Of Roses, Pine Trees, and Egg Yolks: Old-Fashioned Healing in a Pre-Modern Medicine World
In my upcoming release, The Brooch, my hero comes home from the war with a severely damaged and infected arm. Prior medical help, for army surgeons were not known for the skill, has not only offered no help, but it has actually worsened his condition. His return home brings him to Elizabeth Johns McQueen and her healing hands. She trained under her father, a physician in the British army, who was better than the average army surgeon/barber.
May 1, 20223 min read
Book Review: "Pure as the Lily" by Catherine Cookson
If you have read my previous blogs, or talked to me in person, you know Catherine Cookson is my all-time favorite author. I cycled through every book I could find while in late junior high and early high school. When I went to Canada with my then fiancee to visit his parents, I found more Cookson books I could not find in the states (as she is an English author). I quickly snapped them up, happy as a clam that I had others.
Jul 1, 20184 min read
Book Review: "Only the River Runs Free" by Bodie & Brock Thoene
In a short few words - I loved this book!
I have never read the Thoenes (pronounced Tay-Nee) before, but needless to say, I already have the next three books in The Galway Chronicles coming to my local library.
May 1, 20183 min read
Pocketbooks & Pie Crusts
On my last last blog I shared my Chocolate Buttermilk Pie recipe, which is great comfort food even if its not good for your waistline. I mentioned I froze my pie crusts ahead of time so that I always had them handy. Doing so is a great time-saver.
So this week, after several requests, I am sharing my frozen pie crust dough recipe. And, let me say up front, I have no idea where I got this recipe from, so credit, unfortunately, cannot be given.
Jan 17, 20183 min read
Alligator . . . er, Chocolate Buttermilk Pie
I love poems and silly rhymes. Can you tell? And unfortunately, I know LOTS of them after teaching school for a hundred years and then raising two boys.
I also love pies. Now that I have gone back to making dough balls for my crust and freezing them, I can have them more often.
Or, not so often as the case, and my waistline, may be.
I also have this penchant for old recipes - Jeff Davis Pie, Watergate Salad (which I wrote about here), Buttermilk Pie.
Jan 3, 20183 min read
The Table that Jack, er . . . Donna Built (And a throwback to my college days . . .)
Two weeks ago the Porters did the Great Room Shuffle once again. Two adult boys in one bedroom just wasn’t cutting the mustard anymore.
In the process, I lost my “office” room and am now back in the dinette in the kitchen.
It’s not so bad. I get to look out the backyard. I can open the windows a tad (not too far or Fuego will push through the screen . . .
Nov 7, 20173 min read
Or, Yes Cinderella, Dreams Do Come True: 6 Reasons Why My Breast Reduction was the Best Thing I Ever Did
. . . You see, after almost 40 years of suffering from large, painful breasts, and thanks to the generosity of my mother who threw part of my inheritance my way and early, I had a breast reduction on August 1st.
I really NEVER thought that day would come. I was especially distraught when insurance refused to pay for it about two months back. It appeared, according to their guidelines, that they would never pay for it. That’s Cigna for you . . .
Sep 6, 20174 min read
Queen Anyone? 10 Reasons NOT to be a Monarch . . .
I am glad I am not a monarch. But more on that in a minute.
I have been watching CW’s Reign the past few months on Netflix. Now let me be clear – this show is NOT for the faint of heart. Thus, the “fast forward” button (thank you Netflix and whoever invented the remote) gets a lot of use. The show has blood, murder, and sex. I just pressed the fast-forward button past those parts and watched the tale. Even then, there were at least two times I turned it off and vowed not to
Jul 5, 20175 min read
