Newspapers From the Past, Part 2 This is Stengrim and Charlotte Detlie, in a photo I can only guess is from the 1920s. You've seen their wedding photo in "Daddy and Some Babies" and "The Rest is History". Charlotte was my Grandma Edla Johnson's mother, and Stengrim was her stepfather. Edla's father Nels Nelson was …
It has occurred to me since I wrote "Just Add Water", Parts 1, 2, and 3, (which mainly focused on my "garden sphere experiments"), that this title would work just as well for a post about the back yard plants. Yes, I have realized that if you want plants to grow properly, you have to …
"So, Panda, do you mind telling me where you've been all afternoon?" I admit I was a little surprised that Foster would even ask that. I hadn't thought he would notice I was gone. "Well," I began calmly, unruffled by this untoward interrogation. "I was at Fig Garden with Mom and Aunt Gail." "Seriously?" Foster …
So I decided to search "Christmas in Doulaincourt 1918"... At first I was excited to see the name Theodore Lenz in the first result that came up. Hey! Somebody else wrote about Theodore Lenz? This is too cool, I thought. I'm going to learn something more about one of Grandpa Johnson's army buddies. I was …
Grandpa's Book, Part 2 You may remember that at the end of "The Forgotten Bandsmen", I said there were interesting stories about quite a few members of the Augustana Band/123rd Field Artillery. Some of the stories are kind of humorous, like the one about draftee Frank Vasco, who refused to be told when to use …
If you've read "I Found a Tree", you'll recognize this picture. It's the bottlebrush tree that has been in my yard since 1992. It's the same tree, you remember, that was overtaken by volunteer bushes, which turned into trees under our very noses. For more info on this, see "A Bush Grows in Fresno". So …
"Grandpa's Book" Part 1 Most people in my family know that our grandfather, Emil Johnson, was a band corporal during World War 1, and that based on his letters, he was a prolific writer. Perhaps as a result of having been a reporter for the Ludington Daily News as a young man, he most often …
And no, I did not find this recipe on Pinterest! One thing most people probably don't know about Mark Tracy is that he was a pretty good cook. He wasn't afraid to try new things, and he used to say that presentation was everything. That should explain the above photo. All kidding aside (wait, is …
Who would have ever thought? I don't mind telling you I have found this whole thing irritating, to say the least. As you can see by this pristine photo of my chin, I have never had kitty acne before. In fact, I had never heard of it until Mom started texting Aunt Gail, searching stuff …
Because drawing always makes you feel better. Now that Foster and Panda have shared their "year of masks" with you, I thought I would share my "year of drawings". Because it hasn't only been about masks. This past year was one of changes, emotions, and new routines. And one of the best ways I have …