May 2021

Every once in a while, I get the notion that I would like to meet someone, past or present. Walt Whitman is one of those people, for me. I think he was wise in ways unknown to most. I mean, who sets out to be a poet, really? It isn’t high on the list, when […]

We celebrate Memorial Day here in the United States every year, remembering those who served and gave their lives in the name of military service. It isn’t entirely clear where or when this tradition started, as many different communities have given thanks to the fallen throughout history. In fact, the United States is one of

It is a sweeping day in history, once again, with Kings, and Popes, and Emperors, doing what they did, all across the lands. There are too many for me to list on all my fingers and toes. But here are a few on this May 29. 1790 — Rhode Island became the last of the

There is a new trend where it comes to coffee. Apparently, people are going into Starbucks with Smartphones in hand and ordering drinks they saw on TikTok. Yes, coffee drinks they encountered on an app. Lessons in coffee. Coffee is a sacred drink, given to us lowly humans many centuries ago by the coffee gods.

I’ve been making things up about Wild Bill Hickok. He and Calamity Jane appear in the book I’m writing, in the margins, on the side, like an undercurrent. But for real, today is Wild Bill Hickok’s birthday. He was born on May 27, 1837, which would have made him a Gemini on the Astrological scale

Commercials. If you watch TV, the regular kind of TV that airs in regular time, on any of the networks, you are bound to find commercials. They are a huge portion of the network’s revenue — the selling of those time spots to advertisers. Commercials have changed, at least from what I’ve observed. Years ago,

Baseball fan or not, one can appreciate Casey Stengel as one of the greatest players of all time. He started out with the Brooklyn Dodgers, which were then the Brooklyn Robbins. He moved around to several other teams over the years, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the New York Giants, among others. Now, I won’t

Okay. Hold on to your wooly hats because I have something to tell you. It was on this date, May 24, 1830, that the renowned poem, “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” was first published by Sarah Josepha Hale (with the Boston firm Marsh, Capen & Lyon). But wait. There’s more. Let’s start with Sarah Josepha