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PASSING TIME, PASSING THROUGH

Passing time with my mother in-law on her birthday was a gift to everyone. Her birthday was May 5, Cinco de Mayo, and we worked it hard every year. So did she.

PORTLAND HISTORY COMEBACK JUST IN TIME

Portland history used to be easy. Two old guys flipped a coin in a clearing and here we are living happily ever after. That’s my story, but I’m not sticking to it when I tell the Portland story.

INTERNET SHOWTIME SATURDAY WITH A SIDE OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

I’m a big fan of internet showtime, the daily scroll. But I keep it simple. I’m not looking for verification, authentication, or validation. Not looking for lawyers, guns, or money. What I’m looking for is attention grabbing posts, videos, and stories. Make me pause. Is that asking for too much?

BLAME ENGLAND FOR THAT?

Blame England? For what? For being so green, so lush, so historical with its leftover Roman roots? For having current people renting and living in four or five hundred year old houses? Go ahead and blame England for anything you want and you’ll be able to find evidence backing it up. Just make it good. […]

THE COTSWOLD SURPRISE, DAY TWO

The Cotswold surprise would be less if I read more, then I’d know this land was once the land of Wool Barrons and landed gentry. I’d have known it was the land of Big Wool who carried their fleece to market on ancient Roman roads. But I like the element of surprise, just not when […]

LEARNING EARTH PROCESSES = GEOLOGY?

I’ve been learning earth processes since my first rock fight: Sandstone with friends, gravel for the bad guys down on the corner.

HISTORY CLASSES WITH PROFESSOR JOHNNY HORTON

Dear readers, history classes are more than remembering dates and kings and generals. I know this because college changed from that to a more comprehensive picture of time and event during my protracted historical education. The standard when I graduated in 1991 included three books: a novel of the times, one writer’s opinion in a […]

AMERICAN DREAM — 2023: THE GOLDEN RULE

THE American Dream remains the same: Be Somebody. Be someone you’re proud of. If you’ve been the good example bringing someone back from the edge, keep it up. If you’re the reason someone was out there, keep reading.

HOW NORMAL HISTORICAL TIMES GO ABNORMAL

Normal historical times are also called boring, stuck in a rut, and monotonous times. Too much normal can drive people crazy. Nothing ever changes? Or maybe you don’t understand how changes happen. Is everything too slooooooooow for your liking?

MEAT LOAF GLOWING LIKE THE METAL ON THE EDGE OF A KNIFE

Meat Loaf came on the radio a couple of years back while I was driving chaperones for French foreign exchange students around town. They were in their twenties, too young to know Meat Loaf. Hi, Quintan. Hi, Marion. I almost pulled over in stitches when they started singing along to Paradise By The Dashboard Light. […]