Tuesday – Time Travel

Imagine a time when food was scarce. We could learn from our ancestors. If you were a hungry peasant trudging through the marshes of northwest France in 1650, you might look at cattails as dinner.  The shaggy green spears of cattails could be dinner, dessert, mattress stuffing, and roofing shingles—all in one plant. Cattails (Typha … Continue reading Tuesday – Time Travel

Mystery Monday

Why can't we build structures that last for centuries? My genealogical records show our Rochon family tree goes back to at least 1639 to Saint-Cosme-de-Vair in the Perth region southwest of Paris. That inspired me to start my historical fiction novel there on a poor peasant farm. The parish church is central to the story. … Continue reading Mystery Monday

Throwback Thursday – Bees

They are both beekeepers and care about what’s happening to bees.  They know how important bees are to farmers and the future of our food supply.  The man on the left is a re-enactor at Isle La Cache in Romeoville, IL  representing a 17th century French settler who “farmed” honey and beeswax  to create candle … Continue reading Throwback Thursday – Bees

Mystery Monday – The Chicago Coal Famine

My mother’s ancestry was a mystery to me and to her. She knew her father, of course, but they never talked about her grandfather nor anyone else further back. I was able to fill in a few blanks for her by researching on Ancestry. Later, I found documents tracing our heritage all the way back … Continue reading Mystery Monday – The Chicago Coal Famine

Saturday Share – Vatican Daughter

A Book Review Extensive research through books, news articles, and personal travel is the basis for a page-turner about intrigue at the Vatican.Vatican Daughter is a novel about family, love, and murder in and around the Vatican. The story had me so enthralled I couldn’t put the book down, and I read the first fifty … Continue reading Saturday Share – Vatican Daughter