LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

To all of you folks over sixty, come on over and share some of your life experiences. For the oldest among you, what was it like growing up during the depression years? We lived in a small town close to Lake Ontario. Those were the days when men criss-crossed Canada seeking work. Because our rented house (not many ordinary people owned houses back then) was situated by a fairly busy highway, tramps would come knocking on our kitchen door seeking handouts.

They never asked for money. "Missus, could you spare a bit of tea. I have some milk?" One asked my mother. Others would have tea and milk and asked for some bread and butter/ My mother was sure there was a hidden mark on our back door because we were the only house on the street to attract the tramps.

They were not tramps, really. They were men desperately in search of work not sitting on street corners begging for coins.

I was fortunate most of the time as I grew up. My father was employed and my family was considered "well off," until I was thirteen years old and my father foolishly lost his job. My world turned upside down. After high school my hopes to attend university fell by the wayside and I took a business course. My first job, as a stenographer with Canadian General Electric paid me $15.00 a week! That was above the minimum wage. The minimum wage in 1939 for females was $12.50 a week.

Forget the depression, have you a childhood memory to share? Happy. Sad. Devilish fun. My brother, Harry and I, got into some scrapes and lived to tell the tale.

Check my website for information about my published books and how to purchase them. That's my sales pitch for to-day.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Cape Dorset Stone cut print

When I moved from my large home to a small apartment I did not have room for all the art work I brought with me. One item of interest is a Cape Dorset Stone Cut for which I do not have all space. The print is called:

Kikgavik and The Hunter. The artist is Kiakshuk. I purchased the print in Calgary, Alberta in 1962. My print is 46/50. Three years ago one of the prints sold for close to $4000.00 US.

If anyone is interested in seeing my print, please check my web site, www.anitabirt.com for information about me, my writing, excerpts from my books, the covers and how to reach me if you are interested in seeing a photo of the print.

Having said all that. Back to my WIP. I am preparing a short gothic story for an anthology sponsored by Gothicwriters, a chapter of Romance Writers of America. My story is called The Listeners. It takes place in the present time in Cornwall, England. Cornwall is awash in stories, ghostly and real.

My American heroine, Julia Denning, traveled to England expecting to attend a conference on the experience of time slowing. What happens to her is the stuff of nightmares or dreams - take your pick.

And just to keep my books on your mind, I'm posting the cover of my historical romance, A Very Difficult Man. It's available as an e-book and in trade paperback. The print version is available at Amazon.com and the e-book and print version can be ordered from www.Jasmine-Jade.com

Thanks for visiting

Anita