Thoughts on Faith, Books, and Gardens
Here in the sweltering days of Tennessee August, the only flowers around my garden that I can really say are thriving are my zinnias. This is my 3rd year growing them, and the zinnia bed has gotten progressively bigger every year. Apparently when Spanish conquistadors first encountered zinnias in Mexico, they dubbed them, “Mal de... Continue Reading →
There is a small pocket park in a nearby town square, and once when walking around, I snapped the above picture of this quote. “Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” I had no idea who Henry Van Dyke was... Continue Reading →
In a journal entry written exactly 174 years ago today, Leo Tolstoy declared, “”I’ve fallen in love or imagine that I have; went to a party and lost my head. Bought a horse which I don’t need at all.” This past year, I got back into the habit of regular journaling. While I haven’t written... Continue Reading →
1923 Washington Animal Rescue League Christmas party (Library of Congress) Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, humane societies around the country would host Christmas parties for horses in order to help urban residents connect with workhorses who served their communities and to bring attention to the sometimes harsh conditions that horses endured. These horse... Continue Reading →
Did you know that in 1927, Mr. Claus went to Washington and received his pilot license. The United States government didn’t begin issuing pilot licenses until 1927. The Air Commerce Act was passed in 1926 requiring everyone that was piloting aircraft to become licensed, and Santa dutifully applied for and received his. You can find... Continue Reading →
Washington’s Armory Square Hospital (Library of Congress) Christmas comes around faithfully year after year, but it doesn’t always find us well. Sometimes life circumstances find us hurting, grieving, and otherwise having a hard time and not able to celebrate the holidays the way we might like. Last Blogmas, I wrote a little about dealing with... Continue Reading →
The Christmas season of 1944 along the German-Belgian border seems an unlikely setting for an uplifting Christmas story, but that year nothing short of a small miracle happened there. The Battle of the Bulge, Germany’s last effort offensive campaign was raging. It was to be the bloodiest battle for American forces during WWII with 19,000... Continue Reading →
When I was pregnant with our daughter, my husband and I found ourselves in a Buy Buy Baby after a doctor’s appointment. We walked up and down the aisles, taking notes and feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the gear that apparently came along with a new baby. My husband asked if all this was necessary,... Continue Reading →
Happy Fall! It is officially my favorite time of year and finally starting to cool off a little around here. It’s the kind of weather that invites curling up with a good book and warm cup of tea. And this time of year, it can be fun to read something a little spooky. I’ve always... Continue Reading →
We moved this past December, and part of getting settled into our new home these past few months has been setting up some new flower beds. Of course, I dug up many of my iris bulbs and planted them in their new home. These bulbs are descendants of ones that grew at my Nashville home... Continue Reading →
Rachel F. Jean 