Why Did Old Motels Have Garages Beside Every Room?
Why did old motels have garages beside every room? These early tourist courts and motor courts were designed around the automobile, giving travelers a private place to park just steps…
Why Are Hayrides Associated With Fall? The Real History
Why are hayrides associated with fall? The tradition grew from old-fashioned wagon outings, harvest gatherings, Halloween customs, and later farm attractions that turned a simple ride through the countryside into…
Starlight Mint Surprise Cookies: The $10,000 Cookie You Can Still Bake
Starlight Mint Surprise Cookies earned Laura Rott $10,000 at the first Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1949. Discover the story behind these walnut-topped, chocolate-mint-filled cookies—and how you can still bake this vintage…
Should I Rake Leaves or Leave Them? It Depends Where They Fall
You don’t have to choose between raking every leaf and leaving the lawn buried. Here’s how I use fall leaves on the lawn, in vegetable beds and around asparagus.
When Do the Twelve Days of Christmas Actually Begin?
The Twelve Days of Christmas don’t lead up to December 25—they begin on Christmas Day. Here’s when they really happen and why the season once lasted into January.
Friday Night at the Terror Glow Drive-In: Horror of Dracula (1958)
Earl closes out September with Horror of Dracula, Hammer’s vivid 1958 classic starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in a darker, faster, blood-red take on the vampire legend.
Podcast Episode 4: Halloween Fire Games, Haunted Houses & a Ladder-Climbing Horse. Weekly Roundup
This week’s Weekly Roundup dives into an old Halloween apple-and-candle game, the rise of pumpkins on the front porch, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken at the Terror Glow Drive-In, and…
How the Pumpkin Took Over the Front Porch
How did a humble farm crop become the star of the fall porch? Here’s how pumpkins went from harvest staple to Halloween lantern to autumn tradition.
Friday Night at the Terror Glow Drive-In: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
Earl gets one simple ghost and ends up with Don Knotts, a haunted organ, old murder secrets, and one very nervous night at the Terror Glow.
Weekly Roundup: Fall Traditions and Spooky Curiosities
Spiders hidden in the morning dew, a surprisingly dangerous old Halloween game, and the not-so-ancient story of cider doughnuts — this week’s roundup takes a curious look at fall traditions…