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— Jan Goldyn —

September Calling

Clear sky is calling

come with me today.

We’re watching now for Autumn

but she’s still miles away.

Bright morning glories,

wild asters in the lane,

leaves are crisping lightly

golden rod ebbs and sways.

From the far field

the cawing of the crows,

peppers from the garden

simmer on the stove.

Laundry on the clothes line,

peaceful afternoon breeze

turning now to red sky

as the evening crickets sing.

Thank you for the walk, friend,

we’ll speak again tomorrow

Chasing down Autumn’s chill

On time that we will borrow.

— September Update —

 To me, September is ‘small moment’ time

Often I think to myself, “Thirty years from now, what will my favorite memories be?”

Yes, the big things come to mind — my wedding day; special Christmases as a child; dear friendships; the first time I saw the ocean; the days my children were born.

But mixed with those remembrances are the sweet little ordinary things.

Hanging freshly washed sheets on a clear morning with the feeling of damp grass under my feet.

Cleaning the kitchen with the windows wide open, listening to an AM radio station.

Putting a little plate of cookies by my daughter as she played tea party.

Watching my little boy sleep peacefully after a hard morning of play.

The smell of my husband making pancakes on Sunday morning.

Seeing little hands write letters to Santa, with their eyes full of wonder.

Lying under comfy blankets and listening to katydids from the woods.

Or seeing a snowfall out the window, backed by the street light.

These things are such special treasures precisely because they are so quiet

Prequel, Julia

My vision for the unveiling of “Julia” had been on a Spring 2025 horizon. I’m now focusing on a Christmas 2025 debut. My life has become unexpectedly busy this summer and fall. But I promise to do my best and will update you well in advance!

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I am so excited to be working on my Prequel — Julia. You’ve all given me such super feedback on Coal Town Girls! Those of you who have grown up locally have been sharing your excitement at seeing the landmarks of your youth (or your present!) showcased within its pages.

Now, with Julia, I’m taking a journey further back in time to the people, places, struggles, triumphs and dreams of those who came before Joan and Mary. I can’t wait for you to join me.

September Sneak Peek

-Excerpt from Julia -

Sharon Springs, to him, had seemed as good a place as any to hop off. Springs had a nice sound to it when you’d been traveling over mostly arid plains.

Yet Francis did take pleasure in the late autumn gold and crimson hues of prairie grasses and flowers which swayed and rolled with life under the uncompromising sky. He had gathered coneflowers in his satchel. If similar to those back home, he’d have a pain relieving, infection killing poultice at his disposal.

He thought of Julia. Had she been searching the woods for magical ginseng without him?

* * **

Jan’s Reading Nook

Throughout history, our ancestors gathered around fires telling and soaking in the magic that is “story.” This primal need continues and has not left us! I love to share thoughts on nuggets of literature I’ve been enjoying and exploring. For me, a main focus has been historical fiction, literary fiction, family sagas. Although all genres have their own jewels.

Thornapples

“The comings, goings and outdoor doings of a naturalist”

— Charles Fergus —

Charles Fergus has the true heart of a woodsman, having worked many years for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. In Thornapples, he brings us the simplicity of the natural world in ways that also capture its magnificence, while educating us about its wonders.

“A winter walk on an old tram road may yield glimpses of deer tails in the slick laurel, a band of chickadees and nuthatches eking out a living among the oaks and the pale subtle colors of the sky.

Springtime ushers in gobbling turkeys, brilliant warblers in the greening trees, painted trilliums crowding up around the rotting sills of an old cabin — perhaps a bunkhouse or mess hall from the logging era.”

“Summer is lush, with punks to inhale as well as huckleberries to snack on and always the outside chance of sighting a bobcat or at least a bear.

With fall comes hunting season. Last year a partner of mine killed a splendid eight-point buck and then had to drag him two miles up Dry Hollow and over the ridge. On another day I found myself cowering as big oaks, killed years ago by the gypsy moth, came crashing down in a December gale.”

Fergus takes us through the seasons of central Pennsylvania with the knowledge and wisdom of a naturalist. At times, he shares the simple gifts of nature in a way that pulls at our hearts. This passage brings me right into a magical spring evening, for example:

“On warm March nights, the place reverberates with the calling frogs fresh out of hibernation. Then, on misty April nights, the toads congregate and raise their sustained musical trill. I waken in the night, listen to the sound through the open window and fight falling back to sleep, just to hear that high sweet song.”

Quoting an native American friend, Fergus says “The animals … see and smell and hear so much better than we do and they don’t have any bad inside of them. They don’t hate each other. They don’t kill, except for food. When we kill them, when we eat them, we get some of their goodness.”

The last paragraph of Thornapples takes us to a cold morning when Fergus tracks a buck he has shot. “I see the buck stretched out in the snow. His eyes, open, shine the green luminescence of death. I thank him for is life.”

Thornapples is a beautiful read and itself, brings us closer to the natural world and perhaps spurs us to get out an enjoy and learn the wisdom that the Earth teaches us.

Coal Town Girls

Coal Town girls was an idea that bubbled up over the years and finally found its way to paper. My mother, Joan, and her best friend, Mary, were often found on our back porch, telling stories of their youth -- the town, the river, the people, the adventures, the sadness's, the joys. 

Each month I’ll try to highlight a tidbit of history from Coal Town Girls!

—-Excerpt from Coal Town Girls—-

Joan’s mind raced back to the image of a six-year-old Mary in her brown and orange ric-rac Schiffy, standing with her mother in their aster-filled September garden. Joan’s mother had edged Mary toward Joan and laughed, “here’s a playmate for ya.”

Five-year-old Joan had spent much of her time alone or with her Grandmother Cecelia. To her this had not been a humorous comment. She had latched onto the word ‘playmate’ and had not let go. Mary had taken Joan by the hand and had led her into the world of friendship.