Beth Trissel's Blog, page 30

The Man Who Would Rise–Tale from Old Cemetery in the Shenandoah Valley

On a recent fall foliage drive through the spectacular countryside, my hubby, Dennis, daughter Elise, and I stopped at the old Mt. Clinton Cemetery where the bizarre story I’m sharing took place.

When Dennis was a little boy, he remembers riding to this cemetery with his father to gawk at the crowd gathered by the grave of valley resident,  the Reverend Paul Frye, who was expected to rise from the dead that day. Apparently, before his death, Reverend Frye spoke about rising again. His wife and son, Leon, (who fought in WWII and was deeply religious) assumed the devout Reverend Frye meant at the Christian Rapture. However, Leon was prone to visions and had a vivid one about his father rising sooner than that. Much sooner. His vision also included a cherry pie, his dad’s favorite. As his mother, Sadie, had discovered a crystallized piece of pie set aside for his father and forgotten in a kitchen cabinet, that imagery struck Leon as significant. In fact, it was a sign. Not a leap most would make, but Leon put a lot of stock in his visions. Especially this one.

Upon reflection, Leon concluded that his dad meant he’d rise from the grave a year after his death. We’re not certain how he arrived at that particular date. Details are sketchy. But we’ve spoken to valley residents who recall the event. Not only did Leon have this resurrection revelation, but his widowed mother also shared his zeal. Wishful thinking, maybe. With Sadie’s blessing, Leon made it known to the community that his father was going to rise on this day and word rapidly spread. As did morbid curiosity.

Armed with Sadie’s freshly baked cherry pie and a pair of shoes for the newly arisen, (no one’s buried with their shoes), Leon and his mom settled in with neighbors to await the big event. And wait. And wait. Maybe they brought picnic baskets. People swarmed that cemetery.

One valley man said Leon later admitted to him that by 4:00 in the afternoon, he decided he’d made an error and quietly slipped away, leaving the pie and the crowd behind. Not sure about his mom. Eventually, both the pie and people disappeared. Bear in mind that this event predates modern TV shows and movies about zombies and the Walking Dead, so that wasn’t what the family had expected would rise. If the Reverend Frye had actually battled his way from the grave, though, I expect there would have been a mad scramble to flee the cemetery. But he didn’t. Sadie and Leon are now also buried at that grave and their names etched on the tombstone.~

***Images by Elise Trissel. I pointed to which ones she should take, so my assistance was vital.

***If anyone reading this has added details, please share in the comment section.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Fall foliage, historic, Mt. Clinton Cemetery, October, Reverend Paul Fry, rising from the dead, story from the valley, The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Spooky Tale for Halloween

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween! Seems like an appropriate time of year to repost the account of the poltergeist in our old farm-house. Settle in for a ghost story, keep the lights on, and hug your dog or kitties close.

More than a dozen years ago, my son moved into the big white farm-house on our other farm. We have two farms located near each other in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and both homes are well over one hundred years old, going on two. Some of his guy friends moved in with him and everything was fine, then he and his fiancée (now wife) started remodeling the house. At first, no one thought much about the noises. Neither of them even mentioned a thing to me.

Then one night my son called, alone and uneasy. He was hunkered downstairs with his cat. Seems there were footsteps he couldn’t account for and a certain bedroom upstairs with a door that wouldn’t stay shut. No matter how many times he closed it, come morning it was always open. Earlier that week, his fiancé had been distressed when the bathroom doorknob turned and the door opened on her. No one was there. It freaked the cat out.  Didn’t do her much good either. She was promptly converted from a disbeliever in ghosts to one strongly considering their reality.

Now, she’d gone away on a trip with her church and none of my son’s other friends were around. The last of his roomies had moved out. I suspected all the remodeling they’d done to the house had stirred something up. So, I went over. Here, I’ll digress to say I’d dreamed earlier of a small grave plot way back in the fields behind the house and of a restless spirit associated with both. As it turned out there is just such a cemetery, an antiquated one. After I arrived that evening, my son and I went upstairs to the suspect bedroom and shut the door. The sensation that came over me was of wanting to scream, and not just because I’m claustrophobic.

We held hands and I repeated the Exorcism prayer sent to my mother from an Episcopalian woman in England.  She’d written mom about visiting the church manse at the invitation of the new priest who was plagued by a poltergeist–one so violent, it had flung portraits down from the upstairs hall, shifted heavy furniture in front of  doors, and hurled a saucepan lid across the kitchen. But the congregants, along with the priest, had prayed it out. As this was a Christian prayer, my son and I did the same in the old farmhouse. Never again did he or his fiancé/wife hear footsteps or have any more trouble with doorknobs turning. That bedroom door remained as they’d left it and the chill feeling I had in the room is gone.

For those of you who want it, here’s the Anglican prayer. Do not try this alone if the presence you sense is evil, only with a strong group of Christians. And join hands. Even if you think I’m nuts. “In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, may this distressed soul be relieved of his obsession with this world and sent to where he belongs.”  I added, ‘go to the light,’ although a truly evil presence won’t, but a troubled, restless one may. Seems only right to offer that as an option.

Award-winning paranormal romance novel

This is one of the experiences that influenced the writing of my award-winning paranormal murder mystery/ghost story romance novel Somewhere My Love.

“As I read Somewhere my Love , I recalled the feelings I experienced the first time I read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca long ago. Using deliciously eerie elements similar to that gothic romance, Beth Trissel has captured the haunting dangers, thrilling suspense and innocent passions that evoke the same tingly anticipation and heartfelt romance I so enjoyed then, and still do now.”~ Joysann, Publishers Weekly


***Visit my Amazon Author Page where ALL my books reside.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Anglican exorcism prayer, ghostly romance novel, haunting, old farm-house, poltergeist, The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Seeking Honest Reviews for Ghostly, Gothic Historical Romance Novel Traitor’s Curse

If you’re interested in reading Traitor’s Curse and leaving it a review at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads (if you’re a member of that community) leave me a comment or contact me: bctrissel@yahoo.com

The novel is coming out on November 6th from The Wild Rose Press and is already available for pre-order. I’m seeking 5–10 possible volunteers, so if you’re interested, speak up. I will provide the story in eBook format, not print (unless you’re a big-time reviewer. Then you get whatever you want.)  Although Traitor’s Curse is the third book in my Traitor’s Legacy series, it’s written to stand alone. However, if you are interested in reading and reviewing Traitor’s Legacy or Enemy of the King, please let me know that too.

Thanks in advance. Also, I’m cutting it a bit fine, since the book is out on Nov. 6th, so a review as near to that date as possible would be super.

Story Blurb for Traitor’s Curse:

Halifax, North Carolina, 1783.

Captain Stuart Monroe returns home from the Revolutionary War to find Thornton Hall threatened by a peacetime foe: debt. He knows the location of a treasure amassed to pay for the capture of Benedict Arnold that would restore his manor to its former glory. The catch, it’s hidden in the graveyard, and coveted by old enemies.

Hettie Fairfax inherited the Sight from her Cherokee ancestors, and her otherworldly visitors warn her, and Stuart, away from the buried treasure. Half-dead from fever, she delivers a message: the treasure is cursed. But will he believe a girl half out of her mind with illness? Even when a very real enemy attempts to poison her?

Stuart soon wants to marry Hettie, but she fears her “odd ways” will blemish his reputation. The spirits have their own agenda, however, and the battle against darkness tests everything the couple holds dear, including their love for each other.

For more on me, visit my Amazon Author Page where ALL my books reside for shooting sure.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 18th century, Award-winning author, ghostly, gothic, Historical romance novel, New release, reviewers, reviews, the Traitor's Legacy Series

How Inspiration Comes + Ghostly, Gothic, Historical Romance Novel Traitor’s Curse

In Traitor’s Curse, (Out Nov. 6th) I was walking in our meadow when I heard  a woman say, “Master Stuart do not venture here.” And she floated toward me in the mist so that I wasn’t certain she was real. Neither was Stuart Monroe, hero of the story, especially as he’s  in a graveyard at the time. That’s how the novel begins, and now you know why. The voices and visions were in my head, but rather startling. I never know how inspiration may come, only that it will.

Traitor’s Curse is available for pre-order in Kindle and Nookbook and will also come out in print. The novel is the third in my Traitor’s Legacy Series and the Sequel to Traitor’s Legacy, released by The Wild Rose Press

Excerpt from Traitor’s Curse:

 “Turn back. A man watches you.”

Again, the warning carried from the unseen source.

What man, and how did she know Stuart was observed? He could barely discern anything.

“Who are you? Show yourself.” Uneasiness lent indignation to his demand.

Through the haze, he spotted the figure of a young female dressed all in white. A death shroud?

Pray God, it wasn’t. His gut knotted, and he stood staring at her.

Ethereal, ghostly, she seemed to float toward him, but must have walked.

 Must have.

A cold shiver stood the hair on the back of his neck on end. Was she flesh and blood, or spirit? Had she crossed the divide between the two worlds?

He scarcely dared to breathe.

Still, he stood rooted to the trail. And not only from fright. Fascination. Despite fear of being haunted, an aura about her drew him.

He waited, every muscle taut, poised betwixt heaven and earth, the scent of crumbling leaves in his nose. At least, that was real.

Whiteness swirling around her, she neared.

Then he spotted it, an ivory coverlet draped over her head and around her slender shoulders pinched together in front with pale fingers.

No shroud.

The blanket reached to her ankles and trailed behind along the ground. Mist muted the flowers stitched into the cloth. This accounted for him not spotting her sooner. She’d blended in with the vapor.~

***Visit my Amazon Author Page where ALL my books reside.

Filed under: ghostly Tagged: 18th century, Am Writing, ghostly, gothic, Halifax, historical, intrigue, mystery, NC, romance, Suspense

Finished Curse of the Moon–Book 2 of YA Fantasy Romance Series, Secret Warrior!

With a zeal of  inspiration I’ve wrapped up Curse of the Moon, Book 2 in my Secret Warrior Series. Book 1, The Hunter’s Moon, is out Dec. 14th! And yes, there’s a book 3 I’ll be writing next. After that, who knows?

Landing in YA land is the best thing ever. I’m loving my fantasy romance series, set in our misty Virginia mountains, where the paranormal abounds. Actually, it does, and in the valley. Ghost stories and other strange tales I’ve come across, plus  a few odd experiences of my own, fed into the concept for this series. And then there’s the Native American twist–love that!  If anyone is drawn to check out some of my historical romances after reading The Hunter’s Moon, all the better. I’ve never been able to resist a touch–or more–of the paranormal even in them. Not to mention my time travel series, Somewhere in Time.

Back to the Secret Warrior series, I don’t have a blurb or cover yet for Curse of the Moon–stay tuned. But I will highlight The Hunter’s Moon.

Blurb: Seventeen year old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets.~

***Coming Dec, 14th from the Wild Rose Press to every online bookseller imaginable. These stories are novellas, not full novels, so EBook format only.

****Amazon has ALL my books in kindle and some in print. Visit my Amazon Author Page.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: curse, Native American, Paranormal, romance, Secret Warrior, Series, shape shifer, Virginia Mountains, Werewolf, YA fantasy

Historical Romance Kira, Daughter of the Moon Re-Released by Amazon Encore!

Can a beautiful Scots-Irish healer suspected of witchcraft and a renegade white warrior find love together and avoid the hangman’s noose in the colonial frontier?

Set among the superstitious Scots in the rugged Alleghenies, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is an adventurous romance with a blend of Celtic and Native American flavors. Although written to stand alone, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is the sequel to my award-winning historical romance novel, Through the Fire, and book 4  in my Native American Warrior series.

The series loosely ties together based more on time and place and strong Native American characters than as a traditional series that follows the storyline, except for Kira, Daughter of the Moon and Through the Fire. In addition to Native Americans, hardy Scots-Irish frontiersmen and women, colonial Englishmen and ladies, and even a few Frenchmen also play an important role in this series. So far, it spans the gamut from the dramatic era of the French and Indian War, through Pontiac’s War, The American Revolution and shortly thereafter.

Foothills of the Alleghenies

Kira, Daughter of the Moon  opens in the spring of 1765, about six months after the close of Red Bird’s Song in the fall of 1764. Through the Fire takes place the summer of 1758 at the height of the French and Indian War. For those of you interested in this obscure but vital era of American history, a second war led by Chief Pontiac (who united a number of the tribes) followed on the heels of the French and Indian, a sort of part two. That’s the war wrapping up in Red Bird’s Song, but to  anxious settlers, the Indian Wars just flowed together with times when attacks were more prevalent than others. These harried folk trying to survive didn’t keep track of the names of the wars. They didn’t always even know which tribe was attacking them, and some war parties were a mix of allied warriors. But the Shawnee gained the distinction of being the most feared tribe in the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia frontier—the ultimate badass. The French officers who lead some of these attacks were particularly hated, to this day in some mountainous regions of Virginia and now West Virginia. Memories run deep. Bear in mind that Virginia used to be vast and encompassed states.

Dread of Indian attacks, of being killed or captured, of what happened to captive loved ones, and mistrust of white men who turned renegade and ran with war parties was on the minds of these mistrustful and superstitious Scots-Irish. Not that all settlers were Scots. Some were German/Swiss and English, but the clannish Scots tended to band together. And they were ever on their guard for witches.  This is the volatile background for Kira, Daughter of the Moon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blurb: Logan McCutcheon returns to colonial Virginia after seven years in the hands of Shawnee Indians. But was he really a captive, as everybody thinks? He looks and fights like a warrior, and seems eager to return to those he calls friends and family.

Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay––and anyone else from getting too close.  Now that he’s back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft.  And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.~

Kira, Daughter of the Moon is available for pre-order now and officially out on 9-22-2015 in kindle at Amazon through their Encore Publishing Division. Red Bird’s Song was re-released by Amazon in August. Both novels are also available in print. Amazon has all  my books.. For more visit my Amazon Author Page.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Allegheny Mountains, Amazon Encore Publishing, French and Indian War, Historical romance novel, Native American, Scotch-Irish American, Shawnee, the Scots-Irish, Virginia, Witchcraft

Historical Romance Red Bird’s Song Re-Released By Amazon Encore Publishing

Award-winning historical romance novel

Re-release day has come for award-winning historical romance novel Red Bird’s Song by the Amazon Encore Publishing Division.

Based on events that occurred to my ancestors in the Virginia colonial frontier, Red Bird’s Song centers around their conflict with the Native Americans during the French and Indian and Pontiac’s War. This adventure romance has a The Last of the Mohican’s flavor.

Research into my English/Scots-Irish ancestors unearthed accounts that inspired much of Red Bird’s Song. My fascination with Colonial America, particularly stirring tales of the frontier and the Shawnee Indians, is an early and abiding one. My forebears had interactions with this tribe, including family members taken captive. I have ties to Wicomechee, the hero of Red Bird’s Song, an outstanding Shawnee warrior who really lived and whose story greatly impacted the novel. More on Wicomechee  is included at the end of the story, as a bonus for those who read it. I’ve gone on to write other Native American themed historical romances, some with paranormal elements, each carefully researched. I’m grateful for the help of historians, reenactors, anthropologists, archaeologists, and the Shawnee themselves. All the titles in my Native American Warrior series are available in kindle at Amazon.

The initial encounter between Charity and Wicomechee at the beginning of Red Bird’s Song was inspired by a dream I had on New Year’s Eve–a propitious time for dreams–about a young warrior taking an equally young woman captive at a river and the unexpected attraction between them. That dream had such a profound impact on me that I took the leap from writing non-fiction vignettes to historical/paranormal romance novels and embarked on the most amazing journey of my life. That was years ago and the saga continues.

At the start of Red Bird’s Song, I also met the prophetic warrior, Eyes of the Wolf, in another dream. When I describe him in the book I’m envisioning a character I know. Eyes of the Wolf became a spirit guide and spoke to me throughout the writing of this book, and others. He’s there still in various guises. My journey with him is not complete.

The attack at the opening of Red Bird’s Song in the Shenandoah Valley is based on one that occurred to my ancestors and is recorded by Historian Joseph A. Waddell in The Annals of Augusta County. A renegade Englishman by the last name of Dickson led the war party that attacked them. I’d initially intended to make Colin Dickson in Red Bird’s Song the historical villain that he was, but as soon as he galloped onto the scene I knew differently.

Regarding the setting for Red Bird’s Song: In the early mid 1700’s, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and surrounding mountains was the colonial frontier. Only hardy souls dared to settle here. The bulk of these were the tough Scots-Irish, among them my ancestors. If 18th century warriors only had to fight regular British troops, they might ultimately have prevailed. They scared the crap out of men trained for conventional warfare. But the long knives were born fighters, and not easily intimidated. They learned from their cunning enemy and adopted their methods, weapons, and clothing.

The ruggedly beautiful Alleghenies are also the setting for some of my other historical-paranormal romance novels, Through the Fire, Kira, Daughter of the Moon, The Bearwalker’s Daughter, and my short historical romance, The Lady and the Warrior. I see these ridges from our farm in the Shenandoah Valley. The foothills are only a hop, skip and a jump away from us. The ever-changing panorama of the seasons never fails to inspire me. My latest venture, a YA fantasy romance series entitled Secret Warrior, (release date TBD) is also set in the mountains.

Red Bird’s Song is Book 3 in my Native American Warrior Series. The series loosely ties together based more on time and place and strong Native American characters than as a traditional series that follows the story line. However, Kira, Daughter of the Moon is the actual sequel to Through the Fire, and there will be other sequels. In addition to Native Americans, hardy Scots-Irish frontiersmen and women, colonial Englishmen and ladies, and even a few Frenchmen also play an important role in this series. So far, it spans the gamut from the dramatic era of the French and Indian War, through Pontiac’s War, The American Revolution, and shortly afterwards.

Story Blurb for Red Bird’s Song:

Taken captive by a Shawnee war party wasn’t how Charity Edmondson hoped to escape an unwanted marriage. Nor did Shawnee warrior Wicomechee expect to find the treasure promised by his grandfather’s vision in the unpredictable red-headed girl.

George III’s English Red-Coats, unprincipled colonial militia, prejudice and jealousy are not the only enemies Charity and Wicomechee will face before they can hope for a peaceful life. The greatest obstacle to happiness is in their own hearts. As they struggle through bleak mountains and cold weather, facing wild nature and wilder men, Wicomechee and Charity must learn to trust each other.

“A beautifully written story filled with adventure and suspense…This book touched my soul even as it provided a thrilling fictional escape into a period of history I have always found fascinating.” —Night Owl Book Review by Laurie-J

“I loved the descriptions…I felt I was there…Many mystical episodes are intermingled with the events…The ending is a real surprise, but I will let you have the pleasure of reading it for yourself.”  —Seriously Reviewed

***For more on Red Bird’s Song and my other titles, visit my:  Amazon Author Page.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Alleghenies, Amazon Encore Publishing, Colonial America, colonial frontier, French and Indian War, Historical Romance, Native American, Native American Warrior Series, Pontiac's War, Scots-Irish, Shenandoah Valley

Secret Warrior Series, The Hunter’s Moon–YA Fantasy Romance

I’m pleased to announce I’ve signed a three book deal with The Wild Rose Press for my new YA Fantasy romance series, Secret Warrior. The first story is The Hunter’s Moon, release date to be decided. I love the cover by Debbie Taylor.

Story Blurb:

Seventeen year old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets.~

Stay tuned.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Native American, New YA series, Secret Warrior, shapeshifters, The Hunter's Moon, The Virginia Mountains, The Wild Rose Press, Werewolf, YA fantasy romance

Two Historical Romances Sold to Amazon Encore Publishing!

Award-winning historical romance novel

I’m excited to announce the sale of two of my NA themed historicals, RED BIRD’S SONG and KIRA, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON, to AMAZON PUBLISHING under their Encore Publishing Division. Encore Publishing Division is an imprint devoted to taking successful small press books with decent sales and reviews, and improving their exposure and sales. I’m honored Amazon selected my novels, along with some from fellow authors, to contract through The Wild Rose Press. Red Bird’s Song will re-release exclusively to Amazon on August 25th, and will no longer be available in e-format from other online vendors after that date. Books in Print will still be available. Kira, Daughter of the Moon will follow on September 22nd. Same deal.

Red Bird’s Song was inspired by events that occurred to my early American ancestors in the colonial frontier and their conflict with the Shawnee during the border Wars, most significantly, the French and Indian War. Kira, Daughter of the Moon, the sequel to Through the Fire (exclusively with Amazon), also strongly features the English/Scots-Irish and their clash with the Shawnee, and the unlikely love stories that came out of this dramatic frontier era. These three novels, plus The Bearwalker’s Daughter, are part of my Native American Warrior series. My short story, The Lady and the Warrior, gives a glimpse into these bygone, but never forgotten by me, days.

***For more on these and other titles visit my Amazon Author Page.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Action-adventure romance, Amazon Encore Publishing, Book sales to Amazon Encore, Colonial America, Historical Romance, Native American Romance, Shawnee warrior, The Colonial American frontier, The French and Indian War, the Scots-Irish

Our Summer Garden in the Shenandoah Valley

Flowers bloom and veges grow in a riot of beauty, despite the heat, humidity, and rampant weeds I make efforts to contain. Feeble efforts compared to the power of Mother Nature. My goal is to have more veges and flowers than weeds, but the pretty weeds stay. Even the marginally pretty ones. Beds stretch like islands in our yard, filled with reseeding heirloom flowers, wildflowers, and perennials that return from bulbs and roots. Herbs are interspersed throughout. We also grow heirloom vegetables.

Being an organic gardener means we have a lot of bugs, good and bad. Occasionally, I spray organic brews around to discourage rampant bugs and leaf fungus’s, but the cats were licking seaweed/fish emulsion fertilizer off the leaves. Not a good idea when it’s mixed with the brew. So I’ve quit using fish based fertilizer.. We also have our own farm compost to put around plants to mulch and nourish them. Worms are a gardener’s friend and they thrive in it.

Our goal is to have a wildlife sanctuary. Butterflies flutter from blossom to blossom and we have bees. Not as many bees as we used to have, but some murmur on a summer’s day. Bumble bees buzz happily and hummers dart. Our resident fairy expert, my niece, Cailin, says the flowers fairies love our garden(s). So do the kitties, both the inside cats gazing out windows and the outside felines stalking around like miniature jungle cats.  Gold finches sing and eat seeds from the sunflowers that reseed each year. Most birds survive, despite the cats. Maybe because I feed the kitties, and they’re on the lazy side.

This spring the local cat rescue people humane trapped and spayed our barn kitties, many of whom were dumped on us, and then reproduced. They fixed and returned 19 cats of various ages, and found homes for the kittens. Some cats claim the old red barn as their domain. Others love the garden and eat from the bowel outside the back door. I mix lysine with their food to boost their immune systems. They’re much healthier now. I’m also buying little cat houses to provide extra shelter in bad weather. Cats hide among the garden plants and shrubs, but when winter comes, they will need more cover. They love the kitty houses.

I think the secret to enjoying the garden, is to not let the failures outweigh the many joys found in the beauty amid the imperfections. ~

“Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination.” ~Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897 (Thanks, Jessica)

“No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden.” ~Hugh Johnson

“I think the true gardener is a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them. I think the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her truculent, wife-beating master. I think the true gardener, the older he grows, should more and more develop a humble, grateful and uncertain spirit.” ~Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden, 1909

“Let nature be in your yard.” ~Greg Peterson, www.urbanfarm.org

“A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.” ~May Sarton

“I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day.” ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

“Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.” ~Thomas Fuller,Gnomologia, 1732

“Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.” ~Michael P. Garofalo

***This is true. Nature improvises all over the place here.

Images taken by my daughter Elise. Pink Bee balm, Queen Anne’s Lace, Purple cone flower, heirloom lettuce, marigolds, zinnias, daylilies, coreopsis tinctoria, parsley, sunflowers, Siamese tabby mix cats.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: cats, coneflower, country life, Gardening, heirloom flowers, heirloom vegetables, Organic gardening, pink bee balm, Queen Anne's Lace, The Shenandoah Valley, Virginia