May with its promise of summer is the time of year when the local home improvement store features rows and rows of shiny barbecue grills. There’s the simple, basic grill; the ubiquitous Weber grill, and upscale gas grills with temperature control. People have been cooking over an open flame since the discovery of fire. Grilling
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May Day Maypoles
On Wednesday, May 1, the Northern Hemisphere celebrates May Day. In recent times the celebrations take the form of school sports days, many featuring maypole dancing. But in the distant past, May Day marked the change from darkness to light as days became longer and green sprouts returned to the earth. Ancient Celts celebrated with
Notre Dame on Fire
At Notre-Dame de Paris, the fire alarm went off shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 15th, but no fire was found. A computer glitch showed the fire location in the wrong place. A second alarm went off at 6:43 while the fire spread from the roof at the rear of the cathedral. In less
Titanic Survivors: The Socialite, The Actress, and The “Unsinkable” Woman
At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. At 00.25 a.m. the next morning, the Titanic sent out a distress call. At 2:20 a.m. the ship sank. At 4:00 a.m. the Carpathia began picking up the 710 survivors. This is a story about three women who traveled in first class. One
Titanic – The Ship That Wasn’t Supposed to Sink
Wednesday marks another historic anniversary. It’s the day the RMS Titanic departed Southampton on her maiden voyage. The Titanic, premier ship of the White Star Line, represented the utmost in luxury. She was a marvel of modern engineering. Sixteen watertight compartments featured remotely activated watertight doors. There was no way seawater could enter the compartments,
PANDITA RAMABAI’S DAY OF RECOGNITION
Friday, April 5 is the day the Episcopal Church (USA) dedicates to Pandita Mary Ramabai. It’s also the date of her death in 1922. At the time of her birth in 1858, Rama was an unlikely candidate for Christian recognition. Her father was an itinerant shastri who took his family from temple to temple. He
Dinner with Penelope
The question came up yesterday. If I could have dinner with any literary heroine, who would I invite? I felt like should choose Elizabeth Bennett, because her character resonates with modern readers. But then I thought, one has tea with Elizabeth Bennett, not dinner. So, I set her to the side. Next I thought of
Honey – Nectar of the Gods
Spring officially begins on Wednesday, though winter is often slow in leaving. As the earth warms up, flowers begin to peek through, inviting bees to gather pollen. Bees, of course, produce honey from floral nectar and store it in wax honeycombs within their hives. During their six-week lifespan, each worker bee produces half a teaspoon
St Patrick’s Day and the ‘Wearin’ o’ the Green’
Next Sunday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day. You might wonder how a dour saint from fifth century Ireland could inspire our celebratory madness of green beer, parades, and dancing. And if such a man existed. The answer is . . . Well, let me tell you the stories first. In the year 387 in
FAT TUESDAY IS UPON US
Fat Tuesday has no fixed date. It floats around the calendar sometime in February or March depending on the date for Easter, a moveable feast that occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Our calendar defines the Spring Equinox as March 21, but it can’t control the phases
My Writer’s Lair
This is the view from my writing desk, and I’m in the midst of assessing my writing space. It’s rainy this afternoon, so the skies are grey and cheerless, but at least light still comes through. On a clear day, I get a more joyful view. You can see a bit of my basic configuration:
The White Rabbit Needs a Cup of Tea
“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” Poor White Rabbit. He was under such stress, always looking at his watch and fretting. And we do exactly the same. Over-scheduling. Multi-Tasking. Running from here to there and back again. Texting while walking. Listening to podcasts while jogging. Fidgeting while waiting in the spa Quiet Room.
Two Coins: A Few Character Profiles
Last week I shared the places associated with Two Coins: A Biographical Novel. This week I’m introducing some of the people who grace its pages. With one exception, my selection is limited to characters with a visual record. Two Coins focuses on the libel case Mary Pigot filed against The Reverend William Hastie. Though I
Two Coins: A Sense of Place
My latest book, Two Coins: A Biographical Novel, officially released this past Friday, February 1, 2019. And, I’m excited to share some of the background to Mary Pigot’s story, and how I found it. While doing research for Rama’s Labyrinth, I ran across several references to the case of Pigot vs. Hastie, a civil suit
SELDOM EFFECTIVE COLD REMEDIES THROUGH THE AGES
Since we’re about half way through the 2018-19 cold and flu season, it seems appropriate to mention various ways people have ineffectively looked for remedies. There is still no cure for the common cold, but that’s not because remedies haven’t been attempted. We now know that over 200 viruses are able to cause a cold,
“Tidying Up”
Did anyone select decluttering as a goal for 2019? Many folks do. That’s why there are so many plastic bins on sale now, because, if you can fit all your extra stuff into plastic bins, you can stack the bins in a closet or garage or storage unit and never think about the items again