In 1761 Elias Hasket Derby, age 22, married Elizabeth Crowninshield, age 26. When they married, Elias’ father built them a brick house on Salem’s waterfront. Elizabeth’s father provided household items, including furniture, linen, brass kettles, and looking glasses. Elias acquired a new beaver hat to mark the occasion. The couple were well-suited. The Derby family
Articles Categorized Sandra Wagner-Wright
Last of the Summer Reads
Before we bid farewell to summer, there’s still time to enjoy a final three fictional escapes. Each story is attached to a place, and one or more points in history. Each involves at least one feisty heroine who takes control of her own life, however reluctantly. I almost didn’t pick up The Lions of Fifth
Hunting Unicorns
Unicorns are elusive creatures, though I’m not sure they can be called shy. In the Middle Ages, about the time unicorns became officially magical, people thought the creatures symbolized purity. This is probably why the standard color for unicorns is white. On the other hand, unicorns were said to be vain creatures who happily spent
Unicorn Tales
Sometimes fanciful thoughts relax our minds by reminding us of whimsical, carefree times. And what could be more whimsical than riding a unicorn? If the unicorn is white, with a multi-colored tale, it is clearly a fantasy. But unicorns of other descriptions were once thought to be real. The unicorn, a mythical, magical beast sporting
The Earl of Northumbria, His Illegitimate Son, & The Smithsonian Institution
On August 10, 1846 President James K. Polk, a man little remembered today, signed The Smithsonian Institution Act to create what we generally generally think of as our national museum. But Polk’s action was neither the beginning nor the ending of the story I’m about to tell. The story begins in 1688 with the birth
Too Much To Do? Simplify
Do you sometimes feel like you’re trying to juggle too many objects in the air? Forget sometimes. Do you frequently and often feel like you multitask more than is even remotely healthy? We’ve all been there, and many of us still are. It is a conundrum of our culture that we fill our mental and
Summer Reads: Mysteries in Exotic Places
It’s the end of July, the height of the summer season. Many of us have emotional baggage — those suitcases and backpacks that finally accept they won’t be going anywhere this summer. But we can still escape into other worlds via mysteries with intriguing locales. This month’s episode of Summer Reads features mysteries in locales
“By the Beautiful Sea”
Before people started going to the beach, there was Sea Bathing for health, of course. In 1753 Dr. Richard Russell published The Use of Sea Water, a treatise recommending sea water as a cure for various diseases. The salty water was recommended as an immersive cure and a healing tonic. Russell’s book remained in print
ICE COLD LEMONADE ON A HOT SUMMER DAY
Last month’s blog on Iced Tea got me thinking about other thirst quenching drinks for hot summer days, and Lemonade is every bit as common as Iced Tea as a summer beverage. Lemons and sugarcane, two prime ingredients for lemonade, are native to India where people mix a beverage called Nimbu Pani. The ingredients include
From Happy Faces to Emoji
Who remembers the original “smiley” or “happy” face? Before anyone thought of emojis, Harvey Ross Ball, a graphic designer, was asked to make an icon that could lift employee morale. Within 10 minutes Ball came up with a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and an arc for a mouth. Ball was paid $45
Summer Reads: Historical Fiction
Summertime and the reading is easy. Many people imagine a summer vacation that includes lying on a beach reading a book, while the sound of waves serenades our ears. People select all kinds of books for beach reads. A few of them are historical fiction. Historical fiction is a broad category. On one extreme, it
Don’t Forget Your Sunglasses
Summer is here —Time to SLIP-SLOP-SLAP-WRAP SLIP on a shirt before you slide into the shade; SLOP on sunscreen; SLAP on a hat; and WRAP Sunglasses around your eyes. Eye protection is important, not just to reduce glare and shade your view, but to prevent photokeratitis, or sunburn on your eyes from exposure to Ultraviolet
GARDENIAS
I’m a big fan of gardenias. The plant requires little attention, and the white flowers with their heady fragrance are pure joy. Less joyful are the tiny thrips that feast on the flowers. There are various cures for this. I put the blossoms in soapy water for a bit, and then rinse them off before
A TOAST TO ICED TEA
Iced beverages of any kind, but especially iced tea, have been a staple of hot summer days for generations. By definition, any form of cold tea is an iced tea, which implies, I can simply brew some hot tea, let it cool, and put the container into the refrigerator for a few hours, and voila,
TWO CAT TALES
Thursday, June 4 is Hug-A-Cat Day — which, according to Koa Kat, makes it the perfect time to tell two charming stories about cats. The Owl & the Pussy-Cat The Owl and the Pussy-Cat is a nonsense poem written by Edward Lear (1812-1888) and first published in 1871. The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to
Ketchup: The All-American Condiment
Ketchup is the go-to of all American condiments. In fact, the average American consumes 71 pounds of ketchup each year. [Incidentally, this 1953 advertisement by Alcoa Aluminum uses the Del Monte catsup bottle as a prop to demonstrate how easy it is to open aluminum screw tops.] It’s easy to understand why Alcoa used a