Category: Uncategorized

Another visit from Anna Morrison Jackson

This afternoon I had the privilege of having another visit from Anna Morrison Jackson.  Well, not exactly. And I wasn’t hallucinating.  Nora Brooks has two alter-egos.  One is Mildred Childe Lee, a daughter of Gen. Robert E. Lee.  The other is Anna, the widow of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.  The Eastern Cabarrus Historical Museum in Mt. Pleasant, NC, hosted Nora Brooks this afternoon as she did her famous portrayal of Anna Morrison Jackson.  One minute she is Nora, but in the blink of an eye she takes on the persona of Anna Jackson. As usual, the audience members were spellbound by Nora’s superb performance.  I’ve seen it several times, but I never tire of it.  Anna shares different facts and memories each time she comes for a visit.

It was a relaxing way to spend a hot summer Sunday afternoon.

I found the mountain dulcimer tablature for “Ashokan Farewell” online a couple of days ago, so I am happy as a clam. I love that haunting melody, but couldn’t remember the name of it. So many songs to learn… so little time.

Teaching an old dog new tricks

It took me a long time to figure out who I was.  It wasn’t until 2001 that I took my first writing course and started working toward my lifelong desire to be a writer. 

There seems to be a pattern here, for nearly a decade later I took the plunge and purchased a mountain lap dulcimer — something I have wanted since I was a freshman in college. I recently attended a week-long dulcimer school.  It was a struggle but a rewarding experience.  I came home wanting to play the dulcimer all the time. 

My love of folk music dates back to the 1960s. I was fortunate to be old enough then to gain an appreciation of the folk music revival — Peter, Paul & Mary, The Kingston Trio, and others.  It took that interest 45 years to resurface, but I’m now reaping the benefits of playing a dulcimer well enough for my own enjoyment.  Perhaps with practice I’ll play well enough to perform for others.

I wouldn’t want to relive my teen and young adult years, but if I could I would buy a dulcimer as early as I could afford one and I would take a writing course the first chance I got. 

So many hobbies and interests… so little time!

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Writer

Making time to write has been a challenge this week.  I haven’t gotten enough sleep, a carpenter or painter has been here everyday, breathing paint fumes, poor air quality outdoors due to this heat wave….  It has been difficult to sit down at the computer and put any words “on paper.”

My goal for today is to take the research I did for a series of newspaper columns about an 1849 meteorite and write a 2,500-word piece to pitch to an almanac.

I entered the opening pages of my manuscript of The Spanish Coin in a writing contest this spring.  Two of the three critiques I received in return were disappointing.  It is taking me a while to get pysched up to work on that project again.

I’m currently reading The Testament, by John Grisham.  Other recent good reads:  The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (my new all-time favorite book!), The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake, several Jodi Picoult books, and Not My Daughter, by Barbara Delinsky.

It’s time for me to get to work on that meteorite piece.