This is an update of last year’s tribute to Samhain – Halloween.  I still love this opening from Bernard Cornwell every time I read it … To the Celts, October 31st was Samhain (spelled “Samain” in Old Irish), a harvest festival that many believe became the inspiration for Halloween. I could write more about Samain,…

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – The Declaration of Independence               The Writing of the Declaration of Independence 1776

I found this quote particularly apt for today: A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. – Joseph Campbell Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France – photo courtesy of Luke M. Curley

It’s an unfortunately somber day at Fresh-scraped Vellum.  A dear member of my wife’s family passed away, so the post I had planned to write will have to wait.  For times like this, one work of fiction comes to mind above all others — Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come.  If you haven’t read this novel, I…