Wadesboro, N. C. 

When Sown in Dark Soil begins in 1854, Leah and Ivy Morgan are living on a plantation near Wadesboro in Anson County, North Carolina. Ivy takes Leah to an inn in Wadesboro to meet Luke Moretz, her secret fiance. At that time, Wadesboro was a thriving town.

The town of Wadesboro was founded by two Revolutionary War patriots, Captain Patrick Boggan and Colonel Thomas Wade, in 1783. Before that the settlement was known as Newtown. The house Boggan built for his daughter and her husband, William Hammond still stands today and belongs to the Anson County Historical 
Society.

By the 1850's Anson County held several large plantations. Sown in Dark Soil talks of three fictitious ones. On April 2, 1868, the courthouse along with other parts of Wadesboro burned, and about all records were destroyed. This makes historical research rather sketchy. More recently, Steven Spielberg filmed much of the movie, The Color Purple, on location at a plantation and large farmhouse in nearby Lilesville, also in Anson County. Most of the town scenes where done in Marshville, just over the line in Union County. 

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Our Attitudes

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones (Proverbs 17:22).

Almost everything in life affects us according to our attitudes, or, as the Bible calls it, "heart." Two different people can go through the same problem or tragedy. One will break and the other grows stronger. Why? Because of how they react - their attitudes.

When I taught school, I came across the saying, "It's not our aptitude but our attitudes that determine altitude." There's a lot of truth here. Being smart doesn't ensure success or happiness. One's attitude has a much bigger impact on either.


Do all things without murmurings and disputings (Philippians 2:14).

I used to ponder how David could be a "man after God's own heart" when he had committed adultery and murder. The answer? He had a loving, caring attitude to God and usually to others. Did he make mistakes? Sure. But he repented and tried to do better. He wanted to please God. He desired to do right, although he could get off-track on occasions. 

Most of us could likely use an attitude adjustment from time to time. Why don't we pray that God will point these out to us and help us fix them. The closer we walk with Him, the less likely we are to hold bad attitudes. We need to study and learn from Jesus, so our attitudes will hold His values.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

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What a Year!

Although the ebook came out earlier, it has been about a year now since the print version of Cleared for Planting came out, and I got a first copy to sign and sell. And what a year this has been! So many blessings, so many adventures, and so much excitement. When dreams come true, it's always both better than expected and has problems never anticipated.

I've traveled thousands of miles, met hundreds of new people, signed hundreds of books, and never got tired of hearing, "I stayed up all night to finish it. I couldn't put it down." All the while, everywhere I went and with every speech I gave, I tried to always give God the glory. It's been Him all the way. 


Not only did my first novel come out about twelve months ago, but the second book in the Appalachian Roots series followed in September. Most people tell me Sown in Dark Soil is even better than the first one. I'm hoping they will think the third one, Uprooted by War, is better still. It's with the publisher now and should be out sometime in the spring.

In addition, while waiting for Uprooted by War, I decided to also publish my colonial stand-alone novel, When Winter Is Past. I got my copies last week. A lady that bought one at a book signing on Saturday has already sent me word that she loved it as much as the first two. She gave me her phone number to call her when I get Uprooted by War. A big, warm thanks to all my readers. You are truly a blessing! Three books published in a single year is another one.

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

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Franklin D. Roosevelt 

On March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the thirty-second President of the United States. He would lead the country through some turbulent years, including a world-wide depression and another world war. He won four presidential elections and was considered a world leader, both at home and abroad.

Eleanor Roosevelt 1933

Franklin had been born on January 30, 1882, to a prominent, Dutch family in New York and attended Harvard University. He could speak both French and German from frequent trips to Europe when he was a child. He married Eleanor Roosevelt when he was 23 and she 21. They were fifth cousins once removed. Her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt gave her away, because both of her parents had died when she was ten. The couple had six children.

In August 1921, Franklin fell ill at Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada, where the Roosevelts were vacationing. The polio left him paralyzed from the waist down. He stayed out of the public eye for several years, focused on his law practice, and tried several forms of physical therapy, including warm springs. In 1938, he founded the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis, now called "The March of Dimes."

When he decided to run for public office again, Franklin convinced many people he was improving. He struggled to teach himself to walk short distances wearing iron braces and using a cane, and he could stand with them. He took care that the public never saw him in a wheelchair and that the press never highlighted his disability. He wanted to be known by what he could do, not what he couldn't.

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The Taj Mahal

Several years ago, when I was still teaching, I spent a summer touring and studying in India on a Fulbright-Hays scholarship. One of the places I visited was the Taj Mahal at Agra. Of course, I'd heard about the magnificent building, but I was more impressed than I expected to be, and it was even more beautiful than I had ever imagined. None of the pictures do it justice.

The Taj Mahal was built as a tomb and memorial for the wife of Shah Jahan. The Persian princess had died giving birth, and the court records documenting the shah's grief testify to their love story. He commissioned the building in 1631 and the main building was completed in 1643. The entire complex, including the surrounding buildings and garden, were completed by 1653

At this time, most of the buildings in the kingdom were being constructed of red sandstone, but Shah Jahan chose white marble. However, it is inlaid all over with semi-precious stones in beautiful designs. It had cost about 32 million rupees at that time. Today that would be the equivalent of about 53 billion rupees or 827 million U.S. dollars. This wasn't the shahs only project either, although it was his most lavish.

In the end, with the kingdom nearing bankruptcy, the shah's son put his father under house arrest at a nearby fort and took over. From his balcony, the shah could look across and see the Taj Mahal, where his beloved wife rested, and he was said to do that often. When he died, he was buried in the Taj beside her.

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Original King King Movie

On this day in 1933, King Kong, the original movie, opened in New York to rave reviews. The movie became an instant success, and the character places as one of the most famous movie icons of all time. The movie set a high bar for those of its day. It's had many sequels, spin-offs, parodies, books, comics, cartoons, video games, theme park rides, and even a stage plays.

The character of Kong (called King Kong in later versions) was the brainchild of filmmaker Merian C. Cooper. In the original movie, Kong lives on Skull Island in the Pacific with other over-sized animals. A film crew captures the gorilla and takes him to New York City to put him on exhibition. But Kong escapes and climbs the Empire State Building, where he falls to his death. "It was beauty that killed the beast," because he'd climbed the building in an attempt to protect Ann Darrow.

This original film is noted for the advanced film techniques for that day. It pioneered special effects using stop motion models and had a masterful musical score by Max Steiner . Even the story itself often had double meanings and could be seen on different levels. It remains one of the movie classics of all time.

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National Pig Day

March 1st is National Pig Day. They're social and more intelligent than most people think. They can be used as pets, especially certain breeds. The pig is likely the most numerous mammal on the planet. It's estimated there's about a billion pigs on earth at any given time, and pig farming has become big business. 

Pigs originated in Eurasia and Africa. Early Spanish explorers brought pigs to the American continent. There's some evidence they may have been domesticated as early as 12,000 B.C. and were certainly around in ancient societies.

Pigs are omnivores and consume a great variety of foods, just like humans. They are like humans in other ways, too and are often used for medical research. A range of parasites and diseases affect them, and many of these can be transferred to humans. They have an acute sense of smell and use their snouts for digging and finding food. At one time their bristles were used for paint brushes. And, of course, they furnish meat to much of the world.

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