It is believed that Halloween originated from the Festival of Samhain, an ancient Celtic celebration that was held each year near November first. It is an end of summer festival marking the beginning of the long dark winter, and could run for two nights and three days. It was also thought to be the time […]
Author Archives: Maplewood Press
Artist Artifacts 4: Hartung’s 1940s Vacationing Cats
While sorting through the family historical items that have been entrusted to me, I have come across many interesting items. Yesterday it was a small pile of postcards. Its summer, time for vacations, and back in the day you purchased postcards in the city or places you visited. I wonder where these were bought? They […]
Atwood’s Book Review: Sgt. Reckless
When you think of a war hero, you usually think of humans. I worry that children and teens are not being taught about all the veterans of past wars. They more than likely learned about World War II in history class-they better have! And I hope about the Vietnam War, but I bet the Korean […]
Maple Tree Adoration Part Two: Beautiful Leaves, Delicious Syrup
There is no secret why I named my blog Maplewood Press: I adore maple trees. Even as a young child I was fascinated by these magical trees. Why do I think Maple Trees are magical? Beautiful Leaves: When you conjure up the perfect romantic vision of New England, it usually includes hillsides or back roads […]
Self-Help for Insomnia
Having trouble falling asleep? Too much on your mind? Before you reach for a sleep medication that may have side effects, please try my techniques that I have used for years and have taught to many people. When a baby has trouble falling asleep, what does the mother do? She cuddles […]
Atwood’s Book Review: Cookbooks: Irish Traditional Cooking
La Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh!! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! I have confused ancestors on my Father’s side. Way back when, many left Scotland to live in Ireland. Some went back to Scotland, and some came to America. Because of all this traveling, when I attempted to research my genealogy on that side of the family, […]
A New Englander’s Take on the Big Easy’s Mardi Gras
Normally trees don’t bloom in February. In New Orleans, Louisiana they do. They bloom with colorful strands of beads that remain there for weeks, possibly months! Or… the beads were tossed from creatively decorated floats by masked and costumed people to exuberant and loud spectators and they were caught instead by the trees. Most people […]
Happy Birthday Maplewood Press : My Top Five Favorite Articles
Two years ago I decided to start this website. I had been collecting artifacts and ideas for many years and felt the need to research them, write about them, and share those findings. I hope you learned something new, or I inspired you, or at least made you smile on a dreary day! Here are […]
How to Plan an Early American Funeral
You are living in the 1600s and someone comes to your house and hands you a pair of gloves. Do they think your hands are cold? No, it’s an invitation! Time for the annual Halloween post about those unique Puritans and their odd death rituals. If you have been playing along the past couple years, […]
Creepy Crawlers: Orb Spiders
Along came a Spider and Sat Down beside…us! Spiders, love them or hate them. Mostly hate them. I consider myself a very brave person, but spiders can freak me out. So why am I fascinated with the ones in my yard? In particular the orb web weavers? This time of year brings out the HUGE […]