia Island's Trilogy by Jane Marie Malcolm.

My Dogs by Guest Blogger Ava

Coco and Nina (left to right)

 

 

Hi everybody!

 

It's Ava, Jane Marie's granddaughter. For a week in the summer, I always come to my Grammy's house for Grammy Camp with my two dogs, Coco and Nina.  I am going to tell you a story about how I got my dogs. One day, my mom went to the shelter.  She doesn't normally go in there but she said she had a feeling. When she was in there, all of a sudden, a dog started scratching, trying to get to my mom. My mom asked if she could hold the little doggie.  After everything, she ended up getting him.  We call him Coco. In 2011, we went to a parade and he won an award for the Smallest Holiday Package!

 

My other dog, Nina, was in foster care when we got her.  We were walking by the pet store and there was a booth for dogs.  I asked if we could go in there.  My mom said we could but just for a little bit. There we found a little dog the size of Coco.  My mom asked if we could buy her. Now we have two dogs. I'm glad we have Coco and Nina. 

 

Then we got another dog named Abby. We had three Chihuahuas at one time!  The trouble was that Abby liked my dad more than me and growled when I went to hug him. So we asked Grammy if she would take Abby.  She did and now Grammy calls her Abby, the Singing Sensation, and they make videos together.  My Grammy is lots of fun and we are always laughing.  Abby likes that, I think.  She doesn't growl so much anymore so everybody is happy and I don't have to worry about her chewing on my shoe laces.  Abby, I mean, not Grammy.

Apple Cherry Salad



While attending a potluck lunch in Hoboken, Georgia during a Sacred Harp Sing, I tasted a recipe with apples and nuts and a mystery flavor.  I couldn't put my finger on what the particular flavor was that stood out, but my husband, Bruce, could.  It was cherries!  Not knowing who prepared the unusual dish,  I was unable to ask for the recipe. I came up with my version and here it is.  By the way,  I took my dish to a church potluck and got raves over it.  Enjoy!  -jmm

 

Apple Cherry Salad

 

You'll need:

1 cup no fat, plain yogurt

1/8 to 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice to taste after you add the sweetener

2 packets of natural sweetener like Truvia

1 large apple, sliced into bite-sized pieces

8 or so maraschino cherries, sliced in half

1/3 cup pecan pieces

 

Mix yogurt, cherry juice and sweetener.  Add apples, cherries and nuts.  Serve at once or keep refrigerated for up to two days.  Makes 2 large servings.



 

This MUST Happen

What better time to alert you to the effort being made by a two tours of duty Vietnam veteran, Steve Holota.  Our local American Legion Post 54 in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida is heavily involved. Click on the link below to see what this is all about.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/videos/news/local/2014/07/01/11929285/ 

HAPPY JULY 4TH! 

 

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS US ALL!

 

Fernandina's flags over the war monument at the foot of Centre Street by the docks

 

 

Thank you to First Coast News of Jacksonville, FL for their video clip.

 

 

The Goodbye Lie Diaries- Pat's Favorite Picture Eggs

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
1880s

Pat Dunnigan writes:

Pat Dunnigan

I generally don't write down recipes.  I leave that to my sisters, mother and grandmothers.  This time is different.  Ever since I can remember, Grandmother Peeper has been making Picture Eggs especially for me, her Bird of the Earth.  To this day, she'll ask if I'm hungry and when I tell her yes, the first thing she offers is Picture Eggs. I'm putting pencil to paper to remind my wife, whoever she turns out to be, to make them for the children we'll someday have.

Pat's Favorite Picture Eggs

Here's what you do to make a single serving: 

Get out the large skillet for just one won't be near enough. Butter both sides of one slice of bread.  Take a round cookie cutter or glass and cut out a circle right in the middle of the bread. Put the bread and the cut out circle in the hot pan. Crack a raw egg and drop it into the hole, frying the circle at the same time. Flip it over after a minute or two and brown the other side of the bread. Don't overcook the egg if you want the yolk to be runny.  Add a smidgen of salt and pepper. Dip the toast circle into the egg juice or spread with jam and as Jane Marie says, "Enjoy!"

Pat Dunnigan is a featured player in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, an historic suspense novel in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series, set in Victorian Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in 1898.

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Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida   

Present Day                                                                           

Jane Marie writes:

Thank you for the wonderful idea, Pat.  I tried one and quickly gobbled it down. I think Picture Eggs would make a great all-American breakfast to serve on the 4^th of July or anytime!

Picture Egg and Toast Circle