Category Archives: Current Events

Cancel Patrick?

While the world at large plans to turn itself green on the 17th in honor of Saint Patrick, Nina focused on a different perspective of Ireland’s patron saint. I caught her perusing Wakes Rites, The Ancient Irish Rituals of Finnegans Wake, by George Cinclair Gibson. (Don’t go adding an apostrophe to Finnegans—more on that inContinue reading “Cancel Patrick?”

King (Cake) for a Day

Even though there are no Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans this year, there is one in our neighborhood. So Nina decked herself out in beads and did a little research. She’ll tell you that if you want to know anything about Mardi Gras, there is no better source than the Arthur Hardy Mardi GrasContinue reading “King (Cake) for a Day”

Nights Before Christmas

’Twas the night before Christmas when I found Nina browsing The Legend of Papa Noël. Written by Terri Hoover Dunham and illustrated by Laura Knorr, this children’s book is subtitled, “A Cajun Christmas Story.” Since Christmas appeals to the young at heart—and we’re both getting up there in years—I snuggled in with Nina to revisitContinue reading “Nights Before Christmas”

Parting the Thin Veil

As Halloween dawned, I found a perplexed Nina reading The Celtic Book of the Dead by Caitlin Matthews. Subtitled A Guide for Your Voyage to the Celtic Otherworld, the book and its accompanying tarot-like cards explore the immram—a mystical journey to find the meaning of life. Matthews lays out this path by first explaining theContinue reading “Parting the Thin Veil”

A New Case of the Danbury Shakes

When John Oliver badmouthed Danbury, I donned my best Mad Hatter attitude, pulled out my Danbury Historic Booklet Series, and climbed my family tree. Ron caught wind of my indignation. It got his dander going. See, I’m from Danbury. Although I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I escaped to Danbury when I started college. AtContinue reading “A New Case of the Danbury Shakes”

Big, Big, Little Richard

When I met Little Richard in the mid-nineties, he was huge. Not tall, although he seemed much heftier than his official 5´10˝, 160 pounds. Not flamboyant, either. His trademark pompadour was cropped to a tight Afro and his makeup was subtle. And certainly not entertaining. No, wearing a stylish white suit, minus the glitters, heContinue reading “Big, Big, Little Richard”