Stories from the Slow Lane
Ballyhamage One-Room School Memories
Over a pot of tea many years ago, Mom shared memories of Ballyhamage, the one-room school she attended from 1920 to 1925. The little white frame building had no electricity, indoor plumbing, telephone, water well or running water. Built on top of a ridge of hills with...
A Vintage Cookbook’s Untold Tales
A faded cover. A ragged spine. Well-thumbed pages. These are not flaws, but evidence of this vintage Blue Ribbon Cook Book’s untold tales. I treasure this little volume dedicated to the ‘women of Canada’ more than a century ago. The engraved image of the Blue Ribbon...
Abandoned on Alberta’s Backroads
Decades ago, I discovered some stunning abandoned sights while wandering Southern Alberta’s backroads with my 35 mm camera. These works of country art fascinated me back then and I’m still under their spell today. Elaine on Assignment When I took some of these photos,...
A Vintage Visit to the Calgary Stampede
When I was a child, the Calgary Stampede was the highlight of our summer. Attending the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth was convenient because we lived on a farm south of the city. Our family certainly knew how to get the most out of the greatly anticipated event...
The Tale of Mikie Kieran’s Trophy
Years ago, a legendary athlete gave me the first place engraved sterling silver swimming trophy she’d won in the 1918 ladies Canadian PNA Championship 500-yard race. Here’s the tale behind my treasured keepsake. A Legend is Born Audrey (Mikie) Griffin Kieran was six...
John and Gwen’s Wartime Love Story
If this 80-year-old chalkware figurine of a U.S. sailor could talk, what tales it could tell. One would be the World War II saga of John Wells from San Benito, Texas, who wrote letters home to his wife, Gwen. John was a gruff, no-nonsense guy who smoked Lucky Strikes....
Books Sales in Bloom
Picturesque fields of spring wildflowers haven’t been the only thing blooming here in South Central Texas lately. My observation is based on achieving a new personal best record by attending four local library book sales in three days in Schulenburg, La Grange, Weimar...
Easter Memories: Faith, Family, Fun
Easter blessings abound through expressions of our faith, practicing family rituals and revisiting fun recollections. It's also a good time to make new memories. Let's revisit three special Easter stories that friends have shared. No Store-Bought Baskets for the...
No April Fools’ – Prices 50 Years Ago
It’s no April Fools’ joke that certain banking entities were paying 5% to 6% dividends on deposits 50 years ago. Prices for groceries, clothing, cars, building materials, and TVs have changed, too, according to 1972 ads clipped from The Fayette County Record in La...
Other Stories I've Saved
