I just realized that today is the anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot in Dallas, Texas, on 22 November 1963. I’m not old enough to have any memories of that day. But my grandfather knew JFK; he was treasurer of his presidential campaign for the state of Pennsylvania. ResearchingContinue reading “My Grandfather and the President”
Category Archives: Politics/Government/Current Events
How Many More?
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the shooting this week on the campus of my undergraduate alma mater, the University of Virginia. A student who was on the football team for a short time his freshman year shot and killed three students currently on the team, and injured two other students, one ofContinue reading “How Many More?”
Election Day Hypocrites
Inarticulate and hypocritical GOP idiots hung these signs on an overpass over the Capital Beltway today. Disgusting. And these are the people who want to ban from school libraries books that they say are vulgar?
Throwback Thursday: My Mother, the Pinup Girl
I mentioned recently that my mother let me borrow a lot of old photos from her side of the family, so I could scan them all. This one is a treasure. This is my mother, back when she was a pinup girl. A newspaper on an Air Force base published her picture one month asContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: My Mother, the Pinup Girl”
We Voted. Have You?
We voted this week! Early voting has been open in Virginia since September 23, but I was holding off until this week, because I knew my son would be home for Fall Break and wanted us to vote together. If you haven’t voted yet, or are waiting until November 8, it’s not too early toContinue reading “We Voted. Have You?”
Throwback Thursday: Playing Soldier
I am still working on scanning all of the old family photos my father and stepmother passed on to me this summer. This is one of my favorites. This photo shows my father’s family, and was almost certainly taken in Pennsylvania, where they lived — most likely in 1944, judging from the apparent age ofContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Playing Soldier”
Flag-Flying Foolishness
Why do so many people feel that their own opinions and preferences should govern everyone else’s choices???? A man named Matthew posted before-and-after pictures of his house on a Facebook page devoted to home renovation, restoration, and decoration. The “after” picture showed a cute, modest one-story yellow house with a red door. It also happenedContinue reading “Flag-Flying Foolishness”
Follow the Damn Rules
The sign on the door said, Mask Required … Regardless of Vaccination Status. Yet, inside the gift shop at a major national park, I estimated that fewer than 10 percent of customers wore masks. And the employees were not even trying to enforce the rule. What is wrong with people? I’ll give a pass toContinue reading “Follow the Damn Rules”
Donner Pass
Historians, take note. I’ve discovered the real reason why the Donner Party got stuck in the pass and had to spend months withering away in the Sierra Nevada.
Plotting the Great American Road Trip
The Great American Road Trip is shaping up. We are driving 3,000 miles or so to see my father and stepmother in California, and then we’re heading back on a different route, making various stops along the way. Hotel prices are out of sight this year, apparently in sympathy with the skyrocketing gas prices. ButContinue reading “Plotting the Great American Road Trip”
The Petrini Page 