Category: For Kids Especially

Fort Union National Monument: A Writer’s Journey

Fort Union National Monument stands as a reminder of the cultural clashes that occurred during the westward expansion of the United States. 5 minute read. Kid friendly. A visit to the Monument invites entry into an important part of the history of the Santa Fe Trail. I’m eager to visit as I do research for

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Thoughts on Badger, Bees, and Re-wilding at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage as seen from a garden seat. A walk in Anne Hathaway‘s Cottage gardens got me to thinking of Badger, bees, and re-wilding. The cottage and gardens are kept open by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. My daughter works there and was stationed in the cottage garden the afternoon I visited. The gardens of

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A Debt to Jonathan Walker, “The Man With the Branded Hand”

Jonathan Walker was an abolitionist known as “The Man With the Branded Hand.” Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer, my forthcoming book, owes a debt to the abolitionist for its title. A lot goes into choosing a title for any book. Choosing the title for Sid Johnson’s story was a challenge until I got

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Mark Twain: Writers and Their Cats

Mark Twain was a writer who loved cats, maybe better than he loved many people. When he was on vacation he rented kittens. The Clemens home was one where cats were welcome. 3 min. read, Kid Friendly.

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Hemingway Cats: Writers and Their Cats

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not,” Ernest Hemingway. Like many writers, famous as well as undiscovered, Hemingway liked having cats around. There is a special relationship between writers and their cats. 3.5 minute read. Kid Friendly

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Cats and Their Writers

What is it about cats that tugs at the heart of writers? The relationship between writers and their cats is legendary. I’ve been away from my cats for half a year. Do they miss me? What’s a writer to do without her cats? 3 min read. Kid friendly.

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Why Alabaster Caverns?

The Alabaster Caverns near Freedom, OK are one of two places in the world where you can find black alabaster. Not far from the Santa Fe Trail, it is important in The Black Alabaster Box. 3 min. read. Kid Friendly.

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What Do You Know About the Santa Fe Trail?

The Santa Fe Trail recently celebrated its 200th Anniversary. Who were the people who used the trail? Author, Frances Schoonmaker, discusses a fictional family making the trip west and offers resources for discovering more about the Santa Fe Trail. 6 minute read. Kid Friendly.

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