Tee in the Morning Interviews Author Rebecca Elkins

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Children's Literature Author Rebecca Elkins

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Max's Great Big World

by Rebecca Elkins

Illustrated by Kelly Lincoln

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Hocking Hills Book Fair December 9, 2023

 

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Milliron Monday: Letters Home April 7 1960

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. 

"...thank you most of all, for the biggest birthday gift of all, all my maternity clothes."

― Jody Smith

Jody's letter home to Mansfield, Ohio. Backstory: Gary and Aggie are Jody's brother and sister-in-law. For some reason page 4 of this letter was intentionally torn in half and is missing. 

917 Remington

Fort Collins, Colorado

Thursday, April 7, 1960

Dear Mom, Dad, and Jessie,

    Been meaning to write every day this week but with no success. Received a birthday card from Gary and Aggie and I judge by the return address that you now have the Andover household to yourselves again. When did they move? and where is Wilging Drive? This has been a busy week for activities and studying. I attended two lectures (required for my modern poetry class) given by John Ciardi. You've probably heard of him, Jess, since he's the poetry editor for the Saturday Review of Literature. He was quite interesting, but I found his views on poetry much more meaningful than his own poetry, some of which he read. He was brought to the campus in connection with the CSU Fine Arts Festival.

#johnciardi  #balletcentercompanyofdenver

    Pete and I celebrated my birthday an evening early by going to a ballet Friday evening, which was also in connection with the festival. Pete also got me something I've been wanting and needing for quite a while - a pair of scales, and my present weight is 130 so I guess I can't complain. Thank you also, in an indirect way, since I understand that a certain ten-dollar bill found its way to us.

    Bright and early Saturday morning the doorbell rang and your birthday package arrived - certainly excellent timing. Everything arrived intact except for one of the little eggs which you look into, which was rather smashed. Thank you very much for everything. There were so many goodies I'm sure I'll forget to mention some of them. The money was certainly instantly welcomed by both of us and the little chickens inside the eggs were welcomed by Pooh before we could get one of them away from him. The other little chickens are now, of necessity, remaining inside the plastic eggs. I have six of the plastic eggs, the one fancy egg which wasn't broken, and some of the candy arranged on Easter grass on our "Dining" room table in the living room. It looks nice and "Easterish." Thank you also for all the kitchen things - I think the aprons are awfully cute and have already found much use for the nuts - which certainly dress up our desserts and have already found their way into a chocolate marble cake, some tapioca pudding, raspberry Jello, and brownies. The little scoops are distributed about the sugar, tea, and such containers. The basket liner is lining an old fruit basket which serves as a clothes hamper of sorts. Thanks also for the apple cutter and extra sets of silverware. Pooh has confiscated one of the nailbrushes for his own private brushing but at least he left us the other one and now with daily brushings, his hair manages to shed a bit more neatly.

    Also, thank you most of all, for the biggest birthday gift of all, all my maternity clothes. I'm really beginning to appreciate them now that I'm wearing them every day. I wore the blue and white checkered suit to church Sunday, and it looked quite nice with my navy and white heels and my blue leather coat.

    I've been having quite a bit of trouble with my contact lenses the past three or four weeks. They are getting so cloudy I couldn't even read the board at times. I went to one eye doctor here in town with no success and then a week later Pete insisted I go to another (he's certainly a pest where my health is concerned, won't give me a day's peace until I have whatever doctor's appointment made he thinks is important). At any rate I went to Dr. Wickersham, husband of our Tri-Delta alumna advisor; he polished the lenses and they're clear as can be now. He also tested my eyes and, as I feared, they've slipped a bit. He said this could be from studying or from my pregnancy, and he suggested waiting until at least August if they didn't bother me too much. I'm sure they'll be alright until then. He also said he could get my lenses insured for us for $11.50 a year plus $12.50 per lenses at time of breakage or loss. We hadn't been able to find anything for less than $25, so they haven't been insured. I'm going to write to Dr. Nupuff for the specifications on my lenses which is necessary for the insurance. It'll surely be nice to have them insured again. I've been awfully careful with them, but it still worries us. (Dr. Wickersham is a contact lens specialist and seems quite competent). 

    I'm in the midst of attempting to write a research paper on James Stephens, a modern Irish poet. Unfortunately, our CSU library doesn't happen to have any of his books of poetry so I'm going to have to drive down to Boulder this Saturday and spend the day in the library there. Marilyn Bush, Helen Bingham, and a graduate student in our poetry class are also going with me so it ought to be a fun trip as well as an interesting one.

    I received a nice card and note form Arlo and Virginia for my birthday. [The remainder of page 4, torn in half, is missing].

Love, 

Jody

     

Previous Letters Home: 

Sept 15, 1959 

Oct 16, 1959

Oct 26, 1959 

N0v 22, 1959

Dec 2, 1959

Dec 13, 1959

Jan 17, 1960

Jan 23, 1960 

Jan 31, 1960

Feb 5, 1960 

Feb 12, 1960

Mar 5, 1960

Mar 16, 1960 

Mar 21, 1960 

Mar 24, 1960

~  ~ 

  

Connect with Gina...

Milliron Facebook Page

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.

  

This Week @ Monday Creek: Pumpkins

2022 Harvest @ Monday Creek

Pumpkins

Saturday greetings. What is more serene than an October morning? I don’t know, maybe a November morning. Fog along the creek, the hills in vibrant displays of golden hues, leaves falling, black walnuts dropping, squirrels flicking their tails – yeah, it’s October.

Last year, we had a bumper patch of pumpkins and gourds. The pumpkins were so big, we had to use a dolly to harvest them. This year, there is not one pumpkin in my patch. Ugh. I always start my seeds indoors in peat-pots, but my seeds didn't sprout (I am not sure why...)! It’s not October without a pumpkin. Hesitantly, I purchased several from a local farmer’s market, Logan Welding (old route 33). They have super nice pumpkins of all sizes and prices. 

Logan Welding Pumpkin Patch, Logan, Ohio USA

On another note, we continue to prepare for the Hocking Hills Book Fair at The Dairy Barn, Athens, December 9. If you launched a book in 2023, remember to apply for the Ohioana Book Festival. Application deadline is November 15, 2023. Find the application here.

Seems like CoVid has produced new authors/books; however, there also seems to be an increase in plagiarism. As an author, you may consider registering your work with the Library of Congress/Patent Office. However, this does not stop thieves, to our dismay. Here’s the link for more information. https://www.copyright.gov/ and https://www.loc.gov/legal/understanding-copyright/

In November, we will be launching new journals, historical fiction, children’s literature, and more. Stay connected to peruse our new titles. Thanks for following!

www.mondaycreekpublishing.com

www.gmcknight.com

 

An Interview with Poet Jane Ann Fuller

An Interview with Award-Winning Ohio Poet Jane Ann Fuller

 

Residing in the Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio, Jane Ann Fuller is the award-winning author of Half-Life, an anthology of poems that revisits the “many years it takes to come to terms with the suicide of a husband and its traumatic effect on the children: drug abuse, rape, unflinching self-analysis, survivor's guilt; the loss here is hardly manageable.” A sincere poet, Fuller delves into “immense grief; how brutal and dark our human natures can be; that healing requires engagement with the physical world.”

Welcome, Jane Ann!

GM: What is the premise for your new book?

JAF: Family stuff. It's always about family and place, for me. 

GM: What are you currently writing?

JAF: I'm working on a new poetry manuscript. 

GM: How do you maintain creative thoughts and ideas?

JAF: Walking as I listen to podcasts keeps me engaged and excited about exploring new ideas and unraveling issues. Reading the most engaging work I can find keeps me working. Sharing ideas with my poetry midwives, Deni, Naff, helps too!

GM: Who is your favorite author?

JAF: Currently, I'm reading the poets - Maggie Smith, Ada Limon, Francesca Bell, Alexis Rhone Fancher, and Joe Millar.

GM: Do you have advice for novice writers?

JAF: Read as much as you can, but read the best you can find. Realize that writing is hard work. A commitment. Not a fly-by-night thing.

 

GM: Authors say that writing is easy, but marketing is difficult. Do you have advice for authors regarding marketing and promotion?

JAF: Self-promotion is the hardest thing for me. I'm trying to follow the lead of friends and poets I admire. There are some folks who are really good at it, so I try to do a little of what they do; join writing groups, take workshops, attend conferences, make new friends, network, network, network. Ask your publisher lots of questions. The best publishers are terrific at networking and marketing. And be kind to editors when you send work. 

GM: When you're not writing, what do you like to do for fun?

JAF: I like to read mystery novels. I love to hike and help my kids with their kids and their dogs. And I make a mean apple pie. :)

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

JAF: I still dream of living on a goat farm. My favorite breakfast is cinnamon toast. Being a grandmother is my favorite thing! Fall is my favorite season. I love Halloween. That's enough about me!

Connect with Jane Ann…

Amazon

Shelia-NA-Gig, Inc. Publisher

Bio:  Jane Ann Fuller’s poetry has appeared in Aethlon, Atticus Review, B O D Y, Denver Quarterly, Fifth Wednesday, Grist, JMWW, Kamana, Northern Appalachia Review, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Pudding Magazine, Rise Up Review, Shenandoah, Steinbeck Now, Still: the Journal, Sugar House Review, The American Journal of Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, The MacGuffin, The Pikeville Review, and Waccamaw. Fuller’s work appears in the anthologies All We Know of Pleasure: Poetic Erotica by Women, edited by Enid Shomer, Project Hope: The Center for Victims of Torture, edited by Betsy Brown, and Women of Appalachia Project, edited by Kari Gunter-Seymour. Fuller is a recipient of the James Boatwright III Poetry Prize. She co-authored Revenants: A Story of Many Lives, published with a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. She studied English Literature at Ohio University and earned her MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. She lives in the Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio.

Fuller will be signing her book at the Hocking Hills Book Fair, Saturday, December 9, 2023, at The Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio.

Milliron Monday: Letters Home March 24 1960

 

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. 

"I met Pete's folks and his little brother. They are wonderful people."

― Jody Smith

Jody's letter home to her parents and grandmother in Mansfield, Ohio. 

917 Remington

Fort Collins, Colorado

Tuesday, March 24, 1960

Dear Mom, Dad, and Jessie,

    Things have really been busy here lately. Registration was all in one day, and everyone poured into the bookstore all day long yesterday. My grades turned out a wee bit better than I expected - fortunately! I was truly estimating my grades as a 3.2. Unfortunately, Pete's grades went down. He flunked a chemistry course and will have to take a make-up course in summer school either at DU or CU. I'm rather worried about it all but I know he'll get through vet school all right, eventually. 

    I took Starboy over to the vet hospital and soon as we go back here, I had him dewormed, got him a sleeping sickness shot and a shot to lessen the effects of distemper and bronchitis if he would get them. He had a temperature so I took him back Saturday and they gave him an antibiotic shot. He seems to feel pretty good but he's so thin. Pete took his temperature for me Sunday and yesterday and it has gone down. The doctor at the vet hospital said to bring him back if his fever didn't go down. I think he's getting better now but he sure had me worried. I have to get him the second shot in the sleeping sickness series next week, so they'll probably give him another physical checkup. I'm going out there three times a day to feed him in hopes of putting more weight on him. The other horses chase him away from his hay. I've been keeping him in a separate little corral by himself and feeding him hay.

    The remedial reading course is sort of an experiment. I'd like to see if I couldn't increase my reading speed and concentration. There are no credits given for the course so it's purely time put in for my own betterment. I don't feel I'm taking enough hours this quarter but Dr. Bostrum talked me out of taking more. I'm sure I'll have enough to keep me busy.

    I'll be spending two hours each Sunday night at an Episcopal adult confirmation class. I'll just be going this quarter for my own information but I'm planning on joining the church next year, I hope.

    This spring vacation has been one long, lost weekend. Pete and I were together nearly constantly - it was wonderful to say the least. Will write more in detail as soon as I can find time. Believe it or not I'm already swamped with junk to do - homework plus an "intellectual autobiography" due tomorrow for a scholarship I've applied for. It's really a waste of time since I already have the Junior Senior Scholarship and you can't hold two University scholarships but I started applying before I knew that; I've already filled out and sent in one form so I hate to just quit and back out since it's in the English department and wouldn't be too advisable as far as my "public relations" are concerned.

    I certainly got a pleasant surprise today. Ole came into the bookstore to see me. She flew home for spring vacation. It was terrific to see her and talk to her. She's hoping to come back Thursday for a cart ride.

    I guess I'll just stop and send this letter now or heaven knows how long it'll be before I get to finish. I've got three "bread-and-butter" notes to mail so may as well mail this, too.

    I met Pete's folks and his little brother. They are wonderful people. Will write you more about them as soon as I get the chance.

    Thank you, Mom, for the suit and dresses. They just arrived this afternoon.

    There's so much I want to tell you that I'll have to set aside a whole day to get it all written.

    Miss you all.

Love,

Jody

Previous Letters Home: 

Sept 15, 1959 

Oct 16, 1959

Oct 26, 1959 

N0v 22, 1959

Dec 2, 1959

Dec 13, 1959

Jan 17, 1960

Jan 23, 1960 

Jan 31, 1960

Feb 5, 1960 

Feb 12, 1960

Mar 5, 1960

Mar 16, 1960 

Mar 21, 1960

~  ~ 

  

Connect with Gina...

Milliron Facebook Page

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.

  

This Week at Monday Creek: Rodeo on the Hocking

 

Rodeo on the Hocking, October 14, 2023

The rodeo was in town last night. Local Rocky Boots Outdoor Gear sponsored Rodeo on the Hocking at the new Hocking College Equine Arena. The event lasted two hours and featured team roping, bull riding, tie-down roping, broncs, steer wrestling, and women’s breakaway roping. The new arena is super nice. Considering it’s about ten minutes from my farm, how could I miss it?

The new and seasoned cowboys and cowgirls gave it their best as they vied for titles that could propel them to higher levels on the rodeo circuit. Diamond J. Ranch and Rodeo Co. from Oak Hill, Ohio, provided the aesthetics, thrills, and particulars. Some of the cowboys scoring events were also competitors, competing in multiple events. A program would have been nice to know who was competing and where they were from. Or maybe use the large, lighted “Rocky” board to announce event winners.

The two rodeo clowns entertained, especially the clown from Kimes Ranch. He flipped in and out of a barrel, climbed like a monkey over the rodeo gates, gave the crowd ample opportunity to get crazy, and spent a lot of time matchmaking (which didn’t end well for the girlfriend-to-be. What a brave soul she was).

We send prayers to the bull rider who landed backwards off his bull. When they told the down rider that the medics were “on the way”, he hopped to his feet and said, “I’m okay” in true cowboy style (as he limped from the arena).

Congratulations to the winners and participants! A great evening, I highly recommend this event and hope to see you there next year! My Pony Club will definitely make this a yearly outing! Yippee Ki-yah!