The Lumberjack's Lady by Susan Page Davis

The Lumberjack's Lady by Susan Page Davis

From Heartsong Presents website:
Letitia Hunter works as a clerk at her father's lumber company, but her place in society is well established. When an intriguing French lumberjack comes to work in the office alongside her, Letitia knows she cannot allow the feelings he stirs within her. Her father would never consider him an eligible suitor. From the moment Etienne rescued the boss's lovely young daughter from drowning in a frozen lake, he has not been able to put her out of his mind. Working with her only complicates things. Yet his feelings for her are so strong. Can he overcome prejudice and prove his worth both as an employee and as a man? God works in mysterious ways, His children to bless. Will He make this relationship work?

===
This was a sweet story that held my interest. It had a different twist from usual Heartsongs, I suppose, because the hero is a French Canadian lumberjack. When my sister saw the cover, she said, "What's Paul Bunyon doing on the cover of that book you're reading?"

Letitia has always lived by her father's rules, quietly working beside him in the office of his lumber company. However, while visiting one of her father's lumber camps, she falls into a frozen lake while ice skating. She's rescued by handsome Etienne, a French Canadian lumberjack. Etienne is smitten with the boss's daughter, but knows she's way out of his league. He came from an under-priviledged background and has little money. Letitia has a lot of wealth, and he knows her father would never agree to having him as a son-in-law.

Letitia's father, Mr. Hunter, calls Etienne Steve (Etienne is French for Steven). Although Mr. Hunter admires the office talents of his new employee, he knows the man is not a suitable mate for his daughter. Leticia shuns the advances of one of her father's wealthy clients, much to her father's dissatisfaction.

Leticia and Etienne have a lot of obstacles to overcome before their romance can blossom into a beautiful relationship.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Vampires In Christian Fiction And The Amish

Does that title get your attention? Since I've blogged about vampires and the Amish, I found yesterday's post on Novel Journey Blog to be quite interesting!

Read the post and comments if you feel inclined!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

What The Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

What The Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (March 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825429374
ISBN-13: 978-0825429378

From Amazon.com:
Product Description
The past can't stay buried forever Rising author Patti Lacy's second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana. Since leaving her home in the South, Sally Stevens has held the secrets of her past at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband, has heard the truth about her childhood. But when one of her students is violently raped, Sally's memories quickly bubble to the surface unbidden, like a dead body in a bayou. As Sally's story comes to light, the lies she's told begin to catch up with her. And as her web of deceit unravels, she resolves to face the truth at last, whatever the consequences.

==
This book was deep and moving! I could see a bunch of women reading this novel and then getting together for coffee and cookies while discussing it. Patti hits on some tough issues that we face here in America, which include bigotry and rape.

Sally suffered a traumatic childhood experience when she was twelve - which resulted in someone's death. Her secret African-American friend, Ella, has also carried this secret. Both women have suffered greatly because of this incident, and Sally started lying as a youngster to cover up her forbidden friendship, and to hid the tragedy. Amidst the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the rape of one of Sally's community college students, her memories are set free from her mind, making her stop and think about how her years of actions are affecting her life and the lives of others, including her husband's! I think Sally lies so much that she no longer realizes that she's doing it!

I don't want to tell too much of the story by giving away too many details, but, I think you should run out and buy this book today if you haven't already done so! You won't be disappointed!
The book also made me pause and think about my own childhood. Sally moves into a new area when she's around eleven or twelve, and I was ten when my family moved to a new area. It was strange, being the new Black kid in the neighborhood. People acted like I was a martian from outer space or something! When I graduated from high school, I was the only Black female in the class! Racism is something that I've experienced in my life and Patti touched upon this issue in a realistic way.

Great story! You should read it!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Brady Bunch!

TV Land is hosting a Brady Bunch Marathon this weekend for the 40th anniversary of the show! I've been having a blast of a time looking at those episodes. Although I do recall seeing them weekly in the early seventies when I was like, five or six, (I recall it coming on either on Friday or Saturday night), I really grew to love the show watching re-runs over the years. I've seen them so many times that I can even recite the lines on a lot of the episodes. The show is corny, but I love watching it!

Pure nostalgia!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lancaster County Visit Part II

I woke up at the Bed and Breakfast to the sound of horses clomping on the road. A buggy was passing by and I heard several of them rolling by before I finally got out of bed. Hubby and I went downstairs for breakfast around 8:30. There was only one other couple there and they’d only stayed one night, like we did. They were passing through on their way home. The other couple we’d seen the previous night at dinner had left early in the morning to head back to Massachusetts.

Ron made breakfast. I can’t recall, exactly, the name of the dish, but it was some sort of grain bread, soaked in maple syrup, baked, and then had a hard-cooked egg on top. We had link sausage on the side and orange juice and coffee. Ron’s wife prayed before we started our meal. The food was good and there was pie for dessert. Yes, they served dessert after breakfast.

Ron and his wife Pat talked about different Amish traditions while we ate: including Rumspringa and the fact that the Amish in their community don’t ride bikes – they ride scooters instead. Pat also said that there were some orders of Amish who don’t even run. I didn’t understand what she meant but she explained that there were some who don’t participate in Rumspringa.

After breakfast, hubby and I packed our stuff and loaded the car. Ron said goodbye and invited us to come back and visit them again. He also encouraged us to go next door to take a few pics of the mill and here they are:






He also told us that business has not been booming for them over the last couple of months. I told him it was probably because of the bad economy. He said that the breakfast they’d just served to four people…well, last year he would have been serving breakfast to a full-house of 18 people – they’re usually booked solid this time of the year, but that hasn’t been happening lately. If you decide to visit Lancaster County, be sure to check out Ron’s Bed and Breakfast and think about staying there. My hubby and I enjoyed staying in his house, even if it was only for one night. Ron proved to be a wealth of information about Amish history.

Afterwards, hubby and I made the journey to The Plain And Fancy Farm. On the way, I saw a bunch of Amish buggies outside of someone’s home. Here’s the pic:





I’m assuming this was where they were having church. From talking to Sally, I gathered that they have church every other week and they’ll have the service in someone’s home.

Got milk???

I also saw a place that was selling goat's milk! Not sure why anybody would want to purchase goat's milk? Anybody reading this blog know the answer? Here's the pics for the signs for goat's milk:


When we got to The Plain And Fancy Farm, we paid our money to see the movie called Jacob’s Choice.

The theater was fashioned in the way of an Amish meeting place. The wooden benches had no backs, so they were not very comfortable. Since they weren’t crowded, hubby and I sat in the back in the handicapped seats…reason being, these were fashioned like regular comfortable chairs and I didn’t feel like sitting on a hard wooden, backless bench during the course of the movie.

The movie was about a boy named Jacob, who is going through his Rumspringa. He’s on a baseball team and he’s been staying out all night with his friends. His father and grandfather are not pleased with his actions since he’s been faltering about joining the Amish church. During the course of the movie, the grandfather talks to Jacob about Amish history, and you are reminded about how the Amish started. I’ll sprinkle in the history as I recall hearing it…but don’t quote me on these “facts”. I don’t know a whole lot about the Amish so if you want to know the history, it’d be best to research it outside of this blog entry!

The Amish is a subgroup that broke away from the Mennonites. They lived in Germany, but met lots of persecution. William Penn (or maybe it was William’s dad? Can’t recall) provided a place (Pennsylvania) where all could come and practice their religion freely. The Amish emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania. The Amish and Mennonites are part of the Anabaptist movement. They don’t believe in infant baptism…baptism should be a choice, and that’s why they encourage adult baptism. Currently, there are Amish in a number of states, including Canada.

Jacob struggles with making the choice of joining the Amish church. He’s falling for an Amish girl, but she doesn’t know if Jacob would be the right mate for her since he still hasn’t joined the church. A tragic event causes Jacob to finally make the decision that’s right for him.

The movie was different because they’ll show different things on different screens. It’s kind of hard to describe, but one way to let you know what I’m talking about is, when Jacob’s dad and grandfather are discussing his recent actions on one screen, you’ll see Jacob trying to sneak into the barn on another screen.

After the movie, we stopped at the pen housing the small horses. Here's a few pics of one of the horses:




You could place 25 cents into the dispenser to get food to feed the animals. They encourage you to leave the cracked corn feed in the bucket - they don't want the horses eating out of you hand!

We then went for a buggy ride! Quite a smelly experience since the horses relieved themselves shortly before we took off! The driver told us about Amish history while she took us on our 25-minute ride. Here’s a pic of hubby in front of the buggy:


Then we had lunch at an Amish-themed restaurant. I had fried chicken, chicken pot pie, and mashed potatoes and gravy, chow chow, and corn, I think? It was a lot of food and I couldn’t finish it! Hubby had barbequed sandwich and fries. After eating we browsed in the store attached to the restaurant. Amish fiction was clearly represented! Here’s the pics of the books that I saw:





That’s about it! We had a great time and I’ll probably visit again and plan to do more research on the Amish!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Cousin's Prayer

Since I'm off from work this week, I went ahead and finished A Cousin's Prayer. The book was somewhat entertaining, but, I felt the story lacked believability. Reason being, there were so many accidents, calamities, maladies and such that it took away from the storyline. Everything from paper cuts needing stitches, people miscarrying, dying, getting hit in the head, passing out, etc. occurred in the story. It seemed like every few chapters there was an accident or illness of some sort happpening in the novel. It got a bit tiresome reading about those incidents after awhile.

HOWEVER, the author did do a great job with showing we need to accept God's gift of salvation in order to overcome all of our problems. Katie's salvation scene was very moving, and that's the most important lesson in a Christian book. I did get more involved with the story during the second half than the first.

If you want to read something that doesn't require much thought, effort, or analysis, then you should read this story. Also, I could see this story appealing to young adults because I think most of the main characters are in their twenties.

One unusual aspect of the story was the businesses owned by the main characters. Freeman owns a bike repair shop and Katie helps her mom in a stamp shop? I'd never heard of a stamp shop until I read this book. It appears similiar to a stationary store? It seemed like a bulk of the shop's income came from the sell of rubber stamps, which I found highly unusual. Why? Not sure. I know about rubber stamps but didn't realize that people made a living selling rubber stamps in various forms in a place called a stamp shop. When I hear the term stamp shop, I think of a place that sells postage stamps - a place where stamp collectors would go to add new and unusual postage stamps to their collection.

The bicycle repair shop seemed a bit odd to me, too. I haven't seen a full-blown bicycle repair shop since the seventies. Since I'm not much of a rider, it's possible they still exist, though. I have seen bike sales shops, and they offer repairs, too. But I'm assuming since this is an Amish community, a bike repair shop would be used more since the Amish might have a use for bikes more than Englishers?

I still need to blog about part II of my Lancaster County trip, and I plan on doing that shortly.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Cousin's Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter

I haven't had a chance to read this book yet, but, I can tell you that I saw a lot of Wanda B's novels during my Amish weekend - two days ago in Lancaster County.

I'll be posting a full review once I'm finished with the novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Wanda E. Brunstetter

and the book:

A Cousin’s Prayer

Barbour Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Wanda E. Brunstetter is nationally recognized as an expert on the Amish community, and her book sales have topped the three million mark. Her books White Christmas Pie, A Sister’s Hope, and Allison’s Journey topped Publishers Weekly Paperback Religion Bestsellers lists in 2008. Her books have also received other honors, including the 2006 Reader’s Choice Award and the CBD Book of the Week. Brunstetter enjoys an uncommon kinship with the Amish and loves to visit their communities throughout the country.

Visit the author's website.



Product Details:

List Price: $10.97
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602600619
ISBN-13: 978-1602600614

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Prologue

Katie Miller’s stomach churned as she read the letter she’d just received from her cousin Loraine:

Dear Katie,

Wayne and I will be getting married the last Thursday of April. I’d like you to be one of my attendants.

Katie’s heart pounded. There was no way she could go to her cousin’s wedding, much less be one of her attendants.

“Who’s the letter from?” Katie’s grandmother asked, taking a seat on the porch swing beside Katie.

“Loraine. She’s getting married in April, and she wants me to be one of her attendants.” Katie almost choked on the words.

“That’s wunderbaar. I’m sure you’re looking forward to going.”

Katie shook her head. “I don’t want to go.”

“Think how disappointed Loraine would be if you weren’t at her wedding.”

Katie’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I can’t go back to Indiana, Grammy.”

“Loraine and Wayne have been through so much. Don’t you want to be there to share in their joy?”

Katie shivered despite the warm Florida breeze. If Timothy hadn’t been killed on their way to Hershey Park last fall, she’d be planning her own wedding right now.

“Katie, did you hear what I said?”

Katie nodded, hoping she wouldn’t give in to the tears pushing against her eyelids. “If I hadn’t freaked out about a bee in the van, Timothy, Paul, and Raymond would still be alive.” Katie drew in a shaky breath. “Jolene wouldn’t have lost her hearing, either, and Wayne would still have both of his legs.”

“You’re not to blame, Katie. It was an accident. It might have happened even if you hadn’t been afraid of the bee.” Grammy touched Katie’s arm. “You need to accept it and go on with your life.”

“I–I don’t know if I can.”

“Timothy wouldn’t want you to continue grieving for him. He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for the accident.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“Then you ought to listen.” Grammy took hold of Katie’s hand. “Let’s go inside so you can write Loraine and let her know you’ll be at the wedding.”

“I–I’m afraid to go. The thought of traveling alone scares me. I don’t think I can deal with all the painful memories that are there.”

“Will you go to Loraine’s wedding if I go with you?”

“What about Grandpa? Would he go, too?”

Grammy shook her head. “He has things to do here.”

Katie couldn’t imagine what things Grandpa would have to do. He was retired and spent a good deal of his time at the beach.

“What about it, Katie?” Grammy asked. “Will you go to the wedding if I go along?”

Katie sat for several seconds, thinking things through. Finally, she gave a slow nod. It would be easier going back to Indiana with Grammy along, and as soon as the wedding was over, they’d come back here.





Chapter 1


“It sure is good to have you home,” Katie’s father said as they headed down the road in his buggy toward Uncle Amos and Aunt Priscilla’s house. He glanced over at Katie and smiled. “Your mamm said Loraine was real pleased when she got your letter saying you’d be one of her attendants.”

Katie clutched the folds in her dress as she stared out the window. She didn’t know why she felt so edgy. She hadn’t felt like this when she was in Florida. She’d been depressed after Timothy died, but not quivery inside the way she’d been since she’d climbed into Dad’s buggy. She was grateful they didn’t have far to go.

Dad motioned to what was left of the barn they were passing. “Take a look at the devastation from the tornado that hit this past winter. That terrible storm affected nearly everyone around these parts in some way or another.”

“No one was killed, though, right?”

“No, but some were injured, and the damage was great. Many, like Wayne’s folks, lost their homes, barns, and shops. It’s a good thing the house Wayne started building before he lost his leg didn’t sustain any damage from the tornado,” Dad said. “Several of the men in our community finished it for him, and Wayne’s folks have been livin’ in it ever since.”

“Will they continue living there after Loraine and Wayne get married?” Katie asked.

Dad nodded. “At least until their own house is done.”

Katie knew from some of the things Loraine had said in her letters that she and Ada hadn’t always gotten along so well. She wondered how things would be having them both living under the same roof.

“Look at the Chupps’ place.” Dad pointed to the left. “They lost their barn, his buggy shop, and the house. Only those who’ve actually seen the destruction of a tornado like we had here can even imagine such a sight.”

Katie gripped the edge of the seat. “I don’t understand why God allows such horrible things to happen.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s not our place to question God. His ways are not our ways.”

Katie clamped her teeth together in an effort to keep from saying what was on her mind. Dad wouldn’t understand if she told him how angry she was with God for taking Timothy. He’d probably give her a lecture and say it was Timothy’s time to die, like he’d said to her on the day of Timothy’s funeral.

“Do you know how long you’ll be helping at Loraine’s?” Dad asked.

“Probably most of the day, since I’m sure there’s a lot to be done before the wedding. You can come by sometime before supper and pick me up, or I can ask someone to give me a ride home.”

“I don’t mind coming back for you. I’ll be here around four, okay?”

“That’s fine, but if we get done sooner, I’ll just ask for a ride home.”

“Sounds good.” Dad guided the horse up Uncle Amos’s driveway and directed him toward the barn. When they stopped at the hitching rail, Dad turned to Katie and said, “Have a good day, and don’t work too hard. You’re lookin’ kind of peaked today.”

“I’ll be fine, Dad.” Katie climbed out of the buggy and headed to the house. She wasn’t fine at all. It seemed strange being back here again. She’d only been gone from home a little over six months, but it seemed a lot longer.

She noticed several people in the yard, pulling weeds and planting flowers, but didn’t see any sign of Loraine or her folks. She figured they must be in the house.

When she stepped onto the back porch, she drew in a shaky breath. She wished Grammy or Mom would have come with her today, instead of going shopping in Shipshewana. Katie figured since Mom and Grammy hadn’t seen each other for several months, they probably wanted to spend some time alone.

Just as Katie lifted her hand to knock on the back door, it swung open. Loraine stepped onto the porch and gave Katie a hug. “It’s so good to have you home! Danki for coming. It means a lot for me to have you and Ella as my attendants.”

“Danki for asking me.” Katie forced a smile. In some ways, it was good to be here, but she felt as out of place as a chicken in a duck pond.

“I just wish Jolene could be here, too.”

“She’s not coming?”

“Huh-uh. Her aunt’s been dealing with carpal tunnel on both of her wrists, and she recently had surgery to correct the problem. Jolene thought it’d be best if she stayed in Pennsylvania to help out.”

“That makes sense. But do you think Jolene will ever come back to Indiana?” Katie asked.

“I hope so.” Loraine opened the door and motioned Katie inside. “Ella and her sister Charlene are in the kitchen. We decided to have a snack before we head out to the barn to help decorate the tables for the wedding meal.”

When Katie entered the kitchen behind Loraine, she saw Ella and Charlene sitting at the table.

Ella jumped up, raced over Katie, and gave her a hug that nearly took Katie’s breath away. “It’s so good to see you! We’ve all missed you so much!”

Katie smiled. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“Would you like a glass of iced tea?” Loraine asked.

Katie nodded and took a seat at the table.

“How about a piece of my sister’s appeditlich friendship bread?” Charlene motioned to the plate of bread on the table.

“I’m sure the bread’s delicious, but I’m not really hungry right now.”

“As skinny as you are, you oughta eat the whole loaf.” Charlene’s eyebrows lifted high. “Are you sure you’re not hungry?”

Katie shook her head.

Ella shot her sister a look of disapproval, but Charlene didn’t seem to notice. She was busy cutting herself another hunk of bread.

“Didn’t you have a birthday last month?” Charlene asked, her mouth full.

Katie nodded. “I turned twenty.”

Charlene grabbed her glass and took a drink. “You’d sure never know it. Why, you don’t look like you’re more than sixteen.” She pointed to herself. “I look older than you.”

Katie groaned inwardly. She didn’t need the reminder that she looked young for her age. She couldn’t help it if she was short, petite, and had the face of a teenager. At least I act more mature than my sixteen-year-old cousin, she thought.

“I got a letter from Jolene last week,” Ella said. “She won’t be coming to Loraine’s wedding because—”

“She already knows,” Loraine interrupted. “I told her about Jolene’s aunt when we were out on the porch.”

“I wonder if Jolene’s using her aunt’s surgery as an excuse not to come home. She might be afraid that she won’t fit in with the rest of us now that she can’t hear,” Charlene put in.

Ella shot her sister another look. “I’m sure that’s not the reason. Jolene would never make up an excuse not to come to the wedding.”

Katie’s shoulders tensed as she shifted her gaze to the window. What would her cousins think if they knew she hadn’t wanted to come home for the wedding? Did they have any idea how hard it had been for her to make the trip? Even with Grammy along, Katie had felt anxious on the bus ride. Every horn honk and sudden stop had sent shivers up her spine. She knew she couldn’t have made the trip home alone. Even though she wasn’t looking forward to riding the bus again, she looked forward to going back to Florida where there were no painful reminders of the past.

Loraine stood. “Would anyone like to see my wedding dress?”

Charlene’s hand shot up. “I would!”

“Me, too,” Ella said.

Katie nodded as well.

“I’ll be right back.” Loraine scurried out of the room.

Charlene nudged Katie’s arm. “What’s it like in Pinecraft? That’s where your grossmudder lives, isn’t it?”

Katie nodded as she fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. “As you know, Pinecraft is the section of Sarasota where many Plain People have homes or come to rent. It’s a nice community.”

“Is it true that there are no horses and buggies?” Charlene asked.

Katie nodded. “Unless they’re going out of the area and need to hire a driver, everyone either walks or rides a bike.”

“Do you go to the beach very often?” Ella questioned.

“Jah. Grandpa and I go there a lot. We enjoy looking for shells, and Grandpa likes to fish.”

Charlene sighed. “I wish I could visit Florida sometime. I’m sure I’d enjoy being on the beach.”

“Maybe you can visit me there sometime.”

Ella’s eyes widened. “You’re going back?”

“Of course. My home’s in Pinecraft now.”

The room got deathly quiet. Ella and Charlene stared at each other as though in disbelief.

Katie figured it was time for a change of subject. “Who did Wayne choose to be his attendants?” she asked.

“Jolene’s bruder, Andrew, and Freeman Bontrager,” Ella replied. “Wayne and Freeman have become good friends since Freeman and his sister, Fern, moved back to Indiana a few months ago.”

“Freeman opened a bicycle shop,” Charlene added. “Mom and Dad bought me a new bike for my birthday in February.”

“Oh, I see.” Katie stifled a yawn. She’d had trouble falling asleep last night.

“Freeman won’t be helping here today because he has lots of work at the shop.” Charlene sipped her iced tea. “You should see all the bikes he has. I’ll bet he’d do real well if he had a shop in Sarasota, since so many people ride bikes there.”

“Here it is,” Loraine said, sweeping into the room with a khaki green dress draped over her arm. “I’ll wear a full white apron over the front of the dress, of course.” She held it out to Katie. “What do you think?”

With trembling fingers and a wave of envy, Katie touched the smooth piece of fabric. “It–it’s very nice.”

“Are you okay?” Loraine asked with a look of concern. “Your hand’s shaking.”

Katie dropped both hands into her lap and clutched the folds in her dress. “I’m fine. Just a bit shaky because I didn’t have much breakfast.”

“Then you oughta have a piece of this.” Charlene pushed the plate of friendship bread toward Katie. “You’ll blow away in a strong wind if you don’t put some meat on your bones.”

Katie ground her teeth until her jaw began to ache. One of the first things Mom had said to her when she’d arrived home was that she needed to gain some weight. Of course, Dad had mentioned it, too.

“Charlene’s right.” Ella spoke up. “If you’re feeling shaky, then you should eat something.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Katie grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite. Then she washed it down with a sip of iced tea.

Bam! The screen door swung open, causing Katie to nearly jump out of her seat. Walking with a slow, stiff gait, Wayne entered the room. His face broke into a wide smile when he saw Katie. “Wie geht’s?”

“I’m fine.” The lie rolled off Katie’s tongue much too easily. She was getting used to telling people what she thought they wanted to hear.

Wayne moved across the room and stood beside Loraine’s chair. “We’re sure glad you could come for the wedding.”

Katie forced a smile and nodded.

“Would you like to see my new leg?” Before she could respond, Wayne pulled up his pant leg, exposing his prosthesis.

Katie bit back a gasp. “D-does it hurt?” She could hardly get the words out.

“It did at first, but I’ve pretty well adjusted to it now.” Wayne took a seat beside Loraine. “It could have been worse, and I’m grateful to be alive.”

Uneasiness tightened Katie’s chest, and she blew out a slow, shaky breath. Seeing him like this was a reminder of what she’d caused—and what she’d lost.

Wayne reached around Ella and grabbed a piece of bread. “Looks like you’ve been baking again, huh, Ella?”

She nodded. “It keeps me busy when I’m not helping my daed in his business.”

“Those wind chimes he makes are so nice,” Loraine said. “I might buy one soon, to hang on our porch.”

“You won’t have to do that,” Charlene said. “Dad and Mom are planning to give you one of his nicest sets of wind chimes for a wedding present.”

Ella poked her sister’s arm. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Charlene covered her mouth. “Oops.”

Loraine poured another glass of iced tea and handed it to Wayne. “How are things going outside?”

“Pretty good. By the end of the day, I think your folks’ yard will look like a park.” He grinned and lifted his glass to take a drink. “This sure hits the spot. It’s getting mighty warm out there. Much warmer than normal for April, I think.”

“That’s fine with me,” Loraine said. “A warm spring day is exactly what I wished we’d have on our wedding day. I hope the weather stays just like it is—at least until Thursday.”

Katie stared out the kitchen window, blinking back tears of envy and frustration. I’d give anything if it were me and Timothy getting married in two days. Oh, Lord, please give me the strength to get through Loraine’s wedding.

Amish Visit Part II Coming Soon

I was going to blog about the rest of my Amish visit today, but, it's late and I'm too tired! I'll be sure to blog about it within the next day or so! Stay tuned!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lancaster County, PA!

After dropping our son off to his grandparents’ house, we headed to Lancaster County PA to Osceola Mill Bed and Breakfast. Ron welcomed us into his establishment, telling us that the place was 240 years old, and most of the people living on his street are Amish. There are only a few Englishers living on his street, and the few Englishers are the only ones using electricity since the Amish don’t use it. He told me he’d arranged for us to have dinner with Sally and her family (an Amish family) at 6:00 that evening.

He suggested we go to The Kettle Village for the remainder of the day, before dinner. So, as we headed in that direction, we stopped at one of the many farms in the area. The smell was pretty strong, kind of reminded me of the dairy farm I visited over a year ago. I took these pics of the horses grazing in the grass.




On the way, we passed a lot of buggies. I’d wanted to take some pics of the buggies, but I was not able to have my camera ready when we passed them, plus I was driving. When we arrived at The Kettle Village, we wandered through the different stores. I went into Lapp’s Coach Shop and admired the furniture. I thought it was reasonably priced and they had hope chests, stools, children’s furniture, dressers, and children’s games. We purchased a small wooden train with a caboose for our son. The pieces hook together and in between the train and the caboose is our son’s name, CJ (his name’s really Christopher, but we call him CJ). I didn’t feel like purchasing all of the letters to his name, plus, I thought he might lose them! I saw a cute little children’s game where a small wooden car set that’s linked together, runs down a four-layer ramp. I was tempted to get this for our son, but, again, was unsure if he’d be able to keep the cars and not lose them.

We then went to a quilt shop and then to an art store. In both the quilt shop and Coach shop, there were signs stating that no photos were allowed. We saw more buggies on the road, but, again, I was not able to get a picture.

By this time, it was time to head Sally’s for dinner. On the way, I saw an Amish boy riding on a scooter. I stopped the car and rolled my window down, and a fresh wave of manure/animal/farm smell swept into our car. My hubby said, “Will you shut that window! I don’t like that smell.”

Ignoring hubby (he didn’t realize what I was doing since he’s blind, and didn’t know there was a kid across the street that I wanted to talk to.) I asked the kid, “Hi, can I take your picture?”

The boy nodded.

I then said, “Your mommy won’t mind if I take it?”

He shook his head. I focused, aimed, and took the pic…just as a truck went roaring by! So, I said, “Hold on, let me get another one.” I took a second pic, and here it is!

I thought it turned out really good!

I said, “Thank you!”

He just shrugged and said, “You’re welcome,” before riding away on his scooter.

We showed up at Sally’s a short time later. I saw two other dinner guests waiting in the yard and discovered they were staying in the same bed and breakfast where we were staying. They’d walked down and I mentioned how Ron had said there aren’t any streetlights on the road at night, so it’s pretty dark. They said they’d brought their flashlight with them to light the way! I took a couple of pics of the flowers growing in front of Sally’s house. The other guests mentioned that the flowers had a lot of butterflies floating around them earlier, but, by the time I took these pics, the butterflies were gone for the most part.




Sally invited us inside, and there were about twenty people there. The guests consisted of: Me and my hubby
A foursome from Argentina
A married couple (can’t recall where they were from)
A couple from Massachusetts (they’re the ones staying in the same B&B as hubby and I)
Someone from Sweden (with wife and family, I think)
A couple of people from the UK, along with their families.

Sally and her older daughters (Sally has seven kids, the oldest is about 16 and the youngest is 2!) served us: bread, butter, water, canned fruit, applesauce, chicken pot pie, barbequed meatloaf, potatoes, corn, and pickles. There was chocolate cake and vanilla cream pie for dessert.

After dinner, Sally sat at the table and asked everybody to introduce themselves, tell where they were from and what they did for a living. She also invited us to ask questions about the Amish life. I asked about Rumspringa, do the Amish really act that wild during those years? She implied that the Englisher perspective of Rumspringa is exaggerated. Her sixteen year old is going through Rumspringa right now and all it is is youth group. She meets with a large youth group every Sunday and this is the period of time where the young people start looking for a mate. She said they don’t usually start dating until 18 and they don’t usually get married until their early twenties. She did say that Rumspringa is the time where SOME Amish stray from the faith – wearing English clothes and doing other things, like driving cars.

I also asked about the educational requirements. Why do the Amish only go to school until the eighth grade? She said that they don’t need an education higher than the eighth grade since most of them are farmers, so they don’t really need the higher education for that profession. Sally’s family owns a dairy farm. Two of her children were outside milking the cows while we ate dinner. She also said that because of state laws, the children are required to attend a weekly three-hour school session until they are fifteen. After fifteen, they don’t have to go to school anymore.

Someone else asked about the power in the house for the refrigerator and the lights. She said they get the power from propane. A few others asked questions and it’s hard for me to remember them all, but one person asked how Sally came to host dinner for so many people in her home. She said it was a tradition started by her mother. Her mother-in-law did it for awhile, but when she couldn’t do it anymore, Sally continued the tradition.

After questions, Sally sang a few songs to us with her daughters, some songs were in German and English. She ended the dinner by singing Amazing Grace, inviting us to sing along.

We then headed back to the B&B. We saw a few buggies along the way and my hubby asked, “Do the buggies have lights on them since it’s dark?”

I responded, “Yes, I saw some lights on the buggy.”

Tomorrow we plan on going to The Plain and Fancy Farm. It’s one of the few establishments around here that’s open on Sunday. I’ll blog about that visit, too.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

ACFW!!

My writing friend, Patricia Woodside, blogged about not attending the annual ACFW conference. I thought I'd blog about that, too! I attended the last three ACFW conferences and I had a great time! The fellowship was great, the food was good, and the price was about right, considering most of our meals were included in the conference price.

Tonight is Friday, and if memory serves me correctly, this is the night when the publishers and agents take their authors out to dinner or something. This is the night of Barbour's annual social time with their authors at either a restaurant or some other venue. I'll be missing out this year since my plans changed for 2009. I attended the RWA conference last summer since it was right in my neck of the woods - Washington D.C. Since I didn't have to purchase airfare, I decided to go to RWA instead. I hadn't been to an RWA conference since before I'd gotten married AND had a kid, so it was nice to attend and see some familiar faces, faces that I hadn't seen in person in awhile!

I've been reading the posts of different ACFW members who are blogging and facebooking about the conference. Sounds like I'm missing some fun, but I'm enjoying being at home, too.

I'll be off next week so hubby and I get to spend some quality time together. Due to babysitting logistics, we were not able to properly celebrate our anniversary last weekend, so, I booked a room at the following Bed and Breakfast - right in the heart of Amish territory! We're going to stay overnight tomorrow night, plus, we're supposed to be having dinner tomorrow with an Amish family at 6:00! Should be fun! I hope to take LOTS of pictures to post on this blog!! Our son will be staying with his grandparents, so we don't have to worry about bringing him with us!


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Posting a Book Review Soon

I was going to post a book review today, but, I'm tired, so I'll do it another day. The book is called What The Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy. Excellent read! I'll be posting a full review soon!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Apple Cake!

Happy Autumn! Fall is just about here, and when I think of Fall, I think of apples being harvested, and shorter days with cooler weather. I also think about school just starting, children lining up to get on the bus, the smell of a newly sharpened pencil, the feel of a fat crayon or a bottle of glue in my fingers.

I recently made an apple cake and my hubby loved it! Here's the recipe if you're interested. I used Granny Smith apples, but I'm pretty sure just about any kind of apples can be used!

When it's finished, enjoy a slice with a nice, cold glass of milk! Yum!



Apple Cake

2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups flour
4 cups peeled, chopped, raw apples
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pre-chopped macadamia nuts)

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 9" X 13" pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Icing (optional) - I made the icing and placed it on the cake! It was good! I'd recommend using this cream cheese icing, but, if you're out of cream cheese, you can try using vanilla/buttercream icing instead.

1/2 stick butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
6 oz. cream cheese

Mix until smooth. Spread over cake while still warm. Sprinkle chopped nuts over icing if desired.

I want to say that I placed the nuts directly into my cake batter? But, I might be mistaken about that! I need to ask my hubby! I don't recall sprinkling nuts on top of the icing, but I might have! It's been a few weeks since I made this cake, so my memory might be a bit faulty! :-)

Enjoy!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Happy Anniversary!

My hubby and I celebrated six years of marriage today! Here's pics of the roses that he sent to me! :-)

Since we were away for church and child activities most of the weekend, we hope to celebrate more next weekend!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

9/11

Take a moment to pray for those who lost loved ones on the anniversary of this horrific day.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Another Amish Article

Here's another Amish article if you're interested. I'm still tired from working overtime at my job. I need a break. I have to get in early tomorrow to finish up some stuff. If you feel inclined, lift up a prayer for my peace of mind, and some patience!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Recipe

I've got a recipe for apple cake that I'll be sharing soon. Was gonna do it today, but, I'm tired, and don't feel like doing a full blog post!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Happy Labor Day!!

It's kind of overcast right now, so I'm not sure we'll be going out to Greenbelt's Annual Labor Day Festival. We attended yesterday because my husband wanted to listen to the Battle Of The Bands. If the rain doesn't come, we plan on going back to the festival today. There's a picnic at one of the local churches at 12:00, then we'll go to the festival afterwards to listen to the bands again!

I hope all of you have a safe and happy Labor Day! Click on the image above to enlarge it! It's beautiful...it'll provide an oasis of vivid color to your day!
~Cecelia Dowdy~

Offended? Cast Of Characters For Sins Of The Father

I think I may have offended one of my blog readers with my review for Angela Benson's novel, Sins Of The Father.

Anonymous made the following comment on my blog:
Bastard? Interesting word to use. I didn't know anyone still used that word. I wonder if God sees them as bastards. I'm guessing no. You might want to consider seeing them as God seems them.

When I used the word bastard, I was thinking of the way I used to see it used in old-time TV shows, plus, Angela Benson (the author) used the word herself in the novel at least a few times? I recall the wife of Abraham - Saralyn - used the word, and it was obviously in a distasteful manner. I was comparing the novel to TV, and that's a word that I used to see crop up on TV drama shows.

The first time I heard the word bastard was when I was about ten or eleven. It was summer time, and you'll recall on my soap opera post that I was bored out of my mind during those hot summer months. When I was ten/eleven, I wasn't reading romance novels or watching soap operas yet, but I did watch a great deal of television. I was watching old black and white reruns of The Big Valley. Remember, these were re-reruns. I believe when The Big Valley first came on the air, I wasn't even born yet. Anyway, it's about this family living on a ranch or someplace like that, and the show had a western theme. Heath (A character played by Lee Majors. I really remember Lee Majors as the Six Million Dollar Man - that show DID air during my time - I remember it well in the seventies.) shows up at the ranch, and another character, can't recall his name, demands to know who Heath is. Heath's response is, "I'm your daddy's bastard son." Then they break out in a fight (kind of like Angela had Isaac and Michael doing in the boardroom at Abraham's company - see, I told you this book was just like a TV show!) Anyway, I turned to my mom, and asked, "Mom, what's a bastard?"

She told me it's a child who's born to parents who are not married. But she went on to say, "It's not a nice word, and I don't want to ever hear you say that word."

Suffice it to say, I never used that word, until yesterday's blog post, so, if I offended anybody, I didn't mean to...honest! Nowadays, there is no stigma to being born out of wedlock. I don't even know if there's a term used for children born to unmarried parents? Single unmarried mothers are common nowadays and I believe bastard was a word used more back in the eighteen and early to mid nineteen hundreds, perhaps? I know tons of people born to unmarried parents, and I know a lot of children born to unmarried parents and I don't think of them as bastards...honest! When I read Angela's book, that was the first time I'd seen the word bastard in ages.

Now, on to another subject! Wendy commented and asked:
Cecelia said:
I think the entire book should be placed on TV. Seriously. I felt like I was reading a script for a movie and I was ready to cast the actors for the parts.
Wendy's question:
>>who would you cast as characters for the parts?

Who would I cast?

Abraham would be either Harry Belafonte or James Earl Jones.


Saralyn would be Diahann Carroll.






























Issac and Michael? Well, remember in this soap opera post I talked about twins (or a variation of twins) being used in the soaps? Well, Issac and Michael would be played by the same person! Although they are not twins, they look an awful lot alike! I'd cast Shemar Moore to play both roles!
Deborah? Hmm. I'm not sure! Anybody have any suggestions on who should be cast as Deborah? I don't know who I'd cast for the lawyer, the man that Deborah has a crush on, the man that's old enough to be her daddy! I also don't know who I'd cast to play Deborah's and Michael's mom! Anybody have suggestions for that?
Okay, I usually don't blog about a book for more than a day! The few comments that came in sparked me to blog about the book again. If you enjoy soap operas and drama and TV, then I think you should check out Angela's novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sins Of The Father

I mentioned this novel the day before yesterday. So, as promised, I'm posting my review. This novel reminded me of a soap opera because it had a lot of drama and real-life issues. Abraham is a successful businessman, but, he's in the same boat as a lot of men (and women, nowadays) - he fathered a child before he got married. However, he was seeing two women at the same time and he married the one with the most wealth. Saralyn, his wife, hates that her husband has now turned soft-hearted and wants to unite with the children he had out of wedlock. I think the entire book should be placed on TV. Seriously. I felt like I was reading a script for a movie and I was ready to cast the actors for the parts. The drama between Abraham's son, his wife, and his illegitimate children gets murky when Abraham's in a serious accident, and is in a coma. Running his company is no picnic, but the characters need to learn that they need to forgive one another for all that's happened in the past.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Article About Amish Fiction

Here's an article about Amish Fiction.

I found a few things interesting in this article. The first being that Amish ministerial leaders advise AGAINST reading these Amish books because:
"Romance books are a great hindrance to a Christian marriage," said Andrew Troyer, a deacon in that community...
But they encourage the wrong foundation for marriage, he said.
"It gets young people all pumped up for the perfect setting, and that's not reality. Marriage is God-ordained and divine and it's wonderful to have a Christian marriage. But it takes give-and-take."

Being a romance novelist myself, I certainly think it's okay to read romance novels, as long as you realize that you are reading fiction. There are real elements woven into romance novels, even Amish romance novels, but, I don't think they're any less realistic than other forms of fiction and entertainment out there - like movies and secular novels.

The second interesting thing I noticed was the opinion of Amish books by Beth Graybill, a director of Mennonite Historical Society. She says: In life, she said, serious buggy accidents are rare, and outsiders adapting to Amish life even more so. Kidnappings are unheard of and good bishops outnumber the bad. As for rumspringa -- a period when teens may explore outside ways while deciding whether to make a lifetime commitment to the Amish faith -- most communities have taken steps to respond to past excesses, she said.

I recall when I read White Christmas Pie that I felt there were too many buggy accidents in that story. However, I can't recall reading any of the Amish novels where I actually see the character going through Rumspringa. Usually, the character has already been through the Rumspringa phase, and it's part of their past.

The third interesting thing I read was that Linda Byler, a Franklin County Amishwoman, writes Amish Fiction.
When Ms. Byler began writing in 2002, "we had lost our business and our home," she said. "There's not very much that an Amishwoman can do for making money except for quilting or a minimum-wage job. So I decided to try writing because I always liked the Laura Ingalls [Wilder] books."

Her book "Lizzie," was self-published in 2003. Filled with humor about her childhood, it was a hit among the Amish. Sequels followed Lizzie as she grew up, courted and married. Ms. Byler said she is about to sign with a publisher who can reach a mass market, and who plans to print the courtship and marriage books first.

She hasn't read any of the romances written by outsiders, although Ms. Lewis once visited her. So far she has no imitators among the Amish.

"I write with a pen and a composition book. I don't even have a typewriter," she said. "I tell them it's just like quilting. You just keep working at it."

I've never read Amish fiction by a real Amish author. Anybody ever read Byler's books? If so, did you like them?

From this article, I gathered that the Amish don't read much Amish fiction with the exception of Byler's books. I can't imagine writing an entire novel in pen and ink, though! My hand would cramp up and it'd take me forever to get the novel done!

~Cecelia Dowdy~