The Twist from a Twisted Sister!

Did you know, thanks to declassified documents reveal that World War II was won in part by more everyday saboteurs–purposefully clumsy factory workers, annoying train conductors, and bad middle managers, all trained by the U.S.’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual. In 1944, World War II was in its final throes. Though the Allies...

Working at the Gallery last week, I met a new Sculptural artist named Pete. Before Pete retired he spent a lot of time in Japan and has a huge appreciation for all things Japanese. He was particularly excited about a Chiso kimono he recently acquired. Pete enlightens me to tell me...

I'm not talking about Biden! I'm talking about the Grand Old President of the Live Oak Society. His only job is to stay alive which he has done quite well as many estimates have him at 1200 years old. This means that he was an acorn during the reign of...

This story I'm about to tell you is so astonishing you are not going to believe it is true. Ludger Sylbaris was not a nice dude. Born in 1875 on Martinique, Ludger was a convicted felon who liked to drink and liked to fight. So it was no surprise when he...

I'm always amazed at the things that interest certain buyers. When I'm showing my Sari Ribbon line, as soon as I say they're made from recycled Indian Saris everyone's ears perk up and now they want to hold it and touch it. Personally, for me it's the beautiful colors and...

As a Jewelry Designer you'd think I'd know some of this stuff. I guess I am as myopic as the next person. I found this new website for jewelers and I was tantalized by the subject: 16 Jewelry Facts you probably don't know. There are some really interesting items especially...

I'm a terrible shopper. My friend recently asked me how do you know? Well, before my hubby became a biz exec. his family had a shoe biz and he did some of the buying. (First, discount shoe store in Boston I might add.)  So when we would go shopping together...

I always thought I knew what a muse was until I read this article about the difference between an artist's model and a muse. The short definition is that a model just poses and the artist tells them what to do, where as a muse meets the artist halfway. I...

Did your Mom tell you that if you didn't have something good to say about someone don't say anything at all? It was one of my Mom's mantras and it is one of the reasons I was distressed to see this headline: How a forged sculpture boosted Michelangelo's career. You...

I was scanning the Internet for this week's blog when I came upon this article about grapefruit. As one who used to LOVE grapefruit I had to read it. This sentence really caught my attention:  "The grapefruit is actually one of the most destructive foes of modern medicine in the...

Yesterday, I had to work at the Art Gallery. When I walked in everyone started questioning me about why I dressed up. I explained that I was sick of my Covid Uniform of  a Golf Shirt and Yoga Pants!  I further explained that now when I go into my closet...

Before I get to my topic today I need to set the stage. The men in the Tenwalde clan did not get the Hairy Gene. My Dad and Brother's wanted to grow a beard in the worst way. Unfortunately when they tried their beard looked like one of those 70...

It's rattlesnake season in the desert and it got me thinking how different our generation is from the younger gens. We had a 5 foot rattler slithering across our deck last week and I asked my Hubby if he took a picture and he said: No, I didn't even think...

As you know I'm a huge fan of coincidences. (I often call them serendipity.)  Here are 7 Historical Coincidences that I did not know but are really jaw dropping. 1. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Both Died on the 50th Anniversary of Independence Day 2. John Wilkes Booth's Brother Saved...

By now you have figured out that I like to tell stories. This weekend I'm working at the Gallery and a lovely woman and her grandson come in. We start yacking and suddenly she kind of blurts out that she was a High School Math Teacher for 25 years. Those...

Let me set the stage: In 1890 a man took 33 months to ride a bicycle around the globe. After returning to Boston, two local business men wagered $10,000 that this feat could not be accomplished by a woman. Accepting the bet was Annie Londonderry. She is 24 years old and...

My family had lots of endearing expressions that I haven't thought about in years and then just the other day my brother used one. It got me thinking about you and yours.  I know you have some really great ones to share. Please do and I'll help you get started....

When you grow up with a last name like I have, you get use to everyone saying Huh? When I was teaching, I was glad I could spell it out on my hands: Ten (Hold Up 10 Fingers) Wal (Point to a Wall) D (Make the Letter D). But when...

I think we would all agree, the Ancient Egyptians were quite inventive! (Understatement!) Years ago when we were in Egypt, we saw a demonstration on making Papyrus. I remember at the time thinking, "How in the world did they come up with this concoction?" So having said that, here are...

You've heard me talk about my Nut Ball Dad (Totally Meant in a Good Way) but I rarely write about my maternal grandfather, George. He was a sweet but ornery man. He pretended to be hard  of hearing so he didn't have to listen to my Grandmother!In their living room...