The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Would you like to take a virtual trip outside your home? Let's go to the beach. The sandy shores along Lake Michigan are like ghost towns. The beaches are open, as long as people practice social distancing. Even still you and I are the only one's there. We arrived at the Manistee State park. There are trails leading into the woods, and trails along the beach. Notice the color of the water. The deep waters naturally are deep blue, closer water is more of a teal. But the water by the shore is an unusual color. The light brown color is sand. MIchigan had an unusually high amount of precipitation last year, filling the Great Lakes.  The higher levels are washing the sandy beaches and dunes close to the water out into the lake. A few homes have had the ground underneath chiseled out by the lake. Here it looks like the cost of Ireland. Beautiful green atop a sandy cliff leading down to the water's edge. ...

Grandma adopted my mom. She and grandpa had tried to have their own children for many years. The decision to adopt came on a whim one day when the neighbor across the street volunteered to babysit a little three-year-old girl. The little one twirled outside in her frock. She played with the toys and laughed.  Grandma crossed the street, curious about this new visitor. The neighbor said, "Her mother  only recently died. There are five children, and the father doesn't know what to do. He says he can care for the older three children, but feels he must let the two little ones go for adoption." Grandma watched the little girl play. Not long after, Grandma and Grandpa signed adoption papers changing my mom's name and giving her a new home. They lived on a large rectangular plot of land more deep than wide. Grandma cooked and sewed everything from scratch, including mom's clothes. In her free time she made quilts. Keeping in  her frugal budget, Grandma took...

I have and probably will always be the first person to wake in my house or whatever dwelling I happen to be in.  Like previous mornings, I am rewarded with the first colors splashing across the sky. First reds, oranges, and yellows. I snap the photo and show my family as they wake. Like every other morning, my sleepy family is content to see my digital recording or early morning explorations. They drink the second cup of coffee. Shower after the water heater reheats. Snore while I write. Yawn while I walk out to the frosted tipped grass and breathe the crisp air. Even with the social distancing there are other ways to see how our lives haven't changed. Yeah, I’m okay with being first awake in the morning. Its a 20-20 year! It may be a roller coaster or smooth sailing.  Hold on!  There's no looking back. No hindsight. Announcing my new release coming in April! ...

Grandma's photo book Photo by Mary Vee Grandma’s dining room table had room for a dozen when opened to the full length.  Years ago, when Grandpa was but a spry youthful newly-married man, he carried it into the house with the added help of neighbor John. It was squished to the smallest size and easily fit through the doorway. They set it on the hardwood floor in the dining area where it promptly dissolved in the large room. Grandma said she and Grandpa spoke in hushed tones during meals those first years to keep their conversation from echoing. Grandma's table, china cabinet and crochet'd pillows Photo by Mary Vee  Their third year of marriage brought the addition of a handmade bookshelf hoisted into the house from Grandpa’s work shed. Grandma tenderly set the first photo books, each a long green rectangle shape with black pages donned with black corner pieces tucking edges of memories inking photo paper. Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings summed...

Before I begin today's post I want to share fabulous news. Two exciting events happened this week!!  The first. Sylvia's Secret is now in the library. Our local library has a cooperation with libraries throughout my state, which means, anyone in the state can now check out this book.  Sylvia's Secret, A Christmas Story and Mary's other books The second. The Selah writing competition announced the list of finalists My book, Fire and Thorn, a middle grade novel is a finalist. The winners will be announced the end of may at the writing convention. Here is the link if you would like more information about this story. Fire and Thorn, a Middle Grade Fantasy and Mary's other books Needless to say this has been a pretty exciting week! On to today's story: Mom was a seamstress. A natural. She never used a pattern or a tool to measure lengths or widths of fabric. She’d lay the large piece of rectangular material across the ping pon...

Photo Courtesy and Thanks to Pixaby.com I opened the pages of a new book and began to read. Snuggled under a soft, warm comforter with my pillow cushioning my back, I read by the single lightbulb on my nightstand. The story captivated me by the first line. I read on, turning pages filled with picturesque scenes...  Enraptured with the mystery unfolding... The characters springing to life... Twists and turns. Ups and downs.  And the killing of my favorite character! The hours swept by as I, the reader, so engrossed with each new word-- Accumulated all the necessary evidence provided by ink on the page... So convinced, thanks to the seed planted by the opening line-- The whodunit. The whys and wherefores. Ready to read the last chapter with the answer. Hah. I figured it out before the detective! I turned the pages, delve into the pages for my victory lap... When, once again, as in all well-written mystery books, the detective dressed in black ...