January 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy inaugurated as President

On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the youngest man and first ever Roman Catholic to become elected President of the United States. While in the White House, President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline received a pet horse named Macaroni from the Vice-President, Lyndon B. Johnson.

As mentioned on the Presidential Pet Museum website, “The brown and white pony had a stylish and impressive wardrobe. For example, King Hassan II of Morocco presented a Moroccan saddle as a gift for Caroline during his state visit in March 1963.” The website also mentions, “Macaroni was usually stabled in Virginia, at the Kennedys’ country home, but was frequently brought in on a horse trailer and freely roamed the White House grounds. Tourists would often spot Caroline and her friends taking turns going for rides. If there was snow on the ground, a sleigh might be attached to Macaroni.”

Oh what “historical tails” Macaroni could tell!

Did you have a favorite pet growing up?

January 17, 1706: Benjamin Franklin’s birthday

Today is Benjamin Franklin's birthday. This founding father was a scientist as well and invented bifocals, an instrument called a “glass harmonica,” the Franklin stove and a lightening rod. Watch this video to learn more about this very accomplished man:

He also had a pet squirrel!

Will this be our next Historial Tail? Watch and see!

I keep reminding myself, baby steps…

I've been working very diligently on my manuscript, getting it ready for publication. I've never self published before so everything is new. I am constantly researching and then researching more. Every step of the way is slow and tedious but I am making progress. I have to remind myself, baby steps. Just in the first 14 days of this new year, I've done the following towards my goal:

1. Sent the manuscript to a professional editor. Yay! Now, she reads it, makes notes and I revise. Then she reads it again, makes more notes and I revise. I hope to be finished with my manuscript by the end of January.
2. Found an illustrator. Yay! I made a deal with an artist I really like. She's going to bring Buzzy and Thomas to life. I'm excited to work with her and see what she comes up with!
3. In my research, I had found a painting of Thomas Jefferson in the oval office with Dickie, his Mockingbird flying around the room. So, I wrote to the White House Historical Association and obtained the right to publish this painting in my book! Once the book is published, I can also post the painting on this blog and various social media, but for now, it's hush hush.
4. I bought 10 ISBN numbers! These numbers, along with a corresponding barcode are printed on the book and on each e-book. You need an ISBN number in order to sell a book in a store. I bought 10 numbers because that was the package deal, although I have other stories up my sleeve and when I publish those, I'll need the number.

So, that's it for now! I've accomplished a lot and look forward to more!

Do you have any intentions for 2016?