Monday Creek Publishing Digest: New! From Award-Winning Author Mark M. Dean, "Bedtime For Bigfoot" Children's Literature

 

New! Children's Literature

Available in Hardcover

Bedtime For Bigfoot

Follow on Facebook @ mmdean323

Instagram @ mmdean323

  About the Author

Mark M. Dean and his family live in Southeast Ohio on a small horse farm nestled into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Mark is the author of seven books ranging from Children's Literature (Charlie the Catfish, Doggy Deck Day, Fancy Flowers by Faye, and Good Habits Rabbits) to short stories (Hands Over Time) and poetry (Poetic Justice). His recent effort, Bedtime For Bigfoot, is the first in a series on the fabled Bigfoot Legend. Dean is a four-time inductee into the Ohioana Book Library and Festival and has also been recognized as a "Readers Favorite Five Star" Author. When he's not writing, Mark can be found working on the family Hobby Farm, boating on the Ohio River, plucking on his Irish Tenor Banjo, or practicing the art of Brazilian Jui Jitsu.

This Week @ Monday Creek: Emily Ann

 

@ Monday Creek: McKnight Family Farm
www.gmcknight.com

For many years, Whitmore’s Greenhouse stood as a paragon of horticultural splendor in the quaint town of Buchtel. The Whitmore family, arriving as immigrants, wove a rich tapestry of history and creativity, their horticultural prowess renowned throughout southeastern Ohio. Even in the heart of winter, their greenhouses teemed with vibrant life, inspiring the local community with a boundless enthusiasm for gardening and the earth. Now, the greenhouse lies dormant, yearning for rejuvenation, a revival.

Emily Ann Whitmore, a cherished friend of my mom, often served as the impromptu pianist at our church. Her voice resonated with a boldness as if she were performing directly for the Divine. When she played the piano, it wasn’t mere playing; she pounded the keys with such fervor that the notes seemed to penetrate your very soul. Emily frequently ambled the quarter mile to our farmhouse to visit my mom. On one visit, she gifted me a topsy-turvy doll crafted from fabric scraps, complete with an embroidered face and handmade lace—a true homespun treasure. Emily, a vivacious spinster, relished visits with my mom, but most of all, she adored my mom’s pies and cakes.

It was a Saturday near Christmas, the air brisk and festive. My mom had prepared a beef roast for our Sunday dinner. We raised our own Hereford cattle, and my mom was a culinary virtuoso. With the winter chill, she used our back porch as a makeshift freezer, placing the cooled roast in a covered aluminum pan to await reheating.

That evening, our family attended a Christmas party, returning home late. After taking our bathtub turns, we retired for the night. The following morning, my mom went to retrieve the roast from the porch, only to discover it had vanished! The pan and the roast had mysteriously disappeared, thwarting her Sunday dinner plans.

For months, the enigma of the missing roast dominated our conversations. The following March, Emily Ann visited. During their chat, my mom mentioned the perplexing disappearance.

“Oh!” Emily exclaimed, raising her heavy eyebrows in surprise. Her hands, spread to her chest, explained, “I thought you made the roast for me! It was delicious!”

Ever gracious, my mom responded that she was glad Emily had enjoyed the roast.

Mystery solved, the story of the missing roast remains a cherished family story. We were happy that Emily felt comfortable taking our Sunday dinner, and we were thankful to have it to give.

Happy Thanksgiving 2024

 

Monday Creek Publishing LLC

www.mondaycreekpublishing.com

Milliron Monday: The Journals July - September 1973

 

 Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.:  

June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010

Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: 

April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021

Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate 

the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, 

Dr. Pete and Jody Smith.

A continuation of Jody’s Journals.

Jody’s Journals

July - September 1973

JULY

·        Pat left for 4-H camp, Dr. Wright drove

·        Frank Johnson removed shoes, trimmed feet, Cricket and Shah

·        Pete treated Cricket for founder, Persimmon dictycide

·        Cooked leg of lamb, Roland, David, Jerry here for lunch/dinner >worked in hayfield

·        Toledo, toured Knepper furniture and art stores, cookout at Knepper’s cabin

·        Mom, Dad arrived, went to the motel to see them

·        J birthday, glass cutting set, cards $14 > dinner, Oak Room

·        Took J to Pam Brooks, Tar Hollow 4-H camp, Mom/Dad rode along > Made apple pie from apples from Shirley M, Nelsonville > dinner here roast beef, cabbage, fried rice

·        Fed rabbits, sheep > picked up Pat at Mimi/Bart’s motel room (Sunset Motel)

·        Left for Philadelphia 7 am > Mon thru Thurs, visited museum/battlefields, Ben Franklin Hotel > Pete meetings > toured Independence Hall, U.S. Mint, Elfreth's Alley, old candy store, wax museum, Bets Ross House > lunch at Chinatsu, toured zoo, Museum of Art, Sound and Light Show Independence Hall, Ben Franklin Institute, Museum of Natural Science, toured AVMA exhibits, Valley Forge encampment museum, Hershey’s Chocolate own > arrived home 11 am

·        Fireman’s Festival, Amesville

·        Bedded down sheep shed, Pete put up “goat shelf”

·        Athens roads flooded, come back Peach Ridge, Pete, Pat, me, picked 10 quarts blackberries, saw doe, 2 fawns

·        J.L. Adams here overnight

·        Picked blackberries over at Phillips, Dutch creek, 10 more quarts, saw snake

·        Went to musical, “Sing Out Sweet Land” with Hartley’s > Pizza Hut

·        Pete x-rayed Apple’s knee

 

AUGUST

·        Picked blackberries > froze blackberries > made pies

·        Got crib out of attic for J L’Heureux

·        Vinton Co Jr Fair, watched sheep judges

·        Jessica, Song, 1^st Novice 199 ½; Pat, Kanga, 1^st Novice 196 ½

·        McDougal Homecoming, took roasted lamb, blackberry pie

·        4-H practice match

·        Oakhill Centennial Celebration, Davis’

·        Worked Kanga, Song

·        4-H Dog Show, Nick Nichols, Judge; Tom, Betty Horst, Stewards

·        4-H Parade

·        Pete brush hogged, Pete to Marietta

·        Lamb sale, Fair

·        Picked up rabbit, drive-in “Daring Dobermans”

·        Church of Good Shepherd, lunch Dolen’s, Pete put up hay

·        Work J with Song > “Sultan” Perry Miller here

·        Lunch – root beer stand, J P swimming

·        Grazed Apple by road, wrote letter to mom/dad

·        Pete freeze branded 7 on Apple

·        Amish “Tour” Dave Coen family, Millersburg

·        Worked Apple briefly, flies bad > cleaned horse, sheep barn

·        Picked up pork, took pork to Warmke, Wright

·        Cleaned out alleyway of barn down to cement, took all day!

·        F. Johnson trimmed Apple, Maverick, shod Sailor, Shah

·        Dewormed horses, did not do burros

·        Took corn to be mixed > J P swimming

·        Worked with Jackie Bennett

·        Visited Jessie, Mansfield, Gary put bands on J’s back teeth

·        Worked Apple, picked berries, Tom Brooks here overnight

·        Rode Sailor, worked Apple

·        Rode to Dow Lake, Rode Sailor, Jen, Chris, Guy Worthington

·        Rode Cricket, Dorothy and Heather Wright rode along > saw copperhead in trail at Alice Browns > dinner Perkins, Rome Warmke, Pete, et al

·        Led Apple with pack saddle

·        Ellen Izor here, gave Christ, Katrina a ride on Cricket, fed geese, etc. > Parade of the Hills dinner, Hartley, Abdalla’s

·        Church of Good Shepherd, Dolen’s lunch, Marshall here briefly, Pete went after bulldozer > Jerry, David Hartley here for supper > put complete pack saddle on Apple > wrote letters

·        4-H meeting > showed Lassie Method and H.S. movies

·        State Fair, dog show, cat show, horse show, etc.

·        Rode Cricket > took children to Dow Lake

·        Worked with Jackie Bennett > rode Cricket, led Apple with complete saddle pack, saw deer, J rode Shah > shut Shah, Cricket up for night

·        Rode Cricket, J Shah, trails to tree rock

·        Rode Cricket up pasture hill, combed out mane, work with Apple’s feet > J, P party at Jennifer’s > shut Cricket, Shah up for night

·        K. Foster picked up crate, same fox between house and barn > rode Cricket over jumps, up back hill

·        Rode Cricket, brought Preak back

 

SEPTEMBER

·        Rode Cricket, J rode Shah > J showed Song at State Fair, novice B, “Outstanding of Day” award

·        Visited Jessie, Gary, Aggie > took children swimming at Westbrook

·        Rode to Dow Lake, Bill, Heather, Dottie Wright > Pete cut hay

·        Rode Cricket

·        Helped Karen D look for pony, she rode Preak, Pat visited Todd

·        Rode up McDougal, down Wilson-Howard, Hooper ridge, etc.

·        Rode Cricket, Shah, rode up all pasture hills

·        Took Pete to airport to Alabama short course > shopped at Eastland > stopped at Pavey’s Tack Shop > rode Cricket, led Sailor, J rode Shah, checked spring at Nadriski pasture

·        Loaded Cricket, Shah in van

·        Tried to dig out spring > Jack, Sidra here overnight

·        Sidra rode Preak, J Shah, I rode Cricket, led Sailor, over trails here and Phillips place, came back on new trail cleared along Michele Ridge, Wright’s rode in, saw deer in blackberry meadow, 4 or 5 > Horse Show Tupper’s Plains, Irene Vanscoy

·        Rode over to Wright’s, then up road to Dow Lake, upper ridge trail, rained most of time, Sidra rode Preak, led Sailor

·        Cleaned tack, saddles, etc., saw doe in the meadow, rode bareback up to woods trail, sprayed hornets, dogs killed skunk

·        Rode Cricket, J rode Shah, led Sailor up Hooper Ridge, loose pony followed us down to creek, across road into Morgan County, back Keirns Road, Hooper Ridge

·        I rode Cricket bareback, J rode Shah, Apple followed us around woods, saw 6 deer in hay meadow

·        D Hensley here for 4-H pictures

·        Rode Cricket bareback, led Sailor, saw doe, J rode Shah, cliff pasture, washed horses

·        Rode Cricket, saw 6 deer in cliff pasture, beautiful moonlit woods

·        Got parts for well pump > rode up Hooper Ridge, down past Eddy’s, etc., led Sailor, washed off horses > left J, P at McDonalds, picked up meat > drove to Mansfield, took Shane, Song > Gary put bands on J’s teeth

·        Picked up Pete at Columbus Airport 2:17 am

·        J.P. 1^st day of school

·        Sidra rode Preak, Pete rode Sailor, rode around thru woods, new Michele Ridge trail

·        Loaded Sailor, Preak, Shah in van, Sailor twice

·        Watered, grained horses > picked up beef at Kyles, stopped a J L’H

·        Rode Cricket bareback, led Sailor up pasture hills

·        Took P and mini-bike down to Marshall's campsite > rode Cricket, J rode Shah, timed trot, 8 mins, 7.5 mph

·        Pete rode Sailor, J Shah, Cricket up back hill, hill to Phillip’s, down Schmitteuer Ridge > Sponged off horses, grained, hayed > Irene Vanscoy, Nancy Haskal here for lunch

·        Rode Cricket, Shah, led Sailor, did TPR’s

·        Used new van! Rode to Logan, met Jan Worthington, Chris, Pete rode Sailor, J Shah, saddle slipped, I fell off Cricket, rode 20 miles

·        J, P saw 2 deer waiting for school bus > Pete rode Sailor, I rode Cricket down thru hay fields to Phillip’s and back

·        J rode Shah, P minibike, saw 3 deer

·        Went after Pat’s minibike from barn, I rode Cricket bareback, J rode Shah, saw 6 deer

·        Rode Cricket, Pete rode Sailor around home trails

·        Rode Cricket, Pete rode Sailor, Apple went along, up ridge trail

·        Rode Cricket, J Shah, Pat minibike, had to push home

·        Rode Cricket, Pete Sailor, Apple and Maverick, saw deer in cliff pasture > F Johnson reset Shah, shod Cricket

·        Hunters – Pete, boots, slicker, etc. > Rode Cricket, J Shah, 7 deer by flashlight, cliff pasture

·        Rode 20 miles, Logan, rode Cricket, Pete rode Sailor

·        Rode 10 miles, Jessica 4^th place novice, Sailor 88 points, Cricket 87 points

·        Rode Cricket, Pete rode Sailor, 7-8:30 am

·        Jeff Baker shorn lambs

·        Rode, took lambs to Kyles

·        Rode, checked groundhog trap, reset it

·        Rode Cricket, J Shah, galloped around bottom, up thru trails, saw 5 deer 1^st meadow, 3 deer cliff pasture > went to see James Bond movie “Live and Let Die”

·        Rode Cricket, led Sailor, galloped 2 miles across bottom, walked thru hills, sprayed horses off > did laundry, baked lemon pudding pie, wrote letters

·        Episcopal Church, Frisch’s lunch, rode down thru Phillips, up, down Hooper Ridge

 

 

Please forgive typos, name or place misspellings; transcription from

vintage handwriting sometimes requires a magnifying glass and random

interpretation.

Enjoy the journey!

Connect with Gina

Amazon Author Page

Milliron: The Biography

www.gmcknight.com

www.mondaycreekpublishing.com

Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.