Following orders seems simple at face value: Someone tells someone what to do and the second someone does it. Done deal? Not so fast.
ATTENTION SPAN DEBATE ON VALENTINES’S DAY: WHAT?
February 14, 2025 by
A short attention span is normal? Older people like to joke about going into another room for some reason they can’t remember. It happens all the time, but there’s a hack: You have to stay in the room until you remember. That’s Michael Corleone wishing brother Fredo well.
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON
December 4, 2024 by
Traditions and customs reek of history and ceremony. Just the way I like it. The more the merrier is fitting for both. But, like George Harrison said, “All things must pass.”
PASSING TIME, PASSING THROUGH
September 10, 2024 by
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
July 14, 2024 by
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
July 13, 2024 by
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?
May 22, 2024 by
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
May 21, 2024 by
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?
October 19, 2023 by
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
February 23, 2023 by
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 […]
