Ethnic Valentine’s Day Customs

When I started writing When My Heart Knew aimed for a Valentine’s-themed call for submissions, I knew I wanted to include a holiday custom from the heritage of one of the main characters. So I started in on my research. Because this story would also take place in the setting of two other recent stories I'd created, I wanted the heritage different than what I’d used for those characters. Vevina, my heroine in Wandering Home is Irish, and Kell the hero is Norwegian. My heroine in Storybook Hero is of French descent, and for Trevor the hero, the subject doesn’t come up but I thought of him as a generic mix of Northern European.

I chose Scotland as the home country for hero Dylan MacInnes where he lived for the first twenty years of his life until immigrating to his uncle’s T-south Texas ranch five years earlier. So he was raised around the lore and customs taught by beloved family members from both his Scottish father and his Welsh mother. The tradition from his mother’s family he wishes to carry forward into the budding relationship he has with the heroine, Maisie Treadwell, is that of the lovespoon. The item is tangible evidence of his romantic intent-the wood carving displays his abilities, and the symbols indicate promises he’s making or represent special aspects or events of the couple’s relationship. For example: bells were for marriage, cross for faith, heart for love, horseshoe for luck, lock for security, and wheel for supporting a loved one.

I was quite happy with how I worked this tradition into the storyline.

BLURB:  For When My Heart Knew in Cowboy Kisses anthology from Prairie Rose Publications

Tomboy Maisie Treadwell meets her match in cowboy Dylan MacInnes. From the moment they meet, the sparks and words fly. Of course, if she hadn’t knocked him down and caused an ankle sprain, their relationship might have gone more smoothly. To avoid damaging the reputation of the family’s boarding house, Maisie is ordered to be at the mercy of meeting Dylan’s demands. When they discover a shared interest in adventure stories, a bond is struck. Soon, Maisie can’t wait to spend time reading aloud to the virile man confined to a bed. Until the afternoon she overhears him explaining that his demands were meant to teach her a lesson. Can Dylan find a way to gain her trust again?

 

Other authors with titles in the anthology are:

C. Marie Bowen, Lorrie Farrelly, Tanya Hanson, Gail L. Jenner, Kristy McCaffrey, Gil McDonald, and Beverly Wells

For more information on this and my other titles, go to my website

Not Only A Place To Sit

 

Western saddles are almost as iconic as a Stetson hat. At least, to lovers of all things Western…and cowboys. The western saddle is made of leather, plain or heavily tooled, stretched over a wooden “tree” or frame that includes the pommel (raised ridge on front of saddle) with a centered horn, the bowed seat and the high rise of the cantle that hugs the backside. The current saddle is based on those of Mexican vaqueros (men who trained horses and handled cattle) who worked with horses. That saddle is considered a descendent from a combination of saddles used for two different styles of riding in Spain centuries ago—la jineta (light cavalrymen known for rapid maneuver) and la brida (jousting style). Early saddles weren’t much more than a wooden frame covered with a blanket.

As with most tools, people who use them come up with ways to improve the design or make additions that improve the way they use them. Sheepskin is used as padding both under saddle itself, as well as between the wooden tree and the leather covering. The horn was added to the pommel as a place to anchor the reins so the rider could use both hands (for throwing a lasso or using a rifle). Flaps of leather called “fenders” are positioned where the rider’s legs rest on the horse’s barrel and were probably added for the comfort of both rider and animal.  Out of necessity, leather thongs were added to tie down a bedroll behind the cantle or to secure a lariat where it could be reached easily. In the 1870s, Charles Goodnight developed a side saddle for his wife to use while working cattle on the ranch, and his saddle incorporated a second cinch toward the flank of the horse for a more secure fit, making it a double-rigged design.

 

When on the trail, the saddle became the suitcase to hold the cowboy's belongings, blankets, ropes, canteen. While roping cattle, the horn served as an anchor point for the rope. Then at night, the saddle was often used as a backrest around a campfire and, in some case, a pillow.

Over the years, a variety of saddle types have developed to fit the specific task being performed. Among the types are barrel-racing, endurance, cutting, trail, rodeo bronc riding, roping, and equitation or show saddle. Also, because not all horses are the same size, they needed saddles of differing sizes, widths, heights, etc. for the best fit and the best performance. You can see that an expert saddlemaker could become a valuable resource to men who made their living by riding horseback everyday.

The opening scene of my story When My Heart Knew in the anthology, Cowboy Kisses, shows the heroine, Maisie Treadwell, galloping across the Texas prairie.  As with many western women of the times, she rode astride and her figure atop the galloping horse is the hero’s first sight of her before they’ve even met. Leave a comment here about your first riding experience for a chance to win an ebook of this anthology.

Posted by Linda Carroll-Bradd, author of contemporary and historical western stories

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