It's Time To Review a 1905 Letter....

I hate using the orange circus peanut's name, but I will, with heavy heart, use it here.  Under the guidance of the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald John Trump, the United States Border Patrol and Immigration Service is ripping families apart.  Infants, young children, and teenagers are being forcibly separated from their parents and set apart, with minimal comforts and little hands-on care and training.  Trump says it's because of the Democrats.  The only reason this is happening is due to Trump's own views and his executive directives - Congress has had absolutely nothing to do with this travesty.  It has come straight from Donald Trump and his fawning partner, Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, the Attorney General at the Department of Justice.
   So - let's look with new eyes and understanding at a letter written by a man who left his country, then returned 20 years later, only to be told he could not stay in the country of his choice - his "homeland."   The letter, translated from the original German by Austen Hinckley, reads:
 
   "Most Serene, Most Powerful Prince Regent!  Most Gracious Regent and Lord!

 I was born in Kallstadt on March 14, 1869.  My parents were honest, plain, pious vineyard workers.  They strictly held me to everything good - to diligence and piety, to regular attendance in school and church, to absolute obedience toward the high authority.
   After my confirmation, in 1882, I apprenticed to become a barber.  I emigrated in 1885, in my sixteenth year.  In America I carried on my business with diligence, discretion, and prudence.  God's blessing was with me, and I became rich.  I obtained American citizenship in 1892.  In 1902 I met my current wife.  Sadly, she could not tolerate the climate in New York, and I went with my dear family back to Kallstadt.
  The town was glad to have received a capable and productive citizen.  My old mother was happy to see her son, her dear daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter around her; she knows now that I will take care of her in her old age.
  But we were confronted all at once, as if by a lightning strike from fair skies, with the news that the High Royal State Ministry had decided that we must leave our residence in the Kingdom of Bavaria.  We were paralyzed with fright; our happy home life was tarnished.  My wife has been overcome by anxiety, and my lovely child has become sick.
  Why should we be deported?  This is very, very hard for a family.  What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree - not to mention the great material losses it would incur.  I would like to become a Bavarian citizen again.
  In this urgent situation I have no other recourse than to turn to our adored, noble, wise, and just sovereign lord, our exalted ruler His Royal Highness, highest of all, who has already dried so many tears, who has ruled so beneficially and justly and wisely and softly and is warmly and deeply loved, with the most humble request that the highest of all will himself in mercy deign to allow the applicant to stay in the most gracious Kingdom of Bavaria.

  Your most humble and obedient,

Friedrich Trump"

This is a letter written in 1905 by Friedrich Trump, the grandfather of President Donald Trump, to the Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold.  Friedrich Trump had been ordered to leave Bavaria, again, for two reasons: first, he failed to register his initial emigration to the United States when he left in 1885; and second, because he did not complete his mandatory military service to Bavaria before leaving.  Prince Luitpold rejected Friedrich Trump's request for repatriation, and the Trump family returned to New York City.  When Friedrich arrived in America in 1885, his last name was spelled Drumpf; he changed it to Trump in 1887, and achieved American citizenship with that name.
  It is also very interesting to note that Friedrich was accepted in America because his older sister was already in New York City - he listed her as his sponsor; it was, and is, an example of "chain immigration" of families that President Trump deplores so much.  His mother, Mary Anne McLeod, was also a "chain immigrant," joining her sister.  And his current wife's parents also used "chain immigration" to become American citizens.  Appaently, it's fine for Trump's family to use "chain immigration," but now, he doesn't want anyone else to be allowed to do so.

Just think how different history may have been, if Prince Luitpold had  repatriated the Trump family back in 1905...  The history of the United States may have had a completely different twist.  And current immigrants and asylum seekers would not be having their children, their most cherished possessions, torn from them.  (And Donald's father would not have been arrested in New York City in 1927, for causing and fighting in a riot at a Ku Klux Klan march...)

You know, I believe that from now on, when I have to refer to the 45th President by name, I shall use the correct pronunciation of  his Bavarian Palatinate surname.  I shall talk about President (phonetically) Droompf......

Tintagel Castle - History and Photos

It is rumored, and many believe, that King Arthur was born at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, England.  The castle ruins that exist today are on a triangular promontory that thrusts out into the Atlantic Ocean, and can be reached by steep stairways cut into the cliffs.  More than 20 stone buildings have been identified that date from the Dark Ages. A large amount of 5th and 6th century pottery from the Mediterranean has been found here.  Those include massive oil jars from Tunisia, Aegean amphorae, jars from the Byzantine Empire, and dishes imported from Carthage.
   The ruins that we see today are from the castle was was built in the 1230s by Richard, Earl of Cornwall and Count of Poitou, second son of King John.  There are, of course, many stories of the area being used as a fortress throughout the ages.  It was definitely an important trading center during the Roman occupation of Britain, and after.
   In 1998, a 6th century stone slab was uncovered at Tintagel, bearing the inscription "Pater coli avi fecit Artognov", meaning Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had this built.  The name Artognou was probably pronounced Arthnou.  Some study seems to indicate that that "Arth" was a Dark Ages prefix added to the name of a ruler.  This merely confirms there was a wealthy person here in the 6th century with a name similar to Arthur.  It does not prove that a King Arthur lived at Tintagel, but it is, and was, a tantalizing find....

The gateway to Tintagel

The Pony Express - History

Most people who have read about the history of the western United States have heard of the Pony Express.  Considering that the private mail service only operated for 19 months, that's something remarkable. Yesterday, 3 April, was the first day (in 1860) of the Pony Express's operation.  It was a private delivery service, carrying messages, newspapers, and mail. Officially operating as the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company of 1859, in 1860 it became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.  The company was founded by William H Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B Waddell, all well known in the freighting business.
   From 3 April 1860 until October 1861, the Pony Express became the West's most direct means of east-west communication before the transcontinental telegraph was established on 24 October 1861. The company was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the US, and it reduced the amount of time for messages to travel between the east and west coasts to about 10 days.
   Russell, Majors, and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express over two months in the winter of 1860.  They assembled 120 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses, and several hundred personnel in January and February 1861. By using a short route with mounted riders instead of teamsters in wagons or stagecoaches, they proposed to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.  They hoped to get the mail through in 10 days - many people swore that was impossible.  The initial price for mail delivery was set at $5 per 1/2 ounce (14 grams), it dropped to $2.50, and by July 1861, the cost was $1.  The men who owned the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government contract, but that never happened.
   Alexander majors was a religious man and was resolved to overcome all difficulties. Each rider who signed on to work was given a special edition Bible and they were required to sign the following oath:  "I, ____ _____, do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect  I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."
   The Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system of Communications could be established and operated year round. The approximately 1,900 mile-long route (3,100 kilometers) roughly followed the Oregon and California Trails to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah.  From there it followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada before passing over the Sierra into Sacramento, California.
   William Russell, the senior partner of 'Russell, Majors, and Waddell' and one of the biggest investors in the Pony Express, used the 1860 Presidential election as a way to promote the company and how fast it could deliver the U. S. mail.  Prior to the election, Russell hired extra riders to ensure freshness of horse and rider along the relay route.  On 7 November 1860, a Pony Express rider departed Fort Kearny, Nebraska (the end of the eastern telegraph line) with the election results. Riders sped along the route, over snow-covered trails and into Fort Churchill, Nevada (the end of the western telegraph line).  California's newspapers received word of Abraham Lincoln's election win only 7 days and 17 hours after the East Coast newspapers. It was an unequaled feat of daring and speed at that time.
   During its brief time operating the Pony Express delivered about 35,000 letters between St. Joseph and Sacramento.  But they did not get the government contract they had hoped for. It was given to Jeremy Dehut in March 1861, after her took over the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line by Congress. Then Ben Holladay took over the Pony Express stations to use as stagecoach stops.
   Shortly after the contract was awarded the start of the American Civil War caused the stage line to stop operating.  From March 1861, the Pony Express ran mail only between Salt Lake City and Sacramento.  Two days after the transcontinental telegraph line reached Salt Lake City, Utah, and connected Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California, the Pony Express announced its closure.  The date was 26 October 1861.
   In 1866, after the Civil War was well over, Ben Holladay sold the Pony Express assets along with the remnants of the Butterfield Overland Stage to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million.
   When replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized - and it became a part of the lore of the American West.  Its use of young men as people of ability, integrity and endurance, plus the use of horses, especially mustangs, was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism and spirit.

"Spring Forward"

Tonight, once it is dark, I will set my wall clocks and alarm clock forward by one hour.  I won't really miss any sleep, because I don't have a set bed-time or rising time.  (Of course, the cats do, occasionally, insist I get up when they do.)  Daylight Saving Time makes me crazy - not as much as it did when I worked night-shift in the hospital - but it's still a stupid idea. 
  Originally, it was introduced as a possibility in England, before World War I; Parliament said "No."  Then the Germans began to use it at the onset of the First War; the British followed suit.  America also got into the act in 1918 - 100 years ago.  The original, and still used arguments for Daylight Savings Time, were that there would be "vast energy savings, crisper farm products harvested before the morning dew dried, and it would lessen eye strain for industrial workers."
   None of this has happened.  The only group to get anything from Daylight Saving Time is the retail industry - with it staying lighter later, people tend to stop and shop, or eat, on the way home from work.  In the first few years of DST, the golf industry made a whopping $400 million from fees and sales of golf balls, tees, and clubs.  Retailers always have better revenue in the evening once the clocks are set back.
   But energy savings?  True, a lot of folks don't stay at home, watching television or using their lights for reading.  However, these days, there are all sorts of evening activities, which people drive their vehicles to (rather than walk), which has increased the use of gasoline and diesel fuels.  Saving energy?  I think not.
   Getting crisper vegetables at the market, since they are harvested before the dew can dry on them?  Hah!  We do have a "Farmer's Market" on Saturday mornings in downtown Boulder, and there are still the occasional road-side stands, but one must drive many miles to access them.  Most of today's produce is sold in supermarkets, where it is rarely "fresh," and is usually wrapped in plastic.  Saving energy?  I think not.
   Hmmmm...  "Lessen eye strain for industrial workers"....  Since most industrial workers are sequestered inside, using high-tech equipment, and wearing goggles or face shields to protect their eyes and faces... No.  I can't say that Daylight Saving Time makes for less eye strain on the job.
  So - the main reasons that were, and are, given as the best reasons for the use of DST are all nonsense.  Retail industries are the only "winners" and, therefore, are very much approving of the use of DST.  -  But I still feel, quite strongly, that we should have only a single clock setting for the entire year. 
   How do you feel?

Vernon County, Missouri

Vernon County, Missouri sits along the Kansas border of the state, close to the southwest corner.  The original inhabitants were the Osage, and one can visit the Osage Village State Historic Park, where, in the 1700s, there were between 2,000 and 3,000 people living in harmony.  They were both farmers and hunters, and were well known for their horsemanship.  In treaties, the Osage signed away their land rights, and were moved to a reservation in Oklahoma. 
   Vernon County comprises 837 square miles, of which 10 square miles are water.  There are three main rivers, the Marmaton, Osage and Little Osage; these are fed by 35 creeks, branches, and rings. Vernon County itself  was founded in 1855, and was named after an American Officer who fought at the Battle of New Orleans.  The town of Nevada (the first a is long) is the county seat.  My father's grandparents and great-grandparents settled there in 1854 and 1855.
    Vernon County suffered considerable damage during the Civil War.  The courthouse was burned by Union Amy soldiers on 23 May 1863, along with the entire town of Nevada.  (The present courthouse dates to 1907.)  Vernon County was one of four Missouri counties that were completely depopulated by Union General Thomas Ewing's notorious General Order Number 11 in 1863.  Most of the people who lived in the county were not allowed to return to their homes and farms until after the end of the Civil War in May 1865.
   My Dad's maternal people moved to Vernon County from Kentucky and Tennessee, and they were, mostly, farmers.  My Dad's paternal people were farmers who spread from Maine and Massachusetts, across New York and on to the Ohio Valley.  A lot stayed in Indiana, while others moved on to Iowa.  From Iowa, they, mostly, moved to Kansas, while some went on to Oregon, Washington, and down to California.  Dad's folks stayed in Kansas, then went to Oklahoma, back to Kansas, and finally, over to Howell County, Missouri - east of where Dad's Mother grew up, in Vernon County.
    My fourth-great-grandfather, Reuben Nock, lived near my other fourth-great-grandfather, Hatevil Hall in Maine.  They both had large families.  Two Nock sons married two Hall daughters, and two Hall sons married two Nock daughters.  So there were four families that were double-first-cousins.  It's the grandchildren of those double-first-cousins of the Hall/Nock crosses that have me wondering... 
   Why did several of those families end up living in Vernon County, Nevada between 1880 and 1920?  Were they frequent letter writers, who loved the area, and enjoined others of the far-flung family to move there?  Some of the men were harness makers, others were teamsters, others were farmers, and a few were merchants....  But why Vernon County?  Maybe I need to go spend several days there, instead of the few hours I've had...  Is a puzzlement!

Wow! Beautiful History!

My Dad was a "space junkie."  We watched every launch by NASA on television, and he awakened me to see the first man walk on the moon broadcast live.  When rockets started taking off from Cape Canaveral (Cape Kennedy), we could view them from the end of the street.  While I lived in Florida, I would watch lift-offs on the television, then run outside to see them in the sky....
   Today, I watched Elon Musk's SpaceX send the Falcon Heavy rockets skyward.  It was something that had never been done before - three connected rockets with a combined force of 27 engines shot up from the rocket pad in Florida.  The two side rockets detached perfectly, on time, and the main rocket's first stage booster disengaged right on schedule.  The sights were fabulous!   I even was able to see the two booster rockets pass over the cameras on the ground in Florida, on their way back to Earth for recovery and re-use....   Amazing!
   Looking back in history, what have I seen take place in my own lifetime?
1.  Desegregation in the southern United States
2.  The first man in space
3.  The Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4.  The first moon orbit
5.  The first walk on the moon
6.  The space shuttles
7.  The International Space Station
8.  The first African-American President of the United States
9.   The first successful launch of a heavy-lift rocket by a private company

  It's stupid that 45 (the current person in the White House) is hoping for a government shut down over immigration laws; that he has opened National Parks and National Monuments to open rape of the Earth; that he is thinking of shutting down NASA; that he is hoping to cease funding the International Space Station; that he has encouraged his appointees to openly "kill" laws that were for the protection of people and the environment...   That man is a sacrilege in and of himself.

History and Statuary

As a person who reads and studies history, and as a person who enjoys art and statuary, I am disturbed by the thought of destroying and/or removing statues due to history.  I tried to get started on this point last night, when writing about the protest and counter-protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.  But I decided I needed to write about the confrontation, and not what was, supposedly, the cause.  The purported reason for the Ku Klux Klan, and the "Unite the Right" groups congregation was to protest the removal of a statue of General Robert E Lee.  The Lee statue had been erected in 1923 in what was then named the Robert E Lee Park.  In the early 1970s, the name of the park was changed to Emancipation Park.
   The City of Charlottesville set up a committee several years ago to discuss the fate of what could be considered "divisional art," which included statues in the city.  The majority of members on this committee were African-American, and the committee had planned for them to be the majority, as it was decided those members could best decide what would be offensive to people who were black.  Two propositions were put forward for statues, plaques, and markers that might be deemed offensive to the black community: (1) to just remove the items that were deemed offensive and/or demeaning; or (2) to leave them in place with the viewpoints of several historians, both African-American and white, as to what the items represented, and explaining their parts in the history of this nation, and, particularly, in Virginia.  The committee voted to keep the statue of Robert E Lee; the elected City Council voted for it to be removed.  After the furor caused by the removal announcement, and the planned protest of yesterday; a judge granted an injunction that nothing should be done to, or with, the Lee statue until January 2018, when the City Council must, again, make a decision.
   Now, I am very definitely a white, or Caucasian, person.  I have very pale skin which freckles and burns.  I have light colored eyes.  I was born with red hair, which turned brown in my teens, and turned grey in my 20s.  My DNA results state that I am north European through and through.  I love history - but I was raised in the South and grounded in my Virginia roots.
   My friend for ten years, and room-mate for two years, is a woman of African-American descent.  He grandmother was a Louisiana Creole, and I have been able to trace parts of her family into the early 1800s, as slaves.  She has one DNA proven forebear, however, who was of French descent - and I have been able to trace that part of her family tree back to the late 1500s, to an area that is northwest France and southwest Switzerland.  I frequently ask her viewpoint on things - and especially regarding the removal of statues, in particular, this one of Robert E Lee in Charlottesville.
   This is one of the very few areas where Beatrice and I do not see eye to eye.  Of course, as far as I can trace back, my family has been free white people.  Beatrice's great-great-grandparents were all born into slavery in the southern United States.  Her father and Uncle served in the US military - her Uncle in the Army, and her father with the Tuskeegee Airmen.  My Aunt and Uncles served in the Army and the Navy.  She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado - me: Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, and Virginia again.
   Beatrice believes that any statues of anyone who served in the Army or Navy of the Confederate States of America; or those who served in it's Congress or Administration in any way, should be removed and destroyed.  She believes that any person who owned slaves should not be depicted as statuary, or in art.  I do not believe that these statues or the people they represent should be revered, but I think that their statutes should be left in place.  To document the past.  To show what can happen when a country believes that slavery should be allowed.  There should be interpretive areas with information and short films that tell who the people were, why they made the decisions that they made, and what happened because of those decisions.
......  If we destroyed all statues and paintings of people who owned slaves throughout history, millions of pieces of great works of art would be destroyed. Slavery has existed in one form or another since the beginning of humanity's history.  Pharaohs had slaves. Romans had slaves. Vikings had slaves.  Any people who were strong enough, or clever enough, to conquer another people had slaves.   ....
    History happened.  History is history. Bad decisions have been made throughout the world in every era and in every country.  (Heck, the current Administration in the USA is a fantastic example of bad decisions!)  I think we need to learn from the mistakes made in the past.  I think people should be taught about choices and what happens when decisions, especially bad ones, are made and acted upon.  I don't think we should tear down statues that people believe might be hurtful.  The statue might represent everything that a single person completely and totally hates and vilifies - but it should remain standing to remind others what awful things can proceed when a man makes an incorrect decision....
 

Tonight's News Headlines

"Several Injured After Vehicle Rams People Leaving London Mosque: Witnesses"
"U. S. Warplane Downs Syrian Army Jet In Raqqa Province"
"Gunmen Attack Resort Outside Mali's Capital, Two Dead"
"At Least 62 Killed In Forest Fire Still Raging In Portugal"
"U. S. Navy Confirms All Seven Missing Sailors From USS Fitzgerald Found Dead"
"Iran Fires Several Missiles At Syria Following Tehran Attacks"
"Trump Attorney Says President Not Under Investigation - Then Hedges"
"Six Top Experts Resigned From Donald Trump's HIV/AIDS Advisory Panel"
"EPA Acknowledges Delaying Methane Rule Might Make More Children Sick, But It Will Help the Oil and Gas Industry"
"North Korea  Accuses US Authorities Of  'Mugging' Its Diplomats At NY Airport"
"Turkish President Erdogan Condemns US Warrants Issued To His Security Over Washington Brawl"

What does this say about the state of our world tonight?  All evening, I have had the old song "Eve of Destruction" running through my head...  Barry McGuire released his version in 1965, followed by a quick cover of it by The Turtles; I also remember Paul Revere and the Raiders having it on an album in the early 1970s.  My Uncle fought in Korea in the 1950s; and I grew up with the Viet Nam War - we were usually eating supper and watching horrific news with Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.  It was a nasty way to grow up, but my Dad, having been in the US Navy for 22 years, believed that my sister and I should see the world as it was/is - and not through rose-colored glasses.
   I have managed to sail into my sixty-first year with, I think, a pretty even look at the world.  I will be the first to admit that I have a "bleeding heart," and sad stories always make me cry.  baby animals make me "coo" like an idiot, and I mourn the death of everything, while I also realize that it's all a part of the cycle of birth,life and death.  I read constantly - histories of different areas of the world, archaeology, explorations of land and sea and space, and a lot of fiction for pleasure.  I have read the Bible, the Torah and the Koran.  I enjoy learning, and applying what I have learned to my everyday life.  I dislike conflict and will do my best to avoid it.  But I am very happy to listen to my friends, whether they are discussing troubles or joys, and, if asked for an opinion, I try to give a measured one - trying to see it from all perspectives.
    I am worried about my country, the United States of America.  There is a narcissistic nincompoop sitting in the Oval Office.  He is not a leader.  He is not a politician.  He is a real estate man who has multiple bankruptcies, who cannot and will not obey laws, who buys his way out of the troubles he causes himself.  He does not work or play well with others.  He has the mind and temperament of a child stuck in the "terrible twos."  He is poorly educated and does not read.  He does not know the history of his own country, let alone the entire world.  According to people inside the White House, he shouts back at the television when someone says something he doesn't like. Yet he is in charge of our nuclear codes.  He is the "Commander in Chief."
   I am truly frightened.

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr

Today is the United States day to acknowledge a wonderful leader - the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.  This is the designated Martin Luther King Day, even though his birthday was actually yesterday - 15 January.  H was born 88 years and one day ago in Atlanta, Georgia.  He rose to prominence in America because of his Civil Rights work, his peaceful demonstrations, his glorious dream of a nation and world where all people were equal, and his assassination on 4 April 1968 shook the world.  He is best known in the US for his "I Have a Dream" speech; but almost every single speech or event at which he allowed his words to flow, there are great jewels of thought to sit and contemplate. I was able to hear the man speak in person only once, but it was an unforgettable event.  He brought most of us to tears that day, including my father.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

   I saw my father cry very few times when I was a child - I remember he cried the day that President Kennedy was assassinated; he cried the day he received the telegram stating that his father had died; he cried at the Martin Luther King, Jr speech we attended; he cried when Dr King was assassinated; and he cried when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated.  Those were all markers in my life when I was growing up.  Each time I felt the world had changed - and only at Dr King's speech had it felt like the change was for the better.
   I am also a follower, even a "fan," of Representative John Lewis.  I was very happy when President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to Rep Lewis in 2010.  I supported his sit-in last year in the House of Representatives.  Representative Lewis is a citizen of the United States of America.  Rep Lewis was a student activist during the Civil Rights Movement - he stood by Martin Luther King, Jr.  Rep Lewis marched, protested non-violently, and convinced other students in colleges and universities to support the Civil Rights Movement.  John Lewis was beaten, arrested, hounded, and attacked for his views during that time.
  Representative John Lewis has served the 5th Congressional district of Georgia since 1987.  He is a true gentleman, in every respect. Last week, Rep Lewis stated that he did not feel that the President-Elect is the legitimate winner of the Presidential election - given all the reports by the US Intelligence agencies that Russia  has been tinkering with our news, Twitter feed, and the Wiki-Leaks trash - and that he would be missing the Presidential Inauguration for the first time in 30 years.  The President-Elect immediately denigrated Representative Lewis on Twitter, saying that Lewis was "all talk, no action" and that he had better concentrate on fixing his district which is "falling apart."
   I will say only one thing:  While the President-Elect was getting deferments from fighting in Viet Nam, John Lewis was getting almost beaten to death in the South, trying to get equality for all people.
   Guess who I'd give my life for?

Crazy Behavior

Logically, I know that "crazy behavior" has been around since the beginning of mankind.  While I was growing up, much of the madness was never heard of because we were then still relying on local newspapers and local news stations to report events.  The national evening news was tightly edited and gone over with a fine-toothed comb before being broadcast.  Telephones were the fastest way of communicating - there was no Twitter, no Instagram, no internet or world wide web, no Facebook. I've looked at several collections of small town local newspapers, and seen a lot of news items that would have made headlines today.  But that was years ago, when we were all still relatively insulated from the world as a whole, and before today's almost instantaneous news and gossip dispersal via new and trending technological  devices.
    I was appalled to hear of the shooting, yesterday, in the Fort Lauderdale Airport.  I was even more surprised to find that the young man accused of this crime had checked his gun and ammunition through baggage, and had loaded his weapon in the men's restroom, before going out to kill and injure multiple people.  But what really stopped me short, and made my jaw drop in wonder, was that the accused was being prosecuted in New Jersey for domestic violence - that he had partially strangled his girlfriend after striking her in the head.  Anyone who has been charged with domestic violence should not be permitted to carry a gun...
   The other day, I received a friend request on Facebook.  I looked at the name, and couldn't recognize the man.  I then looked at his Facebook page - the only information listed was that he was from Pittsburgh, PA and that he now lives in Boston, MA.  There were no photos of the man, himself.  There were multiple images of the Steelers football team, and a couple of photos that were, I guess, his dogs.  I declined to be the man's friend.  For two reasons: no photo and no information regarding himself; and the fact that he is a Steelers fan.  I know I have a bunch of friends out their who are fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It's because I know you that I ignore your team affiliation.  I simply can't stand the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers - and all of the rapes that he has gotten away with, due to his star football status.  There are several other "sports stars" that I denigrate for the same reason.  -  But the poor man who asked to be my friend has no inkling as to why I turned down his request...  Oh, well.
   I'll soon be heading out to buy cat food, kitty snacks, and kitty litter.  Then off to  pick up Donn's mail, followed by a stop at the library.  I've read all my books, am halfway through the last one, and need new reading material.  I think I'll pick up some ancient British history while I'm at it - my latest delvings into the family tree keep taking me back to the twelfth century, soon after the Norman invasion, and I keep seeing names I know from previous history readings.  I have to say, family trees are always fascinating.

Genealogy and History

Genealogy is a great way to start an interest in history - in following my family tree, I've noted several incidents that ancestors were involved in, which made me want to learn more...  I grew up considering myself to be a Southerner in the United States.  Mom was from Virginia, Dad was born in Oklahoma and spent the majority of his youth in Kansas.  I was born in Virginia, and grew up in Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida.
   I was extremely surprised to learn that Chincoteague Island, Mom's Virginia hometown, declared for the Union (not the Confederacy), and while people fought for both sides, Chincoteague was a Northern ally.  So I read a great deal about the agricultural and seafood economies of Accomack County, and came away with a much better understanding of why the citizens decided to support the Union, rather than the South.  I had no idea that the Eastern Shore was not a part of the Confederacy - I was never taught that, nor did I ever see it mentioned in my history texts at school and college.
   Digging nuggets of information along family branches, I found that a great-grandfather (many generations ago) was hung for his part in Bacon's Rebellion at Jamestown in Virginia...  So I read up on that bit of history.
   I've found that one of my great-great-grandfathers was a part of the jury that found abolitionist John Brown and his sons guilty in absentia for the Pottawatomie Massacre.  That relative went on to be burned out during the Civil War, and became a Justice of the Peace and a Judge in Missouri.  At the same time, the great-great-grand Uncle of my sister's husband was one of the seven men supplying John Brown and his abolitionist followers with money and firearms that led to Harper's Ferry.  Jim's great Uncle somehow avoided trial and conviction, while many others did not.
   An ancestor supported Lord Calvert of Maryland in the only English Civil War battle that occurred in the American colonies, was caught and sentenced to prison.  He escaped, left the main land, and settled in Accomack County, Virginia, where he prospered.  Another ancestor, a Cleveland, was imprisoned during the British Commonwealth period, for writing "scurrilous verses" about Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell.  The ancestor was incarcerated in the Clink Prison for six months.
   Ancestors and relatives of my parents fought in the Civil War, the War of 1812, multiple Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and I've traced a few who fought in the Wars of the Roses in England, the Crusades, and even a couple of battles that contained warlords and troops of Roman Legions...  Right now, I'm reading about the Roman Empire, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and the beginning of Charlemagne's  Frankish Empire that became the Holy Roman Empire.  It's fascinating stuff - especially when you realize that someone you're related to lived though it.

Pets, Vikings, Photos

It's another cool morning - 45 degrees when I was walking Tess this morning.  The sun is now up and shining, the first time since Sunday, and I am very happy to see it's glow through the trees in the back yard.  Tess is asleep on the floor behind me, having had her walk and breakfast; Lyra is in the cat tree, and I'm pretty sure that Lily is on the bed upstairs (that's her usual spot after breakfast).  They've lost three more carp, or koi, since I was last here.  Pinto, Lumpy, and Red One have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  That leaves only Red Two, Shadow and Goldy, out of 18 fish three years ago....  I know that Lynn puts them into the garden soil, but I always wonder why they died....
    I have now seen 9 of the latest 10 episodes of Vikings, and just read that the series will return on November 30 and show on Wednesday nights until the break before season 5.  Writer-historian Michael Hirst's take on the old Norse eddas that follow and/or mention Ragnar Lothbrok are wonderfully imagined and envisioned on the small screen.  Season 5 (and hopefully, 6 and 7) will be incredibly interesting with the continuing exploits of Bjorn Ironsides, and Ragnar's four younger sons, who will become the scourge of Europe.  I'm also looking forward to see Hirst's vision of Alfred the Confessor  (Ooops.  Alfred the Great is correct, VL G, not Alfred the Confessor.  Thanks!!), who was blessed by the Pope, in episode 9.  And, of course, Rollo, Ragnar's brother, is the direct male ancestor of William the Conqueror, also known as William the Bastard, who became King of England in 1066....  I just love history!
   I'm currently labeling photos from the 2016 Pony Penning for Lynn, as she missed our vacation together, due to a death in her family.  I have about 30 photos that definitely contain Surfer Princess, the filly I purchased with Lynn's money last year, and I have about 300 other photos of Pony Penning, Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, and the waters that surround them, and wildlife - both marine and terrestrial.  I managed to get about 50 labeled yesterday evening, and I'm going to work on the labeling until I go walk Rosie this morning.  And you have no idea how happy I am that I already have everything labeled and stored on my PC - that means just matching photos and copying the existing caption - I don't have to look up each pony in each picture, again!
   Beatrice and I are hoping to take our friend Melissa, from Atlanta, over Trail Ridge Road this weekend - hoping we can get across before it closes for the winter.  I'll be taking more photos - especially since I know there is plenty of snow on Pikes Peak (100 miles south of us), already!
 

The Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway

Burros carried explosives and supplies up Pikes Peak to build the rail bed from 1888 through 1890

The cog track was laid in 1891 -  this is going up Son Of a Gun Hill

Welcome sign at the top

1920s advertisement

The old steam engine and touring car

The new rail cars

This photo gives you an idea of the incline....

The United States in 1790

Why am I writing about the United States of 226 years ago?  Because that time shaped our Constitution and the first ten Amendments added to it - the Bill of Rights.
   On 8 January 1790, George Washington gave the first ever "State of the Union" address to Congress.
   Benjamin Franklin died on 17 April of 1790.
   The first Census of the United States was conducted on August first, and a few days thereafter.  It was an attempt to count every person living within the 13 states that made up America.  Alexander Hamilton was in charge of the enumeration, and he used 650 head counters.  The number of people residing in the United States, both free and slave and/or bond servant, was 3,929,214.  Ninety percent of the heads of households stated that their occupation was a farmer.  The average population per square mile was 4.5 persons.  And the center of population for the United States was 23 miles east of Baltimore, Maryland.
   The top ten cities by population were:
1    New York City, New York        33,131
2    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania       28,522
3    Boston, Massachusetts              18,320
4    Charleston, South Carolina       16,359
5    Baltimore, Maryland                 13,503
6    North Liberties township, PA     9,913
7    Salem, Massachusetts                 7,921
8    Newport, Rhode Island               6,716
9    Providence, Rhode Island           6,380
10  Marblehead, Massachusetts        5,661
   In 1790, the states covered land from the east coast to about 255 miles westward, and parts of the frontier crossed the Appalachian Mountains during that year.
   In 1790, James Watt's improved version of the steam engine offered a powerful, reliable power source that could be located almost anywhere; it helped speed up the Industrial Revolution.
   In 1790, American ships carried 40.5 percent of the value of goods carried in our nation's foreign trade.  Having the government pass new shipping laws and incentives in 1789, by 1807 US ships were carrying 92 percent of the goods in foreign trade.
   In 1790, the most up-to-date and reliable weapon was what is known as 'the Kentucky rifle.'  It was a black powder, muzzle loading rifle that shot .60 caliber rounds.  An expert hunter could reload and fire two to three times per minute. (The Girandoni Air Rifle was invented in 1779.  It had a magazine of 20 to 22, and used .46 caliber rounds.  This was the rifle used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but very few private citizens owned one.)
    The other fairly widely used ordinance was the six-pound cannon.  These cannons could accurately fire at a target 1500 yards away, and could be fired once every two minutes, with a well-trained gun crew.  A variety of projectiles could be used - a solid cannon ball, an exploding cannon ball, grape shot, nails, junk metal, etc.  Many of these small cannons were owned by towns, local militia, and a few private individuals.  They were relatively easy to position to defend various properties.
   Washington, the District of Columbia, was designated as the capital of the United States in 1791.
   The Bill of Rights was voted into law by the U. S. Congress on 15 December 1791.
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According to various and sundry studies and compilations of information, 50 to 80 percent of households owned one working gun - whether a Brown Bess musket, a rifle, or a handgun - a single shot pistol.  Americans were pushing west and south, and used the guns as personal protection of themselves and their families, and to kill game to eat.  Since the United States was newly formed, most able-bodied men belonged to their local or state militia.  The militias often provided guns for their members, to be certain that each man had a gun that would actually fire.
 

Good Books

I have read a lot of really good, entertaining books lately - James Rollins' Bone Labyrinth, Alafair Burke's The Ex, Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Cat Shout For Joy, Margaret Maron's Long Upon the Land, and Preston & Child's Crimson Shore, plus a few new Clive Cussler books.  But the book that I recently read, that made me very thoughtful, was Independence Lost: Lives On the Edge of the American Revolution by Kathleen DuVal.  Some people might consider the book a little too dry and tied down by footnotes - but it is one fantastic read, especially if you like American history.
   I grew up and attended school in Florida, where I suppose I received a pretty run-of-the-mill background of American history from my school books.  Certain aspects of different eras of our history made me ask more questions, which led to wider reading.  I've read a lot about 'the Founding Fathers' and the battles of the American Revolution.I particularly studied the impact of the Revolution on the colony, then state, of Virginia.  I thought I had a pretty well-rounded grasp of the Revolution from both the American and British points of view.  Professor DuVal's book made me consider the Revolution from the viewpoint of colonists not living in the confines of the original thirteen colonies - people living in Florida, in New Orleans, slaves working for freedom outside the western boundaries of Georgia, and the fates of several Native American tribes caught up in the colonial turmoil.
  When I hear, or read, the words "American Revolution," I consider only the original 13 colonies, and Great Britain.  I know that France came in with support - who can forget the Marquis de Lafayette? - but I had forgotten that Spain came in on France's side, too.  Florida was Spanish, and then New Orleans became Spanish (via the French) and the Native Americans were trying to work out the best deal they could get from everyone - Great Britain, France, Spain, and the new colonies.  I had never even thought about the Mississippi and Ohio valleys in terms of the American Revolution, property rights, tribal rights, and European meddling.
   Originally, the African slaves in the southern and western areas of the colonies were allowed to earn money for themselves, so they could buy their own freedom.  Soon after the American Revolution, this practice ceased to be lawful - especially as the plantation way of life bloomed in the South.  Soon, it became hard to earn any money for a slave to keep for him- or herself, and then they could no longer purchase their own, or their loved ones', freedom.
   Early agreements between the white colonists and the Native Americans stated that the white colonists would not move further west than five miles from the seashore.  That soon became seven, then ten, and, finally thirteen miles in a treaty with the governing body of Georgia.  And the colonists believed that they had a right to any land not claimed by another white settler.  They made huge in-roads into hunting territories of the local tribes; they took over villages and planted fields that belonged to the Natives; the colonists kept pushing further and further west, and south.  This was causing the eastern tribes to collapse back upon other tribal areas to the west and south.  Native Americans fought among each other, then turned against the settlers.   I can't blame them at all.
   One of the numbers that completely stunned me was that in a 10 year period, from 1782, more than 25,000 families moved west into what was then Indian territory - much of it still east of the Mississippi River....  Most settlers claimed 20 to 100 acres, but some claimed square miles, and sold it, or developed it into hated plantations.
    I love my country, but I sometimes dislike the way that the colonists and settlers took over the land - and I know it's a futile dislike.  It happened too long ago, and nothing, really, can be done today to make up for the loss of land, the loss of a way of living, and the loss of faith in fellow men.....

Flags, Slavery & History

I might be inserting my foot in my mouth - but I'm going to share my thoughts on the subject of flags and what they represent to me, as well as slavery and history.  I was brought up to respect any flag that was raised.  Dad was a member of the US Navy, other members of the family served in other branches of the United States armed services.  Dad's family has been in the United States since the arrival of the Mayflower;  Mom's family has been in the US since the 1620s in Virginia.  Both sides of my parents families have fought for the United States - both when it was a colony of Great Britain, and once we gained our independence from our mother country.  Members of both families carried arms in our Civil War, and the families fought for both the Union and for the Confederacy.
   Having been born in Tidewater Virginia, and then living in Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, with summers and several years in Virginia mixed in, I've always been proud to be a Southerner.  Southerners are reputed to be the best hosts and hostesses, and as having the best manners, in the United States.  I have also carried on my shoulders the shame of the atrocities that were done in the name of slavery and economics in the South.  The enslavement and abuse of humans is an unforgivable crime.
   The current controversy is over what most people call the flag of the Confederacy - but they are incorrect.  The "Stars and Bars" that fly over the state capitol of South Carolina is a replica of the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia that was originally only flown approaching, and in battle, by the men under the command of Robert E. Lee.  The original, unofficial flag of the Confederacy was the Bonnie Blue flag - a medium blue background with a single yellow star on it.  It eventually evolved into the flag of the Confederacy of the United States, and looked like this:

  I, personally, have very different and conflicting feelings regarding the battle flag of the Confederacy.  I know how much it is hated by our African-American citizens - and they have great cause to hate that flag.  I do not disagree with anyone in that feeling.  I am saddened that the display of that flag is still so divisive.  And I am extremely sorry that it is viewed as a sign of white supremacy.  And, adversely, I am proud of all of my relatives who fought for what they believed in during the Civil War.

   One of the hardest things to comprehend is that the Civil War in the United States was not caused by the single issue of slavery or States Rights.  The United States citizenship numbers favored the areas longest "civilized" and industrialized - the northeast and central areas of the country.  Northern states had a higher population, and more representation in the US Congress.  The South was settled later, and was used mainly as the, then, "bread-basket" of the nation.  The importation of slaves began soon after this country was founded.  The South was mainly agricultural, and the huge field plantations prospered - due to the unpaid, unrewarded work of people who were stolen from their homes and shipped to another country, where they became slaves simply because of the color of their skin.  This is something that never should have happened.

   But it did happen, We cannot change history.  We need to examine it, learn from it, and head forward in time with a much better understanding of what caused the past.  Our Civil War was caused by economics, plain and simple; and by the fact the people were comfortable with what was then normal.  

   Slavery has existed throughout history.  In ancient warfare, as clans or tribes moved into a new area, the previous occupants were either killed or enslaved.  Slavery was practiced all over the world - in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  If your family, group, clan, village or tribe lost a battle to invaders, most of the time, the men were killed and the women and children became slaves. India had slaves; Egypt had slaves; Turkey had slaves; the Roman and Byzantine Empires had slaves; Vikings had slaves; Russians and British had slaves. People with every skin color practiced slavery at one time or another in our history.  It is a hard concept to grasp, but it is true.

   Also, don't forget that odd class of people - the bond servants.  If a person was destitute, had no hope of any inheritance, had no family to care for them, or had debts, that person could, essentially "sell" themselves to a master for a certain term of years, doing designated work for that master, until their debt of servitude was paid.  A lot of people came to America as bond servants, or once they arrived in the Colonies, they found they couldn't cope as a single person, and signed on as a bonds-man, or bonds-woman.  One of my many times great-grandfathers signed on as a bondsman in London, and was shipped to Maryland, where he worked on a tobacco plantation for 7 days a week for 8 years.  At the end of his work term, he was given 10 raw, undeveloped acres and a bolt of cloth for clothing, and released from bondage.  Then he had to build a place for himself to live, clear the land, begin farming, support himself, raise a family, and, hopefully, prosper in the New World.

   Flags began as standards or signals that had a bright color or design on them that indicated a particular group - and usually the first histories of these "flags" dealt with fighting men.  A bronze "flag" on a tall pole that has been dated to 3,000 BC was found in the Middle East.  The ancient Sarmatians flew a dragon-shaped kite, carried by a rider on horseback; the Roman Legions had their Eagles and pennants.  The tricolor of the Netherlands dates back to the rule of Charlemagne; and the flag of Denmark has existed in its current form since 1478. National flags began being adopted by different countries, and their states, in the the late 17th century.

   As I stated previously, I can understand the dislike, distaste, and plain old anguish that seeing the Confederate battle flag can cause.  I don't think that the battle flag should be displayed, except when there is a Civil War reenactment being held.  But, having grown up in the Southern portion of the United States, I can also understand how some people, who have not studied history and whom are sadly biased want to display that battle flag.

    My relatives fought and died on both sides of the Civil War.  Some of our relatives helped run Underground Railroad stations, assisting slaves who wanted freedom.  Some of our relatives owned slaves.  Some of those relatives treated their slaves with great disregard and completely inhumane treatment; some of those relatives did not.  Some relatives were abolitionists.  Some were just concerned with getting a single meal a day.  My relatives ran the gamut from pretty rich to downright poor and homeless, depending on the place, the year, and the weather.

   I am extremely sorry that some of my ancestors actually thought it normal, believed in, and saw nothing wrong with the idea of owning another human being.  I cannot grasp that, myself.  But I am a product of the Baby Boom - I did not grow up in those places and those times when slavery was considered normal; if I had, maybe I would perceive slavery in a different light.  I'd like to think that I would be a better person than that - but I would then have no knowledge of the future, and would probably follow everyone else's thinking.

   Battles have been fought for eons.  Flags and battle standards have flown for thousands of years.  Slavery has existed for eons. The Confederate battle flag has existed for 154 years.  Let us retire it.

    We cannot change the past - but we can change the future.  Let us, and our children, be the ones who actually do make changes.

Unite Against Mining Historic Apache Site!

I just read the following article and it made me terribly upset.  If you agree this is a travesty, and an act against our Native Americans, please contact your Senators and Congressmen, and President Obama.  We, Americans, do not need copper so badly that we destroy the sacred places and historic sites of our native peoples - people who welcomed the white-skinned strangers from across the sea, offered them food and shelter, and then stole their native lands, homes, and hunting grounds.  It's just sickening!   The article is titled:
"Planned Arizona Copper Mine Would Put a Hole in Apache Archaeology

By 

Zach Zorich 

10 December 2014 3:00 pm

 

Archaeologists and Native American tribes are protesting language in a Senate bill that would approve a controversial land exchange between the federal government and a copper mining company—a swap that may put Native American archaeological sites at risk. The bill is needed to fund the U.S. military and is considered likely to pass the Senate as early as today.

The company Resolution Copper Mining hopes to exploit rich copper deposits beneath 980 hectares of Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. The land, however, also contains important archaeological sites and places sacred to local Native American tribes, especially the Apache. “This is the best set of Apache archaeological sites ever documented, period, full stop,” says John Welch, a former historic preservation officer for the White Mountain Apache Tribe and a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada.

Archaeologists fear that the standard process for approval of a land exchange is being sidestepped. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) lays out a process to determine a land transferal’s potential impact on the environment, archaeological and historic sites, and places sacred to Native Americans. The language inserted into the defense spending bill states that the land will be transferred to Resolution Copper 60 days after an environmental impact statement, part of the NEPA process, has been completed. That prejudges the outcome of the evaluation, says Jeffrey Altschul, president of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) in Washington, D.C. “The bill says that Congress has already decided that the land swap will take place,” he says, “so we’ll do the land swap and then we’ll do NEPA.”

Resolution Copper has pointed out that there will be an environmental review in any case. In a statement published in 2013, the company says that the NEPA review will take place “[u]nder any circumstances,” including if work on the exchange begins at the same time. 

The swap has been controversial for years. Between 2005 and 2011, bills proposing it diedin committee five times in the House of Representatives and six times in the Senate, says David Lindsay, SAA’s government affairs manager, who tracks legislation for the organization. Those bills faced determined opposition from Native American tribes. Attaching the land exchange rider to the defense spending bill is a way to circumvent that opposition, says Michael Nixon, an environmental lawyer who works with the Maricopa Audubon Society and has fought the land exchange since the beginning. “Stuffing riders into... bills that are not germane to the subject is undemocratic,” he says. 

What is at stake is a landscape that has remained essentially unchanged, except for a few modern roads, since the Hohokam people lived there more than 500 years ago, says J. Scott Wood, an archaeologist for the Tonto National Forest. The area was once a trade center where the Hohokam exchanged goods from as far away as the Pacific Coast. It also preserves a full range of Apache archaeological sites, which are rare. Little is known about Apache history prior to contact with Europeans.

The most important historic site is called the Apache Leap, where a group of Apache who were being pursued by U.S. cavalry plunged off a cliff to their deaths rather than be captured. The land exchange rider exempts Apache Leap from becoming part of the copper mine, but it’s right next door, says Vernelda Grant, who is the tribal historic preservation officer for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. She says that having a working copper mine next to the site will change how people experience it. The same holds true for other culturally sensitive sites nearby, such as a place called Devil’s Canyon “where the spiritual beings that represent healing live,” Grant says. “We have songs and ceremonies that are sung there—it’s a place to just pray and pray for healing.”

The Senate is expected to pass the defense spending bill as early as today; the House has already passed it. Next, it will go to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature, and archaeologists don’t think there is much chance of changing or removing the rider. “They should be going through the standard process that everybody else uses to get a mine going,” says Simon Fraser University’s Welch. “It’s really suspicious to be coming up with new laws every time somebody wants to put in a mine.”

Posted in Archaeology, Funding Budget 2015 "

 ***Please, if you love history, archaeology, and/or the American West - contact your US government representatives and say that this proposal is unacceptable!!! ***

Apache Mountain, where warriors plunged to their deaths rather than surrender to the US Cavalry, could soon overlook an open copper mine.

Veteran's Day

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 1918 AD, an armistice, or temporary cease fire agreement, began between the countries at war - Germany and the Allied nations.  At the time, World War I was regarded as "the great war" and "the war to end all wars."  If only this were so.  In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 to be the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:  "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations. ...."
   The original concept of the day was for a celebration of parades and public meetings, with a brief cessation of all business at 11 a.m.  In 1926, the United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution that 11 November be celebrated by displaying the American flag prominently on all governmental buildings, and that people celebrate the day with friendly relations to all other peoples.  In 1938 Armistice Day became a legal holiday in the US.  It was a day we celebrated those who fought and died for our country in World War I.
   Then came World War II and the Korean War.  In 1954, Congress agreed to strike out the word Armistice in the resolution of 1926, and change the word to Veterans.  We have had our military personnel serve all over the world during times of war and times of peace since then.  We are still involved in armed conflict on this very day.  Members of my family have served in the military as far back as I have been able to trace, and I am extremely proud of their service to this country.  Many never returned home, and still lie in unmarked graves, or have had their bones scattered by scavengers as the ages, centuries, and years have past.  I am still proud of them.
  We live in a great nation, founded on great and high-sounding and proud beliefs.  But these beliefs must be paid for by those who serve our country in our military - from nurse and doctor, cook and raw recruit, enlisted men and officers, computer programmers to entrenchment diggers - all of these people, from every walk of life, serving in every capacity, are willing and sworn to give their life's blood to protect me and this nation.  That is a humbling realization.
   I thank all of the people who are serving, have served, and have given their lives to protect my freedom and my own personal way of life.  Blessings upon all of you.

Attila the Hun and "My" Critters

Yesterday I read a new Clive Cussler book, The Tombs, a Sam and Remi Fargo action-adventure-archeology treasure hunt. It was excellent; about searching for (and finding, of course) the treasures of Attila the Hun, including his burial place. Princus, an envoy from Constantinople, wrote that Attila, "the Scourge of God," was buried in a golden casket that was filled with jewels and silks; the golden casket fitted inside a larger silver casket, and tributary gold and the personal weapons of those he had conquered filled the excess space; this, in turn was surrounded by an iron casket that was also filled with jewels, gold, and weaponry. Attila died on his wedding night (one of several), at the age of 47. According to Princus, Attila was found dead, covered in blood, which appeared to have come from a hemorrhage in his nose and throat. There were no visible wounds, and Princus reported that Attila had been subject to "unstoppable nosebleeds late at night" for the previous night. The book is great, and takes you from Louisiana, to Berlin, to Hungary, to France, back to Hungary, Moscow, eastern Russia, Kazakhstan, and, finally, back to California. Now I'm looking at all those places on the web, reading a little bit more about the places, and about Attila, and how he and his Hunnic Horde changed the world. It's been fascinating!
  Lovey has wanted lots of attention, and has spent the past 40 minutes laying across my shoulders like a fur stole. When Nedi jumped onto the desk, she batted at him, and made him leave. I'll be certain to give him more loving before I leave today. Rosie and Remy are doing very well, all things considered. Rosie keeps giving me these sorrowful looks since she stole my overnight bag, buried all my meds in different holes in the back yard, and then consumed a whole bag of potato chips. I should know better than to leave the door open to the utility room, where I keep my stuff. Normally, yesterday would have been trash day, but since it was a Holiday, I took the compost and trash cans out to the end of the drive this morning. - Oops. Bonfils Blood Bank just called and I told them, amid much coughing, that I couldn't donate because I am sick. I'll have to remember to schedule an appointment after I've recovered. - The squirrels have been having a blast, eating what Bea and I place out for them; and the ravens and crows look nice and content here at home. The coyotes returned to the north Boulder area a couple months ago and all the usual fox and raccoons have disappeared; there have also been fewer skunk sightings.
   I have three more new books to read, so I guess I'll be heading for the public library this weekend. I need to have a good supply of reading material,as I plan to stay at home next week and get this cold cleared from my chest. I'm still producing tons of phlegm, my nose is still running, my eyes are itchy, my throat is sore and scratchy, and still having fever and chills. I don't need to be out running around with temperatures in the single digits at night, and below freezing all day. Rosie and Remy's folks will return Friday night, and then I move back into their house on the 17th, stay for 4 nights, come home for 3 nights, and return for 4 nights - not to mention caring for Sasquatch and Tugger for 9 days, as well as feeding the Snow dogs during Kathy's birthday weekend. At least I'm staying busy.

Playing With a Puppy; Lincoln

OK, I have climbed down from my maternal pedestal (the last blog) and feel like I'm pretty much back on an even keel. (I love mixing metaphors!) The temperature didn't drop that much last night, so it was above freezing when I wandered over to the local bakery and purchased an apple danish (without any icing). We are totally socked in with clouds, and there are clouds wreathed around the Flatirons and the tops of the Front Range hills and mountains. I just had a squirrel come inside via the patio door, so I went out and replaced the piles of unsalted peanuts and blueberry shredded wheat - and there are a few snowflakes drifting down. Cashew and the older squirrels know that the interior door mat is "neutral" territory -the kits aren't allowed to chase them, and they can eat inside in peace when it's snowing outside... Late yesterday afternoon, Nedi and Lovey were acting a little odder than usual; they'd go outside, run back in, look at one another (as if they were asking, "What was that?"), peek out the window, and run back out. I finally had to see what they were up to. My next door neighbor, Chris, was on the patio with his new lady, Sherri. Sherri had brought her 10-week old miniature Chihuahua with her. Wearing a minuscule red and green knitted sweater, this little dog weighed about 8 ounces. It was so excited to see the cats, and it wanted to play with them - it would bow down as an invitation, and then dart around. My cats wanted to chase her, but weren't quite sure what she was.... With me standing out on the patio, both Lovey and Nedi let the puppy approach them, sniff their noses, and lick their faces. Both kits even played a little bit of chase with the puppy. It was sooo cute!

  Remy has an acupuncture appointment this morning, so I'll be walking the Rs a little later than usual, and then taking miss Lucy out, too. Tomorrow morning, I'm due at the Thore residence between 6:30 and 7; I'll be at that house through the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'll be coming home for a few hours each day, but will generally be over there. I'm also pulling some extra duty with Rosie and Remy, and I'll also be feeding and medicating Sasquatch, Tugger, and Ooch during that time. I guess that I'll be making a fruit platter, corn pudding, and one small pan of brownies for the family Thanksgiving - this year, we'll be meeting at the Niwot Grange,not at some one's house.... I don't know yet about our Christmas-New Years family get-together. I'll be house-sitting at a large house, but it's Rosie and Remy's - and they are table and counter surfers - stealing and eating anything within reach; plus Remy barks at all strangers.... We'd have plenty of room, but I'd have to place the dogs in the garage, and then deal with their barking, so I can't host this year, as I did last year. (Mainly because it isn't fair to the Rs.)

  I am looking forward to two movies that are to be released between now and Christmas - Lincoln and The Hobbit. One of my friends asked me the other day about the possibility that Lincoln had suffered from Marfan's Disease. I did some research and was amazed when I came upon a web-page that detailed all of Lincoln's medical history. I had no idea that he had been kicked in the head by a mule when he was a child; I had no idea that he had apparently drowned and was left floating face-down in a creek for 15 minutes as a child; I had no idea that Mary Todd Lincoln was a spouse abuser - she gave her husband black eyes and beat him with broomsticks and fire tongs.... It was amazing! I wonder if any of these things will be shown in Spielberg's movie?

  And, finally, the young man who has been arrested and charged with the mass shooting at the Aurora movie theater is definitely disturbed. We know he has been under psychiatric care for some time, and I'm sure his defense team will use an insanity plea. I was surprised to hear the young man had been hospitalized a few days ago, and that a major hearing had been postponed. A rumor was out and about that the young man was suffering from a severe migraine headache - then it became known that he had been ramming his head into the concrete walls of his cell. (Maybe he needs to be kept in a padded cell, or rubber room?) That, to me, seems to be an indication that he is sane and that he is trying to harm himself in order to prove he is insane. I have no idea if this is true, but having read a lot of mystery books, and police procedurals, I just have this sneaking suspicion....