In a recent poll, twenty percent of the people said that they wanted a pet giraffe. I already liked giraffes myself but after researching these stories a bit more, I am definitely part of the giraffe-loving crowd. Of course, I was also ready to get a camel after researching them a few months ago. Do…
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,…
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….
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…
Did you say horse diving? Yes, apparently horse diving used to be a thing. It was the brainchild of Dr. Carver who claims he once had a horse that loved jumping off bridges into the water. Horse Diving eventually became a headline act at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City and in many smaller fairs…
A headless chicken? That’s a joke, right? A cliche? Well, yes and no. It turns out there really was a famous headless chicken. His name was Mike and he lived in Fruita, Colorado in 1945. He wasn’t supposed to be famous. He was supposed to be dinner. But fate was on his side that day…
If you’re like me, you’ve seen The Wizard of OZ movie many times. But have you ever stopped to wonder how it came to be? It turns out that The Wizard of OZ has quite the backstory and history! I don’t remember now why I decided to read Finding Dorothy. My to-be-read pile is quite…
Chicken Sisters, Chicken Wars, and Harvey Girls… What on earth could these three things have in common? I recently read Chicken Sisters by Kj Dell’antonia. In the prologue to the story, two sisters who had started out as Harvey Girls left the Harvey House restaurant to start their own restaurants, both serving fried chicken. Three…