Elaine's Blog

Music of Early America What was It? What was Colonial or “Early American” music?Colonial music was not so much music written in America before the Revolution as it was music that was brought here and helped define the people who were to make a new country. Understanding the music that early Ameri...

“Beware the Ides of March.” Truth or Fiction: You’ve probably of heard the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name: “Beware the Ides of March.” Not only did Shakespeare’s words stick, they branded the phrase-and the date, March 15-with a dark and gloom...

March History in Beautiful VirginiaThe old saying “March Roars in like a Lion it will go out like a Lamb”, was an old wives saying my grandparents use to say all the time. Well, this started my thinking about the historic events that happened in the month of March here in Virginia, which I found ...

The Mother State of Presidents: Virginia!Historically, Virginia has been the most common birthplace of U.S. presidents, with eight in total; although seven of these were born in the 1700s, and Woodrow Wilson is the most recent Virginian to have been elected president, in 1912.Depending on how you...

Heart of My Heart ..... Valentine's Day I love Valentine's Day! When I was in Electuary School, we use to make Valentine mail boxes to get cards. It was always a big deal to see who received the most cards. Homemade or store bought it did not matter. Some cards we even used decorated paper bags f...

Hampton Lighthouse & the Sensational 1931 Trial Hampton Lighthouse and the Sensational 1931 Trial   The Back River Light, also known as the Grandview Light, was a lighthouse south of the mouth of the Back River on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, several miles north of Fort Monroe near Ha...

The History of Brunswick Stew: Virginia is the Winner! Two Southern states, Virginia and Georgia, have long been dueling over which is the home of Brunswick stew. Folks in Brunswick County, Va., hold an annual stew-off, while those in Brunswick, Ga., display a cast-iron spot that reportedly cooke...

Grandma Knew Farm to Table CookingMy daughter in law turned me on to a FB posts from Glen and Friends who is in Canada and posts of food he cooks from cookbooks or recipes dating before 1950.  It is wonderful.  It got me so excited that I started going through my cookbooks collections (which I ha...

Do You Hear What I Hear? Christmas CarolsA Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French origin.[1] Christmas ...

Hello Again My Friend, Snowmen and Women If you’re a snow lover, you probably get excited when you hear a big storm is in the forecast. Whether you appreciate the quiet that snowfall brings, enjoy winter sports, or simply love to play in it, we can all agree that there’s something special about p...