Julie Lence's Blog, page 4

Character Interview with Hunter Barlow

November 2021 saw the release of Hunter, Jackson Creek Series Book 3. A hunky army sergeant carrying out his last detail as supply clerk, Hunter is Slade and Landry Barlow’s younger brother. Raised alongside them in a brothel, Hunter isn’t quite the outlaw that Slade and Landry are. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a bit of larceny in him. He does, and he’s looking to settle a score with Slade and Landry for forgetting their promise to come back for him. They left him at their California childhood home with Ma. Maddie Barlow wasn’t much of a mother and the brothel wasn’t much of a home, and the house lent to him for army headquarters is little better than the captain’s tent, but Tawny’s there…

From headquarter’s kitchen table, with a cup of coffee before him, Hunter clears his throat as the questions begin:

Tell us a bit about Tawny. What did you think the 1st time you saw her?
(A devilish grin spreads on his lips) She was standing behind the saloon next to the other working girl and emptying a bucket of water. When she swiveled around toward me, I think I forgot how to breathe. Most of Ma’s girls were pretty, but never had I seen eyes as blue as Tawny’s.

What was your 2nd thought?
That she most likely favors coins and brandy over what matters most in life. Ma’s girls did, and they weren’t shy about letting a man know that.

Did you feel it was love at 1st sight?
Reckon that punch to my gut was love, but at the time, the thinking part of me wouldn’t admit that, reminded me I wasn’t looking for a woman, especially a working girl. Not because I looked down on them, but because working girls weren’t interested in keeping time with me, same as my brothers. (Pauses a moment, takes a long swallow of coffee.) The thinking part of me just liked her eyes.

What do you like most about Tawny?
The shyness behind her smile… how her nose twitches like a rabbit… how she fusses over me… (That wicked grin returns) How soft she feels lying against me. She’s feisty and has a good heart, and she loves me unconditionally. Ain’t a luckier bastard than me.

How would Tawny describe you?
Hmmm… (He scrubs a hand over his jaw.) She must see something good in me; she did agree to work for me that first night. And she likes my muscles. (His gaze clouds over with thoughtfulness as he takes another swallow of coffee.) Reckon she’d say I’m honest and a hard-worker, someone she depends upon… someone she trusts with her heart.

What is your biggest fear?
Waking up to learn that everything I gained since coming to Jackson Creek was a dream; my brothers still don’t bother with me and Tawny took the coins I paid her for cooking and cleaning and left town.

How do you relax?
I don’t. There’s always something needing done. If I take a day off, it’s means double the work the following day.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
(Laughs) You’re funny. With all of my chores and taking charge of Tawny’s happiness… my own happiness… do you honestly think I have time to read something other than a list of supplies?

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
To know happiness, I must forgive my brothers. Tawny said that, and I’ve come to learn she’s a smart woman.

Thank you for sharing more of yourself with us today, Hunter. It was a pleasure getting to know you.

You’re welcome.

To learn if Hunter’s fear of waking up to discover everything he gained in Jackson Creek was a dream, grab a copy of his story at Amazon and find out if he gets his happily-ever-after. www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNL43X9

The Music Box

In my newest release, Hunter, Tawny Monroe is visiting with Nadine Barlow when she spots a musical box on Nadine’s mantel. The rectangular shaped box (as depicted in the photo to the left) reminds her of the one she left behind when she fled her childhood home and how she enjoyed swirling around her room with a broom as her partner while the tune played. Tawny's poignant memory is something many girls from the early 1800's through today share, with some able to vividly remember the tune.

History suggests the music box originated in Switzerland in the 1770's and fast became a household item. (They were replaced by the piano player and phonograph in the early part of the 20th century). The tune played is made possible by metal teeth mounted in a line on a flat comb that’s made to vibrate when coming into contact with a revolving brass cylinder. The cylinder is driven by a clockwork (or watch) mechanism, and as it revolves, small pins mounted on its surface pluck the pointed ends of the metal teeth and cause them to produce the music. The notes played are determined by the arrangement of projections on the cylinder.

Originally, the music boxes were so small they it fit into a pocket watch. Slowly, the mechanisms evolved into rectangular wooden boxes. A large box had 96 steel teeth and the cylinder was 13 inches long. Cylinders could be swapped to allow a person to listen to different tunes, but the storing and changing of the cylinders proved tiresome. In the 1890’s, the cylinder was replaced with a large metal disc that had slots on its surface to pluck the teeth. The discs were easily changeable and by the early 1900's had replaced the cylinders.

During the height of popularity, some music boxes were as tall as a grandfather clock. Most of the boxes were crafted in England, Italy, and the United States, with a pay-to-use version in public places (similar to what we know as a juke box). Thomas Kincaid is one of the most popular designers of the music box. His works are recognized for their Christian themes and inspirational designs, along with glowing lights and pastel colors.

As technology improved, so did the music box, to include sound quality and production. Today’s modern music box comes in a variety of styles; toys, jewelry boxes and books (I had a musical jewelry box with a little ballerina when I was young), and is something generations to come will surely enjoy, too.

Christmas Gift Wrapping Paper

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I like to shop, wrap, and send packages early so I can enjoy the season. Back during our first Christmases, hubby and I had an assortment of decorations; Santa Clauses, reindeer, wreaths, and when kiddo came along, kiddie decorations were added. It wasn’t until about 10 or so years ago that I decided I wanted a theme of snowmen. They are my favorite, and with kiddo grown, it was easy to get rid of the old and welcome in the new. Currently, I enjoy a theme of snowmen patterned in blue & white in the living and dining rooms, and snowmen patterned in red & black in the kitchen and family room. But my love of snowmen isn’t just reserved for decorations. I wrap presents in snowmen themed paper and have snowmen gift tags.

The Chinese are credited to be the first to wrap gifts in paper. Dating back to the 2nd century B.C., the Chinese wrapped presents with paper to form the shape of an envelope, known as chih pao. The coarse wrapping paper was made from rice straws and bamboo fiber. Fast forward to the Victorian era and Christmas presents were wrapped with what we know as tissue paper. Scraps of colorful ribbon and lace were tied around the present and fashioned into a bow. Real greenery was also used to dress up the gift. The tissue paper came in various colors, and with the invention of Christmas Cards and technology booming to create mass Christmas cards, Victorians cut pictures from the cards and glued them to the tissue paper for a festive look. This led to manufacturers printing tissue paper with patterns (pictures) to match Christmas cards. This new rage spread to the western states and in the early 1900’s, the Hall brothers began printing large rolls of the Christmas paper we enjoy today.

At a young age, Joyce Hall hopped a train and moved from Nebraska to Kansas City with two shoeboxes full of scenic picture postcards he hoped to sell to dealers throughout the Midwest. Not having a lot of money, as he came from a poor family, he rented a room at the YMCA to use as home and office. Going from jobbing postcards as a teenager to manufacturing and selling his own line, Hall soon earned enough to open a checking account for his new business. Within a few years, his post card business grew and he asked his older brothers, Rollie and William, to join him in opening a specialty store, the Norfolk Post Card Company, to sell postcards and stationery. The brothers did well, but later on, Joyce worried the postcards were losing appeal and thought that selling higher end greeting cards, Valentines and Christmas cards with envelopes might be more profitable, naming his new venture Hallmark, which is derived from his name and the term ‘marked’, dating back to the 1300's where gold and silver were marked for quality.

The Hall brothers also printed and sold tissue paper in shades of red, green and white for the holiday season. When they ran out of the popular colors one season, they began selling colorful envelope linings from France. These became popular with Americans, leading the brothers to add ribbons to the new design before they began printing larger rolls of Christmas paper. In 1923, the brothers and their 120 employees moved from tiny offices in four separate buildings into a brand new six-story plant. In 1936, Joyce introduced display cases housing rows of cards for customers to browse at their leisure. Joyce passed away in October 1982, and today the Hallmark Industry sells over 10 billion cards annually and Americans spend over 3 billion per year on Christmas wrapping paper.

A Thanksgiving Tradition (Macy’s Parade)

The holiday season is fast approaching, and with Thanksgiving one of my favorite holiday’s to celebrate, I’m stepping out the Cowboy Kisses realm of ‘all things western’ to talk about one of my favorite traditions—The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My mother was born in Germany. When she was seven, she came to the United States with her parents. Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City became home until she and my father married. Mom moved upstate and as my brothers and sister and me came along, visiting her family in the city was a treat, and something we did about 4 times a year. At least one of those occasion was New Year’s Eve to celebrate Christmas, and some years we visited to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of those occasions, I can remember going to the parade twice.

Mom and Dad would bundle us in warm clothes (it’s hard to remember a winter back then without frigid cold and piles of snow) and we’d head into Manhattan for the parade. I can’t tell you for certain where along the parade route we sat, but I can say the route was at least 10 people deep, with adults letting the children sit on the curbs. We shivered, we fussed and whined, and through it all, we had fun. The clowns would talk with us, we heard marching bands play and sometimes one or more of the celebrities would sing at our exact spot. And, of course, we couldn’t wait to get back on the subway (always a thrill to ride) and return to the warmth of Grandma’s house and dinner. (One thing I remember was my Dad’s mother in upstate telling me she saw a girl on tv with the same color coat as me, hinting it was me she saw. But I know now Grandma was doing what all Grandma’s do—making her granddaughter feel special!)

Debuting in 1924 as The Macy’s Christmas Parade, the parade ties with America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit as the 2nd oldest parade in the U.S. Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Parade is the oldest. Born August 1822 on Nantucket Island, MA, Rowland Hussey Macy is the founder of Macy’s Department Store. At 15 years of age, he left home to sail the Atlantic, returned 4 years later and met with no success on owning and operating 2 stores. He also had little success working for his brother-in-law and left the east coast for California’s gold rush. California proved a bust and he returned to Massachusetts and opened a dry goods store in Havervill with his brother, but left there to open his own store in a low-rent area of New York City. By clearly marking prices on items for sale and advertising those prices in newspapers, he finally met with success. Employing the 1st in-store Santa Claus, Macy played a major role in creating Christmas in America for both retail and religion. He was also the first businessman to promote a saleswoman to store manager, making Margaret Getchell the 1st woman to hold an executive position with a major American retail company. He is also responsible for the red star in the Macy’s logo, an idea he got from the red star tattoo on his arm from when he sailed the Atlantic. Macy passed away in 1877, with 11 connected buildings on 13th and 14th Streets in Manhattan, NY.

In the early 1900’s, the closest thing New York City had for a Thanksgiving Day parade was (which some said was annoying) the tradition of children painting their faces and wearing tattered clothes and going door-to-door asking for pennies, apples and candy. With Philadelphia’s Gimbel Brothers Department store hosting the 1st Thanksgiving Parade in 1920, and Detroit’s JL Hudson Department Store chiming in to host their own parade in 1924, Macy’s jumped into action with their Thanksgiving parade the same year as Detroit. On a sunny November 27th morning, at the intersection of 145th Street and Convent Avenue, a police escort led the start of the parade, which overlapped with church services but ended in plenty of time for parade watchers to attend the Syracuse/Columbia Universities football game at the Polo Grounds. The route was 6 miles, from Harlem to Herald Square, and boasted Mother Goose floats such as The Old Woman Who lived in the Shoe, Little Miss Muffet, and Little Red Riding Hood. Macy employees wore cowboy, clown and knight costumes, and bears, elephants, monkeys and donkeys from the Central Park Zoo appeared in the parade. Rounding out the parade was Santa Claus sitting on top of a mountain of ice in his sleigh pulled by reindeer. The official end time in Herald’s Square was noon, with thousands of people cheering on the arrival of Santa, who climbed a ladder and sat on a gold throne on the marquee above the store’s 34th Street entrance. The parade was a huge success with those in attendance that Macy Department Store announced the next day they would host another parade the following year.

The roars of the animals from the zoo weren’t well received, (nor did the animals care to be in the parade) and Macy’s quickly did away with them, adding helium filled balloon characters to replace them. Felix the Cat was the first to awe the crowds, and many followed, such as Snoopy and SpongeBob Square Pants. Marching bands and singing celebrities were added, as well as musical numbers from Broadway shows. The length of the parade route increased and the Rockettes were invited to dazzle young and old with their famous legs. Today, all the above and more wow in Herald Square, Santa Claus continuing to arrive at noon and officially mark the start of the holiday/Christmas season, all thanks to Rowland H. Macy for not giving up on his dream of owning a successful store.

World Building

Readers often ask authors where they get their story ideas, or character names, or the setting of the story. Some authors ‘people watch’ to get ideas for character traits and/or conflicts within their story. Others draw on people they know for character traits and/or experience for conflict. And some borrow from movie, television or literature to put their own spin on a story and give what they feel is a better ending. For myself, I have used my brothers, John Wayne and television characters Nick and Heath Barkley from The Big Valley for character traits. As for the setting of the story, movie and television played an important role in getting the initial visual of a sprawling ranch for my first book. My imagination took over from there, and produced my three series.

World building begins with your hero and heroine. Royce Weston is the hero from my first book. I knew he was a handsome, hunky cowboy, but did he live in the old west or in today’s society? I chose the old west because of my fascination with John Wayne’s cowboy movies. From there, I needed to know where in the old west he lived and what his role was. I chose Colorado, even though at the time I didn’t live there and knew nothing about the state, and I made him wealthy, with a somewhat large family. (This is where my fascination with the Ewings on Dallas lent a hand.) I gave him two brothers, a twin sister (because I always wanted a twin sister) and a father and mother. For my heroine, I liked the name Paige and decided she was going to have amnesia. But, how did she fit into Royce’s world? Before I figured that part of the story, images sprang to mind and I knew I wanted a barn dance, a saloon, and a wide porch.

For the barn dance, I needed to know who owned the barn and why the reason for the dance, so I went back to Royce and fine-tuned his profitable horse and cattle ranch (a home and business his father built to hand down to Royce and his brothers) to consist of thousands of acres of land, rolling hills, ponds, and wooded areas butting up against the Rocky Mountains. With the expanse of the ranch completed, I turned to the main part of the ranch and conjured the placement of corrals, barns and bunkhouses. Royce’s home was a comfortable two floors with the wide front porch I wanted, and somewhere in that design, I knew the barn dance wasn’t held at the Weston ranch, which I named Wooded Acres. Someone else was responsible for the dance; a neighboring rancher who hosted the spring round up dance and had a passel of girls to ogle Royce and his brothers. But, the girls couldn’t just ogle the Weston brothers once a year, so a town sprung up, Coyote, Colorado, with one of the founding fathers Royce’s own father. Coyote started as a nowhere place and when the story begins, has a saloon, church, sheriff, mercantile, school and plenty of boardwalks for the girls to chase the brothers.

Where does Paige fit in to Royce’s world? And who is Paige? Why does she have amnesia? These were questions I had to answer, and after much consideration, Paige hailed from a Kansas farm. Her mother died and her father sold the farm, piled her, her sister and brother into a wagon and lit out to fleece unsuspecting cowboys at local saloons. Royce was Paige’s last mark, and when he confronted her over her role in the scheme, she let him go and her father took his wrath out on her. She ended up at the Weston home, with Royce not believing she ailed from amnesia, but why? And from there, the members in his family became more refined, and his mistrust in women was born.

As with all romances, the story is to have a black moment. Royce and Paige’s black moment centers around Paige’s skills with cards and takes her and Royce to Revolving Point, Texas. A fictitious place, Revolving Point set up another world building opportunity of a town known for its gambling and lawlessness and blossomed into its own series. From there, Jackson Creek was born. Each series is unique and has its own cast of characters. Some of them I’ve created lengthy backstory. Others are on and off the page quicker than a well-known actor in a cameo appearance. How do I keep everything straight? I have notebooks for each story, where I carry over character description, ages, jobs, and what ranch, farm, or building in town they live on. The hero and heroine have longer descriptions, as I have to know their back story and how they got to where the story begins. I also keep notes on scenery, descriptions of living areas, and in the case of Revolving Point and Jackson Creek, a map detailing the streets of town and where on the street each business is.

World building is fun and a great opportunity to let your imagination run wild. Give it a try and see where you end up.

Rosemount Museum; Pueblo, Colorado

I’m very fortunate to live in Colorado. Not only is the scenery breathtaking, Colorado is knee-deep in history. Denver is home Molly Brown’s house and the U.S. Mint. Colorado Springs boasts Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods, and just south of Colorado Springs is the Rosemount Museum in Pueblo.

Pueblo is one of few prominent steel towns in the United States. In the early 20th century, the city was also known as the Melting Pot, because the steel industry attracted and employed many immigrants. The Arkansas River flows through Pueblo, with locals and tourists strolling the Riverwalk. The Colorado State fair is held annually on the outskirts of the city and Pueblo is home to 4 medal of honor recipients. And within the midst of such history and boasting sits the Rosemount Museum.

John and Margaret Ann Thatcher were the original owners of the Rosemount, which is named after Margaret’s favorite flower. John moved to Pueblo from Pennsylvania and earned a living in dry goods. He eventually moved on to the banking, mining, and cattle ranching businesses, and married Margaret April, 1866. The daughter of a judge, Margaret Ann (Henry) lived in Pueblo with her family, and she and John moved to a home on Santa Fe Avenue. The house had 5 rooms and Mrs. Thatcher employed Irish servants to help with household chores.

John hired famed New York architect Henry Hudson Holly to build the mansion. Crafted of pink Rhyolite volcanic rock on the outside and several different types of wood on the inside to include cherry, mahogany, maple and oak, the 37 room mansion took 2 years to build, with the family taking up residence in 1893. The Thatchers enjoyed many years in the mansion with their 5 children before John’s passing in 1913. Margaret passed away in 1968, and the last of their children to own the mansion was Raymond, who passed away in 1968.

Raymond donated the museum to the city of Pueblo, who in turn donated it to the Metropolitan Museum Association. A public trust was set up by the Thatcher family in 1969 for the creation of Rosemount as a non-profit museum. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places July 30, 1974, the 1st in Pueblo county, along with the Goodnight Barn. Currently, Rosemount is open to tours and most of the family’s original furnishings remain.

Colorado Springs & William Jackson Palmer

Being an east coast girl from upstate New York, one would think hubby and I would’ve retired to our hometown to be close to our families, but we didn’t. Hubby spent twenty years in the Air Force and one of his assignments was Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs. We fell in love with the area and decided to make it home when he retired. In the past 18 years, Colorado Springs has boomed in population and business, and every day, weather permitting, I get to see America’s Mountain.

Long before Army lieutenant and explorer Zebulon Pike traveled through the area and discovered the mountain that is now his namesake, Pike’s Peak, the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes called the area at the bottom of what is now Ute Pass home. It was Pike’s wish to summit the peak to map out rivers and the landscape, but feet of snow prevented him from doing so. He published an account of his travels in 1810 naming the mountain, Grand Peak, thus putting it on the map. Fast forward a few years to when gold was discovered in the area and folks rushed to the region, where businessmen established Colorado Springs’ first settlement, Colorado City, at the base of the peak. (Situated west of where Colorado Springs currently sits and Manitou Springs, Colorado City is now known as Old Colorado City.) Colorado City became the hub for selling mining equipment and supplies to those headed up Ute Pass to pan for gold. For a short time, Colorado City was also a territorial capital.

Those looking to strike it rich in the mines weren’t the only people coming west to Colorado Spring’s first settlement. Many came for health reasons, hoping the fresh air and sunshine would cure tuberculosis, and others came for business opportunities, including Colorado Springs’ founding father, William Jackson Palmer. Born in Delaware on September 17, 1836 to a Quaker family, Palmer had a fascination with trains at a young age. He eventually hired on with the Pennsylvania railroad and learned everything he could about the railroad industry and engineering and was the first person to suggest trains should burn coal and not wood, since wood was fast becoming short in supply. Because of his teachings, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first to use coal.

A man who loathed slavery, Palmer served as a general in the Civil War and won a Medal of Honor for heroic efforts. After the war, he financially supported education efforts for the freed slaves and ventured to the Kansas Railroad and helped lay the tracks all the way to Denver. He and his friend, Dr. William Bell, founded their own railroad company, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The first tracks went to the Pikes Peak. The area struck a chord deep inside Palmer and he predicted the foothills would become a booming resort town. Purchasing 10,000 acres of land along the train route, Palmer laid out streets, hauled in thousands of trees to make the city lush and green, and erected lavish buildings resembling European style, to include the Antler’s Hotel. In 1871, his Victorian resort town was born. From the start, Colorado Springs wasn’t a boom town. Palmer used the breathtaking scenery to lure the rich to the area, along with capitalists, artists and intellectuals. Gold was discovered to the west of the peak in Cripple Creek in 1891. More of the wealthy flocked to Colorado Springs and for a spell, the city had more millionaires per capita than any other location in the United States.

In 1870, Palmer married Mary Lincoln (Queen) and the two enjoyed a honeymoon in the British Isles. It was there he saw and learned about the narrow gauge railroad. The narrow gauge was cheaper to build, could make sharper turns and climb steeper slopes, making it the perfect type of railroad for Palmer to incorporate throughout the state of Colorado to make travel through the Rocky Mountains easier. To date, two of his tracks remain in place; the 45 mile trek between Durango and Silverton in the southwest corner of Colorado, and the Cumbres and Toltec 63 mile trek between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO.

Palmer went on to bring the railroad to Pueblo. He co-founded the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, and drove the ‘golden spike’ at the Promontory Summit in Utah to finishing America’s Transcontinental Railroad. He eventually retired to Colorado Springs where he helped to establish the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, before passing away March 1, 1909. A statue of him riding his favorite his horse, Diablo, sits in the intersection of Nevada and Platte Avenue in Colorado Springs across from Palmer High School, which is named after him.

Gambling in the Old West

For centuries, gambling has been an accepted form of entertainment, dating back to the Old Stone Age. The earliest 6-sided dice game dates back to 3000 BC. In the 1800’s, a good portion of the male population frequented saloons and gambling halls to imbibe in alcohol and play a game of chance. These establishments were often considered their ‘home away from home’ and generally accepted by women, who had their own form of entertainment with quilting bees and church revivals, where they had prayer meetings and sang hymns. Many of my novels feature a saloon, and some of my heroes are quite adept at cheating at poker to earn a living. Below are some other games of chance men enjoyed.

Keno: Played exactly like bingo, tables were set up in a room with Keno cards on them. Players would enter and choose which card(s) they wanted to play. The people) running the night’s game stood at the front of the room selling tickets and ivory chips the size of half dollars that had half-moons in the middle. The other person running the night’s game stood at the urn where the Keno balls were dropped in to. Behind those two was a large board with numbers above holes. Just like bingo, the urn holding the Keno balls has a handle. The man turns the handle, the ball drops out at the bottom, the number is called out and the ball is inserted into the hole corresponding with the number. The players use the ivory chips to cover the numbers and when they cover a row, they yell out, Keno!

Faro: Because of its fast action, easy-to-learn rules, and good odds, especially when players weren’t cheating, Faro rivaled poker in popularity. With one person designated the ‘banker’ and played with one deck of cards, any number of people (punters) could enter the game. To play, chips (or checks as some called them) were purchased from the banker, with bet values being determined by the house. A board was placed on top of an oval table covered with green, with a cutout for the banker. One suit of cards (usually spades) was pasted on top of the board in numerical order. Players placed their bets on one or more cards in the layout. A deck of cards was shuffled and put inside the dealing box, (a mechanical device known as the shoe to prevent manipulations of the draw by the banker). The 1st card dealt (the soda card) was tossed away, leaving the remaining 51. The dealer then drew 2 more cards. The 1st (the banker’s card) was placed to the right of the dealing box. The 2nd card (the player’s card) was placed to the left of the banker’s box.
Suits of cards didn’t matter, and the banker’s card was the player’s losing card. So if the banker’s card was the number the player had set his betting chips on the board on top of the table, he lost his bet and the house won. The players card was the winning card and all bets placed on that number won. The dealer settled all bets on those two cards, then the next round of bets were placed before the next 2 cards were drawn, continuing to the last cards where the dealer would ‘call the turn.’ This was a special bet at the end of each round, where the object was to predict the exact order of the remaining cards. If all 3 last cards were the same, there was no bet.

Roulette: There are several theories as to who invented the game, dating back to the 17th century. The modern version of the game appeared in 184, with Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc inventing the single ‘0’ Roulette wheel, that eventually found its way to America in the 1800’s. Americans eventually rejected the single ‘0’ and returned the ‘00’s’ back to the wheel. Early American wheels had the numbers 1-28, 0, 00, and an eagle, which was a considered a house slot that gave the establishment an extra edge. The game is played on a table with a wheel to one side. On the other side of the table, players place their chip on the number or symbol they think the ball will land on when the wheel stops spinning. The person presiding over the game (croupier) spins the wheel in one direction. He then spins a small white ball in the opposite around a circular track running along the outer edge of the wheel. As the wheel slows, the ball loses momentum and falls into one of the numbered slots, declaring a winner (or winners).

Poker: The game as we know it evolved in the U.S. in the 1800’s. Based somewhat on a game Three Card Brag where players were dealt 3 cards, hoping for a triple, the strategy for involved players remembering which was cards had been dealt and which were still in the deck when placing wagers as the game continued until a winner was declared. Early hands of poker in the U.S. were often played with a 20 or 25 deck of cards. Eventually, the game broadened 1850’s to a 52 card deck, to include stud poker with 5, 6 or 7 cards being dealt. Draw poker derived from that, and wild cards and jokers also came into play in the 1850’s. From the Civil War through the net 5 decades, draw poker was the basis for all other versions of the game.
Usually played with 1- people, with players tossing chips into the center of the table for their ante, the dealer which variation of the game is to be played (5 card stud) and deals 5 cards to each player. In turn, each player either bets his hand will beat the other players or folds, meaning he doesn’t think his cards will win. Hands are determined as 2 pair (often Jacks or better); 3 of a kind, full house, straight, of a kind and a royal flush. A fun game, and in many of my books, the dealer is a professional card sharp playing for the house to win money for the house.

Here is a scene from Luck of the Draw, capturing Royce’s skills at a poker table.
(www.amazon.com/dp/B0063VOS4E)

As Royce broke open a new deck of cards, he had no trouble pushing aside the ethics he lived by. Honesty and morality had no place at the poker table, not when Paige’s life and the life of their unborn child rested, literally, in the palms of his hands.
He’d spent the three days holed up in Waco due to the rain practicing the tricks Paige had taught him. This morning he shuffled the stiff cards with the ease and dexterity of an accomplished gambler.
Royce picked up his cards and looked them over. His heart beat fast at the sight of the two aces, and as Paige had taught him, he made sure that relief didn't reflect in his gaze.
“How many?” He looked to Mendoza seated across from him and all confidence he felt skidded to a halt. Mendoza no longer had that cocky arrogance about him. He had masked all feeling and thought, emitting a look so blank Royce thought he had dealt Mendoza the wrong hand.
“One,” Marcus answered.
As he tossed one card, face down, to the center of the table, Royce's confidence was restored. He hadn't dealt the wrong cards. By asking for only one card, Royce was certain the landlord was chasing after a full house, betting that the two pair he held would still be enough to beat Royce’s hand if he didn't get his card.
“Dealer will take three,” Royce announced then tossed his throw-away cards, face down, to the center of the table and dealt himself three cards. At the sight of the last card, a lone heart beat jolted him so hard it threatened to burst from his chest, but somehow he managed to keep his entire body from flinching.
“Senor Weston.” Mendoza caressed his chin with the side of his index finger. “Your senorita is going to make a lovely addition to my cantina.”
“Is that so?” Royce kept his gaze impassive.
The landlord’s smile broadened as he laid his cards on the table, face up. A pair of queens, a pair of tens, and an eight stared back at Royce, and for a long moment, a deafening silence filled the air.
“You accept defeat graciously, Senor.” Mendoza’s grin widened as he shoved his chair back from the table. “I would say I am sorry for your loss, but I am not. I will send your child to you after the senorita gives birth.”
“Sit down, Marcus,” Royce ordered tersely. “I have not shown my hand.”
Though his eyes narrowed, Mendoza’s tone remained friendly. “You are correct. It would be rude of me to leave the table without viewing your hand.”
A sharp retort hung on the edge of Royce’s tongue, one that would have the landlord turning red, but Royce swallowed the comment in exchange for ending the game. Slowly, with his gaze bearing down on Mendoza, he laid his cards on the table one at a time; an ace, a deuce, another ace, a five, and last, the third ace.
“Paige stays with me.” Royce's tone left no room for argument. And though he would have loved nothing more than to wipe the disbelieving, murderous look from Mendoza’s face, time was of the essence. Paige had been gone from his side too long.

Musical Theater and Burlesque

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of movie musicals. Grease and Saturday Night Fever grabbed my attention as a teenager and are still favorites today. I sing along and tap my toe to the music, and dream that I can dance as good as the actors and dancers on the screen. My all-time favorite musical is White Christmas. Though she didn’t sing in the movie, Vera-Ellen’s dancing prowess captured my attention, and was my motivation to trapse on down to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to find more of her work and others, such as Gene Kelly. Today, with Amazon’s library of movies, with the push of a few buttons, I don’t have to travel to the store to find a movie, which is a good thing because Blockbuster and Hollywood Video no longer exist. Vera-Ellen remains my all-time favorite dancer, and it’s clear that live stage productions led to movie musicals, but when and where did musicals get their start?
In my trusty reference book, Everyday Life in the 1800’s, there is a section on entertainment. One of the entries refers to burlesque shows, where the show girls wore skimpy costumes and kicked their legs in the style of the famous Rockettes. The 1st such show dates back to Broadway 1866 and the musical, The Black Crook. A New York theater entrepreneur booked 2 shows in his Broadway venues. The first show featured a French ballet company where the dancers wore flesh-colored silk stockings, which was unheard of back then. The 2nd show was about a man having second thoughts regarding selling his soul to the devil. As luck would have it, the venue for the French ballet was damaged by fire, and with the shows booked for the same timeframe, the entrepreneur came up with a genius idea to combine both shows into one; The Black Crook.
The Black Crook featured a battle scene in Hell and is regarded as the 1st Broadway show by many. It opened to rave reviews and went on to give 474 performances, which was unheard of at the time. Usually a show only had 20 performances. The musical toured for decades and was revived on Broadway numerous times, and led to another musical that toured the country, Ixion. Lydia Thompson is credited for Ixion, a British burlesque troupe of women playing male roles that became New York’s biggest sensation back in the day. Thompson and her ‘British Blondes’, as the girls were dubbed, were in such demand that the show moved to Niblo’s Garden, Broadway’s most prestigious theater and where The Black Crook rose to fame 2 years earlier, and earned $370,000 in its first year.
During the Victorian Era, women hid their figures beneath bustles and hoops. The novelty of shows such as The Black Crook and Ixion with women wearing skimpy costumes was daring and challenging, and with Ixion a success because men and women were in awe that a woman wrote and managed the production. But burlesque wasn’t born with those two shows and wasn’t always a production of women wearing daring costumes and playing sexual aggressors. Burlesque began in the 1840’s as a wide range of comic plays, to include non-musicals. The shows appealed to the lower and middle class because they poked fun (burlesquing) at the social habits of the upper class. Anything from Shakespeare to Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind inspired a burlesque spoof, and eventually paved the way for writers and producers such as Lydia Thompson to come along and take burlesque not only to the next century, but to the image of scantily clad women kicking up their heels we think of today.
As a fan of movie musicals and Broadway, I’m grateful to Lydia Thompson and others like her. Today, we still have the Rockettes in skimpy costumes kicking up their heels at Radio City Music Hall and old movies on Amazon to dazzle us. Occasionally, a brand new movie musical comes along to capture our hearts, and whether old or new, I’m still dreaming I can dance as good as them.

Valentine’s Day Dinner Recipes Feb. 2021

February is upon us, and if you’re like me and most of the country, you’re wondering what to do for Valentine’s Day this year. Many years ago, hubby and I were big on fans of the Valentine’s Day traditions; roses, cards, going out to dinner. But as we aged, our enthusiasm for Valentine’s day waned. The roses were the 1st to go. They don’t last long, so in place of the red petals, he brings home a bouquet of mixed flowers, and usually a day or two before Valentine’s Day. Cards were nixed a few years back, too. (It was kiddo, who, when searching for a birthday card for hubby, became aggravated when he couldn’t find a nice one and did the math, showing how much we spent each year on cards for all occasions, then pointed out they all landed in the trash. Hence, we adopted a new tradition of not buying cards for any occasion and it’s worked out pretty well.) Lastly, several years back, I grew tired of the crowds and hurriedness of Valentine’s Day dinner in a restaurant and decided I’d rather cook something special at home, and when I say cook, I mean hubby cooks. (He’s a better chef than me!) So, if you’re like us and plan to have dinner at home, here are a few recipes I pulled from the internet to make your night special Enjoy!
(Please note I have not made any of these dishes, so I cannot comment on the taste.)
White Wine Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 medium onions, chopped
2 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. fresh tarragon, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook, skin side down, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, leeks, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown and tender, 8 to 9 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add wine, stirring constantly. Add stock, mustard, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to a simmer.

Return pancetta and chicken (skin sides up) to pot; cover and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken is fork-tender and cooked through, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves. Serve topped with tarragon

Strip Steak with Lemon Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. fresh or frozen peas
2 tsp. lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 (3/4-inch-thick) strip steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 tbsp.
unsalted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place potatoes in a large pot; cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes, adding peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and return vegetables to the pot. Add lemon zest and juice and 2 tablespoons oil; mash. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Cook to desired degree of doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing; reserve skillet.

Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to reserved skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until liquid is reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes; remove from heat. Add butter and swirl pan to melt; stir in juices from cutting board. Season with salt and pepper. Serve steak topped with sauce and potatoes alongside.

Sweet-and-Smoky Cedar-Planked Salmon

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 2 1/2-pound skin-on salmon fillet

Directions
Soak a large cedar grilling plank (about 15 inches by 7 inches) in water, 1 to 2 hours.
Heat grill to medium. Combine sugar, paprika, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl. Season salmon with salt and rub spice mixture all over flesh side.
Place salmon on soaked plank, skin side down. Grill, covered, to desired doneness, 25 to 28 minutes for medium.

Pork Roast with Dried Fruit and Fresh Herbs

Ingredients:
1 c. dried figs
1 c. dried apricots
1 c. dried cherries
2 1/2 c. dry red wine
3 stick cinnamon
2 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Fresh ground black pepper
2 clove garlic
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin roast

Directions:
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring the dried fruit, wine, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drain the fruit, discarding the cinnamon sticks. Toss the rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic together and rub 2 tablespoons of the mixture on the inside of the roast. Layer with the steeped fruit and roll the roast tightly into a log. Tie with butchers twine. Rub the outside of roast with oil and the remaining rosemary mixture and place on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and roast until temperature reaches 155 degrees, about 1 hour. Allow pork to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.