Have you noticed people wearing the paper red poppies that veterans sell each Memorial Day? This tradition can be traced back to Miss Moina Michael of Athens, Georgia. She had the inspiration on November 9, 1918 to make the red poppy (Papaver rhoeas) the symbol of remembrance for the sacrifices of fallen soldiers during World War I. Her …
If you were having a dinner party and could invite any three people, who would you invite? My guest list would include Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, and Martin Gardner. If you know of Martin Gardner’s work, then you know why I would want him at my dinner party. He was a great thinker and could discuss …
It may sound clichéd, but as a librarian, one of the best gifts you can give me is a book. For Christmas one year, I received a re-issue of Rachel Carson’s 1965 Sense of Wonder . This book is an expansion of her 1956 essay “Help Your Child to Wonder” published in the July issue …
In observance of Mother’s Day many of us in the United States will be buying and sending flowers to the mothers in our lives. You might not know it, but this tradition of sending flowers started back in the early 1900’s before ‘Mother’s Day’ was proclaimed. The connection of flowers to Mother’s Day can partially …