An Ancient Prayer of the Woods

I am the heat of your hearth on the cold winter nights,

the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,

and my fruits are refreshing 

drought quenching your thirst as you journey on.

I am the beam that holds your house,

the board of your table,

the bed on which you lie,

and the timber that builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe,

the door of your homestead,

the wood of your cradle,

and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.

‘Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.’

(A prayer used in Portuguese forest preservation for more than 1,000 years)

                                                                Now go hug a tree!

Trans Canada Romance Writers Valentine's Day Blog Tour

 The Romance of the Rose

     Roses are known to have flourished for 35 million-years. Ancient rose hips have been found in Europe, and petrified rose wreaths have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs. 

   The rose is the floral emblem of the United States, the provincial flower of Alberta, Canada, and the state flower for North Dakota, Georgia, New York, and Portland. We celebrate the Rose Festival in Pasadena, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and the Rose Bowl. We really love our roses. 

    Cleopatra had her living quarters filled with the petals of roses so when Marc Antony visited, he would forever remember her for such opulence and be reminded of her every time he saw a rose. 

Roman high-society women used petals much like currency, and believed they could banish wrinkles if used in poultices.
The apothecary rose, R. Gallica Officinalis, first recorded in the 13th century, was turned into jellies, powders and oils.

In Greek mythology, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, is said to have created the rose. The Romans turned Aphrodite into their goddess of romance,Venus, and also associated her with the rose.

During the War of the Roses 1455-1487, the House of York adopted the white rose, the House of Lancaster decided on the red rose. 
   The winner of this war, Henry VII, merged his red rose, with his York bride's white rose, creating the Tudor Rose.

    Napoleon's wife, Josephine, dreamed of establishing a rose garden in Malmaison containing a collection of all the roses of the world.

And the world's oldest living rose bush/tree is thought to be 1000 years old. Today, it continues to bloom on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.

    So our fragile little rose has a long and distinguished history, filled with high emotion, ancient legend, and enduring fortitude. The symbol of war, coveted as wealth, found in romantic myth, and loved by notable people throughout history--it truly is a magical flower worthy of expressing our passion and love.               


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   Read The Dragon and the Rose to see how         the rose played a part in my Medieval Romance 

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Paperback at The Wild Rose Press

   Sir Branoc Valtaigne, ordered to Northumbria By King William II, fights to keep peace along the Scottish border. A formidable battle-tested warrior, he honors his vows to God, king, and country, but a young woman’s smile may prove to be his undoing.

    Martanzia Verheire, tricked into standing as good faith hostage for Flanders, seeks freedom from castle Bamburgh and love from Sir Branoc. As she clings to the Celtic dragon statue given to her by her mother, she leads them all to the brink of an era where true magic will be gone forever, but where dreams can still come true.
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Valentine's Day stories, fun facts, and PRIZES.

Darlene Fredette

Daryl Devore

Victoria Adams

Casi McLean

Denyse Bridger

Stacy Dawn

Linda Caroll-Bradd

Krista Ames

Suzanne Matthews

Zrinka Jelic

        

                                      

                    Solace: Fae Warriors blog tour 2/8-2/12
           
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Happy Imbolc /Happy Ground Hog's Day/2-2-17

 What do groundhogs, ewes, a Pagan goddess/Christian saint, and spring cleaning all have in common? They are intertwined in the history of Imbolc, the feast day of Brigid, on February 2nd.

     This holiday is one of the Celtic fire festivals and is also called Oimelc (Imbolc), an Irish term that means ewe's milk. This was the time of year when the first sign of spring was the lactation of ewes. 


It is a cross-quarter day signifying the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. Being a cross-quarter day it is also a reverse barometer. Just like the logic used today on Groundhogs Day. 


If the weather is fair (sun is shining and Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow) the weather will take a turn for the worse and there will be more winter. If the weather is bad, it's good news, better weather is on the horizon.

    The Celtic goddess Brigid, was known as the Light-Bringer, so when the Christians usurped the day they tried to redirect the Pagans to worship St. Brigid, and Candlemas, and it all tied in nicely. 

    St. Brigit (Brigid, Brighid, Bride, Brigit), is known for her special cross, said to have been woven from rushes as she tended a Celtic chieftain, telling him the story of Christ. Many streams, trees, and mounds are named for her in the British Isles. The Celtic Brigid is the goddess of poetry, healing, and smith-craft. Also  the patron of other vital crafts of early Celtic society: such as dying, weaving and brewing. 

Here, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is being presented with a St. Brigid Cross on a visit to Kildare April 2011.

Myth and ancient custom, call Brigid the daughter of the Daghda, the “Great God” of the Tuatha de Danaan (faeries). She is closely connected with livestock and domesticated animals. She herself had two oxen called Fea and Feimhean.  

Imbolc is also the time for spring cleaning. Time to let go of the past and look to the future, clearing out the old, making both outer and inner space for new beginnings. So burn a candle, get out the broom, take heart, and have hope as we look forward to the rebirth of the earth and our creativity. May your spirit be renewed.

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Big Thunder Draft Horse Show 2016

         They don't call it Big Thunder for nothin'. 
                  
At one point there were 84 horses in the arena, that's 336 big old hoofs stomping the ground, harnesses glittering and chinking, what a beautiful sight, sound and feeling.

      



We sang the National Anthem, with pride and gusto. 





The working horse team class was won by a diminutive and adorable young lady. 
        Yay, girl power. 










And although I love the traditional and very exciting look of the Clydesdale, and being Belgium, I'm partial to the Belgians, 

my heart belongs to the Dapple Grays.. 


They appear to be made of mist or smoke; romance on the hoof, I can see them stepping out of a forest onto the misty moors of Scotland.    

The 8 horse hitch competition was won by the Grays. Apparently, dapple grey horses are born neither gray nor dappled. The dappling phenomenon develops as they grow older, and they generally fade to "white" in old age. 
                            They are magic from start to finish. 

            Thank you Norma and Carol for such a fun afternoon. 

From Southern Belle to Union Spy: Elizabeth Van Lew:

One of three children, Elizabeth was well educated, and according to her parents, the stubborn one in the lot. She grew up in Richmond where her father was a very successful hardware dealer and her mother was the daughter of Philadelphia's mayor. 





They lived elegantly and lavishly in town. They also owned a farm where crops were grown in fields worked by a dozen slaves owned by the Van Lews. 

                                                                                        

     With her blue eyes and dark hair, Elizabeth was charming, opinionated, and not afraid to speak her mind--at least at home. She was frequently at odds with her father and very close to her mother. Elizabeth didn’t hesitate to openly protest the beliefs of Richmond society—namely the issues of slavery and secession. Yet to her dying day she denied being and abolitionist, whom she considered fanatics who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Her views were based not on politics or financial gain, but on what she felt in her heart.

   When she was in her twenties, her father died, and soon after, she freed the family slaves. Some stayed on with the Van Lews, others took advantage of their freedom and made their own way in the world. She was so opposed to slavery, she spent her $10,000 inheritance on buying and freeing those slaves who were relatives of her freed slaves.


 

  After the battle of Bull Run, while delivering religious books to the camps, Elizabeth discovered the horrendous conditions the Federal prisoners endured at Libby prison. She begged, cajoled, wheedled and bribed guards with gingerbread and buttermilk to gain visiting rights. Helping Union soldiers, she was soon shunned by the townspeople, and lost friends and good standing in the Confederate community. The Union prisoners learned tidbits of information from their Confederate guards and passed the facts on to Elizabeth.  

  The town thought she must be demented, calling her Crazy Bet. She played upon this misconception, mumbling to herself as she walked the streets, and allowing her appearance and attire to take on a disheveled look. In truth she was very afraid for herself and her mother.   

            Elizabeth found employment for one of her former slaves (Mary E. Bowser) at the home of Jefferson Davis. Years before, Elizabeth had sent Mary away to be schooled in Philadelphia, she was very intelligent and could read and write. Mary was soon rifling though Davis' paperwork and relaying the information back to Elizabeth.

     One high-ranking official at Libby Prison, known as “Ross,” was considered by many prisoners to be the most vicious of all the guards. He openly verbally abused the prisoners and without warning would launch a physical assault. He would then have the individual removed, most thought to be further tortured, if not killed. In actuality, he would get the prisoner alone, give him a Confederate uniform, escort him out of the prison and send him on his way to Elizabeth’s house where she would provide cover in secret rooms and passageways until it was safe to move the escapee to the next safe house. 

    As General Grant moved his army nearer to Richmond, Elizabeth was able to communicate with him directly and on a daily basis. So perfected was her spy network, she was able to present him with a copy of the Richmond Daily Dispatch each day. As a reward, after the war, Grant named her Postmistress of Richmond. She lived out a lonely life, shunned by the towns people, yet unwilling to leave her home and the city she loved.

                                  
      She is buried in Richmond’s Shockoe-Hill Cemetery. The inscription on her headstone reads: “She risked everything that is dear to man—friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself, all for the one absorbing desire of her heart—that slavery might be abolished and the Union preserved."

      General Sharpe, Grant’s Chief of Secret Service stated, “The greater portion of our intelligence in 1864-65 in its collection and in good measure in its transmission, we owed to the intelligence and devotion of Miss Elizabeth Van Lew.” 

Source: Ryan, David, A Yankee Spy in Richmond: The Civil War Diary of “Crazy Bet” Van Lew, Stackpole Books 1996

       
        See how Josie and Garrick survive the Crimean War in 

                                LADY GALLANT 

                   

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   Disowned by her father and still mourning the death of her fiancé, Josephine Posey joins Florence Nightingale’s brigade of nurses bound for the Black Sea. Thousands of British soldiers desperately await these angels of mercy and a new life awaits Josie. Amidst the chaos of death and despair, she finds a spark of hope, lighting the flame once more inside her soul.

    In search of the truth, Garrick Allen, one of Britain’s first war correspondents also journeys to the Crimean Peninsula. To him the soldiers seem all but abandoned by Queen and country, and as he smokes his cheroots and makes friends with a bottle, he writes his bold but honest dispatches for The Times.  Not wanting anything more than to finish his job and go home, Garrick is blind-sided by a nurse with attitude who offers him a new slant on life and a reason to love.

                                   

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE: 12/22/15

                   
    And Light shall overtake Darkness. 

  The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Yet even as darkness triumphs, it gives way, and changes into light. 

  
                        We turn the Wheel to bring the light.

                     We call the sun from the womb of night.

The winter solstice happens every year when the North Pole is tilted furthest – 23.5 degrees – away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.

   The shortest day of the year often falls on December 21st, but the modern calendar of 365 days a year - with an extra day every four years - does not correspond exactly to the solar year. The solstice can happen on December 20, 21, 22 or 23, although December 20 or 23 solstices are rare. This year it falls on 12/22/15

    After Solstice night, we watch for the coming of dawn, rejoicing as the days begin to lengthen until the Summer Solstice. 

It is also the rebirth of the Oak King, 

the Green Man, the King of the Woodlands.

The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'Sun standing still'. On this day the Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction as it reaches its southernmost position as seen from the Earth. 

                     Wishing you a Happy Winter Solstice

                        May this Holiday Season bring you 

                                  light and hope and humor.

                           

                                                      picture by Anne Stokes
   

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