tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72269006264024909662024-02-29T21:39:21.933-08:00Walking With AncestorsThe narrative journey of my Ancestor Work in a blend of spirituality, genealogy, memoir, and magic.Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.comBlogger396125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-44916115656162203152022-10-12T15:27:00.041-07:002022-10-19T15:16:07.826-07:00A New Ghost in the House<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvwhzno8Pv4N9ZAu6wDElMi-mbkI88clXKWerWAosxL5FfjqMd3dHBswaCxL906mD4KhTCN58S2jtAo1ZkGhZsVOVeVuiJkjFz7lgTYx72SbzgOjdHcYmubQlZw1fZzqfq6oiosm7Cns_e_qBiC9MwmZwER5zhFOw6GkUPN30aMJ7ecnWzW0Mj6IS/s907/BLOG%20Women%20in%20Bars%20from%20between%20the%201930s%20and%20'50s%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="907" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvwhzno8Pv4N9ZAu6wDElMi-mbkI88clXKWerWAosxL5FfjqMd3dHBswaCxL906mD4KhTCN58S2jtAo1ZkGhZsVOVeVuiJkjFz7lgTYx72SbzgOjdHcYmubQlZw1fZzqfq6oiosm7Cns_e_qBiC9MwmZwER5zhFOw6GkUPN30aMJ7ecnWzW0Mj6IS/w400-h266/BLOG%20Women%20in%20Bars%20from%20between%20the%201930s%20and%20'50s%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I
am spirit-sensitive but that doesn’t mean I see them in detail. I usually feel
a chill, or see a wavering in the air, like the heat over a fire. Sometimes
there will be the impression of a silhouette that gives me some guesses at
details.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Recently,
I had a very different experience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
wife and I were talking and suddenly I felt a being sitting overtop of me. I
did not disappear from the encounter. I did not feel pushed aside. I was not
being ridden.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She
considered it a greeting, an introduction. And she was so jazzed to be there,
her energy was visceral in my body and I was flooded with sensory impressions.
I rattled them off to my wife.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pkqqFSNXsHCKIh_vaEROrtQ_vb87Q8RSi68VU1B9SsR7vTNtf8YPC1YIUOVETNzCA83ZINED8nsllJFkFikC12ydt9ngHgWbGAou8Mzt_TDe-KnWjKb2YLWIxxK_msLpWPbn9HG6_d8rhMDzecZoSNyBe-d9B-85OaUYMS-eezpP9fckdECV_7Bl/s768/BLOG%20strange-hum-suggestive-of-bon-vivandiere-sounds-through-the-news-photo-1633578870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="768" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pkqqFSNXsHCKIh_vaEROrtQ_vb87Q8RSi68VU1B9SsR7vTNtf8YPC1YIUOVETNzCA83ZINED8nsllJFkFikC12ydt9ngHgWbGAou8Mzt_TDe-KnWjKb2YLWIxxK_msLpWPbn9HG6_d8rhMDzecZoSNyBe-d9B-85OaUYMS-eezpP9fckdECV_7Bl/s320/BLOG%20strange-hum-suggestive-of-bon-vivandiere-sounds-through-the-news-photo-1633578870.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
woman was so excited to finally make it to our party. She likely meant our
annual Dumb Supper. She had a drink in her hand, like a champagne glass. She
punctuated her words with her shoulders. Her energy was very animated. She had
short, curly hair and was wearing a fancy dress. She is very poised… in her
dress. She was not just a wayward spirit. She was here for one of us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her
dress was very late 20s/early 30s but her makeup and hair were still mid-20s.
After checking my genealogy and my wife’s genealogy, we know who our new
visitor is. One of her grandmother’s sisters, one of her great-aunts. She was a
secretary in the 20s in Chicago, and
there are family stories about them working all day, partying all night,
and then using speed to go work again all day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’re
pretty sure we just met her, and, let me tell you, she is a pip.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLpFZmmFCV1Xiy0egtWm5eoyHw2NwIjPl5N3EcTQl-Fov-hXgyzC6XhGuglOaCdUnkYLQgKmkCt8A_5Bjlu8cml4vyXz8VGJz3_056Al0yUPWEmK8pu1THPVPDkQ3wSUsUx8y8SCyW6x8IBZJXDWpxhqW4FKiZs5A4_wnmb4bPZkmJoPQLW3t6pmA/s634/BLOG%20vintage-bar-fridays-with-lesleys-girls-cocktail-recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="634" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLpFZmmFCV1Xiy0egtWm5eoyHw2NwIjPl5N3EcTQl-Fov-hXgyzC6XhGuglOaCdUnkYLQgKmkCt8A_5Bjlu8cml4vyXz8VGJz3_056Al0yUPWEmK8pu1THPVPDkQ3wSUsUx8y8SCyW6x8IBZJXDWpxhqW4FKiZs5A4_wnmb4bPZkmJoPQLW3t6pmA/s320/BLOG%20vintage-bar-fridays-with-lesleys-girls-cocktail-recipe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>[All
photos are stock photos from on-line, representative of the time period she
would have been living it up through.]</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-48020587616420850542022-10-05T15:20:00.026-07:002022-10-13T15:26:46.694-07:00Communicating Through Music<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftwosHzjeYerYvNzEHez8LdbnwNGucqzWs8GRCigHN-PqFlHfAoroNmto-Rv2Cr2nccAT2hpcdwJsOcGhL02FKDndkRyScJpEy7ISgF1k1FH4WC-EJceb0Oyu97_umwi7-q55v63V7rcPhswKqkW-OdUABkdqEaCKgWAOvwPZixcI_pUVxjnV3Djy/s2592/2018.10.31%20house%20005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftwosHzjeYerYvNzEHez8LdbnwNGucqzWs8GRCigHN-PqFlHfAoroNmto-Rv2Cr2nccAT2hpcdwJsOcGhL02FKDndkRyScJpEy7ISgF1k1FH4WC-EJceb0Oyu97_umwi7-q55v63V7rcPhswKqkW-OdUABkdqEaCKgWAOvwPZixcI_pUVxjnV3Djy/s320/2018.10.31%20house%20005.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
have spoken before about how my connection to spirit world is more auditory than
visual. I experience temperature fluctuations and the hairs lifting off my neck
like others. But I don’t hear voices or messages as much as I hear song lyrics
or music.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blame
it on my 80s upbringing, but usually spirit communicates with me through…tv
show jingles. That’s right. I swear. The first one I noticed over and over was
the <i>Three’s Company</i> theme song. Just the same two lines repeated, over
and over:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Come and knock on my door,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’ll be waiting for you…</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
usually means a spirit is trying to get my attention.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
newer one that started manifesting for me a few years ago happens less often
and, in my experiences, is a spirit trying to warn me about something. It’s
usually about, or for another person. If I get a flash or glimpse of who it
might be associated with, I have been known to reach out to them. It’s two
lines from the song “Outside” by Staind:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m on the outside, I’m looking in…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can see through you, see to the
real you…</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
normally don’t lead with, “Spirit sent me to check on you,” but I will check in
and see if they’re all right. I have never regretted reaching out when I do.
So, if I hear that song, I listen to it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
year, a newer jingle has been playing this month. It’s the <i>Sanford and Sons</i>
theme song. It’s pretty insistent. My wife says I have been humming it for days
now. I don’t know what this music means yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
don’t know it’s message for me, but I’m listening.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Always
at this time of year, when the garden starts to bed and the winds whip up and
the faded garbage blows about the neighborhood… Always, when the air chills and
the green things decay and frost… The spirits walk more thickly. Trick is, they
are always there, somewhere beyond here, but overlaying us still.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
is the time of year the in-betweens thin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-25206132859016393962022-09-28T14:54:00.023-07:002022-10-13T15:02:37.255-07:00Spirit Talking<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Zi_MCUS88uHIMeACj-LPLSsCsdZY1XGZVEEAhXO4wEdlRsuAiZ9wBoLmWOE98Oh0qbBm60CBYcT9OCBpeuGT763v-IzSJsd86z3lhh-h86gOzxzBPV6V6L7wLx9n3_cICCC5XPxWpi7lkYr2mqTlNaMmGI2JsiKSZ1OPiH1zscJKnQvq8VLlQTMq/s1936/107249653_2715777645308428_724349643308237995_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="1936" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Zi_MCUS88uHIMeACj-LPLSsCsdZY1XGZVEEAhXO4wEdlRsuAiZ9wBoLmWOE98Oh0qbBm60CBYcT9OCBpeuGT763v-IzSJsd86z3lhh-h86gOzxzBPV6V6L7wLx9n3_cICCC5XPxWpi7lkYr2mqTlNaMmGI2JsiKSZ1OPiH1zscJKnQvq8VLlQTMq/w200-h200/107249653_2715777645308428_724349643308237995_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">While
I am sensitive to spirit world year-round, at this time of year, every year, it’s
like the phone keeps ringing. Often, it’s so persistent I stop noticing. I have
to, in order to get any work done. I am not a psychic. I cannot call in
specific spirits. I’m a sensitive. I am useful in a seance. I can open doors. I
just don’t know what, if anything, will come through.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
can’t call your Uncle. But he might visit in my dreams. That’s how I usually
see them, when I am most open and my brain isn’t trying to do real-world
things.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But
at the thinning time? I don’t always get that option.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There
are always people I am hoping to see or speak to, people I am hoping will show
up. But recently, a friend visited me for the first time. We were friends for
years. Not terribly close but good friends and confidants.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And
I know why he came to me.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
have been feeling low, battling my trauma depression and PTSD as I near another
burniversary. And then I was distracted by a song from the 90s I haven’t heard
in a long time. It reminded me immediately of my time in college. I hadn’t
heard it since Fredonia but it was playing clear as a bell.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> “…when I come around…”</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
stuck with me in the way an earworm doesn’t. And then I felt the cool whoosh of
a door opening and I heard:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i>“Knock knock.”</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And
as I frowned:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i>“I have a joke for you.”</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He was king of jokes. In five years, I never heard the same joke twice. And I never did remember a joke long enough to share it with him.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
felt him in my kitchen as clearly as if I were sitting in his office pretending
I had no clue who kept filling the candy bowl that was usually empty on his
desk. (It was my friend Ann and I.) He seemed to want to cheer me up.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And
then he was gone. So, I played Chapin’s song “Taxi” for him, like we used to
listen to together. And when I see him again, I know exactly what I’ll say:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> After
all this time, I finally have a joke for you.</span></span>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-20997098237260705372022-01-26T09:20:00.003-08:002022-01-30T18:13:04.283-08:00Got Schmeelk?<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEsLGWg1UJCermwqZlVQdDFWXR-kYIcgg_KO8uMrNbqnb-Cpq0jBXkBmqKOrDkzO5z7Jp7ANo3Vb92vDQmO-p-FUakuktYKvYY2tT3kIOLxOx4pClJ6T8olgwQ2G2h87W2QSNZ8SEu3KQbsD1uL7PfBR71FZOtsgBYX0jslRTouPvzKL0TmTdUlEz4=s3116" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3116" data-original-width="2418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEsLGWg1UJCermwqZlVQdDFWXR-kYIcgg_KO8uMrNbqnb-Cpq0jBXkBmqKOrDkzO5z7Jp7ANo3Vb92vDQmO-p-FUakuktYKvYY2tT3kIOLxOx4pClJ6T8olgwQ2G2h87W2QSNZ8SEu3KQbsD1uL7PfBR71FZOtsgBYX0jslRTouPvzKL0TmTdUlEz4=s320" width="248" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I am looking for some help in solving another family mystery involving my 3x great-grandmother.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Her name was Katherine Maria Schmeelk, though the spelling could be Katherine or Catherine and the note on the back of the photo says Marta instead of Maria. She was born around 1834 and died in 1901. Katherine married my 3x great-grandfather Adam Arth, an immigrant from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Within his lifetime the name Arth became Art. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In with the photo were two obituaries for Schmeelks that must be relatives of hers. One was from the N.Y. Times in 1935 for a Herman Marcus Schmeelk from Hanover, Germany, who had settled in Rockaway Beach, NY and was referred to as a "pioneer developer of oyster and clam beds." At the time of his death only two of his children survived, son Garrett and daughter Kathryn. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sounds like Kathryn is our person, right? But no. The second obituary was for Kathryn G. Schmeelk, daughter of Herman, who never married and never left Rockaway Beach, NY. As Katherine/Kathryn/Catherine was a VERY popular name for German women at the time, it is my best guess that Katherine and Kathryn were cousins. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Except that Herman would have been born in 1850, about 15 years after my 3x great-grandma Katherine. So they could have been siblings? Cousins?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ancestry has not been much help. They keep trying to push her father as either Blume or Seibel, both of whom did have daughters named Catherine of a similar age and both hailed from Germany, but none of the records for Katherine and Adam that we have line up with their families.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I am left with assuming that my Katherine is related to the Rockaway Beach Schmeelks, and according to Herman's obituary, his parents John and Catherine (Piper) Schmeelk brought him over as an infant from Hanover, Germany. I am starting a search both assuming and hoping this is the right family and maybe I can find her if I trace a lineage down from John.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxsBrJhBJtIToO2J99afaIqO3F0YvKbJoBOG5idS0Zm7bKD2ShRV2lD4GMNrgfqjf_MyDHnhEdHYhQaHYMt5fZnJ-puIa3RElLNf5PClx8dXvVLxDgfc1988rgG1aS2yXJua6aCar68dD0i2WXJnaoTEsVifU0aLUHjjhgxskig79XsL5lmtMNE_7G=s3024" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2210" data-original-width="3024" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxsBrJhBJtIToO2J99afaIqO3F0YvKbJoBOG5idS0Zm7bKD2ShRV2lD4GMNrgfqjf_MyDHnhEdHYhQaHYMt5fZnJ-puIa3RElLNf5PClx8dXvVLxDgfc1988rgG1aS2yXJua6aCar68dD0i2WXJnaoTEsVifU0aLUHjjhgxskig79XsL5lmtMNE_7G=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It is always possible that Schmeelk was her married name before she wed Adam Arth, but there is no evidence to support that theory. And then it would be strange, for the time, for her to keep tabs of her former extended family. But I am keeping my options open.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I can't find any definitive records on her except for this notation on the back of her photo. But I'm trusting the family notes until I learn I can't and I'm writing this post in the hope that maybe someone else is looking for her family, too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">If anyone has any tips or knows of any specific German immigrant sources to search, I would appreciate any and all breadcrumbs.</span></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-61536887866123432462021-12-22T14:16:00.010-08:002022-01-30T17:33:33.399-08:00A Century from Christmas to Solstice<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1ShsEAnELyWOBh7YZ5e_O2NHvXC7oahSJkUVVSxsv75PyaAo0-o7aVifID3Gcl8JMiBMuhNXakgYbR4jnwbLwvFEs7bYJyYKaERHx05QZ_daPH0kB1XF8FX3XLQLTlyjA0hC_k_E8EfjLC0Y-6LrDZK0kzaI2xE1HI17xEaOBSZbvBI38CrSOq_A=s1802" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="1436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1ShsEAnELyWOBh7YZ5e_O2NHvXC7oahSJkUVVSxsv75PyaAo0-o7aVifID3Gcl8JMiBMuhNXakgYbR4jnwbLwvFEs7bYJyYKaERHx05QZ_daPH0kB1XF8FX3XLQLTlyjA0hC_k_E8EfjLC0Y-6LrDZK0kzaI2xE1HI17xEaOBSZbvBI38CrSOq_A=s320" width="255" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am very blessed to have photos of my ancestors' decorated holiday trees from a century ago. How wonderful, right?! </span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This first photo was taken-- probably around 1920, based on the ties under the tree, by my mom's maternal Art family. George and Katherine worked as groundskeeper and housekeeper for the Kenan family in Lockport. It's hard to say who the family photographer was, as the whole family appear in front of it at some point. The two sons appear least frequently. My guess is the camera was a gift to the family from their wealthy employers.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd_HNFNXFtYqVkVCjJylkIq4XZueRuk6UkQ1p9STNZ0VLMdnB2P5zX3mxmQt_zqV51IGxIkXRKLv3GJGpTOBK9OiOGKAqS-mjskrY6YtUCMCVhAYPMHXPKqrk7GQM_ZJqDmA6hqHzMMkDas_tJkSpBEPW_h28y3O0J51UnpTi0WvVTa__ffxKYDFQ9=s2259" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2259" data-original-width="1699" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd_HNFNXFtYqVkVCjJylkIq4XZueRuk6UkQ1p9STNZ0VLMdnB2P5zX3mxmQt_zqV51IGxIkXRKLv3GJGpTOBK9OiOGKAqS-mjskrY6YtUCMCVhAYPMHXPKqrk7GQM_ZJqDmA6hqHzMMkDas_tJkSpBEPW_h28y3O0J51UnpTi0WvVTa__ffxKYDFQ9=s320" width="241" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This photo was taken in 1922 by my dad's maternal Wicker family. Minnie Wicker's father was pretty well-to-do and she had her own camera and was quite the photographer for most of her life, which is a blessing for us, as her daughter, my grandmother, died when my dad was quite young. We are thrilled to have photos that span her entire life, from birth to marriage, to children of her own. We're blessed to have many of Minnie's photographs, including this one of a Christmas tree on their front porch.</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6-MDaG-0v6kA9_qHIx3JYijyQeRvFuZdjo8DO4iFKFXX6-8DsxfhgppVvzhQKobqh1-U9CgVF4P5IL6knL9Zkb0_62n_R-BSZjtA9jDbQRmJapN789W6Ypcew_uDY6SFrOl3Nx1XcGJ5olAAHJdQhfbjNXtfWGhKIzzgfldRfYuwfbJI_OL_AgD9I=s1484" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1484" data-original-width="884" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6-MDaG-0v6kA9_qHIx3JYijyQeRvFuZdjo8DO4iFKFXX6-8DsxfhgppVvzhQKobqh1-U9CgVF4P5IL6knL9Zkb0_62n_R-BSZjtA9jDbQRmJapN789W6Ypcew_uDY6SFrOl3Nx1XcGJ5olAAHJdQhfbjNXtfWGhKIzzgfldRfYuwfbJI_OL_AgD9I=s320" width="191" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Third photo is my family's Winter Solstice tree taken on night-vision setting, 2021, almost exactly 100 years later. While our religious beliefs may differ, we honor our traditions in the same way; by lighting hope in the darkness.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A century ago, our ancestors would have just been recovering from the two years of flu that crippled the country, not unlike where we are now. I'm thinking about my family, across the miles and generations, gathering together, celebrating the importance of togetherness and fellowship. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However you bear witness to the holiday season, whatever it is you celebrate, know we are following in the footsteps of Those Who Came Before Us, coming together to mark the turning years, looking behind and looking ahead.</span></div></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-26030043639681257252021-11-17T16:07:00.001-08:002022-01-30T17:34:27.031-08:00Lands of My Blood Ancestors<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0m6_vOFoDI/YXyAC_9Y8pI/AAAAAAAACg0/dfv_bTfs2CIhsYAwf0rjbU_j4vKFlJ0MACLcBGAsYHQ/s567/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528738%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="567" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0m6_vOFoDI/YXyAC_9Y8pI/AAAAAAAACg0/dfv_bTfs2CIhsYAwf0rjbU_j4vKFlJ0MACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528738%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I am Sarah Lyn, </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">last of my line,</span></i></div></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>daughter of Margaret,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">daughter</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> of Patricia,</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">daughter</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> of Margaret,</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">daughter</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> of Eliza,</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">daughter</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> of Mary,</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: georgia;">daughter</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> of Betsey,</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>daughter of mothers of Ireland unknown...</i></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><br />My ancestor work has evolved over the last decade. I used to only climb the family tree via names and dates, hopscotching over holes and unverified truths. But I started getting a lot of e-mails from people who were adopted, thinking that it meant that ancestor work wasn’t possible for them. And, while I didn’t know any other ways of doing it at the time, I felt certain that the ancestral energy was available to everyone. <br /><br />I spent time seeking new pathways, studying new ways of revering the ancestors. Only I didn’t want to just honor them. I wanted to work with them. And I found it easier to think of them as a stream of energy, like a highway anyone could get on. <br /><br />That work led me to looking inward and backward while standing with my feet in the present. As I sank into my bloodstream, I wanted to know what ancestral DNA had passed through the generations into my breathing body.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>What bits of my ancestors are alive in me?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>What echoes of actual ancestral soil sing out in my blood?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">If I didn’t have any names and dates, with the DNA tests I still have access to knowing the places some of my ancestors came from. I know what lands they lived on. I know where I descended from. It’s not exact but it gives me a place to put my gratitude, and allows me to offer culturally specific dishes and treats to set out on Samhain night. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>What is remembered, </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>even when still shrouded with things unknown, </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>lives on within us.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1sSyFPOi9M/YXyBK6wSnHI/AAAAAAAAChc/z92TfkaWxA4wGHsza3FKmAy2C7magBZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1301/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528729%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1301" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K1sSyFPOi9M/YXyBK6wSnHI/AAAAAAAAChc/z92TfkaWxA4wGHsza3FKmAy2C7magBZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h261/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528729%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCpm6RqTT-E/YXyA8EPPsrI/AAAAAAAAChA/oFq1-lLUAqQHYQ12mQW2yFsDkf7tZFtmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1051/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528730%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="1051" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCpm6RqTT-E/YXyA8EPPsrI/AAAAAAAAChA/oFq1-lLUAqQHYQ12mQW2yFsDkf7tZFtmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h326/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528730%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5j3gK45jGTSRofL3AsZ9ppTuTmkvWmwE8QqITYRVlMM1cuZPaMWGATPJDkmo690A-f1P0rWvbpgrcX1TIdsNpd2KD5KA7jtgMquZiYt1dvSrwqtGKCD3xT__77bp8oq02O3q6nRYX4kH/s1197/BLOG+Screenshot+%2528731%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1197" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5j3gK45jGTSRofL3AsZ9ppTuTmkvWmwE8QqITYRVlMM1cuZPaMWGATPJDkmo690A-f1P0rWvbpgrcX1TIdsNpd2KD5KA7jtgMquZiYt1dvSrwqtGKCD3xT__77bp8oq02O3q6nRYX4kH/w640-h282/BLOG+Screenshot+%2528731%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq9MsF6qO3roszlcBicWal0ZpJ5vBGdACwTvsZKrsNJMk06hAEGqrtn3XXqv5j6WZoheHH92E-nogK3AmIdcE2p-kFlPZeAyAKCLJO24ss4gkXZYkwx2lh4GduMNvdwxNM8TCBHvM6cwu/s1065/BLOG+Screenshot+%2528732%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq9MsF6qO3roszlcBicWal0ZpJ5vBGdACwTvsZKrsNJMk06hAEGqrtn3XXqv5j6WZoheHH92E-nogK3AmIdcE2p-kFlPZeAyAKCLJO24ss4gkXZYkwx2lh4GduMNvdwxNM8TCBHvM6cwu/w640-h320/BLOG+Screenshot+%2528732%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_tB2vhnnY/YXyA88VY4PI/AAAAAAAAChI/jIFQugxSV3Mt-LQu6E3gA9b0nnANa2cQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1110/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528733%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1110" height="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_tB2vhnnY/YXyA88VY4PI/AAAAAAAAChI/jIFQugxSV3Mt-LQu6E3gA9b0nnANa2cQACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h310/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528733%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bDiZzfJN5dA/YXyA9GceebI/AAAAAAAAChQ/b9P6URVnpwou1zEqYrWubwV4LaHdd3hngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1293/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528734%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="1293" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bDiZzfJN5dA/YXyA9GceebI/AAAAAAAAChQ/b9P6URVnpwou1zEqYrWubwV4LaHdd3hngCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h264/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528734%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ToQYrRMUu4/YXyCFLv22jI/AAAAAAAACh4/44dNa_q2s0E0XVony4CcN9xjWqD1FRTJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1186/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528735%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="1186" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ToQYrRMUu4/YXyCFLv22jI/AAAAAAAACh4/44dNa_q2s0E0XVony4CcN9xjWqD1FRTJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h282/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528735%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJl7kcHv7is/YXyA9QsRUnI/AAAAAAAAChY/pIJ9sOIBnjYByMbV80TYD1twsMioqkh1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1108/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528736%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="1108" height="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJl7kcHv7is/YXyA9QsRUnI/AAAAAAAAChY/pIJ9sOIBnjYByMbV80TYD1twsMioqkh1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h310/BLOG%2BScreenshot%2B%2528736%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">[All photos screenshots from my ancestry.com results. The brighter colored area within the country is where my DNA most resembles deeply embedded generations of DNA, so is likely where my people most lived.]</span></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-81392565181451298992021-10-31T12:38:00.002-07:002021-10-31T12:38:19.403-07:00I Open to my Ancestors (A Photo Gallery)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0s69krLeDw/YX6vnWVyljI/AAAAAAAACiA/4WXF6_h8ZXEaLjG4l8QNTwjJF7DUmvdewCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/zFINAL%2B1%2Bfull%2Baltar%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="2048" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0s69krLeDw/YX6vnWVyljI/AAAAAAAACiA/4WXF6_h8ZXEaLjG4l8QNTwjJF7DUmvdewCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h253/zFINAL%2B1%2Bfull%2Baltar%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Tonight is Samhain. It is All Hallows Eve. It is a night where the walls between this world and the next are thin. This is the night where the dead bleed through and if you wish to connect with them, you can listen to them, you can sense when they're present, and you can entice them to come. You can also make simple offerings to honor their place and presence in your life.</span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Because They Were...You Are.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I honor my beloved dead, those I knew in this world, and my ancestral dead, those who paved the way for me.<br /><br />I pour water in the glass cup on my Ancestor Altar. I light a candle in my fossil candle holder. It is the lighthouse guiding their way to me. I light more candles for specific prayers. I take in a breath and as I exhale I open my heart. I open myself to spirit world. I am not the lighthouse.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am the light.<span> </span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~~*~~</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>I open to my Grandparents</u>: </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--J8zTQojMs0/T2D6ASPmZ1I/AAAAAAAAAUI/CgZeji3JHAAczqpAuaTjsBkyB0akrx1dACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DS-Dick%2526Donna087.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--J8zTQojMs0/T2D6ASPmZ1I/AAAAAAAAAUI/CgZeji3JHAAczqpAuaTjsBkyB0akrx1dACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h263/DS-Dick%2526Donna087.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Richard James Riddle & Donna MacDonald, both my beloved dead</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FnFmhBzbM7E/YX7ElmejznI/AAAAAAAACjA/EG-sv3ps6Sk_Krqjk5JazU7L2zTqOgaRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s824/0xGG%2BArt%2B2018%2BPat%2B%2526%2BBella.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="824" height="349" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FnFmhBzbM7E/YX7ElmejznI/AAAAAAAACjA/EG-sv3ps6Sk_Krqjk5JazU7L2zTqOgaRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h349/0xGG%2BArt%2B2018%2BPat%2B%2526%2BBella.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With her much-loved cat Bella.</td></tr></tbody></table>Patricia Art, my beloved dead<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YF878pAaCQY/Us2cvu8Y6kI/AAAAAAAAA-A/gvUqLPk58jkDGwRny4kY-3CtD1TB9S93QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen2%2BEaton%2BMark-Ruth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="449" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YF878pAaCQY/Us2cvu8Y6kI/AAAAAAAAA-A/gvUqLPk58jkDGwRny4kY-3CtD1TB9S93QCPcBGAYYCw/w273-h400/Gen2%2BEaton%2BMark-Ruth.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mark Dutcher Eaton, my beloved dead, & Ruth Emma Ruston</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">~*~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>I open to my Great-Grandparents</u>:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQVS8KAgC0Q/YX7szUSVPBI/AAAAAAAACjo/U_Y9u7y9_mI0Ji-CXxPZN6QKdAAgqJ0TACLcBGAsYHQ/s739/1xGG%2B1974%2BRiddle%2BHarold%2B%2526%2BElsie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="739" height="303" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQVS8KAgC0Q/YX7szUSVPBI/AAAAAAAACjo/U_Y9u7y9_mI0Ji-CXxPZN6QKdAAgqJ0TACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h303/1xGG%2B1974%2BRiddle%2BHarold%2B%2526%2BElsie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Harold Riddle & Elsie Elizabeth Durant, my beloved dead</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5Rwn8a3KEsOoX-f5w2Yfpb7PKvg2xELUMfm1BmOdw5oVImnXyJjTsH4e3bxEFd2ommPNle1UAjb-_Yhsu1Xk8YzfoFpXCKC4dAOh2mk_xAxCjhmDXZsi0nHiO6S-98_v_J8GdDpdoP-7/s1520/1xGG+Art+Robert+%2526+Margaret+Burke+%2526+Dolores+%2526+Biddy+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="1083" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5Rwn8a3KEsOoX-f5w2Yfpb7PKvg2xELUMfm1BmOdw5oVImnXyJjTsH4e3bxEFd2ommPNle1UAjb-_Yhsu1Xk8YzfoFpXCKC4dAOh2mk_xAxCjhmDXZsi0nHiO6S-98_v_J8GdDpdoP-7/w285-h400/1xGG+Art+Robert+%2526+Margaret+Burke+%2526+Dolores+%2526+Biddy+%25282%2529.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With daughters Dolores & Biddy.</td></tr></tbody></table>Robert Joseph Art & Margaret Loretta Burke</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KB7iN_Tpbw/T1ApAefcUtI/AAAAAAAAASg/Clk9Vopsc40fwaETV_Q7CXrlErEHZza4gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen3%2BRuston%2BFrank-Minnie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KB7iN_Tpbw/T1ApAefcUtI/AAAAAAAAASg/Clk9Vopsc40fwaETV_Q7CXrlErEHZza4gCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h400/Gen3%2BRuston%2BFrank-Minnie.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frank William Ruston & Minnie Estelle Wicker</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IxaS4Vk8GV4/U-u3dPwBolI/AAAAAAAABKs/OYBFeBZQyGg1AES69LEY6BSh1S5epqWEwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen3%2BEaton%2BHattie-Royal%2Bwedding.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1104" height="289" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IxaS4Vk8GV4/U-u3dPwBolI/AAAAAAAABKs/OYBFeBZQyGg1AES69LEY6BSh1S5epqWEwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h289/Gen3%2BEaton%2BHattie-Royal%2Bwedding.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Royal Levant Eaton & Hattie Eva Smith</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">~*~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>I open to my Great-Great-Grandparents</u>:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsTmacHkO-1x4CkabzU86vYoo2gHBB8PaEmz0fuLdeGH1BTAq8RGUvbOsSdSwO5BWhxJtXpWNVPkSkWSGsrdj_66DzkEtnNBpWncEbiiTotvXgExmLgVmnJsb5hJfETVJsjCnM_77P-Kz/s1600/Gen4%25263+2x+1x+Riddle+Lafayette.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsTmacHkO-1x4CkabzU86vYoo2gHBB8PaEmz0fuLdeGH1BTAq8RGUvbOsSdSwO5BWhxJtXpWNVPkSkWSGsrdj_66DzkEtnNBpWncEbiiTotvXgExmLgVmnJsb5hJfETVJsjCnM_77P-Kz/w400-h320/Gen4%25263+2x+1x+Riddle+Lafayette.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Frances & Lafayette are in the center, front.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lafayette Riddle & Frances Ann Gillette [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdsuyNLoEQQ/YX7CBZAF4pI/AAAAAAAACig/31_NmT9-mPwobHkc8F-URz5TPPuQ4KSvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2BBurnah.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdsuyNLoEQQ/YX7CBZAF4pI/AAAAAAAACig/31_NmT9-mPwobHkc8F-URz5TPPuQ4KSvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h299/2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2BBurnah.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>George Frances Durant & Emma Louise Burnah [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TNtIcmLGGGE/YX6xMBxEsKI/AAAAAAAACiQ/Q4GQZCZJxKQG2uRpDvqzNwJzXruETcvqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1675/2xGG%2BArt%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BKatherine%2BPils.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1675" data-original-width="1358" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TNtIcmLGGGE/YX6xMBxEsKI/AAAAAAAACiQ/Q4GQZCZJxKQG2uRpDvqzNwJzXruETcvqACLcBGAsYHQ/w324-h400/2xGG%2BArt%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BKatherine%2BPils.JPG" width="324" /></a></div>George Art & Katherine Pils [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frank Burke & Eliza Conners [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ABvnuZaz8I/VCx1vPjQjBI/AAAAAAAABPQ/QPJefIJkws0S7K-CeiYLQn2V7qDij6grwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen4%2B2x%2BRuston%2BFamily.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="640" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ABvnuZaz8I/VCx1vPjQjBI/AAAAAAAABPQ/QPJefIJkws0S7K-CeiYLQn2V7qDij6grwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h280/Gen4%2B2x%2BRuston%2BFamily.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Ruth & Charles are in the center back.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Charles Evan Ruston & Ruth Ireland [both from England]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gAERK-iGCus/U9llQG86VYI/AAAAAAAABJs/XWcAYP40DvkCcDyYjQ_EnKrJM9xK3BeEACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen5%25264%2BWickers%2BFrank%2BHiram%2BWilliam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1200" height="271" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gAERK-iGCus/U9llQG86VYI/AAAAAAAABJs/XWcAYP40DvkCcDyYjQ_EnKrJM9xK3BeEACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h271/Gen5%25264%2BWickers%2BFrank%2BHiram%2BWilliam.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Hiram & Emma are the center couple.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hiram King Wicker & Emma Angeline Whitcher [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbblPYQgLFY/VCx216ojy_I/AAAAAAAABP4/buEgNrIIuPEiFTFHT4RN3rpRcdrwytDewCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen4%2B2x%2BEaton%2BBennett.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1122" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbblPYQgLFY/VCx216ojy_I/AAAAAAAABP4/buEgNrIIuPEiFTFHT4RN3rpRcdrwytDewCPcBGAYYCw/w224-h320/Gen4%2B2x%2BEaton%2BBennett.jpg" width="224" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0qvhK6xGGbf4ACHjjcAwYsJJtsUw-ycdQHh8F5n17mhlRdodJ6MHesGgBE-4Plkx8iDZQxIsI6bjPH05ThCisuann6Wr-UGvPjF5b6L_PKCq4sjYuD-tACtDKOuWBdFlRC8RzMqZzqgY/s1600/Gen4+2x+Eaton+Theresa-Hubert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1151" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0qvhK6xGGbf4ACHjjcAwYsJJtsUw-ycdQHh8F5n17mhlRdodJ6MHesGgBE-4Plkx8iDZQxIsI6bjPH05ThCisuann6Wr-UGvPjF5b6L_PKCq4sjYuD-tACtDKOuWBdFlRC8RzMqZzqgY/w230-h320/Gen4+2x+Eaton+Theresa-Hubert.jpg" width="230" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bennett Eaton & Theresa Cordelia Tenney [MI/NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wivyLjddbg/VCx3M7rqHHI/AAAAAAAABQI/epiaJYlHn3MI__OQ_ZarB68_yZLtPvkbQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen4%2B2x%2BSilas%2BParker%2BSmith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="416" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wivyLjddbg/VCx3M7rqHHI/AAAAAAAABQI/epiaJYlHn3MI__OQ_ZarB68_yZLtPvkbQCPcBGAYYCw/w213-h320/Gen4%2B2x%2BSilas%2BParker%2BSmith.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJRl8gp1Io2gOz13DpmlHLK9K5jZeh9AINxbugiuXrNMnuxnVRYC-K05fXEndnoBJ23R9HEOKQCawgvNFUpteEbAyhtyGbLY91DBzWB0t_R9h7f-lKIYgliryZ_fOkyf4QFKZKG6FzdJ6/s1600/Gen4+2x+Dutcher+Hattie+E..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJRl8gp1Io2gOz13DpmlHLK9K5jZeh9AINxbugiuXrNMnuxnVRYC-K05fXEndnoBJ23R9HEOKQCawgvNFUpteEbAyhtyGbLY91DBzWB0t_R9h7f-lKIYgliryZ_fOkyf4QFKZKG6FzdJ6/w199-h320/Gen4+2x+Dutcher+Hattie+E..jpg" width="199" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Silas Parker Smith & Hattie Eva Dutcher [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">~*~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>I open to my Great-Great-Great-Grandparents</u>:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marquise DeLafayette Riddle & Sarah Clickner [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8aa5WLn-9d4/VCx0oMgkinI/AAAAAAAABOo/zgmVX5hvlJsYHddNIu1lX4gkYJEaobhlwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen5%2B3x%2BGillette%2BLevi%2BFamily2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1136" height="286" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8aa5WLn-9d4/VCx0oMgkinI/AAAAAAAABOo/zgmVX5hvlJsYHddNIu1lX4gkYJEaobhlwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h286/Gen5%2B3x%2BGillette%2BLevi%2BFamily2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Levi & Jane are seated in the second row.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Levi Gillette & Jane Berry [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Mg9UjaErNI/YX6xdMMpiII/AAAAAAAACiY/NG-y8wGvG1QAQiPHkO2Hpt3cfoN13-60ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/3xGG%2BDurant%2BAlbert%2B%2526%2BRosella%2BLavalley.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1406" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Mg9UjaErNI/YX6xdMMpiII/AAAAAAAACiY/NG-y8wGvG1QAQiPHkO2Hpt3cfoN13-60ACLcBGAsYHQ/w275-h400/3xGG%2BDurant%2BAlbert%2B%2526%2BRosella%2BLavalley.JPG" width="275" /></a></div>Albert Durant & Rosella LaValley [both from Quebec]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Samuel Burnah [from Quebec] & Mary (unknown) [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ngkWcpPHrw/YX7Cphq1JcI/AAAAAAAACiw/0mCnMuhlW40-72UfkTWTNccmzvz-qGcrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Schmeelk%2BMaria%2Band%2Bbaby%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1589" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ngkWcpPHrw/YX7Cphq1JcI/AAAAAAAACiw/0mCnMuhlW40-72UfkTWTNccmzvz-qGcrQCLcBGAsYHQ/w310-h400/Schmeelk%2BMaria%2Band%2Bbaby%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>Adam Art & Katherine Maria Schmeelk [both from Germany]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Pils & Mary Burzee [both from Germany]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Burke & Ellen (unknown) [NY]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">David Conners & Mary Dowd [both from Ireland]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Richard Ruston & Anna Richardson [both of England]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">William Ireland & Phoebe Lenton [both of England]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thaddeus Rice Wicker & Cynthia Lusk [VT/NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PPECXFVD3s0/VCx2G8suy1I/AAAAAAAABPg/p0CJL6t6edwcIOZKN4IkSpIiBE5HSyDVgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen5%2B3x%2BBailey%2BHarrison%2BWhitcher.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PPECXFVD3s0/VCx2G8suy1I/AAAAAAAABPg/p0CJL6t6edwcIOZKN4IkSpIiBE5HSyDVgCPcBGAYYCw/w259-h320/Gen5%2B3x%2BBailey%2BHarrison%2BWhitcher.jpg" width="259" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SkFRxdeiE-k/VC1WSfhDRJI/AAAAAAAABQw/uC9NFhA6MvAeiMvfAneZ53yKTFB95hB4ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/1863%2BOrdelia%2BDeLozier%2BWhicher.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SkFRxdeiE-k/VC1WSfhDRJI/AAAAAAAABQw/uC9NFhA6MvAeiMvfAneZ53yKTFB95hB4ACPcBGAYYCw/w198-h320/1863%2BOrdelia%2BDeLozier%2BWhicher.jpg" width="198" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bailey Harrison Whitcher & Ordelia de Lozier [VT/NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Solomon Gould Eaton & Hannah Ann Treadwell [NY]</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Philetus Tenny & Malvina H. Targee [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n4om2raLOWY/VCx3suVqoHI/AAAAAAAABQY/IDzVo-SSsqw5MTbN00n37lYv6-MAz_cKACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen5%2B3x%2BSmiths%2BSophia%2BAmmi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n4om2raLOWY/VCx3suVqoHI/AAAAAAAABQY/IDzVo-SSsqw5MTbN00n37lYv6-MAz_cKACPcBGAYYCw/w311-h400/Gen5%2B3x%2BSmiths%2BSophia%2BAmmi.jpg" width="311" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ammi Smith & Sophia Sears [NY]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8VJAswwGnY/VCx3_TlJxiI/AAAAAAAABQg/_uTSNoaNKDMDR2wGDaFCQElti9Oc_k0tQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Gen5%2B3x%2BDutcher%252CReuben%2526Eliza-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1189" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8VJAswwGnY/VCx3_TlJxiI/AAAAAAAABQg/_uTSNoaNKDMDR2wGDaFCQElti9Oc_k0tQCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h213/Gen5%2B3x%2BDutcher%252CReuben%2526Eliza-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reuben Feagles Dutcher & Eliza Marsh Bird [NY/MA]</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">~*~</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>I open to my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents</u>:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Freeborn Moulton Riddle & Abigail Chaffee [MA/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">William Clickner & Mary Ann Hayner [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YdAJ9H7WtjA/YX7JxvAKzvI/AAAAAAAACjI/4pdpU-uPS94tR43PDX_aJzOKRNjCCbbaACLcBGAsYHQ/s932/4xGG%2BGillette%2BEzra%2BWheeler%2B%2526%2BMary%2BAnn%2BBoots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="654" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YdAJ9H7WtjA/YX7JxvAKzvI/AAAAAAAACjI/4pdpU-uPS94tR43PDX_aJzOKRNjCCbbaACLcBGAsYHQ/w281-h400/4xGG%2BGillette%2BEzra%2BWheeler%2B%2526%2BMary%2BAnn%2BBoots.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>Ezra Wheeler Gillette & Mary Ann Boots [VT/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIEfGgpJVYM/YX7J_GrobnI/AAAAAAAACjM/6lMGF6AKrtQkJPs8uM9cbkVuyPNtLDW-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s960/4xGG%2BBerry%2BFrancis%2B%2526%2BElizabeth%2BAnn%2BHill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIEfGgpJVYM/YX7J_GrobnI/AAAAAAAACjM/6lMGF6AKrtQkJPs8uM9cbkVuyPNtLDW-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w285-h400/4xGG%2BBerry%2BFrancis%2B%2526%2BElizabeth%2BAnn%2BHill.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>Francis Berry & Elizabeth Ann Hill [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">George Durant & Safrona (unknown) [both of Quebec]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francois Xavier Lavalle & Rosella LaRoche [both of Quebec]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">George Arth & Wilhemina Wernersbach [both from Germany]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Burke & Ann (unknown) [both of Ireland]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(unknown) & Betsy Conners [both of Ireland]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Barney Dowd & Betsey (unknown) [both from Ireland]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Edward Ruston & Jane Brooks [both of England]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Richardson & Mary (unknown) [both of England]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Ireland & wife (unknown) [both of England]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Lenton & Mary Wilson [both of England]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pliney Wicker & Chloe Morgan [MA]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Elizer Lusk & Rebecca (unknown) [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Simon Whittier & Dorcas Kittredge [MA/VT]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAOsianyCew/YX7M4Jdjf8I/AAAAAAAACjY/KZJ20QjjoGYyzLLK2ttCoH3MBGn82S2FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1062/4xGG%2BLozier%2B1874%2BLucy%2BRaymond%2BDeLozier..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="787" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAOsianyCew/YX7M4Jdjf8I/AAAAAAAACjY/KZJ20QjjoGYyzLLK2ttCoH3MBGn82S2FQCLcBGAsYHQ/w296-h400/4xGG%2BLozier%2B1874%2BLucy%2BRaymond%2BDeLozier..jpg" width="296" /></a></div>Peter DeLozier & Lucy Raymond [CT/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Joshua Eaton & Lucy Gould [CT/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Solomon P. Treadwell & Fannie (unknown) [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsMwC2T_9KE/YX7Ndss_SpI/AAAAAAAACjg/mt_Dv2i5Vt0ffCUu0o7xIGBuqyEkE35MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s576/4xGG%2BTenney%2BHiram%2B%2526%2BSally%2BMAYBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="337" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsMwC2T_9KE/YX7Ndss_SpI/AAAAAAAACjg/mt_Dv2i5Vt0ffCUu0o7xIGBuqyEkE35MgCLcBGAsYHQ/w234-h400/4xGG%2BTenney%2BHiram%2B%2526%2BSally%2BMAYBE.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>Hiram Tenney & Esther or Sally (unknown) [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Targee & Ellen (unknown) [RI/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">David Smith & Betsy (unknown) [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Heman Sears & Clarissa Debois [CT/NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Martin Dutcher & Cynthia Ann Feagles [NY]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Amanly Bird & Irene Pond Marsh [MA/NH]</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">~~*~~</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I open to my ancestors, known and unknown. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I open the front door. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The air is cold and tinged with winter. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I invite all who wish us no ill to enter and celebrate this night.<br /><br />I ask my Ancestors to welcome in the spirits of the Recent Dead, of my beloved and missed Liz Seib. I ask them to watch over our friends Michael Maxwell Carter Davidson, Peter Blakeslee, and grumpy old Oliver. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Who do you honor and wish peaceful passages to?<br /><br />Leave offerings of food and liquor, of earthly things that smell strong and potent, of coffee, tobacco and candies. Leave them fresh, filtered water. Listen to the whisperings of the shadows. Feel peace fill your heart.<br /><br />Let the candles burn low. Pay attention to your dreamings. The dead have things they wish to say. If you have any divination tools, ask the dead to speak through them. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Lay the cards out. Draw a rune. Throw the bones.<br /><br />Blessed Samhain. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Halloween.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37gqz88PRXM/YX7CYTRaeaI/AAAAAAAACio/5oGfAJzQUfQQGNOqh0DuB9JT7poumgmXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2B%2526%2BElsie%2B%2526%2BHarold%2BRiddle%2B%2526%2Bkids..JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="2048" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37gqz88PRXM/YX7CYTRaeaI/AAAAAAAACio/5oGfAJzQUfQQGNOqh0DuB9JT7poumgmXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h278/2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2B%2526%2BElsie%2B%2526%2BHarold%2BRiddle%2B%2526%2Bkids..JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George Durant and wife Louise Burnah, their daughter Elsie Durant (who I knew until I was 17), her husband Harold Riddle (who died nine months before I was born on their wedding anniversary). In the front are their children, my Aunt Donna, my Grandpa Dick, and my Uncle Sonny. All are deceased now.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-55594472435051427362021-09-22T13:29:00.001-07:002021-10-27T13:41:18.410-07:00The Ancestor of the Red Delicious was Actually Delicious<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ffMPQ4RHE0/YXm5HXosnBI/AAAAAAAACgs/ajegBzzGHVcV6IlTt_Qx2-pmbS335B8LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSC09231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ffMPQ4RHE0/YXm5HXosnBI/AAAAAAAACgs/ajegBzzGHVcV6IlTt_Qx2-pmbS335B8LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSC09231.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />It is Decidedly Not
Delicious</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The Red Delicious
apple, with its deceptive bright red hue and distinctive shape has been a
popular apple in America for 128 years. Most of us remember getting one on our
lunch trays in elementary school. But let’s face it, delicious it is not.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>I love apples. I
have a special place in my world for each one. Each of them, but one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>As I child I was
not terribly picky about which apples I ate. My other classmates were though.
They would hand their apples off to me and I would eat them all on my walk home
at the end of the day. But the truly mealy, gritty ones—you know what I
mean—would never survive more than a bite before getting chucked into a bush
for the animals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Unless it was February.
And winter. And I would eat the better bits around the mealy bits just for a
taste of the fruit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>I don’t feel so
bad for my great distaste for the red delicious. Even Tom Burford, author of <i>Apples
of North America</i>, whose ancestors planted seeds in the Blue Ridge Mountains
in 1713, and who grew up with over 100 species of apples in their family orchard
refers to the popularity of the Red Delicious as a “ramming down the throats of
American consumers this disgusting, red, beautiful fruit.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Turns out, it
wasn’t always disgusting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Colonial Apples<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>America had its
own native apples, but the common varieties we know today are descendants of
imports from Europe. Apples were important to colonial life. It was not only
used for food, but hard cider, a safe beverage to imbibe, as the village water
was usually unfit to drink.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Apples were one of
the earliest crops planted by colonists and each family would have a few trees
of their own in their backyards. In the 1800s and the early 1900s, the popular
apple was the Ben Davis, a reliable crop for growers. It was a pretty apple,
and a crop with a reliable yield, but touted to be pretty bland.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What Jesse Hiatt
Let Grow<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>A Quaker farmer
named Jesse Hiatt of Peru, Iowa found an unwanted apple tree growing within his
orchard of Yellow Bellflower trees, in the 1870s. He tried to cut it back for
several seasons but it came back up every year. History says that he decided
something that tenacious deserved a chance and he let it grow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Ten years later the
tree produced its first fruit, a red and yellow striped elongated globe. The
flesh was said to be crisp, fruity and sweet, but it wasn’t pretty to look at.
Hiatt named the perfumed apple the Hawkeye, after his home state. Amy Traverso, author of <i>The Apple
Lover’s Cookbook</i>, says, “The [Hawkeye] was a chance seedling, and I like to
imagine what a revelation it was to come across this apple tree that you hadn’t
even planted. To taste the fruit for the first time and realize it was just
incredible.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Next Big Apple<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The Ben Davis apple was
the widely-seeded but bland apple in production at the time. In 1983 the Stark
Brothers’ Nursery in Lousianna, Missouri, opened a contest to farmers, seeking
a new strain of apple. Jesse Hiatt brought his Hawkeye apple to the contest. It
was love at first bite and the Stark Brothers bought the production rights to
the apple.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The first thing they
did was change the name.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>The First Delicious</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>It became the Stark
Delicious.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Rowan Jacobsen writes,
in <i>Apples of Uncommon Character</i>, that “the fruit kept well and had an
inoffensive, pleasantly aromatic taste. Most of all, it was very sweet. What it
wasn’t, was solid red; instead, it had a light pink blush, reddish stripes, and
a less pronounced strawberry shape, making it a pretty generic apple.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Over the next twenty
years, the Nursery promoted the Stark Delicious in a manner that changed the business
of apple production. The Brothers spent $750,000, sending salesmen to farms all
over the country. They even sent it out as free gifts to their existing
customers and exhibited it at the 1904 World’s Fair.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The Stark Delicious
became a hit and the Nursery was bombarded with requests for more trees from
customers. As its population expanded, and it was propagated widely, it became
less and less like the original Hiatt’s Hawkeye.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>What’s in a Name?</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>In 1914, when the
Golden Delicious was discovered in West Virginia and bought up by the Nursery,
the Stark Delicious apple became the Red Delicious. The Stark Brothers’
aggressive promotion of the breed meant that by 1922, the annual Delicious crop
was valued at $12 million.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>A year later, one of
the Delicious growers in New Jersey found one single branch on one of his trees
that was producing a mutant variant of the apple. It had ripened earlier than
the others and had turned a deep, solid crimson hue. One of the Stark Brothers’
sons travelled from Missouri and bought the branch, also known as a sport, off
the tree for $6,000.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>“Traditionally, growers
were paid based on the redness of the skin of their apples. Flavor was not
evaluated,” Rowan Jacobsen wrote. “Red Delicious earned a premium over other
apples, and the reddest Red Delicious earned the highest premium.” It wasn’t
long before farmers all over clambered to get their hands on their own clone of
the deep crimson variant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Pros and Cons and Poor
Taste</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Amy Traverson likens
this as the problem. “It turns out that a
lot of the genes that coded for the flavor-producing compounds were on the same
chromosomes as the genes for the yellow striped skin,” she explains, “so as you
favored the more consistently colored apples, you were essentially disfavoring
the same genes that coded for great flavor.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>This new breed of Red Delicious
came with a thicker skin that disguised the bruises that came during long
shipping routes. The “coke-bottle bottom” of the fruit and the uniform shape
made them perfect for storage and transport, prizing them for a long shelf life
over taste. The deep red fruits continued to ripen after harvesting, so it
could be picked prematurely and left to ripen in cold storage as it travelled.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>As soon as an apple is
picked from the tree it begins to produce ethylene gas, which is what causes
fruit to either ripen or rot. According to Simon Thibault, author of <i>Pantry
and Palate: Remembering and Rediscovering Acadian Food</i>, it enabled the
Delicious apple to be stored for a length of time before being shipped.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Why So Popular?</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>The Red Delicious was
the most popular apple in production by the 1940s. But the skin was tougher
than other apple skin, hiding an open-celled texture that consumers would
consider mealy or gritty. It had a tough and bitter skin hiding mushy flesh.
Have you ever wondered why that is?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Thibault also says that
if the Red Delicious is left on the tree long enough, something called
watercore develops. “What that means is the starches and sugars get converted
to sorbitol, or unfermentable sugar. They’re very sweet, but they don’t last
long. If you let the Red Delicious do that, even the cardboard ones can become
nonoffensive.” But then their shelf life for transport is severely shortened. As
people left the farms and more people moved into the cities and shopped at
grocery markets, and they were not getting their food from the farm stands,
transportability became more important commercially.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>By the 1980s,
seventy-five percent of the crops produced in Washington State were Red
Delicious apples. They are responsible for two-thirds of the apples produced in
America.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Who’s Buying Them?</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Now, the majority of
Red Delicious apples are not bought by consumers. Instead they are sold to
schools and health centers, hospitals and hotels; places where people don’t
have a lot of choice in what they eat. For instance, the United States
Department of Agriculture sends the fruit out through its food distribution programs,
most of which comes from farmers’ surplus. The Red Delicious is usually one of
the last crops standing, as far as American demand goes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Orchardists couldn’t
just switch out their long-standing crops and the seemingly sudden shift in
consumer demand took them by surprise. Tom Burford pointed out that people had
been “eating with their eyes and not their mouths.” Now shoppers were not
satisfied with poor flavor when there were other savory apples on the market
like SweeTango, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Snap Dragon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>The Decline</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Red Delicious apple
growers lost almost $800 million between 1997 and 2000 because consumers weren’t
buying them. In 2000 the government spent $138 million to bailout the apple farmers
of Washington state. It was the largest bailout in the history of the apple
industry.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Production of the Red
Delicious dropped forty percent over the next seventeen years. It is the parent
of the Empire and the Fuji apple varieties, among others. It’s still one of the
most commonly produced apples, by twenty million bushels, and in 2014, the
Washington Apple Commission began focusing on exporting two-thirds or more of
their Red Delicious crop to other countries. <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">Most
of our Red Delicious apples wind up in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi
Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>(Did you know that China
produces a full half of the world’s apples, about eight times as much as the United
States. Seventy percent of the apples they grow are Fujis.) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>A New Cream of the Crop</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>For the first time in
fifty years, the Red Delicious was dethroned by the juicy and mildly sweet Gala
in 2018. The Red Delicious came second—due to the production demand, Granny
Smith was third, Fuji fourth, and the Honeycrisp fifth… though if they were
correct, by the typing of this article the Honeycrisp should have moved up the
list.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Yum.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>Lots of farmers are
slowly replacing their Red Delicious trees with new popular varieties and no
one is planting new ones. Somewhere out there, some farmers still grow the
original heirloom variety Hawkeye. Which means there is a chance to taste the
fruit that was the Red Delicious’ ancestor, and experience where its name
originated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span> </span>I sense a road trip in
my future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><u>Sourced with
information from</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A.C. Bright,
author of <i>Apples Galore!</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tom Burford,
author of <i>Apples of North America</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rowan Jacobsen,
author of <i>Apples of Uncommon Character</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Erika Janik, author of “Apple: A Global History”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Simon Thibault, author of <i>Pantry and Palate:
Remembering and Rediscovering Acadian Food</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amy Traverso, author of <i>The Apple
Lover’s Cookbook</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">LeAnn Zotta, author <i>200 Years and Growing:
The Story of Stark Bro’s Nurseries & Orchards Co</i></span></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-30542778397101092262021-05-05T08:32:00.126-07:002021-09-08T16:58:26.238-07:00Cleansing my Ancestor Altar<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYC-Q7fTdyo/YTg63MUtNVI/AAAAAAAACd0/9dSxOI9pFuAmIqltuQeJXB6Cj7cZolaeACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/aFAV%2Bskull%2Bcloseup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYC-Q7fTdyo/YTg63MUtNVI/AAAAAAAACd0/9dSxOI9pFuAmIqltuQeJXB6Cj7cZolaeACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/aFAV%2Bskull%2Bcloseup.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Moments.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I had to stop counting the number of the dead. I have spent a year watching the numbers and my soul is weary. My beloveds have lost beloveds to covid-19. We have lost people who could not get adequate services because the medical field is saturated.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">When I am overwhelmed I stop and go back to the beginning, I go back to breath. I had been praying for so many people, for so many lives, that it became hard to focus my intention. So I went back to my altar, I stripped it bare, and I rebuilt it again.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Starting Anew.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I scrubbed the surface. I touched everything. Did it still have energy? Did it still feel sacred? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Some items evolved into better, newer pieces. Some items felt finished and moved on to other homes.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The surface was bare. It was fresh, both new and familiar.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DwAAkZ0qu9rzgclSHI3pG7wcfGAeBt58MlX9MUmwBPAh_vLDe28wdqeFalfBCPC3uT_JTxsgqhtA9A6Wl9yQlfFoq9_175OdkGaQHLzV7wyCFACSibZCAO8VoawVD-DxdSbFboI225OD/s2048/tree+build+1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DwAAkZ0qu9rzgclSHI3pG7wcfGAeBt58MlX9MUmwBPAh_vLDe28wdqeFalfBCPC3uT_JTxsgqhtA9A6Wl9yQlfFoq9_175OdkGaQHLzV7wyCFACSibZCAO8VoawVD-DxdSbFboI225OD/s320/tree+build+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Adding in Ancestors.</span></b></div><div><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I bought a second photo tree and added new photos. I have one tree for my maternal line and one for my paternal. There are items that belonged to my grandparents and stones I treasure. I have my candle holder made of fossil stone. I have my water glass for offerings.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLwgCNfJJIE/YTg7HO9b9sI/AAAAAAAACd8/SQDsAJci4pk8vRFfkA5Yz8l36X1E_0UTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1987/tree%2Bbuild%2B2%2Bfront%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1938" data-original-width="1987" height="312" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QLwgCNfJJIE/YTg7HO9b9sI/AAAAAAAACd8/SQDsAJci4pk8vRFfkA5Yz8l36X1E_0UTACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tree%2Bbuild%2B2%2Bfront%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My father's mother: Ruth Ruston, her parents Minnie Wicker and Frank Ruston, Minnie's parents Emma Whitcher and Hiram Wicker, Frank's parents Ruth Ireland and Charles Ruston.<br />&<br />My mother's father: Richard Riddle, his parents Harold Riddle and Elsie Durant, Harold's parents Lafayette Riddle and Frances Gillette, Elsie's parents Albert Durant and Louse Burnah.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NayZ08CUBG8/YTg7HS4DZiI/AAAAAAAACeA/b44bJgFu5LQWNqDJI3MrEZlTQEesNGEVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/tree%2Bbuild%2B3%2Bback.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1848" data-original-width="2048" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NayZ08CUBG8/YTg7HS4DZiI/AAAAAAAACeA/b44bJgFu5LQWNqDJI3MrEZlTQEesNGEVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tree%2Bbuild%2B3%2Bback.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My father's father: Mark Eaton, his parents Royal Eaton and Hattie Smith, Royal's parents Bennett Eaton and Theresa Tenney, Hattie's parents Silas Smith and Hattie Dutcher.<br />&<br />My mother's mother: Patricia Art, her parents Margaret Burke and Robert Art, Robert's parents Katherine Pils and George Art, Albert Durant's parents Rosella LaValley and Albert Oliver Durant</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dtexMUqlQM/YTg96OT7-OI/AAAAAAAACec/VJsgbYUuZY0TrJWkHIeT1Izpk2vbBBlqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/zFINAL%2B2%2Bfeather%2Bcloseup%2B2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dtexMUqlQM/YTg96OT7-OI/AAAAAAAACec/VJsgbYUuZY0TrJWkHIeT1Izpk2vbBBlqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/zFINAL%2B2%2Bfeather%2Bcloseup%2B2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Preparing to Pray.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">When I prepared my altar that first night, on the first of May, the balance point to Samhain, when the spirit energy is also thick, my heart felt a measure of peace. My thoughts were stronger and clearer, and I picked up my prayers, for my loved ones, for my community, for the world.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I called to my ancestors who had known struggle and disease, plague and famine. I ask them for guidance. I ask them for strength. I ask them to watch over those who are passing over and those who are left behind.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I call to my ancestors, names known and unknown, and I light my altar.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JItk9dVxlUg/YTg9qUbVxEI/AAAAAAAACeU/6A1hhsZnNgEoCbGUSpYe-9bw5dwdbVLZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/zFINAL%2B1%2Bfull%2Baltar%2B1.jpg" style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="2048" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JItk9dVxlUg/YTg9qUbVxEI/AAAAAAAACeU/6A1hhsZnNgEoCbGUSpYe-9bw5dwdbVLZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h253/zFINAL%2B1%2Bfull%2Baltar%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-38737181189714867162021-03-17T17:11:00.002-07:002021-03-17T18:25:13.337-07:00The Irish In Me<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sYc-S4lIFGA/YFKZ8_3FZzI/AAAAAAAACak/ctMFQqOvk9wQCJKotOJL1VjYJU4FgCNiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/MainTabcDonegalTourism%2Blonely%2Bplanet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sYc-S4lIFGA/YFKZ8_3FZzI/AAAAAAAACak/ctMFQqOvk9wQCJKotOJL1VjYJU4FgCNiwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h229/MainTabcDonegalTourism%2Blonely%2Bplanet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Donegal County, from Lonely Planet</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Most of my life I assumed I was genetically a European mix.
After my DNA results came in from Ancestry I learned that I was only 46%
European mutt. I was also 20% Scottish and 14% Irish. Then some German,
Swedish, and French. I also know that, as my dad had no Irish in his make-up
and 50% of mine came from him, all of the Irish comes from my mother.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Family research does show Irish ancestors on my dad’s side going
back after 20+ generations or so but the Irish in my genes came from my mom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The birds are trying to sing their spring songs outside,
despite the snow flurries we had yesterday and the biting temperatures. We are
so near the equinox. The days are lengthening and in my little garden, the
tiger lilies are thinking about peeking out of the earth with their bright
green shoots and we are planning the out the rest of the plots, dreaming about
hands turning warm dirt. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And I am thinking about my Irish heritage. Because of how
long most of my other family lines have been in this country, I was surprised
to discover how recently all of my known Irish ancestors came to this country.<br />
<br />
On my mom’s paternal side, the first of my immigrant ancestors from Ireland to
step on American soil was my 7x great-grandfather David Calhoun, born in Donegal
in 1690. He settled and died in Connecticut. David's grandfather was originally
from Scotland, so his family blood was Scotch-Irish, but David only knew
Ireland as his home until he left for America.<br />
<br />
Thomas Riddle, also found spelled Ridel or Riddell, was born in Ireland in
1739. He was my 6x great-grandfather. He married in America when he was 20 and Thomas
fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War as a Private in 1775. I found
other family of his listed Tyrone County as flax growers.<br />
<br />
My 6x great-grandparents John Berry, born in 1762, and Nancy Matchet, born in
1767, came to America from Ireland together and settled in the small town of
Mayfield in New York. There are still Berrys living in Mayfield; my direct
ancestors lived there for four generations. They even have their own family
cemetery. I have a current lead that Berry came from County Kerry in Ireland
that I am investigating.<br />
<br />
On my mom’s maternal side, my other Irish ancestors all immigrated to New York,
where the Erie Canal was. Thomas Burke was born in Ireland in 1832. He is
listed as living in Lockport in 1855 with his widowed mother Ann, employed in
"boating." He later fought for the 12<sup>th</sup> Independent
Company during the Civil War.<br />
<br />
My 4x great-grandfather Barney Dowd came over from Ireland with his daughters
and their families. I have always held him as a possible grandfather, because
he was living for a while with Mary and David Conners, my 3x great-grandparents.
But I found information that might mean the Conners came from Kerry County,
which would make Mary’s last name Lenchen, which would likely remove Barney
Dowd from my tree. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My Lockportian ancestors all lived in the areas of my
hometown known as Lowertown, where the Irish who worked on the canal had set up
their homes. In honor of them, and all those who came before them, I'll set out
a bowl of warm honey and milk over soda bread and I'll pour a pint of ale for
them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I'll honor those who left their homelands for a country that
treated them like vermin. I honor that Irish spirit that allowed them to
persevere and plant roots. I call on that strength in hard times. They live on
through me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">May it be so.<br />
<br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-48722069257464370282021-02-01T19:56:00.001-08:002021-02-10T19:59:27.525-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 11: January<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We lost almost 100,000 Americans in one month.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We lost almost 100,000 Americans in one month.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I lost a beloved this month. It was cancer. But COVID-19 kept me
from saying goodbye in person. My heart hurts. In my grief I see every maskless
face as the reason we are still in the thick of this pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">People I know are getting the vaccine. I already know people who
have had their second dose. So there is light ahead. But there are also variant
strains of COVID-19 spreading now. We must remain vigilant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six feet apart. Isolate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a name="_Hlk63801654"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In January, we
lost ninety-seven thousand three-hundred and eighty-three Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></a></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">97,384<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total population of the city of Albany, NY in
2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic 458,121 Americans have died.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Dear gods and ancestors, we have passed 400,000 dead and are near
to 500,000. Feel that weight. It’s been a long time. We’re coming up on a year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Light a candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash
your hands. Stay six feet apart. We can do this. May we all come out
the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk63801636"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is
some wiggle room around the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This is the time to be slow,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Lie low to the wall<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Until the bitter wind passes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Try, as best you can, not to let<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The wire brush of doubt<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Scrape from your heart<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All sense of yourself<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And your hesitant light.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">If you remain generous,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Time will come good;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And you will find your feet<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Again on fresh pastures of promise,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Where the air will be kind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And blushed with beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">~John O’Donohue</span></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-80666376652827413932021-01-01T19:49:00.001-08:002021-02-10T19:55:50.817-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 10: December<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember when we were horrified the death
toll was nearing 100,000?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hold onto some of that horror. Nothing
should feel normal right now. The hospitals are getting full again. The medical
staff are still running, as they have been since March. Only now they're tired.
They're getting sick. They're dying, too. What happens when there aren't enough
staff to care for the ill? Will we prioritize it then?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be vigilant. Stay safe. Mask up when you
have to go out. Be mindful of everything you touch. Wash your hands. Wash your
masks. Stay home as much as you can.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[And be understanding of your possible
privilege vs. other people's limitations. Staying home isn't easy for everyone.
For example, the poorest of our people are the ones who work those drive-thru
windows people are counting on right now. That one stimulus check has been long
gone and bills are still due.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Neighbors on both sides of us have all
contracted COVID-19 because they have to work essential service jobs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We can see another side coming. The
doctors, nurses, and teachers I know are starting to get their first vaccine
shot. We can see the other side we just have to survive the in-between. More
and more people will have access to the vaccines after the essential workers
get them. We have made it this far. We can be a bit more patient yet.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have to be. Our ancestors are asking it of us.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I continue to pray that this does not get worse. Our numbers were
so much better than I expected them to be this summer but they have been
climbing again since the holiday season started. I get the Want involved with
seeing family. I get why it felt more important this year. There have been
years I have had to miss a holiday with my family for work reasons. It did not
feel as much of a loss then as it felt this year. I get it. My family had a
health scare this summer. It hurt not to see them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But I know three people who were not allowed to be with a parent
when they died this year because of the necessary COVID-19 protocols. That is a
sacrifice they were forced to make. So, a quiet holiday at home? I can do that.
I can do that for them. What my community Needs of me outweighs what I need or
want.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six
feet apart. Isolate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Don’t try to pretend things are normal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don;t care about human need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual. It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In December, we lost
seventy-one thousand eight-hundred and forty-three Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">71,843<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total
population of the city of Mt. Vernon, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic 360,737
Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Over 300,000 Americans have
died and we are very near to 400,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Light a candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash
your hands. Stay six feet apart. We can do this. May we all come out
the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the solstice, the still point <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of the sun, its cusp and midnight, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">the year’s threshold <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and unlocking, where the past <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">lets go of and becomes the future; <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">the place of caught breath, the door <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of a vanished home left ajar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">~Margaret Atwood<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-19731735104859526682020-12-01T19:46:00.001-08:002021-02-10T19:48:49.876-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 9: November<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Most of
my friends are working from home now (or trying to work from home while also
simultaneously acting as IT person for their children all day). A lot of my
friends are in the kind of jobs that require them to work and interact with the
public. It’s retail season. I worry for them. I am certain the Post office
will see a higher number of packages sent out this December.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And
still, people are planning holiday visits…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I fear
the numbers will climb after Thanksgiving.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I keep praying it does not get worse. I remind myself that we only
know what we know until we learn it to be untrue. The science will change as we
learn new things about this particular virus. It's important that we stay open
to that. The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six feet
apart. Isolate.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This month's death toll went up again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In November, we lost thirty-six
thousand seven-hundred and sixty-eight Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">36,768<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total
population of the city of Valley Stream, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic
288,894 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Light a candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash
your hands. Stay six feet apart. We can do this. May we all come out
the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Today<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Today I’m flying low and I’m <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">not saying a word. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I’m letting all of the voodoos of
ambition <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The world goes on as it must, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">the bees in the garden rumbling a
little, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">the fish leaping, the gnats getting
eaten. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And so forth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But I’m taking the day off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Quiet as a feather. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I hardly move though really I’m
traveling <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">a terrific distance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Stillness. One of the doors<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Into the temple.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">~ Mary Oliver<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-57003685328991859322020-11-01T13:30:00.001-08:002021-02-10T19:46:07.818-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 8: October<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I still can’t believe
we have lost over 200,000 Americans to this virus. People are done with staying
at home. They miss going out. They miss concerts and theatre and sports and… I
get it. So do my friends who are essential workers and have HAD to leave their
homes and expose themselves to the public.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My friends who are
doctors and nurses and nursing care workers and hospice workers and
housekeepers and custodians and janitors are tired. They are overworked and
understaffed and they need us to be better than we’re being. And we can best
help them by staying home as much as we can. I mean, some places still do not
require masks in public spaces. I can’t believe we’re still questioning the
science about how viruses spread.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the month
where I specifically focus on honoring the dead. This month that focus was on
over 200,000 strangers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check the total
dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I light my
ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious illnesses
that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and fathers
who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times. I ask
them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them to wrap
the world in some measure of peace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;">In October, we lost twenty-three thousand
three-hundred and three Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;">23,303<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total population of the
city of Peekskill, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic 252,126 Americans
have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Light a candle. Say
a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay six feet apart. If
you think you are ill isolate yourself for 72 hours. If you think you have been
exposed quarantine yourself for 14 days before exposing anyone else to you.
Video chat with your loved ones. We can do this. May we all come out the
other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics
gathered from </span><span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span color="windowtext" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> They have changed as
the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around the exact
number.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Contemplative Poem
for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Stay Home<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I will wait here in the fields <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">to see how well the rain <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">brings on the grass. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the labor of the fields <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">longer than a man’s life <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I am at home. Don’t come with me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You stay home too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I will be standing in the woods <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">where the old trees <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">move only with the wind <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and then with gravity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the stillness of the trees <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I am home. Don’t come with me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You stay home too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">~ Wendell Berry<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-15456860066919850442020-10-30T22:54:00.002-07:002020-11-01T07:40:02.207-08:00Remembering Those Who Died of COVID-19 This Samhain<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3VyjLOxnX7k/X5zyPyvJljI/AAAAAAAACYc/4dqZVeaXC60zmyPp-L9hGFQV9nIqEh7jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1936/97800975_243024130468334_2413541822421794816_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="1936" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3VyjLOxnX7k/X5zyPyvJljI/AAAAAAAACYc/4dqZVeaXC60zmyPp-L9hGFQV9nIqEh7jQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/97800975_243024130468334_2413541822421794816_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the night each year where I speak the names of the Recent Dead, which for my purposes is anyone who died since the last time I did my personal ritual. Sometimes I include people who I did not know had previously passed. I light candles and call to my Ancestors. I ask them to welcome the souls of those who have died in the last year. I ask them to show any stragglers the path to peace.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This year I felt called to be in service to a more specific intention and focus. I will still do my private ritual for the recent dead. But on All Hallow's Eve under the blessing of the Blue Moon I will do a ritual for those who have passed this last year as a result of COVID-19.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We are still in the thick of this virus. We do not yet have control of it and winter is coming. As of this morning there are 226,132 souls to bid passage and rest to, just from this virus alone.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Just before October 31st becomes November 1st I will light my candles on my ancestor altar. You don't have to use candles. Any source of intentional light will work. I will open my heart to my family lines of ancestors, both blood and chosen. And I will speak the number of the dead until I feel my intention connect with other world and I am filled with a sense of peace.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I invite any of you who feel called to join me. I will update the total number of dead after dusk: </span><span style="font-size: large;">228,185 souls.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Blessed Samhain co-walkers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">May those we love live on through us.</span></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-48688043114403031932020-10-07T14:47:00.001-07:002020-10-07T16:33:58.627-07:00My Family & the Flu of 1918<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOOpWzgD-fk/X34v2y36PkI/AAAAAAAACWw/GEorlSaM6ScZXznYzJv-eafD64x-r8NhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/flu%2B5eaaeebed36bb.image.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOOpWzgD-fk/X34v2y36PkI/AAAAAAAACWw/GEorlSaM6ScZXznYzJv-eafD64x-r8NhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/flu%2B5eaaeebed36bb.image.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Stock photo]</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />It's October in America. Some of us have been living under restrictions and in isolation since March. I know people who have lost family members they did not get to see. In this country w</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">e have currently lost 208,000 deaths from COVID-19. There have been over 1 million deaths globally.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">How can we find hope and strength while still in the midst of this pandemic?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Oz6rvoGGU/X34wVdMtOoI/AAAAAAAACW4/fMCfp9apxakcJ2fGMFHkNJtqiFei3igJACLcBGAsYHQ/s445/flu%2Btheatres%2B1918FluInside.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="445" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Oz6rvoGGU/X34wVdMtOoI/AAAAAAAACW4/fMCfp9apxakcJ2fGMFHkNJtqiFei3igJACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/flu%2Btheatres%2B1918FluInside.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The Flu of 1918</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I looked to our history. And I looked to my history. This is not our first pandemic that has required masks and isolation. Some media call it the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 or the Influenza Pandemic. Most commonly it is known as the Spanish Flu. That is a misnomer (I'll explain that below). </span><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>The Flu of 1918 first made its appearance in March of that same year </span>in the case of an Army cook in Kansas. It spread through the Camp but was not seen to be deadlier than an average flu. Then the troops were deployed. America had joined World War I in April of 1917. Our troops brought the new flu to England with them and it spread through Europe, through the French and British troops in April and May.</span><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So why do we know it as the Spanish Flu of 1918? None of the other countries were publishing any news that could be harmful to their troops and stories of illness among the soldiers counted. Spain was the only country putting out information about this new and deadly flu and they were the first country to write about it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVisDqELmgQ/X34wjindKDI/AAAAAAAACW8/ojSo4nTtz-8UTYQorrw9MEDBnDmRWZBYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1764/flu%2BVintage_Space%2BAlamy%2BStock%2BPhoto.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1764" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVisDqELmgQ/X34wjindKDI/AAAAAAAACW8/ojSo4nTtz-8UTYQorrw9MEDBnDmRWZBYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/flu%2BVintage_Space%2BAlamy%2BStock%2BPhoto.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: small;">[Stock photo]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The second wave of the 1918 Flu was far deadlier than the first. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Just as the deaths seemed to ebb in August, the virus mutated and troops returned from England infected with a new strain. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The most brutal months occurred in the fall of 1918, from September to November.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the month of October 1918 alone, 195,000 Americans died of it. The new strain claimed the lives of the old and very young as well as previously healthy adults in their prime and their deaths were horrific to the medical community. Medical science didn't understand what viruses were let alone the cytokine explosion effect the pandemic had on it's victims. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Life in Buffalo NY</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">All of my ancestors who were alive during the Flu of 1918 lived in Western New York, close to Lake Ontario. People stayed inside as much as possible. Schools and theatres and stores closed. Everything was shut down. People tried whatever remedies they could conceive, like wearing bags of camphor around their necks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Everyone wore masks. The mayor of Buffalo restricted gatherings of more than 10 people. All restrictions were enforced, and many enforced within the community itself. But there were groups that tried to get special dispensation to gather and meet. Of course there were. There was even a large anti-mask group that rose up in San Francisco, claiming their Rights were being infringed upon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">During a global health crisis.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Towns along the railroads were particularly afflicted as it spread. So many medical people were overseas aiding the war effort that hospitals and casket makers were overwhelmed. There were just too many cases and too many dead.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It has happened before. It could happen again. Where can we find strength after such a long period of isolating when we know it s not over yet?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My Great-Great Grandparents' World</span></u></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>
I wanted to know the names and faces of my ancestors who had lived to see such times before and I checked my family tree to see who was alive during the worst months of the pandemic.</span><br /><br /><span>My great-great-grandmother Theresa Tenney-Eaton, a widow, was 58. She lived in Somerset NY and was the head of house, living with her son, William Bennett, 38, and his wife, Lena, 40. Their five children were also living with Theresa. On September 12, during the worst months of virus, William registered his World War I draft card. All survived.</span><br />
<br /><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K01d1RGqGW8/X34ybAeBukI/AAAAAAAACXM/5BgYxAUYvFUASrq3eUZbkmaqRPzTrQfZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s634/1xGG%2BEaton%2BRoyal%2Bfamily%2B4%2Bkids.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="1x Grandparents Roy & Hattie & kids" border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K01d1RGqGW8/X34ybAeBukI/AAAAAAAACXM/5BgYxAUYvFUASrq3eUZbkmaqRPzTrQfZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w242-h320/1xGG%2BEaton%2BRoyal%2Bfamily%2B4%2Bkids.jpg" title="1x Grandparents Roy & Hattie & kids" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Roy Eaton & Hattie Smith & family</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Theresa's other son and my great-grandpa Royal Eaton, 45, and his wife Hattie Eva Smith, 36, lived in Auburn NY with their three children, including my Grandpa Mark who was just three years old. Great-grandpa Roy also registered his WWI draft card on Sept 2, during the thick of the flu. All survived.</span><br />
<br /><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HSG_L8Ra2c/X341Uj1kOdI/AAAAAAAACXs/Yux2stsZNpUOX5ha-M3vAMQm9mkNwBAnACLcBGAsYHQ/s350/2xGG%2BWicker%2BEmma%2B%2526%2BRuston%2BRuth%2B%2526%2BRuston%2BRuth%2BIreland%2B%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="235" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HSG_L8Ra2c/X341Uj1kOdI/AAAAAAAACXs/Yux2stsZNpUOX5ha-M3vAMQm9mkNwBAnACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2xGG%2BWicker%2BEmma%2B%2526%2BRuston%2BRuth%2B%2526%2BRuston%2BRuth%2BIreland%2B%25283%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Emma Whitcher, Ruth Ruston, & Ruth Ireland</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>My 2x great-grandparents Charles Ruston, 64, and Ruth Ireland, 57, were living in Lockport NY with their daughters Maude, 36, and Ruth, 21. All survived.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>
<br />Their son and my great-grandpa Frank Ruston, 29, and his wife Minnie Wicker, 27, had been married for five years. Their oldest child, my Grandma Ruth, was 2. Minnie's mother, my widowed 2x great-grandma Emma Whitcher-Wicker, was 70 years old and lived with them in Lockport NY, along with a schoolteacher boarder. All survived.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kctQhmMDqAc/X340B081UQI/AAAAAAAACXY/papAPKtws00GyHlidVaxv-iQCxwQNpmLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2029/2xGG%2BArt%2BKatherine%2Bon%2Bleft%2B%2526%2BMargaret%2Bon%2Bright%2B-%2BArent%2BThey%2BCute%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="2029" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kctQhmMDqAc/X340B081UQI/AAAAAAAACXY/papAPKtws00GyHlidVaxv-iQCxwQNpmLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2xGG%2BArt%2BKatherine%2Bon%2Bleft%2B%2526%2BMargaret%2Bon%2Bright%2B-%2BArent%2BThey%2BCute%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katherine Pils & young grandchildren</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>My German great-great-grandparents George Art, 47, and Katherine Pils, 45, were servants working for the wealthy Kenan family. The couple were living with their youngest two children, Walter, 23, & Alice, 20. All survived.<br />
<br />Their eldest son, and my great-grandpa Robert Art, 25, and his wife Margaret Burke, 24. had been married and living in Lockport for five years. They had two small daughters, the youngest having been born just that same year. There had been a second daughter who died in 1916. All alive during the flu survived.<br />
<br /></span><span>In Newfane NY my great-great-grandparents Lafayette Riddle, 48, and Frances Gillette, 43, still had four kids home on the farm and my great-grandpa Harold, 15, was one of them. All survived.</span><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Even my great-great-great-grandparents Albert Durant, 76, and Rosella LaValley, 75, both of Quebec origins, survived, though Albert died two years later and Rosella the year after him.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkvGBYACFuWVU8iLOAkSenC-FPXBCnSPml1_KIedZZQZyVi9rMgClhFM1_u25F1-U6__8wuHpw7dWP91bh22_CGFJnbCnmGJayKnS6-fTOo2s_eoIyzGs5CKghnNY8RyjDIcZ7v-6ZVoj/s1962/1xGG+Durant+Elsie+%2526+maybe+family+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="1962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkvGBYACFuWVU8iLOAkSenC-FPXBCnSPml1_KIedZZQZyVi9rMgClhFM1_u25F1-U6__8wuHpw7dWP91bh22_CGFJnbCnmGJayKnS6-fTOo2s_eoIyzGs5CKghnNY8RyjDIcZ7v-6ZVoj/s320/1xGG+Durant+Elsie+%2526+maybe+family+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Elsie Durant, far left in glasses, and other Durants<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Their son, my great-great-grandpa George Durant, 39, and Emma Louise Burnah, 49, were newly living in Lockport, having moved from Piercefield NY. My great-grandma Elsie, 13, was the last of their children still at home.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><u>The End of the Flu of 1918</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">At the time, PA state medical inspector W.E. Matthews said, "The most dangerous time of all is right now, when the disease is disappearing. There is always the possibility of people letting up in their precautions or not taking the precautions that are so necessary in checking the spread of the disease." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JaeZ1Delds/X343KpwGyXI/AAAAAAAACX4/611jTvaAZGAUI0QitfQL67nGTy02xOvLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1356/flu%2Bfile-20200320-22636-edlm79.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JaeZ1Delds/X343KpwGyXI/AAAAAAAACX4/611jTvaAZGAUI0QitfQL67nGTy02xOvLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/flu%2Bfile-20200320-22636-edlm79.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: small;">[Stock photo]</i></td></tr></tbody></table>He was right. There was a third wave of deaths, with as high a count as the second one. History believes the virus ebbed when the war ended because we stopped shipping and mobilizing troops around the world, cross-contaminating our countries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The pandemic lasted from 1918-1919. It killed 2-5 million people globally. Over 675,000 Americans died of it over two years. We're at 208,000 after seven months.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><u>And Now?</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">History teaches us that there will be an end to this version of pandemic. We know that we have medical knowledge and technology we didn't have then. There are reasons to be hopeful. But we have to do our part.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The second wave has not struck us yet. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Wear your masks to protect other people from your germs. Wear your masks to protect you from other people's germs. Wash your hands regularly. Socially-distance for real. Isolate if you feel unwell. Invest in a thermometer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">May we all come through the other side of this. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-59586542835649727602020-10-01T13:20:00.017-07:002021-02-10T13:26:34.811-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 7: September<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
college students have been mostly good in our town since the first weekend.
There were parties. But the schools cracked down quickly and threatened to send
them home. It is oddly eerie for the neighborhood to be so quiet, so much so
that the autumn equinox snuck up on us. How is it fall already? We have been in
some phase of lockdown for six months now.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
celebrated by finally risking a haircut, with all the proper precautions in
place. There were only four of us in the entire salon. My house has ordered
food in a few times but we are sure to tip very well. We’ve stopped wiping down
our groceries when we get home as it was found to be unnecessary. The science
around the virus keeps evolving. We are learning more about it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six feet apart. Isolate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I chant the number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual. It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In September, we lost
twenty-two thousand one-hundred and eighty-six Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">22,186<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total
population of the city of Garden City, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic
228,823 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Over 200,000 Americans have
died of COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk62867204"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Light a candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash
your hands. Stay six feet apart. If you think you are ill isolate yourself
for 72 hours. If you think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for 14
days before exposing anyone else to you. Video chat with your loved ones. We
can do this. May we all come out the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk62867204;"></span>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk62861668"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></a></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk62861668;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[I carry your heart with me (I carry it in)]<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk62861668;"></span>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">i carry your heart with me (i carry it
in<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">my heart) i am never without it
(anywhere<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">i go you go, my dear; and whatever is
done<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">by only me is your doing, my darling)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>i
fear<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">no fate (for you are my fate, my
sweet) i want<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">no world (for beautiful you are my
world, my true)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and it’s you are whatever a moon has
always meant<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and whatever a sun will always sing is
you<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">here is the deepest secret nobody
knows<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(here is the root of the root and the
bud of the bud<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and the sky of the sky of a tree
called life; which grows<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">higher than soul can hope or mind can
hide)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and this is the wonder that’s keeping
the stars apart<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">i carry your heart (i carry it in my
heart)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">~e.e. cummings<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-19749019388299939502020-09-23T17:07:00.001-07:002020-09-23T17:10:20.590-07:00Labyrinth Walking & Apple Magic at the Equinox<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FeTne7owK_3QERFhMlTeeGuWPBD49Nd5lTbe35zhoZQoi7MdsPIe-9iKdAqgAJn-PfOuVO0wcDl4Jg_tTPiRo2zXG4c0fn2uU4On4yg115qQ59mR92yjDn9Wp62jiHH2MZQHkjsqR72H/s2048/120099486_817992122361445_8229912835205629501_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FeTne7owK_3QERFhMlTeeGuWPBD49Nd5lTbe35zhoZQoi7MdsPIe-9iKdAqgAJn-PfOuVO0wcDl4Jg_tTPiRo2zXG4c0fn2uU4On4yg115qQ59mR92yjDn9Wp62jiHH2MZQHkjsqR72H/s320/120099486_817992122361445_8229912835205629501_n.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It is the start of autumn, and the
time of year when my Work takes me down into the internal labyrinth, seeking to
know myself better.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What do I want to work on? What do I want to explore? Where do I need to go?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">We all have versions of ourselves we
have been that no longer are. There are versions of ourselves we thought we
might be. And there are versions of ourselves that, whatever the circumstances,
we can no longer be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I hold this at the entrance. I focus on breath. I focus on walking, feet on the
earth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Today the world is dark and hard.
The way ahead is uncertain. But I am here, breathing. Walking in and out of the
labyrinth within me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Who have we been? Who are we becoming? Who will we be tomorrow?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I stand at the first turn. What do I
no longer need? What no longer serves me? What do I still hold onto that hurts
me? I shed them, one by one, breath by breath, step by step, going deeper down
into the labyrinth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It’s been a hard year. This winter
will not be easier. I carry this knowledge into the dark with me, making it an
ally not a deterrent. I use a favorite fictional passage to stoke my courage to see the truth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I
will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will
turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be
nothing. Only I will remain.” (Frank Herbert, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dune</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Ritual</span></b></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8CR-6XIP-OI/X2vgOvcY5XI/AAAAAAAACV8/0DFPIdqbdM4fmaqBglop8QA4cUEIArKOACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/120164093_2741358386187710_788150093698692056_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8CR-6XIP-OI/X2vgOvcY5XI/AAAAAAAACV8/0DFPIdqbdM4fmaqBglop8QA4cUEIArKOACLcBGAsYHQ/w149-h200/120164093_2741358386187710_788150093698692056_n.jpg" width="149" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In preparation I make a rattle each
year with apple seeds harvested from our local orchard and an empty medicine
bottle. And for meditation purposes, and lack of yard, I use a finger
labyrinth. I’ve walked enough labyrinths that I have body memory of that
turning inward and outward but the visual movement is still helpful. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The ritual I do is simple. As always, I encourage people to adapt it to what works for them. This is what works for me.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szwwylKO154/X2vg0-mUwsI/AAAAAAAACWQ/WQIzarfl7uIK0A3i9N8fMpuOIPsWjvtHACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/120138459_986693521847477_123817413456597042_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szwwylKO154/X2vg0-mUwsI/AAAAAAAACWQ/WQIzarfl7uIK0A3i9N8fMpuOIPsWjvtHACLcBGAsYHQ/w149-h200/120138459_986693521847477_123817413456597042_n.jpg" width="149" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />I rattle
until I feel myself slipping into a calm awareness of everything but pulled by
nothing. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And then I walk the labyrinth, pausing as I make each turn. Each time I ask myself, what do I no longer need? What no longer serves me? What do I still hold onto that hurts me? I shed them, one by one, breath by breath, step by step, going deeper down into the labyrinth, deeper into myself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What do I need to work on? Where do I need to go? Who am I becoming now?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Labyrinth</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I use a lap labyrinth made by my teacher and friend Tracy at <a href="http://onepathlabyrinth.org/index.html" target="_blank">One Path Labyrinth</a>. The grooves are the perfect size for my finger. But you can also use a printed labyrinth of the internet or draw your own. Get creative. The more personal you make it, the better the experience it will be. And by all means, if you have access to an actual labyrinth, or have enough yard to create a temporary one, I highly recommend it.</span><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjBLFSRqJSMu-fqRkqgld1yZVc9qhVeLB6IMK0ilEO3KQJJZl4-HxrHUbs0fdEBYVyz3u4Cb1BIKnLauG_Yu3iaAERvwIKGpb8AnUhvAJPI9V6HifOaEHHAJMAF1aMXIdXKCFYrFUOyTY/s1936/120089258_1317236722001459_3509855906109999785_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="1936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjBLFSRqJSMu-fqRkqgld1yZVc9qhVeLB6IMK0ilEO3KQJJZl4-HxrHUbs0fdEBYVyz3u4Cb1BIKnLauG_Yu3iaAERvwIKGpb8AnUhvAJPI9V6HifOaEHHAJMAF1aMXIdXKCFYrFUOyTY/s320/120089258_1317236722001459_3509855906109999785_n.jpg" /></span></a></div><br /><p></p></div>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-52827902403664359522020-09-01T13:16:00.001-07:002021-02-10T13:19:25.369-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 6: August<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The virus
is the dominant force in our world right now. It dictates what rules need
occur. We must be like the reed and bend lest we break. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six
feet apart. Isolate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our numbers have been better this summer than I expected them to
be. We moved through Phase Three of reopening New York into Phase Four this
month, which means most things can be open as long as they can follow covid
protocols. Most restaurants spent the last couple of months building outdoor
seating and spaces, waiting for this, even while doing take-out orders. But
we’ve seen, in town, businesses already flaunting the rules by letting people
sit inside their restaurants to eat. They got in trouble for it. We’re not
supposed to gather indoors with more than 10-25 people, depending on the size
of the space. Our local covid numbers are getting traced back to bars and
restaurants and gyms. But the death rate is not climbing as much.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s been a long half a year. Even this introverted hermit is
feeling the absence of the little social contact I had come to rely on. It
propels me to be vigilant about safety protocols so that we can get through
this sooner than later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious illnesses
that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and fathers
who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times. I ask
them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them to wrap
the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual. It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In August, we lost thirty-one
thousand six-hundred and thirty-five Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">31,635<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total population
of the city of Jamestown, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic
206,637 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Over 200,000 Americans have now
died of COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Light a
candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay
six feet apart. If you think you are ill isolate yourself for 72 hours. If you
think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for 14 days before exposing
anyone else to you. Video chat with your loved ones. We can do this. May
we all come out the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Contemplative
Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">When I Am Among the Trees</span></strong><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When I am among the trees,<br />
especially the willows and the honey locust,<br />
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,<br />
they give off such hints of gladness.<br />
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.<br />
I am so distant from the hope of myself,<br />
in which I have goodness, and discernment,<br />
and never hurry through the world<br />
but walk slowly, and bow often.<br />
Around me the trees stir in their leaves<br />
and call out, “Stay awhile.”<br />
The light flows from their branches.<br />
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,<br />
“and you too have come<br />
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled<br />
with light, and to shine.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">~ Mary Oliver<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-1900929959163852112020-08-19T16:45:00.001-07:002020-09-24T13:42:39.585-07:00My Family and the Ratification of the 19th Amendment<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiL4qw_NSFxZkWBHDW4NfkF43uQ0oZ__Rnj7OoYzm6zcTetV3-LSaAgq8ymwWRrFfpMouEcwzBT_BDznLO70GXitGQajVQGiNhexivxWR0F99nhS7hIk2MB1h_uqoN86FqDONPJpAg-ou/s1600/z0+2xGG+unknown+women+house+1+%25283%2529+MINNIE+front+and+center.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="726" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiL4qw_NSFxZkWBHDW4NfkF43uQ0oZ__Rnj7OoYzm6zcTetV3-LSaAgq8ymwWRrFfpMouEcwzBT_BDznLO70GXitGQajVQGiNhexivxWR0F99nhS7hIk2MB1h_uqoN86FqDONPJpAg-ou/s320/z0+2xGG+unknown+women+house+1+%25283%2529+MINNIE+front+and+center.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Great-grandma Minnie Ruston in the glasses, center.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">On
August 18, 1920 it was written into law that voting rights could not be denied
based on sex. Suffragettes had been protesting for the right to vote for
decades. An early Women’s Rights convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848,
seventy-two years before the amendment was ratified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">This photo is of an unknown group of women from around the 1920s. My 1x great-grandmother Minnie Ruston is facing the camera in the glasses in the center. She was the daughter of a prominent business owner, fire chief, and Mason, Hiram Wicker. I have not yet been able to identify these women. There are other photos of the white-haired woman in the back row with the black robes on, but I am uncertain who she is.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6K_1C-DOM4/Xz2ybJQxioI/AAAAAAAACRo/5N0ya59viSIQA5d4luSFXF9zsVB-_9atACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z0%2B2xGG%2BIreland%2BRuth%2B%2526%2BEmma%2BWhitcher%2Bwith%2B0xGG%2BRuth%2BRuston%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="553" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6K_1C-DOM4/Xz2ybJQxioI/AAAAAAAACRo/5N0ya59viSIQA5d4luSFXF9zsVB-_9atACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/z0%2B2xGG%2BIreland%2BRuth%2B%2526%2BEmma%2BWhitcher%2Bwith%2B0xGG%2BRuth%2BRuston%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="142" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">Suffragette white in 1917?</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">[It’s
important to note, considering how long women had to fight for it, that many
states responded by passing laws to limit the freedoms of black citizens,
including voting rights. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that
black women (and men) had the full and legal right to vote. That’s forty-five
years after the Amendment.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It
made me wonder where my ancestors were in their lives in 1920. It was only 100
years ago and my female ancestors could not vote. I’ll never know what they thought about women’s rights to vote—I
know that not all women were in support of it, though I have learned enough about some families to make some educated guesses. So I searched our archives for
photos of my ancestors who were alive at the time, within a few years, and h</span><span>ere
they are:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrKqaH5ZdJxSBtii4C4oanNwnwALC6veSmTrMvbV06StP67apHhrfByUuYFpDm59f5ofgVbiVB1Y4sLWsiYQYYbtTcw4AP9OqlwrTIgF3B2ox7pwgz31fj76h9PVFDuN9iwrt8MDgOuZA/s1600/z1+1xGG+Eaton+Royal+family+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrKqaH5ZdJxSBtii4C4oanNwnwALC6veSmTrMvbV06StP67apHhrfByUuYFpDm59f5ofgVbiVB1Y4sLWsiYQYYbtTcw4AP9OqlwrTIgF3B2ox7pwgz31fj76h9PVFDuN9iwrt8MDgOuZA/s320/z1+1xGG+Eaton+Royal+family+%25282%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6iBmKVCJbg/Xz2y57hP2pI/AAAAAAAACRw/A-aVn2OkhA4JKrGT5j0VpuQCluGrYvjGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z2%2B0xG%2BEaton%2BMark-Dorothy-Helen2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6iBmKVCJbg/Xz2y57hP2pI/AAAAAAAACRw/A-aVn2OkhA4JKrGT5j0VpuQCluGrYvjGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z2%2B0xG%2BEaton%2BMark-Dorothy-Helen2.jpg" width="233" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">My
1x great-grandparents Royal Levant Eaton and Hattie Eva Smith-Eaton were 47 and
38 years old with three children. My grandfather Mark Dutcher Eaton was 5 years
old, the youngest in the second photograph. They were living in Auburn, NY where Roy was working as a prison guard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qSblXKhYf3E/Xz2zWWHSjNI/AAAAAAAACSA/6KFs0jj7SrQfykxQjJ5Q57WDtEx3dcggQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z3%2B2xGG%2BEaton%2BTheresa%2BCordelia%2BTenney.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qSblXKhYf3E/Xz2zWWHSjNI/AAAAAAAACSA/6KFs0jj7SrQfykxQjJ5Q57WDtEx3dcggQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z3%2B2xGG%2BEaton%2BTheresa%2BCordelia%2BTenney.jpg" width="246" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Royal’s
mother Theresa Cordelia Tenney-Eaton was 70 years old, living in Somerset, NY
with her son Hubert and his family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsINThk9E3o/Xz20CtvAEFI/AAAAAAAACSM/rJc-CksthhQu1HLTc7SK46W40HDBJ9HOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z4%2B3xGG%2B1911.07.19%2BEliza%2BM%2BBird%2B%2526%2BSohpia%2BSears%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1011" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsINThk9E3o/Xz20CtvAEFI/AAAAAAAACSM/rJc-CksthhQu1HLTc7SK46W40HDBJ9HOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z4%2B3xGG%2B1911.07.19%2BEliza%2BM%2BBird%2B%2526%2BSohpia%2BSears%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Hattie’s
grandmother, my 3x great-grandmother Eliza Marsh Bird-Dutcher was 83 years old
living in Somerset with her daughter Carrie and her family. Here she is, on the left, with her son-in-law's mother, Sophia Sears-Smith. Sophia died soon after this was taken, a decade before ratification.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TJZj4kSfdA/Xz2031pweXI/AAAAAAAACSk/EEKgmpCpAuc5mgeUZm9iRbf8ZSf1LuMiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z5%2B1xG%2Bposs%2BMinnie%2BWicker%2Band%2BFrank%2BRuston%2BOlcott%2Bcottage%2Bstairs%2B%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="708" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TJZj4kSfdA/Xz2031pweXI/AAAAAAAACSk/EEKgmpCpAuc5mgeUZm9iRbf8ZSf1LuMiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z5%2B1xG%2Bposs%2BMinnie%2BWicker%2Band%2BFrank%2BRuston%2BOlcott%2Bcottage%2Bstairs%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Frank Ruston tucking his head. Either with his wife Minnie, or Minnie took the photo.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurSUdZxJ2clM4w8QJ2v3xNAcBQGG9H_KkeDdtMGbhT4iqIQoLOuFZMIoU0_sxZNNwwRv-MOjS52LQby2xjqGKySUftlILq6QGEG4TjTUBJCEuojQHwgINlFRBzyNkVLQ7UXkaAQCKz0fe/s1600/z5+1xGG+Ruston+Minnie+%2526+Dickie+%2526+Ruth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurSUdZxJ2clM4w8QJ2v3xNAcBQGG9H_KkeDdtMGbhT4iqIQoLOuFZMIoU0_sxZNNwwRv-MOjS52LQby2xjqGKySUftlILq6QGEG4TjTUBJCEuojQHwgINlFRBzyNkVLQ7UXkaAQCKz0fe/s320/z5+1xGG+Ruston+Minnie+%2526+Dickie+%2526+Ruth.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Minnie Wicker-Ruston and son Dickie and daughter Ruth, my grandma, around 1922.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9cHupm5Sc8/Xz21Q1dr-zI/AAAAAAAACS0/oTQg4I6cqKkcEyDR7oWpHzMLbt924elpACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z8%2B2xGG%2BWhitcher%2BEllen%2BHarriet%2BEMMA%2B%2526%2BFrances1925%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="547" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9cHupm5Sc8/Xz21Q1dr-zI/AAAAAAAACS0/oTQg4I6cqKkcEyDR7oWpHzMLbt924elpACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z8%2B2xGG%2BWhitcher%2BEllen%2BHarriet%2BEMMA%2B%2526%2BFrances1925%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Emma Whitcher-Wicker, front right, with sisters Ellen, Harriet, and Frances, l-r.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">My
grandmother Ruth Emma Ruston was 4 years old, living with my 1x
great-grandparents Frank William Ruston and Minnie Estelle Wicker-Ruston in
Lockport, NY. Frank and Minnie were 32 and 30 years old and he was employed as
an accountant. Minnie’s mother Emma Angeline Whitcher-Wicker, 75, lived with
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3uXzNl215s/Xz22KX_t7KI/AAAAAAAACTA/yNeY-uuyY5MEWe030GkwTPSyDjwv0IoPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z7%2B2xGG%2BRuston%2BCharles%2BEvan%2B%2526%2BRuth%2BIreland%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3uXzNl215s/Xz22KX_t7KI/AAAAAAAACTA/yNeY-uuyY5MEWe030GkwTPSyDjwv0IoPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z7%2B2xGG%2BRuston%2BCharles%2BEvan%2B%2526%2BRuth%2BIreland%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="215" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Frank’s
parents Charles Evan Ruston and Ruth Ireland-Ruston, 73 and 59 years old, were both
first generation immigrants living at their own home in Lockport. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was still employed by the Harrison
Manufacturing factory. (In my childhood it was the Harrison-Radiator factory.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2dMCUHKv2w/Xz22PYaWOQI/AAAAAAAACTE/SC2DDAoZ6CUFTtE6YP52GnuJk2W5CPPGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z9%2Ba1xGG%2BArt%2BRobert%2B%2526%2BMargaret%2BBurke%2B%2526%2BDolores%2B%2526%2BBiddy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1086" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2dMCUHKv2w/Xz22PYaWOQI/AAAAAAAACTE/SC2DDAoZ6CUFTtE6YP52GnuJk2W5CPPGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z9%2Ba1xGG%2BArt%2BRobert%2B%2526%2BMargaret%2BBurke%2B%2526%2BDolores%2B%2526%2BBiddy.JPG" width="217" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Robert
George Art and Margaret Loretta Burke-Art were both 28 years old, living in
Lockport, with two young daughters. He was working as a blacksmith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HdBSf_TYEhg/Xz22bNzsKRI/AAAAAAAACTQ/T8BiCOveyBwcPTeHJfZzFVA7ZSzVVZqPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z10%2BaIMG_7931%2B%25282%2529%2BGeorge%2BArt%2BBoss%2BMan.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1098" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HdBSf_TYEhg/Xz22bNzsKRI/AAAAAAAACTQ/T8BiCOveyBwcPTeHJfZzFVA7ZSzVVZqPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z10%2BaIMG_7931%2B%25282%2529%2BGeorge%2BArt%2BBoss%2BMan.JPG" width="219" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgkXYEpvuPw/Xz22bKT4PzI/AAAAAAAACTU/KEGaTOcfDV89DekSqS2Ggnty28-PupEVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z10%2BaIMG_8056%2B%25282%2529%2BKenan%2BHousekeepers%2Bwith%2BKatherine%2Bsecond%2Bfrom%2Bright.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgkXYEpvuPw/Xz22bKT4PzI/AAAAAAAACTU/KEGaTOcfDV89DekSqS2Ggnty28-PupEVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z10%2BaIMG_8056%2B%25282%2529%2BKenan%2BHousekeepers%2Bwith%2BKatherine%2Bsecond%2Bfrom%2Bright.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Robert’s
parents, my 2x great-grandparents, George Art and Katherine Pils-Art, 50 and 49
years old, were both employed by the wealthy Kenan family as their private
gardener and housekeeper. Here Katherine is with other housekeepers, second one in from the right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Margaret’s
father, my 2x great-grandfather Frank Burke was 57, worked as the watchman for
a city building in Lockport. He’s listed as married, not widowed, living with
five of his children, though his wife Eliza Conners-Burke is not included on
the census report. She would have been 54 at the time. I don't have any photos of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MleUeUihCQg/Xz229830eEI/AAAAAAAACTo/rdZUOgww3swmQoDOT4vsgU0eGw9syiNlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z11%2B2xGG%2B%2526%2B1xGG%2BRiddle%2BFamily%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1491" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MleUeUihCQg/Xz229830eEI/AAAAAAAACTo/rdZUOgww3swmQoDOT4vsgU0eGw9syiNlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z11%2B2xGG%2B%2526%2B1xGG%2BRiddle%2BFamily%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">My
1x great-grandfather Harold Riddle, in the light suit, was 17 years old, living at home with my 2x
great-grandparents Lafayette Riddle and Frances Ann Gillette-Riddle, 47 and 43
years old. With five of their six children in Newfane, NY.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxkMpJ38V2AyL04fB8FIn0PJ1Gjrtci8NDge7pkwOgoK0kBGxAw3USiuz0-Y0zuDjEd8-EbGaqSJR7ij2OGl6q9cbS6EF87pmNRZFuIAtAKhOFDNwtxqp6zb6pf7k4jpr9VmrZY-ckVtO/s1600/z12+1xGG+Riddle+Harold+%2526+Elsie+Durant+1923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxkMpJ38V2AyL04fB8FIn0PJ1Gjrtci8NDge7pkwOgoK0kBGxAw3USiuz0-Y0zuDjEd8-EbGaqSJR7ij2OGl6q9cbS6EF87pmNRZFuIAtAKhOFDNwtxqp6zb6pf7k4jpr9VmrZY-ckVtO/s320/z12+1xGG+Riddle+Harold+%2526+Elsie+Durant+1923.jpg" width="211" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Harold and Elsie in 1924 when they married.</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15h-7kZl8Rk/Xz25NLAE0ZI/AAAAAAAACUM/2UtfFSa2sAoUZAjsiLmDpqwnWpylWC3pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z13%2Br2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2BBurnah%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15h-7kZl8Rk/Xz25NLAE0ZI/AAAAAAAACUM/2UtfFSa2sAoUZAjsiLmDpqwnWpylWC3pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z13%2Br2xGG%2BDurant%2BGeorge%2B%2526%2BLouise%2BBurnah%2B2.jpg" width="210" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">My
1x great-grandmother Elsie Elizabeth Durant was 16, the last Durant child still
at home. My 2x great-grandparents George Durant and Emma Louise Burnah-Durant,
51 and 53, lived in Lockport, NY where he worked at a Block Company. His father
Albert died earlier that year in Vermont. His mother Rosella Lavalley-Durant,
my 3x great-grandmother, 82 years old, was working as a housekeeper in Vermont.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKwRJ-UQO_k/Xz242TF5_HI/AAAAAAAACUA/th4yXzyF5zodraqK3SpebizmN3tjptvggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z15%2BrIMG_8259%2B%25282%2529%2BRosella%2BLavalley%2B%2526%2BAlbert%2BDurant%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="808" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKwRJ-UQO_k/Xz242TF5_HI/AAAAAAAACUA/th4yXzyF5zodraqK3SpebizmN3tjptvggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z15%2BrIMG_8259%2B%25282%2529%2BRosella%2BLavalley%2B%2526%2BAlbert%2BDurant%2B2.jpg" width="161" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Rosella Lavalley-Durant</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">I do not know what they thought but I know where they were and who their descendants became. I know my great-grandma Minnie was an avid photographer and these photos of this group of women survived all these decades later so they must have been important to her, and so they are important to me.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O_qWLqbyNxE/Xz25BVCHnKI/AAAAAAAACUE/q_xVqYkqU3YO4akcYCSGcWjRHlcXdk8_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/z16%2B1xGG%2BWicker%2Bunknown%2Bgroup%2Bof%2Bwomen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O_qWLqbyNxE/Xz25BVCHnKI/AAAAAAAACUE/q_xVqYkqU3YO4akcYCSGcWjRHlcXdk8_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/z16%2B1xGG%2BWicker%2Bunknown%2Bgroup%2Bof%2Bwomen.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">Same group of women with Minnie behind the camera.</span></i></td></tr>
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Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-17071491278228994982020-08-01T13:04:00.001-07:002021-02-10T13:09:46.080-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 5: July<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I spent
the whole of the month isolating in a cottage with my parents. We all isolated
for two weeks beforehand. Even though I usually only see them a couple of times
a year, there was a tinge of mortality in the air that made those hugs sweeter,
and each touch, each connection more meaningful.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our
month-long visit was a balm that I needed. Events occurred that made it fortuitous
that I was present. But even as much as I needed the break it was mitigated by the
sea of visitors without masks in the nearby park and shoreline. Each morning
walk I ended up using my cane to lift up discarded (and mostly unused) masks. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">My faith
in humanity is shaken.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I have
started having nightmares about needing to be intubated again. I have damage
from my previous intubation during my accident so I am at-risk for COVID-19
complications. I see every maskless face as a threat against my health.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I know that the virus is taking lives across all continents, not
just in America, but my heart can only bear to keep my eyes on this land. The
global numbers are disheartening. And if this is going to be a long haul, we
need to take care of ourselves. We need to care for each other better.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">But here’s the other thing I noticed. I found respite in my time
in nature. I saw evidence of nature blooming in our absence. There were more
kinds of birds than I have seen at that shore in 20 years, more wild patches of
flowers. It was breathtaking. It gave me hope for the world, in spite of
humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six
feet apart. Isolate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This month's death toll declined! It feels like we have a bit of
breathing room. For as disgusting as the carelessly discarded masks are, we
must be doing some things right.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In July, we lost twenty-three
thousand eight-hundred and fifty-one Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">23,851<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total
population of the city of Kingston, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic
175,002 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk62865990"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Light a candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash
your hands. Stay six feet apart. If you think you are ill isolate yourself
for 72 hours. If you think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for 14
days before exposing anyone else to you. Video chat with your loved ones. We
can do this. May we all come out the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></a></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Do not be dismayed by the brokenness
of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All things break. And all things can
be mended.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Not with time, as they say, but with
intention.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So go. Love intentionally,
extravagantly, unconditionally.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The broken world waits in darkness for
the light that is you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">~ L.R. Knost</span> </p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-84639318955572777212020-07-01T23:15:00.001-07:002020-09-24T13:43:21.866-07:00Hamilton and Me… Well, How One of His Pals Shaped My Family<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmMiB_6Q298/XwLA-qqxE6I/AAAAAAAACQg/zrVw1ML08b8ExCIU_PTl3azDA6hqMh7UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/636040034634118074-AP-2016-Tony-Awards---Show.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1169" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmMiB_6Q298/XwLA-qqxE6I/AAAAAAAACQg/zrVw1ML08b8ExCIU_PTl3azDA6hqMh7UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/636040034634118074-AP-2016-Tony-Awards---Show.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daveed Diggs as Lafayette in Hamilton (left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My background is in
theatre and I love theatre of all kinds, including musicals. I’m sure by now
most people have heard of the musical Hamilton if they haven’t seen it for
themselves (or listened to the soundtrack on repeat). You don’t need to know
the show but it’s a brilliant way of making history accessible and relevant to
our current society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Among the patriots
fighting for freedom from English monarchy rule and taxes was a Frenchman named
Marquis de Lafayette. He fought in the American Revolution on the side of the
colonists. He was a celebrated hero of the war in America for decades
afterwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A Bit of Bio<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Marie-Joseph Paul
Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette was born to a wealthy family
in France and commissioned as a sous-lieutenant with the musketeers at 13. He
believed in the American war and after spending three weeks with high society
in London and being presented to King George III, the young Marquis snuck away
to America, defying his French King’s decree that no French soldiers were to
fight for the Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122;">To get himself to
America he used his wealth to buy his own ship, docking in North Carolina
before continuing to Philadelphia. He was 19 when he fought alongside George
Washington. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La
Fayette was known to his comrades as Lafayette.</span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">After the Revolution, Lafayette
returned to France and was a key figure in the French Revolution and the
government that came after. In 1824, he was invited to be a guest by President
James Monroe at a multi-state celebration of America’s 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary.
He had initially only intended to visit the 13 original colonies but he was met
with such fanfare that he visited all 24 states, meeting up with his old
friends from the war. He collected soil from Bunker Hill, the site of an
important battle, and took it home to France.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOQ1gZfaoaFYJOQbE-V8JidprkxHKUudCL8EJToYjV0BqAV2zgpt1MMlPgyTYpskgInIPHMu91iDgUEtpNpVoFfCXo0Fd8ofTawq7qgDqI5WnELvI9gaM0PjFgCXKhlly0bsW81yprhS4/s1600/Marquis_de_Lafayette_2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOQ1gZfaoaFYJOQbE-V8JidprkxHKUudCL8EJToYjV0BqAV2zgpt1MMlPgyTYpskgInIPHMu91iDgUEtpNpVoFfCXo0Fd8ofTawq7qgDqI5WnELvI9gaM0PjFgCXKhlly0bsW81yprhS4/s320/Marquis_de_Lafayette_2.jpg" width="253" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">The real Marquis de Lafayette.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When he died May 20,
1834 his son George Washington scattered the soil from Bunker Hill over him. Lafayette
was 76 years old. He was sometimes called “The Hero of the Two Worlds.” President
Jackson gave him the same memorial honors that had been given to Lafayette’s
friend George Washington. Congress urged Americans to follow similar mourning
practices for the Marquis. You can tell how beloved he was by the places across
America named for him, like Fayetteville, North Carolina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Lafayette’s Legacy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">One of the curious
ways in which he was honored was by people naming the next generation of men after
him, by his full title. My 3x great-grandfather, Marquis de Lafayette Riddle,
was one of those babies. He was born the year after Lafayette’s American tour. I'm
hazarding a guess that he went by Lafayette in his day-to-day since that's what
he named his son, my 2x great-grandpa, Lafayette Riddle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />
When I encountered that name my first thought was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hey! A Marquis!</i> But then I wondered why a Marquis would be farming
in Batavia, NY. I thought there was a story there. I went onto Ancestry.com and
plugged in the first name Marquis de Lafayette and left the last name blank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">This
is a list of the names that came up on the first search page. I don’t know what
are census takers’ misspellings and what are evolutions of the name but I left
them as is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">M.D. Lafayette Furby b.1824, New Jersey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis de Lafayette Riddle b.1825, New York<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marcus D.L. Norvell b.1836, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis de Lafayet Beall (alive in 1841),
Mississippi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis D.L. Branham b.1843, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Mercus de L. Corter b.1844, Tennessee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis de Lafaette Munro b.1844, New York<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">M.D.L. Paddock b.1846, Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Markes D. L. Raynor b.1847, Ohio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marcus D.L. Burriss b.1847, Kentucky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Margaris de Lafayette b.1849, Missouri<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">M.D. Laf Hill b.1849, Alabama<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Margins D.L. Handley b.1850, Indiana<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">M.D.L. Dotson b.1850, Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marcus D.L. Batson b.1850, Michigan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Margais/Marques D.L. Beeson b.1853, Indiana<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Margaris D.L.F. Harrington b.1856, Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">M. de L. Cash b.1857, Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis D.L. Williams b.1858, Missouri<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis D.L. Greer b.1859, North Carolina<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">La Fette D. Ginn b.1876, Georgia<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis D.L.F. Gorham (resides in 1889), Indiana<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">The
names must have been passed down through the families over time, as this man
was born 110 years after the original Lafayette’s death:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Marquis D.L. Rogers b.1944, California<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%;">Trivia
fact: My 9x great-grandfather George Bunker owned the famed Hill that would
later be part of the Revolutionary War battle (though he died the
landowner a good 110 years beforehand), that Lafayette would take soil
from for his own gravesite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-7212391654267950752020-07-01T15:07:00.020-07:002021-02-10T13:01:29.201-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 4: June<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most of my friends are working from home. All of my friends in the entertainment world are facing uncertain futures. There are still areas of the country that are not enacting safety protocols. There are still people who think the virus is a hoax. A lot of my friends are in the kind of jobs that require them to work and interact with the public. I worry for them. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is
grief this month, in the events and gatherings that are being necessarily
canceled. Virtual versions are happening and, while they are better than
nothing, it is also highlighting for me how much physical recharging I receive
from them. This year I must find another way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
entered Phase Two reopening in New York but places like indoor restaurants and
malls and movie theatres and gyms and amusement parks, etc are still closed to
the public. I have seen parks registering more use and traffic than usual. (It’s
worth noting that most public restrooms are closed.) A lot of businesses that
can be open now have to scale back on their employees because of the small size
of the business so there’s no one to do extra work of cleaning out the bathroom
after someone uses it. Right?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Due to my
extended isolated recovery I may have been better prepared for all of this
seclusion. But it still affects me. It may just take a little longer. So many
Americans are already over the isolating and some others have not even started
it. I worry this country is too large to come together to care for each other
and halt the spread. I worry that the summer months will bring carelessness
with it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The global numbers are disheartening. The speed of this virus is
unsettling. And if this is going to be a long haul, we need to take care of
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We are learning more everyday. The science will change as we learn
new things about this particular virus. It's important that we stay open to
that. The basic news still applies. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Six feet
apart. Isolate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And then I chant the number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human need. I try to remember that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual. It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In June, we lost forty-seven
thousand one-hundred and twenty-six Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">47,126<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total
population of the city of Binghamton, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since the rise of the pandemic
151,151 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Light a
candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay
six feet apart. If you think you are ill isolate yourself for 72 hours. If you
think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for 14 days before exposing
anyone else to you. Video chat with your loved ones. We can do this. May
we all come out the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/5411296450325631444"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mindful<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everyday<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I see or hear<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">something<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that more or less<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">kills me<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with delight,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that leaves me<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">like a needle<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">in the haystack<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of light.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was what I was born for —<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to look, to listen,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to lose myself<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">inside this soft world —<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to instruct myself<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">over and over<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">in joy,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and acclamation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nor am I talking<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">about the exceptional,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the fearful, the dreadful,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the very extravagant —<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but of the ordinary,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the common, the very drab,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the daily presentations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, good scholar,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I say to myself,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">how can you help<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but grow wise<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with such teachings<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">as these —<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the untrimmable light<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of the world,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the ocean’s shine,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the prayers that are made<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">out of grass?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>~ Mary Oliver</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-54112964503256314442020-06-01T14:42:00.074-07:002021-02-09T20:18:12.129-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 3: May<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The virus is taking
lives across all continents. At the end of this month we passed 100,000 dead
Americans. I now believe we will need to sequester ourselves through the summer.
I continue to pray that it does not get worse. In New York we entered Phase One
of reopening, but it’s still tightly controlled. Those who can open have strict
protocols they must follow. Still no gatherings.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">None of our stores
are open 24 hours anymore as they need the night to deep clean before they open
again. Some stores have special senior hours in the morning so that they don’t
have to worry about crowds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are talks of
reopening more if the numbers stay good, at the same time that there are news
and media reports of customers shooting people and getting angry and spitting
on retail employees because they’re being asked to wear a mask. A lot of my
friends work the kind of jobs that require them to be in public and interact
with people. I am hearing stories. worry for them. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We need to cultivate patience
and compassion. They will help us help each other get through this.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I check the total
dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I light my
ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious illnesses
that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and fathers
who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times. I ask
them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them to wrap
the world in some measure of peace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
May, we lost forty-five thousand nine-hundred and thirty-eight Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">45,938<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That's
near the total population of Freeport, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since
the rise of the pandemic 104,025 Americans have died of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over
100,000 Americans have died of covid-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Light a
candle. Say a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay
six feet apart. If you think you are ill isolate yourself for 72 hours. If you
think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for 14 days before exposing
anyone else to you. Video chat with your loved ones. We can do this. May
we all come out the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[Statistics gathered
from <a href="https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us" target="_blank">this W.H.O. website.</a></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> They have
changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around the
exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk63801272"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month</span></i></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Small
Kindnesses<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve
been thinking about the way, when you walk <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">down
a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to
let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">when
someone sneezes, a leftover <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">from
the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
sometimes, when you spill lemons <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">from
your grocery bag, someone else will help you <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">pick
them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
want to be handed our cup of coffee hot, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">at
them and for them to smile back. For the waitress <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to
call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
have so little of each other, now. So far <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">from
tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">fleeting
temples we make together when we say, “Here, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">have
my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">~Danusha
Laméris<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7226900626402490966.post-16837879301177554612020-05-01T14:19:00.069-07:002021-02-09T20:06:24.030-08:00COVID-19 Deaths Month 2: April<p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s3296/102_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DslxuVdET6U/TvIk3RsdLlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/MXDkPUc1P3kGAFNGF6Go_i_479gPSNb0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/102_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Many more
areas of the world are under stay-at-home or lockdown orders. We in New York
are on a state lockdown. If you have to shop, send one person out for shopping
and only for the essentials. No gatherings. No in-person religious services. Even
the Pope is asking people to stay home for Easter.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The virus
is spreading rapidly in the big cities. The news from my friends in New York
City is something of a nightmare. What we're hearing out of Italy is
frightening.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I am
reading all of the science as it comes out. I am also praying it does not get
worse. We only know what we know until we learn it to be untrue. The science
will change as we learn new things about this particular virus. It's important
that we stay open to that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I check
the total dead each day. I have a list of numbers. Every night at midnight I
light my ancestor altar. I call on those who weathered plagues and mysterious
illnesses that swept through villages and cities. I call on my foremothers and
fathers who lost loved ones, and those who lost their own lives in such times.
I ask them to guide the dead. I ask them to watch over the living. I ask them
to wrap the world in some measure of peace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I chant the
number of souls who died that day. I chant it seven times. I wish them ease. I
wish them peace. I sometimes cry for their families, for the ones who died
alone. Especially for the ones who died alone. Viruses don't care about human
need. I try to remember that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a simple ritual.
It keeps me mindful of what is happening outside of my own isolation. That
isolation is necessary. This month's death toll
multiplied. I can barely hold the number in my mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In April, we lost fifty-five thousand, three hundred, and thirty-two
Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">55,332<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">That's near the total population of White Plains, NY in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Light a candle. Say
a prayer. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay six feet apart. If
you think you are ill isolate yourself for 72 hours. If you think you have been
exposed quarantine yourself for 14 days before exposing anyone else to you.
Video chat with your loved ones. We can do this. May we all come out the
other side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">[Statistics
gathered from </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7226900626402490966/1683787930117755461"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">this W.H.O. website.</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> They
have changed as the numbers have come in, so there is some wiggle room around
the exact number.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">*</span><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A
Contemplative Poem for the Month<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I Worried<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I worried a lot. Will the garden grow,
will the rivers<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">flow in the right direction, will the
earth turn<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">as it was taught, and if not how shall<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I correct it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Was I right, was I wrong, will I be
forgiven,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">can I do better?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Will I ever be able to sing, even the
sparrows<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">can do it and I am, well,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">hopeless.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Is my eyesight fading or am I just
imagining it,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">am I going to get rheumatism,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">lockjaw, dementia?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Finally I saw that worrying had come
to nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And gave it up. And took my old body<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">and went out into the morning,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">and sang.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">~ Mary Oliver<o:p></o:p></span></i></p></div><br />Sarah Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08046940782599889692noreply@blogger.com0