06/02/2026
Hello and welcome, everyone! We are back with another Archives Finds post, and this time it’s an appreciation wagon. Coming in from box 61, correspondence on this day, June 1st, 53 years ago, between Ruth Ann Musick and Diane MacMurray, in which Diane thanks Ruth Ann for her creative columns “The Old Folks Say.” She says,
“As for your column, we’re all delighted with it. It’s the only spot of whimsy in the paper, and it’s always fun to read. I, for one, wish that newspapers today would adopt some literary columns common in the 19th century newspapers. People like to believe this explains the popularity of Ann Landers, Abby, et al. They fill, however incompletely, the fiction needs of many newspaper readers.”
This mindset is very important for columns, authors, and artists alike! Having whimsy, a passion, be it a poem, story, or portrait, is so important in our digital age, where everything can be viewed and then tossed away with a few clicks. Find what pulls your fancy and use it to fulfil your own needs, like those in the above newspaper readers.
If you haven’t yet today and you feel up to it, take a moment to read our favorite column addition, or literary passage, or look at your favorite landscape or artistic painting, if you have one. And, if you’re still up for it, let us know in the comments what you see, think, and feel!
