March 3, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Main Street, Hollyhill. It’s March. Basketball tournament time. Our high school team out at Holly County High played in the District Tournament last week. We didn’t win. We never win the tournament, but we did win a few games this year. Better than some years. I took pictures for the paper. I …
Smiles, Memories, and Grandmothers
“A life-long blessing for children is to fill them with warm memories of times together. Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood.” (Charlotte Davis Kasl) My book, Scent of Lilacs, was released for the second time March 1 and I’m celebrating. Scent of Lilacs was my first novel published in the …
A Giveaway to Celebrate Scent of Lilacs & Grandmothers
Mom with one of her great-granddaughters Every time I have a new book release or in the case of Scent of Lilacs re-released, I like celebrating with my reading friends. And what better way to celebrate than to give away some things? And what am I giving away? Funny that you should ask since I was just about to …
Turnip Headlines
February 24, 1964. Jocie Brooke here reporting from Main Street, Hollyhill. I think I’m going to have to expand my reporting area. Main Street has been more than usually dull this week. Nothing, I mean nothing going on. Nobody even tried to park without putting nickels in the parking meters. The police chief had absolutely nothing to do but drink …
The Saddest Times of Dementia
This is my beautiful mother enjoying her grandchildren forty years ago. At the time, she was younger than I am now and a very loving grandmother. The grandkids thought she was the best. She let them stand at the sink and wash dishes. She pretended to let them help her make doughnuts. She played Rummy with them and didn’t always …
Penny for Your Thoughts
Yesterday was Wednesday. Oops, I’m just now remembering that was supposed to mean a post here on One Writer’s Journal. So here I am a day late and a dollar short. Well, you never get a dollar’s worth anyway, but maybe a penny’s worth of this and that. A penny might not entice you to read on since a penny …
Mystery Flowers and Secret Admirers
February 17, 1964 Jocie Brooke here reporting from Main Street, Hollyhill. Strange goings on in the newspaper office this week. Valentine’s Day was last Friday. The day when everybody goes bonkers for love. At least everybody but Wes and me. He says folks are just having “heart” trouble and it’s trouble he intends to stay out of. I wouldn’t mind …
Editing Down to the Interesting Bits
“I’m a big fan of editing and keeping only the interesting bits in.” Sarah Vowell > I finished up the editing on the galleys of my Rosey Corner book, Small Town Girl, that will be released in July. Publishing a book with a traditional publisher is often a slow and exacting process. I know there are ways now that a …
Valentines and Hearts
“Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.” – Voltaire What would life be without love? Isn’t it great that we have a day set aside to celebrate love? In of all months, February. That month of the year when those of us in the northern hemisphere are beginning to be weary of winter. The month when …
A Dog Named Zebedee
Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. ~Max Eastman February 10, 1964. Jocie Brooke here still on the outlook for strange on Main Street, Hollyhill. It’s been a quiet week. That’s how weeks in February are if we don’t get a big snowstorm. Then if the snow falls deep enough, things can really get slow in Hollyhill. Everybody stays …