Due to COVID-19 the Memphis Public Library website has extra access to the Commercial Appeal archives all the way back to 1894. Every issue from about July 1 of that year. The search feature of the Newspapers.com site, where the archives are actually held, is very good. I’ve spent some time on the site and …
It should be no surprise that music can change your mood. It’s pretty hard not to tap your feet or sway a little when a catchy tune comes on the radio. Sometimes these are happy little coincidences. You’re driving down the road and a tune comes on that transports you back to a past memory. …
I’ve always been one to arrive early and make sure I’ve not cut myself to close when it comes to the next task/meeting/event. That has the unintended consequence of my not starting anything if I don’t think I’ll have time. So I waste downtime that could otherwise be used for writing, reading, or doing other …
The neighborhood I grew up in is called Madison Heights. I didn’t know that at the time and only recently learned that while researching other streets and neighborhoods for my podcast, Our Memphis History. I mention it to give you an idea of how much you probably do not know about where you grew up. You …
“You have comfort. You don’t have luxury. And don’t tell me that money plays a part. The luxury I advocate has nothing to do with money. It cannot be bought. It is the reward of those who have no fear of discomfort.” — Jean Cocteau Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash
Been reading more and more posts and news articles on whether this whole quarantine/shelter in place is worth the economic hardship that will most certainly come. In those articles I’ve seen some fairly lucid arguments for quarantining the groups of people who are most vulnerable and allowing the rest to use their judgement on how …
With some funeral services halted in the Spanish capital and no space left in the morgues, corpses are being stored at the main ice rink. Intensive-care wards overflowing and new rules dictate that older patients miss out to younger people with a better shot at surviving, Bernabeu said by telephone. “That grandpa, in any other …
We decided to make a 6 hour trip east to the Smokey Mountains and to a cabin along a stream. Figure if you have to stay away, might as well stay way away. It’s a nice cabin above the ground with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, so not a small cramped living by any means. …
My last post was about the house I grew up in on Jefferson at Claybrook. Over the years the building just to our west was the scene of many a strange occurrence. One such event took place in the middle of summer during a particularly hot evening. My mom and I were sitting on the …
A good friend sent me a copy of the 1953 Sanborn Map with my house on it. Even though it’s basically a crude line drawing it brings back a lot of memories. I was raised at 1296 Jefferson, in a duplex just east of Claybrook. You can see the house just about the middle of …