By Eilene Lyon I’d like to introduce you to my maternal grandfather, Laurence Martin Smith, aka Smitty. In his retirement years, he took to writing down some stories about his life (don’t we wish all our ancestors would do that?!). I’ll be sharing some of them with you over the coming months. The Fastest Dog... Continue Reading →
Lessons From A Riot
By Eilene Lyon Every year for four days in March, I attend the local film festival. Though I love the feature films, I try to see as many shorts and documentaries as possible. After watching a series of international narrative shorts this morning, which were excellent, I went to see the documentary, “12th and Clairmount.”... Continue Reading →
Probate Gold Mine
Week 9: #52 Ancestors – Where There’s a Will By Eilene Lyon This week’s title should really be “Where There Isn’t a Will.” That’s because sometimes a probate case, when a person dies intestate, can tell you more about that person than a will ever could. When I started writing the California gold rush story... Continue Reading →
Absurdities #1
By Eilene Lyon Why does the speedometer on my car go all the way to 140 mph? That's like double (or quadruple) the legal limit just about everywhere. It's not as if I'm driving a Ferrari, either. This is a Hyundai Santa Fe! Are car manufacturers trying to make me think that going 60 mph... Continue Reading →
We Are Not Powerless
Repealing The 2nd Amendment is Possible By Eilene Lyon Here’s a pop quiz for my American readers: In which decade was the last amendment added to the Constitution? No cheating! A. 1930s B. 1950s C. 1970s D. 1990s Some might say that the 27th amendment is inconsequential, and the fact it took more than 200... Continue Reading →
Escapees from the (Book) Purge – Unread
By Eilene Lyon If you're like me (and if you're a blogger, you probably are), you have waaaay too many books. I've been purging the collection over the past few years, because I'm sure someone else needs them more than I do. But some books remain on my shelves forever, because I'm just sure I'll... Continue Reading →
Versatile Blogger Award
It’s so wonderful to be nominated for an award so soon in my blogging “career”! Many thanks to Ruth at HistorianRuby for the nomination. I love reading her posts on history – one of my favorite topics, as you know. (She’s also a great supporter of new bloggers in general.) The rules are: Thank the... Continue Reading →
Going for the Gold
Winter Olympics History By Eilene Lyon I was so inspired by the American women’s relay in cross-country skiing. The first gold medal EVER for the U.S. in cross-country skiing in Olympic history. Go Team USA! The winter games began in 1924, so that’s nearly a century-long drought – it seems only the Chicago Cubs have... Continue Reading →
The Un-Friending
By Eilene Lyon Perhaps it’s happened to you. I want to blame it on Russia’s divisive meddling in American social media, but maybe it’s my own fault. It’s probably more common than I realize, since I don’t spend much time on Facebook and refuse to tweet. Nancy and I became friends nearly 30 years ago... Continue Reading →