Posts in History
The Cornucopia: Thanksgiving’s Connection to Ancient Mythology

When I was a child, I was always intrigued by one particular decoration around the holidays.  Many decorations, like candy canes at Christmas, have a story behind them, but I had never heard the story of these weird, cone-shaped baskets we see decorating tables at Thanksgiving.  Later in school I learned that they were called “cornucopia” or “horn of plenty” and associated with the blessing of a good harvest.

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Keep a Garden Journal

One of my most indispensable tools in the garden isn’t a hoe, shovel, or tiller … it is a book.  To be specific, I use a couple of books.  I have a day planner that I use to plan out my daily tasks, and I have a notebook that I use for bigger projects.  (I’m writing this draft in it right now.)  This time of the year gardening starts to occupy more space in my notes.

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The Meaning of Rose Colors

I have a confession to make.  My wife and I watch The Bachelor. I think I like it more than her, but for totally different reasons.  It is the best comedy on television!  I think the producers are wise to this. That’s how the crazies stick around for so long!  We all know they made Arie keep Krystal around for the ratings.  Anyhow, I think Arie should give out colored roses to let the ladies know how he feels.  That would really crank the drama up to 11.  Here’s why…

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How an Appalachian Apple Became The Gold Standard

It’s fall.  Here at Bob’s this means three things – pansies, mums, and apples.  Apples are pretty amazing.  We owe modern apples to central Asian farmers thousands of years ago who first domesticated apples.  However, we can look a little closer to home when it comes to the most popular varieties of apples today.  Two popular varieties have their origin right here in West Virginia.  Grimes Golden and Golden Delicious, West Virginia’s official state fruit.  In 2013, the Golden Delicious was one of four apple varieties featured on 33-cent stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

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