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Snap, Crackle And Pop

All I wanted was a box of Rice Krispies. Sometimes I will purchase the cheaper store brand but I was craving the name-brand snap, crackle and pop version. That is until I saw the price of a skinny box of cereal with the cute elf-like creatures on the box. I guess I expressed my disdain for the $4.99 price tag a little too loudly as a woman approached me while I stood in the cereal aisle of a local grocery store. She, too, lamented the increased prices of everything from bread to bologna. We shared comments about the lack of some products and the challenges of stretching our food ...

Limoges Porcelain is a Classic Collectible

While in high school, I worked an after-school job at King’s Jewelry Store in Wheeling. King’s was always busy and my main duty was wrapping gifts. I learned a lot while handling and wrapping fine china, jewelry and countless wedding gifts. One of the first collectible treasures I ever bought was a Limoges porcelain box that I purchased on sale at King’s. A beautiful cobalt blue shade covered the creamy white porcelain and gold paint trimmed the classic trinket box that featured an 18th century couple in an idyllic pose. The round box measured 5 by 3 inches and was perfect to ...

Ugly Signs Of Spring

The brief warm-up of last weekend led to increased traffic on the area’s walking and biking trails. More signs of spring are beginning to show up. At Oglebay Park, the tulip bulbs planted last fall are peeking out of the ground, which was, until recently, covered with a blanket of snow. The golf courses actually look green after the long dormant non-growing months of winter. Golfers didn’t seem to mind the brisk winds as they took to the links. The birds are singing a bit louder or maybe there are just more of them now. A determined nest builder will once again circle our ...

Irish Lace, Delicate Collectible for the Season

The fragile beauty of lace attracts the eye and fascinates collectors. Lace can be varied in size, depth and intricacy, but it always adds a touch of elegance and a bit of drama to clothing and household linens. Framed antique lace is beautiful, too, and offers an unusual visual treat. Like samplers or other forms of needlework, it is a wonderful decorating statement. Ireland has a strong heritage of lace making and with the onset of Saint Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d share a little research. Lace was originally made by hand and not until the machine age of the late 1800s, did ...

The Russians Are Coming?

I wasn’t around during World War II, but I am a product of the post-war baby boomer generation. I heard plenty about the conflict that claimed the lives of American troops “across the pond” and in the Pacific. As an eight-year-old Catholic school student in the mid-1960s, my fellow students and I were taught to pray a lot for peace. Like many school students of that time, we were duped into believing that closing the classroom windows and crawling under our tiny wooden desks would keep us safe in the event of a Russian invasion/nuclear war. I can recall vividly having ...

Maybe It’s The Oatmeal

Some call it a blessing. Others call it a curse. Thanks to improved knowledge about healthy living, improved sanitation and modern medicine, people are living much longer than their ancestors. Pioneers crossing the prairies and mountain ranges of this country had many obstacles to simply staying alive. Later as cities and towns blossomed in population, lifespans improved with better living conditions that resulted from educated leaders and improved medical facilities. There was a time not so many years ago that when someone passed after reached 100 years or more, they received a ...