The Oregon Trail is a part of American history that has been romanticized and dramatized in book, movie, and song.  From 1841 to 1884, between 300,00 and 500,000 had made the journey from Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the official endpoint of the trail.1 Travelling the 2,170 miles took half a year and perhaps several… Read More »

Did you know that life has been discovered on the moon?  According to astronomer Dr. Andrew Grant, the moon has “unicorns, two-legged beavers and furry, winged humanoids resembling bats.”  He has also discovered that “the moon’s geography, [is] complete with massive craters, enormous amethyst crystals, rushing rivers and lush vegetation.”1  Can you believe it? Well,… Read More »

I woke up a month ago with some really weird thoughts running through my head.  I have no idea what I was dreaming but I awakened thinking about ingredients, spices specifically.  It wasn’t visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.  It was cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salts and peppers, garlic, turmeric, onion powder, chili powder,… Read More »

Breakfast foods are the best, aren’t they?  Scrambled eggs.  Loaded omelets.  Bagels slathered in cream cheese.  Coffee cakes.  Yogurt parfaits.  Oatmeal and cereals.  Biscuits and gravy.  Sausage links and bacon.  Toast with butter and jelly. And the stars of the show:  pancakes and waffles!  Which do you prefer?  What’s the difference besides their look?  Well,… Read More »

A month ago, the Secret Service was in the news daily.  Since you are reading this a month after it was written, there’s a good possibility that they are still in the news.  The news hasn’t been very positive on their behalf. As one of America’s oldest federal law enforcement agencies, they were “originally created… Read More »

By now, most of the mosquitos have been squashed for the season and we shouldn’t have too many more problems with them.  Over the last couple of years, we have been very fortunate and haven’t had the issues with them as we’ve had in the past.  Still, it only takes one mosquito bite to drive… Read More »

The U.S. Census Bureau came out with a demographic statistic that surprised me.  In an article titled The Graying of America, it stated that by 2034 (just 10 years from now), the number of those 65 and older will outnumber those under the age of 18.  Currently, the middle-aged outnumber children. This projection is on… Read More »

Nearly 100% of cars have these.  Sixty-eight percent of homes have at least one of these.1  Eighty percent of Americans tune into one of these at least once a week.2  And the most listened to program is The Dave Ramsey Show.3  If you haven’t figured it out, I’m talking about a radio, and today is… Read More »

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  (Psalms 118:24)  How long have we been singing this chorus, a direct composition from Scripture?  Leslie Norman Garrett (1943-2017) put this Scripture to song and introduced it to the world in 1967.  So, like me, it is 57… Read More »

The 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution reads very simply:  The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.  This amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified on this day in… Read More »