BiddiesInMyBrain

Happy Fourth!

In honor of the Fourth of July, I am dedicating my blog entry to Mercy Otis Warren, a long-forgotten, but recently resurrected Founding Mother of our nation. We hear a lot about the men who "put it together" but rarely, if ever, hear about the truly amazing women who answered the call of freedom in ways that transcended the bounds of gender - and often propriety - to help found our country.

In Warren's Observations on the New Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions cited in the article below, she has some tart observations. Particularly of note is item thirteen: "A Senate chosen for six years will, in most instances, be an appointment for life, as the influence of such a body over the minds of the people will be coequal to the extensive powers with which they are vested, and they will not only forget, but be forgotten by their constituents — a branch of the Supreme Legislature thus set beyond all responsibility is totally repugnant to every principle of a free government." Did she get it right, or what?

See the WONDERFUL review of a book about her on the most recent Beacon Broadside. The book appears to be truly worth checking out, and is going on my wish list now!

Arrived in Louisville

OK, I had this terrific post typed out, and my permissions on the network at the hotel expired! DANGIT! So, you get the brief version tonight...

We arrived Louisville last night in oppressive heat, but well in time to sign in, get paperwork in order and split a meal a the Spaghetti Factory - good food, by the way, and a great atmosphere (the building is itself one of the prettiest in downtown Louisville - historic building with leaded glass windows and doors - just stunning).

Came back to the hotel and I couldn't sleep for the second or third night in a row... but got through it somehow.

Had the first day of training and grading today - learned how to grade according to ETS's performance assessment standards and then started grading - a very interesting experience, and no I cannot share it due to confidentiality issues.

Came back after grading and just zonked for three hours. Ann, my roomie from Memphis, brought me dinner from the deli (they had long since stopped serving dinner at the Convention Center) and here I am, freshly showered and ready to go back to bed.

I really hope I can sleep tonight. Because dang, am I pooped.

And wow, am I looking forward to grading tomorrow!

THIS is the Kind of Stuff I Put Up With... No, Really!

Thanks, Ann, for passing this gem along: Modern Humanist It's a "response" to a very poorly, yet creatively written, term paper. It might even outdo our President Henry from last semester...

Actually, Crash did the putting-up-with all day today.. I was crabby after chuch, at Costco, when we got home.... and until I went to bed for a nap. Got up and everything was fine, but dang... cranky is as cranky does.

Went through my entire closet, my tops drawer, my three drawers of slacks, shorts and capris (yes, I have an entire drawer of capris. How did that happen??) - and got rid of a LOT. GOODWILL! In the meantime, I discovered that some of my favorite clothes - clothes I really couldn't bear to be rid of (I bought a lot of them when I was up in Ohio taking care of my grandma when she broke her hip in 1999 and they fit for all of six months - some gorgeous stuff), but were too small the past several years - now fit beautifully. I have gotten rid of so many clothes the past two summers - all the 2x and 3x - including suits and dresses - lots of sweatshirts, slacks that are now oversize by five or six sizes.. the list goes on and on. Anyway we dropped off one bag yesterday, and have another bag for tomorrow. And if anything, these clothes are nicer than most of last summer's goodies; these are the ones I had saved for "just in case I gained the weight back," so they are in great shape and in materials I love. Ahhh, let someone have a go at them!

Suitcase is packed (mostly) and the miscellaneous loose ends I need to tie up in the next two days don't seem too onerous. Had to pack the suitcase to last me three weeks and three different climate zones. It's going to be interesting - and it's a lot more than I wanted to bring! But, I got all the clothes into one suitcase, and the toiletries into a bag I use just for that purpose... and have my black messenger bag filled and at the ready. All that remains is to put in the loose bathroom stuff I use every day into the toiletries bag on Wednesday morning. Am finally looking forward to getting up to Louisville, now that I have a couple days to think about it and rest a little before the chaos hits. Then it's scoot back here the following Wednesday (arriving early Thursday - early enough to catch a few hours' sleep, I hope) then head out for Colorado. Whee! Mustn't forget the fresh spearmint, peppermint and rosemary from our garden. They won't let me in the house in Colorado without them. LOL

Tomorrow? I have to go to the tire and service place to have the car checked to make sure all is well for the trip. Then I am going to vacuum, wash and wax it. Then come home and take a nap since I am up this late and need to be up early early tomorrow. Hope to help clean the house some, too - like mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, etc... - to help Crash while I am gone, and to help him leave the house neat when I come get him next week; all the way around this takes a lot of burden off him, as he already has a Honey-Do list that is quite lengthy.

Had a terrific time in services this morning - really terrific - great sermon (yay Rev Bill!) and the music? We were *ON* today. This was the second-to-last Sunday for our Director of Music and we went all out trying to show him what we have learned while we have been under his tutelage. He is incredible, as is his wife, and we will miss them dearly. FTR, it was after the postlude that I really started getting crabby. Hungry and tired - and coming down from an incredible musical high - was not a good combo.

I am afraid that Sophia the outdoor kitty appears to have met with an accident... that, or some kind soul has adopted her, for she is gone. She has been gone for several days now, and every morning we open the door, hoping against hope she will be there, but no luck. Such a sweet girl. My heart is just a little bit broken over this.

Not much else to report - I think this is enough for one sitting! Will start posting a travelogue when I get up and running with the trips (no pics for the first part of the trip, though; I am not taking camera equipment to Louisville).

I feel terrific tonight, and wish all my days were like this. ::smile::

Communist Manifestoon

Interesting. I know someone who will be apoplectic with this :::waving cheerfully at P:::... but it *is* an interesting twist on Marxism...

Make Mine Freedom

Ooof.  A 1950s anti-Communist propaganda cartoon:

Calling Up the Forgotten

Well, I wrote the national VFW folks to see what they could do about the Pioneer Cemetery since there are two vets from the War of 1812 buried there.

I have also contacted a branch of the Ottawa Indians to see if they might know of someone interested in helping preserve the cemetery since there are remains of Native Americans buried there.

In other words, I am stirring, stirring, stirring. I wish I were closer... I would be there, stirring like crazy.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying the sounds of a neighborhood... the birds, the leaves with the light breeze, the lawnmowers (yeah, really, I am enjoying the sounds of the lawnmowers! LOL), and the sounds of kids playing. It's just a zen moment for me. And the smell of honeysuckle in the neighborhood is heady... can't escape it. It's ... wonderful.

Crash is teaching a lesson, and I am looking forward to just... working quietly and enjoying the day. Thunderstorms tonight, but for now, it's just heavenly.

I'm wondering if it's the day, or if my new anti-depressants finally kicked in. LOL Whatever answer, I am not questioning it, and I am not knocking it. ::chuckle:: This is how life should be lived.

Old Indian / Pioneer / United Brethren Cemetery - Ottawa, Ohio

This is a copy of a report I wrote in the summer of 1998 attempting to urge the town of Ottawa, (Putnam County) Ohio, to renovate and restore their Pioneer Cemetery. Not only did they not do it, but through their neglect, they allowed it to fall into utter disrepair again after all the hard work we put into it.

Native Americans take note: This is a known Ottawa Indian burial ground - the last known one in Putnam County. This graveyard should be recognized and kept up with some reverence.

Veterans take note: There are at least two War of 1812 vets buried here. They deserve recognition.

And yes, I am angry about this situation even now, ten years later.

• Smaller File Size (6M): Download pioneer_cemetery_smaller.pdf
• ***Larger File Size (35M): Download pioneer_cemetery.pdf

IMPORTANT NOTE: The larger file size does not have *that* much better resolution on it. My suggestion? Download the smaller file size, and if you see something that truly interests you or is vital to your research, contact me and I will scan it in color or do a direct scan from the original document to which the text refers (I have many of the original documents here at home and will donate them to the appropriate body when I am done with them - they were collected by my great aunts); this report scan is from a ten-year-old printout since the original data file has been lost, so some of the images are less-than-stellar, even on the "original" (note the print "waves" on the pictures - not so great from ten years ago).

Oh. Yes. Page 22 is missing. I have no idea where it went. If you need it, you might contact the Putnam County District Library in Putnam County, Ohio... they were given an original copy of this back in the day and may still have a copy. If it wasn't lost in the Flood of 2007.

Speaking of the Flood of 2007. I don't see Ottawa doing *anything* for this cemetery any time soon due to the flood - they are still reeling from it, and may never recover they way they want to. But we need to keep watch - this is an endangered property and must not be lost to development. Help? I'm in Memphis, TN and can't very well oppose the actions of the Village of Ottawa from here... anyone local willing to help out??

Schmasthma

Well, that's the attitude I am trying to take towards the asthma, anyway. I'm well into my yellow zone (my yellow zone is between 200-375, and I am right at 300) - but it's been many, many years since that has happened, and I can't remember what to do except take my albuterol. I think I need to refill my azmacort and start back on that full time for a couple of weeks until the seasonal allergies calm down. But in the meantime, I am wheezing and coughing my way through life. I sound like a bad pump bellows on a pipe organ.

But.

I am having a reasonably good day (once you discount the usual morning discomfort and all) and I have the rest of it to myself to get studying and grading done. Only one more round of grading after this and I will be DONE DONE DONE with the grading and only have my own work to concentrate on.

Have decided to take on teaching first half American history this fall, if I can pull the time slots. Means I will be teaching in the evenings again, I suspect, but that worked out better for me than did the daytime teaching. I hate morning classes, and there are *very* few afternoon classes for undergrads - and they conflict with the times the classes *I* need to take are offered. So, it's back to night classes (they're my faves, anyway). Will need to check the time on *one* more class before I commit to that schedule, though. It will be a good challenge for me... I need to teach that time period to really feel comfortable with it (it is, after all, my first minor field), and the opportunity is there. Voila.

Had a mild thunderstorm pass through here a while ago and the temps went back down into the 60s (from 87)... but now they are climbing again. I've had the windows open the whole time - the rain came down perfectly vertically with no wind, so I just enjoyed the smell of fresh, moist earth and the sound of large, mushy raindrops. It was delightful.

Have I told you lately just how much I love Levenger? They're a tad on the upscale side of things, but dang - I've never had better customer service in my life. Their products seem to be made for bibliophiles to drool over - and they last for forever despite the drool and constant petting of soft, supple leather (I love their paper products and home office supplies, too... just amazing). If only I could kit out my house with their products exclusively. Oh MY would I be happy. And have I told you their customer service is unmatched?? ::grin::

I want to pat myself on the back and brag for a moment, though. Will you indulge me? I was in kind of a funk on Saturday and decided to check the mail. As y'all know, mail is a crapshoot - you never know what it will bring - more often than not, it's junk or misdelivered. However, when I went up front to look there was this large, stiff envelope with my name on it - and I had NO CLUE what it was. So, thinking it was a scam, I opened it with some frustration and none to carefully. Out fell a beautiful certificate, a lapel pin, a sticker for my car and a letter... from an honor society to which I had applied MONTHS ago (like December or January?). I figured they had forgotten about me when I hadn't heard anything from them for so long... and I had kinda forgotten about them too. Well, ::embarrassed:: I read the letter and it said that due to the "outstanding quality" of my "entire body of work" they were awarding me with a lifetime membership in this honor society ... and had waived the lifetime membership fee - all fees, actually. AND, they have left my application with the scholarship committee. ::blushing:: I didn't think my application was *that* good - and clearly they are unaware of the work I have been doing this semester! But dang. I am humbled and gobsmacked. ::grinning:: Thus ends the shameless plug and brag.

Speaking of schoolwork, I am only taking one incomplete - in the GIS class - and I hope to have it cleared by the end of May. Everything else should be done by the middle of next week, if not sooner. The Directed Readings prof is giving me my grade for the work I have done so far, and will be working with me this summer on the readings we haven't completed, moving towards comps... and I am finishing now the work for the Gender in American Politics class - I will have that complete by the end of the week, I think - barring that, then early next week. Much relief ensues.

Met with the Directed Readings prof and, while I did not cry, my voice did crack when I told him I didn't think my work was NEARLY the quality I was capable of performing and I didn't want him to grade me on the work completed thus far - that I wanted the incomplete. He was stunned - said no, he felt my work was fine, and that he intended to assign me an 'A' and that we would continue to work all summer, it that's fine with me. It is just perfect. Really. I also talked with him about my mental illness issues and having to go off Prozac cold turkey ... first time I have ever discussed that with a professor of mine, but I did want him to understand that there has been a very real, chemical reason I have been unable to function the past two weeks. Thankfully, he understood more than I could possibly have realized. Great guy - and I respect him immensely.

Gotta run... phone call.

Random Update

OK, so I'm a little jot and tiddle late with the news and wanderings:

Men's basketball at the U of M advanced to the finals last night!!! We're playing Kansas on Monday night. Oh my! GO TIGERS! RAWR! The neighborhood burst into absolute lunacy when the final buzzer went off, and there was a strong police presence around the University District, including MOUNTED POLICE! They were so cool! AND, I am not certain about this, but at least I haven't heard of any reports of outbreaks of violence in the area following either Final Four game. Now it's wait-and-see until Monday. ::biting nails:: I just never expected to turn into a hoops fan. ADDENDUM: The undergrad class for which I am grading has just been canceled for tomorrow - the prof is wise, knowing that NOBODY will be there - at all - and we are scheduled to be covering the run up to the Civil War - crucial material. YAY, though!!! Means I only have two commitments tomorrow - spread out by one at 8:45 in the morning and one at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Charlton Heston has died. All I am wondering is: can we pry his guns from his cold, dead hands and turn them in to the police for destruction now?? And, as one of my dearest friends said, his best ever line was "MOSES! There's a man among the sheep!"

Another friend and lovely, sweet, dear person (all our friends are that way! Love it!) M stopped by midway through the game yesterday and watched the second half of the game with us. She may be moving into the n-hood - we are so excited and hopeful. It would be a WONDERFUL thing. Anyway, we went out to dinner (yeah, we found someplace quiet, with minimal tv and lunatic fan interruption - a favorite Chinese/Japanese restaurant), and had a terrific time. I had the best egg drop soup *evah* - this is the kind of chicken-broth-egg-drop-and-corn-soup that I crave when I am sick... it's even better than my own homemade chicken noodle stuff, and I am blatantly and hopelessly and egotistically biased toward my homemade soups. Too bad we didn't have much of a cold winter - I would have made so many more.

See GI doc in the morning. Maybe we can move forward with all this nuisance tummy stuff. I have written a LONG one-page single-spaced summary of the past two weeks in 11-point font for them - something I hope will help more than just the usual Q&A. (Heh. It just dawned on me that as a historian I can't manage to write something in less than a two-page double spaced paper. LOL) We've also been cutting out all lactose-bearing products we can think of, too, so Crash is buying me soy milk - the Costco brand - and it actually tastes great on my cereal... yay!

Reading a wonderful book right now - expressively written and extremely well researched - called No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith written by dear mentor and friend, Dr. Janann Sherman. I never expected to love an academic book so much - but I do, and if you ever want to know more about the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, you simply must read this (not to mention that she was the person who stood down McCarthy in the Senate, and she was the primary force lobbying for women's rights in the military in the 1940s-1970s, etc, etc, etc... really remarkable person). The book is academic, yes, but it reads like a really good novel... just carries you. I keep forgetting to take notes, I am THAT engrossed in the reading. Serious thumbs up, y'all. I think it's in its third printing now.

Don't know much else. There is plenty on Google News and Beacon Broadside to rant about, but I have too much to do today to sit here and rant at the moment... though I promise to get back to that in the next month or so - school's out at the end of this month. I love school, but *cannot wait* to breathe a little more.

Windows are wide open and I am enjoying the cool breeze while still in my sexy white cotton jammies. Yeah... sexy white cotton - those words *can* go together. ::giggle:: At least Crash thinks so!! Speaking of white cotton jammies: I slept like a log last night - 1:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm today and was *very* confused when Crash woke me up after church - I thought he had not yet left and was gobsmacked when he told me it was 1 pm. LOL I don't think I moved once from about 4 in the morning until I got up this afternoon... I needed the sleep, I guess!

Back to this book. I may finish it in my second sitting today - I read in bed until - literally - I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. You can only fight a sleeping pill so long when you're snuggled in comfortably. ::looking forward to THIS!::

Have a great afternoon! I may see you again after Crash's choir performance tonight (I'm expecting good stuff!) but if not, I'll catch you sometime tomorrow... quite likely after the game if not before as well.

ADDENDUM!: I FORGOT!!! I judged the finals for TN State History Day yesterday, and MY were they terrific!!! So proud of all the participants, and it was really hard judging first round - and the runoff judges really struggled over their choices. That's a *good* thing, y'all. GO, YOU BUDDING YOUNG HISTORIANS! YOU JUST GO!!!

Today's Choices

Choices, choices, choices...

Somehow our choices have been dredged down to this.

I think the picture itself is a total giggle - I've been laughing all night since P sent it to me - but what does it really mean when it comes to the political process and the choices we have?

It's a three-ring circus out there and nobody's leading anybody except in circles. Well, Hillary and Obama seem to have McCain by the ears, but that's not saying much for the next move in the skit...

We're being led by the nose though a political performance - a gag routine - by three otherwise intelligent, articulate, and mostly sane people. I disagree with some aspect of each of their policies and positions, but I have come to respect (as much as one can respect a politician) one of them more than the others. Still, I feel as though Busby Berkeley (or Moe Howard - take your pick) is still somehow running the whole show from behind the scenes.

Every day we are bombarded by some new stupidity. My own husband was born in a foreign country but has been a citizen of the US since the moment of his birth. There should be no question as to his right to run for the office of the President - same with McCain, much as I despise him. This is a straw man argument, put out there to rile folks... and to distract us from the real problems out there - poverty, racism, environmental degredation, economic disaster.

Instead of this, I would like to see one of these characters help out the Joads (the main characters in The Grapes of Wrath) and do something substantive to solve the Steinbeck-esque problems facing us today. We don't need another Herbert Hoover being served 6-course meals by butlers and keeping up appearances while the nation struggles to get by.

Sorry to end on a gloomy note when the doctored photo is so hilarious, but it really bothers me that politics *is* a three ring circus - at the expense of a populace which is laughing all the way to the bread line. Is this *really* what we want in a presidential race?