Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Judging from social media and the commercials on TV, one would assume that pumpkin spice is as American as apple pie. That may be true, but not in the way you think. The spices for both apple and pumpkin pie originated in the Spice Islands, which are about as far from America as you can get.

The Maluku Islands are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia, meaning they are chains and clusters of islands that are grouped fairly close together. The islands were known as the Spice Islands because nutmeg, mace, and clove are exclusively found there, the presence of which sparked colonial European trade interests. But spice trade did not begin with the Europeans.

The maritime spice trade was dominated by Indonesian sailors who established routes from southeast Asia to Sri Lanka and India by 1500 BCE. The Aksumite Empire established the Red Sea route prior to the 1st century CE. Indian and Persian traders also transported spices overland towards the Mediterranean and the Greco-Roman world via the incense route and the Silk Road. Thus, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and turmeric were well known in antiquity and had found their way into the Near East well before the rise of Christianity.

During the Crusades (11th to 15th centuries), the Italian maritime republics monopolized the trade between Europe and Asia. The trade routes changed again in 1498 when the Portuguese successfully navigated around the Cape of Good Hope. This route, which drove world trade from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance ushered in an age of European domination in the East.

Spain was among the many countries seeking to find faster routes to the Spice Islands. Christopher Columbus wrote the Florentine astronomer, Pabolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli in 1481 about the possibility of a westward route. Toscanelli not only encouraged the plan but provided a copy of a map implying that a westward route to Asia was possible. However, it was not until 1492 that Columbus garnered support for his expedition from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and set off on his voyage across the Atlantic in search of gold, spices, and a safer route to the East.

On October 12, 1492, Columbus’s ships made landfall in the Americas. His landing place was in the Bahamas’s. Believing himself to be in India, he dubbed the indigenous population Los Indios (Spanish for “Indians”). From there he visited the islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola, and established a colony in what is now Haiti. Thus, it is Christopher Columbus’s failed circumnavigation attempts that lead to America’s connection to pumpkin spice.

See popular spice blends below. Continue reading


Patron Saints of Abortion

Did you know that Christianity’s stance on abortion has changed over time? Attitudes regarding sexuality and childbirth were markedly different in the past. Hagiographical texts even hold accounts saints performing abortions.

All the saints’ stories carry a similar theme: the abortions are carried out with the blessing of God and recorded as a miracle. If you find yourself shaking your head in incredulity, take a moment to consider that for most of human history abortion was a legal and acceptable way to end unwanted pregnancies.

The most sought-after abortifacient in antiquity was Silphium. It was used across the Mediterranean region and deemed so valuable that the City of Cyrene had its image stamped onto their coins. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depict the plant. Roman poetry declared the herb was worth its weight in gold. Silphium even makes an appearance in the Bible. Not only was abortion permissible in biblical times, but women could be forced to endure abortions against their will. In such cases, priests oversaw the abortions (Numbers 5:11-31) at the behest of the woman’s husband or parents. Thus, it is not surprising that a number of saints also performed abortions. Continue reading


Character Development: The Grimm Reality

I have a small placard that reads, “Writer at Work: Bystanders will be written into the story.” It’s a fitting tribute to the fact that inspiration and character development can, and often does, come from anywhere.

In my novel, one of the characters has an aversion to sex. It’s a tidbit of backstory that isn’t revealed until the very end of the book and I liked having him juxtaposed with the main character, who happens to be the village whore. I even went to the trouble of borrowing sex therapy books from my counselor in order to craft a better backstory for him.

Ultimately, I returned the books defeated and stuck with what I know: livestock. In my AVS 222 class, Reproduction, Breeding, and Physiology of Lactation, I learned that if a stallion’s first experience is bad, if he falls, is kicked, etc., he will be ruined and never mount again. Apparently, there’s no human equivalent for this, or at least there wasn’t in the books I borrowed from my shrink.

I’m pretty sure the only thing I accomplished with that foray into psychology was convincing my therapist that I have some strange sex hang-up. I’m under the impression that he still doesn’t believe it was research for a book. He also insisted, “There are better ways to get your jollies than reading case studies.” Regardless, we shouldn’t discount psychology when it comes to character development. This is a lesson best learned compliments of the brothers Grimm. Continue reading


Cherry Bounce

I’m a passionate person—some of my passions include history, reading/writing, and cooking. In my opinion, life’s even better when those passions can be combined.

In my novel, Klara’s Journey, I dedicate significant time to cooking and meal preparation. This is because food is an integral part of any culture. And I’m not the only author to do this. Harry Potter has chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jellybeans. Outlander has cherry bounce.

In April, NPR reported that archeologists excavating the cellar at Mount Vernon found two glass jars filled with a mystery liquid and cherries. Archaeologist Jason Boroughs estimates that the cherries were probably picked by slaves sometime between 1758 and 1776, then stored and buried to be served later. Apparently, the liquid inside smells like cherry blossoms. More importantly, Boroughs admits there’s a possibility it’s a cherry-infused alcohol. So, while the archeologist might not be willing to confirm it just yet, my best bet is this is 250-year-old cherry bounce. Continue reading


The Celtic Year

Ever since learning to walk upright, man has stared at the horizon, watching the sun rise and set.  Early attempts at tracking time often tried reconciling solar and lunar movements as each marched across the sky. Some attempts were more successfully than others, resulting in the formation of calendars.

Sun’s Position on Horizon

One of the best-known calendars attributed to the Celts is the Coligny calendar, whose name derives from the location where it was discovered—Coligny, France. The calendar is of Gaulish origin and dates to the 2nd century. Despite being in fragments, the calendar has been reconstructed with confidence due to its regular composition, which lays out a five-year cycle of 62 months.

Each Celtic year contains twelve lunar months, divided into just two seasons, summer and winter. Each month is further divided into two fortnights, the first always containing 15 days, the second containing either 14 or 15 days depending on the length of the month.

The calendar is further adjusted with an intercalary month every 2.5 years, so the lunar cycle of the months also aligns with the solar year. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which resets in the winter, the Coligny calendar begins and ends in the spring. Continue reading


Book Reviews: Disobedient Women & While Idaho Slept

The town of Moscow, Idaho has made national and international headlines a lot over the past few years. That media coverage has resulted in multiple books being written about the town and its inhabitants. Below are reviews of two books with ties to the community.

Disobedient Women

Full Title: Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning
Author: Sarah Stankorb
Non-Fiction
List Price: $27.00

Buy it Now | BookPeople of Moscow

Journalist Sarah Stankorb has helped give voice to stories of abuse, molestation, and pedophilia by sharing the voices of courageous women who fight for change within American evangelical churches. Disobedient Women serves up the harsh realities of the large-scale changes happening within evangelical churches regarding women’s roles, white-nationalism, and a culture hell-bent on covering up abuse. Continue reading


National Sticky Bun Day

Writers need all kinds of tools to craft believable stories. One of my favorite facets of research for my books was learning about period cooking. To that end, I even purchased a cookbook written by archeologists who reconstructed recipes based off the remnants of food found near cooking fires.

Everyone loves sweets and the ancient Gauls (Celts) were no exception. Deep in the middle of book 3, Klara makes sticky buns to celebrate Imbolg, a Celtic holyday. Both Imbolg and National Sticky Bun Day occur in February.

Coincidence? Probably.

However, in honor of National Sticky Bun Day, I’ve produced a recipe for sticky buns adapted from a stone age recipe in found in “A Culinary Journey Through Time.” The original recipe “Barley Balls with Wild Fruit and Berries” appears on page 95. Continue reading


Donation Hacks for 2024

Lots of people want to give but struggle to find the cash in their budgets. Worse, many non-profits insist on making their annual pleas during the holiday season when everyone is already strapped for cash. But how is anyone supposed to come up with an extra $100 for their favorite charity when they’re trying to figure out how to afford Thanksgiving dinner or presents for their kids? That’s why I advocate making smaller donations throughout the year.

A donation of just $8 a month works out to almost $100 a year. But can $8 a month make a difference? Yes, it can!

Below are some often overlooked dollar store donation hacks that really make a difference in the lives of others. Continue reading


Weird Christmas

I’ve never been a big fan of Christmas, but when Mark Ready, a fellow author in my critique group suggested submitting to the Weird Christmas story contest, I was game! My entry is a crime thriller that involves murder, zombies, and the resurrection.

Mark and I each got personal messages from the contest judges stating that, although we didn’t win, we did place in the top 50 out of over 600 entries. We compared rejections, just to see if this was a blanket statement set to everyone. Turns out it’s not. A third entry from the group didn’t get such a message.

Without further ado, here’s my weird Christmas story. Continue reading


The Celtic Calendar

As early as the neolithic era, humans sought ways to mark the passage of time and predict celestial events. Their methods, no matter how carefully thought-out, were often thwarted by the very solar and lunar cycles they wished to track. When seasonal drift occurred and the months no longer aligned with the weather, people simply adjusted the calendar or adopted an entirely new one.

Seasonal Drift: a gradual misalignment of seasons and calendar dates, owing to the calendar not accurately capturing the length of the solar year.

An example of this occurred in 1582. Pope Gregory XIII instituted the new Gregorian calendar to correct an error in the Julian calendar that was causing Easter celebration to occur at the wrong time. As a result, 10 days were skipped so that Thursday, October 4th was followed by Friday, October 15th.

The world is filled with calendars: Chinese calendar, Hebrew calendar, Iranian calendar, and Buddhist calendar, to name a few. There’s an even longer list obsolete calendars, some of which include, Attic calendar, Old Icelandic calendar, and the Coligny calendar. When calendars no longer serve their purpose, they are abandoned. In its place, something new is adopted. The modern pagan movement is not immune to this pressure. Continue reading