Stranger Than Fiction: Andrew Jackson’s Foul Mouthed Fowl
By modern standards, Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States would be considered a redneck. While he resided at the White House, he enjoyed hunting squirrel on the front lawn and kept a moonshine still on the property. He enjoyed horse and carriage races and often orchestrated such events on the front lawn […]
Times Change & Things Change
“Times change and things change”. We are all familiar with this phrase. While the phrase has a negative connotation, change, in reality, can be good or bad, depending on it’s consequence. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there have been major changes in the family structure during the past several years. These changes affect everyone in the family, […]
Do You Know That?
Do you know that after all those chocolate bunnies, peeps, jelly beans and fine boxes of chocolates filled with caramel, maple crème, cocoanut and so many more delights have been consumed, it is time to hop back on the wagon and loose those pounds that such temptations add to the hips? Believe me, after such […]
The Ethic of Reciprocity
The challenge for schools is clear. A school can either reflect a culture or it can affect a culture. When I was in elementary school it was common for many students to have wooden rulers with the words “The Golden Rule” emblazoned upon the back. I have no idea whether local boards of education provided […]
What’s next?
There are some children who are always asking, “What are we going to do next?” Right in the middle of a project, class work, a field trip, or family vacation, the question is blurted out with some urgency. The adult in charge is frequently miffed by the child’s seeming disregard for the present joyful task, […]
Going Green with Antiques & Collectibles
Buying, selling, and collecting antiques and collectibles gives me a leg up in the “green” department. The items I typically sell have made their carbon footprint on the planet years, if not decades or centuries, ago. Their only carbon usage now comes from the gasoline used for the buyers or sellers to receive the items, […]
Welcome Spring with Flowers
Hello Darlings, spring is blazing with beautiful flowers of every scent and color. There is no better way to welcome the fresh new season than to gather the tall branches of forsythia and arrange the sunshine yellow flowers in a high cylindrical vase. The longer the branches, the better for a dramatic arrangement- especially in […]
All Over The Board
Pardon me if I ramble a bit, but I have a few things to get off my chest, and they may not be completely related. If you promise to bear with me during this mental popcorn excursion, I promise to at least attempt to pull these fairly unrelated items together into a neat package that […]
What Happened To My Tulips?
Tulips are my favorite flower and I used to have good luck with them. They are planted in my front yard and I wait for them to bloom every year. Last year, I had lots of foliage and very few blooms and it looks like it may be the same way this year. Do you […]
Robert Kirkman‘s The Walking Dead: Book One
Most people who know me know I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead. Well, to be clear, I was a huge fan of the show. I just received a hardback edition of The Walking Dead: Book One, which is a volume containing quite a few issues of the comics, all presented on slick, […]
Spring Breaks Past
This week I have been thinking of Spring breaks past and longing for a return to warm weather (which I understand is coming later this week). When I was young, kids just didn’t take off on trips for Spring Break. Oh, sure, some lucky college students might take a quick trip to the beach on […]
Is Your Child A Picky Eater?
Is your child a picky eater? Does your child refuse to eat anything other than chicken nuggets? Would your toddler rather play than eat anything at all? The staff at Mayo Clinic advises you not to prepare a separate meal when he/she refuses to eat the meal on the table, and not to excuse him/her […]
Stranger Than Fiction: A Sign of Things to Come
It seemed like a harmless college frat boy prank at first. Three Duke University Law School students who were all near the top of their class, wanted to find out what their final exam grades were. The three young men put together a clandestine plan to break into the dean’s office and take a look […]
Stranger Than Fiction: The Robbery of Lincoln’s Tomb
While several attempts had been made to steal President Abraham Lincoln’s corpse, none were ever successful. The closest anyone ever came to stealing Lincoln’s corpse was in 1876 when a band of outlaws attempted to steal the body and hold it for ransom and to secure the release of a counterfeiter, Ben Boyd. Boyd was […]
A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Spring is such a perfect time to wear the most beautiful hats. The favorite fashion for Easter, is the crowing glory of a beautiful hat… from times past known as the “Easter Bonnet, with all the frills upon it.” Well darlings, the Crazy Mad Hatter’s of Dallas, Texas, goes way beyond just frills! The Crazy […]
Sports Memorabilia
Athletes are superstars in this country. We pay the best of the best hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and spend millions of dollars on merchandise each year. Vintage sports memorabilia is also popular in this country. Each year our shop fields at least a dozen calls about selling baseball cards. Typically we refer […]
