GIVING MORE THANKS

by Judy Ann Davis

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We have so much to be thankful for in the United States that I thought I would just re-post a poem I always loved at this time of the year. It’s by an unknown artist. 

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with friends and family. My husband and I usually spend the day cooking together. Both our sons live too far away (Alaska and S.C.) to join us for only a short time. We do try to sneak in a Skype meeting sometime during the day to converse with them and the little ones. If anyone is traveling this weekend I wish you a safe journey home. 

Let’s also hold those who are fighting for their freedoms around the world in our hearts, minds, and prayers. Freedoms are precious desires and needs and are essential in all our lives.

 Giving Thanks - Author Unknown

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

 

NEW - NEW - NEW     

COURTING BETSY -Book 3 of the Ashomore Brothers Series

  

                          VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE FOR ALL MY BOOKS 

 

NOVEMBER - Transitioning to Winter

 by Judy Ann Davis

                                          HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It’s November—our transition into winter. Bare tree limbs shiver in stiff winds. Wayward leaves scurry across the chilly ground, and clouds gather in gray skies. Inside, people search closets and drawers for wool and flannel clothing, and warm shoes and boots.

It’s the time when everyone dashes outside to get their homes battened down and ready for the first snows to fly. The bushes and trees have been trimmed, and perennial plants are leveled to the ground for a spring rebirth. Leaves from trees, now drab brown, wet, or maybe crispy and dry, have been raked or swept up in lawn mowers. In our small development here in Central Pennsylvania, when one mower roared to life, another followed shortly, and the race was on to see which house finished first.

November brings back many memories from childhood in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I remember school days when we watched out the windows in our classrooms to look for the first snowflakes. For farm kids, snow meant outside fun as we rode sleds, shovels or saucers down a slippery slope. There were outside chores, too. Clearing snow from the front porch, sidewalk, back steps and entrance were unspoken activities after every storm. Almost daily, we hauled stacks of wood from outside into our cellar to dry and feed our hungry, wood-fired furnace.                                     

I loved our cellar furnace. The light sweet smoky smell of wood still reminds me of a toasty warmed-by-air ducts ending at metal floor registers above. In high school and before bedtime, I would find a register, grab a blanket and wrap it tent-like around me to trap the heat while I did my homework.

And I’ll never forget the tasty winter foods of November. Falling temperatures brought warmer hearty dishes to our table—roasts, ham, meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, and stews, to name a few. Delicious scents from homemade soups like chicken noodle, beet, creamy potato, or vegetable beef wafted through the rooms. Hot chocolate, cider, tea, and coffee made winter meals even more savory and inviting. Thanksgiving was a feast. If we didn’t have a turkey, we enjoyed a chicken or roast. Mother froze or canned every imaginable vegetable, so cranberries were our only purchased item for the holidays.

As the eleventh month of the year, November can rightfully boast it’s the transition from fall to winter. It also announces we are approaching the end of the year. For children who love and wait for winter, it's so much more as they ask the curious and often blissful question swirling in their heads and hearts—will it snow today?  

JUNE ~ The Pianist

(Book 1 of the Musical Christmas Series)
NOW ON SALE $0.99

Snow in Pennsylvania

by Judy Ann Davis

This year, winter snowflakes arrived in Central Pennsylvania on November 15^th without giving advanced notice. If you didn’t get all your outdoor chores finished, like trimming the shrubs, storing or covering the patio furniture, or shoving the barbecue grill undercover, you’ll now have to wait for a sunny day and first melt. Luckily, at the Davis house, we were able to get most winterizing finished. 

I’m a fan of November. It’s the month when we celebrate the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims as well as offering our gratitude for all we have. We gather with our family and friends together, without the hassle of presents, and enjoy good food and friendship.

It’s the month when we can snuggle down and enjoy the many smells of the season from the cinnamon and sugar in an apple pie baking in the oven to luscious, rich scent of a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Squash of all varieties become a staple fall accompaniment to a pork or beef roast. Cooked, baked, and roasted root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beets, and potatoes, stored for winter use, appear on our holiday tables. These are our comfort foods. And they remind us as the temperatures fall that winter is around the corner.

My favorite dessert during November and December is pie. Pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies show up on our table during the holidays. Here is my favorite recipe for pecan pie:

Pecan Pie

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

l cup light corn syrup

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons melted butter (or margarine)

2 ½ tablespoons dark rum

1 cup (about 7 ounces) shelled pecans

1.    Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter, mixing just to blend. (Do not over beat.)  Stir in rum and pecans. Pour into a prepared, unbaked, 9-inch pastry shell.

2.    Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 40 minutes or until filling is golden brown and firm to the light touch. Serve at room temperature with a bowl of lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Do you have a favorite winter pie or dessert?

 If so, please share your seasonal choice in the comment box below. 

This month, I'm featuring my anthology of short stories:

UP ON THE ROOF AND OTHER STORIES

https://www.amazon.com/Roof-Other-Stories-Judy-Davis/dp/0999089609/ 

This is a collection of nineteen humorous and serious

short stories exploring the lives and relationships

of the young and old. 

These are clean, contemporary stories 

for an audience of all ages.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Ann-Davis/e/B006GXN502/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyAnnDavis4 
Twitter ID:  JudyAnnDavis4 
Blog Link: “A Writer’s Revelations” ~  http://judyanndavis.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.judyanndavis.com/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4353662.Judy_Ann_Davis
Yahoo Groups:  wrppromo@yahoogroups.com and ahachat@yahoogroups.com and pennwriters@yahoogroups.com

Weave Herbs and their Lore With Your Writing--November Workshop

If you missed my other workshops, or want to catch the updated version, I'm giving my Herbal Lore and the Historic Medicinal Uses of Herbs Workshop in November for Hearts Through History Romance Writers. Nonmembers are welcome to join in. To register follow this link to their lovely site:

http://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/herbal-lore-and-the-historic-medicinal-uses-of-herbs/

(Dill and heirloom poppies from Monticello in our garden)

This workshop spans centuries of herbs and their lore from the ancients, through the British Isles, Colonial America, Native Americans, the Granny Women and the Mountain People of the Blue Ridge and Alleghenies (general Appalachia). Mountains are all around us here in the Shenandoah Valley. Participants will receive the eBook of my herbal, Plants for A Medieval Herb Garden in the British (also available in print if anyone's interested).

There's so much fascinating stuff to cover, I encourage participants to download and save files for later. I also welcome discussion and questions. My aim is for my workshop to be both informative and fun.