Barb's Babbles

I figure that since it’s nearing Halloween, we need to learn about some of the spooks and ghosts still rambling and roaming around in the White House. I’ll save the best for last and begin with who supposedly have seen which apparitions that float around the floors of our Executive Mansion. President Lincoln’s footman, Jerry Smith, believed that he saw the presidential spirits of Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley, and a few first ladies. I don’t know which ones, but I question if Dolley Madison doesn’t attend balls wearing her empire waist, red ball gown. Eleanor Roosevelt’s secretary became very frightened at seeing President Lincoln’s ghost sitting on the bed. I think he’s probably wondering how he fit his long legs in and under the sheets. Did he keep his stovepipe hat beside him at night so he could riffle through all the pages he’d stuck inside of it? The same person also had encounters with Andrew Jackson. He’s probably wondering if he’s still considered, Old Hick...

My husband is from a small farm, and he’s never gotten over the urge to raise fresh vegetables. I used to enjoy canning and making jelly but since I became an author there’s very little free time so it’s up to him. I resurrected my mother’s old recipe for zucchini bread and recently made a couple of loafs. Boy did they taste and smell good too!              Now is the time to become absorbed in a new book!                                                                                                                    Suffragette to Death       Here is the link to the first in my White House Dollh...

HOW LABOR DAY CAME ABOUT; WHAT IT MEANS "Labor Day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.  The First Labor Day The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central L...

On August 17, the cat’s will howl!  Why you ask? CAT NIGHTS BEGIN Cat Nights begin on August 17. This term harks back to the days when people believed in witches. A rather obscure old Irish legend said that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t regain her human form. This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, “A cat has nine lives.” Because August is a yowly time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place. Also, nights continue to get longer. Cats, crepuscular creatures, are nocturnal hunters. Their superior night vision means that the nights belong to them. Mae West (actress) was born on   Thursday, August 17, 1893 .   “Come up and see me sometime,” Mae West.   The most famous “one-liner” Mae West has ever created easily turned into her signature song: Come up and See Me Sometimes!  1934 Comedy ...

Fourth of July celebrations  July 2, 1776 is when John Adams proclaimed:  I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, spirits, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.  He wrote this to his beloved wife, Abigail. The revised Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, which is why it's celebrated on the Fourth. Ever since 1777, Americans have celebrated the Day of Independence with fireworks, parades, picnics, family gatherings, etc. The first celebration had a firing of the canon, militia march and the reading of the Declaration of Independence with much 'HUZZA!' across the land. Ever since, there's not much changed. It seems that...

I graduated from a very large class. It was 1970. I’m not exactly sure how many students there were on the day of graduation, but I believe that it was between 7 and 800. That’s an awful lot of friends to remember. Of course, the friends from grade school stand out the most in my mind.       I don’t want to name specific people, but there were a few girlfriends that we lost our connection once we moved up to Sanford Junior High and then onto Roosevelt High School. At Sanford, we still kind of saw each other but with so many schools funneling into Roosevelt, the friendship was lost.      There were several sets of twins. I lived next door to a set but we didn’t connect until our fortieth reunion. How sad. Now, we’re friends on Facebook. Then, there was my bestie who moved when we were in fifth grade to Richfield. We stayed in contact for a few years but then life got in the way. I still remember spending the weekend at her p...

      “ It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle. ”  Norman Schwarzkopf quotes  (U.S. Army officer who commanded Operation Desert Storm, b.1934) From what I’ve learned, it’s apparent that the need for honoring our vets came from the women. Those who survived. It also began during and after the American Civil War. Both sides had a need to honor their dead. The women would mourn over the death of their husbands and lovers, sons and brothers, fathers and daughters. They’d decorate the graves. This is why it was first called: Decoration Day. Leave it to the women to start something to honor their heroes who’d stolen their hearts.      A hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's...