The Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! Yes, it’s that time of year again. Although it would seem that I should be mature and respectable in my old age, I’m not about to give up my birthday party. I decided to do a bit of research to learn more about one important aspect, the […]

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School Days

I spotted my first back-to-schoolers this morning. They looked so eager, with their empty backpacks and spiffy new clothes. Makes me want to stock up on my favorite Garanimals, just like the good old days. This one goes out to all the bright-eyed schoolchildren out there. It’s from M. Thelma McAndless’s handy pamphlet titled Manners Today. […]

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In Company

Please excuse me as I salivate over a wonderful additions to my collection. A gift from my dear sweet mother, this tiny pamphlet, written entirely in verse and is titled The School of Good Manners.It is dated 1822, and so became my earliest book. Some helpful readers have clued me in that the author was Nancy […]

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Is She an Old Maid?

Q Dear Miss Abigail: My sister is thirty-two years old and unmarried. Is she an old maid? Is there any hope or should we give up? Signed, Antoine A Dear Antoine: Give up? Thirty-two is certainly not dead. Besides, she might be perfectly happy with her singleness. I bet she’s absolutely joyous! Even though it […]

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A Baby and His Dog

Q Dear Miss Abigail: My children are separated in age by ten years. I thought it would be a great idea to get my five year old a small dog for a gift. My husband is adamantly opposed to this idea, but he isn’t offering any form of compromise. He says he is allergic, but […]

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