Pam Crooks

Toast the Holidays with Pam Crooks

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I think most of us enjoy a cup of hot cocoa now and again, but this recipe is one of the best!  I’ve been making it for years, and my favorite part is the crushed candy canes, which gives the hot cocoa that subtle mint-ey taste that sets it apart from the rest. Even better, there’s no cooking on the stove. Use as much as you want, when you want.

It makes a great little gift, too, when you need something special for that special someone.  Fill a jar, add a tag, and you’re done!

I often make this after the holidays when there are leftover candy canes that need to be used.

Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate Mix

  • 1/2 cup instant mocha-flavored coffee
  • 1/2 cup dry nondairy creamer
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy.  (I use 3 regular size candy canes)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in blender. Process until blended. Store in a jar or airtight container.

Add 2 Tb. mix to 3/4 cup boiling water for 1 serving.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups mix

 

Welcome to Day 2 of Cowboys & Mistletoe (Week 1)

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Here are the Charms and clues for today, presented in no particular order:

 

I chose a snowflake to represent my story because snowflakes play a key role in a symbolic way. When I was a child, I stammered. I was very self-conscious about it, but Miss Melody told me voices are like snowflakes—each one is unique and beautiful in its own way, just like every person is. I held those words of encouragement  close to my heart and then passed them on to a hurting little girl who came into my life unexpectedly.

 

I chose the moon to represent my story because there’s a recurring theme between the Kellan and me. The moon represents happiness, wholeness, and the two of us wanting to give each other every good thing in life now that it is finally within our reach. We know that running a large ranch in an untamed territory will take a lot of work, but also a lot of understanding and love to be successful.

 

When you’re ready to guess, you can log your responses AT THIS LINK.

DO NOT respond in the comments – your entry will only count when logged at the link noted.

 

POST 1 OF 2 FOR TUESDAY


Christmas Stocking Sweethearts Book 2
Pam Crooks’ Joy to the Cowboy

She was sunshine. He was clouds.  Until a sprig of mistletoe changed everything.

Griff Marcello must live with the shame of the crime he once committed for his mobster father.  As he grows into a man, he’s found security as a cowboy living in Glory Hill, Nebraska, but the memory of his sin never leaves him.

Joyanna Hollinger is devoted to the community of Glory Hill, and with Christmas approaching, her plans for a special Christmas Eve service consumes her. All her efforts are falling into place–until she loses a key part of the celebration.

When Griff receives an unexpected gift from his former piano teacher, he never thinks her kindness will fill him with the spirit of Christmas, even when Joyanna needs him most.

Could the simplicity of a hand-stitched stocking and the Christmas carol tucked within chase away the clouds in his heart and warm him from the sunshine of Joyanna’s love?

PURCHASE FOR 99¢ ON AMAZON

Also Available in Audiobook!

And here’s your “What’s In Your Christmas Stocking” question for this morning.

“There’s a cinnamon-scented candle in your stocking. What memory does it bring back?”

You could win a $10 Amazon gift card or our Grand Prize quilt!

ALL PRIZE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14th

Two Almanacs – One Farewell ~ by Pam Crooks

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You may have heard on the news that “the Farmer’s Almanac is closing after their 2026 edition, ending more than 200 years of publication.”

When I heard that, I was sad because the Farmer’s Almanac had been such a beloved institution for so long. But my sadness shifted when the news anchor added that the Farmer’s Almanac was not to be confused with the OLD Farmer’s Almanac which was the oldest of the two and still going strong.

Wait. There’s TWO Farmer’s Almanacs?

Why didn’t I realize that? Probably because most people don’t tack on the word “Old” when talking about the almanacs, and from what I’ve read, I’m not alone in the confusion between the two.

 

So how did two Farmer’s Almanacs that have been around for more than two centuries remain so popular? And since they’re popular, how are they different? Because, surely, they wouldn’t have endured if they were the SAME, right?

While both are known for their weather predictions, gardening tips, recipes, and humor, they have their differences, too.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Founding:

Old Farmer’s Almanac – founded in 1792 (when George Washington was president!)
Farmers’ Almanac – founded in 1818

Weather Prediction Methods:

Old Farmer’s Almanac – Combines solar cycles, historical patterns, and satellite data
Farmers’ Almanac – Uses a secret formula based on mathematical and astronomical calculations tied to sunspots and tides, and no satellite data

Forecast Regions:

Old Farmer’s Almanac uses 18 regions in the US
Farmers’ Almanac uses 7 climate zones

Style:

Old Farmer’s Almanac blends science and tradition
Farmers’ Almanac has a faith-based, folklore tone

Modern Day:

Old Farmer’s Almanac has embraced the digital world with the use of apps, a website, YouTube, and social media
Farmers’ Almanac has a more limited digital usage.

Therein lies the biggest difference of all–and the reason for the Old Farmer’s Almanac’s long-standing duration.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s ability to adapt to new technology (while still keeping its friendly tone) is the reason why it is North America’s oldest continuously published periodical. Unfortunately, for the Farmers’ Almanac, rising production costs, declining print sales, and the failure to move toward a more aggressive digital presence was its downfall.

For more detailed information on the Old Farmer’s Almanac, check out my sister filly, Linda Broday’s, blog from a couple of years ago.  

https://petticoatsandpistols.com/2024/01/16/the-oldest-continuously-run-publication-in-america/

To win a copy of your choice of the 2026 version of the Old Farmer’s Almanac or the Farmers’ Almanac (if available – it’s currently out of stock, no doubt due to the sentimentality of its final issue), tell me . . .

Have you or someone in your past read the (Old) Farmer’s Almanac? Did you rely on its weather predictions? Have you tried any of their recipes or household hints?

 

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

 

Comic Books – Then and Now by Pam Crooks

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Who among us hasn’t read the comics in our daily newspaper (when there was one!) or a comic book from cover to cover?

It was the ever-popular dime novels from the mid-to-late 1800s that set the stage for comic strips, and later comic books, as we know them. Usually about 100 pages long and printed on thin, pulp paper, dime novels told serialized stories about cowboys, lawmen, outlaws, and Indians. Selling for 5-15 cents each, they romanticized the Old West and set the stage for the legacy of good vs evil and the tropes we still enjoy today.

     
As time evolved, the dime novel understandably faced modern competition, and it’s believed that the first comic strip appeared in the San Francisco Examiner in 1892. Different than the dime novel that featured singular heroes in pages-long adventures, comic strips had sequential panels that portrayed characters who appeared again and again in punchy, fast-paced stories, often with humor, that hooked readers to check out their beloved “funnies” in the daily newspaper.

Long about 1930 or so, the dime novels and the newspaper-bound comic strips made room for the arrival of comic books. Their bright, colorful panels really made the stories leap off the page. Shorter–about 32-64 pages–and selling for 10-25 cents, they were fast-paced with action-packed plots and larger-than-life heroes that truly brought Westerns to life, helping to launch their popularity in films and the actors that starred in them.

And then . . . came the graphic novel in the late 1970s. If you haven’t read one, visualize them as a longer comic book with more diverse themes as in a memoir, or something more serious as politics. Many have storied adventures, too, and are created by graphic artists for webcomics and digital platforms. Interestingly, graphic novels have achieved academic recognition as legitimate literature to be studied in schools and universities.

Those pulp-fiction dime novels have come a long, long way, haven’t they?

***SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!***

Only a couple of days ago, my nephew (with a graphic artist degree) has self-published his very own graphic novel. The Flyman has been in his heart since he was a little boy, and thanks to the advent of self-publishing on Amazon, he has finally been able to publish his dream. Faith-based, packed with action, friendship, humor, and fantasy, the Flyman (ala Spiderman or Superman) battles evil in the name of God and will keep you captivated to THE END.

AMAZON

 BOOK TRAILER

Did you have a favorite comic strip you loved to read in the newspaper?

Did you have a collection of comic books while growing up?

Do you like to watch movies featuring superheroes?

Hometown Hoedown – Boys Town! by Pam Crooks

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I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and one of my earliest memories was going to visit my uncle at Boys Town where he was a young priest at the time. My parents would load us up in the car, and we would drive down the highway and into the country, past acres of corn fields, until we reached the sprawling farm land of Boys Town.

In that random way of how certain memories from many years ago remain vivid, I remember my uncle’s apartment, which was quite nice. We lovingly called him Father Louie, and his furniture was the blonde wood from the late 50s and early 60s. But I especially remember that he spoiled us with ice cream sundaes and assorted toppings, a treat my mother never indulged us, which is probably why it’s still a fond memory to this day.

Father Flanagan

A few years later, we moved to western Nebraska, where I lived until the late 1980s. After I was married and had four daughters, we moved back to Omaha. It was during those years that Boys Town changed the most, and it is still evolving to this day as a powerhouse for medical care and mental health support for children and families.

It took me awhile to appreciate Boys Town, Fr. Flanagan, and his/their work with young boys, and later, young girls.  Their move toward homes run by family teachers was hugely consequential and up-ended the norms of the foster care system.  That is certainly a subject for another day, but in order to appreciate Boys Town, understanding its humble beginnings is a must.

HISTORY

Edward J. Flanagan was born premature in 1886 in Ireland to a devout, working-class farm family.  It’s said that after little Edward’s birth, fearing he would die, his grandfather cradled him against his body, inside his shirt, and rocked him all night long in front of the fire. It’s believed this loving care is what saved Baby Edward’s life.

Flanagan emigrated to the United States in 1904, pursued his priestly studies, and was ordained in Austria in 1912.

Returning to America, he was assigned to the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska, where he became especially moved by the hopelessness of men who’d lost jobs, homes, and families.  Ironically, this first assignment was at St. Patrick’s Church, where Father Louie would eventually become pastor decades later.

In 1916, in a run-down mansion, he took these men in, found them jobs, and as he lived among them, realized that many of them were neglected as children.  This fueled his passion to conquer delinquency of young boys who were pathetically poor, many orphaned and living on the streets.

In 1917, with $90 he borrowed from a friend, he rented a house and took in five boys, the first of many he would eventually care for.  Believing “there’s no such thing as a bad boy,” Father Flanagan provided each with a nurturing home environment, education, job skills, and a focus of God in their lives.

It didn’t take long before they outgrew the house.  In 1921, he purchased a farm ten miles west of Omaha, which remains today as the permanent site for Boys Town.

Dowd Chapel at Boys Town

In time, he became an international figure, recognized by world leaders. In 1938, the blockbuster film Boys Town was released, starring Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan and Mickey Rooney as one of the boys.  The movie went on to win an Academy Award.

Father Flanagan’s Tomb at Dowd Chapel

While on a mission in Europe, Father Flanagan died of a heart attack in Germany in 1948.  He was buried at Dowd Memorial Chapel in Boys Town (where I have attended Mass many times).  In continuation of his beloved legacy, the Catholic Church and countless thousands are prayerfully pursuing his sainthood.

Wouldn’t that be something?

And remember my drive into the country to visit Boys Town as a little girl?  Those corn fields have long-since been lost to Omaha’s urban sprawl, and million-dollar homes, apartments, and office buildings have been built on those acres.

Boys Town, Nebraska, however, remains as the headquarters for Father Flanagan’s mission with a beautiful, sprawling campus, including a lake.  Indeed, he probably wouldn’t recognize the farm that once had such humble beginnings, thanks to those who have ardently carried on his work.

Then again, I suspect he would never have suspected his work would continue throughout America, not only in Family Homes but also top-notch research facilities and clinics.  His work in Social Reform continues as a model globally in transitioning youth behavior into responsible, successful adulthood.

Highly Recommend:

Pam at Boys Town Monument

The Heart of a Servant, available for a nominal fee on Amazon Prime Video. 

It’s really cool that one of the stars of the documentary is Jonathan Roumie of “The Chosen” fame, and Fr. Steven Boes, once the director of Boys Town, and now the Senior Associate Pastor at my parish.

Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, also available on Amazon Prime Video.  

 

Father Flanagan is revered throughout the world, but especially here in Omaha.  If you ever travel to Omaha, I heartily invite you to visit Boys Town.  There’s so much to see and learn!

Have you visited Omaha before? 

Are you familiar with Boys Town?  Father Flanagan? 

An Archetype for a Hero by Pam Crooks

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Whenever I start a new book, I need some serious inspiration.  A roadmap, so to speak.  I get out my favorite writer handbooks, start thumbing through the pages, and wait for inspiration to hit.

One of those handbooks is “The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines – Sixteen Master Archetypes” by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders. Originally published in 2000, the archetypes are described as they have been written in fiction through the ages, helping writers develop characters that are well-motivated, believable, and are remembered long after “The End.”

The book divides the archetypes into two groups of eight – heroes and heroines – and then describes archetype interactions to bring characters to an even deeper level.

For the purpose of this blog, I’ll concentrate on Hero Archetypes, because we all love our heroes, right?

Here they are:

  • The Chief
  • The Bad Boy
  • The Best Friend
  • The Charmer
  • The Lost Soul
  • The Professor
  • The Swashbuckler
  • The Warrior

TRACE, Book 1 of the Bachelors & Babies sweet romance series

Trace McQuade fits the “The Lost Soul” archetype since he has lost everything he is closest to – his ranch and his younger brother, only to have his losses cut deeper when he accidentally shoots the woman he intended to marry (Emma) after she betrayed him and joined an outlaw gang.

He learns later that Emma gave birth to an outlaw’s baby. After Emma’s death, that little girl named Harriett ended up on his doorstep (literally) with Emma’s plea that Trace take care of her.

Trace struggles with trusting women since Emma had lied about her love for him.  He sees the baby as everything he’s failed at – not seeing through Emma’s lies and not having a child with her, like he’d wanted. He also fails at capturing the man who killed his brother.

Of course, Trace works through his losses and turns them into new goals for himself.  Can you see how being a Lost Soul really builds layers of conflict for Trace’s character and makes him stronger?

Connected with . . . HARRIETT, Book 1 of the Cupids and Cowboys sweet romance series

Cord Brennan is the “Warrior” archetype, my favorite of the eight. As a US Deputy Marshal, he was an easy fit for the archetype, as are most lawmen, soldier, bounty hunter, etc., occupations.

Years later, Cord must escort the same outlaw in TRACE from Texas to the McQuade ranch in Kansas.  The outlaw is deathly ill, and due to some blood research being done by a doctor who needs Harriett’s blood, Cord bears the responsibility to keep the outlaw safely incarcerated until Harriett is convinced to cooperate. Of course, a run-in with the outlaw’s old gang who breaks him out of jail forces Cord to not only protect the outlaw in his charge, but also the doctor and Harriett, too, along with her family.  Failure to do so will destroy all his careful plans to return to Texas, get a new and perfect job with the US Marshal’s office, and to care for his handicapped father, most of all.

Naturally, this responsibility and the outlaw’s shenanigans war with Cord’s goals, and falling in love with Harriett, sympathy for her predicament, and the eventual dread of returning to Texas without her gives plenty of conflict and layers to his Warrior archetype.

Connected with . . . ARMED & MARVELOUS, Book 8 of the Pink Pistol sweet romance series

Since this book is set in 1955, a time period I’d never written before, Roan Bertoletti proved to be a character I loved as the Charmer archetype. A former movie-star heartthrob who suffers through a scandal invented by his former actress co-star, Roan escapes Los Angeles to the Brennan ranch in Kansas where he finds new happiness and a simpler life as a cowboy.

Harriett and Cord are the heroine’s grandparents in this story, and they hope Roan will someday take over the ranch alongside Rexanna, their only grandchild, who has no intention of settling down in Kansas. Roan is well-liked in the community, and when the Los Angeles scandal follows him back to the ranch, he fears he will lose the happiness he’d worked hard to earn. Throw in a troubled relationship with his father and the dread of Rexanna’s impending departure from the ranch, and Roan turns into a Charmer with layers of conflict.

Which of these archetypes would be your favorite kind of hero and why? 

Do you prefer a more alpha type of hero like the Warrior or the Chief? 

Or more of a mild-mannered, down-to-earth guy like the Professor or the Best Friend?

TRACE, HARRIETT, and ARMED & MARVELOUS are now in Audiobook!

TRACE on Amazon 

HARRIETT on Amazon

ARMED & MARVELOUS on Amazon

(Note: Amazon has reduced the prices of my virtual voice audiobooks to $1.99 with the purchase of TRACE and HARRIETT ebooks, a 60% savings.  My ARMED & MARVELOUS audiobook (human narrator) is reduced to $4.82, a savings of 68% with purchase.)

 

Pam’s Sandwich Winner!

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Who would think talking about sandwiches would be that interesting?  So many favorites for so many palates!  I’m glad you enjoyed learning about Runzas, and I hope you’ll try the recipe sometime soon.  It really is easy, and they smell so good while baking!

The winner of my $10 gift card to the fast food restaurant of choice (as long as one is available) is:

 

Melinda K!

 

Thank you all for joining me today!

(Winner chosen by Random.org)

Have you ever heard of a Runza? by Pam Crooks

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If you’re not from the Midwest, I suspect you haven’t.  But here in Nebraska, this beloved sandwich was born and bred only 45 minutes from where I live.

Runzas are hugely popular as a hand-held meal with browned hamburger, shredded cabbage, and onion wrapped in soft dough, served warm, and often with ketchup. Thousands have been sold at Nebraska Cornhusker football games, for example. Drivers will make a pit stop off of Interstate 80 to grab a few for the drive to their destination.  Even my brother from Amarillo, Texas, ordered a dozen frozen Runzas to be shipped to my niece in Dallas who was pregnant and craving them.

They’re that good.

Their start in Nebraska actually had its roots planted when Germans started moving to Russia in the 1700s at the invitation of German princess Catherine the Great, who married into Russian royalty.  As incentive for her countrymen to move to Russia with her, she offered free land, religious freedom, and no requirement to serve in the Russian military.  It was inevitable that the Germans became influenced by Russian dishes, specifically the “pirozhki,” a baked-or-fried hand pie stuffed with savory or sweet fillings.

Also inevitable was the Germans tweaking the pie to suit their own tastes, and their version was called the “bierock.”  It’s said that farmers enjoyed them as a hot meal while they worked in the fields.

By the late 1800s, the promises made by Catherine the Great began to fade, and the Germans were being forced to assimilate into Russian cultures, including their military.  Rebelling, the German Russians fled the country and settled in the Great Plains of America. By 1940, nearly 1/2 million had settled in the United States, with roughly 20,000 of them in Lincoln, Nebraska, alone.

Two German Russian siblings, brother Alex Brening and sister Sally Everett, both of whom lived in Lincoln, began selling the homemade bierocks as lunch for factory workers. The bierocks were so popular that the siblings eventually opened their first restaurant location in Lincoln in 1949.

But trademarking their recipe proved a bit difficult since “bierock” was too general and too cultural, so they named the pies “Runza,” believed to have been poached from “krautrunz,” German for bierocks, or “runsa,” German for ‘belly’ from the rounded pouch shape of the pie.

In 1966, the siblings opened their second location. By 1979, franchises for Runza Restaurants became available.  Today, there are 85 Runza locations throughout Nebraska, with six more in Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota.

 

 

My daughters LOVED Runzas when I made them for dinner, and now they make them for their own children.  Here’s my recipe:

RUNZAS

1 1/2 lb of hamburger, browned and drained

1/2 head of small cabbage, grated

1/2 onion, chopped

Salt and Pepper

2 frozen bread dough loaves (or individual frozen dinner rolls)

Directions:

Add cabbage and onion to hot, drained hamburger.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Stir well and leave in kettle with lid on while preparing bread dough.

Roll out dough on floured surface. Cut dough into serving size squares, about 4 x 4 inches.  Fill centers with hamburger mixture.  Pull up sides of dough and seal.  Place sealed side down on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with ketchup, if desired.

These make great leftovers, too.

 

 

Have you ever heard of a Runza?  Or had one?

What is your favorite fast food sandwich?

Let’s chat, and you could win a $10 gift card for your favorite fast food sandwich!

 

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

Railroad China and the Silver Era of Train Travel by Pam Crooks

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Since my husband was a career railroad man, all things train have always had a soft place in our hearts. My fascination lay with the passenger train and the dining cars that were so much a part of the traveling experience. Indeed, the journey itself was as important as the destination.

The golden age of train travel belongs to the late 1800s and early 1900s when industrialism was booming, and trains were more than just a means of hauling freight all over the country. With both coasts accessible by rail, they symbolized progress and connected people like never before, providing adventure, convenience, and a little luxurious pampering, too.

But for the purpose of this blog, I’ll focus on the silver age of train travel, the period from the late forties into the seventies. By then, automobiles were becoming mainstays in households across the country. Buses and planes, along with an intricate expansion of interstate highways, all contributed to the decline of train travel.

Yet for those who needed to travel by rail, or just plain wanted to, beautiful streamliners like the famous California Zephyr roared onto the scene, and passengers fell in love with their speed, comfort, and sleek stainless steel look.

The railroads spared no expense to give their customers an experience they wouldn’t get at home, providing them fine meals served on cloth-covered tables with china designed as unique as the railroads themselves, in an atmosphere professionally styled by interior designers.

Diners were called to their seating by waiters strolling through the cars and playing chimes. “Nothing could be finer than dinner in the diner” became a beloved and traditional ditty.

 

Once seated at their tables at their allotted time, waiters served meals on china befitting their railroad.

A few examples:

Here’s a sought-after design called “Indian Tree.” Note the word “Pullman” on this sectional plate.

This is Union Pacific’s renowned design of a winged streamliner. The plate is circled in gold.

I thought this one was pretty from the Chicago, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Ice cream dishes from the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad.

Here’s an exclusive design called the “Milwaukee Peacock” for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad.

An egg cup from the New York Central Railroad.

Of course, I could go on and on. There are literally hundreds of railroad china designs for who knows how many different railroad lines. But they’re fun to see and admire, aren’t they?

And because I love vintage dinner menus as much as I love vintage china, here’s an example of the dinner offerings in 1955.

Everything is so cheap! 🙂 Did you notice they even provide baby food, pureed to boot?

Alas, even with all the pampering in the dining cars, passenger rail travel never regained its original popularity of their golden age, and many railroad companies failed.

However, the allure of train travel continues with heritage railways and luxury train experiences. My husband and I traveled on the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies, which was fabulous. And in 2026, 17 vintage Orient Express train cars will be “reimagined” and ready for booking!

I love using china and have three separate sets I use for special occasions–one from my grandmother, a Christmas set, and my own when I was a young bride.

Do you have china of your own or perhaps handed down to you from a family member? Do you enjoy displaying it? Or even better using it for special meals?

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

An Angel for an Enemy by Pam Crooks

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The Civil War was raging in 1862, but perhaps no one experienced that more than the Confederate and Union soldiers themselves on September 17, 1862, during the Battle of Antietam. Located in Washington County in Maryland, Antietam held the gruesome distinction of being the bloodiest battle in American history with 23,000 casualties.

Bela L. Burr wasn’t one of them, but he was severely injured in the right shin and left ankle and lay dying in the hot sun that day. Having been enlisted in the Union Army for only a month at the young age of 18, he’d laid there in the blood-soaked cornfield, surrounded by his fellow soldiers already dead and waited for his own death to come.

But even impending death didn’t keep him from crying out for water.

It seemed impossible anyone would hear, let alone help, but angels hovered over those scattered bodies, and one answered his call.

A Confederate soldier by the name of James M. Norton was marching near the cornfield. Moved to compassion, he left the march, well aware that sharpshooters were hidden in the trees with orders to aim at anything that moved. Dropping to his knees, defying the shots ringing out, he carefully shimmied over to Burr and offered him his canteen.

It would be an agonizing 48 hours before Burr was discovered and taken to medical treatment. Doctors determined his injuries were severe enough that he warranted a discharge for disability. Though the bullet couldn’t be removed from his ankle, Burr went on to marry, have a family, and become a successful newspaper editor.

In contrast, James Norton lived and fought through the entire war. Once the war ended, he returned home to marry, divorced his wife, then re-married her. They raised their children while he built himself a career as a builder.

But Bela Burr never forgot James Norton, the angel who helped save his life by the simple act of sharing his canteen. Through the power of his newspaper, he printed numerous want ads in hopes of learning the Confederate soldier’s identity. Amazingly, a former Confederate officer familiar with the story helped Burr and Norton reconnect. The two soldiers began to correspond regularly, and Bela Burr invited James Norton to his home in Connecticut for a reunion, setting the day for the Spring of 1897.

I wish I could tell you the two soldiers had a happy reunion, but sadly, there is no record of it.  Perhaps James Norton became ill and was unable to travel, since he passed away two years later.  Who knows?  But if the reunion did, indeed, happen, as a newspaper man (and a writer myself), I’d like to think Bela Burr would have graciously and eloquently shared his story with newspapers nationwide.

And that bullet in his ankle he carried around for decades? It was finally surgically removed in the early 20th century. Bela Burr died a few years later on April 29, 1908.

But he kept that flattened piece of lead as well as the late 1890’s X-ray which revealed it was still there, and a small local museum housed the artifacts in his memory.

As I prepared for this blog, the author of one of the articles I read mentioned how he felt it was weird for someone to save a bullet like Bela Burr saved his, including the X-ray. He then included a link to a You Tube video of a young man who saved his. . . Well, I’ll let you decide if it was weird and quirky.

World’s Biggest – Toenail Collection

Did you ever have a quirky collection of something? 

Would you have saved your bullet and X-ray like Bela Burr?

What is the quirkiest collection you’ve ever heard or seen?

 

 

 

Don’t forget!  MY KIND OF COWBOY is FREE on your favorite platform for a limited time! 

THE FULL BLACKSTONE RANCH SERIES

 

 

To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

 

 

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