Vintage Romantic Author
Hoards of 8th Graders had descended on Washington DC for tours. Nowhere was this so obvious as at Mount Vernon. They were just beginning to clear out as we arrived. We had 50 minutes to eat lunch and peruse the gift shop before our tour. I like the Images of America books so I found …
I have a good sense of direction, so my first order of business on day two was getting myself straightened out. It helped to know my suspicion the hotel faced north was accurate. I presented myself to the front desk to try to make sense of the map they provided. Admitting their map was less …
My husband, Carl, and I took our first real vacation since before Covid. I thought I’d document the highlights of our trip and hopefully encourage you to add something to your bucket list. America seems to be on the way to normalcy. Over 42 million travelers took off on Memorial Day weekend, the most-traveled holiday …
Some holiday traditions last, others don’t. Since Mother’s Day is coming up, let’s take a look at its history and its ties to carnations, a tradition that didn’t stand the test of time. I came across a newspaper article from 1914 about the first Mother’s Day—well, the first Mother’s Day celebrated as a national holiday. …
My mom was never a fountain of information. I once asked her what it was like to live during World War II. Her reply, “Just like any other time.” Hmmm. But I guess I can relate to her answer. I was a teenager in the 60s. That was a wild decade. The Cold War was …
My family was not very “into” Halloween. When I would ask my mom about my costume, her yearly response was, “Go in the bin and find something to wear.” The bins were wooden window seats under the den windows with tops that flipped open. My toys were in one bin, old clothes and keepsakes occupied …
Recently ruminating about the commonality of all my books and blogs, I realized they’re about homemaking. In books, it’s making a new home or fitting into someone else’s. In blogs, it’s about the little ways I make my own home. I was reading an article about homemakers of today and the abuse they get from …
Don’t miss part one of our adventure here: Part One. Ragged Point is an outpost about 30 minutes north of Cambria. They have rooms, but we’ve never stayed. We always visit their very fine restaurant for lunch. It was here we really understood how few tourists were out. This is the first time we didn’t …
Before socialists, communists, anarchists, labor activitists and leftists took May 1 to commemorate their struggles, it was widely celebrated by the masses. In some regions, it was considered a public holiday that included dancing, singing and yum—cake. In an attempt to bring back the traditional May Day, if only on a small scale, I gathered …
Long before Dr. Spock’s attempt to document the “correct” way to raise psychologically healthy children, many authors published medical science of the day for use by housewives. Knowing I was interested in times past, my mom brought me Wife and Mother or Information for Every Woman from my aunt’s yard sale. Published in 1886, the …