Blog

ezine, paranormal

PurpleStone Press Ezine for January 2013

Arlene

PurpleStone Press Ezine © not published
A Monthly Newsletter to keep readers informed on news in the book world, about moments not easily explained, stretching out to other genres, a personal story, events going on, comments from readers and more. Readers are welcome to comment or add their thoughts to the next newsletter.
Issue: January 2013 Wishing You A Healthy, Prosperous New Year!
Happenings & News Look for “A Gathering of Artists & Poets” coming on February 19, Tues. at the Warren County Memorial Library details to follow …….
What’s Goin’ On? PASSAGER, a press for writers over 50 website at: http://www.passagerbooks.com/?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=311d33937a-Winter_2012_Newsletter11_8_2012&utm_medium=email
They publish two issues a year, a poetry contest for the spring/summer and an open issue for the fall/winter. They suggest you browse previously published work before submitting. Their next reading period begins 1 Jaunary 2013.
Stories…Joseph Bonaparte & the Jersey Devil
Southern New Jersey still boasts of its Pine Barren with its natural setting of trees and swamps that have been since before the first settlers came. In those early days of the 1700s Mrs. Leeds lived there, mostly by herself while her husband was gone so often. She helped maintain her home and raising her house full of twelve children by using her skills as an herbalist and healer. She was known to help anyone who needed it.
While her birthing should have been an easy one, it was not. The reason was not recorded but it was repeated by the midwife that reported hearing her say, “the devil be this child” or something to that effect. Later the midwife swore the child was born with cloven hoof and wings.
Bonaparte’s Bordentown Gate House-still occupied.DSCF1827
When the Bonapartes began losing battles and power in Europe, Napoleon’s brother Joseph came to Bordentown, New Jersey to live ca. 1817. This was much more to his liking than ruling any country. The great men of the day all stopped to pay him a visit and enjoy his famous hospitality.
He was a naturalist and created a park-like setting on his approximately 800 acre estate which he thoroughly enjoyed. While out hunting in his wood one day he was surprised when he nearly bumped into a creature with cloven hoof and wings. The creature was as startled as he was, hissed at him and flew off never to be seen again. Joseph only found that it was the Jersey Devil when he gave a description while asking local Bordentonians what it was. People are still reporting Jersey Devil sightings. © Arlene S. Bice
Blogs, I Get Blogs ….. There are so many blogs out there that it is like going to a celebration buffet where nothing is stale from sitting too long or unhealthy because someone sneezed all over it. It’s easy to just take a taste of this and that…..and you don’t gain any weight or have to exercise extra hard to work it off. Just pick and choose what you want to read about.
London Calling at : http://general-southerner.blogspot.com/?wref=bif is one of the blogs that I’ve been enjoying for awhile now. Tony is a retired teacher and seems to jaunt around England taking great photos. His posts are varied but here are a few: A Tea with Jane Austen, Bath, Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp (in Bath), Virginia Woolf, Colin Firth, The 6th June 1944 D Day The British Beaches, Charles Dickens , and he has trekked up to see the Bronte sisters home. He has also done the Beatles and much more including modern subjects. Photography is his inspiration, so there are many lovely and creative shots to view.
This Month……While working on Bordentown stories, I’m also collecting North Carolina true ghost tales for the next book. If you know of anyone who would like to tell me their story, please put them in touch with me at: asbice@aol.com or 252-257-4838. Thanks ahead of time.
Book Review…. Since I was of the generation who enjoyed Burt Reynolds naked on a bearskin rug for Cosmo magazine in 1972; generally worked in a field dominated by men in those years that followed, I thoroughly enjoyed: Always Wear Joy: My Mother Bold and Beautiful by Susan Fales-Hill. An Afro-American television writer-producer looks back on her struggles and that of her mother, elegant dancer, actor, entertainer Josephine Premice. Although their struggle was partly their heritage, it was the same struggle many of us women fought through to attain the rights we deserved during those years. A good read that brought an earlier time back to my mind.

The Latest……. Ghostly Spirits of Warren County NC & Beyond (Soft Cover-2012 PurpleStone Press) $18.95 A candle in the window, a man who walks through walls, a woman from long ago…..peek into the personal stories of hauntings from those who wish to remain in their place on earth instead of going forward into the after-life. Warren County was a wealthy, thriving place during the antebellum years. Warrenton was the hub of activity, a destination on market days where friends gathered. These imprints were left and remain today.

Also Available…. Ghosts Of Bordentown (NJ) $14.95, Haunted Bordentown … (NJ) $14.95, Life & Labyrinth …Memoir & Poetry $17.95 , Major Fraser’s.. History $19.95, Images of America Series -Bordentown, Bordentown history, New Egypt & Plumsted Township, A history, Bordentown Revisited, More history including its surrounds $20 each.

Subscribe: Click Reply, enter your email address with the word Subscribe and return it to me if you would like to receive the monthly Ezine on books, stories, life’s quirks, and other bits of interest to inquisitive readers. If you would like to unsubscribe, do the same interjecting the word unsubscribe, of course.

Open your mind. Keep reading. Be kind. Be gentle.

PurpleStone Press http://purplestoneblog.com/

general

Indoor Winter Garden

Arlene

 

Image

The days have been dreary even if they are warming up a bit now. This is the time of year when I really appreciate a little color in the house now that any holiday decorations are down and packed. It’s the time when the plants I brought in from the garden are beginning to bloom. Except for some reason half of my Christmas Cactus bloomed at Thanksgiving and the other half is brilliantly pink now.

 Image

I’ve been looking for two pillars or boxes just the right height to hold the extra bookshelf slats I had in the shed. Unable to find them, so I put two folding chairs on temporary duty. After all it is the color in the flowers and the fresh herbs that are the stars of the show.

 Image

The thyme and rosemary also stay healthy and green inside then go back into the garden again. It’s delightful to have herbs to snip at my fingertips without going into the outside cold.

 The other flowers are geraniums in hot pink and pale pink which travel back later to the garden. For the first time I brought my pink petunia inside.  It has been blooming like it found a home and loves it.

Christmas season, general, opinion, reflection

What Is It About The Day Before….

Arlene

Image

Today is New Year’s Eve, at least it will be when night falls over us. So it is a big deal turning the calendar to 2013… WOW! 2013! But it is only one day later than the 2012 that we are washing away with a reflection then just letting it go.

 Really, the day before I turned 60, I was 59, of course. Now the fifties are great but facing 60…WOW! That was a big step. People look at you and listen to you differently when you say you are 60. It is like they put you into a serious age category so they can listen to you without taking what you have to say seriously. But I was only one day older than yesterday. What’s up with that?

 Christmas Eve was very different when I was a child. It was something anticipated, creating more anticipation for Christmas Day. It was an evening of singing Christmas Carols in the neighborhood or to whoever would consent to listen. That wasn’t always an easy thing to do with a bunch of kids without the choral guidance of someone who knew about real music. But today it is about opening your gifts so you can spend Christmas Day opening gifts with the absent parent & the new family that you had no part in seeing it blossom. It is a day extended but so different from the day before.

 Happy New Year……Remember yesterday……Enjoy today……Treasure tomorrow.

general, women

Surreal or Preview?

Arlene

DSCF2633
Friday, 28 December dawned like this. It was the day of the most amazing experience. I visited Ed McKay’s Used Book store to exchange some books for a few CDs and DVDs in Raleigh. Mostly the trip was for just getting away from the computer for a day. And what better way to relax than being surrounded by books & such. Content with my exchange, I was driving home to Macon heading north on Hwy 401 in Wake County, NC.

Cruising along listening to an audio book, not a day to be in a hurry, when I heard a ‘pop’ and wondered if a stone had flipped up from the road to hit the car. I thought no more of it until I heard a soft thump, thump, thump. “Oh, no,” I thought. Here I am out in a rural area, knowing I had just blown a tire. Darn. At least I wasn’t flying down the road speeding.
I started to coast toward the side after clicking on the hazard lights. But the shoulder looked like it may be soft. Knowing I had most likely ruined the tire anyway, I crept up to a driveway where I could at least pull out of traffic.

Yup. It was a blowout. The tire looked mighty sad. ‘Darn,’ I thought again. I called Triple AAA on my cell phone, got the message asking for my ID number, hung up because I’d have to look for the card, yadda, yadda, yadda. I got out again noting the mail box number so I could also give them some kind of location. That’s when the mini-miracle began to happen.
Two young men came walking down the driveway with a weed trimmer in hand. Guess they were going to trim around the entrance to their property. Smiling, one fellow came over to check things out, sweet as could be. They invited me to pull up the driveway to their garage about 100 foot away.

Within minutes they had the tire off the rim and my spare off the back of my tracker, zip, zip went the power drill, bolts off, deed done, new tire on and old tire in the back of the car. It was surreal. I barely had time to pet the dog! It only took a few minutes! They wouldn’t accept any money but they each got a very hearty hug from me and they sure have my gratitude.
Those two darling men turned my day from becoming an awful one to a wonderful one. I would not have been shocked if I saw halos floating over their heads, but I did not. I did see two gentlemen in jeans that will be in my thankful prayers of gratitude tonight and many nights more.

I didn’t even get their names!

But I’ve had strange experiences like this before and I would not be surprised if we meet again in the future, that this was a mini introduction to something bigger. We’ll see.

general, opinion, reflection

Remembering the Odd Ones…..

Arlene

John_&_Nina's_house_2101

At the end of December the media often reflects back and notes the public figures that have passed away over the last year. Fortunately our favorite actors can still be seen on DVDs so after a few years we’ll not remember if or when they left us. We still have the pleasure of their company.

Naturally loved ones always leave a hole in us that cannot be filled by anyone else. But also there are the teachers, casual friends and folks who have impacted our lives giving us direction and the wealth of their experience to help us down that road. Sometimes it is a person we have met only briefly who made a comment that tweaked its way into the back of our mind and stuck there.

Whenever I ask a group of writers to make a list of those who have given them sage words; mother, father, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are often the only ones mentioned on that list. But I know if given a bit of time and lots of thought digging into memory, teachers, the lady at the corner store, a clerk, an auto mechanic, even someone met at a party, i.e. the odd ones as opposed to the usual list, will pop up.

There is a long list in my pocket of people who come to mind at the oddest times and from places I thought I had long ago forgotten.

paranormal

Aura Energy

Arlene

ImageHave you had days or periods of time when your computer just stops working or acts differently than it usually does? For no apparent reason? I have had those experiences and have learned to just leave it, walk away, do something else and return to my PC at a later time…..always to success. The first time or two when my PC just did not come on when I pressed the magic button, I took it to a repair group. When that guy pressed the magic button, it came right on! Talk about feeling foolish.

When this happened a third time at a much later date, I recalled the first time it happened, and learned. But I didn’t know why this happened. It was always a time when I was wound up emotionally, upset, annoyed at something, or downright angry.

Ah-hah! The key! Not wanting to feel foolish, I had not discussed these phenomena with anyone. But since, I have come across an article on auras and researched more to get a full picture. Auras are energy fields that show up over/round our heads that some people can see, others not. The color reflects different traits and moods of a person. Think of mood rings……

Aside from that, with an aura being your energy field, the electronics around you can react to that energy. Many years ago when I drove across the country, my car clock registered a half-hour off! I couldn’t find any time change as I drove west that only registered a half hour. The time adjustment was always an hour. It puzzled me exceedingly.

As usual I asked several people that I thought may have an answer for me. No go. But now, years later, I recall that incident and finally know the answer.

Christmas season, Poetry

Christmas as Contemplative

Arlene

Image

Not all scenes of snow with Christmas intent

are filled with sleigh bells and holly

not all thoughts of stockings hung by the chimney,

include fat men in red that are jolly,

lays on my mind

A scene of trees laden heavily with white stuff

can bring visions not of sugarplums

but of peace, contentment, muffled sounds of nature

that fill the heart without the drums,

no little boy here

So in remembering your favorite Christmas year,

that it does not need to be repeated

for once it is placed in your heart, it remains forever

to bring out each year and greeted,

improving with age                   © Arlene S. Bice, 2012

art, Poetry, women

The Kiss of Gustav Klimpt

Arlene

Image

The painting draws my attention

like a casual stroller at the lower left hand

corner of the local garden.

The softly draped yellows and flecks of color

falling from their shoulders,

while kneeling, down to their feet

where hers are bound by ropes of gold,

making her flight impossible.

My eyes gaze upward to the fold of their robes

blending in, one with the other,

then I notice her face turned away

from his kiss placed so tenderly

on her cheek.

Boredom is her expression;

being

the adored one,

lonely,

no passion there.

His hands cup her face,

gently,

his neck bends

to kiss

his beloved.

Her arm circles

his shoulder,

hanging on

while the other

pushes him away.

Stars are in her hair

adornment,

reflecting

the absence of

stars in her eyes.    © Arlene S. Bice, 2008

American History, Bordentown, women

Major Fraser’s

Arlene

Back in the 80s when the mortgage rates dropped to an all-time low, I trained and became a real estate appraiser, thanks to Ed MacNicoll owner of the business of that name. Architecture had long been of interest to me and that position fueled my passion for it. I often got the assignments for the big, old Victorians or farmhouses that took more work and time to appraise. I loved the challenge and still do love it .

Little did I know that what I learned in that profession would be called on when I wrote Major Fraser’s, but expanding in a different sense. Yes, the house is the basis for the story but Major Fraser and his family are the heart of it carrying the story from Bordentown to South Carolina and into France.

He came from Scotland in the 1700s, reason unknown to me but many families lost all they had after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Even if they fought against England during that conflict, many that took the forced loyalty oath, adhered to it and fought for England during our Revolution. Thomas Fraser did, fighting his way up to the rank of Major.

During the War he married Southern belle Anne Loughton Smith. After the War they lived in Charleston and Philadelphia. They came to Bordentown during the dangerous summer seasons to get away from big city killing diseases.

Major Fraser’s, whose daughter married Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew,  is a dip into the past history of our country revealing the personal stories of people who lived before we were a country and on up until the present.Image

Uncategorized

Dressing for a Holiday Party

Arlene

Okay, you are invited to the Office Party or a Neighborhood Party or to a friend’s house for a holiday dinner. All three invites have encouraged you to wear dressy-casual, or is it casually dressed.  With so many people having individual interpretations of this, just what do you wear? If you live in the city such as NYC or Chicago or somewhere in between, it is a pretty good guess that means clothes accented by sparkly jewelry, designer scarves, perfume, nails polished,  hair done at the professionals, and probably high heels of various heights.

 ImageWhat about if you live in the woods, the farm or somewhere in between those places? What does one wear then to a party or dinner gathering during the holidays, regardless of which one you honor? What does casual mean then? Would it be sweat suits with spangles on them declaring that they are dressy for the holidays? Dark running shoes rather than the white ones? Jeans, if you can still fit into them after the first few parties?

 It seems I just don’t know anymore and it was once a self-assured answer on the tip of my tongue if anyone asked me. Then again, after a few glasses of wine, does anyone really care?