Have you ever played one too many computer game or watched one too many old rerun?  You just can’t get into another mystery and you just feel flat?  Maybe you are suffering from boredom, that familiar accomaniment to our automated, precooked lifestyles.  If so, you need to check out these hobby ideas.  Hobbies have been found to be therapeutic as they relieve stress and get the mind active.  In this article, you’ll find hobby ideas for every sort of person, from the intellectual to the athlete, from the homemaker to the attorney. Read the full story

For people who would like to do more gardening but live in a short growing season area, a hobby greenhouse is the answer.  A hobby greenhouse is not large enough to produce vegetables or flowers on a commercial basis.  It will, however, give you a place for a tomato plant or two and some fresh greens even if you live in the northern regions.  Greenhouse enthusiasts even have their own association, called the Hobby Greenhouse Association, which publishes a quarterly magazine.  The organization also sponsers events and helps individuals connect to get help with the aspect of gardening that they are interested in, whether it’s growing cacti or saving seeds. Read the full story

The radical change in our coinage that was taking place in the early 20th century was not quite done by 1916.  With the new Lincoln cent and Buffalo nickel now in circulation, and changes to gold coinage, it was now time for a change in silver, specifically, the dime, quarter and half dollar to undergo a facelift and eliminate the uninteresting Barber designs. Read the full story

The year was 1915 and there was a movement afoot to change the remainder of American coinage. With the changes to the $10 eagle, $20 double eagle, the cent and nickel, it was now time for changes to the dime, quarter and half dollar. Under 1890 law, changes could not be made to a coin design without approval from congress more frequently than every 25 years. The Barber coinage (dime, quarter and half dollar) was to reach that mark in 1916 and the mint wasted no time in making the changes, in fact starting the process before 1916. Read the full story

In 1887, Mint Director James P. Kimball noted in his annual report the “inferiority of our coinage” compared to other advanced nations and that in his opinion, the coinage of the U.S. was out of date and should be changed. At the request of Kimball, Senator Justin S. Morill introduced a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to redesign coins without first obtaining the permission of Congress, as long as the current design had been in use for at least 25 years. The bill passed on September 26, 1890 and the dime, quarter and half dollar were targeted for change. The decision of who should redesign the coins eventually fell to his successor, Edward O. Leech. Read the full story

Embroidery is an age old art form that has decorated clothing, bedding, and household goods for hundreds of years. Using colored threads to create patterns has dated back to the time of ancient Egypt, when women sewed metallic threads into clothing for decoration. The trend caught on with Babylonians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews, who all began incorporating embroidered pieces into their clothing. Read the full story