Stephanie Turner 
Jun 27 2016 9:15 pm
Staff File Photo by Amanda King ​

Aiken author’s new book rooted in Native American folklore

Diann Shaddox, an Aiken author and founder offor Essential For her first book, Aiken author Diann Shaddox raised awareness of a condition that she lives with – essential tremor.
For her latest book, she pulled from another aspect of her life – her Native American heritage.
Staff Photo by Stephanie Turner “Spirits of Sacred Mountain” is the latest book by Diann Shaddox.
“Spirits of Sacred Mountain” was released in May.
 
“Cody Tanner looks like a normal 11-year-old, except he can blur/disappear, use his mind to move objects, and stop time. Normal if you’re a spirit of the mountain,” says the book’s summary.
Tanner, like Shaddox, is a Native American. The author is a member of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.
“That’s probably what triggered a lot of this because I was reading up on the tribe, Wyandotte,” Shaddox said.

​The story of “Spirits” is rooted in Native American folklore and is written so that readers as young as elementary school-aged students can enjoy it, according to Shaddox.
“I’ve already gotten people wanting a second one,” Shaddox said.
“Spirits ” is dedicated to Shaddox’s husband, to the Wyandotte Nation and to the late Chief Leaford Bearskin.
Before he passed, Bearskin asked Shaddox to write a story about the Native American culture. He was also a childhood friend of her mother.
 
Shaddox’s first book, “A Faded Cottage,” was released in 2013. Her two other books are “Whispering Fog” and “Miranda.”
All proceeds benefit the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor, an Aiken-based organization that Shaddox started.
Her upcoming book signings are as follows:

• July 7 from 4 to 6 p.m.: Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St. S.W.; part of the museum’s Sweet Tea Series; will have refreshments of wine and cheese
• July 12 from 3 to 6 p.m.: Ridgecrest Coffee Bar in the Village of Woodside, 108 Coach Light Way

“Spirits of Sacred Mountain” is $5.99 as an ebook, $17.99 as a paperback and $27.99 as a hardback and can be purchased through major online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
“We think this is going to be the most popular book she’s written,” said Randy Miles, executive director of the Diann Shaddox Foundation.
Shaddox has plans to make “Spirits” the first of a series.
​http://www.aikenstandard.com/20160627/160629548/aiken-authorx2019s-new-book-rooted-in-native-american-folklore
For more information, visit www.diannshaddox.com or www.diann shaddoxfoundation.org.

The old Frampton Plantation in Yemassee, SC has a fountain/wishing well and when I visit I can’t resist to throw a coin into it. While I’m there, if a child visits I always give them a coin to toss into the water. I love to see a smile and expression full of hope and anticipation grow on their faces as they make a wish.  

The tradition of the wishing well has its beginnings in European folk history. Of course in years past underground streams were important sources of clear, fresh water. The early Celts and Germanic people considered springs or streams to have healing and rejuvenating properties, guarded by spirits who may or may not be friendly.

The tradition of dropping coins in ponds and fountains began when people placed the coins as gifts for the deity to show appreciation.

According to belief, any wish spoken over the source of water would come true. A person could make a wish or ask for a blessing from the spirit(s) of the well. People threw silver or copper coins into the well or stream as thanks to the spirits, for good luck or for helpful magic.

Tossing a coin into a wishing well has added benefits. Copper and silver are biocides, meaning that they neutralize harmful bacteria in the water, including those that cause the "rotten-egg" or sulfur smell. Silver and copper metal in coins helps keep the water sweet.

Some people believe that the guardians or dwellers of the well would grant them their wish if they paid a price. After uttering the wish, one would generally drop a coin in the well. That wish would then be granted by the guardian or dweller, based upon how the coin would land at the bottom of the well. If the coin landed heads up, the guardian of the well would grant the wish, but the wish of a tails up coin would be ignored. It was thus potentially lucky to throw coins in the well, but it depended on how they landed.

My dear Emily Grace, don’t shed any tears for me. The tragedies of my life have been indescribable. I have had tears of joy and tears of sorrow; the loss of my family, husband, and child, but the love I’ve known will hold in my heart and never fade. Always remember, one single rose means…I love you.” With all my love forever, Miranda

I wrote Miranda in 2008 when I lived in Leander, TX. It was the second novel that I had written. The story of Miranda began one late night and was finished a few weeks later. I've wondered how each of my stories evolves in my head, but late at night, just as a movie on TV, my stories flow. 

I believe Miranda evolved after I had visited a train station that had an old, black train engine sitting on a lonely set of tracks, undisturbed, but full of memories. I was able to climb aboard the train engine and stand quite on its metal steps thinking about all the people who had traveled on that old train, their stories of happiness and sorrow.

Today is Mother's Day, a day of remembering your mom or someone that made a difference in your life. I was very lucky since I had a mother who gave me life and a grandmother who taught me about life. 

Mother's Day is a time to think about your love ones, the ones who are still with you and the ones that are in heaven. When I was a child my granddad would sit outside on our front porch and talk to the cardinals. The magnificent birds in the coats of red would fly down onto limbs in the old oak tree, only a few feet from him, and stay for the longest time. Yes, he would have a conversation with them and they would sing their beautiful songs. He would tell me to be quiet and listen. I did as he asked and sat quietly, which was difficult for me then & now, and listen. I have learned over the years that a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has died. When I think back to those days so long ago sitting with my granddad on our front porch remembering the cardinal singing in the old oaks I have to believe that this folklore must be true. 

A few facts about the amazing Hummingbird.

Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers. Their name comes from the fact that they flap their wings so fast (about 50 to 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight and air conditions) that they make a humming noise. Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down. They are also able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern.

A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily, and the average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour. Hummingbirds do not suck nectar through their long bills, they lick, (10-15 times per second), it with fringed forked tongues. The hummingbird’s fast breathing rate, fast heartbeat, and high body temperature require that they eat often. Humming birds have no sense of smell but have very keen eyesight.

At rest, a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute. The Ruby-Throated hummingbird flies 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico during both its spring and fall migrations. Depending on the species, habitat conditions, predators and other factors, the average lifespan of a wild hummingbird is 3-12 years.

Hummingbirds radiate like hot coals in the sun. The color that reaches your eye is created by pigment, which absorbs some colors and rejects others. Like soap bubbles, hummingbird’s color comes from iridescence, not pigment.

Is Friday the 13th an old wives’ tale, just superstition, or reality?

So how unlucky is Friday the 13th?
Friday the 13th is known by many as the unluckiest day of the year.

This may all have originated from the word or phobia triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number thirteen.

Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" and divine number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 hours on the clock, 12 months of the year and 12 apostles of Jesus. Anywhere outside a bakery, then 13 is considered a transgression of this rule, which I love. You can never go wrong with one  extra donut.

This fear of 13 can be seen even in how societies are built. For example, more than 80 percent of high-rise buildings lack a 13th floor. And many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room with the number 13.

On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 1/2. There is a longstanding myth that if 13 people dine together, one will die within a year. In France socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.

While many will laugh off the superstitious day, others will remain in bed paralyzed by fear and avoid daily tasks, conducting business or traveling. In the U.S., an estimated 17 to 21 million people suffer from a fear of Friday the 13th, according to a study by the North Carolina Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute.

The phobia, a fear of Friday the 13th, known as friggatriskaidekaphobia, is not uncommon. The word comes from Frigga, the name of the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named.

Accurate data is impossible to collect since many people around the world avoid certain activities, including travel and surgery on that day. Past Black Fridays notwithstanding, Friday the 13th may actually be a boon for finance. According to CNBC, the market has been up 80 times out of the past 140 Friday the 13ths.

According to research completed at the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) in 2008, there were fewer accidents and reports of theft or fire on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays.

Whatever you believe; Friday the 13th is a lucky or unlucky day, may good fortune be with you and the one extra donut. 

PaDud’s tales.
Predicting the weather

When I was growing up in a small southern town in Arkansas I had an older gentleman who lived next door. We called him PaDud, his name was Dudley. PaDud was able to predict when storms would be moving in. He would study the sky and clouds the night before and forecast the weather for the next day. He knew if it would be a hot summer or cold winter by how animals acted. I have to say he was correct or at least most of the time. 

We have heard of old myths, but they are just superstition, old wives' tales, and folklore, right? Or, are they the real way to predict the weather and how accurate are they. Scientists have always been skeptic, but a few weather experts say some superstitions have it right. Some people still use certain signs like rings around the moon, the shape of the clouds, an angry morning sky, a clap of thunder during the winter as weather predictors. 

Farmers have always depended on these predictions, clouds, moon, animals, for planting their crops and when it’s time to harvest them. Many farmers have depended on the Old Farmer’s Almanac for years and still talk about the folklore and superstitions.

I did research  when I wrote Whispering Fog, about folklore, myths, and superstitions the ones sailors have always believed in. Of course, the captain of the ship and the sailors used the stars to guide them, but they also paid attention to the sky. The color of the sky, the shape, size of the clouds, and which way the wind's blowing would tell them the weather forecast.

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailor’s take warning
This saying is known by most sailors even today. If you get up in the morning and the sky has turned red, it’s a good chance the seas and wind are kicking up, a sign that the ocean is going to be choppy.
This means that the sun’s light is reflecting off the clouds and that could mean a storm system is building in the sky, approaching. There is some truth in this wives' tale.
 
Seagulls’ movements
This is another wives' tale that many sailors look for and live by; watching seagulls’ movements. The birds tend to know when a storm is coming in, so if seagulls start to move toward land in flocks, you may want to take a second look at the forecast.

A halo around the moon as a warning of rain or snow
The halo around the moon, the gentle white circle we sometimes see resting around the moon on cold nights, is caused by cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds, (or seed clouds, that is what PaDud called them), are made of ice crystals rather than the water droplets that form most clouds. The cirrus clouds sit high in the sky and stretch thinly across the moon so thinly, that the moon’s light shines through and scatters, creating a halo effect. It is true that cirrus clouds could be the first clouds to increase in front of a storm system, usually a winter storm. 

A round topped cloud with a flatted base, carries rainfall in its face. 
Cloud formations, height, size, color and density do predict weather forecast.

Thunder in winter signal snow seven to 10 days later
Have you ever heard thunder in the winter, a strange thing to hear unless you are living in south Florida. Many people have said they believe in this old saying and if you hear thunder you can expect snow, but this is one saying I haven’t seen come true, even though people swear by it. It is uncommon to hear thunder in winter because there’s not a lot of humidity in the air.

 Rain from the east, two day wet at least.
Most weather patterns travel from the west to the east, so this is a very interesting weather pattern coming from the east.

If the moon shows like a silver shield you needn’t be afraid to reap your fields.
But if she rises haloed round, soon we’ll tread on deluged ground.
People from the beginning of time have used the moon to predict the weather. According to weather myths the shape, color and location of the moon can predicts weather patterns and how plants will grow. Farmers have believed in planting their crops by using the signs of the moon. They watch for signs of rain and storms. In the fall, farmers have used the harvest moon as the time to bring in their crops.  

Native American have many belief in how to predict weather by the moon. One belief is if the moon looks like it is tipped on its back, it is holding water that will not spill. If it is tipped forward the water will spill from it, in the form of rain. 

 Holly berries shining red mean a long winter, ‘tis said.
This saying is true, or that's what I believe. I have huge Holly bushes in my yard  and we had 7 inches of snow one winter and the holly berries were shining bright red in the blanket of white. 

More old wives' tales

Mourning Doves will coo waiting for more rain.

Cobwebs in the grass mean rain.

Pink clouds in the west at evening time means rain.

Yellow streaks in sunset sky, wind and daylong rain is nigh.

If horses are restless and shake their heads a lot, it means rain is on the way.

Owls will hoot more at night if rain is on the way.


Enjoy your day and look up at the sky.

 

My Journey 
​I've had many people ask me questions of why I started the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor. I hope this answers many questions.

My passion is writing and I had put off writing my stories for years. It seemed excuses kept flowing of being busy and everyone will think that I’ve gone crazy. After many years of excuses I began my journey of writing. 

However, my real journey began one night when I wrote “A Faded Cottage” a love story about an artist living with Essential Tremor. 
Why I wrote 'A Faded Cottage'

It was my birthday, the night of December 18, 2010, a very calm and uneventful night. I couldn’t sleep, which isn’t unusual for me, so I made my way downstairs to my cubby office. I decided since I was wide-awake that I’d work on one of my novels.

I sat down in front of the computer and began to type, but it seemed my fingers and hands had another idea as they shook uncontrollably over the keyboard. If you’ve tried to text as you are riding in a car or train when it’s bumpy, then you might understand how difficult it is to type with tremoring fingers when you have trouble hitting the correct keys. You see, I have had Essential Tremor from my early twenties and I’d learn to deal with my tremors for many years. But this night it became overpowering.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the computer screen. My anger grew watching my hands quiver over the keyboard, and for once in my life I felt sorry for myself. The question of why me, a question without an answer, played repeatedly in my mind.
         
I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes and I let my tremoring hands type and the words, “Happy birthday dumb-ass” were written across the screen. I laughed and let the words flow and Quaid Witherspoon, a famous artist, was born. 

A man who had everything or so he thought, but now his hands had abandoned him and his life of painting had ceased, becoming a bitter man. I didn’t have the story of Quaid planned that night. His character emerged from my mind and as the story grew I calmed while I released the stress of the evening telling Quaid’s story, a journal of only two weeks of his life. The story of Quaid Witherspoon, the novel 'A Faded Cottage', became an incredible love story, one about strength of mind to fight fate and never accept what life throws at you. 

‘A Faded Cottage’ is journal of a famous artist not of his life, but of only two weeks, a love story about aging and two people being reunited after thirty years finding love can conquer all.
​
I put “A Faded Cottage” aside and kept editing my other stories to send to publishers, but “A Faded Cottage” kept pulling me in. I let friends read the manuscript and they believed I should go ahead and publish the novel to let others understand what I was living through with my tremoring hands. So began my journey. I gave in and sent the manuscript to publishers. To my surprise, I had a publisher come back to me right away and A Faded Cottage became my first novel. Then, I learned no one knew what ET was, so at my book signings I started to tell my story about ET. Well, the fire of spreading the word about Essential Tremor that I’d leaped into continued and I decided to start my own foundation. 

However, the first of May, my life was jerked to a stop. My healthy young son, who was backing me on my journey, went to the hospital with a headache. We learned he had an aggressive stage 4 cancerous tumor the size of a lemon in his brain. He elected to have surgery, never woke, and died on May 20, 2014. 

My life now had changed or maybe seemed to have ended. In June I sat back and reflected about my journey that had all started with one little book “A Faded Cottage.” How that one night on my birthday writing that book had sent me on a wild journey and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue. I had set out just to write my stories, but my life had turned into a whirlwind and now I had to make a decision.

I decided to take some time to think and I began the edits on “Whispering Fog” a time travel romance. My editor and I finished “Whispering Fog,”  and  the novel was published.

I don’t give up easy and knew my son would be disappointed if I didn’t continue with the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor. On August 29, 2014 the IRS approved Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor. 

What will my journey be in the future? I have become adamant to make a change, bring awareness, and find a cure for ET.

My light is growing dim, and my energy has grown low, however I will see what the future holds, and whether the flame will be distinguished or grow stronger to tell the world about Essential Tremor. I'm asking for support. There are many ways to support a foundation. Donate time to help with whatever you can, write articles, start a newsletter, help with IT services, so many ways to volunteer. Yes, it does take a lot of people and funds to advertise, bring awareness, and grant medical research money to doctors, to make a difference. 

I hope you will join me on my journey and if you have any questions that you’d like answered, I’d be glad to help. dsfoundation@atlanticbb.net​

All right how many of you have Facebook Messenger or as I call it Bobble Head?

Facebook Messenger is a new mobile app designed to make it easier for you to talk with your Facebook friends.

Why do I call Facebook Messenger Bobble Head? If you’ve ever seen the app then you’d understand. A small round picture of your Facebook friend appears on your main screen and moves around until you slid it to the bottom of the page letting it disappear, so it is a floating Bobble Head.

Well, I’ve been researching Bobble Head and found out some disturbing information and thought I’d share. 

Please let me know what you think about Bobble Head.                  

Diann Shaddox Foundation raising awareness about essential tremor and money for research Aiken Standard
by Dede Biles of the Aiken Standard
Oct 23 2014 8:13 pm  


 Diann Shaddox and  Randy Miles, founded the Diann Shaddox Foundation to raise awareness of essential tremor, a nervous system disorder, and to raise money to fund research.

Many people never have heard of essential tremor, a nervous system disorder that causes rhythmic shaking. A lot of doctors don’t know much about it, either.

Aiken resident Diann Shaddox and Randy Miles want to change that. They also want to raise money to fund research to find a cure or discover better ways to treat the disease, which also is known as ET.
                                                    

I’ve requested to join Ello. Okay, you ask what is Ello?

Ello is a new ad-free social network. This is the kicker, the site is in beta, and is currently invite-only, so you can only join Ello if you get an invitation from someone who’s already on the site. I requested an invite on the site’s homepage. When you are invited you will then receive your own profile, and can comment and mention with other users, and see how many views your post has received.

Is this a social media revolution? Remember, new social media’s have taken off in the past, so Ello maybe the next to be everywhere and it is moving on in supersonic speed. 

Here is the site's manifesto:

Your social network is owned by advertisers. Every post you share, every friend you make, and every link you follow is tracked, recorded, and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that's bought and sold. We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity, and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership. We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce, and manipulate — but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life. You are not a product.

So your information will never be sold from Ello to advertisers.

The site was originally created by a group of seven artists and programmers, so many people say it's nice to look at, and very visual. Without ads, it's also a lot less cluttered. Ello's logo is a black and white smiley face.

All right, I’ll let you know what happens next, when or if I join Ello and become one of the black and white smiley faces. 

Prayers go out to all the families of so many who were injured or had love ones injured or died in the Boston Marathon attack. Why, is a word as big as a skyscraper would someone do such a horrible act against innocent people? The truth will be known and only a coward, his name should not be identified to give him the celebrity status he wants, is behind this senseless atrocity.

We are proud Americans and we will continue to stand strong. 

The brilliant light of the United States of America will shine even brighter and may God and his angels watch over us.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. (On a building in NYC.)