If you give a widow a house, she’ll roll it off into the country… History is full of odd little stories like this one. Most of them will remain hidden in the past but every now and then, one of them is discovered, dusted off, and brought into the light of the present day to…
Everyone knows about the Pony Express. It’s one of the most romanticized failed business ventures in American history. I am one of many Americans fascinated by the legend of the Pony Express. I have visited a Pony Express museum, and a Pony Express station, and even sent letters via the Pony Express. Clearly, I am…
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…
So by now you probably know that I like to go all-in when I’m researching a new idea to write about here. When I read 80 Days to Elsewhere by KC Dyer it reminded me of a podcast I had listened to a year or so ago about two women who were racing around the…
Have you ever wondered about the first cross-country road trip? Americans have driven millions of miles back and forth across the country over the years but someone had to be first. That someone was Horatio Nelson Jackson. I’ll admit, I hadn’t given it much thought myself despite my own epic road trip history. A picture…
Last summer I received a letter that had been carried by the Pony Express. And no, it hadn’t been lost for 158 years. Want to know what happened? Keep reading… The Pony Express is a well-known American mail delivery service of the early 1860s. A relay of young horseback riders rode non-stop at top…
Stuff You Should Know is part of my regular podcast playlist. One recent episode caught my eye, moving it to top priority. Emu Wars. That’s right. I said Emu Wars. You want to know more, don’t you? I sure did! What were the Emu Wars? Technically, the Emu War wasn’t actually a war. It was…
Are there any other thesaurus lovers out there? I have been using thesauruses (thesauri is the preferred plural of the author but thesauruses is definitely more fun to say!) for many, many years. When I’m writing something, I want to use the perfect word to get my meaning across. Or sometimes I just need to…