~Photo Friday~ Water Lilies

Water Lilies

~Regency Wednesday~ Waterloo

Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford 

The Battle of Waterloo took place Sunday, June 18, 1815. It was the battle that effectively ended Napoleon's bid for dominance. It took place in a small area near Waterloo of present-day Belgium and was the bloodiest battle ever seen to that point in time. Both sides lost over 20,000 men. (Hard to consider that a win.) 

The Battle of Waterloo by William Sadler 

~Photo Friday~ Sleepy

Sleepy Stinkerbell

~Regency Wednesday~ A Queer Epitaph

While perusing the contents of the January 1818 issue of La Belle Assemblée, the following little tidbit caught my eye, making me chuckle. 

A Queer Epitaph*

On a tombstone in Lyme (America), there was a few years since, and perhaps is at this time, the following epitaph, said to be written by the person for whom it was inscribed : ─

A deacon, aged 58--58,

On earth no more is sarvin ;

He for a crown no longer waits,

Lyme's Captain Renald Marvin.

Tradition says that the above Captain Marvin, when young, courted one Betty Lee, a handsome hearty lass, whose father was violently opposed to the match. Every probable measure was taken to mollify the old gentleman, but all in vain. The young folks were as obstinate as the old one, and determined to have their own way. As in those good old times none could be matrimonially fettered without a previous manifesto, either from the mouth of the minister or nailed on the door of the meeting-house, they made choice of the latter method, and Renald wrote the following stanzas, which was nailed as aforesaid :─

Renald Marvin, Betsy Lee,

Do both intend to marry ;

And though her dad opposed be,

No longer can they tarry.

Tradition further says that the poetical abilities thus displayed had such an effect on dad, that he shortly after consented that Renald and Betty should become one flesh. 

*Taken verbatim from La Belle Assemblée, January 1818.

~Regency Wednesday~ March 1818

English fashion for March 1818: 

Winter Carriage Costume. Round dress of fine cambric muslin, superbly embroidered round the border in three distinct rows. Pelisse of rich Tobine silk striped, of Christmas holly-berry colour and bright green grass, trimmed round the collar, cuffs, and down the front with very broad swansdown. Cambridge hat of green satin, ornamented with white ribband, edged with holly-berry red, surmounted by a very full plume of white ostrich feathers. Triple ruff of fine lace; holly-berry velvet ridicule, with clasp and ornaments of gold. Limerick gloves, and white kid half boots.*

*La Belle Assemblée, March 1818.

Regency Wednesday

Hello, faithful readers. :o) 

I must apologize for my sporadic "Regency Wednesday" posts. Many things have been happening, both personally and professionally, and "Regency Wednesday" has gone by the wayside. This was unfortunate and I deeply regret it. 

The good news is I will begin posting new Regency tidbits again next Wednesday, December 15. I hope you enjoy the topics I choose to post about. Questions and discussion are always welcome and I will repeat that I am not perfect, so I may occasionally get bits and pieces wrong. 

I hope to see you all next Wednesday. Until then...

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

~Photo Friday~ Fantasy

I swear this is the REAL entrance to Narnia.

Another Deception Giveaway

In all the excitement of late, I totally forgot to tell you, my lovely readers, about a recent interview I did. It's posted on Linda Weaver Clarke's blog, and it was a lot of fun to do. I even reveal an odd fact about the real me that will either make you laugh or wonder why I haven't been committed. 

To go along with the interview is a giveaway for USA/Canadian residents. One paperback copy of Deception will find a new home. The deadline is December 6, so don't delay! 

New in My Design Life

If you follow me on facebook or twitter, you have probably already seen/heard about my latest foray into the world of design. 

Zazzle. 

I love this site. I'm having such a blast uploading my own photography and book covers for an array of cool items. Buttons, keychains, magnets, shirts, mugs...the list is endless. I'm loving it.

Check out the item panel below to see the cool things I've added to my store. :o)

make custom gifts at Zazzle

It is NOT a Sign of Weakness

So many of us are taught, whether on purpose or just through the examples of others, that to ask for help is a sign of weakness. 

IT'S NOT. 

Far from it, in fact. To ask for help is a sign of strength. It's acknowledging that you have a problem outside your realm of expertise, that you need a fresh set of eyes to determine what's wrong. Whether it's something simple like the color of a wall or a particular scene in a book, or something far more important like heartburn and cold sweats, to be able to admit you need help and ask for it shows what a strong person you are. 

What prompted this blog post? Wednesday morning, my 60-year-old father had a heart attack. He was at work at the time. Going into his boss's office, he closed the door and told her something was wrong. She listened to him describe how he felt and when he was done, she told him to get in the car and she'd take him to the hospital. 

When they arrived, he went through some tests and they realized he was still in the middle of the attack. They went to work immediately to prevent some of the damage the attack would have most likely caused. 

Because my father asked for help, not only were the doctors able to prevent some permanent heart damage, but they most likely saved his life. 

What did he feel that prompted his actions? There was a burning in his chest that he thought was strange. Sort of an intense heartburn, which he thought might have been brought on by what he'd eaten for breakfast. But when he considered that his hands were like ice and he'd broken out into a sweat, he knew it wasn't just heartburn. He didn't have the shakes or a dizzy spell. I don't think his arm went numb either; he never said it did. Bottom line, he wasn't feeling quite right and asked for help. 

Please, please, please, don't hesitate to ask for help when you feel unwell, or different, or odd. So many heart attack fatalities could probably be prevented if we could just accept that to ask for help is strength, not weakness or overreacting.

I know it's cliché but.....BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.