Wow! The Fun Encyclopedia certainly does cover it all: “Fun with Icebreakers,” “Fun with Mental Games,” “Fun Outdoors,” “Fun with Music,” and “Fun with Puppets,” just to name a few. There is so much fun here that I didn’t know where to begin, but then I stumbled across the introduction to the chapter titled “Fun with […]
Popular Games for Children
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What did children do for fun in the late 1800s and early 1900s? Were there some games that were popular? My daughter’s class is studying the lives of immigrant children in the years 1880 to 1920. I suspect we can’t find much because there isn’t too much on the subject. Life […]
Be a Good Worker Bee
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I am starting a new job soon. How can I make a good impression during my first few days? Signed, Jane A Dear Jane: Although the author of the following excerpt suggests that companies often give employees “a break” early on, she stresses the importance of manners and punctuality at all […]
The Summer Job Conundrum
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I have recently been offered a summer job at an amusement park running a ride. I was really psyched to take it, so I could enjoy my summer in the sun. But just today my Dad told me that they are hiring summer help where he works. The problem is that […]
The Write Stuff
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I have a girlfriend who lives in another country, but she hasn’t written me like she said she would. What should I do? Signed, John A Dear John: Uh, oh. Her actions do not appear to be a good sign, according to the following advice from Warren D. Bowman’s Home Builders of […]
Yola, the Teenage Witch
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I would like to become a witch. It seems very stupid and funny, but it is what I would like to learn more about. I fill that I have some potential to make that possible. Please advise me where to start. Signed, Yola A Dear Yola: Choosing a career is often […]
Books
And now, an ode to books. This is from Edith Mae Cummings’s book titled: Pots and Pans and Millions: A Study of Woman’s Right to Be in Business. 1929: Books Books are often the best companions. They make it possible for us to walk through the streets of ancient cities, to talk with scientists and philosophers, […]
Fear Not, Retiring Woman
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I am eligible to retire but cannot get myself to “drop my papers” as they call it in my business. For one thing I am afraid. I have no life. I cannot get any of my friends or acquaintances to bike ride, canoe, go for walks in the woods, etc. People […]
Why Girls Go to College
Just got back from a jaunt to Southern Ohio to visit some relatives and learn more about our Moore and Patterson ancestors. We visited the old family farms, saw the house where Grandma Bailey was born, and tried to remember who was who on the family tree. Not easy! One favorite ancestor: Mae Patterson, who […]
Trying Your Hand in Writing
While written with journalists in mind, this one seemed quite appropriate for this column as well. It’s from a book called Mother’s Guide and Daughter’s Friend, written by an “old practitioner” ~ otherwise unidentified ~ in 1890. 1890: Trying Your Hand in Writing There will be no harm . . . in trying your hand at […]