After 35 years of living in SE Alaska, we still smoke our own salmon. All family holidays now (in northern Oregon) include the request for my Smoked Salmon dip. For family it is made with home-smoked salmon, cream cheese and spices. For large gatherings I have made it with a two 16 ounce cans of red salmon, liquid smoke and spices. Most people cannot tell the difference! I even won first place in a local US Forest Service competition for that version. But, never shared the”secret” ingredient!
Pamela, I make that too! But I use a pricey smoked salmon/cream cheese spread/ranch dressing mix (dry), sometimes dill relish. I should try it with canned salmon--would be cheaper! I've never used liquid smoke. Is that your secret ingredient, or is it a spice/herb? (OK if you prefer not to tell!! We understand.)
I use “Wright’s Liquid Smoke” hickory seasoning. You can find it in large grocery stores or Amazon. Remember, a little goes a L-O-N-G way, so entertaining t over powers tue food and tastes weird, unless you are a woodsman who lives in a cabin off the grid who smokes all meat! 😜
Got it. Thanks for the caution. It's on the grocery list--and I see it on Amazon if our smallish local supermarket doesn't have it. Always something new to learn!
I just started the Reading Guide and am ready to begin the book. I'm excited to delve into how you constructed and chose what went into your book. I always wish I could talk to authors and ask them how they came to what got on the page and now I can! Thank you for sharing this huge reading guide. How do you decide which stories are tell-worthy? You must be very committed to the characters to engage in such a huge amount of work to ferret out the information, choose, and organize it all. I'm afraid I might skip on to the next shiny object before I ever finished the first one.
Linda, the decision to tackle a story has a couple of dozen moving parts. I lived with the research for A Wilder Rose for 2 decades before I started to write--decided to dig in when ebooks became a thing and I decided it was time to leave my legacy publisher. I chose Lorena Hickok's story because I was furious at her biographer for selling her short. I picked Kay Summersby because I wanted to learn more about WW2 and her role ask Ike's aide. I've had Maria Chabot in mind since the late 1990s, when I first learned that she was the real architect/builder of O'Keeffe's Abiquiu house, which I absolutely love. So for me, it's personal connection--and each connection is a little different.
But all 4 of those women are somewhat alike: marginal, stubborn, resilient, committed to another person--and able to support that person behind the scenes, without seeking credit for what she's done. With each, I've felt it's time they were recognized and honored. Which makes it worth *my* time.
I am so glad you find a personal connection to these strong, resilient women. I tend to gravitate to reading about those individuals who have always inspired me as a woman. I used to only read fiction but in the last ten years have found I really love knowing more about "real" people who figured their way through the complexities we call life. Thanks for bringing these women to life so we might all appreciate them and sharing your process as well.
I've noticed a substantial growth in this subgenre, Linda. I'm not sure that Loving Frank (Nancy Horan, 2008) was the first, but I believe it was the first to reach a large audience. It prompted authors to tackle the genre and publishers to start looking for MSS that had sales potential.
I grew up eating strange food (by my friends standards). I thought it was 'normal' to have Tacos on Saturday night! Chop Suey & rice on Mondays, and Hungarian style goulash on Wednesdays! The most my friends had was sometimes Spaghetti!
That book just shipped: they got it on the shelves pretty quickly. Glad you're at the head of the line, Susan. Don't forget to pick up your Reader's Guide: https://susanalbert.com/someone-always-nearby/ You can do that any time. Curious: what state are you in?
I'm in Ohio, northwest corner. I received the library notification last Friday. I must have been first on the list for my local library's copies. I just downloaded the Reader's Guide.
The library website says it's National Hospice Month. As a Threshold Singer, I am more connected than most healthy folks are to the local hospice care providers. We get most of our referrals through hospice. A few of our chapter's singers are also hospice volunteers who provide other services besides singing. It's a wonderful group of people to know! And what did we ever do without hospice care?
I'm third on the waiting list for Someone Always Nearby. The library is getting two copies.
Lovely to know you're a Threshold Singer. That wasn't available when Mom died. I was the only one there, so I sang for her--the songs I learned in her church as a child. It was a comfort to me to do that, and I'm sure it must be to you, as well. (I think I'll have the Canadian Brass. 😍)
Thanks for letting me know about the library. It's those library orders that support the printing of the hardcover editions, whether in traditional, hybrid, or author-publishing. So I'm always glad to hear about a library order--especially with a waiting list!
I learned how important song could be when my mother-in-law was fading. Singing songs from her adolescence and young adulthood usually brought her out to smile and interact with us, when she wasn't there so much any more. There's a movie -- Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory -- that documents the effect in many people.
My experience with my wife's mother was one of my motivations for joining a Threshold Choir. At that point, my own mother had been gone for a long time. Outside of the official Threshold sings, I once spent an hour or more every day for a few weeks singing from the UU hymnals to a good friend who was a retired UU minister. I considered that time very well spent. That would be a reasonable choice for me, too, but spice it up with Judy Collins and her contemporaries, and show tunes. I've got a playlist written for use if I should slide into dementia. Songs I grew up singing.
I'm sitting here finishing my breakfast with a few tasty fresh figs from our trees, and learn -- thank you! -- that it's National Fig Week. How perfect!
I was reading the monthly "day" highlights out loud to my wife, commented that I would not be cleaning the refrigerator on the 15th since I'm getting a colonoscopy that day, and she said "something else will be cleaned out". EEEW! Seriously, our fridge is an energy-efficient model that needs defrosting periodically, and that chore is overdue. Perhaps I'll get a jump on the process.
Chuckling here. Well, best wishes on the colonoscopy--just as necessary as that fridge defrost. (Why is it okay to talk about mammos and not about colon tests? Yes, I know. But still, cancer is cancer, wherever. So let's get the tests, tell others, and encourage them to get tested too.)
Lucky you, to have those fresh figs for breakfast!
My son was living here 10 or 11 years ago when we had the space ready for the fig trees, so he helped plant them. Those trees have happy memories attached as well as tasty fruit. This is the first year we've had enough fruit to preserve some and share as well. He no longer lives nearby, sadly, but he's doing work he loves and so is his wife, just not near us. Wish we could share with them. At least his beloved wild birds are getting a share. I love that the wild critters get a share of our bounty.
I think I've heard some colonoscopy humor, mostly around the prep! I've been getting them since my mother's diagnosis with colon cancer; this will be my 7th such procedure. There is one funny story that combines my singing with a colonoscopy. 15 years ago I came out of the anesthesia while being rolled down the hall, and I was singing, out loud. What I heard from the attendants, though, was this: Attendant 1: "She's got a nice voice." Attendant 2: "Good thing; she sang through the whole procedure." I really was born to sing (that's what I want as my epitaph).
Kate, I enjoyed your post this morning. Lucky your brother didn't get carbolic acid in your eyes! Maybe your grandmother's prayers had more efficacy than you think. 😯
Our local library has your new book on order, and I have it on hold. Also downloaded your EXTENSIVE reading guide (wow!). I'm excited to read your take on Georgia O'Keefe and Maria Chabot.
Writing biographical fiction is always a challenge for me: what goes in, what gets left out, why, how? The Guide is my way of exploring those questions outside the novel. So grateful to you, Sandra, for pointing me to Gage's wonderful excerpt of the letters. I talked about it at a bookstore event yesterday. You brought it to my attention just in time for me to get it into the Guide. Big thanks!
It would be good to start a conversation on this subject, Sandra. Maybe with an upcoming BookScapes post? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the limits you impose on your imagination--how close you stick to sources, documents, etc. Some of the bio/fiction I'm reading goes too far from the real lives, IMO. Please use the Guide in any way that fits your needs and interests!
We all have our gifts, Jeannie. Mine is curiosity. When Yahoo, Google, Bing and their extended family came into my life, they opened a gazillion doors. I've never closed one. Hope you have a wonderful week up there on Whidbey. You were missed at BookWoman yesterday: Susan and friends asked me to give you their very best!
Truthfully? I was just glad that my voice held out, I could hear ALL the questions, and that I didn't leave out anything important. 😍 Did I say that my last book event was the March 2019 LifeLines in Fredericksburg? (You were there.) After that, the pandemic and my difficult back situation . . .
Good to know, Judy--thanks! Do you know about Sarah Wasserberg Johnson? Here's her latest Substack: https://historicalsupperclub.substack.com/p/american-autumn-and-the-tyranny-of I found this post especially interesting--something I'd never thought of before. And her remark about Lost Cause cookery sent me off on a new research trail.
Just read the article by Sarah Wasserberg Johnson. WOW!!! Never thought about that before. I grew up in a Military family. We ate meals in the 60's that my mother learned to cook from California and North Carolina. When my dad retired, we lived in Michigan. We had regular Taco Nights, Italian Nights, Far East foods, and some Southern foods. When I let my high school friends know about all the different foods we ate on a regular basis (before a lot of fast food restaurants) they were amazed! It shows that how we were raised and what we ate influences a lot of our attitudes.
Interesting that your family's moves gave your mother a wider food experience, Trudie. I can see why your place-bound friends were surprised. My mom (raised in rural MO, lived in rural IL) was much more limited. I'm writing about that now, for next Monday's Senior Chronicle post. You're right: where/how we grew up has a great deal to do with how we see the world!
Fascinating! I'd never though before either about how much our "patriotism" in all ways links to New England. Thanks for pointing me toward Johnson's work.
I'm especially glad to hear about the library's order, Patricia. Most of my readers (older, on limited incomes) are library readers. Enjoy that pumpkin pie!
After 35 years of living in SE Alaska, we still smoke our own salmon. All family holidays now (in northern Oregon) include the request for my Smoked Salmon dip. For family it is made with home-smoked salmon, cream cheese and spices. For large gatherings I have made it with a two 16 ounce cans of red salmon, liquid smoke and spices. Most people cannot tell the difference! I even won first place in a local US Forest Service competition for that version. But, never shared the”secret” ingredient!
Pamela, I make that too! But I use a pricey smoked salmon/cream cheese spread/ranch dressing mix (dry), sometimes dill relish. I should try it with canned salmon--would be cheaper! I've never used liquid smoke. Is that your secret ingredient, or is it a spice/herb? (OK if you prefer not to tell!! We understand.)
I use “Wright’s Liquid Smoke” hickory seasoning. You can find it in large grocery stores or Amazon. Remember, a little goes a L-O-N-G way, so entertaining t over powers tue food and tastes weird, unless you are a woodsman who lives in a cabin off the grid who smokes all meat! 😜
Got it. Thanks for the caution. It's on the grocery list--and I see it on Amazon if our smallish local supermarket doesn't have it. Always something new to learn!
Love your series and can’t wait to find out what that dead guy knew and if that white car is is the culprit 👍💯🆒
I just started the Reading Guide and am ready to begin the book. I'm excited to delve into how you constructed and chose what went into your book. I always wish I could talk to authors and ask them how they came to what got on the page and now I can! Thank you for sharing this huge reading guide. How do you decide which stories are tell-worthy? You must be very committed to the characters to engage in such a huge amount of work to ferret out the information, choose, and organize it all. I'm afraid I might skip on to the next shiny object before I ever finished the first one.
Linda, the decision to tackle a story has a couple of dozen moving parts. I lived with the research for A Wilder Rose for 2 decades before I started to write--decided to dig in when ebooks became a thing and I decided it was time to leave my legacy publisher. I chose Lorena Hickok's story because I was furious at her biographer for selling her short. I picked Kay Summersby because I wanted to learn more about WW2 and her role ask Ike's aide. I've had Maria Chabot in mind since the late 1990s, when I first learned that she was the real architect/builder of O'Keeffe's Abiquiu house, which I absolutely love. So for me, it's personal connection--and each connection is a little different.
But all 4 of those women are somewhat alike: marginal, stubborn, resilient, committed to another person--and able to support that person behind the scenes, without seeking credit for what she's done. With each, I've felt it's time they were recognized and honored. Which makes it worth *my* time.
I am so glad you find a personal connection to these strong, resilient women. I tend to gravitate to reading about those individuals who have always inspired me as a woman. I used to only read fiction but in the last ten years have found I really love knowing more about "real" people who figured their way through the complexities we call life. Thanks for bringing these women to life so we might all appreciate them and sharing your process as well.
I've noticed a substantial growth in this subgenre, Linda. I'm not sure that Loving Frank (Nancy Horan, 2008) was the first, but I believe it was the first to reach a large audience. It prompted authors to tackle the genre and publishers to start looking for MSS that had sales potential.
I grew up eating strange food (by my friends standards). I thought it was 'normal' to have Tacos on Saturday night! Chop Suey & rice on Mondays, and Hungarian style goulash on Wednesdays! The most my friends had was sometimes Spaghetti!
You were lucky, Trudie! My experience was very different--more about that in the next Senior Chronicle.
My library consortium (state-wide) has 14 copies of your book. One of those is on hold with my name on it, as soon as I can get there to claim it.
That book just shipped: they got it on the shelves pretty quickly. Glad you're at the head of the line, Susan. Don't forget to pick up your Reader's Guide: https://susanalbert.com/someone-always-nearby/ You can do that any time. Curious: what state are you in?
I'm in Ohio, northwest corner. I received the library notification last Friday. I must have been first on the list for my local library's copies. I just downloaded the Reader's Guide.
Thanks, Susan--you might mention the Guide to the librarians when you check out the book.
The library website says it's National Hospice Month. As a Threshold Singer, I am more connected than most healthy folks are to the local hospice care providers. We get most of our referrals through hospice. A few of our chapter's singers are also hospice volunteers who provide other services besides singing. It's a wonderful group of people to know! And what did we ever do without hospice care?
I'm third on the waiting list for Someone Always Nearby. The library is getting two copies.
Lovely to know you're a Threshold Singer. That wasn't available when Mom died. I was the only one there, so I sang for her--the songs I learned in her church as a child. It was a comfort to me to do that, and I'm sure it must be to you, as well. (I think I'll have the Canadian Brass. 😍)
Thanks for letting me know about the library. It's those library orders that support the printing of the hardcover editions, whether in traditional, hybrid, or author-publishing. So I'm always glad to hear about a library order--especially with a waiting list!
I learned how important song could be when my mother-in-law was fading. Singing songs from her adolescence and young adulthood usually brought her out to smile and interact with us, when she wasn't there so much any more. There's a movie -- Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory -- that documents the effect in many people.
My experience with my wife's mother was one of my motivations for joining a Threshold Choir. At that point, my own mother had been gone for a long time. Outside of the official Threshold sings, I once spent an hour or more every day for a few weeks singing from the UU hymnals to a good friend who was a retired UU minister. I considered that time very well spent. That would be a reasonable choice for me, too, but spice it up with Judy Collins and her contemporaries, and show tunes. I've got a playlist written for use if I should slide into dementia. Songs I grew up singing.
I'm sitting here finishing my breakfast with a few tasty fresh figs from our trees, and learn -- thank you! -- that it's National Fig Week. How perfect!
I was reading the monthly "day" highlights out loud to my wife, commented that I would not be cleaning the refrigerator on the 15th since I'm getting a colonoscopy that day, and she said "something else will be cleaned out". EEEW! Seriously, our fridge is an energy-efficient model that needs defrosting periodically, and that chore is overdue. Perhaps I'll get a jump on the process.
Chuckling here. Well, best wishes on the colonoscopy--just as necessary as that fridge defrost. (Why is it okay to talk about mammos and not about colon tests? Yes, I know. But still, cancer is cancer, wherever. So let's get the tests, tell others, and encourage them to get tested too.)
Lucky you, to have those fresh figs for breakfast!
My son was living here 10 or 11 years ago when we had the space ready for the fig trees, so he helped plant them. Those trees have happy memories attached as well as tasty fruit. This is the first year we've had enough fruit to preserve some and share as well. He no longer lives nearby, sadly, but he's doing work he loves and so is his wife, just not near us. Wish we could share with them. At least his beloved wild birds are getting a share. I love that the wild critters get a share of our bounty.
I think I've heard some colonoscopy humor, mostly around the prep! I've been getting them since my mother's diagnosis with colon cancer; this will be my 7th such procedure. There is one funny story that combines my singing with a colonoscopy. 15 years ago I came out of the anesthesia while being rolled down the hall, and I was singing, out loud. What I heard from the attendants, though, was this: Attendant 1: "She's got a nice voice." Attendant 2: "Good thing; she sang through the whole procedure." I really was born to sing (that's what I want as my epitaph).
Sweet story, Patricia. "Born to sing" would be an arresting epitaph!
I've had one fig tree in my life, in Austin. Lovely fruit but never enough of it. Glad you have some to share with the wild folk.
Kate, I enjoyed your post this morning. Lucky your brother didn't get carbolic acid in your eyes! Maybe your grandmother's prayers had more efficacy than you think. 😯
Thank you for all the delicious memories and recipes—a cornucopia of offerings. Happy November to you, Susan!
Our local library has your new book on order, and I have it on hold. Also downloaded your EXTENSIVE reading guide (wow!). I'm excited to read your take on Georgia O'Keefe and Maria Chabot.
Writing biographical fiction is always a challenge for me: what goes in, what gets left out, why, how? The Guide is my way of exploring those questions outside the novel. So grateful to you, Sandra, for pointing me to Gage's wonderful excerpt of the letters. I talked about it at a bookstore event yesterday. You brought it to my attention just in time for me to get it into the Guide. Big thanks!
You're welcome. I sometimes write biographical plays. Maybe I should use your guide to help me find my way.
It would be good to start a conversation on this subject, Sandra. Maybe with an upcoming BookScapes post? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the limits you impose on your imagination--how close you stick to sources, documents, etc. Some of the bio/fiction I'm reading goes too far from the real lives, IMO. Please use the Guide in any way that fits your needs and interests!
I'd love that.
Great--I've put it on the Place & Thyme calendar for 11/20.
I don't know how you do it! You are a walking encyclopedia, or Dr. Google in disguise!
We all have our gifts, Jeannie. Mine is curiosity. When Yahoo, Google, Bing and their extended family came into my life, they opened a gazillion doors. I've never closed one. Hope you have a wonderful week up there on Whidbey. You were missed at BookWoman yesterday: Susan and friends asked me to give you their very best!
I bet you knocked it outta the park. What was your reaction to the event?
Truthfully? I was just glad that my voice held out, I could hear ALL the questions, and that I didn't leave out anything important. 😍 Did I say that my last book event was the March 2019 LifeLines in Fredericksburg? (You were there.) After that, the pandemic and my difficult back situation . . .
Thanks, Susan. Your fascinating calendar picks gave me several blog ideas, something I"m always hunting for.
Good to know, Judy--thanks! Do you know about Sarah Wasserberg Johnson? Here's her latest Substack: https://historicalsupperclub.substack.com/p/american-autumn-and-the-tyranny-of I found this post especially interesting--something I'd never thought of before. And her remark about Lost Cause cookery sent me off on a new research trail.
Just read the article by Sarah Wasserberg Johnson. WOW!!! Never thought about that before. I grew up in a Military family. We ate meals in the 60's that my mother learned to cook from California and North Carolina. When my dad retired, we lived in Michigan. We had regular Taco Nights, Italian Nights, Far East foods, and some Southern foods. When I let my high school friends know about all the different foods we ate on a regular basis (before a lot of fast food restaurants) they were amazed! It shows that how we were raised and what we ate influences a lot of our attitudes.
Interesting that your family's moves gave your mother a wider food experience, Trudie. I can see why your place-bound friends were surprised. My mom (raised in rural MO, lived in rural IL) was much more limited. I'm writing about that now, for next Monday's Senior Chronicle post. You're right: where/how we grew up has a great deal to do with how we see the world!
Fascinating! I'd never though before either about how much our "patriotism" in all ways links to New England. Thanks for pointing me toward Johnson's work.
My library has your book on order and I'm on the list to read it.
Hmm, I'm no longer cooking Thanksgiving dinner; my senior residence has a fabulous chef and culinary team. I'm most looking forward to pumpkin pie.
I'm especially glad to hear about the library's order, Patricia. Most of my readers (older, on limited incomes) are library readers. Enjoy that pumpkin pie!