Grasshopper Weather

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by Sandra Merville Hart

I recently read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her family moved to Minnesota when she was seven and first stayed in a sod house built into the creek bank. The details of everyday life in the 1870s fascinated me.

The Ingalls family was very poor. They had moved into the sod house too late to plant crops so finances were tight. Laura’s pa put all his hopes on next year’s crop, which promised to be a bountiful one. She dreamed of having all the things they’d done without and eating candy daily.

There was no snow by Thanksgiving of that year. Days were still warm though the nights were chilly. No rain. No more frost. Pa learned that the old-timers called it “grasshopper weather” but no one explained what that meant.

An unusually dry, hot, sunny summer followed. Plump wheat promised a beautiful crop. Pa planned to pay for the farmhouse he’d borrowed the money to build with the bountiful wheat.

Sunshine dimmed at lunchtime a couple of days before the planned harvest. A coming storm blackened the sky. No, not a normal storm. What was it?

Glittering thin snowflake-like matter blocked the sun. No wind. Then brown grasshoppers dropped to the ground, falling on Laura’s head and arms like hail. When she beat at them, they clung to her skin.

Grasshoppers by the millions ate the wheat crop, prairie grasses, leaves, cornstalks, and every vegetable in the garden. Though all windows were shut, brown grasshoppers came inside the house each time someone entered it.

Laura’s family endured a nightmare.

It’s estimated that one trillion Rocky Mountain locusts descended on the Great Plains in 1874, covering an area around 2,000,000 square miles and causing much devastation.

When large groups of grasshoppers swarm, they’re called locusts. In one day, these swarms can fly as far as 100 miles.

Locusts returned in smaller numbers some years but became extinct early in the 1900s. The arrival of farmers who plowed the prairie grass to grow crops changed the habitat, which many experts believe caused the extinction.   

Sources

“Grasshoppers in On the Banks of Plum Creek.” Study.com, 12 April 2017, study.com/academy/lesson/grasshoppers-in-on-the-banks-of-plum-creek.html.

Nuwer, Rachel. “When Weather Changes, Grasshopper Turns Locust,” The New York Times, 2021/09/29 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/science/when-weather-changes-grasshopper-turns-locust.html.

Wheeler, John. “Weather Talk: Grasshopper plagues are gone with the wind,” AGWEEK, 2021/09/29 https://www.agweek.com/news/weather/4324688-weather-talk-grasshopper-plagues-are-gone-wind.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. On the Banks of Plum Creek, HarperTrophy, 1971.

Beyond the River by Ann Hagedorn

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad

This book is a great resource about the Underground Railroad leading up to the Civil War.

I read this book while researching for my novel, Byway to Danger, Book 3 of my “Spies of the Civil War” series. Though my novel is set in Richmond and Hagedorn’s book focuses on the history of the Underground Railroad centered in Ripley, Ohio, I learned a great deal about the courage it took to aid fugitive slaves.

Abolitionist John Rankin, his family, and many of his Ripley neighbors sacrificed repeatedly to lend their aid.

Hagedorn’s vivid scenes transport readers back in time in this nonfiction work, showing the everyday heroes that made in difference in many lives.

Well-written book.

Recommended for Civil War research and for lovers of American history.

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-River-Untold-Underground-Railroad/dp/0684870665/

The Librarian’s Journey

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by Sandra Merville Hart

This historical novel collection takes readers on a journey with librarians on horseback, who transport books to remote communities. I love reading historical novels where I learn new things about our history while enjoying a good story. I didn’t know that part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal provided for a Pack Horse Library Initiative. I love that folks who rarely left home during the Depression had the opportunity to read—or learn to read—a new book every week.

All four stories—Love’s Turning Page by Cynthia Hickey, For Such a Time by Patty Smith Hall, Book Lady of the Bayou by Marilyn Turk, and The Librarian and the Lawman by Kathleen Y’Barbo—touch on the danger faced by these brave young women. Riding horses or mules, they ventured out on mountain paths and bayous to deliver books.

I enjoyed this collection. All four stories are different. I like that they were set in different parts of the country.

Christianbook.com

Candied Orange Peel

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by Sandra Merville Hart

Like everyone else the past two years, Covid has affected holiday plans—either by cancelling or postponing them. As I write, my son-in-law has Covid and a late Christmas family gathering will be delayed again.

I often try to bring some new holiday recipe to Christmas gatherings. Last year I made a yule log—delicious! This year I had planned to try Candied Orange peel. I decided to make it even though our celebration is delayed.  

I looked at a few different recipes and they were all very similar.

Candied Orange Peel

2 large oranges, cut and peeled into 8 wedges

4 cups sugar, divided

3 cups water

8 oz chocolate, melted (optional—and for later, will use this after the peels dry)

Cut peel and pith (the white part) from orange wedges. Because oranges are a juicy fruit, this part can be messy so cut the oranges over a plate or rimmed dish. (I served the leftover fruit as a packed-with-Vitamin-C snack for the children in my home. 😊)

Next, slice the peel wedges into 3 strips each. Boil a large pot of water and then add strips. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Peels will be soft. Drain in a colander. Rinse and then drain again.

Place 3 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar and then leave it alone, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Add the orange and allow the syrup to return to a boil and then reduce heat so that the mixture gently simmers for about 45 minutes, until peel is very soft. Remove the peel with a slotted spoon.

Hint: Save the orange syrup for another recipe or serve it on pancakes for a different flavor.

Place a cup of sugar in a mixing bowl and coat the peel. You may need another 1/3 cup of sugar to coat all the slices—at least I did, with the help of a preschooler and a kindergartner. 😊

Set aside the peel to dry on a sheet of parchment paper. I set mine on a lined baking sheet and it took 2 days for them to dry.

Optional—not optional for the chocolate lover in me!—melt 8 ounces of chocolate and dip the slices halfway into the melted chocolate. Delicious! I love the combination of orange paired with chocolate.

Store the dried peel in an airtight container. It should keep up to two months.

My family ate these without chocolate too and asked for more. It’s a different yet delicious orange treat, packed with vitamin C in this cold and flu season—a win-win!

I will look for ways to use this orange peel in recipes. I’ve already steeped a slice in my tea for a hint of orange—and added vitamin C!

Confederate Spy Rose Greenhow Influences Characters in Avenue of Betrayal

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by Sandra Merville Hart

Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1 of my new “Spies of the Civil War” series, releases on February 8, 2022. Here’s a bit of historical background for the story.

Though the series is about a fictional family, there are actual historical spies who touch the stories.

Avenue of Betrayal is set in Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies live.

Perhaps the most famous female Confederate spy who lived in Washington DC when the Civil War began was Rose O’Neal Greenhow. When many other Southerner sympathizers left, the widow remained with her eight-year-old daughter, Rose. Colonel Thomas Jordan asked Rose to be an agent shortly before leaving the city to fight for the South. Spying to uncover troop movements and government communications appealed to her. She agreed to send messages based on a cipher he provided.

Coded messages were sent on a “Secret Line,” which involved several couriers in a chain that passed on messages in common places such as docks, taverns, and farmhouses.

Rose’s spy network from Boston to New Orleans was the largest in the war—48 women and 2 men. She learned battle plans for Bull Run and passed this vital information to Confederate General Beauregard. The First Battle of Bull Run was a Confederate victory.

Several other messages about Washington’s defenses and troop information were sent from Rose to Beauregard. Thomas A. Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, asked Allan Pinkerton, head of Lincoln’s Intelligence Service, to find Confederate spies and put Greenhow under surveillance.

About a month after the First Battle of Bull Run, Pinkerton discovered incriminating evidence. The home was searched. Rose and her daughter were placed under arrest at her home. Because she managed to get other secret messages out, they were moved to Washington’s Old Capitol prison. The Federals decided to send her South.

On June 4, 1862, she arrived in Richmond, where she was taken to the best hotel. Confederate President Jefferson Davis called on her the next day, saying, “But for you there would have been no battle of Bull Run.” Rose wrote that his words made up for all she’d endured.

Rose’s real-life story influences the fictional characters in Avenue of Betrayal.

Sources

Monson, Marianne. Women of the Blue & Gray, Thorndike Press, 2018.

Winkler, H. Donald. Stealing Secrets, Cumberland House, 2010.

Zeinert, Karen. Those Courageous Women of the Civil War, The Millbrook Press, 1998.

Connecting with Christ

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by Sandra Merville Hart

52 Weekly Devotionals to Nurture Spiritual Growth

I was thrilled when Yolonda Tonette Sanders asked me to contribute to this devotional book!

The book is divided into themes such as Renewal, Love, Promises, and Rest. My devotions can be found under the Celebration/Freedom and Giving sections.

Sanders wrote some of the devotions and invited other talented authors to join her. DiAnn Mills, Cindy Thomson, Obieray Rogers, Chelsea C. Elliott, and Leslie J. Sherrod, along with others, also wrote for this well-done devotional.

I hope you pick up a copy for quick, inspiring weekly devotions.

Amazon

We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

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by Sandra Merville Hart

by Sandra Merville Hart

Sometimes Penelope doesn’t quite fit in with her classmates because there aren’t any other T. rex’s at her school.

Oh, she plays with the other kids at recess but they always want Penelope to play all the dinosaur parts in their games. Her favorite thing of all is singing and playing guitar.

Should she sign up for the talent show?

A nice story about embracing your own talents. The book is geared toward beginner readers and children 5 – 7.

Ten Christmas Songs that Mention a Manger

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by Sandra Merville Hart

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 1:4-7)

The manger—a trough for horses and cattle to eat from—was the first bed for Jesus because there was no room at the inn.

Here’s a list of ten traditional Christmas songs that mention a manger:

  • “Away in a Manger”
  • “Angels We Have Heard on High” – See him in a manger laid
  • “Good Christian Men Rejoice” – And he is in the manger now  
  • “Angels and Shepherds” – Lo he is lying, born in a manger
  • “Gentle Mary Laid Her Child” – Gentle Mary laid her child lowly in a manger
  • “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger
  • “While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks” – and in a manger laid
  • “Mary’s Boy Child” – and in a manger cold and dark
  • “O Holy Night” – The King of Kings lay thus lowly manger
  • “Fum, Fum, Fum” In a manger poor and lowly

Can you think of others?

Merry Christmas!

https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Merville-Hart/e/B00OBSJ3PU/

Sources

“Christmas Lyrics,” Mikeleal.com,  2021/10/04 http://www.mikeleal.com/christmas/songs.html.

An Amish Christmas Bakery

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by Sandra Merville Hart

This contemporary novel collection is set during the holidays. Each novella is set at an Amish bakery. Prepare to want a delicious dessert as you read …

In Cookies and Cheer by Amy Clipston, Alyssa lends her artistic abilities to a creative window display for her employer’s bakery. She knows the best person to create the cookie cutters but Kyle, a boy she remembered from school, might feel it isn’t worth his time. When he agrees, she dares to dream of dating him. Unfortunately, finding enough time to date becomes an unexpected issue.

Katie, a talented baker, takes charge of the family’s bakery while her mother recovers from surgery in Loaves of Love by Beth Wiseman. She learns that running the bakery isn’t as easy as it seems. Henry, whom she’s known since childhood, hangs around more and she wished he would ask to date her, but she’s just started dating someone. This new boyfriend is a bit too affectionate, something she and Henry agree on.

Mattie travels to Birch Creek to help in her new aunt’s bakery. Then she realizes Peter, whom she can barely tolerate, is also here to help her uncle build an addition. Her best friend, after dating him, had plenty of harsh words about Peter. Mattie must figure out the truth in Melting Hearts by Kathleen Fuller.

In Cakes and Kisses by Kelly Irvin, Ambrose is a sweet, kind man with a learning disability that kept him from learning to read. When Martha sees him being mistreated, she steps in to help. Ambrose has cared for her for years, but is certain she will never love him. The death of Martha’s parents has placed the responsibility of her younger siblings and the bakery on her and her sister’s shoulders. Dare she dream of love with so much weighing on her?

Each story is very different, which kept my interest engaged. I liked the characters in each story and found myself pulling for them. I love reading Christmas books around the holidays and enjoyed this collection. Because each story is set in a bakery, I found myself craving delicious baked goods!  

Recommend.

https://www.christianbook.com/an-amish-christmas-bakery/amy-clipston/9780310352808/pd/352808

Yule Log Cake

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by Sandra Merville Hart

Burning large yule logs for the entire Twelve Days of Christmas celebrations is a centuries-old tradition. A recipe for a sweet dessert by that name was first published in The English Huswife by Gervase Markham in 1615.

The yule log (also called buche de Noel) is a traditional Christmas cake filled and rolled into the shape of a log. French bakers began to place intricate decorations on the buche de Noel cakes in the 1800s. The cakes became a popular dessert that was served after Christmas Eve midnight mass.

Yule logs are usually made of sponge cake that is baked in a shallow Swiss roll pan. A creamy filling is rolled inside the cake before it is rolled into a log shape. The outside is typically iced with buttercream or ganache.

Decorations vary for the yule logs. Christmas decorations like holly leaves or Christmas trees make a festive holiday dessert. Yule logs are often decorated with marzipan or meringue objects one finds in the forest such as mushrooms.

I decided to make a yule log cake for the first time. I found a wonderful recipe on Life, Love and Sugar that included some helpful hints.

I followed this recipe and took the yule log dessert to a family gathering. It was a big hit! Everyone loved it.

Though the chocolate cake had a delicious cocoa flavor, the cream filling was the star of the dessert for me. It wasn’t too sweet. The mascarpone cheese wasn’t too heavy for the whipped cream filling. I splurged and ate a piece for breakfast the next morning. Delicious!

Sources

Butler, Stephanie. “The Delicious Tradition of the Yule Log,” History, 2020/12/21 https://www.history.com/news/the-delicious-history-of-the-yule-log.

Collins, Ace. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, Zondervan, 2003.

“Yule Log Cake (Buche De Noel),” Life, Love, and Sugar, 2020/12/21 https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/yule-log-cake-buche-de-noel/.

“Yule Log Cake,” Wikipedia, 2020/12/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log_(cake).

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Merville-Hart/e/B00OBSJ3PU/