Well played, House of Cards. Or should I say, “Well advertised.” I was among your target audience for sponsored Facebook ads. I don’t remember now what the exact wording was. Something about magic bar and museum, Harry Potter, mystery and speakeasy. Oh, and unlike anything the South has ever seen. That’sContinue Reading

This is a guest contribution from Desmond Rhodes. You’re a lover of the supernatural, but your job requires you to tone down your excitement for fear of scaring customers or coworkers. That’s okay; not everyone loves to dive into the paranormal. But you’ve been fascinated by it since you couldContinue Reading

Originally published April 30, 2018. Updated April 29, 2019. According to the Weird Holidays & Observances calendar, April 30th is Walpurgis Night (Walpurisnacht), which is also associated with “Witches’ Night.” I have to admit something. Before today I did not understand that in some parts of the world this canContinue Reading

Grave Gardening: Conserving America’s Garden Cemeteries Prior to 1830, families buried their dead in local church cemeteries or family cemeteries. In 1831, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts became the first modern public cemetery. It was a “garden cemetery,” whereby landscape designers incorporated water features and plants amongst the graves.Continue Reading

Saw this press release. Had to share it! When pet owners lose their special family pets, they suddenly experience a piercing loneliness and grieve deeply for extended periods.  See:  4.3.18 Yahoo article about 80-year-old retiree Ken and the loss of his little dog Zack. Nancy Alanis has written an amazing book containing true storiesContinue Reading

Have you used the Google Arts & Culture app to find your museum doppelganger yet? I meant to write about this in January, but there wasn’t time before we left on our Southeast Asia trip. Whoever came up with this is brilliant. It’s a neat –and fun!– way to learnContinue Reading