Throwback Thursday: In 1814 We Took A Little Trip...

Don't worry, you won't remember a thing....

(Shra and the traveling taser. AI modified photo.)

For several years after I retired from grown-up journalism, I wrote a humor blog for Reuters. I had a solemn pact with my readers that it was just for fun, and they would never learn anything from it.

One of my blog’s followers, a sassy woman living in Scotland, vowed to tase me if I ever broke this promise, and she was prepared to come to the States to enforce it if that became necessary.

Eventually, Shra did visit us in Santa Fe. She stayed in our haunted guest house, and happily, the taser remained mostly tucked away in her suitcase.

In 2023, I wrote a 5 a.m. Story about the blog and its die-hard fans, My Ragtag Band of Misfits.

I do not have a non-teaching agreement with my 5 a.m. Stories readers, which is how I was able to get by with posting today’s throwback, In 1814 We Took A Little Trip... It contains some history and geography, but I kept it light and I promise you won’t remember it for very long.

The story deals in part with the famous Battle of New Orleans, among other things, but I didn’t have room to include one of my favorite historic factoids: That battle was fought after the War of 1812 was officially over, because the news hadn’t yet reached the U.S.

So, about 300 troops, most of them British, died for nothing, a long way from home, a couple of weeks after a peace treaty had already been signed.

And so it goes…

One more thing. My Ragtag Band of Misfits mentions a Facebook group that was formed after my blog ended.

This group just passed our 14th anniversary, and we’re still going strong.