How to Celebrate the Solstice

I would love to go to this one year. It's in Adams County, Ohio, where I have roots.



Of course, in this same county they have a Caramel Festival in September. What a great idea!

new poem in the works

As the British might say, "have a read". It's hardly finished and needs lots of work still, but, I do enjoy it enough as it is to share it. Some things just inspire me, but if your inspiration is a documentary on a serial killer, do not expect me to write a poem about pretty fall leaves and the nobility of the human race.

Into the woods, and away we go,

Into the darkest part of Skid Row.

I flee with you, my untrustworthy friend

Knowing you’ll guide me unto my end.

An end of existing in constant pain, though I suppose

You’re not leading me to fountains of bliss or fields of Elysium

Nor even to halls of Valhalla’s great Victors.

But Hel’s realm of horror of unending woes

Of waking each morning to a new vicious vector

Where nightmares are real and reality seems

A far distant fantasy of minor defeats, of melancholy and madness

And maybe some sweet

Bitter memory some gut wrenching knowledge of how things might have been.

But for now, I flee with you friend, I flee for the fleeing, the flight away

From all that defies me this middle of day.

Lead me, I beg you, to the house on the street

Where angels and demons are wont to meet

Where I might just as well be one of the victims

As one of the victors and ever so gladly partake of the nectars

Of forbidden fruits and of follies and vices

Of please make me forget all of my nicest

Laces and linens.

And don’t you think

I fit ever so well on this street of hell-bent

Heaven in Hell?

On with you I glide, ignoring the signs of ignominy

And depravity, of vicious beyond my wildest imagining.

Support Reading and a Whole Lot More

So, go to the above link to read about an idea sponsored by Heifer International, an organization that works to provide people in some parts of the world with things like cows and goats so that families have a way to have food.

My idea is this: Put spare change in a cup or jar. Label the jar even - maybe 'money for other people'. I don't know. If you know a child learning to read or who you want to encourage to read, or reward for being an amazing natural reader, offer to let them take money from the jar when they read to you (because what's the fun of the kid reading and you not getting to share in the experience?). If you don't live close to them, have them read to you over the phone or webcam or they can even record themselves reading or videotape it and send it to you. However you want to do it (turns out that reading to someone who is intent on hearing you read, is a great motivator). Anyway. Explain that the child needs to keep the money safe to give to this cause (because we are not paying the child to read. No need to bribe them. But it's also okay to let them see that something relatively passive, like reading, can affect the world. Or our role in it.)

Find out what the minimum donation level is for an organization like Heifer International. It's just an example. You can let the child donate the money to a different organization, they may even like to take the money to buy books or toys or clothes to donate to toys for tots or some similar program.

the idea is, start this with a child capable of not putting the money in their mouth - start young. You do not need to wait til the child is 9 or 10 to encourage reading, reaching out to others, or saving money. Any child who won't choke on the penny can participate. How? If you've got a two year old, let them read a book to you. No, they do not have to say the words on the page yet, though there's nothing wrong if they can or want to try. But they should be able to turn pages, hold the book themselves, and maybe make up a story or point to pictures. For that matter, a 12 month old should be able to start learning how to point to pictures. If you start developing the skill in the child and focus on how important it is, it will be important to the child.

Anyway. Haven't got any kids of my own, but, this is an invitation to clean out my spare change kids! The money is only available if you have a plan of how you will donate it to change the world. you can read pretty much anything you want.

Barrett Family Genealogy Research

Here is some information I found on the Barretts that I am related to.

1880 Census for Stonewall, Frederick, Virginia

Ida M. Barrett age 5
Effa R. Barrett age 1

listed with their parents Mary A. Wingerter and John Barrett

1910 Census for Stonewall, Frederick, Virginia

Clarence B. Barrett age 29
Eva E. Barrett age 33
Mary C. Barrett age 3

Clarence is listed with his wife and daughter.

1930 Census for Stonewall, Frederick, Virginia

Roland L. Buncotter age 51
Anna M. Buncotter age 19
Clarence B. Barrett age 49

Clarence is listed living with his brother-in-law. Anna is Roland's daughter.

For those interested, here is how I am related to these people:

Mary A. Wingerter is my 3rd great aunt.
Her brother David is my 2nd great-grandfather.
Our common ancestors are John Wingerter and Barbara Dellit - her parents and my 3rd great-grandparents.
Her husband would be my 3rd great uncle.
Ida, Effa, and Clarence were all their children so they would be my 1st cousins 3 times removed.
Mary C. Barrett would be my 1st cousin 4 times removed.
Roland Buncotter's (or Buncutter's) wife was my 1st cousin 3 times removed (the youngest sibling of Ida, Effa, and Clarence not mentioned in the above censuses) - that would be Mary Salena Barrett.
So their daughter Anna is my 1st cousin 4 times removed (and Mary C. Barrett's first cousin).

It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas

Or I want it to. If it's going to be cold like this, I figure we may as well be festive and merry and have a log fire going somewhere. Possibly expect a jolly fellow to come liven things up a bit. So here is my invitation to Christmas, to make an encore appearance in the next few weeks!

Uncle Bruce

I am thinking of you tonight and the place in the Bible that says 'he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.' A wise one once said 'redemption costs little for the wise spender who has not amounted great credit bills and debts. It costs a good deal more for those who have. But one whose work is redemption counts not the cost but the gain. So nothing is lost if all is redeemed. Only the fearful see loss in a lost soul. One whose work is redemption sees only a soul."

None of this

I have had none of this for 10 days:

Two Week Diet Challenge

I am doing a two week diet (began Feb 18) with my mother, father, and sister. We each came up with 3 changes we want to make to our eating habits, but we only have to commit to doing them for 2 weeks. This is longer than I normally can stick to any one change, so it is supposed to help me believe more in my ability to change my habits and also so that the benefit for my body can be longer lasting. We were each able to choose our own three goals to do and we email each other each day to report our triumphs with our diet. So far my main triumph has been that I have not had any ice cream since starting the diet. My other two goals are to take a snack with me when I go out so I will be less likely to buy and eat impulse food like chips, candy bars, doughnuts, etc. Although I must tell you that the prospect of eating peanuts or a tangelo is not the same as the prospect of eating a Butterfinger.

I thought it might be easier for everyone to post their triumphs here on my blog than sending email, but either that you want to do is fine (and feel free to join the diet with us if you haven't yet). I hope to either see a lot of emails over the remaining week of the diet, or comments on this blog post. Good luck and Happy Healthy Eating to you!