Rural Ohio, Circa 1900

Somehow, I inherited the position of family archivist. I’ve hauled boxes full of old photographs, slides, diaries, personal papers, and other items around the country for decades. One of the items I treasure is a simple spiral-bound notebook containing my grandmother’s handwritten recollections of her life growing up in rural southern Ohio. Corna Mae Trout was born in Deavertown, Ohio, in 1890, married George R. Ross in 1913, and died in Clermont, Florida in 1987. […]

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Why I Wrote What I Did

May Musings from HowWiseThen People ask where I get ideas for my books. It depends on which book. In order of publication, here are the stories behind each book. Like many authors I know, I love writing, don’t mind the editing and publishing details, and truly dread the marketing. Yet,  as I’ve been told repeatedly, “Readers can’t buy what they don’t know about.” If this seems too braggy or boring, move on with my blessing. […]

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Old Brewster Farmhouse

The Old Brewster Farmhouse

Some fifty years ago, my grandmother wanted to tour the places where she grew up. She and Grandpa grew up in rural Muskingum and Perry counties in Southeastern Ohio. This grandpa is one of the links in our family’s connection to William and Mary Brewster of Mayflower notoriety. My husband and I drove her around the places significant to her, stopping at the farmhouse pictured here. Grandma told us this house was where her mother-in-law’s […]

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A Christmas Story - movie house

A Christmas Story

When I moved back to Ohio a year ago, I spent a weekend in Cleveland, where I grew up and where “A Christmas Story” was filmed. I made the rounds of places from my childhood in the 50s, including the house where this movie was filmed. In case you’ve somehow managed to never see it, the movie tells the story of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker in the 1940s. He needs to convince his parents, teacher, and […]

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Hanukkah and World Peace

Hanukkah began last evening, making today the first full day of Hanukkah 2023. Most folks know Hanukkah as a Jewish holiday in late November or early December. Like the Christian Easter, the date shifts from year to year. The date for Hanukkah is based on a fluctuating date on the Jewish calendar. Praying for Peace and Respect In response to the recent spike in attacks on our Jewish neighbors in this country, I have chosen […]

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