Weekly Feature Articles

Officially, May Day is the 1st of May, but really anytime during this splendid spring month is a perfect opportunity to share small gifts of the season with everyone: teachers, friends, neighbors, and family. You can do that with May baskets—a wonderful, old-fashioned tradition.

This is the second installment in a series on the history of detective fiction.

The afternoon breeze, humidity, and thunderheads cued the adults to listen to the radio. The broadcast confirmed their suspicions of impending, severe thunderstorms. We went about the business of stowing the toys, the lawn furniture, and garden tools into Grandma and Grandpa's sheds.

Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the social scene, the bad news hits. That shot in your arm wasn't such a shot in the arm. In recent years, the doctors who designed the vaccine had to make a decision as to which strain to fight, Panama flu or Fujian flu. From their data, it looked like Panama would continue to grow strong and the beginnings of the Fujian strain would peter out.

 
Mae West . . .
Jean Harlow . . .
Marilyn Monroe . . .

These three actresses are part of the iconic women in Hollywood’s history known as the blond bombshells. The blond bombshells craze began when Jean Harlow (“The Original Blond Bombshell”) appeared in the appropriately titled film Platinum Blonde (1931). After the film, peroxide flew off the shelves so women could mimic Harlow’s blonde tresses.

Due to the stupidity revealed in this story, our names have been changed to protect our identities. My husband, Ed, will henceforth be referred to as "Herb," and I will be "Sally." Herb and I are experienced hikers. We've read A Walk in the Woods.

There are two types of holiday cookie bakers. First, there are those who faithfully recreate their favorite recipes year after year to the acclaim of gift recipients. Yes, tried and true recipes are successful… but they can get a bit boring! Do their friends really wait each year with gleeful anticipation for the same old pecan sandies and rum balls, or do they secretly yearn for coconut lemon macaroons and double fudge bar cookies? If you are one of these bakers, take a breather from your holiday traditions, and try a fabulous new recipe!

For years I tried to keep a reading journal next to my bed, ready to record my reading adventures. I'd start one, lose it, and begin another. Last Christmas I purchased Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Journal with high hopes of chronicling my 2008 book list. I haven't seen it for a while now, but I seem to remember the two-year-old running away with it, Sharpie in hand.

Obviously, this mom of four needs a different solution--something that a toddler can't deface with indelible ink and is not easily absconded with. So I looked for an online solution. It turns out that there are several rich social networking and personal-library-recording Web sites out there. I am going to talk about my two favorites: LibraryThing and GoodReads.

Bo Jackson. Winston Churchill. Marilyn Monroe. Alan Turing. Nicholas Brendon. John Updike. James Earl Jones.
All of these famous people, some of whom make their living in front of the cameras, have the same difficulty-they are stutterers.
Stuttering Awareness Week occurs each May. Take a few minutes to learn more about this common problem which affects people of all ages.

Scented geraniums' modest flowers are almost invisible among the big blossoms of their flamboyant cousins...but their fragrant leaves made them the secret stars of Victorian Valentine bouquets.