Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Finding My Theme - Redux

Several years ago, I wrote about an occasion when I found my theme. I was asked, "What do you want to share with the world through your writing?" I formulated my response in this sentence:

"I write to help people find hope amidst their trials, to learn to overcome, not just to wallow in misery."

That became my writing theme or purpose. My works have continued to follow that theme because it is part of my values and view of life, but I recently realized that I have an additional purpose for writing, that of showing marriage as a viable, honorable, worth-while state.

So many people around me think about marriage as an option, a not-necessary part of life, even though they live with another person. They will say, "I don't need a piece of paper to make me feel good. I'm fine as I am."

Since I adhere to a set of beliefs that includes the teaching that sexual relations rightly belong in a marriage between a man and a woman, and only then, I feel an obligation to do my best to pass that belief along.

I also believe that marriage can and should endure beyond the I-can't-take-any-more-of-this stage of every-day life, and in fact, can last beyond the until-death-do-us-part vows made in most Christian wedding ceremonies. To achieve that end, I submit that marriage is a partnership that takes the work and commitment of both parties, along with love, affection, and admiration, to be sustained and enjoyed.


Since I'm basically a nice person, and quite shy, I don't go around preaching my beliefs to everyone who may follow a different life-style. No, I do it another way. I put it into my fiction, which I didn't always realize I was doing, because, you know, I just write according to who I am.

That is why I have two characters in my Owen Family Saga novels that are as firm as bedrock in espousing similar beliefs. Rod and Julia Owen are not going to entertain thoughts of a divorce when the going gets tough. They may hold different theories of child-rearing, or of entertainment, or the proper role of the master of the house, but they love and cherish each other with a fervor that keeps them together and facing the trials of life with a solid unity. They made their vows some 25 years ago, and they are not about to abandon them now. Instead, they work at their relationship, even though it be in a 19th century sort of way. Even with the burdens of frontier living making the exteriors a bit worn, they will always see each other with youthful eyes . . . and that's as it should be.

I hope you've enjoyed the journey with them thus far, and will continue to do so in my next novel of the series, Gone for a Soldier.
____________________
Marsha Ward is the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Her latest book, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association aka ANWA.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Mary Owen Comes to Call

* I knew I should be writing, but I had borne up through a hard week and found myself nodding over my computer keyboard.

That changed when the doorbell rang.

I went to answer it, and saw a young girl standing outside my screen door, wringing her hands. I saw immediately that she was not from my time. She wore a long skirted outfit, complete with a frilly scarf draped down the front of her bodice to below her waist.

Me: Hello?

Her: Are you "Mom?"

Me: Several people call me that.

Her: Rulon says that's what you agreed would be acceptable.

Me: Rulon said so? Are you Mary? (I certainly should have recognized her right away, but sometimes there things are tricky.)

Mary: Yes, I am Mary . . Owen.

Me: Come in, dear. You look a mite agitated.

Mary: Yes. (Her voice is so soft I have to strain to hear it.)

I opened the door and let her in, went through the amenities, and admired her scarf. She blushed.

Mary: It is to confuse to eye, you know. So folks won't . . .

Me: Won't?

Mary: Won't condemn me for being, you know, for increasing.

Me: Who would be so impolite as to cast aspersions on you? You're married, yes?

Mary: Some folks believe I'm too young for that.

Me: Isn't that between you and Rulon?

Mary, brightening: Rulon. Yes. (She rests a hand on her abdomen, smiling shyly.) But he is gone, you know.

Me: Off fighting. I do know.

Mary (hastily): But you won't make him die?

Me (shaking my head emphatically): No.

Mary, sighing: Thank you.

Me (not knowing what else to say): Are you well?

Mary: Yes. Very. Thank you. Except that . . .

Me: Yes?

Mary: I have lost something. (She is hanging her head now.)

Me: Rulon's letter?

Mary: Yes. I cannot find it anywhere. Please let me find it.

Me: Mary. Look at me. (She glances up.) You will come upon that letter in a while. Not tomorrow, but after a while.

Mary: But I will be able to read it?

Me: Of course. It will please you to do so.

Mary (rising) I don't know how to reward your generosity, ma'am.

Me: There's no need, dear. Just go play out your role and have a happy life. (I give her a hug)

Mary: Thank you, ma'am. Mom.

I watch as she moves cautiously away, down the ramp and onto the road, and then out of sight.


Copyright © 2014 Marsha Ward

*This is a work of fiction. I don't really talk to time-traveling characters from my novels. I do like them a lot, though, and am glad they pass under the rainbow from time to time to visit me in my own time and place. To order autographed copies of my novels, The Man from Shenandoah, Ride to Raton, Trail of Storms, and Spinster's Folly, visit my website at marshaward.com or Westward Books.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Saturday Sample - January 25, 2014

Welcome back to my new version of Saturday Samples! In this portion of a scene from my forthcoming novel, Gone for a Soldier, Mary Owen is faced with a family crisis. Edited to include: I'm not sure where the second paragraph below wandered off to, but the piece certainly makes more sense when it has been rounded up and put back into place!
~~~

Mary entered the front door of the house, having taken the morning to go to the photographer's studio to have her likeness made to send to Rulon. She had not even had time to close the door when Ida's voice came down the stairs in a screech.

"Mama needs you. Come here at once!"

Mary's warm sense of worth and contentment vanished in the instant. What could be wrong with Mama? She hastily shed and hung her wrap, and trudged up the steps.

The second floor was a complete hub-bub: her sisters yelling or wringing hands, according to their nature. Mary followed the loudest noise, which came from her parents' room. Ida flapped about, urging their mother not to worry, that Mary would arrive soon. Mama lay on the bedspread, fully clothed, gritting her teeth through some paroxysm of pain, her eyes tightly closed and her face set.

Well, she was here now, and what was she supposed to do about this unusual situation? Had Mama fallen? Broken a limb?

Mama's fingers gripped the chenille bed covering. Her head quivered.

Mary gazed at the mounded fabric covering her mother's abdomen, and was astounded to see it move of its own accord; a sort of cramping or squeezing seemed to be taking place.

Then the idea of what was occurring hit Mary like a slap upon the side of her head. Mama was in the throes of giving birth to her baby. What was she to do about it? She had not had the same experience yet, and could not imagine herself dealing with the event.

She went to the side of the bed, stooped and took Mama's hand, then asked, "What arrangements have you made? Who is to attend you?"

"Char-- Mrs. Bingham," Mama gasped. "Send Ida." She panted, worn out from such a small bit of talk."Hurry!" Her voice came out low and strained, a harsh gargle.

Mary almost drew back at the venom in the command. Instead, she swallowed and looked at Ida. "You heard her. Make haste."

Ida left the room, looking back over her shoulder, and Mary saw tears brimming in widened eyes, a demonstration of emotion so unlike the saucy girl. How long had Mama been lying here in pain? Guilt at being absent swept through her. How was she to know this day had been set aside for a birth?

____________________

Have you ever been present during the birth of someone else's baby? What was your main concern at the time? Which of your emotional responses surprised you the most?

I hope you enjoyed this short bit from Gone for a Soldier, my forthcoming novel set during the American Civil War. Thank you for visiting. I love to read your comments, so if anything in the sample compels you to speak up, rest assured that I eventually read what you write and will reply, if needed. Questions? I'm open to them, too.

Please come back next Saturday for another sample. Thank you!

Marsha Ward is the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Her latest book, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association aka ANWA.

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Say Goodbye to 46 Cents

The cost of postage stamps for letters is about to rise--again--but it's supposed to be a temporary price increase unless the rate of inflation catches up with it at the end of the two-year extension. The price will increase from the 2013 rate of $0.46 to $0.49 on January 26, 2014.

The post card rate will also go up another cent.

Highlights of the increased prices for single-piece First Class Mail include:
  • Letters (1 oz.) — 3-cent increase to 49 cents
  • Letters additional ounces — 1-cent increase to 21 cents
  • Letters to all international destinations (1 oz.) — $1.15
  • Postcards — 1-cent increase to 34 cents
An interesting feature of the new prices is that a 20-cent surcharge will be levied on packages that do not have an Intelligent Mail Package Barcode on the shipping label. In addition, a new First Class Letter rate called "Metered Mail" will cost one cent less than the regular price. This applies to letters and postcards imprinted from postage meters or online postage services.

I don't use a huge number of stamps except for Christmas card mailings (which I did not do last year), but I like to keep a stock of stamps on hand for unforeseen needs. Therefore, I got myself to the post office to purchase a supply of Forever Stamps while they were still 46 cents.

My stash

While I was there, I was informed that all stamps are now Forever stamps, something I had not realized previously. Nice to know.

Do you plan to purchase postage stamps before the price jump?

Sunday, January 05, 2014

An Old Birthday Song



A couple of days ago I was doing something or other on the Internet and ended up on a site that had a question about the origin of an old birthday song that the person's grandmother had taught them.

That person furnished the words, and I recognized them. Our family had used the song for generations, ever since my childhood. I answered that I didn't know where the song came from, but that we all knew and used it at birthday celebrations.

Someone else asked if there was some way to share the music. I answered that I would try to do something about that.

I've decided that the song is probably long out of copyright, if any existed in the first place. I've spent a lot of time and effort searching for it, and it does not appear to be available anywhere.

Well, of course I've spent several hours playing around with this shiny project: first writing down the music with my songwriting software, saving it in both audible and visible formats, then trying to figure out how to share them.

I discovered a way.

Here is an mp3 file to download of what I'm calling Old Birthday Song. Our family appended the traditional Irving Berlin birthday song to the end of it, and since that one is tightly held, I'm not including more than two bars to get you started.

Here is a pdf file of Old Birthday Song to download so that you will have the words to learn. It's best to use the print icon in the source, not your nifty keyboard shortcut.

I hope you will be able to use this song with your family, and that it becomes a tradition in your celebrations. Enjoy!

By the way, if I'm wrong about there being no copyright, the song will go away from here.

EDITED 01-08-2014:

NEW INFORMATION. "A Very Happy Birthday," credited to Beth Marchant, was published in the January, 1949, issue of "The Children's Friend" magazine. A box to the side says, "A NEW BIRTHDAY SONG. This birthday song is suggested for Primaries in place of the Primary Penny Song."

In 2008, my sister's daughter-in-law discovered this in the BYU Library, and acquired a photo image of the page, which she sent to my sister. I just received the image.



Although the words as I remembered them are just slightly different from the original, I used a different time signature and eighth notes instead of quarter notes, and a couple of the notes are not the same, I find it interesting that I pitched it in the original key!

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Fun with Mending and Muscle Memory

To show that I am a well-balanced person, more or less, I'll recount my domesticity for the day.


When I left the Phoenix metro area for my present locality several years ago, I thought I would never sew again, and gave my beloved Kenmore sewing machine to a charity. I bought it when I was in high school, and a great deal of fabric passed under the presser foot, including that for my wedding dress and multitudinous pieces of clothing for a growing family.

Silly me! One never gets away from the need to do the occasional job of mending. Some tasks are too large for hand sewing. Thus it is that I bought a portable sewing machine.

Today's mending task involves sewing two layers of fabric together around the edge to make a patch, reinforcing it by stitching across the body of the patch, then sewing it onto the piece I am patching.

I am sewing two layers of flannel that are cut in an irregular shape. In order to sew the edges together, I change direction slightly as I follow the curve of the fabric. When working on a nappy fabric like flannel, however, the "feed dogs" underneath the needle assembly tend to keep the fabric going in a straight line, not allowing me to easily guide the fabric into the curve the way I would do with a smoother material.

I know I'm writing in a language--sewing machine--that is foreign to many of my readers. Feed dogs move up, back, and down to advance the material or fabric from underneath so that the threads from above and below can interlock to make the sewing stitch.

In order to change directions around the curves, I frequently must stop the machine while the needle is down in the fabric, lift the "presser foot" that keeps the fabric tight against the feed dogs, then turn the fabric. Then I lower the presser foot and continue sewing. The presser foot is lifted and lowered by means of a lever.

The project is going pretty well. However, this machine is set up a tiny bit differently than my Kenmore. Instead of the presser foot lever being located behind the needle assembly shaft, it is to the right side.

Presser foot lever (gray plastic) on right of mechanism.

It's odd how muscle memory kicks in after so many years, guiding my hand to one place instead of another. I keep wanting to go to the back of the needle assembly shaft to raise and lower the presser foot (object below that looks like parallel skiis). That's where the lever was located on the Kenmore. The only problem with that is the presence of another lever in that location. This one releases the presser foot from the shaft entirely, so that one can replace it with another type of foot, like for sewing button holes, or putting in a zipper.

Lever to left releases the presser foot (ski-like object) for replacement with another type of foot.

Since I only want to move the fabric, hitting the metal lever shown above to the left would cause a significant delay to my mending project.

I will press on, trying to curb my muscle memory, until I have finished my task. Wish me luck!

Do you find yourself relying upon muscle memory in your daily or occasional pursuits? Has it ever led you astray?

____________________

Marsha Ward is the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Her latest book, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association aka ANWA.
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