Words of Old at Christmastime: Cock-Crow at Christmas, William Shakespeare

Excerpt from "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare (1603)

HORATIO:

"And then it started like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful summons. I have heard,
The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day; and, at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine: and of the truth herein
This present object made probation."

 

 

 

MARCELLUS:
 
"It faded on the crowing of the cock.

Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes

Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long:

And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad;

The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallow'd and so gracious is the time."

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Words of Old at Christmastime: The Little Match-Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

  
Excerpt:

"It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling,  and it was almost dark. Evening came on,  the last evening of the year. In the cold and gloom a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefoot,  was walking through the streets."




First published 1845.
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Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Words of Old at Christmastime: "Is There a Santa Claus?"

Excerpt from letter to the editor, The New York Sun, 1897:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety Fifth Street

"Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see."

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Excerpt reprinted from editorial September 21, 1897, The New York Sun.

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Words of Old at Christmastime: "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells

 Excerpt: 

"The little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off that morning, for he was very busy, but she would not let him. So he began:

"Well, once there was a little pig--"

She put her hand over his mouth and stopped him at the word. She said she had heard little pig stories till she was perfectly sick of them.

"Well, what kind of story shall I tell, then?"

"About Christmas. It's getting to be the season. It's past Thanksgiving already."

"It seems to me," her papa argued, "that I've told as often about Christmas as I have about little pigs."

"No difference! Christmas is more interesting.""

 
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First published 1892

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Wild at Heart by Terri Farley: Book Review

Wild at Heart
Author: Terri Farley
Photographer: Melissa Farlow
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015
Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl
Ages: 10-14, Middle Grade nonfiction
Pages: 196


Velma Johnston of Nevada (some called her “Wild Horse Annie") developed a special love of wild horses in her youth. In 1950, she witnessed the roundup of wild mustangs for slaughter on state land. Horse meat for dog food had become a profitable business. The roundups were bloody and vicious, with no regard for horse families and nursing foals. Having suffered from crippling polio as a girl, Velma understood pain and couldn't bear to see the wild mustangs she loved mistreated. She spoke out against the practice, and as a result, a new state law protecting the horses was passed, but horse hunters simply moved the practice to public lands where the slaughter continued. Cattlemen in particular supported roundups because they freed up grazing land.

Seeking new support, Velma requested help from U.S. schoolchildren nationwide. Students began writing letters to the U.S. Congress, exposing the plight of wild mustangs. Successful once again, a law was passed in 1971 to protect the mustangs and burros. Henceforth, they would be “living symbols of the historic pioneer spirit of the West” forever and free to roam public lands under the protection of an agency called the Bureau of Land Management. However, the agency failed to protect the mustangs when a later decision was made that drastically reduced the acreage on which the animals could roam.

Today, wild mustangs continue to suffer in roundups and are considered an endangered species, but a steady group of horse-loving youth have followed in Velma's footsteps to carry on the fight. Farley shares their stories and shows the positive influence the wild mustang has made on their lives personally. Readers learn the history of horses in America and more about wild horse culture. The pages are filled with gorgeous photography throughout, making this a lovely book for horse lovers everywhere.

Signing Off Till Further Notice

Dear Blog friends,


Well, it has finally come to this. I've let life take over and it is time to give my writing a more serious look. 

The challenges before me: Continue the submission process of my completed novel and finish (or scrap) the projects I've started. 

"Looking for Balance"

My "perfect more balanced world" (blending all I hold dear) would be to return with news this spring. I might do a book review or visit your blogs every now and then, but must say goodbye for now. I wish you well in your writing and life endeavors, and want to thank all of you for your kind support and friendship. You are the best of the best!!

Till further notice......Sharon