National Novel Writing Month

Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? This actually began on the internet as a way to encourage writers, celebrate novels, and inspire creativity. The goal of the month is to write 50,000 words, the minimum length considered a novel, during the thirty day period. I have exceeded that amount at least twice, although my books were over 80,000 words, and the longest one was 101,000. That was Sown in Dark Soil, which just came out in September. I cut it down to 89,000 words before I sent it to the publisher.

National Novel Writing Month
logo

The National Novel Writing Month project started in San Francisco in 1999 with 21 people meeting together. In 2000, they launched the website. By 2010, over 200,000 writers participated in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWrMo, as some refer to it. There's a website for registration where writers can post information about themselves and their novel. Go to www.nanowrmo.org to see more.

So, if you've always wanted to write a novel, this may be the time. If not, you can celebrate this month by reading one. I'm an avid reader, too (good writers are), and every time I read a book instead of completing my list of things to do around the house, I tell myself that reading is good preparation for writing. How's that for rationalization? Now, let me get back to my novels, both writing them and reading them.

_____________________________________

.

Early Winter Bedding

Fireplaces in bedrooms were rare in early America, and, even if they had them, the rooms would still get cool in the winter. Therefore, the bedding reflected that. For one thing, the adult beds were often higher off the floor, where the coldest air settled. This even continued through the turn of the century with the popular iron bed frames.

Bed coverings, especially for the wealthy, often included beds with canopies and curtains that could be closed to block some of the drafts and cold air. Cover in colder regions often piled on the bed during the winter with so much weight it became difficult to turn over during the night. Bed warmers, lidded pans with a long handle attached, were filled with hot coals and placed between the sheets on cold winter nights a little before bedtime and then removed right before lying down.

Mattresses filled with feathers tended to be warmer than those filled with corn shucks, leaves, dried grass, or other materials. So, homemakers saved the feathers from the fowls cleaned to cook. Of course, beds were put together differently then. Ropes were strung through the bed frame in both directions, and the mattresses rested on them. A wooden tool was used to help keep the ropes tight enough not to sag.

Of course, the poorer the household, the less the family had to offset conditions. Although it's interesting to take a look back into history, most people wouldn't like to live there permanently. We're too used to being comfortable.

______________________________________

Old-fashioned Quilting

Quilt top

In rural areas, like where I grew up, most textile skills were saved until the weather turned cold, the garden was finished for the year, and there wasn't as many outside and food preserving chores. Quilting was one of these. Women save scraps from clothing they made, and pulled them out when the wind whistled, the temperatures dipped, or snow covered the ground.

At first women pieced the scraps together by hand, but the petal sewing machine made the work go much faster, and the smaller stitches were often stronger. When the top was finished, they'd set up the quilting frame and attach the three layers (the pieced or appliqued top; the batting or stuffing; and the bottom, usually in a solid color).

Appliqued quilt quilted around the designs

The quilting process involved stitching the three layers together. This was normally done in one of two ways. Either stitches were made about a quarter of an inch from the edge of most of the designs (usually triangles or squares if pieced), or a decorative stitching pattern was drawn and followed on the top. A favorite quilting pattern was to take a piece of chalk, attach it to a string, and use it to make meeting circular shapes from the corner.

The quilt was stitched or quilted to the point it could no longer be reached, and then the portion that had been stitched was rolled up on the frame to allow a new area to be quilted. I used to quilt a lot, and this is how I did mine - the old fashioned way. 

__________________________________

King Tut's Tomb Discovered

On November 4, 1922, the British archaeologist Howard Carter and his crew discovered the step which led them to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. This created a huge media storm, and interest in Egypt ran at an all-time high. Tutankhamen was in the 18th Egyptian dynasty and ruled from about 1332-1323 BC. He is also known as "the boy king," because he came to the throne at age ten, and died at nineteen.

King Tut married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten, which was not uncommon in most parts of the known world at this time. Some biblical figures, like Abraham, married relatives. Tutankhamen had two daughters, but they were both stillborn and buried with him. Most historians believe this king had powerful advisers, due to his young age. He sought to restore diplomatic relations with other countries, which had weakened under prior rulers.

Standing at 5 feet and 11 inches tall, when he died, Tut was lean and trim. Busts found in his tomb gives us some idea of what he may have looked like. No one knows for sure the reason for his death. Some have wondered if he wasn't killed, but more think it happened due to an accident. He had a broken leg shortly before death that became infected. There's also evidence he had malaria. Some have speculated that the fall, which broke his leg, may have caused an internal brain injury as well. Regardless, this ended his family's line to the throne.

_____________________________________

The Sandwich

Today, November 3rd, is National Sandwich Day, appropriate, because America seems to have fallen in love with the sandwich. Sources say it's become our most popular lunch item. However, by all accounts, the sandwich was devised in England.

Legend has it that John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), was an avid gambler who didn't want to stop to eat during a twenty-four hour gambling period. He told his servants to put some meat between two slices of bread, so he could eat while continuing to play, and the sandwich was born. 

Lord Sandwich

Regardless of how much truth is in the gambling story, most historians do credit John Montagu with inventing the sandwich, which was named after him. Montagu was later usually referred to as "Lord Sandwich," and he did like to gamble, so the legend may actually be true. However, N. Rodger, who wrote a biography of Lord Sandwich, says that he was also heavily involved with the navy, politics of his day, and the arts. He suggests that Lord Sandwich was just as likely to have devised the sandwich while busy at work. We'll never know for sure.

A similar food had been consumed much earlier, but bread and meat had never been called a "sandwich" before. The word first appears in the journal of Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). The sandwich became extremely popular in the 1800's, and hasn't really waned. However, new types, like the hamburger, and other variations have been added.

__________________________________

Stained Glass Windows

Craigdarroch Castle

Stained glass is a beautiful art form. When most people envision stained glass windows they think of cathedral and churches. In fact, there is evidence of stained glass windows in some of the very early churches. But, these windows could also be found in medieval castles and there was a revival around the turn of the century in the Victorian Era, where the wealthy added them to their homes.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Traditionally, the colored glass is made by adding metallic salt to the glass when it's being made. However, it's possible to paint the glass and then fire it in a kiln to set the color. Modern techniques have added more possibilities. The skill is in cutting the glass into intricate pieces and joining them together with lead or some type of solder. The art is in the design. The use of colored glass dates back at least to Egyptian and then Roman times.

Castile

Europe is covered with gorgeous examples of stained glass. In the United States, J & R Lamb established a studio in New York in 1857 and was the major producer for many years. John LaFarge received a U.S. patent in 1880 for a type of opalescent glass and produced stained glass. But the best-known stained glass artist, was Louis Comfort Tiffany, who is believed to have first used copper foil as an alternative to lead. He produced windows, lamps, and other decorations that are still sought and copied today.

____________________________________

Dry Bones

Read Ezekiel 37

Ezekiel and the Israelites had been taken captive by Babylon and marched to that foreign land. They were no longer able to worship in the temple in Jerusalem, and Ezekiel was saddened by that. But God showed him in a vision that he would restore Israel. He would turn the nation's dry, present existence into a flourishing, living country once again.

In his vision, Ezekiel stood in the middle of a valley full of dry bones. Bones were scattered about in every direction he looked, and they must have been there for a time, because they were dry. God asked him, "Ezekiel, can these bones live?"

Ezekiel wasn't sure what to answer, so he said, "You are the only one who knows, Lord." Good answer. 

Then, God told Ezekiel to tell the bones to listen to the Word of the Lord. Ezekiel obeyed and said, "Hear the Word of the Lord." 

He had no sooner got the words from his mouth, when he heard noises, first a rustle, then a rattle, and finally loud clacking. The bones were moving and sorting themselves out. When they were partially organized, they began putting themselves together, and joining to form skeletons. But that wasn't all. Muscle, flesh, and skin grew on the skeletons, until they formed an army of people.

Ezekiel understood his vision to mean that God would bring the Israelites back to their homeland. He would make the nation that appeared dead, live again. I pray that this is a also a vision for America. Most Christians would agree that we are heading down a path, apart from God. We are fast becoming a nation of dry bones. May we "Hear the Word of the Lord," and be turned into a living, flourishing nation again, "one nation, under God."

__________________________________