Archives for “Professions”
Ever wonder why the barber poles are red, white, and blue? (Hint: only a small part of it is that they’re patriotic) But the white and red colors indicated barbers in days past filled in as doctors and dentists. Barber poles actually descended from medieval times when barbers performed surgical procedures such [...]
I write cowboys, mostly set in the late 19th century, but cowboys aren’t limited to the late 1800s during the grand cattle drives along the Goodnight-Loving Trail. The cowboy image is bigger, bolder, and more widespread than that. He’s become an icon that transcends time periods. He’s strong. He’s brave. He’s hardworking. He [...]
WELCOME, CELIA YEARY! I’ve always been interested in the oil industry, since my daddy worked for an oil company, and our family of five roamed all over Texas, following the oil fields. At an early age, I learned the terms “roughnecks, roustabouts, wildcatters, pumpers, and oil camps. We lived in weird places, moving twice [...]
The crusading journalist known as Nellie Bly was a real-life heroine in every sense of the word. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, she was the third child of a wealthy Pennsylvania judge and his second wife. She was raised in comfort until the age of six, when her father died. Unfortunately he left no [...]
I’m always intrigued by new ways of using technology to improve farming, and with the latest buzz being about sustainability and environmental responsibility, I did a little research into some new trends. What I found was pretty interesting, and I’m still learning and trying to understand some of it (a scientist I am not). I’m [...]
Stories that Inspire… Margaret Brownley Sage advice for photographers from… A Vision of Lucy (Available for preorder) When photographing stampeding cattle, charging bulls or blazing shoot-outs, use a fast shutter speed Brides, take pity on your photographer. Matthew S. Brady and his helpers were able to record the entire War Between [...]
You know how sometimes you realize something and wonder why you never really saw it before? That happened to me last week. I was doing a little research for my new book, piecing together my hero’s past, and I had just finished a week of admin. A whole week. And that’s when it hit me. [...]
More Love and Laughter in the Old West… One of the characters in my book A SUITOR FOR JENNY is Kip Barrel, the town barber. The poor man wanted to be an opera singer in the worst possible way but he was unable to overcome his stage fright. After a disastrous debut in [...]
