family history inspiration museums pragmatic historian

The Game’s Afoot at the Sherlock Holmes Exhibit

When I heard the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) was launching a special exhibit on Sherlock Holmes last fall, I knew I had to go. I grew up reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries and have watched a number of the screen versions. For those of us who are Holmes fans, we mentally like to put ourselves in his shoes, thinking we could use our powers of observations to solve crimes. Hubby and I…

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art family home museums projects work in progress

Reno Update: Kitchen Caulking, Motorcycle Print, Stair Treads

You may be able to tell from the title of this blog post that I’m too tired to think of anything clever, like I did for last week’s post. House renovation tasks continue, along with packing and cleaning. It’s a TON of work getting a house ready for sale. This morning, I scrubbed the bathtub thoroughly with Bar Keeper’s Friend in order to remove some stains. This afternoon, I mowed the lawn because regular maintenance…

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history museums observations

What Do Hart to Hart & Scooby Do Have in Common?

What Do Hart to Hart & Scooby Do Have in Common? Hubby and I have recently discovered old television shows on Tubi, an online streaming channel. We’ve been watching (reliving, really) Columbo, Fantasy Island, and Hart to Hart on the channel. I could probably write blog posts on all of these shows (like one on poor Mrs. Columbo, who is the never-seen but long-suffering wife of Columbo who keeps getting left behind on cases he…

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art design museums projects

In the Flow Making Necklaces

In the midst of sorting and packing household items in order to prepare for a move, I took some time to engage in a creative project. Not that sorting and packing can’t be creative … they’re just not creative in quite the same way as making something new. I spent about four hours making three new bead necklaces. While I was making these necklaces, I listened to music and podcasts, though I was only half-listening…

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history law museums pragmatic historian preservation

Taking History Seriously

I am irritated. I read a story on NPR News about a Pennsylvania guy who stole artifacts, mostly firearms, from about a dozen museums in the 1960s and ’70s. He got caught in 2018 after trying to sell one of the guns. His sentence? One day. One. Day. I am irritated because this sentence shows how unseriously the courts, and by extension, society in general, take thefts from museums. Oh, well, it’s just an artifact,…

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