I love animals, and squirrels are very fun to watch. A while back, I even wrote about a day in the life of a squirrel. Despite my love of their antics and cute faces, I have never considered a pet squirrel, but apparently there are several famous pet squirrels throughout history. Always a squirrel fan,…
You’re probably wondering what a rotary jail is… Well, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It’s a jail that rotates around a central core with wedge-shaped jail cells. The selling point of this design, patented in 1881 by William H. Brown, is that only one cell at a time could be accessed through…
One of my favorite podcasts, Stuff You Should Know, recently published an episode about water towers. I LOVE water towers so I was super excited to listen. It turns out that Josh and Chuck are also fans but it did make me wonder. Am I unique in my love for water towers? Josh and Chuck…
West with Giraffes is an emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…” Woodrow Wilson Nickel, West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge Official Synopsis Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his…
Do you remember the Pease Porridge Hot nursery rhyme? Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold. Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old. Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some like it in the pot, nine days old. -children’s nursery rhyme Apparently, this is a real food that people eat, even today! I…
“There are all types of rugged, and not all of them are physical. It takes tough mental grit — foresight, planning, and craftiness — to do what Bessie did in the Jim Crow era and get away with it.” Ann ferrar I’d like you to meet Bessie Stringfield… Bessie was born in 1911 or 1912….
I’m pretty sure it’s required that you visit the World’s Largest Potato and the Idaho Potato Museum when you go to Idaho. The Idaho Potato Museum is located inside an old railroad depot in Blackfoot, Idaho, and right out front, just begging for a photo, is the World’s Largest Potato. Inside the museum, you will…
Day 10 of the 20 Days of Me… We’re halfway through the series and I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of hungry. Let’s have a snack! Favorite Snacks This is a tough one to answer. I like snacks. Lots of different kinds at different times of my life. So let’s do a…
This may be hard for some of you to imagine, but once upon a time, there was no internet. <gasp!> I know! Crazy, right? Now imagine being far from home – away from your family and friends – and potentially in a dangerous place. Are you homesick? But… there’s something there that can link you…
Once upon a time, I met a camel named Ali and he told me all about his time in the US Army Camel Corps. He was born in Egypt but was captured by humans and loaded into the belly of a ship that spent 3 months sailing from Egypt to Texas. Sounds pretty unbelievable, doesn’t…
On a recent road trip to Grandma’s house, I discovered a fun little Wizard of Oz-themed park. I drive within 5 miles of this park on almost every trip to Grandma’s AND I’m always looking for fun stops along the way so I’m not sure how I missed it before. Let’s visit the Wizard of…
Mmm… Big Macs! We all know the jingle, right? “Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun” Just for fun, here’s a Big Mac commercial from 1974 I love Big Macs and was super excited to learn that there is a World’s Largest Big Mac statue – AND…