Author Beth Trissel

Betsy McCall, vintage 8″ doll When I was a child, I delighted in the gift of a Betsy McCall doll for my second birthday. For this joy that entered my life, I credit my dear mother. Betsy came in her short original chemise, possibly with a dress. I don’t recall, as I happily used pieces of fabric to wrap her in. She accompanied me on my many adventures, sailing the billowy sea with me in the…

I pondered the concept behind the Secret Warrior Series for years as it took shape in my mind. My love of history, fantasy, and my fascination with the mountain people and Native Americans is at the heart of the series. Living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by mountains veiled in mist and mystery lent itself well to creating the characters and setting for YA fantasy romance, The…

Crafting vintage Christmas card/ornaments.

Crafting again. Back in the day, I was Miss Crafty, making everything from decoupaged goose eggs (how we wound up with the geese) to vintage Santas and herbal wreaths, and have renewed my hands-on creativity with Christmas card/tree ornaments. I first gained inspiration for this project from a talented lady on YouTube, Lisa, with Our Shabby Cottage. Her Shabby Chic style appeals to me, and I’m…

Crafting vintage Christmas card/ornaments.

Crafting again. I used to be Miss Crafty, making everything from decoupaged goose eggs (how we wound up with the geese) to vintage Santas and herbal wreaths, and have renewed my hands-on creativity with Christmas card/tree ornaments. I first gained inspiration for this project from a talented lady on YouTube, Lisa, with Our Shabby Cottage. Her Shabby Chic style appeals to me, and I’m naturally…

The inspiration in memories and people from the past.

This old photograph is of my grandmother, Elizabeth (we called her Mommom), the youngest girl next to the littlest child, her little brother Edwin, and my Aunt Margaret and Aunt Emily, the eldest sister and subject of this post. My family saves letters, journals, photographs, scrapbooks, all kinds of memorabilia, from the people who went before us and I’m the recipient of much of this bounty.…

Remember Those Who’ve Gone Before Us–John Adams

“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.” ― John Adams And John Adams took amazing ‘Pains’ to help found this country. A brilliant, dedicated man, Adams sacrificed unbelievably as did his wife, Abigail, for whom I…

June In My Garden

My May Garden at Dusk

(Abraham Darby Rose with columbine) May has been, and often is, ‘right mixy’ (country saying among Old Order Mennonites). Temps soars to outrageous highs then drop to nerve-wracking lows… Should I cover the Oriental lilies–Again? Will I do more harm than good (snapped stalks)? Will we dodge the bullet this time? Fortunately, most of my fussed over plants survived with little damage. Lillies are…

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood, "Unearthing Suite," 1983

A little madness in the SpringIs wholesome even for the King…~Emily Dickinson If anyone wondered at my long blog absence and reappearance, I had a flare up of my weird form of chronic leukemia (T-cell LGL) this past year, resulting in many and persistent infections. After months on antibiotics, my oncologist started me on oral chemo. Heavy fatigue accompanied the med, but she tweaked my dose,…