Living Well Etc.

A Close Look at a Gryffindor Sweatshirt I recently visited Universal Orlando Resort to celebrate a benchmark birthday.  My husband and I specifically chose this park because Diagon Alley had finally opened and I’m an avid Harry Potter fan.  It’s a must-see for fans.   One of our four days at the park was unseasonably cold.  I had brought a windbreaker for the occasional rain Orlando delivers, but wasn’t prepared for goosebumps.  I could have purchased a sweatshirt or sweater at any of the multitudes of gift shops in the park (s).  Nevertheless, what’s the fun in that for a true Potter Head?  Warmth had to come from within a Harry Potter-themed piece of apparel.   Luckily, the first shop in Diagon Alley is  Quality Quidditch Supplies .  It’s jam-packed with—obviously—Quidditch gear of all kinds, like quaffle balls.  However, the store also carries apparel.  Since this...

How a Woman Helped End the War in California As the mother of a son born during the Vietnam War, I can understand a mother's apprehension about her son one day entering the war arena.  For me, I was terrified.  Boys I had grown up with were killed or maimed in war.  I would have done anything to keep him safe, as would most mothers.   However, Bernarda Ruiz trumped anything I could even imagine, especially since she accomplished what many men could not and she was a woman in the mid-1800s.  A Trip Back in Time During this time period, the US and Mexico were at  war  over the land each felt ownership. Los Angeles was considered significantly important due to its position on the southern end of the west coast .  Of course, the military came in and established control over the area and other strategic locations as well.  Problems arose when they became a bit too heavy-handed with the locals.    Californios, Mexicans livi...