One fine Sunday morning I found a magazine while waiting for a class at a bead shop. The magazine was on a table in front of a closed restaurant, next door to the bead shop. I was early to my class (as usual), so I picked up the magazine to pass some time.

The magazine was the January/February 2011 issue of The Highlander, the Magazine of Scottish Heritage. Their web site says they are now in their fourth decade of publication.

Am I always the last to know? Really, there is a whole Scottish universe out there.

I loved this magazine. It reports on “history, heritage, genealogy, clan news, and event listings.” I was a bit late for any of the events, but the articles and advertisements were fascinating.

A sampling of the articles:

The Ghosts of Glamis Castle
Clan Mackintosh
The Gordon/Hay Feud of 1616
Ayrshire’s Artistic Embroidery
Robert Burns & The Globe Inn
Historic Iona Abbey
The Murder of Colin Campbell

Some Scottish trivia (p. 56): “Scots More Loyal To Their Banks Than To Their Spouses”

“A recent study has revealed that Scots typically stay with their bank for longer than they stay with their partner. The average person says their longest romantic relationship has lasted 14.1 years, while they have stayed with the same bank for an average of 16.5 years. Nearly six out of ten have had the same bank account for more than a decade, while 18 percent have been with their bank for more than 30 years.”

Hmm. My 16th wedding anniversary is coming up. I don’t know if my husband has any Scottish blood in him. If he does, should I be worried?