Best-selling author visits Hernando

You may remember a past post where I reviewed Into the Free, a first novel for Oxford author Julie Cantrell.  It has done phenomenally well.  Julie was in Hernando today to discuss her book and take questions from the audience. If you haven't read the book yet, please put it on your list.

She answered questions about her writing process, about the characters who came to life within her, about the little-known culture of the Romany Travelers (gypsies) and even told us about Kelly Mitchell, the queen of the Gypsy Nation who died giving birth to her fourteenth child at age 47. She was buried in1915 in a ceremony that attracted some 20,000 people.

Sound interesting?  Read more on Julie's blog: http://juliecantrell.wordpress.com/, or better yet, read the book. She told us that the first draft of the sequel is on the way to editors.

Julie Cantrell and me at the Hernando Library July 6. 

Book time: Discover Jo-Ann Mapson

I started reading books by Jo-Ann Mapson several years ago. I started with Hank and Chloe and was hooked. I then moved on to Blue Rodeo, Shadow Ranch, and Loving Chloe.

Jo-Ann Mapson

What made her writing irresistible to me was that she used most of the elements that make my life what it is—Horses, Appaloosas even; dogs; great friendships; a little love story; and even jewelry by my favorite Native American designer Ray Tracey.

These elements were not the main focus, but were interwoven into the lives of her characters. Makes you want to jump in and be a character in one of her novels.  In 2000 she released Wilder Sisters and then started her trilogy on the friendships of women and the men in their lives, again set in the backdrop of horses, dogs and the floral business. Check out Bad Girl Creek, Along Came Mary, and Goodbye Earl.


Next came The Owl & Moon Cafe in 2006, followed by Solomon's Oak. And here we get to the heart of the matter. This was by far my favorite work. Here's a description from the Jo-Ann Mapson Amazon page:


Glory Soloman, a young widow, holds tight to her memories while she struggles to hold on to her Central California farm. She makes ends meet by hosting weddings in the chapel her husband had built under their two-hundred-year-old white oak tree, known locally as Solomon's Oak. Fourteen-year-old Juniper McGuire is the lone survivor of a family decimated by her sister's disappearance. She arrives on Glory's doorstep, pierced, tattooed, angry, and homeless. When Glory's husband Dan was alive, they took in foster children, but Juniper may be more than she can handle alone. Joseph Vigil is a former Albuquerque police officer and crime lab photographer who was shot during a meth lab bust that took the life of his best friend. Now disabled and in constant pain, he arrives in California to fulfill his dream of photographing the state's giant trees, including Solomon's Oak.

In Jo-Ann Mapson's deeply felt, wise, and gritty novel, these three broken souls will find in each other an unexpected comfort, the bond of friendship, and a second chance to see the miracles of everyday life.


In this she also works in a few dogs, with details of dog training and of course, a horse or two. I love it.

So, here is your charge.  Read Solomon's Oak before the sequel comes out in October.  Check out the author video for Solomon's Oak on her Amazon page. It is so powerful.  http://www.amazon.com/Jo-Ann-Mapson/e/B000APZ5XW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1341321512&sr=8-2-ent.

Although it Finding Casey can be read as a stand-alone novel, it follows Glory, Juniper and Joseph's story with an unusual twist.

Hope you enjoy meeting Jo-Ann.  Happy Reading. 

Nice day for air conditioned car in the Mississippi Delta

Every day is an adventure here in retirement land. Today, I went with my sister-in-law to take pictures in the Delta.  What a day to be in cotton fields. They sky was perfect blue, irrigation systems were running full blast as was the air conditioning in her car, or I wouldn't have been along for the ride.

Since retiring from the floral business several years ago, Robbie Boyd now has time to devote to her real talent—painting.  She specializes in portraits and landscapes.  After being commissioned to do a Delta cotton scene, she looked through her cotton photographs and didn't find one that captures the Delta "lay of the land."  So today we searched for cotton houses, old pole barns, and of course, cotton fields.

You can read more about Robbie and see examples of her work at her website: rpattersonboyd.com

Robbie shooting a picture of a giant irrigation arm in the Delta.


Before lunch we drove around Clarksdale and strolled around the grounds of the Shack Up Inn. If you are from somewhere other than the Mississippi Delta, this might be a really unique experience. 

Old cotton houses and tenant shacks have been turned into lodging.  Old cars and trucks are strategically placed near each shack.  My favorite yard art was the use of bottle trees.
You can read more about this one-of-a-kind hotel at shackupinn.com

Bottle trees "grow" in the grounds of Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale.

After touring the town, we selected the Yazoo Pass (http://yazoopass.com/) restaurant on the recommendation of a friend. The store front could have been a hardware store, but inside we found wonderfully-fresh salads with homemade dressings, deli sandwiches on your bread of choice and much more.  Very refreshing on a day when temperatures neared 100. 

More scenes at Shack Up iInn.  

Today we only had a small sampling of Delta culture. You can see more of the Delta nightlife in a beautifully-photographed book, Blues, Booze & BBQ (http://www.michaelloydyoung.com/gallery.html?folio=&gallery=Blues%2C%20Booze%2C%20%26%20BBQ by Senatobia native Michael Loyd Young. Proceeds from this book benefit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.

You can also see a preview of his latest book, Changes in Latitude. which benefits the Historical Museum of South Padre Islands. 

A Quilter's Garden

I don't know how the rest of you tie your tomato plants, but out here in Barr they are tied with my quilt scraps. I see my husband has been in the scrap basket again. The pink and brown scrap nearest the camera came from Bella's birthday quilt. Next to it is a green and orange piece of fabric that was used in one of the Comfort Quilts we took to West Clinic.  Others include pieces of batting, Christmas material and more. Happy gardening. 

Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation—a review

You all know that I'm a sucker for a good horse story. I said GOOD horse story. I like the ones where the horse makes an impact on the lives of his humans and you see the interaction between the characters.  Having stayed up all night to finish "The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation" I wanted to pass on this read to you.

Elizabeth Letts, a seemingly credible horsewoman herself, found this true story and Snowman and Harry de Leyer.  She did extensive research and spent a great deal of time with de Leyer, now in his 80s. She wove a thread through this story that linked the long-shot horse with the mood of the country in 1958.

This story gives all of us who have had an underdog horse, hope.  This is what we think, just maybe, could happen to us.

I was a little disappointed that we did not get to know the de Leyer children. The book is also painfully repetitive at times.  Overall, it is good—taking you into the world of show jumping in Madison Square Garden in the 1950s when the crowd dressed in top hats and tails and evening wear.

You see the everyday chores of Harry as he goes about working with his students as the riding instructor at a prestigious girl's school.

I think Letts was a little hard on Snowman in her description of him, calling him a hack, a plug, a plow horse. He may have been a little rough around the edges compared to the Thoroughbreds, but he was not painfully ugly.

So, read for yourself and see what you think. There is buzz of a movie.  Check out Letts' blog at
http://www.elizabethletts.com/elizabeths-blog/

Mayfair in Senatobia

My Mother's Day gift from the girls was supposed to be a stroll through Gabbert Park in Senatobia and then lunch. One daughter was sick, so Olivia and I went by ourselves.

It is always so refreshing to see something in town that provides a shot in the arm for community spirit.

Local artists and craftsmen were there along with other vendors who were sharing information from their booths. Children played in the bouncy things and walked around the park. Food vendors made you think you were at the old Mid-South Fair.

After allowing time for the other sister to recover, we regrouped and all went to Coleman's BBQ.  What could be more Senatobia?

I still believe I live in the best small town in America.

Senatobia Potter Lane Tutor and wife Susan displayed his wares at the Tutor Pottery booth. (below, left)

Providing musical entertainment was the Northwest Steel Drum Band (bottom pic) under the direction of John Ungurait (center).

Barbecue—noun or verb?

When I have flipped channels and can't find something to watch, the default channel is HGTV. It is on to make background noise while I sew, work on the computer and sometimes read. But something has been bothering me lately. With spring weather in full bloom, the house-hunting couples tend to say something like, "There is room on this deck for a barbecue."

What do they mean?  In the South a barbecue usually means a sandwich (noun) or an event (also noun) What these people mean is a grill—an apparatus on which to cook barbecue.  I think this is a Southern difference of opinion. Maybe these guys are from the West Coast.

What do you say in your house if you want to cook meat, outside, over charcoal or gas?  Well it turns out, that the term barbecue is usually misused. According to Wikipedia.com, "Barbecue is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry, and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, compressed wood pellets, or hot coals of charcoal. Typically, to grill is to cook in this manner quickly, while barbecue is typically a much slower method utilizing less heat than grilling, attended to over an extended period of several hours. 

It seems the term can refer to the meat, the apparatus, or to the party. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. And, these terms can have regional variations."  You bet!  Right here next door to Memphis, we should have the say-so on these terms. Memphis has long been famous for its barbecue, pork that is. Texas has the trump on barbecued beef. Memphis in May is gearing up as we speak.

Everything has trends. When I was a little girl, most of my friends' parents had a built-in barbecue pit on their patios or in their backyard. I thought that was so cool. In my 20s, I frequently used a small Hibachi grill, just big enough for two steaks or four hamburgers. In fact, one of my best dates was had sitting around the tiny Hibachi, cooking steaks in the outside of my apartment complex. 

Then the trend turned to gas grills, which were hard to light. I still fear an explosion. And now there are grills that cost about as much as a good used car, green eggs, and more. My son is in love with his new smoker which looks like a bank safe.  We haven't even talked about fire pits yet. But those are not really for cooking, are they?


Well, at my house a barbecue is still a sandwich, a grill is what you cook on, and I'm still waiting on the party. 

Dogs work miracles in Wilson's novels

Review Time

I have read two books by author Susan Wilson in less than two weeks. That says something. She has written two moving novels that spotlight exceptional dog heroes—One Good Dog and The Dog Who Danced. 
These two books have great dog heroes—not like Rin Tin Tin or Lassie—who run through burning buildings to save their masters. The heroics of these animals is more realistic and more lasting.

In One Good Dog, Chance, who is a pit bull mix (not my favorite breed) takes us into the world of dog fighting. This street-wise dog brings healing and closure to the deep wounds of his new "owner."

The Dog Who Danced features a blue merle Shetland Sheep Dog (Sheltie).  Buddy/Mack also has a profound effect on both of his "owners."  With him we travel through the world of on-the-road trucking, Therapy Dog work and the new phenomenon of Canine Freestyle Dancing.

The great thing about Wilson's dogs is that they have a voice. She weaves her story from the point of view of the dog, of the owner or multiple characters in the dog's stories. Through the dog's perspective we learn about their fears, likes and dislikes, and what brings them true happiness.  Both these dogs work magic in the lives of their humans—loving them, healing them, making them feel safe, and even dancing.

In case you are wondering, my dogs have worked magic in my life too.  Such a blessing—most of the time.

52-year-old eggs out for another Easter and that's no yolk

My treasured 52-year-old Easter eggs.

Today, while getting ready for Easter lunch tomorrow, I put out a small basket of dyed and decorated eggs. My daughter said, "Are you going to blog about those?"  I hadn't thought about it, but it seemed a good idea. The eggs are 52 years old.

My mother did them for me when I was four. I don't remember that particular year, but all the years that followed. She got them out every Easter and told me about how she did them. "I went out in the country and bought some brown farm-fresh eggs. They are supposed to hold color the best. Then I came home and blew out the yolks and whites by punching a needle hole in the top and bottom. I almost blew my brains out doing this."

She dyed them beautiful shades of dark blue, pink, purple, green and yellow. Then mama decorated them with bits of rick rack and other embellishments from her sewing box—sequins, glitter, trim, tiny pearls. On the bottom of some of the eggs, she glued a small plastic ring, so the egg could sit upright. On one she fashioned a little hat and hand-painted its face.

I tried this once when my children were little. Notice I said once, not one batch of eggs—one egg. I felt like my eyeballs would pop out sooner than the yolk would come out of the egg. That made mama's eggs more special.  They were always gotten out on Easter-eve, and we talked about them. After Easter, they were wrapped in tissue and put away. Over the years, only two have been broken.

I accidentally saw a segment on the Today show this week with Martha Stewart—notice I said accidentally....not a Martha fan. She was demonstrating this art form with a new gadget that drained the egg. No blowing and no headache afterward.

Could those eggs possible be as treasured as the ones on my table? I think not. But if you are going to do this, it might be nice to wait until the child is old enough to actually remember the process. Four is a little too young. I've had to depend on the family lore.

Why do mothers do silly things like this?  Why did I go crazy nervous making my daughter a Holly Hobby cake on her first birthday? I don't know. She just stuck her fingers in it, but it looked good in the picture for a minute.

Another question comes to mind.  How did mothers of the 1950s know how to do these cool things? No Internet, no Facebook, no Pinterest.  They were just crafty, I guess.  Let's see if these survive another Easter Sunday. 

Book Talk

I am happy to report that I've just finished Julie Cantrell's novel "Into the Free." I downloaded it on my iPad so I could keep reading in the dark.  It was wonderfully moving and inspiring.  And Julie is from Oxford!  Check it out if you need a good book.

http://juliecantrell.wordpress.com/

In other book news, I just started Susan Wilson's "One Good Dog."  I just started it, and like it already. I have to hurry and finish it so I can get her newly-released book, "The Dog Who Danced."

http://susanwilsonwrites.com/

Do you see a common thread running through my reading material?  Dogs, horses, dogs......Maybe you need to send me some suggestions.