Tag: The Pragmatic Historian

history pragmatic historian preservation

In Memory of Denis P. Gardner

By Mary | by Mary

Denis P. Gardner was Minnesota’s National Register Historian. It was a role that was perfect for him because he was so passionate and particular about documenting Minnesota’s historic places. I had the honor of getting to know Denis by serving on the State Review Board, which reviews nominations of Minnesota properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The State Review Board and National Register Historian fall under the auspices of the State Historic Preservation…

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family home pragmatic historian projects work in progress

The Ceiling Plaster Is Down

By Mary | by Mary

Posting a little late today. That’s because I spent the entire day taking plaster off the ceiling in our dining room. Whew, what a dirty job! I did not take a “before” picture (just imagine an expanse of white plaster), but here are some “after” photos. While tearing plaster off the walls was messy, it wasn’t as messy as we expected. The ceiling was another thing altogether. The dirt and debris sifting down through the…

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family history pragmatic historian

A Culmination of Ancestral Traits

By Mary | by Mary

Yesterday, Hubby and I hosted an informal Zoom event with the kids in celebration of a new grandchild soon to be entering the world. (Yay, another grandbaby!) Our first grandbaby was part of the event, periodically hamming it up for the benefit of those gathered. First Grandchild is very mobile now. There is no rest while keeping track of him. He will find the tiniest fleck of dirt and put it in his mouth. He…

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art family fiber art history home pragmatic historian

House Excavations: The Makings of Childhood

By Mary | by Mary

House Excavations: The Makings of Childhood The sorting continues …. The past number of weeks, I’ve been packing boxes with books and décor, trying to sort as I go. There’s no sense moving stuff we no longer want. And when you’ve lived in a house for close to 30 years, it’s amazing how much stuff accumulates that you no longer have a use for or, worse yet, never had a use for and can’t figure…

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family history music pragmatic historian technology

iPod Receipt

By Mary | by Mary

As Hubby and I sift through our stuff to get ready for a move, interesting items pop up. Last week I discussed the “Love Ya 2 Pizzas” box (which would have been very appropriate to today – Valentine’s Day). Today, it’s the receipt for my iPod. I came across this Walmart receipt for my Apple iPod music player while I was gathering old electronics from around the house for recycling. It was still in the…

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