by B.L. Unkel | Dec 28, 2024 | Everything Else
Unless you’ve lived your life inside a cave or outside much of North America, you’ve probably seen a Northern Cardinal. The Basics The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized, non-migratory songbird. The males are vivid red with a black mask, an orange beak, and a...
by B.L. Unkel | Nov 2, 2024 | History
Frankincense, Myrrh, and Saffron are all good guesses. But they’re not correct. Try good old Cinnamon. It was one of the rarest spices in the ancient world. What is it? Cinnamon originated in the ancient country of Ceylon—now known as Sri Lanka—an island...
by B.L. Unkel | Sep 7, 2024 | Everything Else
Now that we’ve moved into September, I can’t help but begin thinking about the coming fall and winter. (I’m looking for cooler weather. Wistful thinking, I know, but I can’t help it.) What’s winter going to be like this year? And are there any ways to know before it...
by B.L. Unkel | Aug 24, 2024 | Everything Else
I don’t know where you are, but here in Texas it’s H.O.T. Since last Thursday was Daffodil Day, I decided to cool off with the first flower of Spring. The Greek Myth The daffodil’s botanical name is narcissus and comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus and Echo....
by B.L. Unkel | Jul 6, 2024 | Travel
For more than two hundred years, people dreamed about connecting England and France by tunnel. In 1994, the dream finally came true. This is a look at the Channel Tunnel after the build. (To learn how it became a reality—from concept to construction—read “Did You Know...
