Why don’t we do spring resolutions instead of New Year’s resolutions? After all, spring is a time of new growth, birth, sunshine, and a sweeping out of the winter doldrums. At my house, we have tomato and pepper seedlings sitting in trays seeking the sun and 6 Australorp chicks sprouting their big hen feathers waiting … Read more
March is Women’s History Month. It’s a time when we look at the accomplishment of women throughout history. As a writer, I create women characters, so today I’m reflecting on the difference between men and women. Many years ago, when I was an undergraduate, I had a close friend who devastated me with one comment. … Read more
I’m deep in the winter doldrums as we brace for another round of storms here in Virginia. My husband and I spent yesterday afternoon getting firewood for the woodstove in the event we lost power again. I made a mental note that any farmhouse we purchase when he retires must have a large, working fireplace … Read more
On Monday, the Fredericksburg region received a foot of heavy, wet snow. It caused trees to snap and a fifty-mile backup on I-95. People were trapped in their cars overnight in plummeting temperatures. Here on our little homestead, we didn’t have power for two days, but the dogs and cats snuggled with us and became … Read more
Harry Houdini was a well-known escape artist, a film star, and a tireless warrior against spiritualism. He placed advertisements in local newspapers, including this one in the December 1, 1922 Richmond Times Dispatch. Spiritualism was a religious movement based on the belief that the dead and the living could have contact with each other. Houdini … Read more
