According to the National Retail Association, more than 130 million shoppers will be out for the bargains the day after Thanksgiving. They will spend about 10% of their allotted Christmas money. Here are some tips on how to get the most:   *Get up early, as in very early. If you want the best deals, […]

One day a new monk arrived at a monastery and was assigned the task of helping his fellow monks make copies of ancient texts by hand. After working a while, the novice monk caught himself nearly making a mistake. He looked around at the other monks and realized that all of them were merely making […]

Two of the biggest days this November will be Election Day on the 4th and Thanksgiving on the 27th. Test your knowledge on some these useful and memorable facts about Thanksgiving and how presidents got to the White House.   1.  How many presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election?   […]

What a perfect day even if it was a little on the chilly side for portraits outside.  Here are a few portraits from this morning.  What a beautiful family!!  

When Michelangelo was putting the finishing touches on his “David” masterpiece, his patron, Piero Soderini, was standing by and gave it great praise. However, noted Soderini, the nose of the statue was too large.  Michelangelo noticed that the patron was standing directly beneath the colossal statue and couldn’t possibly see the sculpture properly. Rather than […]

Carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns is an age-old tradition dating back to the Celts and their traditions of their holiday, Samhain, celebrating the end of summer, the year and honor loved ones that had passed away.  The pumpkin is native to North America so before the discoveries of Columbus, they carved gourds or turnips.  Coal would be […]

Hundreds of years ago when English physicians wanted to learn about the human body, it was difficult because there were numerous regulations to follow.  Doctors were typically allowed to dissect only one body over the course of their education – and once the dissection had been accomplished, the physicians were reluctant to relinquish their prized […]

If you had to guess the age of the world's oldest living tree, what would you say?  Five hundred years?  One thousand?  Try 9,550.  The spruce was discovered in Sweden in the Dalarna province, along with a cluster of about 20 other spruces all more than 8,000 years old.  The tree's age's was determined by […]

Boo!  Halloween is here once again – and, commercially speaking, the holiday seems to gain popularity as each year passes. Last year, the National Retail Federation released the following projections about the 2007 celebration based on its research: An estimated 36 million trick-or-treaters would be knocking on doors for ghostly treats. The average U.S. consumer […]

'Tis the season of weddings and celebrations.  Sure, you have been to three weddings already, but what about the two this fall? Gift giving has become easier with bridal registries available in almost any store.  According to www.theknot.com, 85% of brides want something from that very list.  However, being able to treat the couple to […]