Category: writing

I will give away my age; I haven’t had a United States or South Carolina history class in over 40 years. In fact, I think the last history class I had was the world history class I took as a freshman at Newberry College in 1976. However, I had a history class on Saturday when my husband and I started our “tour” of South Carolina State Parks. Right now, there are 47 state parks. A few of them are overnight parks with villas, cabins, and camping sites. A lot of them are day-use-only parks offering hiking trails and sometimes fishing and other outdoor activities. We went to two day-use parks: Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site and the Battle of Musgrove State Historic Site. Both were very interesting places to visit. The parks are open from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Entrance to Rose Hill is free; there is a $3.00 per adult parking fee for Musgrove Mill. Rose Hill offers a tour of the restored plantation house of William Gist, known as the “Secessionist Governor” since he was the governor of South Carolina when the state seceded from the Union in 1860. The tour of the house was impressive for the amount of history the park ranger gave us in 45 minutes to an hour. (Tours of the house are Friday through Monday, 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. On Thursday, there is one tour at 1:00 p.m., but there is also a program called Voices of the Ancestors, which chronicles the life of slaves in the South. I don’t know those times off the top of my head.)

The ranger talked about the role of the slaves in the lives of the plantation owners and described the hardships of slavery and the attitudes toward slaves held by the plantation owners of Rose Hill. She also talked about the role the Gist family played during Reconstruction as members of the Ku Klux Klan. It is difficult history to hear, especially if you have grown up with the romanticized version of plantation life depicted in books and movies such as Gone with the Wind. The lesson I had from my Rose Hill tour is not what I remember from my elementary, middle, and high school history classes. It is not revisionist history, either. Sometimes, we gloss over the hard parts of our past, but we cannot bury that past, either. How else are we to learn from it if we don’t know it?

The gardens at Rose Hill have also been restored, but what really impressed me were the gigantic magnolias in front of the house. These magnolias are said to be about 200 years old. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such large ones. They are probably magnificent in the spring and early summer when they are in bloom.

The second park, the Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, is equally interesting. I knew there were some key Revolutionary War battle sites in South Carolina, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Camden, and Fort Moultrie, for example. I did not know about Musgrove Mill or Blackstock until I began researching the state park system and planning our tour. Musgrove Mill was a key turning point for the Patriot militia in South Carolina. I do remember learning something about General Nathaniel Green in history classes, but not much. The exhibit about the role of women in the Revolutionary War impressed me, and I would like to learn more about the female spies and helpers during this period. According to legend, Mary Musgrove may have been such a spy for the Patriots even though her father Edward tried to remain neutral. The monument to Mary Musgrove was erected sometime in the early 20th century to commemorate her role in the Revolutionary War.

The British commandeered his property, including his mill (which ground corn and wheat). The Musgrove property lay on the banks of the Enoree River and offered a ford. This was an ideal position for the British forces to control communication and travel as well as to have a ready source of provisions to feed the troops. We walked the British camp trail by the river. Next time I visit this park (and there will be a next time), I’ll do the waterfall trail.

The original Musgrove plantation house and the mill are long gone. Floods washed out a bridge crossing the Enoree River. All that’s left are the pillars. It disappointed me that the park did not offer a printed map with explanations of things to watch for as you walk the trails. There were a few interpretative signs about, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity about the history. Perhaps the waterfall trail has more. (Next time I will print out the maps from the state park website and be better prepared!)

As I said, these two parks taught me some things about the history of my state that I did not know or did not learn when I was a student. I spoke with a park employee at Musgrove Mill, and he agreed that our history lessons are lacking in teaching local history. He is from Union, SC, just about 30 or 40 miles from where I live. It’s only when history teachers take it upon themselves to take students to historic sites such as these that the gaps are filled in.

History is a difficult thing. There is the saying that the victors write the histories. Perhaps it is so. I know that a visit to Rose Hill and the tour of the house will quickly dispel any notion of the “happy slave” and the romantic view of life on Southern plantations. Walking through the museum and visitors’ center at Musgrove Mill will provide an interesting perspective on the role of women during the Revolutionary War.

I will plan another round of visits to SC State Parks soon (with or without my husband). I plan to soak up as much history as I can as well. Hopefully, within the next two years, I will join the ranks of the Ultimate Outsiders, folks who have visited all 47 state parks in South Carolina.

It’s a Thankful Thursday. My pastor reminded me yesterday that Thanksgiving celebrations have been around for millennia. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives the Israelites a mandate to give thanks during the Festival of Weeks. It is a reminder that every day should be a day of thanks.

Today, I am thankful for

The beautiful light on the trees. I came home from the grocery store yesterday afternoon to see this:

My family. There will be an empty seat at the Summer family table again this year, the eighth Thanksgiving without Daddy. Yet, he will be there in spirit. Mama celebrated her 88th birthday in May and is in remarkable health. I am thankful to have her. I will miss my younger son and his family because he has to work his shift at the fire station.

My grandson. Sully is thriving and running his mama and daddy ragged! When he was born two years ago, he was very much premature. We expected a “Thanksgiving turkey” but ended up with a “Halloween Pumpkin” instead. He figured out how to open his daddy’s big-boy pliers.

For beautiful weather. The Summer-Price-Fulmer-Gorsage families had lunch today outside. It was cool, but I wore a shawl to keep warm. The sky is a wonderful shade of blue; clouds are the soft, wispy ones. It couldn’t have been a better day.

It’s all too easy to be thankful when things are going well or when “big things” happen. However, I am thankful for the small things as well, like the golden sunlight of late afternoons, the heat that comes on when it’s 37 degrees outside, good food and fellowship with extended family, a peaceful afternoon, good books, time to write and draw and create, the health and good lives of my children and grandchild. These things are simple pleasures, and I am thankful.

I waited a while before writing my monthly “Currently” list. I wanted to build up some things to put in it. November and December are busy months. This month alone, there have been family gatherings, church meetings and programs, in addition to regular services, “places to go and people to meet,” food to prepare (I know, I prepare food every day in one way or another, but I’m talking about those dishes one prepares–for fixes, as we Southerners say–for special occasions), etc. Next Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent, probably my favorite season of the liturgical church year. I love the hymns and Scripture readings that anticipate the birth of the Christ Child. It is a season of contemplation. I confess that I am not ready for Christmas, though. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet! (for heaven’s sake, let’s slow down and savor the autumn months without rushing the seasons!)

With that in mind, currently in November, I’m

Reading—

I’m still reading my beloved Regency historical novels, but focusing more on cozy mysteries than romances and Gothic novels. I just started a book recommended by photographer Kim Manley Ort, To Photograph Is to Learn How to Die. It’s a book I have to read in small chunks. It’s giving me another perspective on contemplative photography.

Listening—

I rediscovered Jean Ritchie, an Appalachian folk singer who may well have re-introduced the world to the old ballads folks have sung for centuries. She also re-introduced the dulcimer as a traditional instrument. I first heard Jean Ritchie on the NPR radio show The Thistle and Shamrock, which features Celtic music from across time and place.

Watching—

I’m watching the leaves change and fall. Since mid-October, I’ve been photographing the flowering cherry tree in the backyard, capturing the change from full green to its now nearly bare branches. On television, I’m still watching the Westerns on TV and Masterpiece Mystery on PBS.

Loving—

I’m loving being retired from full-time and part-time teaching! I have time to do things I want to do, like read all day and create art with pastels and gelatos and colored pencils. I love that I can come and go as I please, whenever I please, and that I’m not tied to someone else’s schedule (usually).

Feeling—

Oh, my, this is a loaded category! I am feeling hopeful after meeting my two newest great-nephews yesterday. There is something about holding a baby that opens up that feeling of hope that the world will go on, in spite of the negative things we see daily. Last week, I was a hot mess of torn feelings and dismay after a meeting that did not end well at church (or at least, I didn’t think it ended well). This week, I am more at peace. I still have to pray and talk more to trusted advisors, but I feel much better about things.

Playing—

I bought my first mountain dulcimer about fifteen years ago but lost it in a house fire. Last week, my husband gave me a new one for an early Christmas present. I’m a bit rusty, but I am playing again and learning and relearning some traditional music, “Rosewood Casket,” “Wildwood Flower,” and the like. (And that ties back to the Listening–I’m listening to some dulcimer players to get some ideas of new songs to learn.

Creating–Retirement has given me time to be more creative. I am writing my second novel even though I haven’t published my first one yet! I’m still revising and editing it. I am “painting” pictures with soft, chalk pastels and oil pastels and learning how to draw. I still knit and crochet. I’m making a counterpane (bedspread) with fingering weight yarn. This is the first time I’ve used this type of yarn, even though I have used number 10 crochet cotton to make tablecloths and doilies.

Life is good this month! The weather has been agreeable, not too cold. Most days, I can run outside in my shirt sleeves without a coat or a sweater. We haven’t had a lot of rain to keep me in, although the weatherman is calling for rain tomorrow.

Next week, we in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. According to tradition, the first Thanksgiving was in the fall of 1621, when the Pilgrims gave thanks for surviving the winter and for the help of Squanto, a Native American who escaped slavery in England. Squanto taught the newcomers how to cultivate corn and survive in the New World. Another day of thanksgiving occurred in 1623. The various colonies and settlements celebrated days of Thanksgiving at different times throughout the year. However, in the midst of the American Civil War, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln established the final Thursday of November as an official national day of Thanksgiving. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday up one week to boost retail sales, and in 1941, he signed the bill that made the fourth Thursday in November the official national day of Thanksgiving.

For many, Thanksgiving has become the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and a boost to the economy. We are already being bombarded by early Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I just got a flyer from the Caribbean Cruise Line offering early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Already, I am seeing homes with Christmas trees decorated and lit in anticipation of the Christmas season.

I have always worshiped in a liturgical church and followed the liturgical church year when it comes to Christmas. This year, the first Sunday in Advent, on December 3, marks the beginning of the holiday, or holy day, season. I don’t even think about Christmas until Santa rolls down Fifth Avenue at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I have been making an effort this month to keep a gratitude list in my journal. I don’t make a list daily, but I am taking time each week to think about what I am thankful for.

1. Warm tea on cool mornings. I love the hot cinnamon spice tea from Harney and Sons.
2. Good books. There are so many memes on Facebook about reading and addiction to books. (Hello, my name is Olivia, and I am a reader.)
3. Making art. I can’t claim to be an artist, really, but I can pretend to be one. I bought sets of soft and oil pastels, sketching/drawing pencils, a set of Faber-Castell Gelatos, and a sketchbook. I am thankful for the time I spend making a picture after watching various YouTube videos. That time helps me decompress and gives me a sense of calm–and accomplishment.
4. The Girls with Cameras community for learning opportunities and support.
5. My husband. He puts up with a lot, including my various Amazon and Walmart purchases. (I’ll have to cut back if I want to go on a cruise anytime in the near future!) He even likes my photography!

I’ve actually tried to retire twice. The last time I retired, I got a call a week before school was scheduled to start. The middle school ELA teacher was unable to return because of illness. The headmistress asked me to teach one class–sixth grade ELA. Before the week was out, I was teaching seventh grade and senior comp. This was supposed to be temporary. . . . I finally retired this year, and I am enjoying it. I get to plan my schedule and do things I’ve wanted to do for a while.

I was in third grade, and an artist came to visit our class. Of course, there was always that one student who was super-gifted, and she got all the praise. Then, there was me–the awkward one who wanted to be able to do more than draw loopy flowers and lollypop trees. The visitor basically told me that I would never be an artist.

Fast forward about 35 years, I decided I wanted to draw. I started with pencil sketching. Thanks to the art teacher in the school where I taught high school English, I began playing with art supplies–sketching pencils, blending stumps, soft and oil pastels, colored pencils. . . . I have not gotten to the paints yet. Several weeks ago, I bought a set of pastels and sketching pencils, and I began again. I’ve watched YouTube videos to get ideas. In addition to photography, now I’m creating “paintings” with gelatos, soft pastels, and oil pastels. I decided I would make a daily practice of creating a picture a day. My latest inspiration is the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Nothern Lights. I made two versions, one with the gelatos, and another with soft pastels.

Gelatos are crayons, really “waxy,” but they are blendable. They also stay put. Soft pastels are messy! They are very blendable, and that makes them ideal for my version of the Northern Lights. I was able to blend the colors and get a softer look with the chalk pastels than I could with the gelatos.

This is the version with gelatos that I made first.

I have to practice getting my mountains to look dimensional instead of so flat. It’s a work in progress.

Being creative is the way I thrive as a retiree. I’m drawing, making photographs, and writing. I don’t miss the daily grind of teaching–the administrivia, as we call it. I don’t miss the difficulties and the run-ins. I don’t miss the politics. I do miss the children, though. (I’m working on a plan to get back to working with children. More on that later!)

But this is how to retire: do the things one enjoys. And don’t let the critics tell you can’t.

It started with the contrails in the sky as I drove home from picking up my groceries from Walmart. (I have started ordering my groceries online and using the curbside pickup service.) Two contrails made a big X in the sky. Then, there was the straight one off to the side. Next, I started looking at the clouds. Not the big cotton ball clouds of the summer, but the wispy featherlike clouds of winter. After putting the cold stuff in the refrigerator, I grabbed the camera.

I signed up for the Girls with Cameras Lightroom Intensive workshop. I am learning to edit photos more with Lightroom than with Photoshop. In the Creative Group, we are working with black and white photos. So, I converted my cloud photos to black and white in Lightroom.

And all the while, I had Judy Collins’s song “Both Sides Now” running through my head:

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
Looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Lyrics from “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell

In October, I began taking pictures of the cherry tree at our driveway. I stood on the back steps. The tree was just beginning to turn to autumn red-orange. I’ve been taking pictures weekly to trace the changes.

October 18

October 30

November 6

November 13

I wasn’t “faithful” in taking pictures at the same time every day, but I did try to have the same composition (more or less). The changes are not as drastic right now, although some of the trees across the pond in the background have gotten more color this week. It’s interesting.

I have the “sniffles” this week. I’m hoping it’s just allergy right now from all the ragweed and privet growing around the ponds. However, it is “cold season,” and I don’t care what the experts say, when the temperature changes from the mid-to-low 80s one day and mid-50s the next, it’s bound to cause a reaction in the human body! I’m drinking hot tea by the gallon (along with water on the side).

Some of the other images I snapped today:

I think this is one of the prettiest falls we have had in a while around the pond. I am savoring it–in spite of the sneezing and sniffling.

Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” I don’t know which play that line comes from, but music is one of my love languages. My mother taught me my first piano lessons. When I outgrew her, I took lessons from Mrs. Wessinger, the “preacher Wessinger’s wife.” I went on and studied piano at Newberry College while pursuing a degree in English. A dear friend from my church gifted me with a beautiful Betsy Ross Lester piano, circa late 1930s, which is in fabulous condition. Quite a few years ago, I bought a handmade mountain dulcimer at Mount Mitchell, NC. It was destroyed in a house fire in 2008, and I did not replace it–until this week. Christmas came early! I think playing the dulcimer is sort of like riding a bicycle; I may be rusty, but I didn’t forget. In addition to my two instruments, I love having my Echo Dot and Amazon music for music “fixes.”

Today, I’m sharing a mish-mash of things.

1. Mountain dulcimers–a stringed instrument that is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Mountains and traditional music. The old people sang traditional songs, often those carried her from England and Scotland, including many of the ballads collected in Child’s ballad collection from the 1700s. Jean Ritchie may be one of the most recognized figures in popularizing the dulcimer in folk music. This is a rare live performance and interview with Pete Seeger.

2. Writing is difficult, and writing without a support group is a lonely business. This is National Novel Writing Month. I’m working on my second novel this month. The goal is to write 50,000 words this month. Check out NaNoWriMO!

3. I’m a band parent. I know, my sons are no longer students, but my older son is a middle school and assistant high school marching band director. So, whenever I see reels and stories featuring marching bands, I have to watch them. I love watching the bands participating in Drum Corps International competitions and shows. We have a DCI corps here in South Carolina: The Carolina Crown based in Fort Mill, SC. Their 2023 show is based on the legends of Camelot.

4. Fall color is peaking here in the South.

5. I enjoy knitting and crocheting while the TV is on. I have subscribed to Annie’s Kit Club for a while. I love the project I’m working on now, a knitting project called the Dublin Afghan. I make one block a month. I’m working on the fourth block this week. It will be a beauty when I finish it.

In the Here: Five Things Fall 2023, Liz posted about taking a pause. But today is Thankful Thursday, so there will be a list.

1. I am thankful for my grandson’s second birthday today. Sullivan is energetic and full of mischief, as only two-year-olds can be. He is well on his way to giving his daddy a run for his money! And he loves Oreo cookies!

2. I am thankful for autumn days, cooler weather, bluer skies, and colorful leaves.

3. I am thankful for “restarts.” It is so easy to put things aside when “life” happens. I started sketching about twelve years ago after deciding that I would not let a comment made to me when I was an impressionable eight or nine years old keep me from doing something I wanted to do. With the encouragement of the art teacher in the school where I taught English, I picked up a sketchbook and some graphite pencils and began. Yesterday, I bought a new sketchbook, new pencils, some charcoal sticks, and oil pastels. I watched YouTube videos. Then I created.

4. I am thankful for my family. It is almost a cliche, but I am thankful for the people around me. I lost my father eight years ago, but I still have my mother. She is as much a friend to me as a parent and always has been. I suppose that’s because I grew up in a very rural area without nearby neighbors. We went places, worked in the garden, and played board games at night. We shared books, bowls of popcorn, chocolate (Three Muskateer bars split four ways) with Coco-Cola in the afternoon, and afternoon “soaps” (or “stories,” as my grandmother called them).

5. Given the situation in the Middle East with Israel and Palestine, I am thankful that I live in a place that is safe from war. Yes, I know there is violence in our world and in America. We are not completely safe from terrorism, murder, domestic abuse, and other crimes. Still, we are not under a threat of constant attack and we do not live in fear of having our homes bombed or our families being cut down in the streets by soldiers. I am in prayer for Israel–and for the Palestinians–that one day, there will be peace between them.

Psychologists say that keeping a gratitude journal improves our lives. Sometimes, it is too easy to see only the negative things around us. I have a tendency to “live under a rock” and “bury my head in the sand.” I laugh sometimes that I should have been born an ostrich (I don’t know whether they actually bury their heads in the sand or not, but “they” say they do!). However, when all the news seems to be doom and gloom, thinking about the blessings does raise my spirits.