Update On My Writing

     It has been over six months since I have blogged anything about my writing.  This past April I wrote about my WWI Nurses project and that blog can be found HERE.  I did want to update everyone about what I have been up to this year.   Earlier this year I wrote a biographical sketch about an ancestor who was a nurse midwife during the late 1700s and early 1800s in Pennsylvania.  Her name was Susanna Rohrer Muller and that article was published this fall in the magazine Mennonite Family History. It can be obtained HERE.  But most of this year has been spent working on a very special project. 

     Starting in the mid 1990s my aunt and I started taking weekend get away vacations that we called "Mary Rohrer Weekends".  We named them this because we shared the same maiden first and last names.  On one of these weekends, we began to talk about the idea of a family cookbook.  We chatted about our cookbook from year to year.  We wanted to honor the women we knew in the 1900s and the lives that they lived.  As a result, when we decided that 2019 was the year we were actually going to write the cook book, in addition to recipes, we included biographical sketches and descriptions of what home making was like during the 20th Century.  

     We finally completed the book and it is available on lulu.com.   A coil bound paperback  can be obtained HERE or and an ebook can be obtained  HERE.  

     Before this project, I had aspirations to write a book when I retire.  But after both of us have worked so hard all this year on this project I have decided that I don't want to work that hard in my retirement.  I would like to to continue to write biographical sketches and short articles about the women in my family history.   I do have research started to write a biographical sketch of my great great grandfather's sister and plan to write it early in 2020.  But the rest of this year I am taking a writing break!

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

A Gentleman In Moscow

by

Amor Towles

     The November selection for my local library book group is A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles.  I chose to listen to this book on audio and finished it up last night.  It is the fiction story of a Russian aristocrat, who after the Russian revolution, is sentenced to spend his life under house arrest at a fancy hotel.  While the story revolves around relationships within that hotel, the history of Russia under Stalin is unfolding out on the streets at the same time.   This book spans thirty years of a man's life.  There are a lot of things to ponder as comparisons are made between the United States and Russia during the mid 1900s.  The book says a great deal about relationships too.  And the main thrust of much of the book is that we are masters of our circumstances and it is our perspective not our situation that mandates our satisfaction.  The book is a beautiful and well written novel with a delightful surprise twist at the end.  Unfortunately I had a hard time with the amount of detail the author provides.  I feel like I should shoulder the blame that I could not remain focused but my mind wandered when the details became very profuse, which was quite a lot of the time.  Hopefully I zoned back in time to catch the story line. I must have because I feel I understand the book.   I did have to google who the mystery lady in the last paragraph was.  This book is not one I would recommend to everyone.  But I do have friends who I think would really enjoy this book.  Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the video that follows.  

Lavender

     Almost everyone is familiar with lavender.  After using Young Living's Thieves hand sanitizer as a retail customer for over two years, I ordered a bottle of their vitality Lavender Essential oil.  I immediately knew I did not want to be without it.  It is this oil that caused me to realize I wanted to be a wholesale member of Young Living and order more regularly.  People use lavender for various reasons.  It is an ingredient that is, as an imitation fragrant oil, found in lotions and bubble bath in almost every venue.  Of course these items contain lavender that is made  from a synthetic process and not the plant derivative used to make essential oils.  For a general overview of uses and history of the lavender plant follow this LINK.   For a more scientific paper from the National Institute of Health about a study of the use of lavender for anxiety follow this LINK.  And of course enjoy the video at the beginning of this blog and the two videos at the end.  I find lavender supports my goal of a good nights sleep and I believe I have less general aches and pains while taking  lavender.  I put four drops of the type of lavender that is safely ingested in my senna and chamomile herbal tea at bedtime along with one drop of either rosemary or cinnamon.  If you wish to order lavender essential oil or any other Young Living product, either as a retail customer or as a wholesale member, from my page follow this LINK.   

Flight Of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon

Flight Of Dreams

by

Ariel Lawhon

     Last night I finished reading Flight Of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon on my kindle app.  I had checked it out from the State Library Of Ohio and I am embarrassed to say I had to renew it twice.  It is a good book but my last few months have been uncommonly busy.  Reading has not received enough of my time.  Nevertheless,  I enjoyed the book.  It is a historical novel that the author is clear about explaining she takes creative license in her portrayal of the cause of the Hindenburg disaster.  She does a great job in making the passengers and crew of the air ship come to life.  Helping her in this task she used a web site that can be viewed HERE which contains  information on many of the people that were aboard the air ship when it exploded.   The author also used another website to help her gather information about the air ship itself which can be found HERE.  Both of these websites contain excellent back ground information for the reader.  In addition, clicking on the links at the beginning of this post on the book title and author's name will bring the reader to web pages that contain additional information.  The novel made me much more familiar with the Hindenburg Disaster story and has caused me to want to learn more about it.  It is an entertaining story that keeps the reader engaged.  I would encourage historical  novel fans to enjoy this book.  A video trailer of the book  follows.  

The Pioneers by David McCullough

The Pioneers

by

David McCullough

      In the genre of historical non fiction, David McCullough is the cream of the crop as far as authors.   His latest book, The Pioneers, deals with the settlement of the North West Territory with emphasis on the community of Marietta, Ohio.  While I had read much about the events he presents, McCullough always comes up with additional specific facts for me and he presents the information in a very entertaining way.  My local library book group discussed this book this month and although I missed the meeting, I am sure it was a good one.  There was plenty about this book to discuss.  I chose to listen to this on audio and I would like to read it too because I think I would glean even more information.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to additional information and enjoy the video that follows.  Anyone who takes time to read this book will be richly rewarded.  

Book Caddies 2019

     Kindergarteners where my daughter teaches carry backpacks.  But in those backpacks are shoved lunch pails, dirty shoes and muddy boots etc.. Therefore any booklets she has ran off to send home as reading practice end up a bit worse for the wear.  So in August we decided that book caddies, made from left over supplies from years of chair bag projects, would be a possible solution. They will have to be made every year as they will be going into children’s homes. So it is an experiment.  They may all go out and never return again after the first day.  She has plans to have their names out on them. One of her teacher friends has the model of circuit that applies to fabrics.  There are issues with these book caddies that need to be resolved.  I don’t like how the handles are for starters.  But as the chairbags evolved so shall these.  It will take time to see what holds up and what needs to be tweaked a bit. 

     First step was the cut out.  I cut out thirty strips 12x2 for the handles. Sixty pieces 10x5 - 30 of which were canvas and the other 30 a print cotton.  And 60 pieces 10x12 of various colors of left over canvas.  And 120 little Velcro squares. 

     The 10x5 pieces I used a plastic top to cut two of the corners  rounded on each.  I used like a cottage cheese or a sour cream lid that was no longer needed. 

     The strips I ironed in half and then ironed each edge to the middle. Then sewed down each side. Ironed to middle again and sewed it so all edges were folded and I had a strap. 

    I then sewed a velcro strip, fuzzy side up,  about an inch and a half in from each rounded corner of the canvas 10x5 pieces.  Then I sewed the edges of three sides together with the velcro toward the center and leaving the longer edge that did not have rounded corners not sewn.  After flipping it out and ironing I topped stitched around the three edges that were sewn leaving the bottom open.

       I then sewed the edge of the 10x5 piece that was not sewn to the shorter edge of one of the  10x12 pieces. I  ironed it  up and top stitched.  I chose to sew it so the print would be on the outside of the flap.  

     

    I then ironed down a hem line on the top of another 10x12 piece and sewed it down to secure.  After that, I sewed the ends of one of the straps onto the top about a seam width in.  

     It was then time to lie the side that had the straps on top of the side that had the flap and make a chalk mark where the velcro would match up. Afterwards I sewed velcro pieces onto the strap piece on the opposite side from where the straps are attached.  Then I sewed on the velcro shiny side up.

     It was then time to sew the front to back, right sides together.  

     Finally I flipped it inside out and press.

     This was a fun project but a bit rushed so it lacks quality.  Hopefully we will decide if it is successful or not by early in 2020 so I can start right away on more for the fall.  

Rosemary

     At the beginning of each month I have been posting a blog about another essential. In July I joined Young Living as a wholesale customer and have since bumped myself up to an essential rewards customer.  I have enjoyed learning about the various oils and use many of them on a regular basis.  Many of the oils I use are from Young Living's Vitality line which means they are safely ingested.  Rosemary is a very strong oil and I add only one drop to my senna tea at night along with four drops of lavender oil.  My reason for adding Rosemary into my daily routine is to provide support for my battle with arthritis type symptoms.  Rosemary is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.  I believe I have less pain since I have been adding Rosemary oil to my bedtime tea.  Some people put Rosemary in a carrier oil and rub it into their scalp to reverse hair loss or rub it on their knees to help with knee pain.  Other people diffuse it into the air to inhale to improve memory while studying.  Some studies are leading scientists to believe Rosemary may help those with dementia.  The National Institute Of Health has information at their site on the science behind studies of the benefits of Rosemary.  Their paper can be found HERE.  Please enjoy the video that follows about some of the benefits that are believed to be obtained from Rosemary.