Dr. Bruce Smith
Dr. Bruce Smith ([url="https://inkwellhearthandplow.blogspot.com/"]Inkwell, Hearth and Plow[/url]) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from [url="http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=93188"]Indiana University Press[/url].
Most Recent Articles by Dr. Bruce Smith:
The Witch of November
November 5, 2023
In this month of Thanksgiving, we can give thanks that there are miners and sailors and steelworkers and factory workers who provide for us without knowing who we are
Transition Weekend
October 30, 2023
Survival in Tough Times, Let it come. The snowbirds have made it safely and we will feed them well for their journey back to the True North when April comes around
The Beauty of Eclectic Interests
October 23, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: The Golden Guides
Healthcare Limbo
October 17, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Skills for healthcare today
Musical Perfection The Last Rose of Summer
October 17, 2023
This morning they’re perfection itself, with old fashioned sweetness in their scent
Prudent Seasonal Abundance
October 9, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: I’m here to say that taking advantage of the seasonal bounty is likely a good thing
Give Us This Day Our Small Moment of Luxury
October 5, 2023
During that pause we can look philosophically at the slings and arrows we endured today from our adversaries and count our victories, however small
Musical Perfection: Bobby Vinton, Blue Velvet
September 27, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Bobby Vinton Ray Anthony, Blue Velvet, Bunny Hop, Hokey Pokey
Historic Artifacts and Where To Put Them
September 19, 2023
Survival in Tough Times
Late Summer Flowers
September 12, 2023
As you go about your day, please look for the late summer flowers and enjoy them. Be sure to savor the moment. Like the summer of 1913, or the summer of ’39 or ’41, especially when we don’t know what lies ahead we can always thank God for today
Small Town America
September 5, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: As you read this, dear reader, that little burg is still there, like a thousand others scattered across the Heartland, and good people live and work there
Remember When—August of 1971
August 28, 2023
The Indiana University: I had landed at a place that turned out to be wonderful, and I had only just arrived
Today’s ultimate weapon is a mute constituency
August 22, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: The Ultimate Weapon
When Trust Has Been Lost, The Republic Is In Peril
August 14, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Unequal justice is no justice at all
Survival in Tough Times: A gaggle this nice is something you don’t see every day.
It’s Not the Humidity, It’s the Heat
August 2, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Last week was the last week of July. That means here in the Heartland it’s supposed to be hot and humid so we can have lots of corn. It’s July. It’s supposed to be hot and humid, thank God!
An Antique Shop Is Like A Little Museum
July 26, 2023
Reminders may be found in antique shops, junkyards, old barns, thrift shops, cemeteries, and proper museums. I may run into you coming around the corner where the player piano rolls and the Blackhawk corn shellers are waiting for us
Our Ancestors Comfort Us With Memory
July 20, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: It was part of a world long gone, but a world we can recall at will. The memories are in color, I just realized
Don’t Be Fooled
July 10, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: So they’re murmuring and tut-tutting about Biden, but I don’t hear them saying they’d do anything different. Strange, isn’t it? What would you bet there’s another election year coming up soon? Don’t be fooled
The Tyranny of the Seasons
July 3, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: We should not let a day go by that we don’t thank our lucky stars that we came along after the miracle of the Industrial Revolution
Why AI is a problem
June 25, 2023
So anyone wishing to avoid responsibility will find the capabilities of AI mesmerizing. For the rest of us the only sensible response to this isn’t just “No.” It’s “Oh, Hell no!”
Musical perfection: Snap, Crackle, Pop
June 20, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Crackle’s lyrics and his guitar part are the best to my way of thinking, and what I always sing. Which is your favorite, dear reader?
Now there’s something you don’t see every day
June 11, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Lessons the old Studebaker taught me
Go Back In Time With Oral History
June 4, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: My paternal grandfather was just Grandpa Smith to me
In Every Little Village
May 28, 2023
So it is a solemn duty bequeathed to us by those who served. Go find them. Recall their sacrifice. Never forget
Nostalgic Spring Beauty
May 21, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: If you’re out hiking or looking for mushrooms, there are often nostalgic discoveries around the foundations or grounds of old homes and farms. Please share your own favorites in the comment section
Sometimes We Just Need To Raise The Drawbridge
May 18, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: Call it a mental health day if it helps, but we all need to shrug a little now and then. It’s time to pull up the draw bridge
Reminds Me Of October ’73, But Only A Little
May 8, 2023
Survival in Tough Times: So these events remind me of October ’73, but only a little. Back then, the system was a little fairer and public officials sometimes still had a sense of honor. Now, not so much
Musical perfection The Dave Clark Five
April 30, 2023
Because It was one of those songs that was perfect the first time I heard it and every time after.
Reverence For the Past, or The Wonders of an Attic
April 26, 2023
History and memory transport us to the long ago and far away whenever we are ready for inspiration from those who came before us