Hopefully Romantic

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brownies.jpgThere are several questions authors are asked regularly, so we either give the same old answer or we’re constantly on the lookout for a new and interesting reply.  Like this question for example: Where do you get your ideas? 

Trust me, there isn’t a writer who isn’t rolling her internal eyeballs and groaning at this question. Well, I get my ideas from brownies.  Did you bring any? 

When are you going to write a real book? 

Excuse me?  When they stop paying me so well to write these fake ones. 

No, I mean why do you write romance? 

Big question.  No quick answer.  I write romance for the same reason I’ve read romance for so many years.  For the same reason that first one awakened something inside me to the vast possibilities and challenging scenarios in this genre.  I love romances.  I love losing myself in the emotional adventures of two diverse characters, destined to be together. 

romance.jpgI guess I want to believe that there’s somebody for everyone, and that under just the right circumstances and with a bit of that magic we call romance, happily-ever-afters are within our reach. 

Before you scoff and call me a Pollyanna, I assure you I’m enough in tune with reality to lock my doors and warn my children of strangers.  I watch the news and I see the state of our world.  But what do we have if we don’t have hope? 

Romance is all about hope. 

Several years ago I received the most memorable letter I’ve ever received from a reader.  She told me how much she’d enjoyed my book, how she identified with the characters and how she’d cried for the heroine.  Like the character in my story, she’d been stalked and beaten by someone who should have loved her.  Unlike my character however, the reader has permanent nerve damage to her arm.  Her story touched me so deeply that I wept. 

elegant_couple_dancing.jpgThis dear person’s true life story forced me to consider what I was doing. I sat at my desk thinking how shallow my work is.  I mean, I make all this stuff up!  I order peoples’ lives about and manipulate them to suit my plots — but it’s all fiction. While I sit in my comfortable climate controlled office with every possible convenience at my fingertips, sipping cup after cup of coffee and tea and munching M&Ms, out there in the world are people experiencing devastating hurts and losses and traumas. 

In that light, what I do seems so inconsequential.

That thinking lasted about, oh, ten minutes.  And then it came to me — I realized why this young reader had been touched so profoundly by my story.  She said she hoped that some day she would meet a man like my hero, a man who would love her that same way.  She had hope. 

Romance is about hope. 

We invest our time in the characters in these stories because we know that no matter what dilemmas befall them, no matter what obstacles they face or which conflicts arise, in the end love will conquer all; good will win over evil; and a happily-ever-after will prevail. Each of us hopes there is a special someone out there, a special man or woman who will love us unconditionally and fill that place created in our heart just for them.  Romance brings our hopes to life. 

umbrellacouple.JPGThrough these stories of love and commitment, we experience the fulfillment of the human dream. What better reason do we need to love romance than a desire to be swept away between the pages of a book filled with excitement and expectation? I write romance because I want to share the same sweeping emotions with my readers that have been shared with me by my favorite writers.  I want to feel.  I want to experience the excitement of falling in love over and over, of facing my fears and winning over seemingly impossible odds. 

I write romance because I believe in it.

Why do you read it?  

List Mania!

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list1.jpgI love lists.  I have them all over the house–on the refrigerator, on my desk, in the bathroom, in my head.

I write fulltime, but I also work fulltime outside the home, so I need lists to keep track of all the things I must do.  I *feel* better knowing I’m organized.  Or at least thinking I am.  And I feel gratified in seeing all those little tasks that I’ve completed being crossed off.

As I write this, I’ve just agreed to a new three-book contract with my publisher.  The very same day brought the arrival of a new granddaughter.  We’re in the process of building a new addition onto our kitchen.

And here we are–starting a brand new year.

Time for another list.lists2.jpg

With all these changes going on, I have to keep my writing foremost.  And since I’ve got the urge to stretch, try something bigger, I have to keep myself focused, super-organized and motivated.

I know many of you out there are writers.  Here’s a few ideas I use to keep focused on writing:

*Write every day.  It’ll become a habit.  You’ll see a boost in your creativity.  You’ll develop more ideas, too.

*Read, read, read.  But do so slowly and pay attention to word choice.  Study dialogue and character development.  Consider the techniques your favorite authors use and then apply them to your own writing.

*Resist the impulse to overdo.  This is a big one for me.  Learn to say no.  Cut back on distractions like email or computer games.  But also take the time for relaxation and fun.  The mind needs to replenish itself.

*Acknowledge that none of this is easy.  Your family will have to pitch in and help you.  Sacrifices will have to be made.  You’ve got a lifestyle change to make!

*Find resources to help.  Support your need to write with how-to books, your very own writing space, and a community of other writers doing what you’re doing.

My list sounds like a New Years Resolution list, doesn’t it?  What better time to make resolutions than right now?  Start a list of goals–or make just one big goal!

list4.jpgA good plan, right?  Unfortunately, fewer than 10% of people who make resolutions keep them.

I intend to be part of that 10%.  How about you?

Here’s another list that might help.

*Write your goals down. It’s a proven fact that doing so will help you succeed.

*Commit. Make the decision to write (or whatever you want to do) and stick with it.  Consider a goal-making ceremony to symbolize that commitment.

*Tell people.

*Get accountability.  See above.  Share your goals intentions with a group of someones who will ask you on a regular basis how you’re doing.

*Do a Goal Check-In. Before you decide what you’re going to resolve for the year, make sure you can answer an enthusiastic “YES!” to the following list of questions:

–Am I the real reason for setting this goal? (And not your husband, kids, mother, boss?)

–Do I feel alive and energized by this goal?

–Will this goal help me ahieve my life purpose or mission?

*Take a second look at your goal.  Is it the same one you resolved last year? Or the year before? What makes you think you can accomplish it THIS year?

*Keep focused with reminders. Post them on your bathroom mirror.  Or computer monitor.  Or your palm pilot.  Or your cell phone.  Whatever works for you.

*Believe in yourself. Visualize yourself as successfully achieving your goal.

What about all you non-writers?  Does a new year compel you to be more organized, too?

*Make a list! Here’s a fun site where you can print off all kinds of colorful lists.  Best of all, they’re free!

http://www.allfreeprintables.com/checklists/index.shtml

Is your goal to have a cleaner house? Here’s a fun site that will give you tons of motivational tips. You can even sign up to to receive weekly emails–and yep, it’s all free!

www.flylady.net

*Have over-stuffed closets? Go through them and keep only the clothes that fit, that you love, and that bring your compliments.  Get rid of the rest.

*Have too much make-up and toiletries cluttering your bathroom?  Instead of buying multiple products, buy moisturizers, cleaners and creams that do multiple jobs.  Toss expired medicines, old brushes and sponges.

*Use colorful baskets to organize office space, play areas, mudrooms.

So go for it, my friends.  Make lists!  Stick to your goals!

Let us know if you’re feeling motivated!  Are you ready for a fresh start in 2008?

Law Enforcers of the West

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us-marshal-badge-180.jpgWhen have you picked up a western romance book to read that didn’t have some kind of law enforcement hero? I’ve noticed that an overwhelming number of stories feature marshals, sheriffs, Texas or Arizona Rangers, bounty hunters, and Pinkerton agents. And little wonder, because those occupations tend to breed larger than life heroes. Not that I’m saying the ordinary man can’t be a memorable hero. Heroes spring to life wherever there are people—the man who struggles to provide for his family, the rancher who’s trying to hold onto a piece of land by his fingernails—any man or woman who faces long odds and certain loss, yet overcomes. A hero is someone who gives his all for a belief in justice and right, knowing full well he might lose, and plunges ahead anyway.  He has unwavering conviction that he can make a difference. And he’s someone people respect above all else. 

In the settlement of the West, sometimes law-enforcers were few and far between. Circumstances bred lawless men who ran roughshod over the weak. Oftentimes, the ordinary citizen took it upon himself to protect and defend. Ordinary people with grit and determination filled the gaps and helped carve out a land free of outlaws and greedy land barons. I’ve put together a list of the most written about heroes. I wish I’d known some of these facts when I wrote my first three books which featured a bounty hunter hero, a Texas Ranger, and an ex-Confederate spy. Almost all my books have a sheriff or marshal in them and at times I used the two professions interchangeably. <groan> I didn’t exactly know the distinction between them. Until now. 

U.S. Marshals — the first federal organization to come into being.  George Washington and the Continental Congress created the service in 1789. Marshals are federally appointed, not elected, and they served a certain territory and still do james-arness.jpgtoday. Their authority extends to everything within that territory. Where states had not yet formed, the U.S. Marshal provided the only law. Their primary function was to support and defend the federal courts. They had wide authority in enforcing every aspect of the law, handling disputes, and carrying out death sentences. They also disbursed and accounted for monies used in running the courts. While I’m not exactly sure, I assume U.S. Marshals paid the bounty money for outlaws. The marshals were not put on an annual salary until 1896. Before that, they worked on a fee system, collecting set amounts for performing particular tasks. Strangely, from 1790 to 1870 they were ordered to take the census every ten years, a fact I didn’t know. U.S. Marshals reported directly to the Secretary of State until 1861 when Congress created the Department of Justice. U.S. Marshals hired as many dupties as needed to perform their duties. Another odd piece of information: U.S. Marshals had no official headquarters until around 1972. Kinda interesting. 

sheriffbadge2.jpgSheriffs –- Elected by the citizens of a town and paid by the city officials to perform their duties. Their jurisdiction was limited to the county in which they served. Their primary duty was to keep the peace, uphold the law, and maintain the jail. They acted in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals, but had limited authority. Sheriffs hired deputies and formed posses when needed. The sheriff also served as the tax collector for the county. 

Texas and Arizona Rangers –- I can’t think of any tougher law enforcement groups more honored and more deserving than the Texas and Arizona Rangers. Rangers to this day offer untold service to their respective states. Some of their duties include: ranger.jpgprotect life and property, handle special criminal investigations, quell disturbances, serve as officers of the court at a judge’s request, and suppress criminal activity in any area where local officials are unable or unwilling to maintain law and order. A Ranger’s authority extends throughout the entire state, not curtailed by city or county boundaries. Directly under the governor, they act as an army at times while at others they’re like a police force. The Texas Rangers organized in 1823 when Stephen F. Austin got together a group of men to protect the frontier. Each ranger had to furnish his own horse and firearm. He received $1.25 a day. They were called upon to handle the toughest assignments, usually in conflicts where they were severely outnumbered – “one ranger for one riot” kind of thing. The Arizona Rangers were formed in 1882 under the territorial governor. They were the exact counterpart of the Texas Rangers. The Arizona State Congress abolished them in 1909 but they were reformed years later. 

Bounty Hunters – People aren’t quite sure where bounty hunters sit when it comes to being a good guy or a bad one. Some writers make them more the villains than the hero, but bounty hunters began as law enforcers. A lot of them served in the capacity of deputy U.S. marshals. Others worked directly with sheriffs in apprehending criminals. Bounty hunters freed up the marshal’s or the sheriff’s time so they could focus on their normal duties and they performed a valued service. Of course, I’m sure there were rogue bounty hunters and that’s probably what led to their tarnished reputations. Today bounty hunters track down bail jumpers. 

Pinkerton Agents –- A detective agency founded in 1850 by Allen Pinkerton. They operated nationwide, working for railroad and stage companies. Their logo was the image of an eye and their motto was “We Never Sleep.” Hence, the term private eye.  They performed some of the same work now assigned to the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service. In 1861 while investigating a railroad case, the agency uncovered and foiled a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln on his way to the inauguration. They sometimes used heavy-handed tactics and it sullied their reputation. However, it continued as a family-owned operation until 1967. 

Matt Dillon at 6’7” is probably the best known TV marshal. And Steve McQueen made an excellent, fair-minded bounty hunter in Wanted Dead or Alive. But do you have other favorites? Or maybe you learned something you never knew before about law-keepers in the Old West.

Breaking News for all Western & Native American fans

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horseheader1.jpeGood afternoon!

For any of you who might not keep up with the Western world and Native America, I thought I would pass along some very vital info on the Lakotah Nation.  This is straight in from Indian country.  For any who don’t know, the Lakotah Nation is what many Americans call the Sioux Nation.  Lakotah heros include Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail and Crazy Horse.

Right before Christmas, the Lakotah Nation (due to continuous and extreme treaty violations, which started about 150 years ago) declared its independence from the United States.   In a statement very much like the Declaration of Independence from our own Founding Fathers, the Lakotah Nation is attempting to gain back its freedom from what has become oppression on the part of the government on their reservation.

I applaud their courage in taking such a step and I wish them success and hope that 2008 finds the Lakotah Nation doing well and free.  For more information, go to www.republicoflakotah.com where you can read their own declaration of independence.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

Catherine Stang Shares Sights of Interest in Kansas

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catherine-and-dogs.jpgThank you for asking me to guest blog.  I’ve always loved western romances, especially western historical romances.  I grew up in Kansas in the middle of what was once a cattle town.  My great-grandmother loved to spin stories of the Old West, which included outlaws, gunslingers and of course brave lawmen. Kansas actually has quite a western history.           

sweetserenity.jpgI want to share a few places that you may not be aware of.  Coffeyville, Kansas is home to the Dalton’s Defender’s museum. The Dalton boys started out as Deputy Marshals, but soon found the wrong side of the law more profitable.  Their crime spree included bank and train robberies and horse stealing among other things. On Oct 5, 1892, five members of their gang, Bob, Grat, Emmett, Bill Power and Dick Broadwell, rode into Coffeyville, Kansas, set on robbing the Condon National Bank and the First National Bank at the same time. Their plot was foiled when they were recognized and the alarm was sounded.  The townsmen gathered weapons and waited for them to come out of the bank. Four of the Dalton gang lost their lives.  Only Emmett survived to stand trial. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was later pardoned by the governor and fled to California.  The remaining members of the gang who weren’t in on that robbery continued their crime spree.   

To find out more about the Dalton gang visit  http://www.gunslinger.com/dalton.html  To learn more about them and the museum check out http://www.coffeyville.com/Historical%20Society.htm  

Abilene was a famous end-of-the-line cattle town, where famous marshals Tom Smith and Wild Bill Hickok kept the peace. 

Check out http://www.coffeyville.com/Historical%20Society.htm to learn about old Abilene town. 

old-abilene-town.jpgIf you’re in Abilene, be sure to have dinner at the Brookville Hotel, where they’re serving the same family-style meal they did during the cattle days.  (Although, the hotel has been moved from its original site in Brookville, they did a great job of recreating it.) Also, if you’re a WWII buff, President Eisenhower has his Presidential library there. http://www.abilenekansas.org/page.aspx?page_id=20  

horse.jpgJust outside Larned, Kansas is Fort Larned.  It is one of the few remaining forts from the old west that still stands with all it’s original buildings.  It’s a must see for any military history buff.  To learn more about it, check out http://www.nps.gov/fols/  

My family would tell you to see the Biggest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas.  My mother’s cousin, Linda Clover, is keeper of it right now. In 1953, farmer Frank Stoeber began rolling the spare bits of sisal twine in his barn.  By 1957, his twine ball weighed 1 and 1/2 tons and stood 8 feet tall.  By 1961, when he turned it over to the town, it had over 1,600,000 feet of twine rolled into a sphere 11 feet in diameter, and it has never stopped growing.  Today it weighs almost 9 tons.  For all the jokes that are made about it, my cousin Linda gets calls from interested people all over the world. 

kscawtwine_tourists2.jpgJack Clover briefly relinquishes control of the twine unspooler to tourists Stephanie Kawachi and Christian Cerrito, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 To find out more. check out   http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Cawker/twine.html    

100_0677.jpgHere I am in pink at my first book signing.  Linda Clover, the keeper of the Biggest Ball of Twine is on my right.  You can see more pictures on my website www.catherinestang.com  

These are only a few of the interesting places to see in Kansas.  I hope I enticed all of you to not just drive through Kansas on your way across the country, but to stop and visit some of our rich historical sites. To learn more about Kansas check out http://www.kansasmemory.org/       

Here are a couple of books that may help you with your tour of Kansas:  Kansas Off The Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places by Patti DeLano & Cathy Johnson.  The Old Wild West: A Traveler’s Guide by Michael McCoy.  This one had a great chapter on Kansas.  

Fleeing the prospect of a brutal marriage, Serenity Springfield, needs a safe haven. Widower Collin MacClarron needs a mother for his four rambunctious daughters.  Fate and a meddling grandmother bring them together, but will Serenity’s secrets tear them apart?  

“SWEET SERENITY is a befitting title for this beautiful romance that will capture your heart from the very first page.”  Reviewer Billie Jo – Romance Junkies  

You can see all my other releases on my website at www.catherinestang.com  and www.myspace.com  Happy Holidays!

Peppermint Fudge

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peppermint-fudge.jpg BOTTOM LAYER:

1 1/4 teaspoons butter (no substitutes), softened

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 tsp milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped nuts  

PEPPERMINT LAYER:

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy  

Line the bottom and sides of an 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan with foil. Grease foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside.In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared pan. Chill for 1 hour or until firm.  

For peppermint layer, beat cream cheese in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, milk and extract.Stir in peppermint candy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Chill for 1 hour or until firm. Using foil, lift fudge from pan. Gently peel off foil. Cut into squares.

I always have scads of candy canes left over from the tree.  This recipe makes a colorful and delicious treat for the holiday!

Oprah’s Favorite!

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Here’s a recipe for Oprah’s favorite martini that she shared a while back on one of her Christmas shows.  Every time I serve this drink, it’s a huge hit.  It’s so-o good!!  Not strong at all–unless you want it to be, that is!

Enjoy my friends!

martini.jpgOprah’s Pomegranate Martini

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice

2 oz. Absolute Citron vodka (or white tequila)

1 oz. Cointreau liquor (or Triple Sec)

Cup of Ice

Optional:  Squeeze of lemon

Shake ingredients in a shaker and pour in chilled martini glasses.   Garnish with pomegranate seeds or a rind of lemon.

Comanche Moon – another Larry McMurtry Book is a Mini-Series!

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larrymcmurtrycomanchemooncover.jpgcmcover.jpgYou already know Lonesome Dove is one of my all-time favorite movies.  Even though Dead Man’s Walk didn’t awe me in the same way, I haven’t been as excited about a mini-series or a movie release in a long time as I am about the upcoming Comanche Moon.  Val Kilmer, Steve Zahn, Rachel Griffiths, Karl Urban, Linda Cardellini, and Wes Studi star in this new six-hour mini-series based on the book by Larry McMurtry.  It’s the final chapter in the “Lonesome Dove” saga to be made into a movie, and will be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 13, Tuesday, Jan. 15 and Wednesday, Jan. 16 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, each night) on the CBS Television Network.  To help you get the time line straight in your head: Chronologically, this story takes place after Dead Man’s Walk, and before Lonesome Dove, and is of course taken from the book by Larry McMurtry.

comanche.jpg

Steve Zahn realized he had some big shoes to fill when he was cast as Gus McCrae, who was previously played by Robert Duvall. “Duvall played this incredible character; it was almost as if you were playing Teddy Roosevelt,” Zahn says.

ER fans will recognize Clara, as Linda Cardellini, better known to us as “Sam” on the hospital set.  Talk about some big shoes to fill! Angelica Houston played Gus’s love in Lonesome Dove and a very young Jennifer Garner was cast in Dead Man’s Walk.

zahn.jpgComanche Moon follows Texas Rangers Augustus “Gus” McCrae (Zahn) and Woodrow F. Call (Urban), now in their middle years, as they continue to deal with the ever-increasing tensions of adult life: Gus with his great love, Clara Forsythe (Cardellini), and Call with Maggie Tilton (Banks), the young prostitute who loves him and bears him his son, Newt (Joseph Castanon). Val Kilmer plays Captain Inish Scull, a Yankee aristocrat and hero of the recently concluded Mexican War. Rachel Griffiths plays Inez Scull, the Captain’s sexy wife who doesn’t hesitate to fill her time with other men when he’s away from home. Wes Studi plays Comanche Chief Buffalo Hump.

comanche-moon1.jpgTwo proud but very different men, McCrae and Call enlist with a Ranger troop in pursuit of three outlaws: Buffalo Hump, the great Comanche war chief; Kicking Wolf (Jonathon Joss), the celebrated Comanche horse thief; and Ahumado (Sal Lopez), a deadly Mexican bandit king with a penchant for torture. Assisting the Rangers in their wild chase is the renowned Kickapoo tracker Famous Shoes (David Midthunder). They are joined by their comrades-in-arms, Deets (Keith Robinson), Jake Spoon (Ryan Merriman) and Pea Eye Parker (Troy Baker), in the bitter struggle to protect an advancing western frontier against the defiant Comanches who are determined to defend their territory and their way of life. The Rangers also encounter Buffalo Hump’s violent outcast son, Blue Duck (Adam Beach).  

comanche-moon3.jpgI read the blog of a hairstylist who worked on the set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The conditions were tough, with wind storms every afternoon and altitude issues. The team had to turn young rodeo riders with crew cuts into 1880s Native Americans.  They did so with wigs, glue, tape and pins.  Black hairspray was needed to cover the highlights of the women. The stylists learned to make scalp locks – braids that hang from the crown of a man’s head. Ten hair stylists and ten to fifteen make up artists worked on hundreds of cast extras in a tent on the side of a mountain. Make up and hairspray billowed out the sides of the tent.  Wish I could see something like that one of these days.  Behind the scenes are my favorite parts of DVDs. 

An article by Wolf Schneider in Cowboys and Indians Magazine says: “By all accounts, the most dramatic sequence in the six-hour miniseries Comanche Moon is going to occur at the end of Night One as more than a hundred Comanche Indians thunder down the plains toward Austin on horseback, hell-bent on revenge. The scene will continue on Night Two with the warriors raiding the Texas town. In real life, many of the Indian riders took buses down from Montana to New Mexico to gallop into the battle bareback with mere rope bridles.”

“It was beautiful and terrifying,” says executive producer and co-screenwriter Diana Ossana. “It’s going to be very powerful—coming over the ridge and into town. And then there’s this great sequence where they’re riding out of town after they’ve captured all the horses. It’s really like nothing you’ve ever seen. The men painted themselves and their horses, and it was part of their getting into the moment and feeling their power.”

comanchemoonvalkilmer.jpgWith scenes like that, Val Kilmer couldn’t resist signing on. He hadn’t done network television before, although he has appeared on HBO’s Entourage and a Gore Vidal-scripted Western for Turner.  One draw of this particular prequel may have been the fact that it was filmed so close to Kilmer’s property in Pecos, New Mexico, that he could arrange for some of the scenes to be shot on his ranch.

Director Simon Wincer and producer Dyson Lovell, who directed and produced Lonesome Dove respectively, served in those roles on Comanche Moon.

CLICK ON THUMBNAIL PHOTOS TO SEE FULL SIZE 

SET YOUR TiVo!  CBS January 13 – 15 – 16

We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!

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While writing my Christmas novella, McCord’s Destiny, in Western Winter Wonderland, I had to research how the military used homing pigeons to communicate on the frontier.  And since this was a Christmas story, I needed to know how the military–and civilians–celebrated the holiday as well.

That digging for information led me to a fascinating little book which I managed to snag off Amazon (a used copy that, lo and behold, was being sold by a library right here in my hometown.  Who knew?  But I digress.)  A Frontier Army Christmas quickly became one of my favorite research books of all time. 

The book gives a very real glimpse into the lives of the men and women who tried hard to celebrate Christmas not only for themselves, but for their children.  Hundreds of miles away from home and families, stationed in forts out in the middle of nowhere, these hardy souls turned touchingly creative and fashioned special memories never to be forgotten.

Perhaps Elizabeth Custer, her husband the ill-fated general, said it best: 

“Sometimes I think our Christmas on the frontier was a greater event to us than to anyone in the states.  We all had to do so much to make it a success.”

One officer’s wife described her Christmas meal, which proved to be a success due to the efforts of her mailman at Fort Abraham Lincoln in Dakota Territory:

“The refreshments would be sandwiches, cake and candy, lemonade made from the usual citric acid crystals, and of course, ice cream evolved from condensed milk, whipped-up gelatine and the whites of eggs.  The eggs, by the way, wrapped in cotton were brought from Bismarck by the mailman, who, to keep such precious articles from freezing, always carried them inside his buckskin shirt, against his bare breast.”

What a guy, eh?

Faced with frigid temperatures that would freeze thermometers, a lack of trees for decorating, an absence of shops to buy holiday goods, and being miles from a railroad or even a semblance of civilization, commanding officers–and their wives–saw to it the holiday was celebrated, even in the simplest of fashion.   Unused toys were recycled and given to other children to enjoy.  In one instance, a tree was built of spliced tree branches and wire, then plunked upright into a soap box.  Songs were song; treats found; music played.

In other forts, however, more amenities could be found.  Each child was treated the same–from the offspring of the laundress to the lowly soldier on up to the top garrison officer.  A collection would be taken up, and the ladies would see to the details.  On Christmas Eve, even Santa came, and every child thrilled to his gifts–a store-bought toy, an apple and orange, a few pieces of candy, popcorn.

We’ve come a long way, baby.

presents.jpgAs I make list after list and check them twice–yeesh, the gifts seem never-ending, far too complicated.  And expensive!  The grocery bill is staggering.  Time is all but non-existent.Have we created a holiday that has gone way overboard?  Has the commercialism squelched the true meaning of Christmas?  Have we been so immersed in buy, buy, buy and do, do, do that we’ve forgotten the simplicity of Christmases past?presents-3.jpg

No doubt about it.

Yet it remains my favorite time of year.  The lights, the garlands, the music are a delight to behold.  I’m looking forward to those special cookies, festive drinks, and yummy hors d’oevres that I eat only at this time of year.  It’ll be great fun to see my family together yet again–all 44 of us–the one time of year when we can manage it.   We’ll have five straight nights of family get-togethers–dinners, holiday walks, games and laughter.  Then everyone heads home and life returns to normal.

Yep, we’ve come a long way from those starkly simple Christmases.  And maybe that’s not such a bad thing, after all.

Do you agree?  Let us know your thoughts and experiences. Merry Christmas, dear friends! 

Guest Blogger: Joyce Henderson

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joyce-henderson.jpgI’m thrilled to be here on Petticoat & Pistols. The fillies milling around in this corral are some of my favorite writers. J

For those who don’t know me or my work, I wrote for 20 years prior to first publication in 2005. You can get a little insight into me if you go to my web site, which I constructed myself, ugh, and keep up after a fashion, www.joycehendersonauthor.com That said, what comes to mind out of my long years of experience to talk about here? Family, I guess, and some of the stories behind why I write Historical Native American Westerns. My maternal great-grandparents migrated to Central Texas in 1900, from Tennessee and Georgia.

I don’t know much about my biological father’s relatives. Although, his family is rumored to have some Native American blood mixed in somewhere back in history, but I’ve never been able to pin down anything definitive in that regard. Mother escaped a bad marriage by hauling me out a window, literally, when I was three years old, and packing me off to Southern California where I grew up.

My roots are firmly planted in the 60-acres of rocky Texas soil my maternal great-grandparents farmed. Not having a lot of money, they couldn’t hire much help. So what did folks do in those days to get cheap labor to clear trees and stumps, dislodge those rocks, and build a house that stood until 1980?

William Lamar Yancy Bond, March 26, 1861 – August 8, 1931
Bethana Ada Morgan Bond, October 18, 1887 – August 19, 1962
Nuptials photo August 16, 1885joyces-grandparents.JPG

In the case of my intrepid ancestors, William Lamar Yancy Bond and Bethany Ada Morgan Bond proceeded to grow their own farm workers—twelve youngin’s. I marveled at my great-grandma, who was in a wheelchair the last 25 years of her life because a broken foot wouldn’t heal (diabetes), and wondered how she managed to birth strapping children. She was all of 4′ 10 or 11″ and weighed maybe 90 pounds soaking wet.

On the other hand, my great-grandpa was a barrel-chested six-footer—and answered to that little squirt he married. Yessiree, he sure did! I think most women who migrated west were tough little ladies, or they never would have made the journey. So many survived and even flourished with few amenities, and most certainly fought the miseries of dirt, rain, biting wind and snow.

The Bonds built a three-room house, with outhouse, a small barn for the plow horse and milk cow, and a chicken pen right next to the barn. They had a few pigs, and the kids tended a small herd of cattle that was mostly raised for beef.

I don’t know how, or from whom they got to help them dig a well, maybe grandpa and the boys did it themselves. But water was piped into the side of the kitchen, and a hand pump was situated over a sink. Voila, indoor plumbing! 

The third room in the house was like a barracks along the side of the kitchen and the room with the fireplace that served as the living room. In those days, grandma and her daughters made all their clothes and bedding. And that meant, a quilt frame was forever part of the main room, suspended from the ceiling with ropes, and could be lowered to accommodate the women sitting on either side to quilt. Woe be to the girl who failed to sew tiny, neat stitches in those quilts!  

People of today think cigarettes are disgusting. Um, my great-grandma and my grandma both dipped snuff. Now there’s a disgusting habit! And you know, my great-grandma never owned a toothbrush. Eeww! It’s true. She used the burnt end of a wooden match stick to clean her teeth. I think she had every tooth in her head the day she died.

There was a narrow stream not too far from the house where the kids and grandpa, more often than not, bathed. Winter forced them all inside to the round tin tub that grandma used year-round.

They had one luxury, or what might be considered a luxury. A chiming wall clock hung just inside the front door. It was great-grandpa’s pride and joy, I guess. Interestingly, he died at, as I recall, 6:10 in the evening. The clock stopped at the precise moment of his death and never ran again.

You may now understand why I write about farm life. For me, the mid 1800’s to early 1900 hold a never-ending fascination and, specifically, my family’s history. How many of you have tales about your family history to tell?  

the-edge-of-the-stars.jpgFrom those who leave a comment, I will draw a name and send that person signed copies of  my two 2005 releases, WALKS IN SHADOW and WRITTEN ON THE WIND, both now out of stock. A second name drawn will receive a signed copy of TO THE EDGE OF THE STARS.

Check back here to see who won, and then email jhenderson2@comcast.net your address so I can send out the books right away.   

Petticoats & Pistols