Sugar High?

Well, I've gone and done it again. Janet has banned me from the kitchen for the next week because I snorted the powder sugar she was planning to use on our apple turnovers. The shame is real.

Hanger History

As I grabbed my winter coat from our closet today, I noticed this old hanger that I had gotten from my folks. Of course, I had to Google “The Elms” to see where this hanger came from. Turns out that the story of The Elms began with the discovery of healing mineral waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri in the late 1800s. 

In the 1930s, The Elms Hotel was a playground and health spa for the well-to-do. Management brought in prominent citizens from all walks of life as well as both sides of the law. Politicians, sports stars, and crime figures created a heady combination of hotel guests. Al Capone, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, and Bugsy Moran reportedly hosted illegal gambling and bathtub gin parties. Police tried to raid The Elms during Prohibition on several occasions. During one memorable attempt, the police busted in on a cocktail party that included the Governor of Missouri. The Governor memorably told the cops to go out and bust someone who was “really breaking the law.” Jack Dempsey and the New York Giants visited and trained there. In 1948, 

The Elms hosted its most famous guest. Harry S Truman checked into The Elms in secrecy on November 2, 1948, accompanied by six secret service agents. The President wanted to enjoy the quiet graciousness of the hotel and escape the stress of the Democratic campaign headquarters in Kansas City on Election Day. 

One old hanger, one interesting trip down the Google rabbit hole.

Glasses Tree

I had to start wearing glasses my freshman year of high school. Being an active kid, I often found myself bending the frames, scratching the lenses, or simply destroying pair after pair. Every time I had a glasses mishap and needed to get them replaced, my mom would say to me, through clenched teeth … “You know, glasses don’t grow on trees!” So, imagine my surprise, when hiking a Kennesaw Mountain trail today, when I stumbled upon … a Glasses Tree. There it was, plain as day … not three feet off the path. Perhaps, when I was a kid, there were not any Glasses Trees. That could be the only explanation.