VISITING MARK TWAIN
In the small town of Hannibal, Missouri, when I was a boy, everybody was poor, but didn’t know it; and everybody was comfortable and did …
HISTORY
LIVING HISTORY
History has held a fascination for me from a very young age. I remember being told stories of my family’s history and wanting to know …
CONSIDERATIONS FOR A NEW YEAR
As we move through the natural year of four seasons, we also move through the calendar year. Those two methods of reckoning time passing do …
A TOO-BRIEF LOOK AT CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
“Merry Christmas!” That short phrase was spoken regularly in almost every personal interaction in the month of December when I was a child. Over time …
SIGNS IN THE SKY
The full moon of December, sometimes called “The Full Cold Moon”, has just passed a couple of days ago. In a real rarity for where …
THE TIME FOR HOLIDAY GATHERINGS
Now that we are fully into December, the period of major holiday gatherings has arrived. When I was younger, these parties would be called “Christmas” …
MEMORIAL DAY MUSINGS
Today is the U.S. observation of Memorial Day (27 May 2024). This day is one of two holidays dedicated to those who have given military …
THE END OF WOOD STOVE SEASON
The arrival of spring means different things to different people. It can mean that the cold of winter has been survived for another year. An …
A COMMONPLACE BOOK: THE WRITER’S ASSISTANT
As someone who does a considerable amount of reading and writing, I have kept a commonplace book for years. The only problem was that I …
GIVING THANKS – LOOKING HISTORICALLY
The United States recently celebrated a national day of Thanksgiving. This holiday in the U.S. has a history that goes back to the 1600’s. A …
AN AGRICULTURAL FAIR AND EXPOSITION
The United States (and the colonies before 1776) has a long and rich tradition of local, county, and state agricultural fairs. Other countries have a …
PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL SKILLS IN A MODERN CONTEXT
Primitive wilderness skills, those that are buried deep in our human past, may not seem to have any application to the modern wilderness experience. Why …