Roundup of September 2021 Posts

Summer has ended, fall has arrived and winter is coming. So far, it’s been all Indian Summer here in New England: warm sunny days, cool nights, with the bite of colder weather to come lurking around the edges.

Me and Ford’s Folly on Chronicle

It’s been an interesting month for me. Last week I appeared on Chronicle, a newsmagazine described as the “Insider’s Guide to New England.” The show focuses on stories about New England and its people.

The episode, called, “The Clean Energy Benefits of Hydropower” is about dams in New England and I talk about “Ford’s Folly.” That the name given to a huge stone dam built by Henry Ford in 1930 that never held water.

Ford's Folly, Henry Ford, WCVB-TV, Chronicle, September 20221

Me at Ford’s Folly

If you missed it on TV, you can catch up with the episode on Chronicle’s YouTube Channel. My segment starts at about Minute 20 but the whole episode is well worth watching.

The best part of being on TV has been hearing from friends, relatives, colleagues and former co-workers about seeing me on TV. What a great way to re-connect.

Also, I wrote a Letter to the Editor of The Wall Street Journal that was published on October 1. It concerns an editor’s reaction to how Calvin Coolidge “broke” the Boston Policemen’s Strike of 1919. He liked it; I disagreed. The first letter I sent was too long, so I had to cut it down to a mere 276 words—painful. But it worked. You can read the letter in Saturday’s Letters to the Editor.

Dealing with Difficult People

Leading ghost tours for Haunted Boston on Saturday nights has been a breeze. The weather has been so warm, I haven’t needed more than a sweatshirt. That won’t last, of course. Soon I’ll have to add a jacket and then a turtleneck. Gloves come last.

8 Walnut Street, Beacon Hill, Boston, Dr. George Parkman,

#8 Walnut Street on Beacon Hill

The man on Beacon Hill I mentioned in Questions for Boston Tour Guides has been at it again. They were away for most of August, which made my life a little easier. Last week, he once again shouted across Walnut Street at me and my group. I responded with, “Have a nice night.” He came back with a really bad word. Actually, two words. I ignored him but one of the men in my tour group defended me by shouting The the epithet back at him.

Next time it happens, I plan to invite him over to listen to what I’m saying. That way he can hear for himself that (A) It’s history, not BS; and (B) I don’t say his house is haunted. I doubt he’ll take me up on the offer but one can only try.

Roundup of September 2021 Posts

Indian Summer, Joseph Morris Henderson, September 2021

“Indian Summer” by Joseph Morris Henderson

Susanne returned from vacation and is back on her regular Monday schedule. I have been slacking off by writing only one post per week instead of my usual two for reasons listed above. Those things took time.

Here’s the regular Roundup of September 2021 Posts so you can catch up.

Boston and History

Health and Safety

Military

Spiritual

The Land of Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice Coffee, October, foodWith October, we enter fully into the land of Pumpkin Spice. The popular flavoring has been added to almost anything you can think of related to food–and a few things you have probably never considered. For example, you buy pumpkin spice Spam, liqueur, kale chips, cream cheese and cottage cheese. I haven’t seen pumpkin spice barbecue sauce yet but I’m not holding my breath.

I admit not quite understanding the popularity of this seasonal flavor. Sure, pumpkin spice doughnuts at Dunkin tasted fine. But Spam? Spare me.