The unofficial end of summer.....

 

In my memories, summer moved with a slow surety, a graceful procession

toward autumn that almost stood still. I remember the long summers of my

childhood, sunlit days that stretched between the shores of spring and fall in

what seemed like forever. Picnics in the park, catching lightning bugs after

dark, sliding down sun warmed slides and swinging on chain held swings 

creaking as I pumped my legs to make them soar high. Summer meant evenings on

the porch eavesdropping on the adults in the warm darkness, listening and

learning.

Summer meant nights spent with my grandparents on their porch, my

attention caught by their tales of times gone by. We waved at the neighbors,

and if we were lucky, we might get an ice cream cone from one of the

vendors that plied the neighborhoods of my hometown, their music calling kids

from every direction like the Pied Piper.

Somewhere in the middle the Fourth of July loomed like a bright icon and

we anticipated it with eagerness that only kids can have. July 4 in those years

lasted at least a week or so it seemed as we gathered at one relative or

another’s house to shoot fireworks, drink lemonade, and eat fried chicken, hot

dogs, and hamburgers. Several of those Fourth celebrations were held at my Aunt

Janet and Uncle Bill’s house in St. Joseph. As all-American kids, we played

baseball in the neighbors’ big backyard, ate cookies, played hide and go seek,

nibbled on watermelon, and waited for dark when the real fun began.

Even after the Fourth of July came, then went, summer continued like

something out of an enchanted fairy tale. Our school never began until the day

after Labor Day Monday so we had extra weeks and all of August. We went to the

cool, dim branch library, Washington Park, and checked out books, then read

to the soft whir of the fan on hot afternoons or out on the porch.

Sometimes several generations of the family would meet at one of the

largest parks in my hometown for cookouts and barbecue.

 On other occasions we had family reunions, some with as many as four and even five generations present. My deep interest in family history was sparked at one of those reunions after a conversation with my great-grandfather’s youngest brother when I was nine.

Summer now, however, seems to fly past on wings at warp speed.

So as the days of summer move past me and around me in a blur of activity,

I try to enjoy the brilliant sunrises, the often colorful sunsets, the

blooming flowers around me, the quiet down moments on the porch or deck, and

catch a little of that summer time magic.

Now it’s Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer in our culture. The observance began out of the Labor Movement in the late 1800’s, a time when unions grew and strengthened, when workers first had someone to speak for their needs, and child labor became less common. First observed on the first day of May (and still is in most parts of the world), President Grover Cleveland signed the law fixing Labor Day on the first Monday of summer in 1894.

Autumn is my favorite season so I’m ready for those crisp fall days, cool night, bright leaves.

Bring it on!

 

Coming October 21, The Cowboy's Last Chance in both eBook and paperback from The Wild Rose Press. It's now available for pre-order - here's the blurb and cover.

 

Eight seconds is the span of time for a bull rider to win or lose, live, or sometimes die. The Cowboy’s Chance available now for pre-order and releases October 21 in paperback and eBook from The Wild Rose Press.

BLURB:

When Vivian Blackburn, recently returned to Southwest Missouri sets out to shoot pictures at a rodeo, she's not looking for a cowboy but when she meets bull rider Calhoun Kelly, she's found one. They have an instant attraction and rapport. They're compatible in every way but one – he has a strong Christian faith and she lost hers after her parents died. When Vivian experiences strange dreams that seem to warn Calhoun of upcoming danger, she doesn't know what to think. Calhoun decides to hang up his spurs at the end of the season but before he does, he and Vivian are married. They decide they'll settle at her grandmother's old farmhouse but not until he rides his last rodeo. When he's critically injured, his life hangs in the balance. Will Vivian find her faith and pray? It's a close call but time will tell.

 In December, my last release in 2024 will debut on December 16. Homeward Bound Hearts is a Christmas story, a family saga, and a romance. Here's the blurb and cover:

Take one saddle bronc ridin’ cowboy. Jeb Hill, the Hillbilly Hotshot, who just suffered the worst injury of his career and is sidelined permanently. Send him home to be cared for by a widowed nurse, Shelby Thacker, who struggles to pay her bills and support her two children. Add some friendship, then stir in a little attraction. Complicate things with the return of Jeb’s long absent father and throw in the Christmas season. Jeb wants an old-fashioned, heartwarming Christmas but Shelby’s poverty destroyed her holiday spirit long ago. Toss in some faith, a country church, and a rodeo rider ready to play Santa Claus. As their friendship deepens, Shelby and Jeb are uncertain about each other’s hopes and dreams. Everything changes at Christmas, for better or for worse.

 

The story behind the story

 

 

 

Sometimes people ask me where I get my ideas and the true answer is, I have no idea. Storylines and characters pop into my head at will. Sometimes I can figure where they originated and often not.  I might begin with a scene and have to figure out how my character came to be in that place in that moment.

Sometimes life inspires a scene and one of the scenes in The Endurance of Moses Wilson, book two in the Laredo series, is one.

As a child, my dad often took the family (sometimes just me) to the woods. In the spring we might hunt morel mushrooms. In the fall, maybe we picked up walnuts or he hunted. There were days we experienced the glory of the wild.

I wasn’t too old when this event happened. It seems like it might have been late summer or early fall but it wasn’t cold or snakes wouldn’t have been out.

I saw a beautiful creature, a serpent with dark gray and brown patterns on the forest floor. I stepped close and began talking to my new “friend.”

“Hello Mister Snake,” I remember telling the snake. “You’re pretty.”

He answered me by shaking his tail which made a dry rattling noise.  I didn’t care for it much. I knew my dad kept a collection of  rattles he’d cut from dead snakes, trophies.

My mom called out to my dad and since he liked quiet in the woods, he ignored her for a few moments until she called out in a sing-song tone. “Your daughter’s talking to a rattlesnake.”

My dad cussed and came closer. I’m sure when he saw my new pal, he must  have blanched but his tone remained even. He told me to not to move, not a muscle. And, with one of his pistols (in the Army he had earned a marksman badge) he shot the big rattler dead at my feet. I was trained to obey guns and didn’t move.  Once the snake writhed with death throes, however, I complained he had killed my new friend. “Friend, hell. If that snake bit you, you’d have been dead before we could get  back to town.”

I learned something on that day. I gave rattlesnakes a wide berth afterwards.

And years, later, Boone’s daughter and Moses’ niece, Mima (My-Ma) had a similar experience.

Here’s the excerpt from the book and links to find your own copy in paperback or eBook. Following those, check out a few of the reviews.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

Boone had been over to the bunkhouse to check on the hands and walked up. He came to an abrupt halt not far from his daughter and, in an odd tone of voice, asked, "Who are you talking to, Mima?"

            "My friend," the child said. "Mr. Snake. Isn't he pretty? Look at him, Daddy."

            Something about the way she said it alerted Moses that something was out of the ordinary. Without ever taking his eyes from Mima, Boone motioned him to stay in place.

            "Jemima Ann," Boone said. His voice was slow and deliberate. "Stand right where you are. Don't you move, not one bit. Don't even breathe."

            Moses saw why, now. A large timber rattlesnake, mottled with black bands over gray, had coiled not far from Mima. Its tail shook in warning, and it could strike at any time. The girl stilled, and as Moses watched, Boone pulled the Griswold revolver he always wore each time he left home and shot it. His aim was true, and on the first shot, the serpent writhed and thrashed. Concerned for his niece's safety, Moses dashed to scoop her into his arms as Boone fired twice more, his gaze never wavering and without flinching. By the time he stopped, the snake no longer had a head, just a bloody mass at the end of its long body. Moses judged it to be a good four or five feet long and thick as his forearm.

            Boone holstered his pistol and walked toward Moses. Mima clung to her uncle, but when her father approached, she flung herself into his open arms.

            "You killed my friend!" she said. "That snake was my friend."

            "If that rattler had bit you, you'd be dead," Boone said. "It was a rattlesnake and dangerous, Mima. It was no friend."

            Rachel and Ezekiel burst from the cabin to stare.

            "Boone, what in the world?" Rachel asked, then saw the snake, still wriggling in its death throes. She paled, and her hand went to her throat. "Where did that come from?"

            "It was at your daughter's feet," Boone replied. "So, I dispatched it to hell where it belonged."

            "You could have shot her!" Rachel's voice went high and sharp.

            "Boone's a better shot than that," Ezekiel said, standing beside her.

            "No, I couldn't have. She minded me when I told her not to move," Boone said. "She's a brave little thing and obedient. Scared the fire out of me, Rachel."

            Rachel began to cry. Boone handed the little girl to Moses, then crossed the porch and took his wife into his arms. "Hush," he said. "Hush, she wasn't hurt."

            "She might have died," Rachel wept. "Oh, Boone."

            Moses watched as his brother swept Rachel into his arms and carried her into the house.

            "Were you scared too, Mo Mo?" Mima asked.

            His heart hadn't stopped racing yet. "I was," he replied. "But your daddy took care of it. He had a steady hand and a good eye. Thank the good Lord he was here."

 

 

 

The Endurance of Moses Wilson

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4KJ9FV6

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-endurance-of-moses-wilson-lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy/1145868667

smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1581041

 

 

Reviews:

 

 

S reviews

The Endurance Of Moses Wilson is the second book in The Laredo series by Leeanne Sontheimer Murphy. In the second book Boone‘s family is growing despite Rachel recently having a miscarriage she soon would be in the family way again but Liam’s wife Maggie is also adding to their family and this is why her sister Maddie comes to visit. When Maddie meets Moses sparks didn’t fly at first but when they did it soon became an inferno and Moses was in love. Unfortunately when Maggie gives birth Maddie has to go back to San Antonio where her mother wants Gunther Hammerschmidt to court her, but Maddie and Moses have a secret promise so when Maddie has a dream Moses is in peril she begged her parents to let her go back to Laredo something they refuse to do but Maddie will find her way regardless. Sadly when she arrives Moses is on deaths door way but fortunately for him Mattie refuses to give him up. As if Moses being ill wasn’t enough trouble for Boone and Zeke trouble is coming from San Antonio but soon a happy surprise is coming as well.
To say I love these books is an understatement I find the author describes the atmosphere, the homes the wardrobes is it she was there to see it herself she is a great storyteller and has an awesome talent for riding lovable characters as well as those you love to hate. I love the romantic and Christian tone of the book the family love camaraderie and every heartwarming attribute you can name is a inspired by the words in this book. I loved it I loved it I loved it! I also want to say the surprise at the end it was so awesome and it made me so giddy and I can’t wait for the next book. If you haven’t started reading these books yet do your self a favor there sweet awesome Christian romances that I highly recommend.#Booksprout, #TheLaredoSeries, #LeanneSomthemerMurphy, #TheEnduranceOfMosesWilson,

 

August 1, 2024

We met Moses in the previous book, about his older brother Boone. Boone and his family are in this book as well. Moses and his other brother, Ezekiel (Zeke) all work for Liam on his ranch. Boone now has two kids, a girl, named after their mom, Jemima or Mima and little Robert. Since Maggie is due with her second child, her parents sent their next eldest daughter to help, Mattie. As she is there for months she ends up falling for Moses and he her. But, she is expected to return to San Antonio and her family and her parents want her to marry a German man of good standing. So loads of problems. Mattie also helps out with Grace, Liam and Maggie’s firstborn. I’m starting to think that the Wilson’s are cursed with a bit of bad luck, you’ll see why. The kids are adorable and I just wanted to snuggle them. Moses and Mattie are so sweet together and sweet on each other. I had to read the books during the day because of the dang rattlesnakes. They freak me out! I cried a few times in the book too from worry. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

 

Ever wonder what its like to be a farmer long ago. This is Moses and Mattie's story. He's trying to make it as a farmer. He meets Mattie and falls in love with her. Bu will happen when her family wants her to marry a banker? Can he prove himself? Will she go against her family. Follow the drama.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

 

 

This book wormed its way into my heart and has made a home for itself. This book was the sweetest book I have read this year! The characters were well-written and we'll fleshed out, and even though in some.places, the pacing was a little too slow for me, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it for someone who wants to read a sweet cowboy romance that doesn't have swearing and explicit relations.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.