Our Trip to Gettysburg

Do you see any ghosts in this photo? I don't. Hubby and I drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for a mini-vacation. Hubby had never been there. I was there once as a child, but things have changed. There were no ghost tours available when I last visited Gettysburg. Now there are ghost tours everywhere! I wasted several shots trying to capture an image of some spectral being. Still, I did enjoy our one ghost tour. In fact, I would have liked to try a few more since I did not get any spooky feelings on the ghost tour. However, I did experience a creepy sensation when we visited the basement of the Jennie Wade house.







This is a view from Little Round Top where one of the battles in Gettysburg took place. It is interesting to note that reenactors are not allowed to use the actual battlefields. Hubby and I learned a lot from the tour guides. We found the park's rangers to be very knowledgeable and interesting. But it is depressing to consider the massive loss of life that occurred in the three days of battles at Gettysburg. Some bodies were never identified.



I found several books written about women's experiences during the Civil War. I bought three of them--just in case I might want to write a romance using that time period as a setting. I'm always thinking about writing!

Ratatouille

Hubby and I went to the theater and saw Ratatouille. We both thought it was great! There was plenty of action for hubby and a little romance for me. Daughter #2 had recommended it to us.

When I got home I began to look for ratatouille recipes in my cookbooks--I have way too many cookbooks. I discovered that in each cookbook there was something slightly different. So I put together my own recipe.

I like my ratatouille. Give it a try and see if you like it too.

RATATOUILLE

Ingredients:
Enough flour to lightly coat the eggplant and zucchini
(HINT: The easiest way to do this is to put the flour in a plastic bag. Put the
sliced zucchini or eggplant in the bag. Then shake the vegetables.)
1 teaspoon black pepper added to the flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 green peppers, cut in small, short strips
1 eggplant, cubed and dusted with flour
3 small to medium zucchini, sliced and dusted with flour
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
2 cans diced tomatoes (no salt added is fine)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. In 2 tablespoons of the oil, saute onions and garlic until they are golden. Remove from the pot.

2. In a large 8 quart heavy pot, combine the ingredients in layers--except for the Parmesan--that goes on top. (I had three layers.)

3. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue to heat for 10 minutes longer to reduce the liquid.

Enjoy!

A Night Out With The Band

Last night the Happy Days String Band played an outdoor gig. Listening to music with the breeze blowing in from the bay in the summertime is such a treat. I took some photos. The one here makes me laugh. At one point in the program, the captain of the strutters demonstrated how to strut. Then the audience was asked to try it--and some people were brave enough to get up and dance around. The band sometimes ropes in new strutters with this technique.

And after all, who wouldn't want to dress up in feathers and sequins so you could look like this?

Leenda

Yesterday one of Daughter #3's guinea pigs, Leenda, appeared to have difficulty breathing. After rushing it to the vet, our daughter learned that the guinea pig's digestive system was paralyzed. Daughter #3 decided to have her pet put to sleep. Leenda was old--for a guinea pig.

Hubby got out the post hole digger and we had a brief, but sad funeral for Leenda. We bought some perennials and planted them over her little grave. Guinea pigs are such sweet pets. It's hard when they must leave us.

60th Wedding Anniversary

On Saturday, we celebrated my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. Daughter #3 was in charge of the decorations and she decided on a Hawaiian/Tiki/Luau wedding theme. We all wore flower leis. Everyone who arrived early was recruited to carry out Daughter #3's orders.

Though the guest list was small, we still had a few special moments planned.

There was a champagne toast.


















There was a garter for my father to slide up his bride's leg, and we all threw silk rose petals at my parents.



















All in all, it was a wonderful day and everyone had a good time--especially the Bubble Brigade! They were in charge of bubble attacks!

Chat with me!

On Monday, June 18, 2007, I will be chatting at Novel Talk with two other NJRW authors. The chat starts at 9 p.m. (Eastern time). I will be giving away a T-shirt with the cover from The Beast of Blackbirch Manor on it.

Join me at the chat! It should be lots of fun. :^)

Not Phlox!

Sister #1 has corrected me. She has a Masters in horticulture. She is also a Master Gardener. She knows a lot more about green things than I do. She told me the flowers in the photo I took are not phlox. She says they look a like wildflower called Dames Rocket, which is considered an invasive weed. She said phlox has five flower petals, not four, and phlox blooms much later in the summer.

However, she really likes the invasive weed variety and she has some in her home garden. She also said she'll give me some. :^) I shouldn't have any problem growing them.

Now, if I do write a scene with those flowers in them, I'll be able to give them the correct name.

A Memory

On Memorial Day, I always remember my brother. He was a year older than me, but he died in 1973. He was a navigator/bombardier on an F-111.

I like to look at old photos and remember all the good times--and there were lots of them. The photo above shows me, my brother, and sister #1 riding on the lake behind our house. We had christened our little dinghy, Scout, with a bottle of Seven-Up. We spent our summers in that boat.

Phlox

I went back yesterday with my camera to snap some photos of the beautiful and abundant phlox. Now I have the photo on my desktop. :^)

Enchanting Flowers

I love flowers and despite my lack of luck in growing things, I plant flowers every year. This year I am trying sunflowers from seeds. So far the seedlings are doing well. I also bought some dianthus and marigolds. I planted them this week. The weather was nearly perfect and it was nice to wield a trowel in the sunshine. Of course, it will be wonderful if I get lots and lots of flowers, but I'm a realist and I expect that some of the local critters will eat my flowers. Also, if we get a very dry summer and I don't water the flowers enough, the plants may not survive.

I am an optimist though, and occasionally I have enough flowers to cut and arrange in a vase. That makes all the work of cultivating seem worthwhile. So when I see a field of flowers that nobody planted, it seems like a miracle to me.

Today hubby and I went for a walk along one of my favorite trails which winds down into a wide ravine. At the bottom is a very swampy area. Most of the trees in the woods are tulip trees, which are incredibly tall and majestic.

Only a month ago, the trail was still gray and barren, though I could see signs of spring in the fiddleheads, the skunk cabbage, and the periwinkles. Today, I was greeted with the sight of lavender and white phlox. Not just a few phlox. A whole field of them! And I forgot to bring my camera along. :^(

It was an enchanting sight and brought to mind fables of fairies and other magical creatures. I think I will have to put it in a book somewhere.

Graduation!

Daughter #3 graduated on Sunday. Daughter #2 attended the ceremony as well as hubby and I. Daughter #1 was out at sea. :^(

The program was delightfully short--due in part to blessedly brief speeches but also because the college had two ceremonies, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Afterwards, we nibbled on cookies and cake at the reception. Then we headed home.

I'll miss that college. Daughter #1 started there in 1996 and then Daughter #3 decided to go there. too. The place holds a lot of memories. Whenever I smell the scent of pine trees, I'll remember it.

Still, we all agree that Daughter #2 had best graduation ceremony when she got her BFA at Mason Gross. Those people know how run a party. At the reception, they even served wine.:^)

A Grandnephew's First Communion

It was party time in Massachusetts this past weekend. Our grandnephew received his First Holy Communion. He looks a bit bored in the photo, but just a few hours before the big event we found him full of energy, swinging his baseball bat and launching a tennis ball across the street.


His parents ran a terrific party with plenty of food. Naturally, hubby brought along one of his accordions and provided hours of entertainment for everyone.



Some of the kids became inspired and joined in on other instruments. The percussion section of the band was a wee bit painful to the ear. :^)


Nevertheless, we had a great time. And who knows--one of those kids may actually take music lessons someday.

My New Toy

I bought a new ebook reader--the ebookwise. My old Rocket still works--sort of. However, it won't find text anymore, or make notes, or even go backwards. :^(

The new ebookwise has some nice features that the old Rocket did not have--I can make notes directly on the book I'm reading!

It came with several books already loaded into it, but I immediately bought a book I wanted to read and also loaded in my unedited version of The Beast of Blackbirch Manor--so I can check it for errors. I got the word from my editor that the book will be released in May--which isn't too far away. :^)

Water, Water Everywhere

There has been a lot of rain in NJ due to a nor'easter. We live near a dam and today there was a rather impressive amount of water flowing over the dam. There was also a rather impressive amount of water beneath the dam. I worry about the road washing away or about the dam breaking.That hasn't happened yet in all the years that we've lived here, but it is possible.



My writer's mind has an unfortunate tendency to consider worst case scenarios. After all, it would make an excellent setting for a scary disaster story. But fiction is one thing and reality is another. There are communities here in NJ that are being evacuated today due to flooding. It seems to be a perpetual problem along the shore and along the rivers--wherever there are low-lying areas.

Hopefully, the rain will stop, the sun will come out, and the dam will hold up despite the great quantity of water spilling over it.

KISS OF BLARNEY Reviewed at The Romance Studio

Better late than never, I suppose. Kiss of Blarney was released in February 2006. The review at The Romance Studio was posted April 10, 2007.

Among other thing the reviewer said, "Kiss of Blarney is a lusty adult fairy tale ...an adventure filled with magic and surprises." That's the good part.

You can read the rest of the review at http://www.theromancestudio/reviews/reviews/kissblarneymarec.htm--or not. I believe the reviewer did not understand that Kiss of Blarney is a novella. Yes, it is a quick light hearted diversion--because it contains approximately 29,000 words.

Sigh.


My favorite review of Kiss of Blarney remains the one Ciar Cullen gave me. You can read that at her blog at http://ciarcullen.blogspot.com/2006/05/review-kiss-of-blarney-by-penelope.html.

She's such a sweetie. :^)

I'm Unique

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny greeted everyone at church this morning. After Mass, Daughter #2 took this photo with her cellphone. It was really quite chilly this morning--there were a few snowflakes flying around here and there. Inside the church, there were lovely flowers all around the altar--so inside it felt like spring. But outside--brrrr.

Finished--sort of...

Last night I finished THE BEAST OF BLACKBIRCH MANOR. Sort of. I know it will return to me after the editor goes over it and then I will have more to fix. A book is never done until it is released. But it was a good feeling to type "The End." :^)

Today is the last day of my spring break, so I was happy to put the book aside and go gallivanting with hubby to the Columbus Farmers Market. Hubby is a frequent visitor to Columbus but this was the first time I went with him. He has flea market friends. There's the nut lady, Dottie. She is such a sweet lady and she gives away free samples. Today she was handing out dried pineapple and prunes. She said the prunes were good for osteoporosis. Hmmm.

She also had candied ginger. She said it is good for the stomach and if we were going on a cruise we should take it along. We are not going on a cruise, but both hubby and I were instantly addicted to the candied ginger, so we bought it.

Then we went to the spice dealer. He told us that cream of tartar is good for cleaning silverware. Hmmm. (I think it's really for aluminum.) It doesn't matter to me--I use it to make playdough.

There's a large restaurant apparently owned by Mennonites. We had subs for lunch with Lebanon Bologna.

I saw the perfect hall chair in a small furniture store. I did not buy it--yet--but I am seriously thinking about it. I've wanted one for a long time, but I never found one that fit all my specifications--until now.

So I may go back to the Columbus Farmers Market.

On the way home we stopped at the Book Garden--a used bookstore in Cream Ridge. It is an awesome place and one of our favorite used bookstores. I bought two history books. I am thinking of writing another historical. :^)

My Spring Break

I have spent the past week immersed in writing, but I ventured out several times. On Tuesday, hubby and I went to the local library to have the AARP expert help us with our taxes. We had to wait our turn, so I wandered around the stacks and found a few books with clothing styles of the 1890s. I have borrowed the same books from the library previously, but this time I was looking specifically for an evening gown for my heroine to wear and a tuxedo for the hero. I photocopied pictures from the books of the outfits I liked. You can see the heroine's gown here.

On Thursday, hubby I went to the Stitch 'n Sew Centre in Lakewood. I had heard that it is a terrific store with a wealth of fabrics and other sewing supplies. Walking into the store, hubby and I were overwhelmed. There was too much! I checked out the pattern books for costumes of the 1890's while hubby browsed the aisles looking for fabric that would make a good grill cloth for one of his accordions. He wound up buying nothing, and I only bought two spools of thread. But it was worth a visit. The array of fabrics is mind-boggling.

Last night, hubby and I attended the annual gala of the Monmouth Festival of the Arts. Hubby gorged himself on Swedish meatballs along with a variety of other hors d'oeuvres. He judges art shows by the quantity and quality of the food. :^) I enjoyed looking at the artwork and chatting with people.

On the drive home after the arts festival, several more ideas for the book rushed into my brain. So as soon as I got home, I hurried back to the computer and started writing again.

Sometimes, taking a break is a good thing.

One Pot Meal

We always combine our St. Patrick's Day celebration with Daughter #3's birthday. I make my Irish soda bread, and then boil corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes--all in one pot. I love the simplicity of it. No fuss. One pot to clean.

For dessert we have ice cream cake--purchased, of course--so that's no work for me.

This is one of my favorite parties because it involves so little effort. The soda bread takes a bit of time, but it is worth it because nothing tastes quite as good as homemade soda bread fresh from the oven. My daughters have told me they have bought soda bread and it is never as good as mine. :^)

One of our guests told me I should sell it.

But I don't know if I would want to make soda bread everyday. I think it wouldn't be so special to me anymore.