SEPTEMBER -  by Helen Hunt Jackson

The golden-rod is yellow; The corn is turning brown; The trees in apple orchards With fruit are bending down. By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer's best of weather, And autumn's best of cheer. The gentian's bluest fringes Are curling in the sun; In dusty pods the milkweed Its hidden silk has spun. But none of all this beauty Which floods the earth and air Is unto me the secret Which makes September fair. The sedges flaunt their harvest, In every meadow nook; And asters by the brook-side Make asters in the brook. 'T is a thing which I remember; To name it thrills me yet: One day of one September I never can forget.   From dewy lanes at morning The grapes' sweet odors rise; At noon the roads all flutter With yellow butterflies.
Helen Hunt Jackson, 1830 -1885, was an American poet and  writer who became an activist for improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government.                                                           ~ * ~
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HERE COMES SEPTEMBER!

Hello, September. This is one of our most energetic months as summer fades and autumn sneaks up on us. Our nights turn cooler and our days are crisp. We stash our summer clothes and dig out our fall garments—jeans, flannel shirts, sweaters, and light jackets. Best of all, we get to take a walk and look for trees and bushes with colorful leaves turning to scarlet, gold, or orange. If we’re lucky we’ll see geese winging their way south or see a squirrel scurry over the ground as it searches for acorns and seeds.

September heralds a season when an assortment of activities now fill our lives. It’s apple picking time. It’s a trip to our farmer’s market, filled with pumpkins, winter squash, carrots, and peaches. We clean out our garden and flowerbeds. And let’s not forget that the cooler weather chases us willingly back to the kitchen for baking cakes, cookies, donuts, and pies. The scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla swirl in the air. 

Below I’m featuring an apple treat. This is an old recipe I copied from my mother’s handwritten notebook of her most loved recipes.

Nobby Apple Cake                                                           

6 TBSP butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
6 cups diced apples
½ cup chopped nuts
2 tsp vanilla

Cream margarine, sugar and eggs;
Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture
Stir in diced apples, nuts and vanilla
Pour into greased pan. 

Bake: 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

I prefer to lightly ice my cake with just a plain thin layer of vanilla frosting.
Great with ice cream or whipped cream or plain.

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Motivation and Writing

This year I spent most of my summer trying to get Courting Betsy, Book 3 of the Ashmore Brothers series, finished, edited, and formatted in digital and print for a September release. Courting Betsy is a historical western romantic mystery.

It has taken me two years to finish the novel and get it ready. For some odd reason, I was struggling with motivation. My husband and I had decided not to winter in Florida every year, but discover other places. It meant selling and packing up our condo which was exhausting. I came home to Pennsylvania with little motivation or time for writing.                                                                                             

So what is motivation? It’s basically the instinct to achieve your goals, set priorities, and find ways to energize yourself. Here are some things I learned along the way:

1.  Set small goals and priorities. Break the work into smaller pieces. Sometimes it’s just reading or editing one chapter.

2.  Reward yourself when you take a step forward. Take a break. Sit in the sunshine. Do a small chore that’s been bugging you. (There’s reward in seeing it finished.) And lastly, my favorite: Eat a piece of chocolate.

3.   Forget about comparing yourself to others. Everyone works differently, at different times, and at different speeds.

4.   Stop beating up yourself up when you feel you’re not moving forward, not doing your best. Sometimes pausing and resting in place is what is needed to invigorate yourself. It allows to you take the next step. And yes, you can have a second piece of chocolate!

Let me introduce you to COURTING BETSY. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it!

When Betsy Ashmore, adopted sister to a family of four brothers, discovers U.S. Marshal Luke Ashmore is lying wounded in a renegade Indian camp, she can’t refuse to help a brother in peril—especially one she has loved all her life. With the help of a wily Ute Indian, the spunky shopkeeper saddles up to rescue him.

Marshal Luke Ashmore never expected to be bushwhacked while escorting the young boy of a murdered army scout northward to Fort Collins in the Colorado Territory. Outlaws want the boy and believe he knows the location of a hidden treasure.                                        

As Betsy and Two Bears struggle to get the marshal and the child to safety, can they outwit the ruthless outlaws following them? And what will they do with two more orphaned boys they stumble upon along the trail?

Fall in love with the plucky shopkeeper and her three scheming youngsters—all determined to help the U.S. Marshal lasso her heart so they can become a family.

COURTING BETSY – Ashmore Brothers Book 3 – A Western Romantic Mystery!  Kindle version and print now available on AMAZON:  https://www.amazon.com/Courting-Betsy-Ashmore-Brothers-Romantic-ebook/dp/B0CFSXKH6L/