A year ago at this time, I noted that 2017 was a weird year and 2018 would be even weirder. I was right, wasn’t I? It was a challenging year here at the Desperado household, but we have persevered. I predict that 2019 will provide us a respite from some of the craziness, at least […]
I love Halloween! I have more spooky home décor for both inside and out than I do all the other holidays combined. Curious about how Victorians celebrated Halloween, I did a little digging… pun intended. After a bit of research, I discovered I come by my love of All Hallows’ Eve honestly. Halloween made its […]
In 2008, when Twilight hit the big screen, vampire stories were everywhere. I was getting pretty sick of them. Even publishers wouldn’t buy vampire books. Yet the vampire legend, like the creatures that people it, refuses to die. The Japanese are just as intrigued with the concept and have produced several vampire series in anime […]
Since “The Star-Spangled Banner” has been at the center of controversy in recent years, I thought it appropriate to reuse and update an article I wrote a few years back. Most people know (I hope) that Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics over 200 years ago during the War of 1812. Few people know that […]
Lately, we Americans have been obsessed with Mexico but it’s all too easy to forget about our other neighbor, Canada. No American forgets about Cinco de Mayo (actually a rather minor Mexican holiday), but I’d be surprised if more than one in a hundred knows about Dominion Day. This commemorates Canada’s transition from British colony […]
Today is Easter in most of the world, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus according to the Christian tradition. Even for those of us who aren’t particularly religious, Easter is an important American cultural tradition, a celebration of life and renewal. That’s why the holiday got melded with the ancient pagan fertility rituals associated with the […]
We Americans have a tradition of turning minor ethnic holidays into major excuses to party. St. Patrick’s was just another Catholic feast day to commemorate the man who, according to tradition, brought Christianity to Ireland. Now it’s become a festival of drink and debauchery – not that I object to that sort of thing, within […]
