A wonderful surprise! Last week, I answered the phone, fully expecting yet another telemarketer, only to find the producer from Coast to Coast AM on the other end of the line. Wowza! What a wonderful surprise! She peppered me with questions about all three of my books, Unexpected Texas, Paranormal Texas, and The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber) and then asked if I’d like to be a guest on the show. Would I ever! Quest for a Landline Since my husband and I no longer have a landline at our home, she suggested we stay at a hotel for…
Tag: historic
Graveyards as Open-Air Museums I’m deviating a little from my usual historic cemetery symbols post this week because often, when I tell people that I enjoy spending time in graveyards, they assume I must be really morbid – which is not the case at all! You see, I spend a lot of time in historic cemeteries, especially here in Texas. And to me, these country graveyards are more than just where the dead are buried; they are open-air museums. And the symbols that our ancestors chose to put on their headstones – that is how our ancestors speak to us…
Who is the Virgin of Guadalupe? Since the Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, depictions of her are common in areas with a large Hispanic population. The squiggly lines that surround her body represent rays of sunlight. I’m not Hispanic, but the Virgen of Guadalupe made a big impression on me as a little girl when my family visited Mexico City. You might even say that I’ve been a fan of her ever since! To learn more about her, check out this excellent post: Everything You Needed to Know about the Virgen de Guadalupe. Field Guide to…
What does a rosebud signify on a headstone? ROSE: Not only do roses represent earthly passion (just think how many are given at Valentine’s Day) but they also stand for heavenly perfection. When carved on a headstone, roses nearly always have 3 leaves. A quick look at my backyard rose bush confirmed that this is not botanically accurate! Symbolically, however, this trio of leaves represents the holy trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Rosebuds most often appear on the graves of children and teens as a way of expressing that they were not able to achieve their full potential. A…
What Do Upside Down Torches Mean on a Grave? UPSIDE DOWN TORCH: If you read my post for J (
What does a pitcher signify on a headstone? PITCHER: Pitchers mean different things depending on where you are. If you are visiting a Jewish cemetery, then a pitcher at a grave site implies that the person descended from the tribe of Levi. (Levites washed the hands of their priests with water.) If you are in the Christian section of a historic graveyard (as I was when I took the photo you see above), pitchers most often represent a woman of strong moral character, someone who was exceedingly generous, self-sacrificing, and charitable. It can also mean she was a prohibitionist,…