For the love of your country, Sing!

It was dark except for the light that illuminated the flag. Our flag. My flag. The flag that stands for freedom.  With hands firmly placed over their hearts, the cowboys sang. But not just any song. They sang the Star Spangled Banner. You know the words...And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. I sang, and sang loudly as tears welled up in my eyes. The music played over the loudspeakers, while three soft southern voices sang along. I stopped and tried to listen to the audience. It was silent except for the loudspeakers. It was the lack of singing that set me on edge. Did anyone in the audience except me know the words? 

I have noticed this before in other places where our national songs are performed but no one sang along. Why? The evening started off with a prayer. That's good. Where has our national pride gone to?  I love my country! I will say it again. I love my country!  So, whenever one of "our songs" are being sung, you can count on me to sing. It will be the sound of one voice singing with pride for a place that she loves. 

My Ethnicity

Have you ever wondered where in this world that you have come from?  I have asked myself repeatedly why I am attracted to the things that I am.  Great Britain has always fascinated me. From the time I was a young teenager, I have loved a place that I have never visited.  The plush countryside with winding narrow roads, picturesque seaside jaunts, with castles galore intrigued me. I spent hours reading Dickens & Jane Austen, watching Masterpiece Theater, and trying to imitate an accent that just didn't sound right coming from my lips. 

Each day since I mailed my DNA sample to Ancestry, I have waited in bated anticipation for the results.   From my youth there were rumors on both sides of the family that we have Native American blood running through our veins. There is nothing in my appearance nor of my forebears to indicate that no Indian has ever got themselves mixed up with us. My pale skin and green eyes are ever before me as an indicator. Jesse James has come up a few times, but who wants to be related to a murdering outlaw?  I wouldn't be proud of it and I'd never speak of it if the rumor was true.  

Thursday was the magical day.  I came home very late and checked my email. The results were in and were waiting for me to open like a gift in my inbox. With anxious fingers I clicked the link to open the email. To be honest, I was surprised by the mix. I am 40% West Europe, 37% Great Britain, 13% Iberian Peninsula and the rest is a mixture of Ireland, Greece, Italy, Finland, and NW Russia.  

So, I should have asked Santa for a Viking or a man in a kilt instead of a cowboy. Meanwhile, the search goes on for finding my link to across the pond. I am so close. 

It's a mans world

Women had no rights, and that was how God intended it to be. Females with brains were unnatural creatures. it was the duty of men to protect, govern and guide the weaker sex and the duty of women to obey without question. It was unthinkable that they should vote or hold national office. The nation would be in ruin. Keir Hardie, who had just been elected to the House of Commons, tried to talk about the rights of women, but was laughed at by the members of Parliament. (Noble)

At that time in Britain women could not vote, hold office or enter any profession except teaching or nursing. If a woman inherited property, her husband controlled it when she married: if she left her husband, he kept her fortune; it was his legal right to make all decisions regarding her or their children. (Noble)

After watching the recent movie release, Suffragette, I realized how fortunate women are today, at least in this country. We still have issues with equal pay for the same work, men are placed in higher positions of authority more often than women, and sexual harassment is still an on going problem. But without a doubt we can vote, work, and own property without any recourse from men.

As a divorced woman, I have liberty because of those women who were willing to fight for the vote. Otherwise, I would still be living with any family member who would be willing to take me in. The core is that women wanted to be considered equal to men, and rightly so. Alice Paul said in 1920 when women were granted the vote, "It is incredible to me that any woman should consider the fight for full equality fully won. It has just begun."  She went on a hunger strike and was force fed raw eggs (down her nose) until she vomited blood. She was then put into a sanatorium with the hopes of being declared insane. A psychiatrist examined her and afterwards was asked if she was insane. His reply, "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity." And the war wages on today. 

The Suffragette movement was in the works long before 1920 when the 19th amendment was ratified. In July 1858, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women's rights convention in Seneca, NY and launched the woman suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in the 1872 election in Rochester, NY. She was arrested for "knowingly, wrongfully and unlawfully voting for a representative to the Congress of the United States," and was convicted by the state of New York, being fined $100, which she insisted that she would never pay a penny of it. 

The mindset of men and women today are very different than our predecessors with still room for a lot of improvement. We have a long way to go when it comes to attitudes towards people of color, religion, and anyone different from the norm. 

"If its right for men to fight for their freedom, then its right for women to fight for theirs." (Suffragette) 


Resources:

Emmeline and her Daughters: The Pankhurst Suffragettes by Iris Noble

Teaching with Documents: Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment, 
www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/petition-to-congress.html

Petition from Susan B. Anthony to Congress, www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/anthony-petition.html

Humble and Kind

Kindness...it is really a virtue. Humility too. Both are recognized in many cultures and religions as a value. Kindness is not a weakness by no means. And yet, those folks who are kind are exploited for that very thing. I have seen animals show kindness in rescuing one of their own from harm. It is not just a human thing either. The video below is wonderful and it made me think about how important it is to be kind.

Kindness is everything in life.

About time to take the DNA test

Besides taking pictures, I enjoy genealogy and have traced my mother's side of the family back to the Revolutionary War. I have literally spent years tracing my roots. The bug bit me back when I was in my 20's and my great aunt Joye Bolden wrote me a letter with details of the Bolden family. Trying to figure out where to begin was daunting. It was before Ancestry.com or the internet and I had to look through many books searching for any information that I could find related to family at the local library.  I am lucky enough to be living in the city that has the second largest genealogy department in the nation. (right behind the Salt Lake City collection) When I was in my 30's, I hired someone to help me get started.  I figured that if the person who helped me could do the research, then so can I.  That is when my journey started and I have been traveling the research road since then. 

Having one's DNA analyzed can be costly until recently.  I found a deal on Ancestry.com for $79.99. My kit arrived on Friday evening. I collected the DNA sample they needed and put it straight back into the mail box.  Now, the waiting game has started. It will take 6-8 weeks before I find out the results.  What kind of mix am I?  There are rumors of Cherokee Indian coming from both sides of the family.  My mother was a Campbell, so, I know Scotland is looming in the past.  But what about Smith? There are mysteries with my father's lineage.  Not sure who the father is of my Great Grandfather because he was born before the second marriage to Mr. Smith.  So, I anxiously wait. 

The picture came from Ancestry.com

Footprints in the Sand

I don't want to be like footprints in the sand.
I want to leave my mark, like the stars shine in the dark. 
I don't want to be, something that will fade away.  
A distant memory, washed out by the sea.
Like footprints in the sand. 

Rueban Studdard

Chasing Lighthouses

What better way to start the new year than by going on an adventure. Michigan's coasts are filled with lighthouses. So, a friend and I headed out on Friday afternoon for a mini holiday. January is not the greatest time of year to visit the beach but we didn't care about that. We piled on warm clothes and took a trip into the north country where snow is abundant and the Northerners aren't afraid of the weather. 

The first lighthouse that we visited was the Petite Point au Sable Lighthouse at Silver Lake State Park, near Mears, Michigan.  The blue skies accentuated the beauty of this brick lighthouse. 

Following the loss of the schooner called Pride in 1871, the government approved funding for the lighthouse in 1872 and construction began shortly thereafter. The first keeper of the lighthouse was James Davenport of Mackinac Island who lived in the keepers house built next to the lighthouse from 1873-1879. In 1899, the lighthouse was painted white so that it could be seen easily, but in the 1970's it was restored to its original brick.  Later the house was torn down but the lighthouse remained. 

My friend climbed the dune and was able to get a lovely view of the area.  The dunes were covered with snow and they were slick, so I stayed on the beach. 

When she climbed to the top, my friend discovered that the only way down was on her bum, so she slid gracefully to the bottom. 

  

We then traveled south to Grand Haven and happened to see a large boat in the harbor.  I tried very hard to catch up with it but was only able to see if from a distance. It still amazes me that something that large can float. The lighthouse was built in 1839. At night, it is lit up with lights marking the entrance of the Grand River. (It was here that I fell more than I walked along the pier the night before)

  As the day progressed, we decided to stay until sunset. 

I had never seen the sun go down near a large body of water and was anxious to witness the event. The wind was blowing at a surmountable speed and the temperature was felt far below what it actually was. Thirty minutes felt like forever in the wind and our lower extremities felt the cold more than our upper parts. 

The photographers lined up to see the show. Even Mickey Mouse wanted to have a look. (We counted 17 photographers) 

Then slowly the sun faded into the horizon, only to repeat again the next day. 

At the end of our adventure, I realized how special it was that two sets of footprints in the sand are much better than one, no matter where you are or what you are doing. "Experience is much better than the material things one can buy on adventures." She told me. Except when one needs hiking boots in order to be able to walk. The experience was priceless. 

Lighthouse

Lighthouses don't run all  over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining. 

Anne Lamott

Italian sausage with pasta, yellow squash, and zucchini

Have you ever wanted something filling, hearty and quick to eat?  I do all of the time.  When one works a lot a hours, there is very little time to cook lavish meals during the week.  I like to cook meals in one or two pots so that there is very little clean up at the end.

I like Italian sausage and you can use it in more things than on top of a pizza.  It goes very well with pasta.  I used rotini in this dish, but you can use any pasta that you like.  Then I added zucchini, yellow squash, and chopped tomatoes.  It was delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 lb of Italian sausage, or ground beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken
1 lb rotini, or your choice of pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 onion, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 small tomatoes, skinned and chopped fine 
2 small zucchini, sliced thinly
2 small yellow squash, sliced thinly
2 TBS vegetable oil
2-3 TBS butter or ghee
1 tsp Italian seasoning or oregano
salt/pepper to taste
1 bouillon cube, optional
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of Italian cheese, I use the Italian cheese mix in a bag from the grocer

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Place a non stick pan on med-high heat.  Cook sausage until the meat is brown. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl, then set aside.  Next, add oil, butter, sliced onions, spices, bouillon cube, tomatoes, and saute until golden. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Thirdly, add the sliced Zucchini and yellow squash.  Cook until tender.  I like to brown my vegetables a bit on both sides.  Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking add the sausage to the pot, then add the Parmesan & Italian cheese. In a large pot mix the pasta and vegetables together. Serve immediately. Enjoy!  

 Cooks Note:  You can use canned tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes if you want the dish to have more sauce. 

An unreasonable request for Santa

It was two weeks before Christmas. A friend and I went to see a high school musical.  The auditorium was filled to capacity.  Parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters filled every seat. But towards the back and in the middle sat a man. His red suit, natural long grey beard, and his big belly set him apart from the others.  I think that Santa made an early appearance this year.  

When intermission was announced my friend and I went out to the hall and filled our tins with cookies. On the way back we noticed that Santa was no longer sitting down but standing in the corner by himself.  We looked at each other and the wheels starting turning in my mind. I am going to have some fun with this man. Then my friend asked me if I would like to talk to Santa.  Knowing that I would never see him again, I felt a bit mischievous. "Of course, let's put our order in." 

We smiled at Santa as we approached like a hyena about ready to pounce on their prey. Then I told Santa that we would like to put our order in for Christmas.  He asked what we wanted. "Cowboys", I said, and then we burst into uproarious laughter. " Not just one cowboy, but we each need a cowboy." Santa stood there speechless holding my arm so that I wouldn't get away before he could find something to say. "Don't leave I am trying to think of something." he said. The silence seemed to last an eternity as we waited for a response. Tired of waiting,  I went on to say, " I don't think that there are that many cowboys in this area." Then Santa finally said, " You may have to settle for cut outs then." My friend and I looked at each other knowing that this was our exit cue. 

We headed towards our seats. "All Santa could offer was cut outs?" I said.  "No wonder kids stop believing in Santa.  If he cannot get you what you want then why bother asking." Then we burst out laughing again. 




The Santa picture came from here.