Category Archives: Life

Countdown to Downton Abbey (1 day to go!) – The Rise and Fall of the English Country House

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

“History is bunk,” Henry Ford once said. What he meant was that most history, as written in textbooks and taught in schools, has little to do with life as lived by ordinary people.  War and politics are on the periphery … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture, Television, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What it takes to keep your New Year’s resolutions

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Today’s Wall Street Journal has a really good article on what it takes to keep your New Year’s resolutions, “More Rational Resolutions,” by Angela Chen. My main takeaway was a technique called “pre-hindsight,” which is part of a three-day workshop hosted … Continue reading →

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Visits from Jack Frost

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

In my childhood home there was a window situated right at the turn in our staircase, only slightly higher than the steps themselves and just a short flight down from the second floor. Very dangerous spot for a window, if you ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Countdown to Downton Abbey (13 days to go) — The Dowager Countess’s “Mom” Jeans

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Or at least the equivalent thereof. Have you noticed that as other women’s hemlines rise and hairstyles modernize, Violet Crawley (played by Maggie Smith) remains somewhat stuck in a pre-WWI Edwardian time warp?  Her hats are a bit smaller and slightly … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Movies and film, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

He couldn’t keep a jailer: Why Nelson Mandela was a great leader

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Much has been said about Nelson Mandela over the past day.  But one thing I haven’t heard anyone speak of on the news channels—because, really, it’s pretty small potatoes when compared with this man’s towering greatness in so many areas—is … Continue reading →

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Is climate change cyclical?

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Although most media reports on climate change focus on looming disaster, I’ve read some interesting articles recently that look backward and provide some long-term perspective. Melting glaciers are revealing ancient human artifacts as they recede.  Beneath ice thousands of years … Continue reading →

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Countdown to Downton Abbey (36 days to go) – Pharaoh and Isis

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

The title of today’s post refers to the countdown clock on the Masterpiece “Downton Abbey” page on the PBS website.  For those of us anxiously awaiting Season 4 (or “Series 4,” as they say in England, where this season’s episodes have … Continue reading →

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Milwaukee Christmas Tree arrives at Red Arrow

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Yesterday marked the 100th year that the City of Milwaukee has placed a pine tree downtown during the holiday season.  Our longstanding tradition is supposedly second to New York City, but the first tree was not erected at Rockefeller Center … Continue reading →

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TBDBITL

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Great article in today’s Wall Street Journal titled “The Real Million-Dollar Band” that I just have to share.  Its title, FYI, is a reference to (and repudiation of 🙂 ) the official name for the University of Alabama’s marching band, … Continue reading →

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Crab-apple season (photos)

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

I have mixed feelings about our crab apple.  On the one hand, it’s a beautiful tree, especially covered with soft pink flowers in spring.  But it also dumps piles of fruit on the ground every autumn.  Which the chipmunks love, as you … Continue reading →

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