The black cauldron

When I was a kid, we used to visit my maternal grandmother's farm for a week every summer. I was a 'city mouse,' so there were many interesting things to see that we didn't have at our house.

Nanny had a peach orchard in her side yard. She had a huge garden in back, a long line she hung clothes on, a pasture with cows, and a chicken coop with a very mean rooster. She also had a little wash house a few yards from the main house that housed an old laundry machine. 

Between that and the door to the storm cellar, a black cauldron sat on a bare spot in the yard. She didn't use it anymore, but in decades past, it was where she boiled laundry. Nanny would collect ashes from the fires she built beneath it, until she had enough to make the lye she needed to make soap. 

I can't imagine the time and work it took to do nearly everything from scratch. We have a far easier life these days than we realize.

Soapmaking is one thing that's on my list of things to do. 

My mom, a retired English teacher, wrote a companion workbook to a novel that one of her friends wrote. In it, she included a lye soap recipe. If you have kids, especially if you homeschool, you might want to check it out. The title of the book is When the Cowboy Rides Away. It was written by Molly Noble Bull, a woman who grew up around ranchers in Texas.

The novel can be found here, and the workbook can be found here.

If you want something spooky, try the novel and workbook combo titled Gatehaven. It's not western, but it is historical.

Those are available on Amazon, too.

###

Before I go, I want to leave you with one more spooky thing so my post's title won't be a total Halloween bait and switch. This isn't western either, but it does support a great cause. 

FULL DARK's 5th anniversary is this month. It's a benefit anthology, and all proceeds go to help veterans and first responders.

What happens in the dark will come to light.

FULL DARK is a collection of eleven short works with impressive depth and range. Twisted tales of ghosts, villains, and the paranormal await you—mystery, heinous fantasy, and pure suspense. Acclaimed and award-winning authors as well as a few talented newcomers have joined forces to be your guide. Venture into the dark if you dare.

Just A Matter Of Time by Loni Townsend

Forerunner by David Powers King

Taking Care Of You by Carrie Butler

The Apartment by Lisa Buie-Collard

The Caricature by Nick Wilford

Shifting Sands by Elizabeth Seckman

Shadows Falling On Rainbows by Celeste Holloway

Meringue, Murder or Marzipan by Tonja Drecker

Haunted Lake by Michelle Athy

Soul Coin by Laura Rich

Retribution by Melissa Maygrove

FULL DARK is a benefit anthology. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation, an organization that does many wonderful things for our country's active military, its veterans, and the countless first responders who sacrifice so much to keep us safe.

Available in Kindle e-book and paperback at Amazon.

#fulldark11