The Intriguing Mystery of History

Old houses fascinate me. If they could talk, what stories they would tell of the people who have lived within their walls, of the good times and bad, of historic changes they’ve witnessed. Old houses are a part of history and I like to dig out the mysteries within them. For a time, quite a […]

St. Valentine Lives Again

St. Valentine Lives Again

Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Yes, according to what I’ve read, a priest named St. Valentine actually lived during the third century. He defied the evil emperor Claudius, who forbade his soldiers to marry. Valentine married them anyway and for this, Claudius had him killed. You can read more about it in This Day In History.  Yesterday, […]

At the End of a Windswept Day

At the End of a Windswept Day

I’m actually writing this Thursday evening, not Friday morning, although that’s when you’ll be reading it, probably. This has been a windswept day, pretty chilly, but what made it really nippy was an enthusiastic wind that enjoyed chilling the bones of anyone who got out in it. The sky looks so pretty this evening. It’s […]

The Weight of Many Years

The Weight of Many Years

The weight of many years was too much for an historic building in my hometown of Tahlequah. The back end of 120-year old Masters’ Hardware, collapsed. Judging from the pictures, it just let go and crumbled to the ground. Luckily, the store had been closed for a while and no one was inside. What caused it? A 3.0 […]

Peeling Back the Layers of Time

Peeling Back the Layers of Time

Those of us fascinated by history like to peel back the layers of time. Year by year, century by century, people live, die, buildings are built and then fall victim to a disaster or, by chance, survive. Going forward, we add to the layers of history but going backward, ah! There is the fascination. I haven’t […]

Coffee with Blanche

Coffee with Blanche

  Have you noticed that August brings a change in the air, an almost imperceptible something that tells us summer is drawing to a close? Lawns need mowing less frequently. Those early spring flowers which filled the planters are succumbing to the heat; even the trees have a quiet, brooding look about them. And, of […]