A young woman pretends to be a man and hides a past that relentlessly pursues her. Once her disguise is discovered, her refusal to reveal her true identity is her only protection.
John, the man who falls in love with her, does not know what to think. What is she hiding?
This touching romance set in Colorado in 1888 is action-packed. Mills, a skilled author, weaves a poignant story. Expect an adventure!
-Review by Sandra Merville Hart
Cooks in the 1840s had to worry about the purity of flour. The addition plaster of Paris, ground stones, bones, and whiting increased flour’s weight and bulk. The practice placed harmful additives in flour (making it adulterated) and deceived buyers.
According to the Free Dictionary, whiting can mean a pure white ground chalk used in putty, paints, and ink. Whiting also refers to food fishes that possess “delicate white flesh.” My guess is that the ground chalk is the whiting used by the deceptive sellers.
Plaster of Paris is not an innocent ingredient either. The white powder mixes with water to become a hard solid. Sculptures and casts for broken limbs contain plaster of Paris.
Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of an 1841 cookbook, believed these harmful additives were rare in the United States yet suggested testing for these undesirable flour substances.
To test for whiting, dip fingers and thumb in sweet oil (olive oil.) Then pinch a bit of flour between the oily finger and thumb and rub. If the flour is pure, it won’t turn sticky but it will darken to almost black. If whiting is present, a few rubs turn the flour to putty and the color remains white.
I tested the flour in my canister. It didn’t darken at all and clumped up. It didn’t pass Hale’s test.
D
rop lemon juice or sharp vinegar on a teaspoon of flour to test for plaster of Paris or stone dust. An immediate reaction shows the presence of these additives. If there is no reaction, the flour is pure.
Another purity test is to squeeze a handful of flour tightly. If the flour stays in a lump when opening the hand, it’s pure.
Thankfully, my flour passed the tests for plaster of Paris or stone dust. I can’t explain why it didn’t pass the whiting (chalk) test. Perhaps modern manufacturing practices?
If flour has turned sour or musty, bakers will easily notice it by the smell.
Though regulations and laws protect consumers today, it’s fun to know a few of the old tips used by our ancestors to protect their families.
-Sandra Merville Hart
Sources
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014.
Hale, Sarah Josepha. Early American Cookery: “The Good Housekeeper.” 1841, Dover Publications , Inc., 1996.
Can you guess the year the first Coca-cola was served in Atlanta? Find out if you were right by clicking this link to Georgia, The Peach Tree State.
*** Today’s article was written by guest author, Tamera Lynn Kraft. Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Tamera!
Studying fashion in 1919-1920 for my novella, Resurrection of Hope, was difficult because fashion changed so much in the couple of years leading up to the roaring twenties. Only ten years earlier, women had to contend with bustles and corsets. Hobble skirts that gathered close around the ankles made walking difficult. By the 1915, shirts became full and were just above the ankles. The bustles and corsets that had cursed women for decades were being thrown out. In 1918, straight line dresses were becoming popular, and skirts were actually a few inches above the ankle. The flapper style we know from the roaring 20s was starting to make its appearance.
In 1918, the flapper era started showing up in the cities first. Most women were conservative and wore their skirts a few inches below their knees which was scandalous five years earlier. By 1922, skirts were worn to the knee even in rural areas. The shift or chemise dress with the lowered waistline became popular in 1916 and continued throughout the 1920s. Tailored suits became popular among working women. Most dresses were sleeveless, and women wore sweaters over them on cold days. Jewelry to accessorize the new look became important, and women wore long beaded and pearl necklaces looped around the neck and large bracelets. In the winter, women finished the look with long fur coats.
During World War I, many women had to work outside the home. They started to wear bobbed hair styles because they were easier to take care of. By 1920, the style took off and most women bobbed their hair even in more rural areas and conservative areas of the country. Cloche hats that fit tight around the face were becoming popular and went with the new short hair styles.
In the Victorian era, make-up was considered vulgar, but that changed in the early 1900s. By 1900, women started wearing powder to achieve a pale look. Once that became acceptable, women started wearing makeup to look younger without looking like they were actually wearing makeup. Max Factor opened in 1909 with its first makeup counter and supplied makeup to silent movie actresses. In 1917, Theda Bara started a trend by wearing heavy eye makeup in the movie Cleopatra. Women in the city started wearing make-up to look like the actresses on the silent movie screen. It was a few more years before the average farmwife would be seen in public wearing makeup.
-Tamera Lynn Kraft
Resurrection of Hope
She thought he was her knight in shining armor, but will a marriage of convenience prove her wrong?
After Vivian’s fiancé dies in the Great War, she thinks her life is over. But Henry, her fiancé’s best friend, comes to the rescue offering a marriage of convenience. He claims he promised his friend he would take care of her. She grows to love him, but she knows it will never work because he never shows any love for her.
Henry adores Vivian and has pledged to take care of her, but he won’t risk their friendship by letting her know. She’s still in love with the man who died in the Great War. He won’t risk heartache by revealing his true emotions.
Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She has received 2nd place in the NOCW contest, 3rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest and has other novellas in print. She’s been married for 37 years to the love of her life, Rick, and has two married adult children and two grandchildren.
You can contact Tamera on her website.
Libby and her husband, Greg, are already having issues when he takes a trip to the wilderness alone. She plans to leave him but he doesn’t return. Is he really in trouble or did he leave her?
This moving, honest story of a broken relationship touched my heart. Talented author!
-Review by Sandra Merville Hart
The author of an 1841 cookbook, Sarah Josepha Hale, advised her readers about the proper quantity of food. She observed that the availability of food often leads to overeating.
Hale blamed diet mismanagement on almost half of diseases/deaths in toddlers two and under. That’s a scary, guilt-ridden statistic for moms of that era.
Though it’s easier said than done, stop eating after satisfying your appetite.
Hale saw indigestion and other stomach complaints as wise reminders not to overeat. A body’s digestive power is limited to the amount of gastric juices; outdoor exercise aids their secretion.
Tailor portion sizes to the amount of exercise. Outdoor activities require more energy so there is less likelihood of overeating. Those who exercise little get indigestion or headaches from eating too much.
Feed active, healthy young people well. If they don’t like plain meals, don’t tempt them with sweets or snacks.
Enjoying a variety of meals benefits our bodies unless it tempts excessive eating.
Hale believed that if something disagreed with the stomach, too much had been eaten.
Though written in 1841, her opinions on food are surprisingly similar to what is taught today.
-Sandra Merville Hart
Source
Hale, Sarah Josepha. Early American Cookery: “The Good Housekeeper.” 1841, Dover Publications, Inc., 1996.
Find out the history behind our September holiday, Labor Day, on DevoKids!
It can’t be said the Mark Twain met a Pony Express Rider on his stagecoach trip from Missouri to Carson City, Nevada.
He and his brother deeply desired to see a “pony-rider.” A few streaked past during the night, hailing the passengers who didn’t get their heads out the windows quickly enough to catch a glimpse of the man racing by.
But Twain hoped for better luck during daylight hours. The driver alerted his passengers to look behind them.
All Twain saw at first was a moving speck on the prairie. In two seconds, the speck became a horse and rider sweeping closer.
Twain kept his gaze trained on the pony-rider. Hoofs fluttered against the ground as he neared.
The driver whooped and hollered. The rider’s only answer was a wave as he burst past the coach.
Then the man disappeared on the road ahead in a cloud of dust.
It ended so quickly that Twain almost wondered if he actually witnessed the rider racing past.
Twain was about twenty-five at that time and full of adventure. Did that adventurous spirit long to join the ranks of those chosen few?
The author who gave us such characters as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn probably would have ridden one of the relays if asked.
-Sandra Merville Hart
Sources
Twain, Mark. Roughing It, Penguin Books, 1985.
Sandra Merville Hart 