Ellen Parker's Blog

Welcome to our community. Join us for a meal. Let’s get acquainted over hearty fare.

Invitations like the above have been issued in America for generations and centuries. Towns, cities, and communities grew with new arrivals — often single men or families. Established residents often invited the newcomer to join them. News was exchanged. Employment opportunities were discussed. Food was eaten and drinks were served. Lives were enriched for both the host and guest.

The set table pictured gives a peek into 1830’s hospitality. Butter knives were not meant to cut meat. Sharp-tined forks encouraged caution. This table features a sugar cone — use your knife to remove a small portion for your hot tea.

In the sweet romance, Stitching a Dream, an established carpenter invites the new shoemaker, Kurt, to Sunday dinner. Imagine stepping into the house to the delightful aroma of simmered meat after a church service. A bachelor, must speak carefully around the family’s young adult daughters. Click on the link for more information and read the book to learn who captures Kurt’s heart. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Immediately north of Shiloh Church, a name which means “peace”, one of the early, large, bloody battles of the American Civil War took place. It was a two day conflict across April 6-7, 1862.

The Union Army was moving south. The Confederates needed to protect the rail connection at Corinth, MS. The Confederates attacked raw, Union troops near the Tennessee River landing of Pittsburgh. It was tough. It was bloody. Men died. Men were wounded or captured.

A small sample of the cannon involved in the battle. The Confederates’ line of sixty-two (62). The Union countered with fifty-three (53). By the afternoon of the second day, the Confederates withdrew and the Union troops were slow to pursue.

Many of the men involved in this battle, the entire war, were schoolboys in the year 1851. They matured quick or suffered consequences in the army.

Fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, in the year 1851, is the setting for the sweet romance, New Dreams. New to America, Deutsch settlers are thinking of opportunity in peaceful professions — such as baking or honest labor. Click on the link provided to find out more about this tale of young people in a young land. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

The name of this son of an English immigrant blacksmith is familiar to millions of Americans. It is necessary to separate fact and fiction when hearing or reading of several of his exploits — for the record is murky.

Born in Pennsylvania, he moved with his parents to North Carolina during his teens. An excellent hunter, he served in the militia and traveled on several expeditions. His survival skills would be tested on several occasions. One of his most notable achievements was finding and using what became known as the Wilderness Trail through the Cumberland Gap.

An assortment of firearms from Daniel Boone’s era. The explorer lived in what became Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri during his long life, ending in 1820. From the accounts I’ve read, he was a fine hunter and likely decent to draw a map. But he made bad land deals and lost in the courts. He ended his days at his son, Nathan’s home in Missouri.

Adventure of a different type faces new arrivals in the fictional town of Elm Ridge, Illinois in the spring of 1851. Will Louisa find a job and be able to use her baking skills? Will Hans remain an honest man — with an honest job? Readers will find the answers in the sweet romance, New Dreams. Follow the link for the complete blurb. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Remember that number today. If possible, observe a moment of silence at eleven this morning.

Why? The Great War, later known as World War I, was ended by armistice at that time, on this date, in 1918. For many years, including decades after the end of the next war, the holiday was known as Armistice Day.

This display, at the WWI museum in Kansas City, illustrates one of the many ways in which horses and mules worked beside the men.

Anti-German sentiment ran high in the United States during this conflict. However, many children or grandchildren of German immigrants served the nation — sometimes against relatives who had chosen not to immigrate.

Sixty-seven years before the armistice, immigrants arrived in the fictional town of Elm Ridge, Illinois. Seeking opportunity in a new land, they had many adventures. Check out the romance, New Dreams, for the account of one young couple. Click on the link for book’s complete blurb. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

“Two windows, facing the street, make them generous.”

I can imagine an 18th century artisan giving directions to the carpenter. Depending upon the type of business in the new shop and location in relation to other buildings, additional windows may have been requested.

Were these to display goods? Yes, but not exactly like the elaborate displays two centuries later. Were they to provide ventilation? Yes, but that was not the primary purpose. The windows were very practical. They provided light for the craftsmen to work.

Compared to sunlight — candles were weak (and expensive.) Metalsmith, leather worker, seamstress each would position their workbench and stool to take the best advantage of natural light.

On a rainy spring day, these re-enactors continue to stitch a fine seam near the many-paned window. They sewed fine dresses for girls and women — plain or fancy.

A century later, in the mid-19th century, only a few things have changed. In the sweet romance, stitching a Dream, Polly the seamstress likes to keep the workroom window clean to give better light. Join her as she welcomes a new neighbor. Link to book details is here: https://bit.ly/4ec8PRB

When you visit a museum or historic site, do you appreciate an overview?

I find them useful and fascinating. This outdoor model is made to withstand cold and rain and wind.

You will find this diorama at Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. Look at it. Study it for several minutes. This is the configuration of the village as revealed by the remaining foundations, records, and artifacts. Defense, housing, and church were among the first structures. Yes, a well and workshops were included. Gardens were believed to be outside the fence.

Do you think you could have lived here? What do you think you would have missed most from your former life in 1610?

Historical fiction, including romance, takes the reader on a journey to another time and place. Well-written fiction will teach you something along the way. Perhaps a little thing.

Follow the link below to check out New Dreams, a sweet romance featuring immigrants to Illinois in 1851. Will Louisa become independent? Will Hans remain an honest man? Open the book and step into your wooden clogs to meet them. Link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Have you ever stood with your arms stretched out, hands ready to receive an object for 30 seconds?

It feels like an hour. However, with a therapist watching and knowing that it in the you’ll be stronger — a person does it.

Time to admire a tree for doing the same day after day, month after month, year after year.

Bare for the winter, this admirable tree in Missouri’s Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park displays the structure and framework for a plentiful amount of leaves. (No, I’m not going to go back in June and count them.)

If your travels ever take you to St. Louis, consider a drive to the western edge of St. Louis County and visit to this park. Lots of space to picnic, let the children run off some excess energy, or hike through nature. Perhaps a game of softball or basketball suits you better. Camping is available on the outside edge of this 1600 plus acre park in case you want to give it a more detailed exploration.

In the sweet, later-in-life romance, Morning Tryst, photographer Serena Carter plans her route visiting all the Missouri State Parks to fall here at Christmas so she can combine a day off with a visit to a dear friend. Find this introduction to the heartland by following the link.

https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Enter the correct word into your favorite search engine and you get a choice.

Are you interested in the Amur Tiger?

Perhaps you want facts concerning the Amur River.

Oh, you’re looking for information about the Amur Cork Tree. Would you like to see a photo?

Far from it’s native range in East Asia, this specimen lives in St. Louis, Missouri. It receives excellent care from the staff at the Missouri Botanical Garden. While considered invasive in much of this continent, I can’t help but admire the inviting shape of the branches. (Mind the “no climbing or sitting” signs)

Where would you go on a date with your sweetheart? How about a stroll around a public garden? Conversation as you walk. Interesting things to see — plants and fellow visitors. I like to imagine Janet & Rich, the main characters of Comfort Zone, a later-in-life romance, pausing to admire this tree and others. Follow the link for more book information. https://amzn.to/2ZvL0Av

Two hundred-forty-four years ago, a battle raged in this field. Soldiers attacked fortified redoubts and were successful. Trapped and cut off from supplies, the commander surrendered.

The reason the day is not lost to history as just another action in a long war is that the surrendering army was British and Americans were the victors. Thus — at Yorktown, VA — the primary action of the American Revolution ended.

The Military Park is quiet today. I’m sure wildlife romps without fear across the ground which once hosted gunfire, smoke, and blood. This group of trees has been witness to much — not the battle — but the decades since. Was the ground farmed? When did future-thinking people take action to purchase and then preserve the remnants which remained? Time to plan a return trip with more time to browse the museum exhibits.

Seven decades after the battle, on the eastern back on the Mississippi River, stood the fictional town of Elm Ridge, Illinois. Immigrants arrived each spring and summer to start a new life in America. Check out the sweet romance, New Dreams, for one story. Complete blurb is at the link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Americans like to think of themselves as generous, welcoming people. We point to the hundreds of thousands of European immigrants with pride.

At times, we ignored our ideals and acted both greedy and cruel. One such chapter occurred in the winter of 1838-39. This was during the “Indian Removal” — a dark time when native peoples were forced to leave established homes and begin life again in what is now Oklahoma.

Bits and pieces of this tragedy are remembered at Missouri’s Trail of Tears State Park. This is an area where many crossed the Mississippi River. Be sure to visit The Bushyhead Memorial and learn a little history while camping, hiking, enjoying vistas or listening to birds.

Not old enough to have been a sapling when the bands of tired, weak, and ill Native Americans were forced to cross this land — I like to think of this tree as standing guard in one of the meadows of the current park.

In the later-in-life romance, Morning Tryst, you will find portions of two visits to this park by photographer Serena Carter. Join her to get an introduction to this and several other Missouri State Parks as setting. Complete book blurb is at the link: https://amzn.to/35gH37S