2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-one

Well, baseball is over for us since the Braves were eliminated yesterday. Now I’m trying to decide who to pull for – Cleveland? Houston (because we love Dusty Baker)? San Diego? It’s kind of nice to only sort of care. Although obviously it would be nicer if our team had won.
Sunday, October 9^th             
As I mentioned last week, Dr. M & I took a little ramble and got lunch at a place by Lake Hickory. I got the black bean burger. We were both too hungry to photograph the food, but I took a photo of the menu especially for Nance. Check out that description – ha!
 

Monday, October 10^th
I made myself a tuna melt for dinner. I took a picture of the open cabinet door & texted Dr. M asking him why I had left it open. It’s not something I usually do & I was perplexed.

Tuesday, October 11^th       
The Bugly’s last ride. It started overheating on Monday & Dr. M limped it to his dad’s house today so that he could borrow the truck (Floyd the Ford). He took pictures of all the places he had to stop to let it cool down before he could continue. We could probably get it fixed, but it’s 18 years old and has over 200,000 miles on it & I think it would be like a game of whack a mole if we started putting money into it. We were (and still are) VERY SAD about this. The Bugly was Professor Rhyne’s car at school, and it was our road trip car. It’s going to be hard to let go.
 

Last week I had spent some time around someone who had COVID, so I tested myself for the first time ever.
 

Wednesday, October 12^th                 
Dr. M moved Sheepie to Floyd and we were all sad again.
 

Got my hair cut again. Look at all that gray!
 

Thursday, October 13^th           
Today was a momentous occasion! I finally reached the point in the blanket where I stopped increasing & started decreasing! According to my calculations it’s going to be 9 feet by 14 feet – definitely out-monstering the previous monster (my 2016 temperature blanket).
 

Friday, October 14^th          
I had the day off from work and spent it with my cousin attending the virtual Evolving Faith conference. It was SO GOOD! Man. But it lasted from 9:30 to after 6:00 and I was WIPED OUT. I could barely form coherent sentences when I got home. Sorry, Dr. M!
 

Saturday, October 15^th      
I went back over to my cousin’s house for the morning session. When I was getting back in the car, Audrey jumped in – twice! She apparently wanted to go home with me. So adorable.
 

Dr. M got this nifty BBQ set from his aunt’s house. It’s pretty substantial – we think it might be useful in the Zombie Apocalypse too. Now we just need to get a grill.
 

Seattle fans started wearing shoes on their heads for some reason (rally shoes!) and somewhere around the 15^th inning I decided to try it. However, they ended up losing in 18. (Note: I did not wear the shoe the whole time. No doubt that’s why they lost.)

Well, the time of baseball is nearly at an end, and the time of hockey has begun. The Carolina Hurricanes have won their first two games of the season. Maybe someday I’ll actually watch a game (their next four games start after 9:00). No worry – the season lasts about four years so I’ll have plenty of chances to watch. I know that all four of my readers are just fascinated – ha! What’s keeping you going this fall? Candy corn? Pumpkin (pie) spice? Guy Fawkes night? Do tell!

A Ramble Through a Fen, Take 2

Last April Dr. M & I visited a local fen* & vowed that we would go back every month to see all the changes each season brings. Well, yesterday we finally returned. I guess we missed out on the every month thing, didn't we? Yesterday was sunny and sort of approaching warmth, but once we got on the trail it was really breezy & I discovered that 43 degrees in the shade feels very different that 43 degrees in the sun. But it was nice to do a little bit of outdoor walking. Would you like to join us?

The entrance looks very inviting, doesn't it?

As we approached the walk I decided to read the signs.

Hmm - this seems somewhat ominous. But we press on.

OK, yes, there is some flooding. But it only went over the top of my boots, so we decided to persevere.

 And quickly saw evidence of the beavers' handiwork.

Ah, here is where we believe the culprits live!

But I found the watery milieu beautiful in its on way.

But then we encountered an obstacle that could have perhaps been overcome by hip waders (or excellent balance on slippery boards).

So we turned back and paid attention to the ice that was still a thin layer on the water. Dr. M said it felt like being inside a chilled margarita glass. Hmm - I wonder how he knows what the inside of a margarita glass feels like?

As we left we decided that this year we really will go back again every month. Really! So keep your eye out for a March post.

*Fen: n. A fen is a type of wetland fed by surface water, or groundwater, or both. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline. Fens are different from bogs, which are acidic, fed primarily by rainwater (ombrotrophic) and often dominated by Sphagnum mosses.[1] [From Wikipedia]

A Sunday Ramble With Melancholy Consequences

Dr. M & I explored the town of Mechanicsburg on Sunday afternoon. He was working on an Underground Railroad project for his university – taking drive-by pictures of significant sites. There was an important and compelling event that happened in Mechanicsburg in 1857, but I think I'll tell that story another day (or better yet, have Dr. M write a guest post!).

While we were driving around we stopped by Maple Grove Cemetery. It has been in use for a very long time. There were lots of graves from the 19^th century, including graves of black soldiers from the civil war. I don't know the age of the marker below, but it was probably sometime in the 1800s. For reasons unknown to me, I needed its picture - the story in this stone just pulls at me.

Click on the picture if you aren't able to read the marker

Willie Died in the Morning

Willie died in the morning

Tiny loved not here

For long

I don't know when

I don't know why

But I know gone

Willie died in the morning

and his stone breaks

my heart

John Parker

Into Ripley Ohio John Parker came

Not on a white horse

But in a john boat

His namesake slicing through

That salvation water

To bring souls to the

Almost free side of the river.

Almost free.

100 souls

300 souls

500 and more

almost free souls

500 miles from freedom

John Parker

In his john boat

Opened wide

That freedom gate

Although this is a bit of a romantic view, John Parker was a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad & really did rescue hundreds of slaves by ferrying them across the Ohio River. The fugitive slave act meant that, while Ohio was a "free" state the runaway slaves couldn't stay there. Canada was their only hope for freedom. 

John Parker was more than just a freer of people - he was a former slave who had purchased his own freedom. He owned a foundry and held three patents. Five of his children graduated from college (his daughter Hortense was the first African American graduate of Mount Holyoke College).

Parker wasn't the only conductor in Ripley - there were four (I think our docent said) on his street alone! And that didn't include Reverend Rankin who lived on "Liberty Hill" at the top of the 100 steps to freedom. Here is what he said about his work: "My house has been the door of freedom to many human beings, but while there was a hazard of life and property, there was much happiness in giving safety to the trembling fugitives. They were all children of God by creation and some of them I believe were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb."

A Ramble Through a Fen

On Sunday, Dr. M and I visited a local wildlife area, correctly labeled a fen* (as opposed to the fen we went to last summer which was called a bog). There were some signs of life – and we plan to go back each month to see the changes. So you'll probably get to experience the changes too (lucky you!).

Here, we'll head down the boardwalk.

Look – cattails!

And pussy willows! Don't they look like sticks with caterpillars all over them?

Skunk cabbage

And the only splash of color (other than green): marsh marigolds

A "run" slowly flowing through the fen.

Here I am at the top of the observation platform

And Dr. M at the bottom.

Dr. M walking on one of the two sections of the trail that had been submerged.

And now we'll head back out.

A beautiful day!

*Fen: n. A fen is a type of wetland fed by surface water, or groundwater, or both. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline. Fens are different from bogs, which are acidic, fed primarily by rainwater (ombrotrophic) and often dominated by Sphagnum mosses.[1] [From Wikipedia]