by B.L. Unkel | Feb 17, 2024 | History
President’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s time to learn something new about our presidents. The Beginning Congress added George Washington’s birthday (February 22) to the calendar of federal holidays for Washington D.C. in 1879. Then, in 1885, his...
by B.L. Unkel | Jan 20, 2024 | Everything Else
Winter brings the need to bundle up against the cold. Part of that process is donning a hat. Hat History Head coverings were invented for more than just protecting the wearer’s head. A hat can also indicate a person’s job, as well as their social status. They...
by B.L. Unkel | Dec 30, 2023 | Holidays
2023 is quickly coming to an end, or rather, 2024 is fast approaching. And you know what that means? People are setting goals for the new year. Trains Have you ever ridden on a train? I’ve been on several in the states (specifically in Washington and Alaska),...
by B.L. Unkel | Dec 23, 2023 | Holidays
Christmas customs and traditions are many and varied. One of the best-known, at least in the U.S., is the Christmas tree. Evergreens Evergreen trees, like mistletoe and other evergreen plants, have been used in pagan and Christian winter festivals for thousands...
by B.L. Unkel | Dec 16, 2023 | Everything Else
What do Christmas, Druids, a Norse god, and bird droppings have in common? Mistletoe, of course! The Plant Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that grows in large spherical clumps on a wide variety of hosts—trees and shrubs. Some mistletoe clumps can get as...