Many years ago, an 11yr. old girl, Marianna Jo, climbed up and onto a sturdy branch of a large, sprawling elm tree and overlooked the Crow River that coursed through the acreage of her family's farm near Hanover, MN. This soon became a favorite spot to sit, resolve her adolescent problems, and dream of her future. Marianna Jo loved picking wildflowers as she walked through the meadow along the river to get to her secluded hide-away in the elm tree. It was in the safety of this big elm's arms that she brought her school tablet and penciled the words to her first poems. An out-of-doors girl, Marianna Jo, witnessed many subjects to write about. Ordinary days, glorious sunsets and a few falling stars were recorded in her young memory. These all come alive when she puts her pen to paper. Marianna Jo finds beauty in all four of Minnesota's ever-changing seasons. Lovely tulips and crocus, braving the crisp air in springtime or, the abundance of flowers basking in the summer sun, and the vibrant colors of tree foliages, painted against the gray skies of fall. All of these subjects captured in heart warming verse. Winter can be especially harsh in Minnesota but, Marianna Jo finds breath-taking beauty in its crystal clear ice, feathery hoar frost, and fresh-fallen snow. It is her love of God, all things created by Him and their splendor, which inspires her, and is reflected in the poetry she writes. Marianna Jo's first book of poetry, "Here In My Garden," was published in 1999 by Watermark Press. Her works have also been published in IDEALS magazine and can be found in many anthologies and other publications. One poem, special to Marianna Jo's heart, "Afternoon Tea" was selected for use inside a volume of poetry by Harvest House Publishers entitled "The Art of Tea and Friendship," illustrated by Sandy Lynam Clough, and released the first time in 2003 then again in 2006. This poem was also chosen as the featured verse for the back cover of this same volume. Marianna Jo hopes you will find enjoyment in reading and re-reading her poems in "Rose Arbor" as much as she did in writing them.