150th Chancellorsville
The A-frame tent drying on the lawn. The fluffy white piles of petticoats and chemises waiting to be washed. The soft scent of wood smoke that still faintly lingers in my room. All are reminders of...
View ArticleWhat I Learned This Summer
Well, the official first day of fall is only 5 days away… I hope you all have had a great summer so far! I’ve been a pretty negligent blogger (nothing since Mother’s Day, yikes!). Instead of just...
View ArticleCivil War Photo Shoot
Well, winter has come with a vengeance here on the farm! We’ve had several feet of snow dumped on us and the National Weather Service has been issuing snow warnings. Today the power kept winking out so...
View ArticlePublic Presentations
To help improve your public speaking skills our county 4-H requires you to give a “public presentation” each year. A public presentation is a demonstration, speech, illustrated talk, recitation, or...
View Article150th Battle of the Wilderness
“I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer.” -General Ulysses S. Grant The Army of the Potomac was once again making its annual push “on to Richmond”. The same ground of...
View ArticleIt Took a War
So, you’ve probably heard me talk about my friend Emily Ann before. If you have, you already know what an awesome friend and talented photographer she is! But did you also know that she wrote a book?!...
View ArticleBraveheart: Part I
Recently, I finished sewing a neat project for my friend Stewart. Stewart has Scottish ancestors and is a fan of Braveheart, so he asked me to make a kilt and tunic similar to the one William Wallace...
View ArticleBraveheart: Part II
Yesterday I posted about the tunic I sewed for a friend’s Braveheart costume. Today I’ll share about the exciting part, the kilt! (If you didn’t see yesterday’s post you can read it here.) First I’ll...
View ArticleNow He Belongs to the Ages
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln. As a tribute I have written this poem: Now He Belongs to the Ages Our country rejoices in peace come at last, Now avarice and...
View Article150th Appomattox
Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, not the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing...
View ArticleAngelica Civil War Reenactment
The biggest Civil War reenactment doesn’t necessarily make the best. While I’ve enjoyed attending the large and exciting sesquicentennial events the past couple of years, this weekend reminded me just...
View ArticleThe Bible Poem
On Thursday the 11th, as we sat talking to Mother…some one asked for Miriam. She went down, and presently I heard her thanking somebody for a letter…I ran back, and sitting at Mother’s feet, told her...
View ArticleThe “Bess” Bonnet
And still of a winter’s night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, A...
View ArticleQuilted Petticoat
It only took me 1 1/2 years to sew and 1 1/2 years to blog about, but here is my quilted wool petticoat! In 2013 I met a lovely lady named Judy at the Genesee Country Village Civil War reenactment....
View ArticleWhy Reenact British?
The uncertainty was clear in Mom’s voice. “You’re going to reenact British? Why would you want to do that?” It was a fair question. I had, after all, just announced I was going to start reenacting the...
View Article18th Century Pockets
My first item of clothing for my Rev War camp follower kit is completed… a pair of pockets! Most women, myself included, lament the utter uselessness or total lack of pockets in our garments. Too bad...
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