Janet Morrison's Blog, page 19

#OnThisDay: The USS Constitution Engaged the British, 1812

Have you ever been to Boston Harbor to see the USS Constitution? It is the world’s oldest warship that is still afloat and can operate under its own power. One of six ships commissioned in 1794 by the United States, it was built in Boston in 1797. The three-masted wooden war ship was nicknamed “Old … Continue reading #OnThisDay: The USS Constitution Engaged the British, 1812 →

This Week in History: 1945

I could not get excited about writing about the August 12, 1898 US annexation of Hawaii for today’s blog post. (I could get excited about Hawaii’s statehood, which happened in my childhood, but its annexation as a territory? Not so much.) I couldn’t muster the energy to do enough research to write 500 or 1,000 … Continue reading This Week in History: 1945 →

We get by with a little help from our fellow bloggers!

Liz Gauffreau is a blogger friend of mine. This week she launched her new book, Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right. It is a collection of 53 of her original haiku. Each one is paired with a photograph from her love of nature and the world’s beauty. If you aren’t familiar with haiku, … Continue reading We get by with a little help from our fellow bloggers! →

A Different Kind of “First-Blog-Post-of-the-Month” Blog Post

If you read my blog last week (A Lost Art) or my July e-newsletter, you know I have been decluttering this summer. I have reached an age at which I have realized that I’m not going to live forever and I really don’t want to leave my heirs a massive mess to deal with when … Continue reading A Different Kind of “First-Blog-Post-of-the-Month” Blog Post →

A Lost Art

How many of us take the time or even think about handwriting a letter today? It has been so long since I handwrote more than a brief thank-you note, I honestly cannot remember. It is easier to text, email, or type a letter on the computer and print it. I mentioned in my July e-newsletter … Continue reading A Lost Art →

Exploring Qualla Boundary

Several weeks ago, my sister and I spent several days in Cherokee, North Carolina. We have visited Cherokee many times, but I had never seen the “Unto These Hills” outdoor drama. Since the drama was rewritten a few years ago to give a truer presentation of the Cherokee Indian perspective on their history, I was … Continue reading Exploring Qualla Boundary →

#OnThisDay: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 1975

This was not planned, but when I started to write this blog post I realized the event whose anniversary we mark today happened 200 years and one week after the historic petition I blogged about last Monday. It’s nice when serendipity happens. Whereas last Monday’s blog post was about a petition written in 1775 as … Continue reading #OnThisDay: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 1975 →

#OnThisDay: Olive Branch Petition, 1775

On July 8, 1775, the Second Continental Congress adopted the so-called Olive Branch Petition as sort of a last-ditch effort to avoid war with Great Britain. It was written by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. He hoped against hope that America would not break with its mother country. The petition’s words were couched in language meant … Continue reading #OnThisDay: Olive Branch Petition, 1775 →

Books read in June 2024

The first Monday of July is here, so my blog today is about some of the books I read in June. It’s hard to realize 2024 is half over. Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond, by Henry Winkler I began June by listening to Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond. It was enlightening and enjoyable, … Continue reading Books read in June 2024 →

#OnThisDay: Berlin Airlift, 1948

When I read that today was the 76th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, I must admit my mind was a little short on details. One of the perks of writing this blog is that I get to study events in history and then share what I have learned. Three of my last four blog posts … Continue reading #OnThisDay: Berlin Airlift, 1948 →