My maternal grandfather celebrated his 90th birthday in 1971, which would easily translate to 110 in the present day. Americans began living longer in the 20th century, thanks to better sanitation and more effective vaccines and medicines. But growing old meant an increased vulnerability to other ailments, such as heart disease and cancer.

Everyone has post-Covid dreams. I'd wager most of them involve family and travel, and mine are no different in that respect. I long to be able to hug my grandchildren again, to see them somewhere other than on FaceTime. We had a you're-only-going-to-do-this-once trip planned this summer and poof! like everyone else's plans, it was cancelled, tucked into the not-now-maybe-not-ever box.

This week's column mentions many phrases and terms that were also once commonplace but now you hear them very seldom if at all. Although many of these terms are outdated you may still learn something by reading this column; even if you don't learn anything, it might bring back some good memories.

On June 1, 2020, our president presided over yet another "turning point" event that took place between the peoples' White House and Saint John's Church on the other side of Lafayette Square.

World Honey Bee Day came and went, but it wasn't a celebration: over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. Thanks to science, we know exactly why: habitat loss, pollution from pesticides, invasive species, and climate change all play a significant role.

Having grown up in the "Little Dixie" area of western Missouri, Jesse James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. As teenagers he and his brother Frank joined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the Civil War. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, both brothers spent time in Texas, and Frank is believed to have been with Quantrill's Raiders in Grayson County during the winter of 1863-64.

Usually when I'm researching something or shopping for an item, I like to check four or five different sources and compare them. After you've learned more about how to search, it becomes easier to learn what to believe and what not to believe. The old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is" often applies here.

The recent excellent article on diamonds by Austin College's Professor Emeritus, Jerry Lincecum in the May 4 issue combined with PBS Frontline's "The Diamond Empire" (1994) join in explaining why diamonds are not forever; nor are they "a girl's best friend."

At first, suffragists argued that giving women the ballot was only fair. As one male suffragist observed, a country where women could not vote should be called a "manocracy," not a democracy.

Recent events have highlighted calls for policing reform nationwide, from both conservatives and liberals.

On August 26, Women's Equality Day will most likely be commemorated heavily in the virtual world especially since people use social media as a form of their own activism.

Texas A&M University Press has made an important contribution to the study of science in 19th century Texas by publishing "The Writings of Ferdinand Lindheimer: Texas Botanist, Texas Philosopher," the first English translation of this German Texan’s collected essays, edited and annotated by John E. Williams. This is the latest book added to the Gideon Lincecum Nature and the Environment series.