Leap Day

Because the way our calendar is set up, about every four years is a leap year. In that year February has 29 days, instead of 28. February 29th is referred to as leap day. Julius Caesar started leap years in 46 B.C. All kinds of traditions, customs and superstitions have grown up around the day since then. Here are a few:

The town of Anthony, Texas, has declared itself the "Leap Year Capital of the World."

In Ireland, Britain, and the United States, a woman can propose marriage to a man anytime during a leap year.

In Finland, if a woman proposes to a man on leap day and he refuses, he must buy her enough cloth to make a skirt.

France has a satirical newspaper that is only published on February 29th in the leap years.

In Greece it's considered unlucky to marry in a leap year.



Here are a few things that happened on February 29th through the years:

In 1468, Pope Paul III was born.

In 1692, the first warrants were issued that would become the Salem witchcraft trials.

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the commission to see to the completion of the Panama Canal.

In 1916, Dinah Shore was born.

In 1940, Gone with the Wind won 8 Oscars, including Hattie McDaniel for Best Supporting Actress. She was the first black performer to ever win an Oscar.

In 1952, the first "walk" and "don't walk" signs where put up in Times Square, New York City, for pedestrians.

In 1960, the first Playboy Club opened in Chicago with waitresses wearing bunny outfits.

In 1968, the discovery of the first pulsar star, emitting regular radio waves, was announced in Cambridge, England.

In 1968, "Up, Up and Away" by the Fifth Dimension won record of the year at the Grammy's, and The Beatles won album of the year for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

In 2004, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won 11 Oscars.

Will you do anything special to celebrate leap day this year? Does your family have any traditions? Have they in the past?

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Building or Eroding Character

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).

Like a great cathedral, character is built a day at a time, a stone at a time, with patience and deliberation, all the while seeking to follow  God's step-by-step plan. And, like a cathedral, character can be quietly destroyed, little by little, in many hidden places, unseen even by those who know us best, undetected perhaps by ourselves, but never unnoticed by God. One day the storm comes and the structure crashes and great is the fall thereof. The people ask, "What happened?" The deterioration of character is an "inside job." We drift from God and fall into sin, and then we try to avoid responsibility by blaming others or pleading extenuating circumstances; but the excuses won't stand in God's court.

The erosion of character usually begins with neglect: we stop reading the Word or worshiping with God's people, or taking time to meditate and pray. We stop hungering for holiness and exercising spiritual discipline and discernment. We stop making those sacrifices that show our special love for Christ and his people. We do our jobs mechanically because our heart isn't in it. In time, we find ourselves "making arrangements to sin," convinced that what nobody knows, we can get away with. The process is deadly: first the drifting, then the secret sinning, then the hidden eroding of character.

     Sow a thought and you reap an action.
     Sow an action and you reap a character.
     Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

(Taken from 10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. Wiersbe and David W. Wiersbe.)

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Free Books

I have mixed feelings when I look at the issue of free books, because I come to it from different angles, wearing different hats. It's very common today to find many ebooks for free, especially on amazon. Most of them are offered for a specific time period, but a few are always free. Authors and publishers use this to pull in interest for their work and to establish a fan-base.

I've been a reader longer than I've been a writer or marketer. As a reader, I appreciate getting books free. In fact, I have over 1,700 books on my Kindle, and 97% of them have been free. There are newsletters that come to my email inbox notifying me of some of these. Many of them are by well-know writers, and I've seen their books go back to $9.99 or more after a couple of days.

In trying to promote my own books, I appreciate it when my publisher runs a sale, because more people always buy my books during that time. With the historical novel I've just self-published to test the waters, I ran a 99-cent sale a few days after it came out. Of course, sales did increase. However, neither my publisher nor I have ever offered one of my books for free, and, at this time, I don't plan to. Read on to find out why.

I wonder if authors and publishers aren't devaluing their books when they offer them for free. If readers can get all the reading material they need for free, then why buy any. Believe me, I have more free books downloaded than I will ever read in two or three lifetimes. (I do still buy books in order to support fellow-writers, however.) Although I understand these giveaways are trying to increase interest in their books, maybe those who offer their books for free are decreasing their market in the long run. Perhaps readers quit buying books, since they can get so many for free. I know very well how much goes into writing and publishing a book. Surely all that is worth something. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

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The Grand Canyon

Congress established the Grand Canyon National Park, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law on February 26, 1919. President Theodore Roosevelt had visited it in 1903 and loved its natural beauty. He designated it as a National Monument. Those with land holdings and mining interests had blocked efforts to reclassify it as a U. S. National Park for 11 years. They finally lost that battle.

The Anasazi lived in the region before white explorers came. By the time the Spanish came in the 16th century, ruins were all that was left of this ancient Native American group. However, other Puebloans lived in the area. The Four Corners, where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah meet and a person can stand in four states at one time, is located on the Navajo reservation not far from the canyon.

Cut by the Colorado River over millions of years, the beauty of this giant gorge speaks for itself. Both the North Rim and the South Rim offer spectacular views. Photographs can't show its size, correct perspective, or magnificence. You need to go there.

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Clam Chowder

Today is National Clam Chowder Day. Although there's many recipes for clam chowder and many varieties, two of the best known are New England clam chowder and Manhattan clam chowder. Although I like Manhattan clam chowder with its red, tomato base, my favorite is New England clam chowder with its white, creamy sauce. I guess this is because potato soup has always been a favorite of mine too.

Fish chowders were believed to be forerunners of the clam chowder. In my historical novel, When Winter Is Past, Beth cooks a fish chowder. Here's an except of where she invites Stanton to stay and eat:

"You can stay for dinner, can’t you? I’m fixing a fish chowder, which won’t take long to prepare.”

           “I’d be delighted if it’s not too much trouble."

"Will you be bored to sit here and keep me company as I cook? You could always move over and talk with Father." 

“I find talking with you fascinating, so I’ll stay here if I won’t be in your way." 

Beth looked pleased and busied herself preparing the meal. Stanton found he liked to just sit and watch her. As she stood and worked, she had a graceful way about her. It wasn’t until she walked about with her limp that she became unbalanced.

Stanton watched Beth add a few carrots, diced potatoes, and onions to the pot with the fish. In about ten minutes, she stirred in butter, milk, and a little flour. She added some salt and pepper and stirred it until it came to a boil. The food smelled wonderful.

She swung the pot away from the fire and dipped some for her father first. When she had him settled with his food before him, she came back to serve theirs. Stanton wondered if they would share a trencher, but she chose two of the more modern pottery bowls and dipped chowder into them. He hoped his disappointment didn’t show. He would have enjoyed sharing a trencher with her. She then set out fresh bread and butter.

The kitchen became extra warm with the fire built up enough to cook, but the cloudy weather kept it from becoming too sweltering. He took a spoonful of his chowder. It tasted as good as it smelled.

“This is delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything quite like it.”

“Since Father has become a finicky eater, I’ve experimented with some recipes to try to get him to eat more. This is one of those. The fish is fresh. I just caught them this morning.”

“You caught these and still managed to get back by the time I arrived?”

“When I left the house, the daylight had just begun to break through, and I only went to the creek. The fish there aren’t as big as the ones sold in the markets, but I know a spot where the bigger ones stay, and I can catch enough for a meal. I filleted them into pieces to boil for the chowder.

She gave him an apologetic smile.“I didn’t know you were coming, so I don’t have a pie baked, but I have some fresh strawberries and sweetened cream to go on them. They’re the very first of the season, and I had to search the sunny areas before the rain came to find them.”

“That sounds delicious too.”

                       (Profits from all my books go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

There are many recipes for clam chowder, and you can find some good ones on the internet. Choose one that appeals to you and celebrate the day. Since chowders are believed to be French in origin, Bon appetit!

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Pisa is an interesting town to explore. Of course it's known for its leaning tower, and tourists flock from all over the world to see it. It's impossible to get pictures without them. The tower is impressive, but so are some of the other buildings. The tower is the third oldest structure remaining. The cathedral is the oldest and the baptistery is the second. The tower is a bell tower built near the other two to help with worship.

The tower stands 183 feet high and has 296 steps. It's estimated to weigh about 16,000 tons. It used to lean 5.5 degrees but was straightened some between 1990 and 2001 to keep it from completely falling. Now it leans at an angle of 3.6 degrees. There has been some controversy as to the architect, but most historian attribute it to Bonanno Pisano. Construction started in 1178 and ended in 1372.

Although the fact that the tower did not stay perpendicular as planned is interesting, I found the detail and the architectural designs of the buildings even more so. To my amateur eye, it almost looked like a mixture of Romanesque and Eastern architecture. Perhaps it has more to do with the time period in which it was built, however. Just look at some of the details --

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A Cone of Sugar

Sugar used to come in cones, also known as a loaf. This was true up until the late 1800's in many areas. The sugar could be scraped off, but there was also a special tool called a sugar nip to break off pieces. The sugar was shaped by putting it in molds. These molds came in various sizes and, therefore, so did the sugar cones.

References to sugar has been found in a 9th century Arabic writing and in 12th century Jordan. In Europe, the earliest know records come from Italy in 1470, Belgium 1508, Holland 1566, Germany 1573. and France 1613. With the sugar plantations in the Caribbean and the Triangular Trade, sugar became big business in the Americas in the 1700's.

In my newly released historical novel, When Winter Is Past, Stanton buys Beth a cone of sugar so she can make some strawberry preserves:

            “I decided to get you a little something when I went to the store.” Stanton told Beth when she opened the door to him, and he handed her the sugar cone.

Beth appeared surprised and speechless for a moment. “You shouldn’t have bought anything for me. Is this why you went?”

“No, I needed some tea, but please accept my small attempt to give you something you might need.”

 When an editor read it, she questioned a cone of sugar. I had to explain the history of it. She also questioned that Stanton didn't give the sugar to Beth in a bag and noted this was unsanitary. They didn't use bags in 1737. Shoppers normally took their baskets with them to carry their purchases in. For larger amounts, they'd use something like wooden crates. And, they had no concept of germs, sanitation, or hygene. It was a different time.

(All my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children.)

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Sweet Potato Day

Today is National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Sweet potatoes are a healthy alternative to the white potato that's become a staple in the American diet. Restaurants are offering baked sweet potatoes more often as a menu choice. Recent health reports have spotlighted some of their benefits. They have twice the fiber and calcium of white potatoes and 1,300 times more vitamin A. All of this comes with fewer calories.

Sweet potatoes originated in either Central or South America, unlike the yam, which came from Africa. There are two main types of sweet potatoes, and the darker one is often mistakenly called yams. It is unlikely that you'd find true yams in a grocery store, unless you're shopping in an international market.

Sweet potatoes also have vitamin B6, which can help in preventing heart attacks. Their natural sugars go into the blood stream more slowly, making them better for diabetics than some other sweet foods. Choline in them helps sleep, muscle movement, learning, and memory. It also helps reduce inflammation.

They are rich in carotenoids, like beta carotene, which helps prevent certain cancer and slows down the effects of aging. Studies show it helps prevent prostrate and colon cancer, and there's some indication it may also help with lung and breast cancer.

The information and evidence shows that adding sweet potatoes to the diet now and then may prove to be beneficial. I like plain baked sweet potatoes without anything on them, which is the healthier way to eat them. However, there's many great recipes out there when you want something special.

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Make Your Words Right


But I say unto you, Swear not at all.... But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5: 34 & 37).

There are two issues here: honoring God’s holy name and showing integrity in what we say. Too much of the time, our society no longer honors God’s name. OMG is common, even among Christians, but it’s taking God’s name in vain, even if you interpret it as meaning “Oh my Goodness,” for who is good besides God?

Although the Mosaic Law permitted and addressed swearing and oaths, Jesus said not to make them. Once you did so, you were obligated to carry them out, no matter what. You can find a startling, tragic example of this in Judges 11. Jephthah vowed to God that if the Israelite army defeated the Ammorites, he would sacrifice to God the first thing he saw upon his return to his house. That turned out to be his virgin daughter, and he did offer her up as a burnt offering. He definitely would have been better off not making such a vow. 

Promising and swearing are really futile. A person of integrity will do what he says he’ll do. A dishonest person will break his promise or oath. We are to show integrity with our words, as well as our deeds. We should always be truthful and never lie. Some theologians, like R.C. Sproul, say the only exception to this is when a greater moral dilemma is at stake. For example, Rahab lied to the Canaanite soldiers who came looking for the Israelite spies in order to protect them. In my upcoming book Uprooted by War, Leah is faced with a similar problem. She doesn’t out and out lie, but she misleads raiders in order to protect her family during the Civil War. But this kind of moral decision rarely if ever happens in our lives. For us, we should always live by truthfulness.

Like many of yours probably did, my father taught me to do what I said I’d do. There’s a lot of truth in the saying, “A man is only as good as his word.” But we shouldn’t promise, swear, or take oaths (except when required in courts of law). It’s unnecessary and borders of being sacrilegious. God is always present, even if we don’t use his name. It’s better not to promise anything if there’s any chance you might not be able to follow through. Be careful what you commit to. When you say you’ll do something, do it.

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A New Opportunity

Besides my newest book, When Winter Is Past, being released, I've had several exciting situations come up recently. One is a regional magazine asked me to write articles for them. The editor has been reading some of my blogs, and he'd published an article about my first novel last spring. He thought I'd be a good fit for his readers, but he doesn't have a budget to hire writers.

After some back and forth and much deliberation on my part, we decided to give it a try. I used to write for magazines, and enjoyed it then, but my interests have turned to writing my novels now. However, we bartered - a concept that I like. He is going to trade me advertising space in his magazine for me writing the articles.

This is a quarterly magazine that may switch to publishing every-other-month. An issue often has a theme, which helps me focus my articles. The editor said that I could expand on some of my blogs, and the article only needs to be from 600 to 1,000 words. After writing 85,000 word novels, this doesn't seem like much at all.

I've completed my article for the spring issue ahead of deadline and sent it in, along with some of my photos for illustrations. I'm interested to see how it goes. It should be a good situation for both me and the editor.

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Turkish Carpets

Carpet-weaving dates back to pre-Islamic times. We know the rugs were common during the Byzantine Empire. The earliest known existing antique Turkish rug dates back to the 13th century, but there's evidence of these rugs in archaeological excavations as far back as 7,000 BC. Because different groups had their own designs, this art form recorded the political and ethnic history of the area. 

Although sometimes all oriental rugs are mistakenly referred to as "Turkish," true Turkish carpets have distinctive characteristics of designs, colors, dyes, materials, and techniques. These rugs are usually made of wool and cotton. No silk carpets came from Turkey until 1870, and it wasn't until the early 1900's that the weavers there began to use silver and gold threads. At that time some of the patterns also became influenced by other rug-producing countries. The yarns are tied with a symmetrical double-knot to make all sizes, from pillow-size to room-size.

When the Western world became interested in Turkish carpets, production and prices escalated. They are appreciated, not only for their usefulness but also as art. The distinctive Turkish colors and designs are sought after. Weavers still make them today very similarly to the way they were made in the past.

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