Author: L.M. Hosler

history, History, Women and History

Royal Fairy Tale Weddings: Royal Scandals

L.M. Hosler

The Queen Arrives at Royal Wedding

The Queen of England arrives by carriage at a royal wedding.

Times Have Changed Attitudes About Royal Marriage and Divorce

At one time, divorce was not an option to even be considered for the royal British family. It was almost impossible to obtain a divorce among the royal class. But over the years there were some exceptions, probably beginning with King Henry VII and his six wives. In his case, he did manage to divorce his first wife. The other wives had less fortunate endings. But divorce among the royalty was still considered taboo and likewise, they were not allowed to marry a person who was divorced. King Edward VIII gave up the throne to be able to marry the twice divorced Wally Simpson. Things began to change during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Her sister and three of her children’s fairy tale weddings ended in divorce. Just recently Prince Charles the heir to the British throne and his son Prince Harry have both been allowed to marry divorced women. It is looking very likely that the fairy tale wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will quite likely end in another royal scandal. As a matter of fact, this royal fairy tale has already become a major scandal for the British monarchy.

The Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince Charles and Princess Diana marriage begins to crack.

Not long after Prince Harry was born, things began to deteriorate between the young couple. Charles had done his royal duty and produced an heir and a spare heir. By 1986, rumors began that Prince Charles was rekindling his old romance with Camilla Parker Bowles. Then the rumors began about Princess Diana and other men. How much was true may never be fully known, but we do know for certain that Prince Charles did have an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and he did marry her several years after Diana’s death. The fairy tale had become a rocky road. In February of 1989, Princess Diana had an occasion to confront Camilla and let her know that she knew what was going on behind her back. By 1990, the marriage was on very shaky ground and at some point, Prince Charles admitted his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diane famously said that there were three people in their marriage.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrive by carriage to Prince Andrews wedding

Princess Margaret the Queen’s Rebellious Sister

Princess Margaret had a reputation for being a rebellious royal. When she was very young and quite beautiful, she fell in love with Captain Townsend. The two privately planned on being married but the captain who was divorced was not considered a good match for Margaret. He was not of noble birth but even worse he was a divorced man which was not acceptable at that time. Margaret at that time needed both the permission of her sister, the Queen Elizabeth, and parliament to marry Captain Townsend. Privately, her sister would have granted her permission but it was well known that parliament would not give their consent. Eventually Captain Townsend and Margaret called off their romance.

On May 6, 1960, Princess Margaret married a thirty year old photographer and commoner, Anthony Armstrong Jones. It was a lavish fairy tale wedding with thousands of guests, royals and heads of states from other countries. It was also watched by millions around the world on national television. On November 3, 1961, their first child David arrived followed by a sister, Sarah on May 1, 1964. Upon the arrival of the children, it was decided that Anthony Armstrong Jones needed to be given a royal title for the sake of the children. He was given the title of Earl of Snowden and his son the title of Viscount Linley. A few years after the birth of the children, the marriage began to sour. The couple loved partying which ended up involving affairs, drugs and alcohol, all the aspects of the modern 1960s. The two separated and on July 11th 1978, after eighteen years of marriage the fairy tale ended in divorce. Princess Margaret twenty years earlier could not marry a divorced man but 1960s changed attitudes so by 1978 divorce among the royals was not quite so scandalous.

Princess Margaret in her Wedding Dress

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew was formally introduced to Sarah Ferguson at a party given by Princess Diana. They immediately hit it off with Prince Andrew falling for the fiery red haired beauty. On March 18th 1986, they announced their engagement. On July 23, 1986, they were married at Westminster Abbey where many of the royal family have been married.

Almost from the start, theirs was a rocky road. Prince Andrew’s position in the Royal Navy kept him from home for long periods of time for the first five years of their marriage. Sarah or (Fergie) as she was known had deep security issues relating back to being abandoned by her mother at an early age. The couple did have two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie. Sarah was perhaps never fully supported by the royal family. She didn’t fit the royal mold and was bold and outgoing. At any rate, the marriage floundered and the Duke and Duchess of York announced their separation in 1992 and were divorced in May of 1996. Along the way there were scandals and other relationships as was the case in most of the other royal fairy tales. However, their story may yet have a happy ending. Prince Andrew and Sarah have always remained close friends and both were very involved in the raising of their two daughters. It seems that today they live together and there are rumors that the two may remarry someday. Let’s hope that this royal fairy tales ends like fairy tales are supposed to end and they live the rest of their lives happily as fairy tales are meant to end.

Sarah Ferguson on Her Wedding Day

The scandal That Splits The Royal Family

The latest royal scandal is still brewing. This one involves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the former Prince Harry and his bride Meghan Markle an American Hollywood actress. The couple married on May 19, 2018. Their son Archie was born the following year on May 6, 2019. In January 2020, they made headlines around the world with their decision to leave the British royal family and move to Canada.

Some Fairy Tales End Happily

Everyone, including me loves a fairy tale. When we see a young beautiful prince or princess marry in a huge fairy tale wedding complete with beautiful white dresses, horse drawn carriages, famous and titled guests, we can’t help but still believe in fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast and happy endings. After all, some of the royal family such as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert somehow managed to live out their fairy tale.

Copyright Linda Hosler March 10, 2014

history, History, writing

Advice on Beating Writer’s Block

L.M. Hosler
The Frustration of writer’s block

Some days it seems like ideas for writing just flow through your fingers and onto paper. But then along comes the dark days when nothing you write seems to be right and there seems to be no new ideas. Writer’s block is seen as a condition where creativity is blocked, frustration and irritation tends to set in. Writer’s block occurs when the writer wants to write but can’t seem to find the right ideas and words. Some writers suffer from writer’s block after having a story or book rejected or criticized. I have read that even well known authors suffer from writer’s block at times. What can a writer do to help get back on track and beat writer’s block? I know from experience that getting rejected or not being able to make money by writing that many of us including myself, tend to get discouraged and put our writing on the back burner to pursue other avenues. Certainly not the right thing to do, but it happens. So how do we get back on track and beat writer’s block?

Stories Are Out There Waiting for Us to Write

You have probably already heard the great advice, that says you should write about what you know. This may be very true, but writer’s generally write about just about anything. Whatever their passion is they will write about it. Some writers write books while others are content to write short stories, poetry or articles. What is your passion? Write about that.

  • Romance: My favorite and a big seller
  • Family
  • Your own personal stories
  • Science Fiction if you have a great imagination
  • Social Issues: Writing about something you feel strongly about can change our world
  • Sports are a big part of our lives and so much to write about
  • Politics are exciting to write about and can influence other people’s opinions
  • News is always happening around us every day. In our own communities and around the world
  • Science and history: I personally love history and always have so this is my niche. Science not so much for me.
  • News articles about current events

Stories are everywhere just waiting for the right writer to put the words down on paper. That writer could be you.

Romantic Stories Ideas

Love stories are very popular. Who doesn’t love a good love story with a happy ending or maybe a not so happy ending because not all love stories have happy endings.

  • Love stories are all around us. Ask some older couples who have been married a long time how they met and they will be happy to give you a great story
  • Or how about a man or a woman who travels back in time torn between two loves
  • Another great story idea is two people in love with each other but live miles apart but can’t seem to find a solution to be together
  • How about a story on celebrities couples who have survived a long turbulent relationship
  • Tell your own love story good or bad

History is Full of Great Stories

  • Write fiction stories based on historical events and people
  • Write nonfiction on real characters and events
  • Write your family history. Did a family member serve in one of the wars? I just recently started searching my family history and found several interesting relatives that with some imagination should make for interesting stories
  • Veterans are a great source of information and stories of their experiences serving our country
  • I often research old newspapers for some ideas about people and events that may make interesting fiction. Just be sure to change names and other identifying personal facts unless you have the written permission of the parties involved.

Ideas Right in Your Own Backyard

  • Gather some odd or old items like old pictures, jewelry, clothing, games or old letters and create a story combing all those items.
  • Look out your window to see what the neighbors are doing (be nosy)
  • Take a walk through a park and watch people and make up stories about how those people are related and what they are doing. What’s the story of the older couple sitting on the park bench? Go talk to them.
  • Has someone in your life inspired you to become a writer? Write about who that was and how they influenced your writing.
  • Talk with some disabled people and write about how their disability affects their lives and their family’s lives. Maybe volunteer to help someone who is disabled.
  • Invite the neighbors for a cookout and just sit back and listen to some of the stories which you will hear.
  • Imagine that you have inherited an old house that is filled with old documents and personal papers.
  • Imagine that you find something that affects your life. Or maybe you find old stocks and bonds that are worth a fortune. What will you do with all that money
Your Own Personal Life

While I feel that my life has been way too boring to write much about there have been some tough times and decisions, I have had to make that I am currently writing about. For example, years ago I wrote an article about going through a divorce and how it affected me and how I worried about how my children were going to affected by the divorce. I just now while writing this have come up with a brainstorm. Now years later, I am going to write about just how it did affect my three sons and their lives.

These are just a few ideas and tips to break the writer’s block we all experience at times. But what’s really important is that we get started and don’t stop writing. And the most important advice is to never give up, never quit writing.

What Works for Me

 have recently found some new ways to get creative. First, I joined some writing groups on Facebook and found some new ideas.

One thing I do is look for some ordinary pictures such as a boat washed up on the beach. Then I start describing the area around the boat. Some people are standing in the background, so I make up names and personalities for them. I image these people coming out for a family holiday out on the boat and picnicking on the beach. After a while my story starts to develop. Who are these people, how are they related, what are they doing at the beach? Are they a family or just a group of friends.

Another thing I am doing is to read the obituaries of any newspaper and make a story of that person’s life. I don’t use the names of course. But I can tell a story by their age, marriage or marriages, children, grandchildren. If they were in a branch of the service, or what organizations they belonged to such as churches, or if they were a teacher. Again, a story begins to develop as you write. In other words, I model my characters after these people.

I also love watching movies and documentaries which don’t always answer my questions so I begin doing research on my own and the next thing I know a story evolves. I change the names and make it a work of fiction.

These are a few of my ways of beating writers block and they work for me. I hope they may help others to do the same.

Best Tips to Beat Writing Block
  • Have fun and experiment with new things and ideas
  • Keep learning and researching.
  • Go exploring in your local area or travel if you can afford to do that.
  • Read anything and everything.
  • Research through old newspapers (Library of Congress) is a great source.
  • Local newspaper may also provide some inspiration.
  • Get started writing every day and new ideas will start to form.
  • Schedule writing time just like a regular job. Even just sitting down and writing whatever comes to mind. Write those ideas down for future references.
  • Carry a small notebook with you and jot down things you observe that may make a good story or article later.
  • Write about anything that interests you. Don’t limit yourself. Write about times you were happy or had a terrible experience or a life changing experience.
Putting it All Together

In conclusion, most every writer experience writer’s block from time to time. I know I do. I also know that we must all hold ourselves responsible and keep writing even when it’s difficult. Writing is not always easy, but we must not give into the temptation to just throw in the towel. If writing were easy everyone would be doing it. If writing is your passion, then you will keep those fingers flowing over the keyboard and the words filling the pages.

Copyright Linda Hosler April 30, 2023

history, History, Women and History

Mother and Serial Baby Killer Marie Noe

L.M. Hosler

What sort of mother will kill not one but eight of her ten children??

Marie Noe was a young Philadelphia woman who had ten children between 1949 and 1968. Two of those children lived only a short time and died stillborn. Some only lived a short time in the hospital, never making it home. The other eight babies Marie admitted to smothering to death.

Marie was born as Marie Lyddy on Aug 3, 1928, in an area of Philadelphia, Pa. It seems that Marie had been a neglected child who was most likely physically, emotionally and sexually abused as a young child. Marie’s family was certainly a troubled one. And to make matters even worse, Marie contacted scarlet fever which left her with some learning disabilities. She had a very limited education. She most likely only finished the fifth grade. At that time, she started working to earn her keep.

Marie was close to twenty when she married Arthur Noe and he was twenty-seven. Shortly after that the babies started to be born.

  • Ten Babies
  • Richard Allen March 7th, 1949
  • Elizabeth Mary Sept 8, 1950
  • Jacqueline April 23, 1952
  • Arthur Joseph Jr
  • Constance Feb 24, 1958
  • Letita stillborn Aug 24, 1959
  • Mary Lee June 1962
  • Teresa Died in the hospital only hours after her birth
  • Catherine Ellen Dec 3, 1964
  • Arthur Joseph Jr July 1967

Several of these babies spent a few weeks or months in the hospital and seemed healthy. Healthy enough for the doctors to release them to go home. But then dying a few short weeks or days later. Marie was always alone with the baby when they died. But the deaths were all considered to be SID deaths which is (sudden infant death syndrome). After the birth of the second Arthur Joseph JR, Marie was no longer capable of having any more children.

Investigation and Sentencing

In 1999, a newspaper article written by Stephen Fried brought the Noe’s story back into the spotlight. This article triggered an investigation into the deaths of the eight children. That many years later the evidence of course was sketchy. However, Marie Noe was brought in for questioning and eventually confessed to killing four of the children. She was seventy-one years old by that time.

history, History

Telephone History

L.M. Hosler

Early Phones

Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 was the first person to patent a new invention known as the telephone. For many years the Bell telephone company would bear his name. Today in some areas the Bell telephone service is still in existence. Telephones have certainly become quite different from the original first telephones. We have moved from phones that were hard to hear on to smart phones that can function as a small computer that we can carry in our pocket or our purse.

Photos of Alexander Graham Bell as a young man and as an older man.

Some Photos of the Earliest Phones

Bell’s First Model 1875

Not sure how this model worked.

Old Antique Crank Telephone

An antique crank phone that can be seen at Buffalo Gap Historic Village, Taylor County, Texas.
Photographer: Carol M. Highsmith

Rotary Desktop Phones

Telephones became more modern and rotary desktop phones became popular. The rotary phone was a phone that had the numbers 1-9 and was designed by Almon Brown Stowger in 1891. One of the popular models in the 1940s was the candlestick phone.

A very old rotary telephone
A fancy white desktop rotary phone.

Moving Forward to Smart Phones

Today almost everyone including children carry what is called a smart phone with them at all times. These phones are very convenient to stay in constant touch with family and friends. I was extremely glad to have my phone with me when I hit a pothole in the pouring rain one night. It allowed me to call for help while remaining inside my car. These portable phones are a great help in times of emergencies.

Smart cells phones are an essential part of our society. Parents can stay in contact with their children easily and know where their children are. Of course, there are also safety issues with teenagers going online with strangers who may cause them great harm. There are also many questionable sites that are not suitable for children of any age to be using. But smart phones are here to stay. They have good and bad uses depending on the way they are used. In the picture below we see students with their phones in school. It makes you wonder what will be coming next.

Today, almost every student has a cell phone with them.

history

Memories of Covered Bridge

L.M. Hosler

Covered Bridges once covered most of America’s streams and creeks, connecting towns and counties. However, today most are gone and have been replaced by unappealing but sturdy and safe concrete bridges. Beautifully structured covered bridges are now mostly just memories and pictures to younger Americans. Even I barely remember traveling over these bridges as a child. But in my area we do have a few bridges that have survived the years of high water and floods. These floods moved many bridges off their foundations. They washed them downstream or completely destroyed them. Some have been turned over to the local county historical society which keeps them in good shape. Most can not be driven over any more but there are two that still are open to traffic.

Beautiful Covered Bridge in Winter

A Gone Forever Era

Covered bridges are a significant part of America’s history. They bring back good memories of a time when life was simple and carefree. Covered bridges certainly create an urban country picture like nothing else. A picture of a covered bridge in winter shows snow covering it and an icy creek beneath. It makes me want to sing the song “Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother’s house we go.” A horse drawn sleigh completes the picture. In the fall, a covered bridge makes a beautiful picture. Colorful foliage surrounds it. Water rushes underneath it. We can only wish we still had the chance to experience just one more sleigh ride. We long for a ride over the old covered bridge. Sadly, that era is pretty much gone forever.

At one time, there were approximately fourteen to fifteen hundred covered bridges across the United States. Today, most of those bridges are gone. Some were swept away by flooding waters and severe storms. Others simply became too old and unsafe for heavy cars and trucks. Some of these covered bridges that do remain are at least one hundred and fifty years old. Many states are now trying to save these historical bridges and restore them. They have become historical landmarks. These bridges should be valued by future generations. Otherwise, future generations will never know their beauty.

Pennsylvania was one of the few states that resisted adopting iron bridges when they became popular. Instead, it continued to build covered bridges. As a result, in Pennsylvania there are close to two hundred surviving covered bridges still standing. Today, a friend of mine and I drove across one of the few remaining bridges still in use today.

Covered bridge in Orential, PA

Ghost Stories Haunted Bridges

Covered bridges have many great stories to tell. Young lovers found these covered bridges great places to sneak away from prying eyes. But many of these bridges also have very sad stories. Legends are attached to them. Over the years, they have become sites for those interested in paranormal activities.

Historic Sachs Bridge In Gettysburg Pennsylvania

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania claims one of the most historic covered bridges in Pennsylvania or for that matter in the entire nation. Sachs Bridge was built sometime between 1852 and 1854 by David Stone. It crosses the Marsh Creek, in Adams County, for one hundred feet and is fifteen feet wide. This bridge gained fame because both the Union Army and the Confederate Army used it during the battle of Gettysburg. General Robert E. Lee and his confederate troops retreated from Gettysburg by way of Sachs Bridge.

It is said that this bridge is haunted three deserters were hung from the one end of the bridge. It is also near the hospital that was used after the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Sachs Bridge was closed to traffic in 1968. In either 1996 or 1997, heavy rains washed the bridge off its foundation. The rains moved it downstream. It has since been taken over by the Gettysburg Preservation Association and repaired.

Emily’s Bridge in Stowe, Vermont

Emily’s bridge is a colorful sad tale. The story is that Emily went to the bridge to wait for her young beau and the pair planned to elope. However, the groom failed to appear and Emily was found hanging from the rafters of the bridge. Another version of the story is that Emily was thrown from a horse into the water and drowned. And then there is the story of a woman who says she made up the whole story to keep kids in the seventies from partying at or near the bridge.

Hell’s Bridge in Michigan

This tale sounds like a horror movie. It seems that children were being abducted in the local area of the bridge. The townspeople decided to search for the abductor. They left their children in the care of a strange character named Friske whom they thought to be a kind caring old gentleman. But Friske turned out to be the one abducting and killing the children. Friske seemed to be possessed by demons and killed the children he was supposed to be looking after. The enraged parents immediately hung the old man from the bridge. It makes quite a gruesome story although it’s doubtful a true story.

Colville Covered Bridge in Kentucky

Colville covered bridge was built in Kentucky in 1877. There are several stories about the bridge being haunted. The biggest ghost story is about a pair of teenagers who died on prom night. The story is that the couple was driving home in the 1930s from their prom. Their car veered out of control. It ended up in the water, and the two drowned.

Covered bridges have some very interesting and colorful stories of young lovers and lost lives. How many of the stories are true no one knows. But these bridges certainly were a great part of our history. Hopefully, some will remain cared for to preserve their history and their stories.

Please Help To Preserve Our Historical Bridges

It takes time, money and volunteers to save our wooden covered bridges but they are worth the time and effort. These covered bridges have a timeless beauty, wonderful charm and great engineering structures. If you have the time, money, energy and knowledge to help save our bridges please consider helping.

history

How Americans Have Recycled in the Past

L.M. Hosler

Recycling is not a new idea. People have been reusing and recycling what they could throughout American history. From it’s very beginning people were doing what is now know as recycling.

 Waste and recycling are not new concepts although many young people may think it is since it has now been given the name “going green”. Actually, recycling goes back several centuries or more. I have heard some young people make statements about how the older generation have harmed the earth and the environment. This is just not true. Life, technology and new products have just changed how we take care of our planet. While every generation has done harm to the environment, they have also done their part in trying to keep a clean environment. Times have changed and so have the way that people lives their lives. For instance, how many things have become disposable that we take for granted in today’s fast paced hectic world?

Disposable Items Have Developed Over The Years

  1. Disposable diapers
  2. Sanitary products
  3. Kleenex tissues
  4. Disposable razors
  5. Paper plates and bowls
  6. Plastic silverware
  7. Takeout food containers
  8. Plastic bottles
  9. Milk jugs

Cloth Diapers

Before Disposable Items Were Available

Disposable diapers are something no young mother could ever think of doing without. But older generations did not have this luxury. They did something that young people today would consider (too gross) to do. They used cloth diapers and the feces and urine were rinsed out, then the diapers were washed and hung on a line in the sunshine to dry, taken down, folded and put away to be used the next day and often times were used for the next baby. When they worn thin or had holes or tears, they were then used as cleaning rags.

Women’s sanitary products were also at one time used in the same way. My one hundred and one year old female friend tells me how she would use flannel pads that were washed, dried and reused. Can any woman image doing that today?

And disposable Kleenex tissues have replaced the old fashioned handkerchiefs that were washable and therefore reusable.

Picnics would not be picnics today if we didn’t have disposable plates, cups and plastic silverware. All which we take for granted. At one time however, real plates, glasses and silverware were packed into a picnic basket. All items were taken home, washed and packed away to be used for the next outing.

Take Out Food

We now live in a world of takeout food and fast food restaurants. Who hasn’t ordered in pizza or brought home Chinese food for supper? No dishes or pots and pans to clean up. That is truly the way to go. All the mess goes straight into the garbage except for putting those pizza boxes or sandwich boxes into the recycling bin.

Recycling Cans And Bottles

Cans and plastic bottles are now used in place of glass jars and containers. Consider for example, milk used to come in glass jugs while soda came in glass bottles. Milk jugs were returned to the dairy where they were thoroughly scrubbed and scalded to make certain they were sanitized to be used again. Soda bottles were collected to be turned in and in exchange you received 5 cents per bottle. Today, milk, soda, water and other beverages almost all come in plastic containers. These plastic containers should then be collected and recycled.

Cans are also recycled to make new cans. Now we save and return aluminum cans and receive money back for the aluminum cans.

How Americans Recycled During The Depression Years

During the depression era, nothing was thrown away that could possibly be used again. People found uses for everything. This is a short list of some of the items that people recycled.

  1. Flour sacks were emptied, cleaned and were reused for clothing and quilts
  2. Sheets and clothing were never thrown away. They were mended and when they were no longer salvageable, they were used as cleaning rags
  3. Even the smallest soap slivers were not thrown away. They were used in some other way such as melted with other slivers to make new cakes of soap or some were thrown into the wringer washer to wash dirty clothes
  4. Tires on bikes and cars were patched instead of replaced. Tires were also used as tree swings for children
  5. Chickens were for meat and eggs but the feathers were also washed, dried and used in pillows and blankets

Americans Recycled Everything For The War Effort

One of the biggest recycling efforts that ever took place occurred during World War II when just about everything was recycled for the purpose of making necessary war items. There were huge campaigns asking people to support the war effort with their old unused items.

  • Scrap metal was collected and used for making tanks, airplanes and ships
  • Cans were also recycled for the same purposes
  • Old clothes made blankets and uniforms as well as other clothing for the soldiers
  • Pots and pans were used as scrap metal
  • Rubber of any kind which was in extremely short supply. This included raincoats, rubber boots and even old records
  • Newspapers and magazines
  • Animal fat was collected and used for explosives in the war.
  • Even children sacrificed their favorite metal and plastic toys to help the soldiers

This list sounds an awful lot like the items we still recycle, doesn’t it?

Life Changes How We Recycle

Recycling and the way we live our lives has changed through the years. Our ancestors did their part in saving the earth by recycling the materials that they had available to them. From Colonial times, when even the smallest scraps of clothe were saved to be sewn into blankets, through the depression era and several wars, Americans have been recycling.

Today, we have many more modern conveniences that make our lives so much better than other generations. Those conveniences do use more energy but could any of us do without them? We can still do our part by recycling and conserving what we can to save our earth for future generations.

writing

Writing Without Rules: Finding Your Unique Voice

L.M. Hosler

 Do it your way. Throw the rules away and write however you want to. You are who you are and must find your own way. The reason I say this is that after reading my own writing and then reading what others have written I am blown away by what others write. Then when I read my own writing, I see that I am trying to follow all the rules for grammar, punctuation, and all the other CORRECT ways I learned in school.  So it comes off as stiff and informal.  So today, I am going to have to just toss those rules away and just write. Sounds easy enough but I know I am going to have a tough time following my own advice.  I hope it helps some of you other writers.

For instance, when looking at one legendary author such as Mark Twain, his grammar and words fit the people and time period he is writing about. Some people today call it racist but he wrote what he lived and how the people he knew spoke. Can you think of other authors that today we would say didn’t follow the rules of writing? This is something I must learn to do. Just let the words put themselves down on paper or the computer these days. Go with the flow, so to speak.

If one of your stories or projects is not going well, switch gears and start something new and fresh. You can always come back to the first story with a fresh approach. In fact, it might be a good idea to have several projects that you are working on at the same time. I know I have pages of notes of stories I have put aside. I guess it’s time I get back to some of those and see if I can approach them in a different way.

This is certainly going to be the hardest thing for me to do. And that is asking others to give me this criticism and harsh judgments on my writings. I am totally afraid of hearing that something I wrote sucks. But I am going to try to toughen up and take others advice and criticism and learn from it. I may even write some articles just for the purpose of getting feedback from some of those authors who have written some of those awesome articles that I said just blew me away. So I am inviting everyone to give me some feedback on this or any of my other articles. I promise not to weep too loudly, scream too loudly or walk in front of a bus, unless of course the bus in not moving. Just trying to add a bit of humor here. Two new things right here for me. Humor and the last sentence are not correct but I didn’t feel I had to force myself to change it.

Time is important. Find the time to write or sometimes just to sit quietly and brainstorm. Make as much time as you possibly can to write, rewrite and edit. How much time you spent writing depends on how seriously you are committed to become a writer. The more you write the better you will become. Like most jobs you learn and continue getting better the longer you do the job. As a teenager I knew nothing about being a waitress but thirty years later I was quite an experienced waitress. As the old saying goes “practice makes perfect”. Well, maybe not perfect but great.

So I am asking for your opinions and criticism. Be honest.

writing

Losing a Beloved Pet

L.M. Hosler

The last several days have been some of the saddest of my life. I have had to watch my beloved cat Lucy slowly losing her battle with cancer.

It’s been two years since she was diagnosed with cancer. It started with a small lump on her back and I blame myself for not getting her medical attention sooner. I was afraid I would hear that dreadful word CANCER. She was only three years old at the time. Way too young to be sick or die. But in August two years ago that is what I did hear. Lucy had cancer.

I got Lucy and Leo as kittens. My son had found two small kittens that could be held in the palm of your hand. Leo was so small when he first arrived at my home. He managed to slide under my stove and hide. Lucy I could feel her little bones because they had been starving. Well, they got chubby pretty quickly when I adopted them.

Baby Kittens

Lucy is the one with more white

Leo and Lucy were very different but then all cats have their own personality. Leo was more independent and more social. However, he didn’t like cuddling very much. After all, he was a male cat. Lucy on the other hand, was cuddly and we spent many afternoons cuddling up taking naps. Lucy was also afraid of people. If anyone set a foot on the porch, she would take off like a bolt of lightning. She would then hide. I called her my cat alarm. Lucy was always the curious one, getting in trouble and sticking her nose in things. One day she wanted to smell the vicks vapor rub so I held it down for her to sniff. Her face crinkled up and she shook her head so that I laughed so hard at her.

Surgery for Cancer

In August of 2019, Lucy went to the veterinarian and had the lump removed. They thought that she would be fine. However, they warned me that there was a good possibility the cancer could return. Lucy and I had a good year and made many more memories. And then almost one year later, the lump came back. The veterinarian said they could remove the lump again. Maybe I should have gone that route. But they said there were roots of the cancer. So I made the difficult decision to not put her through that again.

Lucy Healing up After Surgery 2019

Lucy Wearing A Baby Outfit

Lucy After Having Surgery

After having surgery, Lucy did very well. Within hours she was up and ready to tear around like she always had. The veterinarian had told me to keep her quiet and not let her scratch or bite her stitches open. Well that proved to be rather tough as Lucy wanted to run, play and scratch. For a few days, I mostly kept her in a large dog box. This way, she couldn’t tear around and had to rest. For scratching the stitches, the vet’s assistant suggested a baby outfit to cover the wound. So, I got her two cute little baby outfits. She looked so adorable in them but she also learned how to slip them off real quick.

So all went well till the next year when the cancer surfaced again.

Lucy’s Last Days

The end is here,. Tomorrow ends Lucy’s suffering. For days now, she has steadily declined and the medicine isn’t stopping it. She can no longer go up the stairs or jump on the couch to cuddle with me. Her hair is in tangles because she can’t clean herself. I have cleaned her several times a day with wet baby wipes. The lump has now grown in size. It is making her unable to walk properly. I think her organs are being affected.

So sadly tomorrow we make out last trip to the veterinarian and we say our final goodbyes. Lucy will suffer no more. I like to think she will go somewhere where the sun shines. There, she can chase butterflies and blowing leaves. Lucy will love that.

Goodbye Lucy

Goodbye my beautiful Lucy. I will hold you in my memories forever.

writing

Writing Ambitious

L.M. Hosler

I love reading good books especially ones that are based on historical events or romantic historical books. I think that brings out my writing and creative side.

Even as a teenager I would write stories and poetry. Not a lot of poetry but a few attempts. But life happened and I became a wife and mother and never found the time to be serious about writing. Now as retirement speeds towards me I try to find some time for writing. Summer is on its way and I will soon spend more time sitting on my porch reading some good books and coming up with ideas to write about.

I am sticking to writing either about writing or history and possibly some great book reviews later in the summer.

I would like to encourage other writers to follow that dream. Maybe not being a rich and famous writer but at least a published author. Find the time every day to put something on paper. Keep a journal of your everyday experiences, ordinary experiences or extra special experiences. If only I had kept a journal when I was working in restaurants, the stories I could have written might have ended up in a book.

But life is full of stories and I work with elderly people now and they have some awesome stories to tell. I only wish my parents were still alive and I could hear their stories. As children we tend to be too busy to listen and appreciate their stories.

Anyone having any advice please share and let’s help other aspiring writers.

https://hobbylark.com/writing/Tips-for-Beginning-Writers

History

Mormon Handcart Story: The Thirteen Hundred Mile Journey of Faith

L.M. Hosler

They Left It All Behind

Would you be willing to leave your home country, your family, friends and everything you are familiar with to follow your faith? Would you sell everything you own to take a ship to a new country without knowing what might lie ahead of you? Relying only on faith, could you walk thirteen hundred miles in extreme heat, rain and freezing snow while pushing and pulling a heavy cart up steep mountains and across raging, freezing rivers? As you watched your fellow brothers and sisters fall sick and die along the way, do you think your faith might falter along the way?

This is exactly what an estimated fifteen hundred Mormon saints did in the year 1856. In 1856 the Mormons had sent missionaries to several European countries and converted thousands to the Mormon faith. Brigham Young, a dynamic Mormon church leader encouraged these converts to immigrate to the United States to an area in the Salt Lake City Territory. Here they were promised life would be better than Europe.

The problem was that many of the new converts were also too poor to meet the expenses necessary to pay for the entire journey. Expenses included the cost of passage on a ship to America, then taking the railroad to Iowa, then buying a covered wagon with a good team of oxen, as well as provisions along the way. Attempting to cut expenses to make it more affordable, Brigham Young and the Mormon Church had come up with the handcart companies.

This would allow the converts to make it to Iowa where they would be outfitted with a handcart which they would each be allowed to take seventeen pounds of bedding, clothing and a few personal items. Each company would have close to five hundred members and experienced leaders would lead each company west to Salt Lake City. Several covered wagons and teams of oxen would carry provisions and would carry those who became sick or were too old or injured.

Handcart Regulations

  1. One family for each cart
  2. Up to five people were assigned to a cart
  3. Each person was allowed a total of seventeen pounds

Tents which held twenty people and provisions were carried on wagons with teams of oxen

The Test Of Faith Begins

Several handcart companies with hundreds of converts left Europe and made it to Iowa early enough that even with the hardships of the trail, the first companies made it safely to their new home in the Salt Lake Valley. However, two of the later companies were not as fortunate.

The Willie Company left Liverpool, England in mid May and would not reach the New York Harbor until Mid June. As they approached the New York Harbor there was much rejoicing, excitement and giving of thanks for a safe journey. During the trip, there had been a few deaths, births and a wedding or two. In general though, the saints were in good spirits and they spent a lot of their time on board in worship meetings and prayer.

After landing in New York they were allowed a few days of rest before they would proceed by train through the state of New York to Lake Erie. A steamboat would carry the converts across the lake, where they would board trains to take them as far as Iowa City, Iowa.

The Willie Company left Iowa City in Mid July and the Martin Company left almost two weeks later close to the end of July. It would be a four month trip and both companies were getting a late start. By the time they made it to Wyoming, it was possible they could encounter early winter weather.

The Journey Becomes A Disaster

In Iowa City, the immigrants were awaken by the sound of the bugle calling them to worship services after which time the handcarts lined up and they started one of the longest walks in history. They left Iowa City in high spirits, singing songs of praise and full of hope for their new destiny, having no real idea of what horrors and trials might lay ahead of them.

In July, they suffered through the intense heat of the summer each day and managed to walk between twelve and twenty miles a day depending on the trail conditions. They stopped only for brief periods for lunch and camped each evening along a creek or river so there was water for the saints as well as the livestock. As the days wore on, the elderly began to take sick and die along the way. Few of the elderly would live to see their new homeland. They would be buried along the trail.

By early August, they had reached the Missouri River and by mid to late August they had reached Florence, Nebraska. Here, each company held meetings to discuss whether they should spend the winter in Florence or continue onward to the Salt Lake Valley. Although some, including one of the more experienced leaders Levi Savage, voiced the opinion of staying due to the coming onset of winter, pointing out the lack of warm clothing, pregnant women, children and the elderly. However, the saints were anxious to reach their destination and the final decision was made to try to reach Salt Lake City before winter.

Throughout September things went well but in October the weather began to change rapidly and became much colder. Provisions began scare and were rationed. The saints began to lose weight and strength needed to pull their carts. More and more of the elderly and the children became sick and deaths increased almost on a daily basis.

The journey had become a nightmare but through all the terrible hardships the saints held fast to their amazing faith in God that he would deliver them safely to their new homeland.

Both the Willie and the Martin companies got caught in October with an early snowstorm. Both companies ran low on supplies and had to ration supplies causing many to die of starvation. They crossed rivers in the freezing cold water and many suffered from frostbite and had limbs amputated. Some simply could not go any further and froze to death.

Rescue of the Mormon Handcarts

The Rescue

At the end of their endurance, rescue teams sent out from the church began to reach both companies but not before both companies had terrible losses. Even with the rescuers arrival, supplies were still limited and the freeing conditions continued to hamper their progress.

Through all the hardships and sorrows one thing endured and that was their faith in God. As one gentleman who survived said: The journey was one of the hardest that anyone would ever experience. However, in spite of everything, the hardships, death and sorrows along the way, the journey had made them one with God because at the end they had nothing else.