It’s Nutcracker Ballet Time

By | December 11th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   I love non-commercial radio, which means WCMU where I live. As I was driving earlier this week, the station was conducting a fundraiser for heating assistance. Fundraisers usually mean the more popular selections of classical music are played. It was no surprise that holiday music was the fare of the day, [...]

Decorating Steampunk for the Holidays

By | December 4th, 2015|Categories: Steampunk, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Now that Thanksgiving and the initial shopping frenzy is done, it's decorating time at my house. Are you decorating Steampunk this year? Maybe you already have, but if you haven't or want to do more, here are some ideas to spark your imagination.   DIY Holiday Decorating     Do you [...]

Meadow Brook Hall for the Holidays

By | December 3rd, 2015|Categories: Roaring 20s, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Holiday Walking Tour at Meadow Brook Hall   Each Thanksgiving, we go over the river and through the woods and eventually arrives in Rochester Hills, Michigan to share the holiday fun and food with about 30 members of our family. We were looking for something other than shopping to do on [...]

A Gilded Thanksgiving Celebration

By | November 26th, 2015|Categories: Edwardian Era, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , |

By Donna Klein   Thanksgiving During the Gilded Age   Thanksgiving is here! As I thought about the holiday, I wondered what it was like during the glory years of the characters on Downton Abbey. I know the British don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but  what was it like for their American counterparts? What was Thanksgiving like [...]

“The Doctor wore Petticoats” and other books by Chris Enss

By | November 21st, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|

  A prolific author with more than 20 books to her credit, Chris Enss really gets into the characters she writes about when she tells the tales of the women who populated the America’s old west. She chronicles such interesting ladies as mail-order brides, frontier teachers, and Cheyenne Indians. Most recently, Chris is working on [...]

The Most Extraordinary Story of Sister Blandina Segale – Pt. 2

By | November 20th, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Old West, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

What Made Sister Blandina Segale's Service in the Old West Extraordinary? Sister Blandina Segale wrote a memoir of her time in Colorado Territory, titled At the End of the Santa Fe Trail. Stories of her adventures while serving in the Old West have been featured in novels, television programs, histories, and even a comic book. The CBS [...]

The Most Extraordinary Story of Sister Blandina Segale – Pt. 1

By | November 19th, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Old West, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Sister Blandina Segale, Servant of God Sister Blandina Segale has been in the news lately. Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (New Mexico) closed its inquiry on why she should become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. The file has been sent on to the Vatican for consideration. So, who was Sister [...]

Part 3 – Bass Reeves: the Real ‘Lone Ranger’

By | November 6th, 2015|Categories: Old West, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

By Donna Klein   Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3   The Real Lone Ranger   Let's take a look at what makes him a legend and most likely the inspiration for the “Lone Ranger.” Bass Reeves was an expert marksman, he rode a white or gray stallion, was “pressed and dressed” with [...]

Bass Reeves – Slave to American Hero – Pt. 2

By | November 6th, 2015|Categories: Old West, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3   Bass Reeves Rides the Oklahoma Range   Starting Bass in 1875, Reeves served as a Deputy U.S. Marshal on the Oklahoma Range, a territory that covered about 75,000 square miles. Often, he set out with a wagon, a cook, and a Native [...]