Original Leisure & Entertainment

In case you missed it, both the Today Show and the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Jane Pauley recently featured cast members of the original musical Shucked! The reviews found the musical to be: “A glut of Gleeful Puns and Cornography” (New York Times), . . . Read More

April Fools’ Day is one of the most widely recognized non-religious holidays in the Western world. Children prank parents, coworkers prank coworkers, and even national and local news outlets still prank their readers and viewers. . . Read More

The “wearing of the green” on March 17 in honor of St. Patrick, along with all the parades with their bagpipes and blarney, is part of a folk ritual that announces the death of winter and the birth of spring. . . Read More

What did humans use to clean themselves in the days BEFORE toilet paper? Naturally, they used what was readily available. The simplest way was physical use of one’s hand, but any alternative was likely preferred. . . Read More

The History Center is offering a unique historical learning opportunity to the public in the month of April. Come to the History Center’s yearly tribute to April Fool’s Day, Fool Hardy History. . . Read More

On a frigid winter night, I headed out for the first available showing of Cocaine Bear because my husband wanted me to review it. I asked if he wanted to come with me, but he clarified that he did not want to watch it, he wanted me to watch it. . . Read More

The above proverb means without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring. The exact origins of the phrase remain unclear, though it was recorded as early as 1659. . . Read More

Valentine was a common gender-neutral name during 3rd to 6th centuries. It is of Latin origin meaning “strong and healthy”. Valentine was the name of a 3rd century Christian martyr and saint whose feast falls on February 14, the traditional date . . . Read More

Last September, Jeff visited Born Again Quilts to inform me that Marceille had passed away a couple of months ago. Although I was unfamiliar with her name, when he told me I purchased fabrics at her garage sales on Old Trail Road, I knew exactly who . . . Read More

“Izzy! Izzy, come! Izzy, where are you? There you are! Wait a minute, what have you got? Izzy, put that down – you can’t have that! … Good boy!” Sorry about that. . . Read More

The oldest known paper doll card was printed around 1650 with two female figures and numerous dresses, headgear, hairstyles, and accessories. In the 1700s, paper dolls, jointed and mounted on sticks, were called “pantins” meaning dancing, or jumping . . . Read More

Recently, Born Again Quilts acquired a very rustic quilt top circa 1920s-30s. It was the shoo-fly/monkey wrench/churn dash/hole in the barn door design made of medium blue chambray and gray homespun plaid blocks. . . Read More

The phrase “nutty as a fruitcake” was first used in 1935 in reference to Southern bakers who loaded their fruitcakes with nuts. But what is the history of this heavy, fruit laden cake? . . Read More

It had been a challenging year in our rural community. Lots of older people had passed away, leaving their spouses alone. There had also been quite a few farm accidents from which people were recovering. . . Read More

Christmas was fast approaching, and as I sat in church, all I could think about was the many things I needed to do. The lesson was titled “Caring and Sharing,” but I heard little of it. . . Read More

Why do we say “Merry Christmas” and not “Happy Christmas?” Most people often use the word “Happy” for the New Year, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. But for Christmas, the majority of people in the United States use “Merry” instead . . . Read More

When former lake neighbor Susan asked me to sell the family quilts belonging to her East Coast aunt, I never dreamed what I would discover. Looking through the quilts with her down at Born Again Quilts, it was evident that some were worn, or had an . . . Read More

First used in print in 1749, the term, “housewife,” has been used to denote a sewing kit commonly used by the military. The pocket sewing kit was also known as a “hussif” or “hussy” (also spelled “huswife”). . . Read More

The year was 1941. There was news of the carnage in Europe and Asia, and many were grateful America was not involved. The country faced the hardship of the Great Depression, and even though Arden’s little community wasn’t spared, everyone had shared . . . Read More

The Fort Wayne Philharmonic announced recently that it will perform a concert featuring the music of Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe award winning American composer John Williams on Saturday, November 12th at 7:30 p.m. . . Read More

I love autumn: hands-down my favorite time of the year. My birthday lands in mid-autumn, the trees in Indiana make for a beautiful autumn and there’s nothing more fun than watching high school footfall on a crisp autumn evening. . . Read More

My daughter, Heather, came out of her room all bleary-eyed one morning. “What happened to you?” I asked. “My touch lamp is broken,” she said. “At least, I hope that’s all it is.” . . Read More

The 1862 Homestead Act signed by Lincoln prior to the Civil War was an important piece of legislation about federal land. The Homestead Act provided that any adult citizen who had never borne arms against the U.S. . . Read More

October is my favorite month. In our home, it is a month-long celebration of cinnamon tea, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin beer. My pumpkin patch even produced an abundance of decorative gourds. . . Read More