October 14, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Do you know about the Beatles? You have to have heard their song “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I mean, everybody has heard that song. Everybody!! Aunt Love holds her ears if she hears it on my little radio and Leigh, Dad’s girlfriend, says they can’t hold a candle …
Mystery Picture and Orchard of Hope Giveaway
Guess to Win a Book Let’s have a little fun with another mystery picture. Leave a guess, but don’t read the other comments before you guess. It’s more fun that way. But leave any comment on this post or one of my other posts before the end of October to be in a drawing for a copy of Orchard of …
Scavenger Hunts and Books by the Banks
Ever been on a Scavenger hunt? That’s where you have to find things. I used to try to think up some fun scavenger hunts for my Bible School kids. I think it’s more fun when you do clues. Like something a squirrel would love. (Lots of acorns at our church.) Or the pastor’s favorite verse. (Going to have to ask …
Meet Cassidy from Orchard of Hope
October 8, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. I’m sorry to be late reporting, but I had a whole page of sentences to diagram. Plus two pages of Algebra and I had to draw a picture of a flower showing all the parts, stamens or pistils or something like that. Mrs. Boggs, she teaches science, is a flower …
Banana Croquettes, a KY Church Dinner Treat
Have you ever eaten banana croquettes? Chances are if you’ve been to a church dinner in Kentucky, you’ve had the opportunity to give them a try. My little country church had Homecoming Day today. Once a year we invite everybody who has spiritual roots in the church to come “home” for a special service. That can be a lot of …
Winners, Bicycles and Birthdays
My birthday month is over. September has slipped away too soon. No more birthday stories in my e-mail box. 🙁 It’s been a crazy month down here on the farm with Christmas at Harmony Hill out in September and Orchard of Hope coming out in its new package on October 1. Add in one of Mom’s caretakers being sidelined with cataract …
Hollyhill has a New Book
October 1, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Somebody has written a book about us here in Hollyhill! Again! Last year there was that book about all the things I found out in the summer, Scent of Lilacs. Now I’m finding out lots of new things in this story, Orchard of Hope. And some of it happens right …
Story Webs
A Story Web Four years ago I wrote a piece for my on-line journal here about how a story can be an intricate web like a spider web. I wanted a picture of a spider web to go with it, but it was late October and the spiders were battening down their hatches for winter, I suppose. I looked all …
Surprises, Parties and Chocolate Cakes
“Let’s face it, a nice, creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.” ~Audrey Hepburn Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me. Audrey Hepburn Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/chocolate_cake.html#FS468PmEH8F8rtSo.99 Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for …
Miss Sally’s Old-Fashioned Ways of Predicting the Weather
September 23, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Holly County. We were at Miss Sally’s house on Sunday. You remember her, don’t you? She was the one who took those chickens I won and then let me visit them. She lives out in the country close to Dad’s church. Everybody loves Miss Sally. And everybody listens when she talks. Even …