Today, the day of big Internet Blackout, and you guessed it, I am using the internet. I turned on my computer and saw Google’s homepage, a big blacked out space with only the lower portion of the “g” exposed. Also I tend to think this is the big experiment because Google had underneath the big blacked out area, highlighted, “Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web!” This is a fantastic marketing ploy! Thinking of the far reaching capabilities of the search engines, I imagine all the Googlers at Google’s home office key wording “Google” in the search bar, just to see how many Google hits were received on 1/18/2012.
         What exactly is to be learned today? I suppose they will find out which of “We the People” are the defiant ones. I believe our Government has always been afraid of “We the People” and I believe they are afraid of how quickly we can organize and that is a threat to them. Of course they would like to censor the internet! Regardless of how you perceive yourself politically, we are all the same, the Commoners. 
         This morning it was mentioned to me by a family member that when you have all the money, you have all the power. Well, that is the American way. Seems to me there is a lot of class warfare going on between those who do not have against those who do have. Well think about this. Why do you play the lottery? Perhaps you dream of being one who has something instead of living pay day to pay day. Yes, when you have money, you can buy anything you want. Big Deal!  To get mad at this concept is to squash you very own dreams of someday not having to worry about every nickel and dime you make and spend. Class warfare is lame. It is the abuse of power that bothers me. The abuse of power should concern all of us. Google wants control and power over the internet and to own all of our data. We are wise to you, the Almighty Google. Google..Google..Google

        The internet is the fastest moving train since the Industrial Revolution changed the world forever. Ten years ago, before I had my own computer, not unusual at that time, that I found a use for email {before this I did not understand the concept} Only a few possessed personal computers, which evolved into laptops which is now outdated since the smart phone is now in the hands of everyone you meet on the street. Recently, while visiting my mother, she asked if I wanted to use her laptop to check my Face Book. I replied “No thanks. I have been checking it on my smart phone during the day as I receive updates.”  We are all connected to the big cloud in the sky, owned by Google. Well, let me just suggest that this is my PO (Personal Opinion) The day I sent my first email ten years ago,  it was extremely beneficial. I figured out a way to use it as an application. My son was in an extreme medical situation and rather than phone all the relatives, I wrote one email and sent to everyone on my mother’s address list. I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders as I found a way to apply it. 
         Today, I have found many ways Face Book has been beneficial to network, to share knowledge, to share photos and stories and information. It is a way to keep close to friends who live afar. It has been a way for me to offer emotional support to friends who need that and it has been my answer in the middle of the night when I worried I may need to go to hospital but instead was given useful information by others who had a shared knowledge. It has been a way to share the craft fairs where I would be working. The possibilities are limitless. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of FB, has learned more from users than he could have possibly imagined. We have made him a multi-millionaire because we found many applications without limits. 
         They say folks who have blogs are actually writing less, because they share so much through social media, and write shorter pieces, not necessarily on their blogs. Unfortunately, I have found no useful applications for Twitter or Linked In. I am unsure they would be beneficial to me, however, I once thought the same way about email and Face Book.  At the risk of sounding like an old lady, some may have felt the same way about using a telephone back at the turn of the century. Perhaps they felt the same about using an automobile. I suppose the affordability of these luxuries was half of the excitement of purchasing these gadgets.
         Tonight, I was excited to think I learned how to add widgets to my blog and for the first time in four years, I added a new feature. On each story, it is now possible to click on SHARE and a group of social media sites pops up onto the screen. This allows the reader to share the link with any of those sites. Yes, this old dog is still trying to learn a few tricks.

It started out as an ordinary work day with my daily half hour commute from Standish to Portland, Maine en-route to fulfill my duties as a 411 operator. I knew that even though I may only speak to a caller for fifteen seconds, that I had to be very alert when handling the call volume.  On the way, I always listened to a radio station to receive the news of the day. This particular day, I listened as the news unfolded and hurried along faster to see if there might be something on the television at work. I arrived to find our break room full of people, I had never seen, mostly managers whom worked upstairs. The room was silent as we all watched the story unfold. Looking back, it may have been Katie Couric who narrated exactly what was happening in Lower Manhattan. What I did notice was a lack of display of emotion from those giving us the news. No dramatic display of hysteria, like Hebert Morrison’s radio broadcast witnessing the explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937.  It was all ‘matter of fact’ and as I recollect, which seemed sterile and detached from the event. Regardless, nothing could have prepared any of us for what we witnessed happening via live satellite from NYC. As we viewed the television screen in horror, we saw ordinary people like us plunging from windows towards their deaths. Then the first tower slammed from the top floor into the next, subsequently, like a giant domino line, until the giant skyscraper was leveled into what surmounted into an “atomic” dust cloud chasing thousands of New Yorkers through the streets and across bridges running for their lives. We were in complete shock and denial, and acutely horrified. And then, the second tower collapsed. I abruptly shouted an expletive… and then I looked around the room and saw other operators scrambling to enter the directory assistance office to handle our day to day information calls. Having been a 411 operator for three years, this was a day I was unsure that I could perform my job with full concentration. I had the entire morning’s events weighing heavily of my mind, and so did my co-workers. In fact, one of my co-workers ended up unplugging and telling a manager he needed to leave. His daughter was in Lower Manhattan. He managed to reach her and instructed her to go quickly to his friend’s office at Newsweek magazine and stay there until he arrived. Managers rushed around the office with papers outlining information the callers would be looking for such as emergency info for the airlines, listings for government agencies and any other information which would be pertinent to the callers’ requests. It was complete chaos in the office for an hour or so when one of some of the managers ran around the office with clipboards asking for volunteers to go to Dover, NH to field phones calls from only NYC and surrounding boroughs. I did not hesitate and raised my hand along with six or seven others. My mind was on this disaster and doing whatever I could do to help. We grabbed our things and car pooled to Dover which was over an hour south of Portland. I called home before I left and told my family I would be home very late. I was unaware my sons had witnessed it on televisions at their school. They were twelve and fourteen and old enough to see this. Later, reflecting how I felt that my sons’ witnessed the WTC collapse on television, my reasoning was that it was historically significant.
 Once in Dover, we saw many whom we used to work with in Directory Assistance. This was the Zero Operator office. The break room was full of pizzas for us and they welcomed us to help them field calls from NYC. We all sat in a room and did emergency training for about 3 hours. A Zero operator’s responsibilities were far different from a 411 operator. The keyboards had different functions which we needed to learn. None of us could have been prepared for what we were to hear when we plugged into our switchboards. In Directory, we could hand off a call to a service assistant if the customer needed more help. As a Zero Operator, the call belonged to you from beginning to end. Handing off a call was not an option.
 We all went to our stations with our manuals and notes in hand. It was a day I will never forget.The phone company waived all coin phone fees that day as the urgency prevailed all day in Lower Manhattan. Hysteria met our ears all day and we had to remain calm and professional throughout our tour of duty. I recall becoming emotional a few times, when people were yelling that they just escaped from the 84th floor, the 79th floor, and after a while, I felt relieved that some people had escaped. They were in a panic, trying to reach family members. I tried to connect a few however with the steady stream of the flow of communication; often times calls were met with ALL CIRCUITS ARE BUSY. It was not like cell phones were carried by everyone as they are today, ten years later.
 I remember we were taught how to break into a line to connect a person to a person. One man calling from Brooklyn to Staten Island, asked me to intercept the call. I broke into the line and informed the woman I had so & so who needed to speak with her. She agreed and I heard a short piece of the conversation. He was yelling, “The towers are gone!! Can you believe those people are all dancing in the streets in Pakistan?? ” I continued with my next call. It was a suicidal man from Queens. He was saying the world was ending and he wanted to hurt himself. I quickly tried to reassure him to hold a moment because I was going to get him some help (Samaritans). With this call, I needed assistance from a trainer. It was very stressful and this person believed this was the end of the world… he was exasperated. We connected him to an operator for Samaritans and then onto my next call. I received many calls from people who were looking for their friends and family and wanted me to dial the name of the business at the World Trade Center. They were in complete disbelief. I told them the towers were gone and I wished them well and said a prayer for them. I did not know how I was going to get through the day talking to New Yorkers all day. I felt like I had been through battle after only one day on the job. That night, I went home and cried. The following day, we did the same thing again. The second night, I went home again and I cried. The third day, we resumed our regular jobs as 411 operators, as Dover did not need us anymore.
 Life changed drastically after that day. For the next year or so, I would get up in the middle of the night to check Headline News for any little bit of details related to the terrorist attack. I was consumed with news 24/7, a dramatic change from the early days of my youth when we had a B&W TV and saw the news once a day. I recalled my father waking us to watch the moon landing. It seemed such and innocent time and a time when news didn’t rule our lives. We are addicted to news and information in the moment and we are all on a fast train heading for somewhere.
 For at least a year after the attack, every call into Directory Assistance was noticably different. The callers were all on high alert. They listened when the operators asked them for more information. They were kinder and polite for a long time, perhaps prioritizing the important things in life. I think it forced all of us to reevaluate our lives. Maybe we all needed a wake- up call.  I remember thinking that the effort to look for survivors and to clear the area of debris needed to be photographed. I hoped someone was brave enough to take on the task. Joel Meyerowitz, photographer was from the New York area. He started carrying his camera everyday and was questioned and sent away. He was persistent and finally received clearance to document the area. He then heard many stories as he spoke with rescue personnel nearly every day. Then the calls began coming into 411 for young men and some women looking for recruiter’s listings. This went on for a long time, as young men and women joined the armed forces to fight against those who dared attack us.
 I recall seeing the haze in NYC after the collapse of the twin Towers, a haze which lasted days upon days. I saw a silhouette of a large twisted steel form similar to cathedral windows cast against a backdrop of soot and ashe whiteout. That piece of twisted steel, I later wrote to the editor of the New York Times was something which needed to be salvaged for a Memorial. Apparently, I was not the only one to think so, because I was in good company with the head of Metropolitan Museum of Art also mentioning this piece of twisted steel needed to be considered for a Memorial. I have a copy of my email sent and also the letter from the New York Times. In fact I saved many different newspapers from that day. In 1983, before my visit to the Twin Towers, I would visit the Empire State Building and photograph looking down towards Wall Street earlier that day. I also saved some artifacts from the World Trade Center and went to the Observation Deck to photograph. I took photos from all the four sides looking out over the New York skyline including a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge lit up at night. I took photos looking down towards the street, which I now realize was the view people witnessed just before their plunge from the building that day. My artifacts include a green ticket to the Observation Deck which has an outline of the WTC and also a brochure which unfolds to show the NYC skyline. On the front of the color brochure is written in bold letters, “The Closest Some Will Ever Get to Heaven”

Perhaps one of the most interesting self- made American men was Mr. Henry Ford. It started with an article I read in an old magazine, The American Magazine, dated July 1928.  The title was “Wages Will Go Up and Prices Come Down says Henry Ford”, an interview by William S. Dutton. [ pg 15-17,111-113]
         Ford was sixty-five when he was interviewed by Dutton. Ford believed that a man is in training until age forty. If he quits then or retires, he is a failure. Ford did not believe he was successful, as his only success was an assembler of tools. His philosophy of money was interesting.
         Money is but only a tool and Ford believed when it becomes other than a tool in its use, then it becomes a menace. Ford’s statement, “Non productive private fortunes do not exist anymore. Once they cease to produce, they disappear.” Raw tools of the industry would include a pile of coal. A pile of money is also a raw tool of the industry.
         He was asked about charity workers. What were Ford’s thoughts about giving away large amounts of money to charity? He went on to explain how his factory, which he referred to as his “machine”, worked. Ford owned everything to make his machine work. To produce cars, he converted ore to steel, then sand to glass, then hemp to burlap, then cloth into artificial leather, then waste paper and rags into binder board and slag into cement, and he even owned the rubber plants to produce his automobile tires. Ford Motor Company was a vertical industry. Henry Ford explained that nobody could possibly know how high men’s wages eventually would climb and likewise nobody could predict just how cheaply goods could be produced. He spoke of equations and that it may be possible to double wages and to half costs or to quadruple wages and to quarter costs. We can not predict what the possibilities will be. Ford went on to say that costs are no nearer to the bottom than wages are to the top. Ford knew that the two movements, wages upward and costs downward will do more to abolish poverty than all the professional charity agencies combined. 
         On the subject of charity once again, Ford believed that Prosperity is not the product of charity, but of industry, not of receiving but of producing. Money has little to do with prosperity because it in itself does not produce. “Money represents an earned right to participate in the general production. If everyone partook and nobody produced, what good is money?”(pg 17) Ford said many people confuse money with wealth. You can use real wealth but you cannot use money because you can only accept it in exchange of uses. Real wealth gives values to money: money gives no value to wealth. Let every man produce one useful thing, or reclaim one idle acre more and wealth increases.
         Ford asked if it was efficient for business to pay high land taxes in a congested city and have people that cannot afford their rent. It was better for business to move into the country where land costs were lower with better living conditions. Ford said that money to buy his vehicles came from people, not Wall St, not the Banks and not Capitalists. 
         Until interest is earned, no profit can be made. Ford’s belief that once a person invested in one of his autos, they should be paying less for their second car they buy from Ford and it should be a better car also. He felt that the money customers invested with Ford Motor Co. also paid men’s wages and to keep his “machine” running. He did not want the customer to carry the extra expense of added interest on their own hard earned money. He felt the customer paid once so they should not be charged again. 
         Henry Ford lived rather simply. His payroll to keep his machine working was one million dollars per day. If anyone ate up his money, it would be the machine, Ford explained. Upon a recent visit to his winter home in Fort Myers , FL, I was surprised he only went there two weeks each year, a testament to hard work ethics. 
         Ford was the master of efficiency, as you will read later in this piece. I recall a story in Studs Terkel’s book, Hard Times, about an assembly worker in the Ford plant. The worker arrived to work a very long first day. He was not told to bring a lunch or a pair of gloves. Once inside the factory, the gates locked behind him, and if one arrived 5 minutes late, they were docked one hour’s pay. The worker thought there might be a lunch wagon, but instead went hungry on his first day at work which was longer than today’s eight hour day. His job was to sand fenders all day, which he did bare- handed with no gloves. 
         Ford refused to think of himself as a success. His statement, “Any man who thinks he has done something, hasn’t many more things to do. More men are failures on account of success than on account of failures” [Ford]
        Having researched the design and cost breakdown which Ford had spent much time considering, I read with great interest the manual Ford Model A/AA Truck Owner by A.G.McMillan. The manual was originally written during the years of the Great Depression, late 1920’s. Ford was intrigued with making sure his truck was versatile and he marketed it well. He designed Baker’s delivery trucks, garbage trucks ,ice trucks, taxi’s ,ambulances , police patrol vehicles ,heavy duty express road service trucks (tow trucks), Coal trucks, Hydraulic trucks, stock trucks for moving livestock, stake trucks (with wooden stakes on the sides), Long bed trucks, Panel body trucks , and Funeral coaches. He had two basic types of AA trucks which were All American (all metal) and Line Construction Bodies (telephone & telegraph trucks, light & power trucks)
        Ford claimed there were four reasons why a Ford Truck meant Efficiency and Economy. #1 Complete Line of Equipment (With a large number of Fords in operation meant a greater number of manufacturers) #2 Lower prices on Equipment (Greater production meant lower cost of Ford equipment) #3 Better repair service ( With a large amount of Fords on the road meant for more repair centers everywhere) #4 More rapid delivery ( National distributing eliminated delays)
                    The manual was full of diagrams showing weight distribution of freight as well as comparison charts showing cost efficiency of his trucks versus the use of horse teams. Comparisons included time breakdowns and cost breakdowns. It took 4 teams (8 horses) and 4 men to keep pace with a Ford truck with a total cost of $1200.00 for equipment per year however the Ford truck cost $675.00 per year. A Ford truck would work 24 hours per day with only 15 minutes of care whereas horses will not stand more than eight hours per day. It takes forty acres to feed eight horses but a Ford truck only uses gas and oil. Stormy weather does not impact a Ford however in stormy weather, men and horses stand idle. 
        There was also a diagram which showed the costs per mile. The price of eight horses and four wagons was $1200.00 per year less $675.00 for the Ford Truck. The initial savings there was $525.00 In addition to those savings, cost of operating eight horses and four wagons per year $1292.64 and the cost of operating a Ford Truck was $270.21. Those savings were $1022.43 with a total savings comparison of $1547.43 for the first year.
        The next comparison was between a Ford six-wheel 2 ½ ton unit and an existing 2½ ton truck ( name of truck was not mentioned). The Ford truck appeared more solid, less bulky and streamlined in comparison to the competitor’s truck. Maybe one of the differences in appearance was Ford’s use of load distribution. 60/40 load distribution meant that 60 % of the weight was over the front axle while 40% was over the rear axle.
        The cost of Ford’s six wheel 2 ½ ton truck was $982.00 and the truck in comparison cost $3478.00.  The running cost of gas, oil and lubrication was broken down for each vehicle. The Ford truck got 10 miles to the gallon where the comparison truck got 7 miles to the gallon. So the average truck cost per mile was calculated for the comparison truck to 0.165 and the Ford truck was 0.086 per mile. Depreciation, Maintenance and Fixed costs were all figured into calculations. Comparing costs of those two trucks, a savings of $3720.00 was what the consumer could expect the first year if they purchased a Ford Truck.
         The design of Ford’s trucks was also broken down into diagrams and lists. Each truck had 66 drop forgings for maximum strength and minimum weight. Each truck came equipped with shatterproof glass on the front windshield. The only vehicle Ford manufactured that also included a shatterproof rear windshield was the ambulance. Also to reduce rivets, there were over 611 electric welds for safety and strength. Ford trucks were designed for easy adjustment. Ford owned the world’s largest Industrial unit. His plant in Dearborn, Michigan had a casting foundry, a glass plant, pressed steel and spring buildings, rolling mill, open hearth cement plant, and also had investments in the rubber industry to produce his tires. A diagram depicted 500 Ford coal cars bringing coal to the rouge plant. The rouge glass plant had an annual capacity of 10,000,000 square feet. 500 gallons of old paint were reclaimed daily. Power plant consumed 2200 tons of coal daily. Rouge plant covered 1,096 acres.
        Coke ovens produced an average of 3,300 tons of coke, 50, 000,000 cubic feet of gas, and 40,000 gallons of refined light oil every 24 hours. 2,500 barrels of Portland cement produced daily. Approximately 95 miles of railroad sidetracks were in the Rouge plant. James Newton, author of Uncommon Friends  relayed a story told by Edison’s son about The Rouge plant losing power once. Hoping to restore power quickly, Ford was reluctant to wait for the electric company to set poles, and instructed his own men to run power lines along the telephone poles. He told his men that he would deal with the telephone company later. Newton was a close friend of Edison, Ford and Firestone. In 1932, Newton and a newspaper reporter met Ford for an interview concerning his business philosophy. Newton mentioned there were two Ford model A’s in the driveway. Ford told Newton he had driven one from Detroit while his assistant drove the other. After the reporter left, Ford mentioned to his assistant, “Should we show Newton what we have here?” They proceeded to open the hood so Jimmie Newton took a look at the first V-8 engine. It was two months later when the world would see the V-8. Ford wanted to test drive the V-8 himself and if one of the vehicles broke down, they could just tow it using the other Ford Model A, rather than have it towed to a garage and spill the beans about the V-8.
         Ford Motor Company’s assets were one billion dollars during the late 1920’s.Ford employed 269 thousand men including factory workers and dealers. Plants and equipment worth 293 million dollars with a production of 18 million cars and trucks (3 million model A’s) Ford also made sure that he had schools for mechanics to become certified to work on his vehicles. There were 22,800 trained mechanics that graduated from these schools and became employed in Ford service stations. In addition, Ford employed 17, 734 salesmen, 5,877 dealers and 1,334 fleet –owner mechanics. There were 35 branches which were Ford headquarters for that territory
         In the early 20’s, there was a recession and Ford was producing many cars. He was smart with finance and managed to keep his company from being taken over by big bank creditors. Demand was low at this time. One way he managed to save his company was to ship his cars to the dealerships with a bill of lading and sight draft attached. The dealership had to pay for the vehicles when they were delivered. Either they paid for the vehicles or they lost their dealerships. The author, Newton, explained that in those days, having a Ford dealership afforded one considerable status in a small town.   
         Model AA panel delivery trucks could be special ordered with the name of the business information lettered onto the vehicle. Ford calculated costs of carrying freight and broke the figures down into pounds weight per 100 gallons. He used milk, oil, gasoline, eggs, and calculated what the weight would be with empty racks versus full racks. Ford calculated what it would cost to carry weights per bushel of apples, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes, barley and also showed how to distribute loads when carrying the freight. Weights per bushel of apples (50 lbs), tomatoes (55 lbs), clover (25 lbs), limes (80 lbs) charcoal (20 lbs), as this information would be important to a delivery man. 
         Ford also considered the most efficient method of frequent delivery vehicles. He called it a Step-n-Drive Drop Frame Truck.  A driver would sit when driving using pedals. Near the 1st stop, the driver would fold his seat up instantly and stand while using a single combination clutch and brake pedal. When checking his work load, he only needed to turn around to enter from behind the seat, rather than go to the back of the vehicle, to retrieve the goods/parcel. This provides the convenience of wagons with the motorized speed, covering greater territory.
         Ford also had a three way dump body vehicle. These would work from side to side & out the back (cost 250 dollars) Coal bodies included a high lift -1 ton for 750 dollars) and a 2 ton (1000 dollars) The coal body truck’s side and bottom were made from 10 gauge steel with no seams, rivets or bolts.
         Ford had a vertical hoist on some trucks that was mounted to frame on back of cab, He also had two hydraulic hoists, on the Model A (hand operated) and Model AP (Operated by truck motor) Of interest was the Hackney CO2 refrigerated bodies. One was used strictly for non frozen, such as fish, dairy and meat deliveries. The other Hackney CO2  delivery vehicle was strictly for frozen goods such as ice cream. Having read about Ford’s reasoning behind dry ice versus ice for deliveries, it all made perfect sense. The argument was about cost. Dry ice weighed half the weight of ice. Therefore an important characteristic of dry ice would be, no moisture to soak, no repainting or replacing metal parts due to corrosion. Dry ice turns from a solid to a gas with no drip. The cost of using Dry Ice would save a delivery truck for one year approximated between 900 and 2500 dollars. 
         Ford trucks had two important efficiency accessories. One was a Governor, which once installed, was used on a vehicle to prevent strain from excessive speed. A governor cost 17.50 to install and it took 20 minutes to do so. It prevented racing in lower gears. It limited speed & expense but not power. It worked because power from gas velocity transmitted to rod and spring through gear sector and rack. The 2nd forces manifold vacuum on same rod & spring from pressure from a piston. It stops speeding and leads to longer engine life. The other was a recorder, which kept accurate records of a trucks activity per hour. Perhaps this was the beginning of the idea behind the GPS.
         Ford’s trucks had a variety of uses, including elevated towers for public utility vehicles which included ladders( primitive early crane), post hole diggers, hoist and winches(for telephone companies and contractors), engines with greater power (to pull boats , heavy cruisers or flatbed), adapted with advertising(giant milk bottle mounted on back, or giant camera-specifically for advertising purposes), demonstrating type vehicles (may show an oil burner inside, so a salesman could demonstrate door to door), folding seats( for delivery of passengers),  window bars (armored vehicles), clothes racks ( for laundry and dry cleaners), centrifugal pumps ( could be easily mounted for painters, contractors- and they also came with ladder carriers)
         Taxicabs came equipped with silk curtains. Ambulances came equipped a medicine chest, heater, fan, thermos bottles, wash basin, and a stretcher. Funeral hearses came equipped with green mohair casket stops.
         Each vehicle was listed with Operating Cost Analysis charts, which included based on an average of 85 miles per day, Cost Per Mile, Cost Per day, Cost Per Year. Ford even figured in depreciation. He listed Ford Fleet Owners of many national companies owning 200 or more of his Ford trucks. American Telegraph and Telephone Company & subs owned by far most at 8207 units. Swift company & subsidiaries came in second owning 2957 units.  
         I visited Ford’s summer home in Fort Myers and was told a great story about the man. One day a delivery driver came on the Edison/Ford property, and was stopped at the gate by none other than Henry Ford, although the delivery driver was unaware it was Mr Ford. Ford then proceeded to ask the driver all about his truck, what he liked and what he did not like. The driver shared his experiences about the vehicle with Ford and finally drove off to make the delivery. Asked what held the delivery man up, he explained a man had interrogated him at the gate. It was then he learned it was none other than Henry Ford himself.
 
 

It has been a couple of months since I posted but really I have not been idle. In fact, I don't know too many moms and dads who have much idle time. My husband and I went away together... alone. I am not sure if this would be considered a phenomenon of parents who are caregivers to their disabled chilren or disabled young adults like one of our sons, however, it was not easy to just leave. Although, I perfectly trust my other capable adult son to care for his older brother, I still had a sense of urgency to get things in order, in the event something should happen to us. I prepared extensive medical notes with my son's meds and medical history, physician contacts and vital information. This will be something attached to his wheelchair. Also in this time frame before we left, I facilitated a new pulmonologist for my son. It was not easy because I wanted to present myself as intelligent and articulate and educated in what my son needs to be healthy. I wanted this doctor because he follows a different protocol than the other doctors in the practice and he has educated himself in the care of patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He sees another young man I know with MD. Up until recently, I have experienced that many of the doctors disregard the knowledge that parents possess, possibly because they may not have the experience, and perhaps they do not have the time to do the research. I mean no disrespect to doctors at all. In fact, recently I told the new pulmonary doctor that I know many women across the country whom have emailed a certain specialist from the ER rooms where their children lie, usually critical, and this specialist will email the families back almost immediately with instructions for the local doctors. I know this because I am in touch with many families around the world via Facebook, whose sons share the same illness that my son has. The expertise and knowledge shared between parents is extremely valuable. There is no need to keep reinventing the wheel and to expect doctors to know everything. I did quite a bit of homework for our first appt. with this new doctor. I read a book and highlighted information on a packet of papers, in order to be proactive in our son's care. I told the doctor that I wanted to know that when an emergency  arises with my son, that I do not have to spend valuable time arguing with them regarding his care. We want a solid team of professionals who will listen to us and most importantly will listen to our other son, in case my husband and I are absent and our affected son may not be able to speak for himself. My son agreed to fill out a medical Power of Attorney . I also filled out medical directives for myself. This week, we will also be receiving some new equipment, two ventilators, one for day and one for night. We will all be trained on it. My son has mixed feelings about needing more equipment, and I suppose that is valid. I recall when he received his first wheelchair, then the hospital bed, then a hoyer lift, then a cough assist machine, then a bipap, and now new vents. It may be bittersweet, but everything will be ok once we all get used to the new hardware.

 

 Thinking back through the years, I recall living at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1991 for two months.  We had flown there from Bad Kissingen , Germany. I was there because we were trying to find out what was wrong with our four year old son. Our lives were forever changed, however we have come a long way since then. In later years, I recall how our media vilified Walter Reed after veterans started coming home and we did not have enough facilities to care for them. I thought that the medical staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was excellent. At the time we were there, we were not at war and there was not a lot of strain on US military medical resources. It happened during every war…. not enough supplies… not enough life boats… not enough of anything and certainly not enough medical care to treat those coming home. Imagine what it was like during WW2 when those lucky enough to come home, thousands upon thousands needing care when they reached our shores again? Imagine those same young men who joined the military to fight a war on two fronts, the European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre ? Many joined because they were hungry and so were their families. They were children of the Great Depression and they never turned back once they left. I have read diaries of Westbrook soldiers who went to Okinawa and know of several Westbrook families who sustained great loss, one family had six sons who served during WW2. Another family had four sons, and two died in Europe. One ordinary man flew 33 missions and came back to work at SD Warren. They just did what was expected of them and they returned men. So when we get upset because our soldiers do not have the best of everything, remember the soldiers before them, in every war. The ultimate sacrifice was paid by many a young man and woman. I know a woman who was a nurse in Vietnam and was part of a surgical team on the aircraft as they brought home young men from Vietnam, and she saw many who did not make the flight. She flew back and forth picking up the wounded and caring for them.  This woman served a very long time and lost 2 husbands who were both pilots. Imagine such a loss… and I will always remember what my friend Phil, who passed away a year ago, once told me. He was a veteran of WW2 and his diary told of his worry and uncertainty of his journey across the Pacific, not knowing his destiny would be Okinawa. He was a born historian and not surprisingly his father also kept a journal of his experiences during WW1 in France. Phil told me that there could not be an Independence Day without a Memorial Day. We cannot celebrate our freedom without the day of rememberance.

        Today, thinking of both definitions of convenience and inconvenience, I paused to really think what each meant to me. Sometimes they can both be viewed to be a bad thing. Convenience took us away from the hum drum of everyday toil raising our own crops to the modern day grocery store where after 50 years or so, people have no idea how to grow their own food and be self sufficient. Convenience brought us the remote control so now we must no longer get off the couch to turn off the television. Convenience took us away from the dinner table with conversation amongst family to fast food on the way home so we can spend more time with our family. Convenience has made us overweight and unprepared. Our love affair with gadgets from cell phones to Ipods, to computers all with Wifi and 24/7 access to global events is more than we need. This leads me to my next thought about who controls the flow of information? 
         I would have said a few years ago that governments control the flow of information however today I think it is Google who is now in charge. I believe Google is fighting for control of what information we will receive and they are fighting for that title globally. Their name is on my Verizon Droidx phone. In order to make comments on my Youtube account now, I must link to Google and use a password. My thoughts are that Google will be in control of the distribution of information and will share our information with anyone of their choice. Of course these ate my own beliefs.
         Lastly, the word inconvenience is one I have been pondering for the past couple of days. Is a new baby, or a pet an inconvenience, an interruption to our old lives? Taking care of an elderly parent, could possibly be regarded as an inconvenience. Perhaps one day, we will take a moment to pause and think, perhaps these inconveniences or interruptions are somehow meant to humble us for a bit. Caregiving is about putting someone’s needs before your own sometimes, however still trying to take care of yourself in the meantime. I was going to be in a road race this past weekend and was not sure I would make it because my young adult son was sick. Rather than get myself all stressed about it, I focused on what he needed. We got him well enough to take to my parents for a few hours so I could participate in the race. Afterwards, I drove immediately back there and avoided all the free food and accolades. These are the type of concessions we must sometimes make. I have no complaints as I just try to make the most of all we have. It all depends on how we perceive things whether or not something is viewed as an inconvenience or not. Our attitudes have a lot to do with how we view it. 
        Some may think it is an inconvenience to care for an adult son who is completely dependent on me for his daily activities, such as getting dressed, toileting, feeding, grooming. However, I am devoted to care for him because that is my duty and a big part of who I have become. Divine Intervention?  I think that Divine Intervention has occurred quite often in my life. It has saved me from being killed in accidents, avoiding accidents, given me closure when my feelings of a relative at death’s door called me one last time, just in time to say goodbye. These things have happened often. Lastly, I used to feel we were victims of this illness my son has, however now I feel that it was no mistake that life hands us these challenges. I am grateful for both of my sons and they are whom they were meant to be ,even if it may not conveniently fit the norm. For this, I am grateful.

 

                    Christmas then, Christmas now. From our earliest memories of Christmases past spent with siblings, to where we are all today, Christmas is surely to bring with it the many emotions that are within all of us. “He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sakes!” [1934, Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots], must be in the back of everyone’s mind because kindness & patience are in the air at Christmastime.
                     My earliest memory was playing in my room alongside of my brother as we had awoken to find big stuffed stockings on our beds. It seemed we played for hours. I recall my brother had a tin y metal carrier truck with tiny metal cars that fit onto it. Even then, I do not remember what I had except maybe one of those little vinyl purses with a clear front, printed back and a mirror and comb under a snapped opening. I can still smell that new fresh vinyl smell of Christmas morning. Some of my earliest memories were coming down the stairs and seeing sleds for us, which were standing up against the wall, unwrapped… and another year, seeing 3 rocking chairs with our names hand-lettered onto the backs. Our littlest sister didn’t have a rocking chair because that was probably the year she was born just before Christmas in November. How Santa knew all our names and how to spell them was amazing to me. One year we listened to the radio with updates of Santa flying over Maine. We were all sitting around the table with our father. He then told us to look out the window because there was a bright red light in the sky. It was Rudolph’s nose!! Actually, only later did I find out it was the light on one of those radio towers. Then there was the year we got up very early, all four of us. It was about 430AM when the phone rang. It our cousin across the street who told me to get ourselves back to bed because our parents had just gone to bed. I told my siblings that all we had to do was close the shades so our cousin couldn’t see us. The memories are still there 45 years later. I had a wonderful childhood, full of warm memories with my siblings and the life our parents gave to us. Those memories form our Christmas from year to year as we keep adding new memories and traditions.
                     Over the years we have all had losses, and we must carry forward to make the best of what we have. When we lost grandparents, two cousins, and other people who were important to us, finding meaning during the Christmas season sometimes was not easy. Over the years, I have tried to stay in touch with many parents who have kids with Muscular Dystrophy. We can help each other with our knowledge and be supportive and will do whatever we can to help each other. Some have lost their sons and we must keep them close to our hearts. They have a lot to share with the rest of us. Today the community is closer and quicker to get responses because of social network sites like Face book. I was recently looking for information on how to reach a famed muscular dystrophy doctor in New Jersey. Within 5 minutes I had his contact info, including email addresses as parents from all over the world responded to my request. I see this as a valuable tool to give the best care to our children and our adult children. My need to be a part of this social network site is more important than my need to opt out of it, as I did previously. If adding pictures which show why we need a new piece of equipment for a wheelchair helps others in their quest to also get equipment aiding in their child’s independence, then the site is extremely worthwhile. Lastly, parents who have lost their children also need to be able to share their information with the rest of us. It is a win- win situation, but sometimes also bittersweet. Thank goodness for my DMD family. You are always there for me. The social network sites generally bring about a kind of support for each other because we are generally interested in how others are doing.
                     Each Christmas, I think of those who are no longer here and I know in my heart, they would want us to find love and peace each holiday season. They are never forgotten because they have been a large part of our lives and our Christmases past. There are always others we need to focus on throughout the year who may need us, whether it is a neighbor, someone in a nursing home, a parent, a friend, or a Christmas Family for whom the office may be purchasing presents. Christmas is a wonderful time to remind us to think of others throughout the year because we need to think beyond ourselves and our own problems. With this written, I must agree that there really is a Santa Claus. May God bless you all in the New Year. We are all thankful you are part of our lives.
 

                    Well last night after checking my status on Facebook, I was mortified what I had found. I had previously posted an article which I thought was interesting and somewhat political. It was a story about the think tank Maine Heritage Policy Center. The Center said that Maine was the state with the highest amount of people on welfare, one in three being dependent. My comment was ‘Good article’. One of my friends is very liberal and has quite a following of progressive thinkers who read her blog. Between my relatives who are conservative and her postings, I felt hurt by what I saw posted. By no means do I think I am thin skinned, but I have many people with whom I discuss ideas and in no way have I ever felt I was absolutely right all the time. Also in no way have I ever resorted to name calling. We are supposed to be respectful of others and try to listen to their ideas as well. There was a great deal of attacking going on in the post, so I decided with much regret to post one last comment.
                     “It is with much regret that I am deactivating my Facebook Account. I have enjoyed it as a tool to keep in touch with family across the globe, and friends, some who grew up in Redbank and others who are DMD moms. It was a great way to share. In the meantime, this will free up my time to pursue other things like my blog http://blog.likes2write.com and to reach me by email fiddlinsuz@roadrunner.com .  I also have to work on my ornaments for the upcoming fairs. I love you all and I will miss our daily contact.”
                     So today, Sept 11, 2010 is a day with great importance to the world, especially the American people who felt the pain of that day upon our own soil. Today is my first day without Facebook and I miss it already. However my life will go on, like it did before Facebook. I am hoping the year will be filled with more tolerance between family and friends.
 

 

                    Since I just finished vacation, having spent hours of my day conversing about domestic politics and world affairs, playing dominoes, running, biking, swimming, reading all the local rags, embroidering and visiting; some might wonder if it really was a vacation. I can assure you it was because I spent each day exactly as I wanted. Of course this doesn’t count all the random thoughts that race around our heads.
                     I have a few goals for myself and I think of how I will accomplish the physical challenges of those goals. I plan to run a 5k race on Labor Day. My webpage has been idle for three years, and I need to do something with that. This is the site I want to build so I can sell my ornaments. My fear is that one day I shall wake up and have a million orders. That is probably ridiculous to fear that because it would spell success to others. 
                     With some of the things I want to accomplish, the enemy is time. I am at an age that I feel I have to finish some of these projects, if only I did not have a full time job. I am careful how I choose to spend my time. It is sort of like when one buys a house and you build equity. At some point the value of your house outweighs purchasing another house. It makes no sense to double up on payments after you have owned your house for half the life of the mortgage. It is wiser to use your extra money elsewhere.
                     We all have albatrosses around our necks. Our family has a handicap van which typically costs the price of two vans combined (about 42,000). I have thought often about providing a service to those who need transport and are at the mercy of transportation which needs to be reserved 3 days in advance. The rest of the world does not have to reserve three days ahead of time, so why should the disabled community? The cost of the van is paid for with money my son receives in assistance. We would not need a van for transport if he was not part of our family. Having a family member who is wheelchair bound, requires a lot of money. The van had to be financed for ten years, and of course it will probably not last that long. The funniest letter I received was from the bank upon our purchase of the van. “Congratulations on the purchase of your recreational vehicle.” 
                     There are others struggling to maintain what they have. A local young man who just turned twenty-one and previously received 24/7 care in his home has had his services reduced to three hours per day. The young man has multiple disabilities, is non verbal and non ambulatory, and his parents are working full time. I worry about them and what may happen regarding their son’s care. The current financial crisis in the state of Maine leaves many people at risk in the same predicament. In a time when so many people think everyone deserves some sort of handout, I believe the best helping hand is at the end of your arm.  The wallet is empty.
                     It is good to be back from vacation and back into the work mode, but there is always something to do…..and I love it.

                    The art of blogging is my way to stay connected and share ideas which I find informative and interesting as well as a way to tell my stories. Sometimes I am not always sure what I will write. I have a folder stuffed with articles I have found interesting and hope to use as part of my blog content.
                     I am particularly interested in communication since time began as well as current affairs, and changes within individual families and how family life has changed over the years before the industrial revolution. These topics are repeated over and over in my blog because I find we need to stay connected to what is important and quite often those are values which have been eroded over time. Of course, this is only my opinion, but my beliefs are deep rooted.
                     Recently I read an article in AARP, dated March/April 2010, written by David Dudley. He is the editor of Urbanite Magazine out of Baltimore. The magazine was in a doctor’s office but I delighted in the very beginning…”We tweet, we text, we e-mail. Everybody’s chatting, but is anybody listening? Why America needs to revive the vanishing art of conversation. We need to talk.”
 He begins his story in the park with his little daughter and as she is talking away, he is answering an e-mail, somewhat out of touch with what she is talking about. He looked up to notice others connected to their iPods, and blackberries. He had a moment of realization.
                     The article mentioned Daniel Menaker (editor of New Yorker and Random House), who writes about  conversation in his book, “A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation” He says he is worried because he feels that people today may feel obligated to be available in a public space, such as the many social networking online sites. It seems to me that email may be no longer enough. Menaker feels that we may become a country of overly connected hermits. I think Menaker makes a valid point.
Thinking about my own email, it usually consists of comments from Facebook. Whenever our extended family does get together, the younger teens are often unavailable for conversation if they are connected to their technology.
                     The article also mentions a psychiatrist from Harvard, Richard Schwartz, who co-authored with his wife a book entitled , “The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century”. Simultaneous Connection and Isolation are what our lives are about these days. He told of a patient asking if they could do a counseling session over the telephone.
                     According to Menaker, the golden age of conversation was in the pre-industrial era. Ideas came about because dialogue was exchanged. It was a civil society. Menaker spoke of his feelings that there will be a loss of humane regard as digital technology is on the rise. People can post anonymously and write what they wish , oftentimes with no regard to another person’s feelings.
                     Jacqueline Leo, former editor in chief of Readers Digest, writes in her book, “Seven: the number for Happiness, Love and Success”, about the distractions of digital media and the loss of the art of listening. She thinks that because we are addicted to the technology because of our conceit, that we cannot put it down. Technology gives us a feeling of importance.
                     All in all, I must say I am going to try to be more conscious of how I spend my time, but not before I post this to my Facebook. Then I am going to see if I can join Facebook anonymous because I know that I am not the only one!
 
 

 
 

                Mr Philip LaViolet, of Westbrook, was 18 at the time of the invasion of Okinawa. He passed away last year. Phil wrote "April 10th, 1945- Most of the Boys except a few moved down to our new Bivouac area where our big depot is going to be. As we passed the 96th DIV. cemetery, they were burying our soldiers and there were about 25 crosses. I’ll bet than in a few weeks we won’t be able to count all the crosses in this cemetery.”
                 This excerpt taken from Phil’s diary that he transcribed for the Westbrook Historical Society was quite revealing and poignant. That excerpt was written the first week of the invasion. I knew Phil for a few years and enjoyed talking with him often when he would come up to the historical society to work on his war veteran collection. I still miss his stories and his presence there.
 I knew about Phil’s diary but never read it while he was alive. He wrote with great humor, detail and with great historical references. I believe he was a born historian. After reading his diary, I am convinced of that.
                 He joined the army like so many young men of that generation did. Basic training was at Camp Shelby in Louisiana , with weeks of sleeping on the ground outside in the cow pastures full of manure and mud. There was a comical drawing made by one of his comrades of Bugs, known as Major Pritz. One of the fellows gave him that nickname because he had two front teeth which protruded. In Phil’s descriptions, every time Bugs would shout orders, they all began with, “Damn it!” The writing is very descriptive and it appears that the guys were entertained with Bugs’ charades. In later years, Phil had handwritten an addition to an excerpt explaining that they had the highest respect for Bugs, and the humorous anecdotes were in no way meant to be disrespectful of the man they calls Bugs. Several times in the diary, Phil credits Bugs for turning them all into men, part of a fine unit. He credits Bugs for helping to prepare them for what they were later to experience as the Invasion of Okinawa on April 1st, 1945.
                 One of his fellow friends was named Edward Sestak. I can’t help but wonder if Joe Sestak, veteran and politician, from Pennsylvania may have been a relation, because his family has military ties. It is interesting to read history and find these connections.
                 He wrote about their Sunday services and how they were lucky to have them. Interestingly, he noted that there were many more fellows attending these services than did so while in the States. He wondered if they were afraid, or cowards who wanted to repent. Phil was raised with a strong religious background in the town of Westbrook, Maine. He told me once that since there was no Catholic High School, his mother sent him to Worcester, Massachusetts to attend Assumption College High School to continue his religious education. Jokingly he told me that his mother didn’t think there would be too many girl distractions in Worcester, but Phil said that of course there were girls down there. 
                Once I started reading, I could not put the diary down. It was compelling to read as he wrote with much description. Phil wrote about the huge convoy headed for the Pacific somewhere. As far as he could see, he estimated about five thousand ships, and described destroyers, carriers, tankers, battleships and so on. At some point the convoy became smaller Phil mentioned. He thought it had split. In fact, when they finally found out that they were headed to Okinawa, he wrote about the convoy meeting again for the invasion. His description of the ships all together was most impressive. He felt that the invasion was larger than the one at Normandy.  (Battle of Okinawa was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific Campaign , quoted by one Okinawan as “storm of steel”) Quite often in his writing, he reveals his belief that there will be much friction between the European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre. The reasons were that their European counterparts had towns, taverns, women and were basically spoiled in comparison to those serving in the Pacific. The European Theatre also had USO shows. He wrote that this friction that would be ever present.
                 This young man thought and wrote as he journeyed across the ocean unaware of where he was headed or what was in store for him. Their only stop would be in Hawaii for a while. Before they left, Bugs spoke to the men and told them he would not be going with them but would be joining them shortly. Phil wrote how Bugs appeared a little choked up, but assured the men that they would be ok. He mentioned how Bugs probably just told them that to help prepare them all, unsure what their destination held for each of them. It had been 56 days with no mail from home. The moral was not good.
                 Kamikaze planes shot at a few of the allied ships, in all taking out about 34 ships. The Japanese aircraft loss was very significant in the Invasion of Okinawa, almost eight thousand planes.  Upon arrival, amphibious landings proved successful partly due to all the practice landings they had done.  Phil wrote how they heard Tokyo Rose broadcasting and calling men in their unit by name as they were landing. Okinawa was situated about 400 miles south of Japan, proving to be a strategic location to cut off Japanese sea lines of communication and also their supply lines of materials from the south. The Japanese on the island did not choose to fight allies at the beach, but rather waited inland. By nightfall some 60,000 landed on the beach unopposed. Immediately, roads were built, and camps set up trenches and foxholes dug to accommodate all the soldiers. Then nearly every night they were raided by Japanese, either by planes or by snipers, sometimes flying so close to the foxholes, you could light a cigarette, Phil wrote. 
                Communication of world events was significantly far different then in comparison to today. For instance, Phil wrote that they heard had heard of the death of FDR ,however it was two days later when they received the news of their Commander in Chief’s death. They had also heard of Germany’s surrender later.
                About two or three weeks later, “Bugs” Major Pritz joined his troops again. The men were happy to see him, however their experiences had been quite intense since they last saw Bugs. The first day upon Bugs’ arrival, there was an air raid and the men grabbed their helmets and ran for cover, some for the foxholes. Bugs jumped into a foxhole and LaViolet later wrote that Bugs had pissed his pants. It wasn’t long before Bugs was shouting orders and busting people. LaViolet wrote that Bugs should be careful because “over here” someone wouldn’t care and could put a bullet into Bug's head. This was in May. 
                On June 20th, LaViolet writes about General Bruckner getting killed because he wanted to see what the infantry was up to in Naha, capital of Okinawa and was caught in battle.  Throughout his diary, he writes of the fighting, and death around him as he did in June when he wrote of six Japanese men killed. On July 5th, a dud exploded, killing twenty five Americans. His diary is full of photos of his comrades and places and events. He also attached several articles of historical interest to the campaign and also Japanese customs, though like any soldier did not think kindly of the enemy. Phil wrote of meeting a fellow Westbrook boy named Gerald Fluett in August. On August 10th Phil wrote of the excitement in the use of the A-Bomb to end this war. The following day, August 11th, there was a wild excitement and reckless celebration over the rumor that the Japanese were going to surrender. The reckless behavior continued long after the commanding officer’s shouts to stop the behavior were ignored. Phil and others dove onto the ground with helmets to avoid the gunshots by fellow soldiers. After the ordeal was over, six men had been killed from the wild behavior. Phil wrote that the guys went crazy when they heard rumor of surrender. Once the surrender did take place, Phil and some fellow soldiers went into town to look around. Evidently, they entered a building that had been shelled and they were scavenging. They heard some noises and a group of soldiers found some Japanese soldiers hiding. The Japanese were shot. They could have easily shot the Americans because the Americans were unaware they were so close. 
                 He later wrote of men having accumulated points. The men with the most points, because of being married and/or having children, would be allowed to go home first. It seems there was a lot of bureaucracy in getting the men home and frustrations mounted. At the end, LaViolet was to be part of the Occupied Army and was stationed in Korea after the war. It took some time but he finally got home. 
                I am grateful I finally read of Phil’s experiences. I have always held him in high esteem, a good humble family man whose true gift was his passion for history and his devotion to God and family and friends.

                     I sought permission from one of Phil's daughters to post this story and she obliged graciously.

                    A recent trip to Florida, I met a new older woman who I enjoyed conversing with immensely. She was retired as a patient service coordinator, the liaison between patients and doctors and the facilitation of necessary medical services which could help the patient. She loved her job and she was good at it. I had a great sense of that after our day long journey on the water filled with conversation. With the various experiences our family has had with the medical field, I know just how important her job is to patients.
                     She was full of wisdom and that is why I think I have always enjoyed conversing with those who have experienced life longer than me. They have a different perspective on how it all fits together. She said that it all boils down to “A little respect goes a long way” She spoke of how she put up with a lot of things with her first husband that she would never put up with now. She was also working in a funeral business talking with families who had come to make arrangements for their loved ones. She also was very good at that. Sometimes people just need to talk and have someone listen to them.
                     The older I get, the more I seem to understand about certain things. I always  believed in God but was not really sure of what role God played in my particular life. Some of my life experiences, I have consciously reached for help in my distress. I found by doing so that I was able to come to some peace with turmoil I had been experiencing. Anyone who has been married for any length of time could tell you if they chose to share, that it is difficult sometimes to stay together because we all change as time marches on. We handle things differently and it is not always together as a couple. Marriage is different for all of us. I have come to believe that it is our faith that helps us through painful life experiences and for some, to persevere through the bad times as well as the good times. Marriage is not for wimps. Some people just accept their lot in life and try to find meaning in that. Maybe I am way off, but this is what I have come to believe. 
                     Acceptance ….accept ourselves that we could possibly be similar to our parents whom we do not always tolerate…..accept our parents because they did nothing but try their best, with no instructions to raise us into decent human beings, and always loved us unconditionally even when we disappointed them….accept your children the same way your parents accepted you. Life is sometimes sad when we don’t receive what we expected, in the form of perfect children, perfect spouses, and aging parents. Life is about constant change and how we choose to react. Each day is new, and the older we get, we can count our blessings that we saw the sun shine again, or the snow fall. Live life, because it is now. Time wasted is just that. Time wasted. Ask yourselves, what can you do to make things a little nicer for someone else? After all we have to live with our own selves and it is “not all about me”. There is room enough to fill your hearts with love and face the day with a smile knowing that you did your best today.
 

            It has been a long time since I put pen to paper. Now that I am back home, enjoying life in my new kitchen, it is time to start posting some more blogs. You know the older I get, I am so lucky to have a nice family. You can fill your life up with so many distractions… that sometimes we forget what is important. At the end of the day, it is my parent’s  and my sisters whom I call each day, sometimes more than once. I spoke with my sisters about this and one of my sisters feels the same, but the other sister is very independent and knows our parents are always there for her, so she seldom calls, as she is very busy herself. Once I read a newspaper column about a man who was en route to the emergency room, very upset because he had no time for being sick. He filled his life with work… and in the end, at the emergency room as he lay dying, there was nobody with him…..and yes that article bothered me somewhat. It stuck with me.
             Since I am back home, I have been trying to be more tolerant of those who need me a little more than I sometimes wish to spend. It is difficult to be a caregiver but it is not the person’s fault in any way. Sometime’s it is a lesson I need to be taught, for whatever reason. Life is really about acceptance on many different levels. I have a lot to learn because after all, none of us are finished products.
             Sometimes it is about having to let go… letting go of bothersome issues with the past and somehow finding peace with them, letting go of feeling like we are in some sort of control of our young adult children, because they have already learned what you tried to teach them, and letting go of demons from the past. I can say that I believe that women and men of yesteryear, had so many issues as married couples, but they never burdened their kids with them. Sometimes I wonder if it is better that we were left out of the realities of marriage, of parenthood, the realities of childbirth and the realities of being a woman. 
            Today a woman has so many choices but it boils down to one thing. We cannot have it all even though we have been led to believe that we can have it all. Something has to be sacrificed. I do not wish to be a big CEO executive. I want to find balance between being a mom, a wife and something for me. I think most women feel this way, if they are part of a family. I do not want to be identified by my work, even though what I do as a hobby is important to me, more important than my real life profession. 
I think about people I knew and are now long gone…and what I learned from them. I learned from my cousin Marietta about the grace of trying to live as normal a life as she could. She was tough in her own way. She lived before inclusion became a law and never had full independence and she died at the age of thirty-one in a nursing home because her mother died a few years before from cancer. 
            I recall David Roberts, the young man who lived down the street. He just lived his life, and experienced many medical difficulties. He went to dialysis three times per week, but rode a bike often and made puzzles and toys from wood. It is the hope that tomorrow will be a better day and to accept that. That takes a great deal of courage and grace. These people I knew have so much to offer and they think that their lives have nothing to offer…. Though they are rich in the experience and the secret of the happiness to life…because their distractions are prioritized…… if only we could know where our priorities lie… and then we would unlock the secret to the real happiness in our lives. May we all learn acceptance somewhere along the way, and to recognize when it is presented to us.

 

The current political events of the day, seem to get me wound up on so many levels. I believe that the destruction of the US dollar, our economy and Capitalism are inevitable because the new global economy, and world health system, redistribution of wealth will replace our current government. I believe that Capitalism needs to be destroyed if it is to be replaced by a new global government and currency.  Capitalism is a threat to the new world order, I believe. After all, why would anyone ever want to get ahead? Of course I am being facetious .I think our grandfathers who fought in World War 2 would not recognize what they were fighting for today because today we are becoming more of a communistic society.  Their war would not be won, because of 24/7 newsfeeds. Then everyone was part of the war effort, not like today where America is so far removed from the warfront that they are most likely shopping somewhere. Soldiers and their actions would be scrutized, held to a standard which nobody could attain. This is only my belief. Unfortunately , some news stations warn of the US government straying from the US Constitution. It stirs discontent amongst us, which is good, because we need to be aware. However, the US government has been far removed from the US Constitution since before the Great Depression. People lost everything during the Depression, had land confiscated and generally lost all their properties and basic human rights which were violated. Some were even murdered by their own US soldiers, including a time when Patton, Eisenhower , and other notables took orders from their Commander in Chief (US President) and fired and bayoneted the citizens of the US because the citizens only wanted their Bonuses for serving in WW1 which they had been promised. They had marched on Washington, ten or so years after the war  and after the attack, they left empty handed  with no bonus money. The reason for the Bonus Marchers journey to Washington, was that many were unemployed and had very hungry families at home . Today unemployment in many counties across America is at twenty percent. People who worked on the trains allowed many to ride the rails for free hopping on boxcars all across America to convene in Washington DC to collect their bonus money. It happened then and it can happen again. People were starved and it continued for much longer than needed- all because those in power wanted to keep the average person down. Though President Hoover was pretty much blamed for the Stock Market Crash, it was FDR who was accused of prolonging the Great Depression, a time when people in America actually died from starvation. Many people interviewed in Studs Terkel’s  book, Hard Times, referred to FDR as the Great Destroyer. Knowing the history of our country can help us not to repeat the same mistakes . Today, so many rely on the US  government to solve so many of their problems, and some are seemingly just plain lazy, that we are not so different from our Communist counterparts, waiting for that check to come in so we can buy our food, pay our rent and get whatever it is that we are ‘entitled’. It reminds me of the time I lived In Germany when the wall came down and the feelings the West Germans had for their East German neighbors. Many felt that the East Germans had become lazy over time, waiting for the government to solve their problems and they became infuriated when the East Germans came to West Germany to take jobs and get priority housing and retrieve their government checks at the work station. The East Germans received assistance and discontent grew amongst the West Germans because they subsidized those entitlement checks. We have grown lazy and I wonder why our grandfathers ever fought WW2, because they would not recognize the complacency which has replaced being actively involved in government affairs. Complacent,uninformed,and many uneducated citizens have replaced the last generation. Is it always a good thing to give your children everything, so that they may have a better life than yours? My thoughts are as follows. After reading a lifetime’s worth of diaries from the mid 1800’s of an ancestor, I have found that money was regarded as a highly valued tool. My ancestors did not have their mailboxes filled with catalogs, or a television selling them 24/7 items that they felt they needed, or malls or magazines…or grocery stores They took a  newspaper once a week which had advertisements. My ancestors, bought only what they needed, spent very little on frivolous things, and more importantly had a great deal of money because taxes were not that high .I read about transactions of thousands of dollars, in a time when taxes were 24 dollars per year, including property, and poll taxes. I read most often that money was used as a tool, and when loaning to relatives, the stipulation was to always pay back with interest. Nobody was ‘given’ anything. There were no free rides .It is interesting to compare that time period when prices were tied to the land, for instance the cost of grain compared to today and how the dollar is all afloat, not tied to anything of great value. I have come to believe that were are chained to China and Americans may want to rethink their dependency upon China. Americans should be concerned.

            The past few months have been very busy. Since June, I made a commitment to myself, to change my ways and make exercise a part of my life. If it was not for my husband, I would not have connected with a trainer who changed my life. My husband paid my trainer up front for a few months of sessions, so that I could begin to feel better. He gave me a business card and told me to call the trainer, whose name is  Davis. Remembering our first meeting, I recall how scared I was to meet with my trainer. I was embarrassed that I had let myself get into such bad shape over the years. Since Davis was only 20 years old, I was also intimidated by his youthfulness and athletic ability but I quickly realized how dedicated he was to health and fitness. I knew I had to make some changes because I felt I would not live long as I did not feel well. Davis was committed to me three times per week. Every visit was different as he mixed up the circuits and exercise. He quickly learned what my abilities were and planned every meeting with my exercise program in order. I can honestly say I seldom did anything twice. I ran up and down the stairs at the old Dana Warp Mill, lifted weights, did cardio workouts on the stair master , hopped, jumped, ran and did extreme abdominal workouts. I did jumping jacks, hopped across rope ladder rungs and threw heavy medicine balls. I laid on my back doing abdominal twists, scissors and bridges. Later on, I would meet him at a track and I was able to work my way up to running nonstop for one mile. I ran up and down the football field, ran up and down the bleachers and also ran up and down the hill. Davis has been a wealth of information and as I told his employer, “Davis knows his stuff and has changed my life”. I learned how to do planks, bridges and rows, and dead lifts, thanks to Davis.
             My reason for mentioning all of this is that it has been six months and we have reached the end of our 3x per week training sessions. I have lost 22 pounds and about four inches around my waist. If I can do it, any one of you can do it. Too many people are looking for quick weight loss solutions but I firmly believe that it takes very hard work to achieve your goals. I have done things I never thought I could do and Davis pushed me harder than anyone ever has pushed me. There are no quick solutions. The best advice I could give anyone I know is to hire a personal trainer because I have learned so much from Davis. I would highly recommend him because he is very serious and he is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. You can't put a price on good fitness and I can honestly say I feel like I have my former life back. My weight was about 190 lbs and it incapacitated me. If anyone is serious about changing their lifestyle, I can put you in touch with Davis. I am going to miss my sessions with him. Thank you Davis, for being committed to showing me the way to a lifestyle filled with better health and fitness. You have changed my life. I hope to still see you at the gym.
 
 

The Day the Music Died

 

                    1970……doesn’t seem very long ago. In the seventies, various forms of music delivery were possible. Everything was hard copy. I had friends with eight track players, cassette players and we all had vinyl. As a young teen, I had a large vinyl collection which soon sat on the shelf collecting dust as I began purchasing cassettes as they became my music media of choice. As an adult, I prefer to purchase CD’s now digitally mastered. Today my kids listen to YouTube or they purchase iTunes which enables them to prepay for downloads. Vinyl had dimension. In comparison to listening to a digitally mastered CD, my belief is that the music is very flat, no volume. With technology continually bursting upon the horizon, something is always lost however the excitement of something new and innovative holds our interests. The day the Music died, doesn't just refer to the death of Buddy Holly from Don McLean's song  American Pie. The music has changed today.
                    Back in the fifties,, several artists might sing the same song hence many covers available for purchase. I think today several artists are doing the same thing. The technology is amazing. The popularity of YouTube is partly due to the social networking it promotes amongst the people. The baby boomers enjoy the nostalgia of searching for old clips from television programs, and all ages enjoy the tutorials. Occasional humorous clips entertain all ages. It is a tool, also a way to spread messages across the masses. Now imagine if we had to go back to the days before the internet. I read an article from WebBiz Winter 2010 issue. It stated that the internet had first been available to college students. A college student Marc Andreeson, age 21, worked on the first browser Mosaic which quickly spread by “word of mouth” [the viral loop] over the internet. According to the article by Adam Penenberg, when Bill Clinton became President in 1993, there were approximately 20 websites. Penenburg said today there are over one billion websites today. From the days of my youth, I would write a letter and anxiously await a reply when today I can have an instant reply either by email or by instant messaging via the web. I can probably say that I am grateful I did not have these distractions as a young girl. How could our kids possibly understand our world before the internet?

            The Wall Street Journal dated January 11^th, 2010 had an article by L. Gordon Crovitz {Information Age} entitled ‘China’s Web Crackdown Continues’ kept my interest as I read about Nicholae Ceausescu and his oppression of the people of Romania. Who would have thought that owning a typewriter warranted registering it or one could be committing a crime punishable by death?This was in 1967. It was all about the control of information and the power to censor material written against the leader who was eventually tried and executed with the collapse of communism some twenty or more years later. Today, no matter where one lives, governments control the flow of information to the masses. In the United States, we may be known to have several alternative forms of media, unlike the rest of the world, however it is my belief that our delivery of information is somewhat censored depending upon the subject matter. I can safely say after reading the article, I feel fortunate that I can access sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Face book, all sites banned in China. However last week many Chinese, some 300 million internet users were surprised to find they could access sites for a short time until the government stepped it up to replace the sites with error messages. I think it is basically a tool to keep the people suppressed, so they will not revolt against their government. Those in charge are afraid of the masses because we out number them. Their government monitors the people through their internet use. Hmmm… I wonder what our government is doing in this regard. This all reminds me of the mill workers in the late 1800’s. Mill bosses would place many different nationalities on each floor so they would no organize against the bosses and cause a mill shutdown, due to bad working conditions. If the language equation is then dismanted, then the power of a united voice is lost. This kept the bosses in power. There have been many times in history when governments have monitored the people and this has been bad. This is a perfect example of the people fulfilling their duty to keep a watchful eye on the growth of government. We should never feel that circumstances are beyond our control.

 

            Each year, I like to get together with my mom and sisters and go window shopping in Portland. We usually buy a few trinkets and some real gifts however the time we spend together is most important. Driving through Portland, I am delighted each year to see more and more of Pandora LaCasse’s illuminated sculptures adorning the buildings and trees throughout the downtown and the parks.

            This year,we walked around the streets darting in and out of shops looking for unique treasures. We went into Gritty McDuff’s for some food and drink. I can think of no other way to spend time during the holidays than with family. Receiving Christmas cards from friends near and far allows me to realize how lucky I have been in life, to have a been a friend and to have friends.

            One can’t help but to think of family and friends who are no longer part of our Christmas Tradition. Each year we recall those we have loved and are now gone, keeping their memory close to our hearts. Still, Christmas is about celebrating the gift of the birth of Christ. If anything, it is not our place to cast judgment upon others. When I read tragic news headlines, I wonder how families can cope with their tragedies. Then I think that we are human so it is beyond our ability to sometimes forgive. I suppose that is one of the reasons I believe in a higher power. I believe casting judgment is in God’s hands, not mine and I also believe he is not vengeful, because that would make him human- like. Treat others with regard to how you would like to be treated. Unfortunately, Christmas is stressful because many emotions are tied to the holiday season. Christmas time is when we think of many with whom we are acquainted and for whatever reasons, we have lost touch. Maybe we had a falling out, a misunderstanding, a fight, yet we are too stubborn to make amends. Pride stands in the way. Time does not heal wounds, it only masks them. Years pass and memories come and go and I often wonder how people are doing at this time of year. I know there are many who struggle this time of year. Every family experiences loss.

            This Christmas was spent at my parents’ home with my sisters and their families. We had a wonderful dinner and spent a great deal of time playing games organized by my sister, Sharon. It was a great way to spend the day. It was perhaps the simplest Christmas we have ever had, very few gifts and little stress. It was all about spending time together. On one shopping excursion, a cashier at the bookstore told me that many people this year were paying with cash and using their debit cards, instead of credit cards. In the city, several vendors told us that it was not a busy year. The Santa Claus fund in the local paper was 100,000 dollars less than last year. I pray that families find new and creative ways to survive this year.

            Wishing you all the very best for the New Year, in prosperity, health and the compassion and love we all need to get by in our lives. For those of you with children; remember a television does not teach our children to love and to have compassion. There is no substitute for family, one that is involved in each other’s lives. A family is about caring for one another. It is about treating grandparents with respect and making them feel they are still vital members of our families. The older I get, the luckier I am to know I have had the love and support of my family all along the way.

            Today, Dec 11th, there was for the first time a H1N1 flu clinic for people with chronic illnesses, especially adults. Previously, healthy schoolchildren and babies have been vaccinated. The old, sick and those living with chronic illness have been having difficulty getting the shots. I spoke with the public health person for Cumberland County and I was told the healthy are being vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading fast amongst the general population. Each week, I have been calling all of my son’s specialists, with no information on when the H1N1 shot would become available. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an illness which should be at the top of the list for the vaccine, but that has not been the case.
             Today I prepared to be at the clinic when it opened. I drove to 180 Park Avenue, in Portland and was there maybe fifteen minutes after it began. I saw swarms of cars entering the parking lot, so I followed them. The lot was full and I saw many turning around on the street trying to find a close parking space. It was very bitter cold outside. All the handicapped spaces were full, with vehicles which did not qualify, I might add. So I drove off trying to find a place to park. My son and I were able to park about 1/10th of a mile away. After maneuvering the sidewalk, we approached the building. I saw many people in the hallway. When we opened the door, it was complete chaos, not noisy, but people all over the stairs with their strollers, children and no apparent sense of order , very unorganized. Worst of all there was nobody there acknowledging the crowd. I waited for about ten minutes at the most assessing the situation. I looked into the room from where I stood, near the entrance door, because we could not move any further. The room where people would be getting their shots was standing room only, no order whatsoever. I saw two men filling out paperwork on a clipboard. I am not sure where they received the clipboards. After ten minutes, I turned around and left. There were hundreds of people there and I felt we would be there all morning. To be honest, my first thought was that the room was probably a germfest, and may not be the best place to be. Much to my disappointment, I left very upset and drove to the pulmonary doctor’s office on Congress Street. They had no vaccines for adults, only children under 36 months. 
             Could the delivery of these vaccines been better? Why is it not accessible for the chronically ill? Portland Public Health knew a large shipment was arriving so why wasn’t it divided amongst the many specialists who deal with the chronically ill? Perhaps it had to do with the source of the funding. I am not sure, but I am very disappointed that it has been unavailable.

                    There is a time for everything. We never know when our time is up or what reason we are here. I have come to believe that everything falls into place, with or without our intervention. It has been awhile since I have written, but it is because I was very busy preparing with my siblings a party for our parents on their 50th wedding anniversary. It was perhaps the most important event we have planned in our lives. My siblings did an exceptional job. I have also been working to maintain good health since June 1st, working with a trainer three times per week. In the meantime, I have been busy doing craft fairs, ornament parties and staying with my parents since our kitchen is in the process of being remodeled. I guess I am a gypsy of sorts.
                     I have missed writing so I will share a few things that have happened. Recently I went up to visit Saccarappa Cemetery and found some stones which were completely vandalized. One stone belonging to Elmer Mitchell which is made of tin, was seemingly vandalized with a sledgehammer. It nauseates me that people could spend their time smashing the memorials of people who are long gone. The stones of many of Westbrook, Maine’s earliest residents are mostly shattered. Of course one cannot hurt the dead, but it sure casts sadness upon the survivors of the dead. 
                     I have been thinking about connections in my life. Recently I told my son, Mike, that he should check out www.winheldsworld.blogspot.com , a site written by a man with Muscular Dystrophy. Coincidently, later that afternoon I saw a post on my Face book page, that he had passed away. Previously, I had only checked his website maybe four or five times. Josh Winheld was an inspiration to many who knew him. If you check the comments after his brother posted the news of Josh’s death, it will break your heart to read a post written by a woman whom was very close to him. It made me cry to read her thoughts. Josh taught me that as parents, we sometimes place limitations on our kids… and that is not good. He taught me that my son could get a college education, could get work, and could find love. You have to admire people for just living their lives despite whatever obstacles they may face. I am thankful I knew about his blog. I am not sure he knew how valuable he was to his readers.
                     I wish you all good health, less stress, and the good fortune to still have a job and a roof over your head. Times are tough. It is time to get back to basics such as learning some new things.  This year I learned to make my own butter, plant a garden, and can jam and jelly. Sundays may be a good time to start getting together with family and friends to start a tradition. My own sisters and I have talked about working on crafts, or bake bread, or work on scrapbooking. It is always good to learn new skills.
 For several years, I have taken the day after Thanksgiving off from work, so that I could take part in the Bonny Eagle Craft Fair to make hand-lettered ornaments while people wait. Part of me was afraid I could not keep up with the orders, so I never acted upon my desire to be in the fair until this year. I sold my ornaments at three craft fairs and did pretty well. I was even asked if I could do an ornament party which I agreed to try, though it was something I had never done. So next year will be more exciting because I have new avenues I want to explore.
                     Today, it is snowing heavily in South Portland, Maine where I am located. It is beautiful outside and soon it will be time to get outside and snowshoe. Enjoy your day.

                    All weekend I have been thinking about Shiloh’s parents. She recently passed away at the tender age of ten. She was one of only three known worldwide who lived with sirenomelia, commonly referred to as mermaid syndrome. She was a true spirit, full of life and determination. As a parent of a child with a disability, I have learned a few things. Some things in life may seem unfair, but life was never fair. I also had a cousin with severe limitations and when she passed, I grieved over what she had been through in her life, but I was grateful that she was part of our lives, in the sixties; a time before inclusion.
                    In my experience, I believe most parents who have children with disabilities sometimes experience chronic sorrow because their children will lead dramatically different lives than their peers. It seems much of the child’s energy, is sometimes spent making others comfortable with them. Parents also feel compelled to have their children accepted by their peers as well as adults. There were times, I had to step back and not put those burdens on my shoulders because I needed to save my strength just to be a mom. I also wanted my son to see that I was dealing with things the best way I knew. When parents finally stop fighting the disability and gain acceptance, then the children gain self acceptance, which is most important.
                     Disabled kids teach their parents just how strong they are as human beings. The strength of the human spirit is remarkable. Inside each and every one of us is that need to live our lives. Sometimes we are not tested early on, like children with illness and disability, until we are older. Then we find that we have great strength when we need it. We will experience denial, fear, anger and sadness but that will take the back burner to acceptance and happiness in the life that we have today. Our children do not want to be made to feel they are a burden, or they are special, or they are fragile. They want people to talk to them not at them. My experience as a mother is not that different from any other mother. I want my children to accept themselves and be the best they can be. My experiences have been intense at times. It was not always easy trying to juggle meeting the needs of my able-bodied son as I was care-giving for my other son. There were times when I had nightmares over my inability to do both. For the most part, I believe I am a better person for having the experiences I have had as a mother. It may be difficult to believe but I would never trade the experience of raising a child with a disability. Of course, in my heart it has been difficult to watch my son experience his losses. It has been difficult for our whole family, especially my youngest son who watched his brother gradually stop walking and lose abilities. They have a very tight bond, which is just what a mother wants with her kids. 
                    When I think of all the people I have met whose children have been sick or living with disability during our many hospital stays and also families I have known with disabled children, I am humbled to be part of this circle of friends. I have several memories of parents who have lost their children and they still reach out to me in my time of need or they are there to offer me their wisdom. So today, as I think of Shiloh’s family, I am sure they feel very blessed to have had such a beautiful daughter and I am willing to bet they too would not have traded their experience as parents to such a determined young girl. This story is dedicated to the strength of the human spirit, the love we have for life, and the courage to carry on with the burdens that we all sometimes carry. To LIfe!

            Please excuse my long absence as I had a longtime visitor at my home and enjoyed the visit. This is not to say I was empty of thought as each day I would write notes to myself about topics with which I was concerned. The following gives testament to some of my mind wanderings. Oh the places I have traveled……
            Each day, we are updated with blurbs and headlines regarding current news across the Globe. How much news do we really need? When 9/11 occurred, I became obsessed with news 24/7 and in fact found my sleep interrupted as I would awaken several times during the night to keep updated, as if I might miss an important piece of news. Some would call this phenomenon a little crazy. I must agree now, that it probably was crazy, and I was not the only person in the Nation watching CNN Headline News at all hours of the night. I continued watching the CNN Headline News for over a year. Then I realized that this was not the norm.
             Once I read an article which mentioned a concept that we reserve the right ‘Not to Know.’ I believe over one hundred years ago, an idea that one day we would become over saturated with so much news that we could actually go crazy. Today, I can be watching something on television and it will be interrupted with a sensational crime story, with no warning of graphic material. This is total disregard for any children who may be watching. It is as if sensationalism has replaced decency. I am not really sure that what I see portrayed as news is really news. What I sometimes see and read is more information than my brain can handle. Sometimes, I do not know what to do with disturbing graphics and information and I am not good at processing it. I wished I had never even heard the story, because it continues to haunt me Surely, I cannot be the only one who feels this way. My belief is that we will never have the ability to keep up with the fast pace of technological advancement. We purchase our computers and they are obsolete before we bring them home. The news feeds which bombard us minute by minute are similar in the way that it is unfiltered, out of control information and media.         
            Everyone has a cell phone with a camera, a digital camera, spy novelties, or a video camera. At any time, you can be filmed and never know it. I saw quite by accident a piece of footage showing a young man’s death on his motorcycle doing a stunt he had probably done hundreds of times. It had been posted You Tube and unfortunately, I never intended to see it but caught the gruesome scene. I wonder how anyone tcould take footage like that and post it with no regard to the grieving family. Although I live in a country which has alternative media, uncensored this and that, I would fight to keep it this way. I would prefer to filter out the nonsense myself, by avoiding horrific headlines and turning off the TV and radio when I am feeling bombarded. Who really needs news 24/7? Long gone are the days when my ancestors read a weekly rag which covered topics around the Globe. I think there were fewer crazier people back then too.
             The media has a way of pushing our buttons and even if we enjoy a certain program, sometimes we need to control our response to the material… and turn off the radio. I am not sure our media is doing a good job covering important issues. It seems the local town rags do an excellent job of covering the responses of everyday citizens to the news media. I was not interested in the antics of Britney Spears or the death of Michael Jackson or the OJ Simpson trial. Why do we hold these Hollywood types in high esteem? Do we wish to be like them? I think if we all took an interest in what is happening in our own four walls, the world might just be a little more interesting and healthier.
               Another topic of interest is our dependence on China. We owe them a great debt, because we think we need all this crap made in China. How much junk do we really all need? The proof is in the hundreds of yard sales in my own vicinity. If we were not obsessed with stuff, there would be no yard sales. It reminds me of an old newspaper article I read about the American South while sitting in my doctor office. The South was very angry with the North shortly after the Civil War. The wounds were very deep. One Northerner wrote, “You can’t blame them because they wake each day from their Yankee made beds, which are covered with their Yankee made sheets and pillows. The slip into their Yankee made clothes, and groom themselves with their Yankee made brushes, combs and razors. They sit down at their Yankee made table and chairs and eat from their Yankee made dishes and silverware”….You get the point. Look around your home to see all the items made elsewhere, usually China. Today, we are like the Southerners of long ago in comparison with our dependency on China. The Chinese said that America spends tomorrow’s money today and the Chinese do not do that. 
             Even the media cannot keep up with the pace of the wonders of the Internet like Twitter, You Tube etc. One has to research so much to gather stories of interest and to investigate. I do not see much of that going on in too many newspapers. You would think that the newspapers would complement their news stories with the likes of alternative media sources. I would think in the news business, one would have to search and search for newsworthy items in all types of available internet media. Perhaps this is why the newspapers are failing. Soon they will all be similar to the Tabloids which are commonplace in England. News as it is delivered will be over, if that is what we will be reduced to for our news. It is not unusual for me to read a story and leave with the feeling that the story was unfinished. I always look for what is unwritten, much like in conversation, the unspoken is sometimes more important than what was spoken. Maybe too many choices are just as bad as not enough choices. That is why I believe the online comments are a fine addition to the online newspaper editions. Sometimes the comments are disturbing, but usually they give a sense of closure to the story and commenters even  question pieces of the story.
             On another matter; a short time ago that there were no supermarkets, only corner markets. As a child, I seldom recall going to McDonald’s Restaurant. We went to Old Orchard Beach for rides once. As a big family we did things together, and went places which cost little to nothing. There was not this urgent sense of consumerism. Why do so many feel like they cannot ever wait for any purchase? They want it all now. Supposedly ATM card users spend more than people who carry cash spend.  We are still in control….turn off the TV, throw out the sale flyers, stop shopping on the internet, and don’t allow yourself to be told what you need. Most of all on a humorous note, don’t look at those magazines at the checkout, always reminding us of what a man needs. No wonder we feel inadequate… and to think we even pay for it at the checkout! Come to think of it, I have not seen many magazines about what a woman wants… unless of course a woman is writing it for another woman. You can make that choice not to buy everything in sight and put a few dollars in your pocket.

 

                    Looking back, I suppose we have all wasted time. When I was a young woman, it was all about my friends. I had the love and security of the family I grew up with, but we all struggle to break free of our family, only later to come back and realize they are the best support we have in our lives. I had so much fun growing up with all my many friends, each one a friend for a different reason. I have friends from my neighborhood, friends from school, friends from the night club scene, friends of friends, college friends, friends in the sign trade, friends from work etc. There are friends I have known since kindergarten that I am still great friends with today. I have my mom friends who have kids with disabilities. They keep me going and give me inspiration. 
                     As I grow older, I am careful how I spend my time because time is a limited commodity. Last week I talked to a friend who is a mother of boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It was unusual for me to talk so long but our conversation was important to both of us. So this was not a waste of time. I have friends I touch base with on occasion because they are very important to me. My family time is of utmost importance to me because they are the investment of my husband and me. Outside my immediate family, it is my sisters with whom I wish to spend time. We have our differences occasionally but we have only admiration nd respect for each other. 
                     I was conversing with a fellow employee this week and he mentioned a childhood memory. It was a sad memory about his young brother’s death. He was in fifth grade and his brother was in the first grade. His family was very large. Since he and his brother attended the same school, he was asked by his mother to tell the brother’s teacher that his brother would not be back to school because he has passed away. It was perhaps the strongest memory of my fellow employee as a child. He told me that he went to see the teacher who was conversing with a few other teachers when he interrupted them. They all stayed to hear his message, “My brother won’t be back to school because he passed away last night” He remembered bursting into tears. 
                     I have thought of this fellow employee for the past few days and am humbled that he shared that story with me. I am not sure why he was comfortable with sharing it, but am glad he shared it with me. We all have stories. That was certainly no waste of my time. It reminds me of the book, “The Five People you Meet in Heaven” It is also in movie form. In life, we never know who affects us and who we affect. 
                     I also read a story about a local doctor who has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig ’s disease. I was immediately struck by his wife’s comments, that the first year after diagnosis was very terrible. I felt the exact same way after I found my son to have a serious illness. I cried every day and night for what seemed like months. It had a profound effect on my marriage, and my parenting to my other child as well as my affected son. I was devastated for a very long time. After some time was I able to find some peace and learn to live life. Then I could teach my children to live their lives. 
                    A diagnosis is not a death sentence and nobody can take away your hopes and dreams. There is no person on Earth who holds the crystal ball and by no means do we all fit inside a nice box, with all diagnoses having the same exact reactions. We are all very different. Choose your time wisely and surround yourself with positive people. My best to all my friends because I am truly blessed.

           

 

            There is something about the allure of the sea and growing up on the coast of Maine that there are certain pleasures not to be taken for granted. The smell of the salt air and the sounds of bell buoys and foghorns on a foggy night are good memories of living along the coast. Having lived on Peaks Island for a short time, my ties are strong to the sea. Painting mussel shells with designs and combing the beach are among my favorite things to do along an ocean beach.
             The sea creatures seen in the tidal pools and the sight of seals as they feast along the jagged rocks were truly a pleasure to witness on a recent excursion to Monhegan Island. A gem in Muscongus Bay, Monhegan Island is nearly ten miles out to sea. We saw a lone fisherman out there in the middle of the bay, and I realized that it must be a lonely job for hardworking fishermen. I am sure that the catch can be plentiful but their livelihood is tied to the sea. With regulations and the current low cost of lobster [current prices are about 3.99 lb]; it must be very hard to make a good living at times. I am reminded of my last trip to Damariscotta, when I purchased native artist Dahlov Ipcar’s children’s book, The Lobsterman, filled with delightful night scenes of the lobsterman at work. Matinicus Island has been in the headlines regarding fishing territory disputes. I wish their island community the best to come together as a community again.
             Prior to the boat ride to Monhegan Island, I went on a trip to downtown Damariscotta, on our yearly visit to Reny’s. I met Mr. Robert Reny years ago in his store here and was impressed with his strong work ethic and dedication. He passed away this year and I am sure many people here will miss him as we saw a large banner “Thank you R.H. Reny” upon our arrival to the area this week. We spent a lot of time and money downtown. As always, I highly recommend Reny’s for the fashions, bargains, jewelry, souvenirs, stemware, and all things that could be considered necessities. Everyone on the street was either talking about going to Reny’s or carrying Reny’s bags like we did. Afterward I found a nice boutique named Darling and Delisle filled with beautiful jewelry, whimsical and classic designed hats, scarves and lovely hair pieces made with rhinestones and materials similar to Bakelite and tortoiseshell. While there I purchased a mermaid pendant with three natural pearls on the strand. Later on, I purchased some hairpieces for my sisters because they are my best friends.
             During the week, we had a karaoke night with a sing-a-long with our Canadian Cousins, “We Are Family”- a night of insanity and reminiscing and before the night was over, we were saying, eh?” Another old neighbor from Redbank Village came up the same week and we had a grand get-together.  My brother came by with his family a few times and music was the central force. We had wonderful times playing music and singing by the campfire.
             My husband planned an evening lobster feast, chicken, steak, corn, margaritas, potato, and salad, along with many extras, to feed some twenty-five people. It was an evening to remember. The week was filled with horseshoes, skateboarding and basketball, canoeing and fishing, for all the teens-as well as plenty of teen action down by the pavilion with lots of socializing.
             Hot tubs, Jacuzzis and ice cream, slushies and snacks from the general store made our evenings worthwhile. Camping at Lake Pemaquid was a blast, so I am told. Family is what it is all about… I love them all and they make the trip worthwhile.
             The weather was perfect, except for the visibility of the annual meteor shower [August 12th]. The visibility was not good. In Weld , Maine back in 1970, on a camping trip, we witnessed at Dummers Beach, the most spectacular meteor shower ever, with hundreds of shooting stars. Never again have we witnessed anything as spectacular. 
             Lake Pemaquid camping is really about all the kids getting together and making memories for them. Our family has been camping since 1967, so this is our forty second year of making memories. My father built his trailer in 1968 specifically for camping. This past year he used the same frame but rebuilt the whole trailer body for the third time. 
             We learned to play dominoes on our last evening together making Dad happy. It also made us happy as we maneuvered the crazy game of Mexican Train Dominoes and laughed hysterically all evening. All in all, it was an excellent staycation, as I think that I prefer to keep my money in Maine whenever possible. I especially choose to shop in lovely Damariscotta and not in Wiscasset because the long traffic delays have made me realize I will never spend a dime there. Our vehicle moved five miles in forty minutes. On the way back we sailed through Wiscasset with no delays and I did not stop to spend any money either. As usual, it is always nice to be back home. Next year will be a grand trip to Vinalhaven or maybe even Matinicus.

 
 

                    





 

Nathaniel Hatch and Elizabeth (Hatch) Hatch had several children including Betsy born 1778 [married William Roberts], Hannah born 1780[married Jeremiah Johnson], Sally born 1783 [married Reuben Cobb], Nathaniel born 1789 (who died in Virginia), Harriet born 1794,died 1811, George born 1797[married Mary Staples]
                     It seemed at one time, many of the families on Saco Street were related. The Johnson, Roberts and Hatch families were all intertwined .The Johnson family had a sawmill and the original home still stands today. When traveling up Saco Street, there is a store on the right before traveling up the hill. The original house is a large box type home very near that store, but across the street. It is one of the last homes, near the bridge. James Johnson, from Scotland (but of Irish descent), was a weaver by trade. According to Fabius Ray’s book, he had 100 acres of land near Stroudwater bought from General Waldo. He had a son named George who then had a son named Jeremiah. This Jeremiah married the above named Hannah Hatch, daughter of Nathaniel Hatch. Jeremiah and Hannah had three known sons, Gardner, Rufus and Nathaniel. Rufus was a farmer like most men of his time, however interestingly enough, he was skilled at making fine organs by hand. He made the organ for an early church on Saco Street. Today the Maine State Museum has one of his fine handcrafted organs in their collection. He was known to have made three in his lifetime.
                     Of interest, one of Nathaniel Hatch’s sons, also Nathaniel was born in Gorham but went to Virginia. A diary entry, by William Roberts [1843-1923] written in the 1860’s mentions a visit to the Hatch home at 477 Saco Street by two young officers who had probably served during the Civil War, Nathaniel Hatch and his brother John Hatch who were up from Richmond ,Virginia.. They could have been the sons of this Nathaniel Hatch. 
                     George Hatch, son of the Reverend Nathaniel Hatch, was born in 1797 and died in 1870. He married Mary Staples. His second wife was listed as Emily Higgins born in 1810 and died in 1862.From the census of 1850 Westbrook, Maine, the children of George Hatch are listed as John , age 22, Mary, age 20, Sarah E., age 17, Adeline, age 15, Harriet , age 14, Emily H., age 12, Josephine, age 9, Sylvanus, age 7, Martha J. age 5, Melvina, age 3, and lastly Abigail, age 78 (grandmother-2nd wife of Rev. Nathaniel Hatch)
                     I read a great deal about this particular Hatch family in the diary of Martha Roberts and the diaries of William Roberts. Martha’s diary of 1863 mentions frequent visits by the Hatch girls, usually for tea, or bringing slips of flowers to plant. Quite often they would walk in the woods to gather cones to make crafts, sometimes picture frames from pine cones. All four Hatch girls: Emily, Harriet , Josephine and Melvina would visit Martha often, who lived at 341 Saco Street in another brick home. 
                    Another story of Interest is regarding Sylvanus Hatch, who was born the same year as William Roberts, of the diaries, in 1843. William lived at 547 Saco Street, home of his granddaughter today. William and Sylvanus put in long hours at their farms over the years, but were very competitive with each other. After a long days work, they would play a great deal of croquet. They even went camping with each other and some neighbors out to Higgins Beach. When they were both very young men at the age of 24, perhaps feeling restless as so many young people do… they headed West one April Day in 1867. William Roberts had a cousin visit from Australia named Charles Sefton Roberts. Charles and Sylvanus headed West together and William left one week after they had left. West for them was not as far as California. Sylvanus headed to Ohio, where he must have met his future wife[Nancy] as she was listed in the 1880 census as being from Ohio. Together they had one child that died very young at 3 months, a solemn sentence in a diary entry by William, the best friend of Sylvanus. I do not know where Sylvanus died but it was in 1914 and he is buried at Saccarappa. I have not found an obituary yet. Willaim Roberts went to Waterloo, Iowa for six months. A year or so later, he went back but this time for a year. Letters from his mother at that time, spoke of wanting him to come home if he was not using his time well. They wanted him home, and being a dutiful son to family, he did come back home to run the farm. They had hoped that he may have gotten some of that restlessness out of his system.
                    I hoped someday to connect with any descendants of this family as I would love to see what all these Hatch people looked like. There was mention of Sylvanus as being fat and jolly, which is difficult to imagine in those days. The Hatch and Johnson family are all buried in one lot at Saccarappa.
 
 

 

There is nothing more I have missed these past few weeks than writing. Well, I miss my sons who are growing up and really act as if they no longer want me in their lives. Maybe I was the same way when I was their age. Whatever the situation, it is bittersweet. I miss having conversation with anyone in my house. I think my son Mike is the one who talks the most with me… and that’s because he doesn’t have much choice at times. He can’t just hop in his car and take off to escape the wrath of the “older generation”-parents. I suppose that is why I do so much apart from my family because I need conversation and the exchange of ideas with people.
 I am looking forward to vacation very soon, so I can finish a few projects. This weekend was the Rededication of Rudy Vallée Square in Westbrook, Maine which took a great deal of preparation. My main project was to decorate the stage which was much fun. We had a fabulous exhibit where a reception was held for Eleanor Vallée, Rudy’s wife for forty years, and Rudy’s nephew, Bill Vallée. Prior to the reception, downtown at Main and Bridge, Eleanor unveiled a bronze bust of Rudy which she had commissioned a Maine sculptor to create. The event drew a good sized crowd, much more than seventy five which the Portland Press Herald had reported. The reception was very busy with a steady stream of people, perhaps one hundred and fifty visitors that day. It was a grand day.
 The same day, I interviewed someone who had witnessed the Redbank Plane crash as a kid. Then I came home to ‘crash’ on my sofa. I was exhausted. When I woke up, I picked raspberries in my yard. Later I visited with my artist friend, Virginia Fleck who was on vacation from Austin TX. Her website is www.virginiafleck.com which will allow you to view her incredible work. After this very long day, I felt bad I had missed so much time from home, so I vowed to stay home all day on Sunday.
Sunday arrived. I made twenty jars of raspberry jam, got Mike out of bed and showered, went grocery shopping, had visits from both sisters and families, and even tried my onion blossom maker without much success. I never got my car cleaned out, but I guess I have all week. I know the day is only twenty four hours long and sure wish it was a little longer.
 Tomorrow it is off to see my trainer which I have been so enthusiastic about for the past eight weeks, three times per week. I feel stronger and I have lost some weight.
The best part is that I feel like I have my life back. I run up and down stairs and have more energy. Hopefully after I achieve some goals, I may write more about the whole process. I have learned so much from my trainer. I apologize for not writing sooner because I know some of you were concerned. Thank you all for staying tuned. I have some good stories in the works. The next one will be about the Hatch Family of Saco Street, Westbrook, Maine.

                    I have been away emotionally the past couple of weeks. Now I am feeling better. While I have been very busy with workouts three times per week with a personal trainer, it does not come easy to carve out time for myself. This is going to be the year I vow to commit to myself to be in better health. I am fortunate I have this option because many do not, through no fault of their own.
                    My oldest son, for example, despite the muscular dystrophy he lives with day to day, is otherwise healthy in comparison to others we know who are affected with muscular dystrophy. Recently, he was with my other son and they were in NH when I received a call around dinnertime. My youngest son asked what medicines his brother took each day. Immediately, though he remained very calm, I realized something was wrong. He had called an ambulance for his brother because he was having difficulty breathing, This happened before and he passed out because neuromuscular patients cannot expel enough air from their lungs causing CO2 to remain in their lungs which makes them sleepy, enough to pass out. Both occurrences, my sons were together and my youngest son handled the situations with grace and courage. By the way, oxygen is like poison to these people as well because it causes the same phenomenon. My youngest son was very upset because the emergency room staff would not listen to him and use the inexsuffolater (cough assist machine) to retrieve mucus from his brother’s lungs and instead performed invasive treatment which was a ventilator (intubation). This does not allow the person to communicate. I went home and was planning to go to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, when the doctor called me to say my youngest son had requested transport to MMC for his brother. Immediately, I called his doctor here to explain the situation and replied that I wanted him off the ventilator immediately knowing that neuromuscular patients can become forever dependent upon the ventilator. I called my mom and she joined me at the hospital for my son’s arrival a short time after midnight.
                     I spent the night there in the special care waiting room and told the nurse to let him know I was there. My son was angry he had been ventilated. There was fire shooting from his eyes. With his eye movements, my husband & I figured he wanted the bed sitting higher and wanted to have spit suctioned from his mouth caused from intubation. He was on intravenous, antibiotics and was catheterized. I brought my cough assist machine from home at the doctor’s advice in the event there was a shortage of that type of equipment. The respiratory therapist was able to get a machine for his room allowing me to take mine home. I fixed the settings like ours from home as I talked with the respiratory therapist. My family is all trained on the use of the machine.
                      The following morning, my son was taken off the ventilator and there was talk of getting him a Bipap machine for evening use to facilitate with breathing. We knew it was time from the results of his last sleep study but ultimately it would be his decision when to get the equipment. Because of this incident, the choice was made for him. It is always bittersweet when a new piece of equipment comes home because something is lost… and something is gained. As soon as tubes were taken from his throat, we used his cough assist machine a few times to clear his lungs. That evening my husband would stay the night.
                     I arrived the next morning around 10:30AM to see oxygen tubes in my son’s nose and he did not look good. My husband wasn’t aware of oxygen danger but I was because of a friend whose son nearly died from being given oxygen. I realized I had not shared that info with my husband. The nurse came in and I asked about it. She said his oxygen saturation levels were falling. My son could not keep his eyes open. I told her that the oxygen tubes would be coming out and she advised me to consult with the doctor. As soon as she left the room, I took them out of his nose and started with his cough assist machine. I took out a lot of mucus and he seemed to be responding. The machine on the wall  kept beeping because the oxygen levels were low but I kept working with the cough assist. I put ithe oxygen tube back in fhis nostrils for a short while and then repeated the procedure. After almost two hours of using the cough assist machine, he was alert, and responded by having his oxygen saturations at 100 percent. He then maintained those oxygen levels. The nurses were astounded, but it did not take a rocket scientist. From what I have researched, most medical personnel are not trained on the non invasive approach to pulmonary care, much less even aware of how it works. There are some medical personnel who know. There is also no protocol for the standard of care for these patients.         
                    Achieving optimum health can even be as simple as which masks the patient uses. For my son, we chose to use nasal pillows for his Bipap, as using a full face mask can also cause complications with weight loss due to distension of the stomach as it receives too much air. There is so much to learn beginning with me and also the medical personnel. I have learned two things over the years. Whatever ‘sentence’ the doctors give you… take it lightly as everyone responds differently and most importantly LIVE your life. They only know from some of their experiences and most likely schooling. We are the ones who live with our loved one’s diagnoses. We have learned to achieve emotional health as well. Don’t let them take away any hope you have to keep you going. The next most important thing I have learned is that I will not accept NO for an answer in my care or anyone else’s care in my family. Many times, you will be butting heads with medical personnel, but remember, you don’t have to take those folks back home with you. I must say that I was most impressed with the people at the hospital, especially the Special Care Unit.
 

 
Eddie Roberts 1853-1858 photo from P.Carmichael collection

Eddie's grave



My ancestors lie at Saccarappa Cemetery and I have been stopping by to visit maybe once a month. I go because I am checking on anything unusual especially damage to the stones. Recently, I was at a nursery and was looking for stone figures for gardens. I happened to find a small statue which appeared to be an angel. I bought it and delivered it to Saccarappa Cemetery to watch over my father’s brother’s grave. My grandparents and one of their sons are buried at the small circle near the entrance to the cemetery. A small footstone with the name DAVID is level with the ground. David lived from 1933-1943.
         The more I thought about this angel, it seemed to make me happy just knowing it would be there. I have even thought about if it were to be stolen one day. My thoughts are that the thief may need an angel more than we did. I hope this is not the case. Maybe if there was a sign that more people had family there and left flowers, then there would be less trouble there. I don’t know what the solution would be. I have decided to put up a few angels on my ancestors graves, even those which are all broken. Once I heard a story about Mother Theresa. She was asked if she would attend an anti war protest. She replied NO, but she would attend a peace rally. Maybe my approach will be the same. If there are angels present in the cemetery, maybe goodness will come from it.
         I am familiar with every stone there, and have over 400 pictures of the cemetery over the past few years, some from the seventies. When I was attending art school, I even took black and white photos of some of the gravestones. I hope to share many stories about the cemetery. It is full of fascinating people, all part of Westbrook’s history. Wandering around the cemetery today, I took photos of some of the children’s stones. One stone inscribed EDDIE was a brother to my gr. Gr. grandfather. Eddie Roberts lived from 1853-1858. I have a picture I think may be him, which came from a family album. I also saw some tiny stones of some Merrill children. The next story will be about the Hatch family of Saco Street. There are more stories to come.


Merrill Children

                    This is a continuation of the the stories of people that Studs Terkel interviewed for his book Hard Times, stories of those who were witness to the Great Depression. There were several chapters by Coal mining families, who struggled, enslaved to the company store. It just wrenched my heart to read their stories as they were amongst some of the poorest and hardest worked. It was not uncommon for some of these miners in the late 1920’s early 1930’s to work until they earned 20 dollars. Then the mine might shut down for a few days until the guys spent their 20 earned dollars in the company store.” Every aspect of their lives was company food, housing, furniture etc. They paid higher prices for the convenience of having things close by. According to one miner, as far as Union Organization, the Ku Klux Klan was the only protection for the working man, both Black and White. Many young boys dropped out of school to work alongside their fathers, brothers and Uncles to help sustain the family. The miners were pretty much owned by the company.
                     Edward Sarteller told how his daddy was a coalminer in 1929. Edward chose the path of a schoolteacher and made thirty dollars per month. His early memories of his education were in a one room schoolhouse, with eight rows, one for each grade. There was a potbelly stove and there was a three- holer outhouse.  The author said that the greatest contribution of the WPA was to standardize outdoor toilets for the schools. He recalled a young girl with whom he went to school who suffered from Typhoid. She was completely bald and had no wig. Back then kids would get sick with diphtheria and other illnesses. His dad, Uncle and Grandfather, who was born in a log cabin, were all self educated men. 
                     In 1936 and 1937, the mine where his father worked saw much struggle. The widow of the mine owner was going to sell for 38,000 but she decided to sell to the workers for far less at 33,000. The men gathered together and made a decision to sell their stock and work for free to keep their jobs. In the beginning there were four hundred men. In then late 1950’s there was only eighteen of the original four hundred left to work. 
                     Sarteller thought rootless ness would destroy the country. Much like the 1920’s in Germany, there would be camps etc. The country would not survive.
                     Another interesting man interviewed was Jerome Zerbe. His family had money and he knew a lot of influential people. He began as a painter and lived in Europe on a three hundred dollar stipend, which his father afforded. When the Depression hit, his father could no longer send money so Jerome was forced to come back to the USA. He had this crazy idea to take pictures of his friends and their homes and send them all around the world to gain exposure. It landed him a job at Parade Magazine and people loved reading about the rich and elite. At one point in his career, he worked at a club. In this club, the celebrities wore their vanity when they sought him to take their portraits. 
                     Another chapter told of Joe Morrison, who proclaimed that even though ninety-two percent of the town was on relief, some people refused help. Many kids lost their teeth due to poor nutrition and no medical care and some fainted from hunger. He claimed, “There’s Apathy now.” People were talking about Revolution in the boxcars. There was such a hysteria that sometimes monitors were seeking information in these Hoovervilles to see if in fact there was a reason to worry about Revolution. It was like a police state. Today (1970’s), people are thinking but nobody’s talking.
                    Peggy Terry and her mother, Mrs. Owsley, were both interviewed. They were both considered to be Hillbilly women. Peggy tells how her father took them once to see a Hooverville. She was a kid and recalled being shocked as it was about ten miles wide by about ten miles long. People lived in orange crates, cardboard homes, rusted out cars and piano boxes. Her mother, Mrs. Owsley, told that her husband was a bonus marcher, very feisty. She said she met this family from Oklahoma once who had seven kids. They lived in a hole in the ground, like a cave. It was real nice inside she said, with chairs and table and clean too. At one time, all Peggy’s family had to eat was mustard. Her mother spoke of the Dust Bowl storms and how it ruined their clothes. Normally, one never wore anything like those clothes but they had no choice, all stained with oil. The people were “mentally ill” because they wondered if the tough times would ever end. There were many suicides during these years. Mrs. Owsley joked that her husband was a hell raiser, being gassed by the Germans in WW1 and then again by his own government because he was a bonus marcher. He came home empty handed, like all the rest of the marchers. 
                    Peggy married at fifteen and her husband was sixteen. She used to be quite prejudiced in her beliefs against the blacks until she was treated the same way. She remarked how it was odd that she never felt any common threads between her and her black workers in the field next to her. She thought they had nothing in common. Only later was she shown some kindness when she was pregnant and hitching rides with her husband, offered a place to lay her head on a wagon full of black workers who even had a chicken meal packed in a pail for her the next morning They were not allowed to eat in public restaurants, so they cooked all their own food on the wagon. She realized they were all fighting the same battle. There was one thing she had trouble understanding as a kid. She recalls observing Roosevelt’s fancy cufflinks, a childhood memory, and asking herself, “Why are we so hungry?”
                     The owner of a successful speakeasy, Tony Soma, referred to himself as a Capitalist. He came to America from Italy with nothing and quickly became a successful business owner. His circle of clients included several noteworthy people. Tony commented that to have noteworthy friends was better than any relationship you could have with a bank. He felt poverty was a result of laziness. Poverty and Depression were signs of mental illness, he claimed. In 1929, the year of the Crash, Tony boasted to have had his biggest year in American life. That was the year he sold three leases for 104,000. “Life is not to suffer”, he would say.
                     One story of interest was that the illegal activities of some people made them very prosperous, both good and bad people. There was a fine line between the good and the bad. Many made a fortune from Prohibition, gangsters and cops. 
                    Sally Rand was age six when she saw Pavlova perform and proclaimed she knew then she wanted to be a dancer. Sally worked for Cecil B. DeMille; a Hollywood Icon. She sold million dollar yachts which were sitting in marinas collecting barnacles because the rich had ceased some of their spending habits. Her clients were bootleggers who paid $10,000 for one of these yachts and she collected her 6 percent commission.
                     Another man, Caesar Chavez, missed a great deal of school as his family followed the crops to try to survive. His father had a corral which ended up getting bulldozed by the bank. The president of the bank was watching all the surrounding land and purchased all of it, near where the Chavez’ had a piece of land. Chavez recalls as a kid lots of hurtful memories such as seeing signs “White Trade Only”, when his family was refused from making purchases on the road. His father was at the mercy of people who would hire the family and later skip town, sometimes only able to feed the family on seven dollars per week. His father never gave up hope on trying to get a piece of land again.
                     One fellow who came from Cuba, Jose Yglesius, told about the cigar factories. The woman cigar factory workers made as much as the men. He realized the Depression was going on when his Aunt no longer charged them rent and there was no food in the house. Interestingly enough the illiterate cigar workers had a podium at work and the workers paid to have speakers come in and read classics like Tolstoy and Dickens. Once there was as a strike at the factory, the employer took away the podium and the readers never came again. It was a way to disempower the workers. His Cuban father despised Roosevelt. He compared Roosevelt to Mussolini.
                      One person in the book told that some of the common feelings were regarding thinking that your father was a failure. Some men who had been successful struggled with taking any old job. There was a great deal of resentment between father and son. Sometimes the sons left very early. The fathers sometimes left to go find work and would be gone for a long time. Another person told that it was good to see the father coming home on his bike smelling of sawdust. His father was a carpenter. When he came home carrying his toolbox, it meant the job was over. Some men committed suicide so their families could get money, according to one person interviewed.
                    Another woman told of the time she rode a train with her brother during World War 1 and witnessed a dying soldier on the train. She said the impact was huge. She never felt that way again until she was motoring under the Michigan Avenue Bridge and saw thousands of men rolled up in their overcoats sleeping on the pavement. She was shocked. She thought that whatever it was that brought on Nazism could now happen anywhere and she feared this.
                    Edward Ryerson, who came from a family of boilermakers and steel men, told of his attempts at getting Federal funds, particularly Chicago. He received twelve million dollars in 1932 which lasted three months in Chicago. Hoover lost the election because people wanted ‘change’. So much of this sounds familiar to what is taking place today.
Diane Morgan, a southern belle, told how her world fell apart when she realized the Depression had affected her family. She came home and there was no telephone, no cook, no maid, and dust under her bed. She had no ice for drinks to serve her visitors. She eventually landed a job with the New Deal program and she recruited people. She tried to hire people she knew who were struggling. She told of meeting her previous maid and feeling so happy to see her. She was able to help her. An early memory she had as a kid was visiting this maid and seeing her walls papered with newspapers. They had different lives but felt the maid was part of her extended family.
                    Mike Widman worked for the Ford factory. He showed up at work his first day at the factory and was in charge of sanding the fenders. He did not know the gates were locked at 8am daily and had no commissary there. He was hungry the first day as he had no lunch. He said he wished he had known he needed to bring his own gloves as his hands were all blistered that first day. If he needed to use the bathroom, he was supposed to check with a foreman first and find a replacement so the assembly line did not suffer while he was gone. There was surveillance at the factory as Ford hired ex cons for this. Once when Widman told a foreman that he had been going to school, he was told that Mr.Ford did not pay for employees to go to school and was fired. Later because he was a friend of the union leader John Lewis, he was instrumental in helping protect some of the black workers who had been afraid of losing their jobs during the big strike when Ford had shut the plant per the governor. 
                    Frank Czerwonka told how everyone was in on cheating the utilities during Prohibition. The gas and electric companies would put a meter up and the folks in the neighborhood would put a jumper on the meter to give it false readings. During the height of Prohibition booze was 40 dollars per gallon and when it was lifted, it was 5 dollars per gallon.
                    Clyde Ellis said the whole country had lost many young boys in WW2. Clyde told how he became a schoolteacher and worked hard to get power in Arkansas so folks could have electricity. He served as a Congressman and was affiliated with the National Rural Electric. Electricity finally came to Arkansas and he recalled his mother crying when she flicked the light switch. He lost his own younger brother who quit school and volunteered for money in the military as there was no work. 
                    The farmers saw great struggle, so much that many lost their farms for cents on the dollar. The price of corn was more than the price of hogs. In an effort to raise the price of hogs, many sows were slaughtered to merely raise the price and the farmers were paid to slaughter their pregnant female pigs. The farmer could not afford to feed his cattle grain. This eventually led to slaughtering cattle to raise the price of beef. Riots were not uncommon and farmers blocked the roads so their produce wouldn’t go to market. One story tells how approximately 1500 farmers came out of the woods angry, and sometimes violence erupted. There was a fleet of trucks sent to Sioux Falls to get food for market and thirteen roads were blocked. The stockyards were emptied and the farmers were not going to allow anything to get to market. It was comparable to the American Revolution. There were farm auctions where local town folk bought things for pennies on the dollar, only to return everything to the farmer in the end. Judge Bradley, who facilitated foreclosure on many farms, was nearly lynched by a group of angry farmers. It was not his fault as these were the times; however he was not quite right after that. Many people interviewed remembered the incident.
                    Farmers in Kansas had different experiences. They had the black blizzards when visibility was no more than three or four feet and they had droughts. They also had Alf Landon who appointed three men to each county to try to assist the farmers. These men called the bankers and insurance companies to beg for more time so the farmers could try to meet their mortgage payments. Landon established farm moratoriums. He even called the bankers at times also. There were no riots in Kansas he claimed.
                    One man told how FDR was hated by the people that he helped and loved by the people he harmed. When Hoover was in office, it was said there were Federal Funds to feed the animals but no Federal money to feed people. You had to rely on your neighbor for help. When cotton was four cents a pound and it cost ten cents to produce it, the fields would be plowed over to drive up the cost. The Secretary of Agriculture, Col. C.B. Baldwin, told of these troubles. He stated that tobacco went down to four cents per pound and could not be produced for that price. At this time, unemployment was sixteen million; WPA offices were set up quickly so people could get work. This only lasted about six months, as Congress would not support it. Interestingly enough, a program was established like a farmer’s cooperative. It included fifty farming families, similar to Russian Collectivism. They all did fairly well and split the profits, however…this fascinated me. Even though they did not go hungry and did fairly well… in the end they all still had a desire to own their own little piece of land, something that was not part of this original plan. The human spirit is to try to be a better person and to try to get ahead in life. It shocked those who had set up this little experiment, that the farmers still wanted a piece of their own land.
                    The stories are numerous and every one a different experience from a different piece of American Fabric. I will end with two short stories of interest. Sumio Nichi was a very prosperous farmer. He was a man of integrity I think because he paid for everything as he went. At times when inflation was bad, he struggled but he paid everything in full for his farm equipment and his mortgage. He ended up losing nearly everything because of the policy to send the Japanese to Interment camps. He had 80,000 worth of farm equipment which went up for auction and received 6,000 for it. He lost everything because of the war experience of the interment camps.
                    Another story is that of Emma Tiller. She was a black woman from Texas who recalled 1914 when the worms ate all the cotton. She claimed she could hear the crops being destroyed by the pests. Her memories of the Depression were waiting in long lines with all the other sharecroppers for food at the Relief Station. Sometimes they waited two or three days. Some people ahead of her were given rotten meat. One particular instance, she remembered a three men coming one day who were hungry. They brought their guns and one of the fellows was very angry he had received rotten meat. They said they were not leaving until everyone had been fed. They said they were not going to harm anyone. The man running the relief station was reaching for a phone when one of the gunmen grabbed him by the tie and told him he would kill the man. Emma Tiller said that day everyone got fed. Those fellows with the guns went to the penitentiary. Later it was found that the man running the relief station was storing food in his own warehouse and depriving those he was supposed to be helping. This was not uncommon. 
                    I suppose my reason for telling you about some of the people in this book was mainly to help us all realize that this indeed happened in America. If anything can be taken from these stories, I think it is that we need to be more self sufficient and rely less on the government. As you can see by these stories, the government did not do a very good job helping anyone, except themselves. Those who worked for the government did not go without the necessities.
 

 http://blog.likes2write.com/2009/04/21/interviews-from-the-great-depression.aspx (PART 1)

 

 

William Roberts'(The Elder) family plot, Saccarappa Cemetery, Westbrook, Me

                    We did not really have any plans for Memorial Day. My son wasn’t feeling so well, so I stayed at home all day. In the meantime, we have been doing massive spring cleaning before we start remodeling. I found a box full of items from my maternal grandparents’ funerals. My grandfather died on Christmas Day in 1969, at which time I was nine. It was my first experience with the death of a close family member and it impacted me. My grandmother, with whom I was very close, passed away on April 18, 1991. I arrived from Germany on a special trip just to see her, and did so, and she passed away the following morning. I am grateful I remember spending time with my grandparents. 
                     The day started and I felt I wanted to go to a parade, but stayed home with my son because that was where I needed to be. Later on my mother called to see what I was doing. She went to two cemeteries and asked if I had planted violets and lily of the valley last year. I couldn’t exactly recall, however it was a vague recollection. Anyhow, both graves had flowers I had transplanted from my yard.
                     As I looked through the box, I found guest books from both funerals with names of relatives and neighbors and friends long dead. It was nice seeing their signatures, and to know they were a comfort to my family. I have photographs of most of the people who signed the funeral guest books, interestingly enough. I found a neatly tied bundle of correspondence which my grandmother had kept from her husband’s funeral. I read through letters from my Uncle Jack who had been in Switzerland and was concerned for his father who he was unable to see. He and his brother Dick both traveled with their work quite a bit. My mom never left the area. There were letters from Ireland, notes from old neighbors from the neighborhood, and letters from her friend since childhood, with concern for my grandmother. It was very nice to read.
                     I also found some old newspapers from August 28th, 1936, which they had saved since their auto accident on Route 1 near Big 20 Bowling. My grandmother was pretty banged up and my grandfather’s brother was killed. It showed the old car, I think a Model T ,with the roof caved in. I really saw no need to save the whole newspaper, so I cut out the articles. Then I looked for items of interest to historical societies. I found some things for South Portland Historical and also Westbrook Historical. I also found many items relating to the Depression, which I will read over at a later time.
                     I read through all the Mass cards, some very beautiful with full color religious inserts. Many enclosed notes offering practical advice and most of all to try to live life and it would take time to heal. Live life… the best lesson ever, I believe. I think of my ancestors often and study history. It could be easy to get caught up in the past but more importantly, it is important to stay in the present because a lot can be missed, like watching your family grow, enjoying time spent with them. I put out my flag buntings across my porch and I waited until the following day to visit the cemetery. I snapped a photo at our family plot in Saccarappa Cemetery and feel distressed when I see the graves in disrepair. However, one day, the stones will be reduced to dust, and that is life. The dead are still there and it is us who need to carry on and live our lives. Hope you all had a fantastic Holiday Weekend.

                    Though I may not have put pen to paper in some time, this is never far from my thoughts. I have been filling my time with reading in preparation of another entry. Last week, I also finished a project I have been working on since January, a Powerpoint presentation taken from interviews, along with photographs, of Westbrook immigrant families from the late 1800’s. The historical society has an exceptional collection. It is not uncommon for most historical societies to have information on the earliest settlers, usually Anglo Saxon. I happened to be thinking of what was missing from the collection, and it was the stories of some of the later inhabitants who came to work in the mills and along the river. An idea was born and so far we have been lucky to get some participants contributing their family stories. It has been a real pleasure to put the program together. Next year will be the fourth year of the Immigrant Program.
                     I have one other project I need to finish very soon and that is the collection of interviews from people who witnessed the Redbank Plane Crash. I have three interviews left. Upon completion, I will present it to the SP Historical Society. I have a few more projects which I have been working on for a few years which can wait. 
                     Two weekends ago it was Mother’s Day. My own mother knowing we all have homes full of things, decided she would remember her own mother on Mother’s Day and see to it that my two sisters and I both received an item that belonged to our grandmother. I received some old pieces of pottery, a teapot with an inscription, ‘‘From Tuam”, and a matching sugar bowl and teacup with an inscription, “From Ireland”. My great grandmother brought them back from Ireland in 1932 when she visited her homeland after 40 years of being in the United States. It was a meaningful gift and they hold a special place in my china closet. We all miss our grandmother. 
                     It is peculiar how time marches on and some of us seem to be in the fast forward mode. My sons were teasing me the other day and made mention that I am never “there”. They meant I was always somewhere off in thought, even when I was in the room with them. I know there is some truth to this. I wish I could slow down to be more in the here and present. I am not really sure how I can do that, but it sure would be relaxing to not be so busy brained. Enjoy your day!

It has been a hectic month but I have certainly enjoyed the beautiful weather. The last two weekends we have spent cleaning out our garage and attic and preparing to do more cleaning out the clutter. Then the time will come to work on our home. It is amazing the things we collect for example paper dolls of Nancy and Ronald Reagan. They are wonderful pieces of American Kitsch, never been used. I have many Disney VHS tapes which will be donated to the local library for whatever use they may have for them. It will feel good to get rid of some of these things which tie us down. When you think about it, we really do not need all these possessions.

Often when visiting I take notice of a person’s personal book or music collection to be able to know a little more about a person that they may not reveal about themselves. Since I was little, I always felt each person had a story to tell. To this day, I suppose it has been my passion to listen to stories and tell some stories. Possessions mean little to me, unless they are tied to a story or a person that is meaningful to me. I don’t care much to shop, whether it be online or at Walmart. I throw the flyers from the Sunday paper away but not before my husband examines each and every one of them. Family is the single most important thing to me. I cannot be bothered with television however I do enjoy talk radio on my commutes to work. I have never watched a Friends episode or Americal Idol.  I read the newspaper online as it is the most up to date of anything printed I can buy. I am careful not to accept this 24/7 news at that level. We do not need all this excess, from the news, most of which I find disturbing, to clutter in our lives. I made a small change this year when I decided not to read any sensationalized, horrific headlines. After September 11^th, I was addicted to news 24/7 and would wake up in the middle of the night, to watch it.Yes, I feel much better not having all that disturbing trash running amuck in my head.

            I don’t spend much time on Facebook, usually ten minutes per day. I do spend time on the computer working on my writing, and my historical projects, which sometimes includes research for blog material. I have many ideas and try to stay focused on a few at a time.

            Today on the way to work, I stopped several times on my journey to take photographs of barns. I have been doing this since I was a teenager and have a little collection of photos, some barns which are now long gone. I think their structures are fascinating and they are disappearing from the landscape as they are difficult to maintain.

My friends and their welfare is a concern to me. Time is spent keeping connected to those who want to stay connected to our lives. My family is important. I have busy siblings who are concerned with their own families. We try to stay connected. I hope it is always that way. Of course my parents whom I check in with each day sometimes two or three times, probably get annoyed that I am so close. I don’t think it is that I need them so much but rather I enjoy them and being around them. They sacrificed everything for their family. At forty- nine, I suppose there is not much BS left in me. I sort of tell things like I see it, and know I can be held to the same scrutiny. It is ok. I strive less for perfection and realize not much is in our control. One day, I realized I can’t collect all the shopping carts in the parking lot anymore. It was exhausting….. and I am not kidding. I can only try to maintain balance within the four walls in my home. Life is pretty good as I see it. It certainly beats the alternative.

           

  
 
                The past month or so, I have spent reading ‘Hard Times’ by Studs Terkel written in 1970. It is a collection of oral histories from many people of various classes, various cultures, and various ages who recalled the Great Depression and its effect on their lives. I believe many people today are so far removed from those times, that they could never imagine it happening again. One fellow, a con man, named Doc Graham, thought that if there was a Depression today that people would kill themselves. He thought people quit all too easily today, looking for a way out always. Doc Graham believed that the people from those times were a different breed of people today. The people who survived were self sufficient, many living on farms outside the cities. Some of the rural areas were depressed anyhow and as one person said, it was easier when you had nothing. Many could not understand people killing themselves over money. Those who had money lost nearly everything, were also often the ones who committed suicide. Doc Graham had no love for FDR, in fact he voted against him four times. He felt FDR was a con man also who told lots of fairy tales. Many thought FDR saved the society, but Doc’s thoughts were simple. What would have saved society would be if FDR’s parents never met. The only good thing FDR did was to end Prohibition.
                 This piece is going to give you a glimpse of people and their experiences. I wanted to write about things which I felt important to learn from this generation. When I think of the views held by many today, that the government is going to be the answer to our worries, this book tells a different story. In 1929, the economic troubles of that time were different than today as the unemployment was extremely high, maybe twenty- five percent. One man named Arthur Robertson told about how the Government came to the aid of the big banks, and the Government’s attitude being ‘Holier than Thou”. Everyone could afford stock. All a person needed was 15 or 20 bucks and the broker would front the other eighty percent. This was the beginning of the problems which lead to the collapse, similar to the problems today when the banks loaned huge amounts of money to lenders with nearly no capital. One person stated that nobody had any idea that the financial market was ready to crash, not even the bankers and certainly not the government. “The Government kept telling us things would get better.”  I would recommend renting John Ford’s classic movie, “The Grapes of Wrath” I think it was an accurate depiction of life in the Midwest for many people. The story is compelling.
                 Jim Sheridan told about the Bonus Marchers, who were soldiers who had fought for Democracy in Germany. Someone got the idea that the soldiers should all march to Washington to demand their bonus money because they needed it now. Word spread fast. Some of these ‘bums’ would stay in the wooded areas near the train stations. The fellas working on the train would come out and ask how many would be boarding, without the knowledge of the authorities. Then they would load a few extra boxcars at the end of the train for those hitching a ride. Sheridan said there were 50 or 60 to a boxcar sometimes. They went from town to town on their way to DC and bummed food or whatever they might need. He said there was camaraderie then as people were all in the same situation. They were not afraid of strangers passing through town, like today. He had one very strong memory of a man traveling with his wife and baby. Everyone on the train knew the baby was crying from hunger. At the next stop, he and a friend bummed a baby bottle from a store after explaining the situation. Then they bummed some milk to put in the bottle. When they got back to the train, he offered the bottle to the wife. She looked at her husband for approval and he refused. The next journey was through some very smoky tunnels and some of the smoke backed into the boxcar. At the end of the tunnel ride, he heard screaming. It was the woman with the baby. The baby had died….from starvation. The train rides for the Bonus Marchers brought thousands to Washington DC where they were beaten with bats and had the military and American Legions turn on them. 
                     The Federal Trade Commissioner ,Everette McIntyre, told how President Hoover did not like all these bonus marchers circling the White House and camping out with their families. It was clogging up Pennsylvania Avenue. There were about 20,000 to 40,000 people who came from across the country for their bonuses. MacArthur, Patton and Eisenhower all took part in fighting the bonus marchers. Bayonettes were used on the crowd and in some cases ears were cut off. One bonus marcher man was killed. Bricks were thrown and tear gas was also used. The marchers left empty handed.
                     Martin Devries , interviewed showed no hesitancy when asked how he felt about FDR. I found his story interesting because his convictions are the same as mine and I have never seen bad times. He despised FDR. Martin said that not all the people on Wall Street are bad. He blamed Wall Street some and especially the new Securities and Exchange Commission, one founder being Joseph Kennedy. He states that ‘The New Dealers’ felt like they had some mission to perform after hearing FDR’s fireside chats. His complaint was, “We are paying taxes and NOT asking for anything. Everyone is asking for Relief and expects our money to help them out. A certain amount is ok… but when they strip you clean, it’s unfair.” Precisely these are my own sentiments.
                     Some of the common feelings stated by several interviewed were since times were bad, there were socialist and maybe communist feelings. Many people bartered to survive. One family owned a silver dollar. They had an agreement with their local market that they would sometimes pay with their silver dollar. The market proprietor waited until the family came back with a dollar and exchanged it back for their silver dollar. This process was repeated many times. If you had land and were able to keep it, you could survive. Many people would struggle to pay the mortgage and went hungry. 
                    One  woman , Phyllis Lorimer, told that her brother was attending college at Dartmouth. Her father had been a motion picture movie director, and her parents were divorced. For a time she attended a boarding school. When she could no longer get any pencils at school, because the school was not paying its bills, she was mortified. That was when she realized the Depression was real. She had no idea that the Depression was a national thing. Her family spent all their money to support the brother away at Dartmouth. She and her mother survived eating canned bully beef. Her mother made light of things and perhaps somehow protected her daughter from the harsh realities. When her brother came home from Dartmouth, he was shocked at how they were living. He was undone by the Depression. Phyllis said that she learned more about life from her brother’s reaction to the Depression. “There was a respect for those who did and no respect for those who had”
                     Another woman told how her father had 4 houses left to him and that he lost them all one by one during the depression. When he lost his job, he moved his family into a double wide garage to live rent free for seven years. She remembers how cold she was and that they all wore their clothes to bed at night. They had a coal stove and melted snow on a pan atop the stove to wash their faces.
                     Dorothea Bernstein told how she was raised in an orphan home back in 1933. She said on Fridays, all 125 of the kids at the orphanage would give the “hard luck guys” their lunch bags which consisted of mashed sardine sandwiches and mayonnaise. A friend of hers had owned a grocery store and was keeper of the books. In those times, you would never ask a customer for money, you would just write their name in the book because you did not want to take away from their family food. She thought this way you really were not giving it away and eventually you would be paid. Dorothea told of running into a girl she had once known in childhood. She went up to the woman and tried to confirm her identity, but the woman said it must be a case of mistaken identity. Dorothea had seen her several times after that and knew it was the woman she recalled as a kid. Her only explanation was there was so much stigma for many living through those bad times.
                     I particularly enjoyed Yip Harburg’s story. If you are not familiar with his claim to fame, you can hear Rudy Vallee’s rendition of the song Harburg wrote, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” on Youtube.  The Depression allowed his creativity to come alive. Perhaps it was because there were absolutely no distractions, only time to focus on your passion. “When the media heard the song, they tried to suppress it… but it was too late…the song had already done its damage.”
                         Another story told by a doctor and of a march he witnessed sometime in 1934. He said there were “hundreds of people, all silent, no enthusiasm and no banners…just desperation, ragged people.” People fainted from hunger in these times. The middle class had no medical care, while the poor had free care and of course the rich could afford medical care.
                         One man, Charles Stewart Mott, who was age 94 at the time of the interview, was the oldest member of the board of GM and a mayor three times. He claimed that FDR ruined the country. Our dime had the face of Our Great Destroyer, FDR. His thoughts were that the country could never recover from what FDR did in time of crisis.
                     Another young man interviewed was born to a wealthy family. He said his father always said he should’ve gone to college and worked harder ( So many blamed themselves when they lost their jobs or fell on bad times) The fact was a lot of people made money during the Depression, like Joe Kennedy. The little guys always get screwed
over by the big guys.
                     I was very interested in reading stories of those away at Yale and Harvard and how they were so insulated to what was happening across the Nation. One fellow wrote of the upper classmen coming back for visits and telling how great and easy a life it was on Wall Street, when later he noticed these same boys were back at school after the Crash. This same man, Gordon Baxter replied, “The World rushed in on us suddenly”
 So I suppose this is where I will end this piece. There are many more stories to put together to give you a broader view of what life was really like across the country. I will be working on part two in a short while.
 

 
 http://blog.likes2write.com/2009/05/27/interviews-from-the-great-depression-part-two.aspx   (PART TWO)

What a beautiful windy morning it is down here by Sebago Lake. I am sitting in my kitchen with the sun shining through my windows onto a beautiful bouquet that my son John bought for me this weekend. My dog Daisy is growling and barking in the window, possibly at some leaf blowing across the street. She gets excited over these things you know. It is Easter morning and I am thinking about many people today. I know of four people I knew who have passed this week and I do not know anyone who was born this week. However, yesterday a friend to both of my sons visited with his girlfriend and his new son. So that was a highlight of yesterday to see their new baby. I believe the significance of this week is something to reflect upon each year. Last year I wrote a story about a good friend whose son had muscular dystrophy and he passed during this week. Easter was a meaningful time to him. It can be accessed under the category ‘People I Know ‘and it is entitled Holy Week: Remembering Steven Passmore. I wish you all peace and the love of your family and friends.

 

          

         

THE GIFT



 Today, started out like any other day except it wasn’t. My mother called me the previous night to say good night like we always do and then she broke down crying. This past two weeks has been tough on family because my mother’s brother, Dick, has been very ill. He and my mom are less that one year apart so they grew up almost like twins. He went by ambulance to the hospital on March 22nd because he couldn’t breathe. He was suffering with pneumonia for some time. I think my Uncle has been sick for a long while but never saw a doctor or let on to anyone that he wasn’t well. After all, he was never one to be the center of attention, very humble and passive. He was one of the best listeners I knew. He smoked , though it does not really make a difference at this time. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and stomach cancer. My mom told me that he wanted to go home and he was told by doctors that it was not an option. I became furious when mom told me this because  anyone can go home if they want. There is such a thing as palliative care and it helps people to focus on life, not death. I wanted to see him myself so I could tell him that he was in charge of his own care, not the doctors. I was concerned he was too passive. I felt better after talking with him on the 29th. He was struggling to talk then. My aunt and cousins have endured a great deal these past few days.
                     Uncle Dick married young like my own parents. He married a girl from a farm in Scarboro, my Aunt Alice. As a kid, I have great memories of going to the Gantnier Farm on Broadturn Road. We went there whenever Uncle Dick would come home from some far away place as he served in the Air Force from 1960-1972. He lived in New Jersey, Vermont, Mississippi and Germany. All of us cousins would run around the farm watching the bulls and cows out in the field and playing on a swing near a tree. At one time, I remember he sent a bunch of photographs he had taken of Hurricane Camille down near Biloxi , MS where he was stationed to his mom, my grandmother. He was a historian of sorts as I recall I was fascinated with those pictures. I will never forget how sad I felt as a child when he came home from Mississippi for emergency leave to see his own sick father and did not make it in time. I was nine and I remember how sad it made me feel for him.
                    What I knew about Uncle Dick was that he was very smart about electronics and an inventor of sorts also, much like my own dad. He was also musical like my dad. I heard a great deal of their music over the years. Uncle Dick used to play every weekend somewhere, once he left the military and took a job at General Electric where he was an appliance repairman for thirteen years. After that stint, he decided he wanted to go into business for himself under the name O’D Appliance. 
                     He and Alice built a home in Scarboro and together they had three kids. It was nice to have them settle back in Maine after all the traveling they did. Uncle Dick loved nature and the woods were at the edge of his property. He once set up a motion detector camera that would take beautiful pictures when deer passed through his yard. He was very sensitive and had great respect for animals. He spent time pursuing his photography hobby taking photos down by the Scarboro Marsh. 
                     In 1991, my grandmother died. Once again, Uncle Dick rushed to be by his mother’s side and he was only a few minutes late. We all felt a sadness for him. Uncle Dick has always been a very gentle, sensitive person. Maybe he was just the slowest angel those times, carrying the burden on his shoulders. Nothing could have prepared us for my cousin Robby’s untimely tragic death later that year in 1991. I don’t know how my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins managed the next few years. Everyone’s heart was broken.
                     With the recent news Uncle Dick received, he accepted his own fate with grace. He found his strength and peace from somewhere. I recall a night, probably eight months ago when  I was listening to some of his music he had recorded for all of us some twenty five years ago onto cassettes. Appropriately, he named it, ‘Remember Me” I was in my kitchen preparing dinner, when I put the cassettes on and listened to his lovely voice and all the music he made with his guitar which he blended with various instruments. I called him out of the blue to tell him how much I was enjoying it. I told him that I wanted to record his music onto some CD’s because as the family historian, I felt it was important. He was interested in my idea and asked me to let him know what I found out. 
                    The past year or so, I have been going to Abba Video Productions, www.abbavideo.com , in Gorham to have home movies converted and other media transferred. I never forgot my idea but I did not have the extra funds at the time.
Anyhow, on the 29th when I saw him at the hospital, just before I left, he asked me if I ever had his music transferred to CD. I told him not yet, but I would be going to do so the next day, Monday. Meanwhile I came home and sent an urgent reply to Abba Video explaining what I needed and asked if she could please hurry the job for me. I received a reply quickly and was told that by the end of the week she would have something for me.
                    My Uncle has given us his gift of music and I wanted to thank him in some way. As soon as I received an answer, I told my mom and his daughter to let him know it was in the works. I hear that he was very happy about this, so that brings me comfort. This would be my gift to him.
                    Uncle Dick was able to spend one full night at home. The next evening, he was having difficulty breathing and was transported to Gosnell Hospice in Scarboro. Today being Friday, I prepared to go to work. On the way, I called Abba Video to see if anything was ready. She told me she had one set finished. I told her that I would be right over. I then called my mom’s cell phone and left a message that I had his music and I would see about getting it to mom soon so she could get it to her brother. At this time, I did not know he was at Gosnell. I called my father who confirmed he was taken there today and my mom was headed there.
                     I am supposed to be at work at 12:30pm and I am thinking that I cannot go to work for a few hours as I need to get this music to my Uncle. I spoke with my boss, who arranged my schedule so that I could take it as appointment time, for which I am allowed 4 hours per year. I do not really know how I knew that I needed to go just then. Maybe it was my intuition.
                    I got directions and drove to Scarboro and found his room. I saw my mom, my Aunt, my cousins and Aunt’s sister and his grandson. I walked in and told them that I had his music and then I saw my Uncle who was ‘out of it’, in a deep sleep, with labored breathing. He was wearing an oxygen mask and I am not sure if he knew we were all there. My mother left the room to find a CD player. She brought one back from the front desk and we put on a CD of Uncle Dick’s lyrics and music. My cousin wanted me to talk with him and tell him about it. So I stood by his side and told him that we finally had his music on CD. I told him that it did not sound nearly as good as a live performance but we were happy we had his music. I thanked him for all his music over the years. The music was a nice distraction from the discussion around the room. I hope that it brought comfort to everyone, including Uncle Dick.
                    We all thought that he must have heard it, because at one point he turned his head towards the music. They say hearing is the last sense we have. I really hope he knew how much enjoyment that his music has brought to us. I was there today when a priest came to his bedside and administered his last rites. God Bless Uncle Dick. He is truly a gift to us all. May we all find peace and a special place for him in our hearts. Let not our hearts be troubled.

 
 

                    Life for the most part revolves around family events. As a youngster, I recalled the admiration I felt for aunts and uncles and the talents they each held. My father’s sister is a wonderful artist, storyteller, great intelligence and is blessed with the most wonderful sense of humor and wit I could ever imagine. She is always great fun to be around and has stories galore to share with us. She is very special to me because I sometimes think we were cut from the same cookie cutter. 
                     My father’s brother has always been held in high regard and felt he was an authority on anything historical. He was a very interesting person, with varied interests, from gun collecting to rock collecting. He was always very boisterous and had a contagious laugh. I felt honored that he trusted me enough to help care for his daughter. He always would allow me to travel with he and my father whenever we went on an expedition. He knew I had an interest so he allowed me to tag along. One trip was to Coos Canyon to pan for gold. It was a memory I will never forget. He now lives with Dementia .As I got older I realized that my Aunts and Uncles were just people who made mistakes like the rest of us. This did not change the respect I felt for them.
                     My mother’s brothers are both musicians. One brother had a great deal of formal training and eventually became a Professor of Music at a college in Canada. He is also the director for a group of singing coal miners. He is well respected in Canada and has many accolades. It would be nice if we could all be closer but these days it is neat that we all keep connected through Facebook.
                    My mom’s other brother is a very gifted musician who is self taught. He plays the guitar and one of his favorite musicians is Chet Atkins. I grew up and have wonderful memories of my father and him playing together on occasion. I have some old cassettes of some music he recorded which I am now trying to put onto CD. I have enjoyed listening to his music for the past year or so. He is very laid back and you have to pay attention to him because he will say the funniest things when he may not be heard by those who are busy talking themselves. He wasn’t around a lot of the time when I was growing up as he  was in the US Air Force, so it was always a treat when they came back home to visit. 
                     I feel so blessed to have had such a great and talented group of Aunts and Uncles in my family. Each of them raised good families. They are all the older generation now. Before I know it, I will be replacing their generation. I guess I was just getting a little sentimental.
                    I have many items on the burner. I am going to be finishing up the Redbank interviews, meeting with folks at Maine Irish Heritage Center, and  working on the Immigrant program which I will present on May 16th at 130PM at Westbrook Historical Society, working on ornaments for an ornament party this upcoming weekend in New Hampshire and basically just trying to keep it all together and still work full time. I have story ideas regarding the Depression and also the San Francisco Earthquake. It seems like many of us juggle our time these days, but most importantly we need to stay grounded to our families if we have them.

            

       

                     Sometimes you just have to make a date and have a plan. I have not spent much time with my sisters or mom lately. It seems we all get so busy and are all doing different things. My sisters are my very best friends. I found a date that we could all agree on inspired by my last trip to Boston. The day after my last trip, I called them all and tried to find a date we could all make it happen. March 21st would be the date. 
                     That morning I left my home in Standish at 5:40 AM to pick up my sister Carol over in Westbrook. The sky was still black when I left and I saw the daybreak on my ride to Westbrook. Carol was timely and we left for my mother’s home in South Portland. Afterwards we headed to Sharon’s home also in South Portland. I knew she would be tired as she just flown home the night before at 1130PM from a work trip. We drove to the train station and parked for the day. Our adventure was ready to begin.
                     We talked about politics on our trip down as Carol and my mom tried to do their crossword puzzles. I was also telling them about some of the stories from Studs Terkel’s book, Hard Times. I hope to share a few of those when I am finished with that book.. We also spoke of ways to market things. Another topic was Facebook and how it is a neat tool to share with others. Anyhow all of us were anticipating a fun day in Boston.
                     When we arrived in North Station, we immediately headed to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. I had forgotten how much fun it was just to get away for the day. We had a few unexpected surprises on our shopping trip. We walked again through the Holocaust Memorial and reflected on the design, and the messages we read throughout the walk. Fittingly, engraved in the granite walkway upon leaving the Memorial, in both English and Hebrew the solitary word, Remember. 
                     Across the street from the Memorial was an Irish Restaurant, Paddy O’s. We popped in to see if they had any t-shirts for sale because my mother’s name was Patty O’Donnell. She had to have one of their t-shirts. We bought one and promised we would be back later. On our shopping excursion, I found a book that brought tears to my eyes. I know most of my childhood friends recall our elementary teacher, Mrs. Jane McDonald, reading to us every day for the last half hour, from a variety of classics. I remembered one story about a little girl and her hundred dresses. She came to school every day with the same dress but told about her hundred dresses. At the end of the story, the little girl showed a friend her hundred dresses, all her own unique drawing of dresses. I always remembered that story but thought is was maybe a part of a volume of literature, perhaps the same one from which she read us the poem, The Highwayman. I found a little treasure of a book in Boston entitled, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I would call this my seven dollar treasure for the day. The cover was richly illustrated with what appeared to be a colored pencil drawing. I almost started to cry in the shop.
                     We all found a few little treasures on our trip and delighted whenever each of us found something we liked. We picked up some pastries, from Carol Ann’s Bakery in Quincy Market. Holy Cannoli! This was the phrase of the day when we decided we would buy cannolis for the train ride home. In an effort to use more discipline, I have been saying Holy Cannoli for sometime now. My sister Carol and I laughed all day pretending we were Italian with our fake accents. We could never truly replicate the beauty of the sound of the language but we had fun trying. Moving through the Farmer’s Market winding past the carts filled with fish with their heads still attached, vegetable and fruit vendors, we thought is might be nice to come again to shop for food. There were great deals, including fresh strawberries. It was wall to wall people moving through the streets of cobblestone. 
                    We shopped for awhile and headed back to the area of Paddy O’s to have lunch at the Bell in Hand. It was here I saw Ben Franklin wandering through the crowds along the sidewalk. I had seen him in that area on my last visit for a few moments. I needed to have my picture taken with him. After we ate, we turned the corner and saw a wooden carved Sam Adams outside The Green Dragon. We all had our photos beside him; after all he was one of my favorite Patriots. We decided we would head back for some more shopping. I had a posed photo taken in front of a monument to Samuel Adams also, beside Faneuil Hall. Boston was the cradle of the American Revolution. Though the city honors and remembers these Founders throughout the city ,I believe the city today is quite liberal, far removed from the original ideas that our Founding Fathers and Patriots embraced as a new country…. a country free of tyranny. Tyranny is power and also Taxation with NO representation. I purchased a Don't Tread on Me patch, a book by Thomas Paine entitled, The Rights of Man and also my own copy of the Constitution. I love Boston because it is the cradle of the American Revolution.
                     I love the fact that I can approach Benjamin Franklin on the street and have a conversation with him. My sister spotted him walking around the Assembly area. I ran as fast as I could until I caught up with him. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “I have been looking everywhere for you! Can I have my picture taken with you?” He said, “I’ve been waiting for you too”  He showed me his hand with some folded one dollar bills and answered, “Of course. I charge two dollars” Well, I would have paid him five dollars as he was as real a Benjamin Franklin as I had ever seen. He then introduced himself as Ben Franklin and I said replied, “I know who you are!” We had a great snapshot. Then I asked, “How is Deborah? [Referring to his common law wife]” He replied that she was well and then winked at me. He then told us that we should not believe all those stories about the ladies in France. That also made my day to see him.
                    We entered Newbury Comics which had a large cardboard cutout of Obama near the door. In fact, I bought a pin there with Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber listed as running for office in 2012. I put it on and posed with the cardboard cutout. As I was having my photo snapped by my sister, a hoard of young girls ran over and decided they would do the same thing. Maybe the store could charge for that and give the proceeds to the panhandlers sitting curbside in the city. We were approached by many people requesting change. Didn’t they know the Change has Come? Our new president is going to fix everything. 
                    Most of the best things in life are free. I saw in the food court a man wearing a homemade sandwich board message about Jesus. He was handing out pamphlets and asked for nothing in return. He was not forceful in any  way. I told him his artwork was neat and asked if he made it himself. I asked if he would pose for a picture with me. He thanked us and told us to take care and gave me a little book of verses, which my sister later proclaimed were really not comforting at all. He was nice enough and seemed to enjoy what he was doing. 
                After we left the shopping areas, we headed to Paddy O’s to wet our whistle. From here we went back to North Station where we saw more panhandlers, somewhat upscale too. I gave one young guy a dollar coin. He thanked us and went on to ask others for help. I am trying to spread the wealth, being a good citizen. I know times are tough, but someone can be clever like Ben Franklin and make a buck an honest way. Find a demand and work it. People will support those kinds of endeavors.
                The train ride home was interesting. At one point, the switch had to be moved  manually as it was frozen a bit. We waited about twenty minutes while the interior lights flickered on and off. The technician had to use a crow bar to fix the switch. Everything worked out well and we were on our way again. It was a great day spent in Boston.

Maybe you will enjoy this Youtube video about Thomas Paine. Very interesting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcVopcMPfSs

Photograph taken by Keliy Anderson Staley 2009
The finished ambrotype will be painted and varnished on the back inside of a reproduction antique case with an oval fancy gold matte.



            Early one cool morning on March 3rd, I walked with my father towards the Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook. On this day, I had arranged for my father to document the process of having an ambrotype portrait of me, inspired by the antique ambrotype taken in 1863 of my great, great grandmother Martha Roberts, taken by Charles Gooding, an early Westbrook Photographer. I commissioned Keliy Anderson-Staley, a photographer who most recently gave a class at the Bakery Collective in Westbrook at the old Dana Warp Mill. She has Maine roots but today she has a photography studio in New York City. In  addition to her own studio, she also works at the Center for Alternative Photography [www.capworkshops.org] To see her original portraits, please check out her website www.andersonstaley.com   Keliy was very interesting to speak with as her interests included all early photographic technique and she was very familiar with many early works of photographers such as Brady, Gardner and Curtis, to name a few. I was most interested in seeing her perform her work. She took me into the darkroom area and showed me the chemicals she had mixed about two weeks beforehand. She mentioned several ingredients for the mixture; one ingredient included grain alcohol. First she paid close attention to getting the glass cleaned very well before she poured the mixture onto it. The mixture appeared to be the color and consistency of honey. She covered the whole plate with it, careful not to waste the mixture, pouring off the excess back into the bottle. Afterwards, she took the plate and slid it vertically into a silver nitrate wash, all self contained.
             Upon my arrival, she had the old reproduction large wooden handmade camera fitted with an antique lens already in place. There was a chair seated with bright fluorescent lighting on both sides. I had my head rested on an armature type head piece so as not to move my head during the photograph. Keliy explained that she would go to the darkroom, and get the plate, all self contained to slide into the back of the camera. First she would be sure I was seated and in focus before she did all of this. She reminded me of photographers of yesteryear when she had a black cloth draped over her head as she peered through her camera. On this day, I was to have 5 portrait settings. From this selection, I would choose the best. The first portrait, I was told not to smile much because it would look as if I had a mouth full of food. It was alright if I blinked because the length of exposure would correct the blinking eye problem. If I moved my eyes around the room, it would appear I was cross- eyed. The first portrait, she held the large lens cover over the lens and counted to three. On the count of three, she removed the lens cover and counted till ten and then she replaced the lens cover. She then slid the self contained plate from the back of the camera and ran to the darkroom. In a matter of moments, she came out with a tray with a wash that allowed me to see the portrait develop before my eyes. This one was a little washed out, so she decided the next one would be an exposure of 7seven seconds. She explained to me that back in the old days, photographers sometimes kept their wet collodian plates in trays covered with honey or some other wet substance to keep them wet until they got back to the studio. Then they would be dried and later painted and varnished. 
             Of interest to me was the difference between Daguerrotypes and Ambrotypes. Daguerrotypes were more mirror image when held at an angle. Ambrotypes were very popular at the time as they cost less than Daguerrotypes and were a positive and a negative at the same time. It took about 25 minutes to do one of the portraits. I sat with her for 1 ½ hours and saw each portrait being processed. Interestingly enough, Martha Roberts, who lived at 341 Saco Street, Westbrook was only 21 years old at the time of her portrait. I am over twice her age for my portrait. I wanted a setting similar to hers and wanted to dress somewhat simple as well. My jewelry would be pearls. Though my hair is just as fine and flat as her hair, I chose to curl mine a little. My eyes may look a little tired however, one eye was watery from the lights. In all, the photo I chose was in my opinion the best representation of who I am. The whole process brought me great satisfaction. 

            Arriving very early on a Saturday morning at the Amtrak station in Portland, our family was ready to embark on the train for an afternoon Bruins game in Boston. We parked our handicap van and paid in advance three dollars for the day. Once in the station, there was complimentary coffee, juice, donuts and newspapers. We had our tickets long before this day. We also needed to carry identification in the event we were asked for it. Shortly before we were ready to depart, a gentleman passed out free Boston maps to anyone who wanted them. He told us that Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall were about a ten minute walk from North Station.
            As passengers were filling up the seats in the station, we were asked to board first. They had a metal ramp all ready for the wheelchair. We had great leg room and were seated comfortably. For anyone traveling by rail, the bathrooms are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair with another person for assistance. Once on the train, a gentleman came around and made conversation with the passengers. There was a counter to buy snacks, burgers, drinks etc.
             It took about three hours as we were held up at one point because there was maintenance on the track ahead of us. I think normally it may take a little over two hours.
            Our first stop was in Saco, Maine where the view was lovely overlooking, what I believe were the old Pepperell mills. Sadly these old mill towns once thrived with work, but many of the old abandoned buildings with boarded up windows or no windows at all were reminiscent of ghost towns. Revitalization would be a good thing to see along the rail lines. To see a town that is alive, instead of tired, would be a welcome sight along the rail line. Still it was impressive to see the mills from this angle.
             The train stopped at stations where prepaid passengers were awaiting. It was all according to the needs of the business. On any given day, the same train might stop at additional towns along the way. Our next stop was Wells, Maine. After we left Wells, we stopped at Dover, NH. I noticed many old depot stations that were well worn with age and positioned behind a newer platform from which passengers boarded. Once I noticed some old rusted train track stacked up beside one of these old fences behind the depot station. I witnessed an auto graveyard or junkyard and alongside these rusted vintage autos was a long line of old rusted out boxcars which appeared to still be joined as if waiting to ride the rails once more. They were twisted pieces of metal, once streamlined beauties. It sort of reminded me of Depression times. 
             As we traveled the rail a little further, I noticed the landscape changing from rural to suburban. Gone were the little cemeteries, carriage roads, and hints of Main Street, America lined with old Victorians and trees only to be replaced with abandoned garages, smokestacks, and warehouses and old tractor trailers. It was a suburban concrete landscape, a skateboarder’s paradise. Backs of strip malls and fencing covered with graffiti lined the rails on the way to Boston. Rows of tenement houses with sagging porches were a common sight along the rails. These areas near the rails were once industrious, businesses and warehouses that used the rails to ship freight and receive freight. Like a river, the rails also were lined with industries which made money by that type of transportation. Cities and towns were born near the rivers and the rails.
             This was not the typical view one sees when they visit a town, which made it interesting for me to observe. Although it looked worn out in the closest places to the rail, I could see church steeples on the horizons of these little towns and variety stores and some fine homes. The trees were barren offering me a glimpse I would not have seen in summer. Old telephone poles lined the rails with worn crossbars, sagging drop wires and broken and missing glass insulators. It was interesting how some of the trees had growth interfering with the lines, a real challenge to the telephone repairman.
             Our next stops included Exeter, NH. and then we passed through Haverhill and Lawrence , MA. with no stops. We passed Andover and Wilmington, MA. I saw an old theatre in Wilmington and in one location I saw an old rounded top building painted blue which was an old roller rink called Skateland. We then stopped in Woburn, MA where I noticed the most populated cemetery I ever saw. The stones were almost piled atop of each other. From here we had eighteen more miles until we were at North Station in Boston.    
            As we got closer to Boston, highways passed above us, rooftops with numerous metal ducts were beside us and cranes littered the horizon. We were now in the city. We were graciously allowed to exit first. After our day in Boston, sitting on a bench in busy North Station, we were approached by two people from Amtrak looking for our family so we could board first again for our journey home. Along the rail this time we saw the sun setting as colorful as cotton candy. This trip was a little different because we made a few other stops. We left Boston at 5PM and arrived in Portland at 730PM. It was a wonderful day spent with my family, with shopping, food, and a hockey game.

 

I have always wanted to get my portrait taken so it is similar to that of my great great grandmother’s, Martha Roberts, ambrotype, which was taken by Westbrook photographer Charles Gooding in 1863. Now I have seized the opportunity. I have commissioned a photographer who will take my portrait on March 2^nd in Westbrook. This photographer is from outside Maine but she has arranged to meet me for the portrait.The photographer uses the old techniques and old vintage equipment. With this, I will pose for an ambrotype. This is a one of a kind photograph. My father will document the session for me, so I can post some pictures later along with the one of my great great grandmother, in my possession. I have to sit still for 15 to 30 seconds with my head against a hidden brace. Stay tuned. I think it may be of interest to some of you.

To read more about the photo session go to http://blog.likes2write.com/2009/03/16/the-ambrotype-portrait.aspx

    I bought myself a gem of a book from Ebay a few years ago. My reason for the purchase was that the book contained short stories about being a barber in Portland. The barber’s name was John Todd and he also mentioned some ancestors of mine who were barbers. The book is entitled ‘Reminiscences of John M. Todd: Sixty two years in a Barber Shop’. On the title page, “A Sketch of the Life of John M. Todd and Reminiscences of His Customers”, written by himself. Portland, William W. Roberts Co. 1906
     It is full of useful information, and ironically much of it could apply to the troubles in the United States today. My next few blogs will encompass some of the material in this book. Remember that this book was published in 1906.
 This book was written during his working hours between shaves and haircuts. Most of you who go to a hairdresser today enjoy good conversation with the stylist. I am sure that not much has changed in that arena over the years. From a chapter on Socialism, he writes the partial excerpt and gives credit to someone with initials, O.F.L.:
     “Not only have the billions paid to bondholders been filched from the earnings of labor, but also the tens of billions stolen by mortgage foreclosures, vast sums of usury and untold amounts, the result of shrinkage of values occasioned by lessening the amount of debt-paying money of the country. All these pluckings of the poor by the dangerously rich would probably aggregate more than one- half of all the present wealth of the country. This sum, vast as it is, must be, probably, doubled by the loss of earnings of the millions of laborers who have been deprived of the privilege of earning anything, and hence turned into vagabonds, tramps, and, in vast numbers of cases, criminals, by this hellish policy set on foot and forced upon the country by traitorous bankers.”
     I believe his writing is powerful and passionate. Those of us who try hard to live within our means are going to pay for those who do not. Nothing is free in life and if it is, someone else has paid for it.

  

 

                    What if we were not able to express any of our views or ideas? There is censorship in the media. There are those with whom you are close who are not interested in your political beliefs.  In my experience, I can not openly express any of my political ideas. Few friends are actually active engaged listeners and allow free expression of ideas. I think it is important to listen to everyone, though you may strongly disagree, it is important to listen and be courteous. Usually any political discussion these past 10 years, result in shouting matches, and many preferring to keep their politics to themselves for fear of intolerance. How ironic that we are living in perhaps one of the most free societies… and yet we are intolerant of any idea which may threaten our own idea? I prefer not to have our government solve every problem with our economy. Every day the newspapers are full of articles which scare readers into thinking we are doomed. The media is causing much panic and hysteria amongst the population.
                     I yearn to talk with others about the fundamental ideas upon which our country was founded, yet most who are close to me, have no idea about the contents of The Declaration of Independence. I wonder if we have lost our heart. I am grateful that America has been awakened. We should always question our leaders as that is our responsibility to the next generation. We need to expect more from those we elect and to hold them accountable. Though I am Republican, most of my friends call themselves Democrats. In fact, it seems like the whole Country is Democrat, including those who cover our news, except me and a few scattered friends.  I know this is not true, however , it seems many leopards have changed their spots. I don’t want our government to take care of us because I think we know how to take care of ourselves. In the simplest of terms, that is precisely how I feel. I wish for people to be motivated to make themselves better citizens and work to keep our government at bay. Less government appeals to me.
                     I don’t like being silenced and I would never do that to my children. Sometimes it is important to be silent and listen to what is transpiring around us. To stop the free flow of ideas and expression is never going to work. Oppression is everywhere. We need to constantly guard our virtues and fight for what is ours because someone is always trying to take it away. I am sick of being bullied into donating to every cause under the sun. I am one person and I can only try to change things one person at a time. You can not kill the human spirit. So silence me all you want… I can still type.

 

                    My husband’s idea was that he and I take a mini vacation to Clearwater, FL. It turned out to be a wonderful idea. We rarely get away alone. I have concerns leaving the home because I am a caregiver. We left our nineteen year old in charge and turns out that he did a nice job caring for his brother, the dog, and maintaining the house. 
                     The most fun I had was playing a few mini golf games with my husband. We walked over to the Congo River Golf, where alligators are part of the landscape, fully enclosed I might add. It was pretty cold so we visited the beach in our jackets and alone we stood on Clearwater Beach. Only on the last day of our visit, did it warm up to seventy degrees and my husband visited the beach with another friend while I visited with old friends from Portland who had relocated to Winter Haven. Clearwater was our destination because that is where my husband’s mom lives. We spent our vacation at the Japanese Gardens Trailer Park. She sold her home in Massachusetts to live part time in Florida. There are a few others from the same town in Massachusetts whom also live nearby. 
                     Usually in the early evening, we frequented the VFW on Hercules where most of the patrons are more like a large family. I met a few people, played bingo, not my favorite game, and played a trivia game as part of a fundraiser, sang some patriotic songs and mostly enjoyed some of our friends, whom I had traveled with years before when I vacationed in Ireland. There was a fellow named Carlos playing guitar with some canned music for accompaniment. When he played America the Beautiful, the patrons all stood up and held hands. The song continued into Glory, Glory Hallelujah and ended with God Bless America.  It was rather nice I thought. One fellow they called the Irish Cop told a story of how he stopped a man for speeding once back in Pennsylvania. When the man asked, ‘Why did you stop me?” The cop’s reply was, “Well It wasn’t because you were on your way to church.” He was quite the storyteller, or as they say in Irish, “Seanache”. What would life be with no storytellers?
                     We purchased a digital camera for my mother-in –law and the salesgirl had some very nice Chanel earrings. I remarked how lovely I thought they were and she told me where I could find them. So the following day, we had a mission to find this store. The name of it was Copycats Boutique on Indian Rocks Blvd. in Largo. I have a feeling I will be making a few more purchases there. We told the owner the story of the salesgirl who tipped us onto the store. After we left the boutique, we drove to Indian Shores to a bar called Mahuffers which was written about in a 2002 issue of GQ magazine. My mother –in- law had a copy of the article which was signed by the owner, John Susor. It is now owned by his grandson. The original owner was interviewed for the story at the age of 88. He was a man with a wild passion for life, being married 9 times and putting everything he had into raising his little girl. The place is decorated with wild undertones and undergarments, bold colors, rope lighting, old broken auto parts, rusted motorcycles and porcelain bathroom décor littering the outside area. A few old cats roam the inside as well as a parrot. The article was very interesting and the old man was larger than life. I was glad we stopped by to visit.
                     Some of the places we had dinner were Sam Seltzer’s Steak House, Carrabba’s, and a nice little breakfast, luncheon place called Olga’s. I enjoyed the beautiful landscaping especially the many different types of palm trees. Glad to be home, but enjoyed the visit with my mother-in-law and time away with my husband.

Dresden (located in former East Gemany) I bought this postcard because I had hoped to visit Dresden and Leipzig before I moved from Germany, but our tour was cut short and I never fulfilled those desires.



A very nice Scene for a Christmas Wish


This is sweet- a real love token



A lovely valentine- opens up to a three dimensional pop up


This also opens up and the 'To my Valentine' becomes the base




                    Where else can you leave for a few hours and indulge in your passion of leafing through old postcards, ephemera, currency, coins, daguerrotypes and old photos form various towns across the country, including a great deal of foreign items also? Today, I browsed for two hours in an antique paper show held at Holiday Inn West in Westbrook. There was a four dollar entry fee to look around, perhaps so they only have serious collectors browsing the collections. I certainly did not mind the four dollar entry fee because it was a feast for the eyes. I spent about fifteen dollars total and immensely enjoyed myself. I jotted down some items of interest so I would not get sidetracked. I am always on the lookout for old interesting letters, information or photographs of the Haskell Silk Mill, photos of people inside their homes, or at work, interesting shaped photographs, rural scenes, fine examples of period clothing, Victorian mourning items, postcards of places I have lived, and so many more interests. 
                     I suppose that is the best part of being a collector of things. I don’t buy multiple items of one theme, in fact there is no real rhyme or reason to what I may buy for fifty cents. Today I had an interest in early valentines as I always have because I do believe in love. Love is a common theme across some of my small collections. I also have some interesting German inflation currency dated early 1920’s ; some only guaranteed for three months at face value. The reason I was interested in the German money was because I had lived there. Today I would like to share with you some of the interesting items I purchased. The next show there is on March 29th.

 

                   

                     I must say the whole political arena exhausted me to the point of being a major distraction. Every time I wanted to write, it became part of the topic. I am done with it.
                     Everywhere I travel, I have my camera. Usually during a storm, I would go to the ocean and witness the rage of the sea. It is one of my favorite places to be during a storm. Since I live near Sebago Lake, my destination is there now during a storm. Most of my earliest memories of Sebago Lake included preparation for the trip, which took a good part of the early morning. We all jumped in the car and traveled across rural roads, on a trip which seemed to last forever. We always carried a cooler full of drinks, chips and food to grill. The hour long ride seemed so long because we were all in great anticipation of our day at the lake. I used to like to swim to the bottom and look for mica and other rocks. I noticed many of the rocks in the area had garnet and feldspar. My Uncle was a rock hound and turned me onto that hobby. We never had a boat and just enjoyed the lake by the shoreline. My mother could relax as all four of us swam, not worrying about a tide pulling us out. We would only come out for a picnic lunch which was torture because we had to wait almost an hour to go back into the water. We did not argue with our mom. We also camped there once that I recall. 
                     Living down by Sebago Lake Village [intersection of 114/35], not much has changed in forty-five years, I think. It is run down and could use some beautification. Sebago Lake Village is the gateway to the lakes region. Sebago Lake is alive all winter with fishing derby’s, snowmobiling, and ice fishing. Last year at this time, I counted about fifty ice shacks at the area near the fishing dock and boat ramp down by the Village. 
                    We seldom got to the lake when we were young as we were closer to the ocean. Going to Sebago Lake was always a big treat. I would say that I live in a nice area, not far from North Conway or Laconia and only 17 miles from Portland. Every morning I have a canvas in front of me on my trip to town. I see sunsets and sunrises and every kind of sky imaginable. Wildlife is everywhere and I have truly come to appreciate nature all around me. The commute is tricky at times but I never hit traffic because living up here, I learned the back road shortcuts very fast. Here is hoping that we all have a good, healthy and prosperous year. 


 

                    My mind has been busy with thoughts of the inauguration, and I recall an article I just read in Heritage Magazine. The article was about the relationship between Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Now Lincoln and Douglass differed on many ideas including equality. Interestingly enough, both men held a deep respect for one another. Douglass once said, “Lincoln is he only white man that did not remind me that I was a Negro.” This inauguration reminds me that although we may seem to have come a long way, now that Obama is to become our next President, maybe we have not come that far. Every day we read that Obama is our first black President. Why are we constantly reminded of that when we should look at him and see our new President, nothing more, nothing less.? 
                    On the same note, why is it so important to erect a statue of FDR, in Washington DC, portrayed in his wheelchair? He was a great President, who wanted to be remembered for that. We do not need to put FDR’s polio at ease for him…it is perhaps to put us at ease, because we are uncomfortable with differences. We have this crazy urge to put everyone into groups. Is it any wonder that people have difficulty making people comfortable with their own differences? What if we all just tried to imagine a world where we didn't acknowledge those obvious differences, and try to refer to a person by his/her name?  Maybe I am being too idealistic. I think Frederick Douglass summed it all up 145 years ago. 
                        I think we tend to be uncomfortable with our past and want to make things 'right'. I guess the fact that when we look to the past and feel like this, maybe we are moving ahead in the way that we treat people. Obama has moved people to become more active in their government, to be accountable. We should hold all of our representatives accountable when they hold their own interests above our interests. I am not sure which direction our country is moving but it is good that the people have been awakened.
                     Lastly, I have been doing a lot of organizing today, trying to make my life less cumbersome. Winter is a good time to work on these projects. However it did not stop me from reading an article in MDA’s Quest magazine. It was the story of a family in California who have four sons with Muscular Dystrophy. I was amazed to read that this family decided to take a year off to go sailing together; eleven in the whole family. When I find myself stressing about small potatoes compared to this family, I am ashamed. I realized today that by reading that article, it was no waste of my time. It made me put a few things in perspective. Enlightened is what I felt. They are truly living life. This year I will try to throw some of that anxiety out the window. It is going to be a good year… I hope for all of us.

 

 

These are transcriptions of two separate letters I recently purchased which will be of interest to Westbrook, Maine residents. They were written in the early 19th century. My purpose for the purchases was to share the material with readers.

This 1st letter mentions the Canal (Cumberland & Oxford Canal) I was particularly interested in the following letter, though I have read publications about the Canal,  I have never seen mention of it or found records from any research I have conducted. It was written on one sheet of paper and folded into an envelope as not to waste any part of the paper. It was addressed to Mr. Lewis Warren, North Parsonsfield, Maine . In the bottom left corner it was written ‘to the care of Master Lavitt’ so it must have been hand delivered.

Saccarappa, May 5th, 1835

Dear Son,

                    It is with pleasure I inform you that we are all well and hopping you are enjoying the same blessing. I received your letter April the 25th. I should have rote but I set up with Misses Lunt that night. I was sorry when Mr. Whitten calld that it happened thus I wanted him to tarry that day it being vary rany. I feal glad to hear from you. I thought you would be discontented. I hope you will be steddy and strive to learn that which will be useful in time and pray God to teach you that which will make you happy in eternity. I believe it is our duty to be thankful for evry blessing that we receiv but how unthankful we are but I pray God to giv us hearts to love and searve him. Your father and George and William is up the river. We have a large family but we have another girl. The canal boat started up after the first load April the 25th on Fryday. Lass had a colt Sunday April the 27th.Henry Perit arived here May the 1st. I have nothing more at present but my good wishes and love to you.

Elenor Warren

 

The 2nd letter is also of interest because it was apparently penned by a Quaker living in Westbrook. The letter was addressed to Ezra Northey of Salem, Mass. This was a long letter also folded from a sheet of paper fashioned into an envelope, and sealed with wax.

Westbrook 11th M? 10th 1826 

My Dear Sister,

                    We received a letter from brother John about three weeks since informing us of the death of Aunt Northey. It was very unexpected to us tho’ we had heard she was very feeble indeed, yet we had thought it likely that she might live some time. You must miss her very much yet I think we none of us ought to regret that she is taken from this wilderness of woe. I was very glad brother John happened to be with you. Our dear Uncle Nathan Winslow bade adieu to this world about eight o’clock 3rd day evening, he was buried this afternoon. It was so very rainy that none of the family attended the funeral except father and John Torrey . Sister I. has been quite sick all day and Mother is quite unwell. Sarah seems to be threatened with a fever. I think she seems better this evening. Uncle Nathan has been gradually declining all the summer and fall, and for the last three weeks very fast indeed. He will be very much missed by his family and friends.
                     Sister Lydia has a fine young daughter who will be three weeks old tomorrow. They call her Martha P. Lydia was very sick indeed but now seems to be very smart. I attended Durham Quarterly Meeting accompanied Merry Davis. We went down in company with John and Mary Minott. We had a very good meeting indeed. Mary B. Allen attended. I think she is an excellent teacher.
 Thou canst not think how queer it seems to see sister L. with a babe. I tell her she is most shockingly awkward. She can not talk to it hardly a bit, but Caleb is a very good hand. I think it quite a likely looking child for its age. Sister Hannah and the little ones are all well. Cousin Henry Jones is very sick with a fever. I believe they are expecting Esther home soon. We shall be very glad to see her but, but I expect cousin Eunice will miss her very much indeed. We feel very lonesome indeed with Isaiah and John both gone. We have spun all our wool and have got about 30 yards wove, have not been very smart and have made 11 barrels of cider and got about 20 bushels of apples in the cellar. I wish brother E. had a barrel of it for it is super excellent. May we not expect you down this winter don’t say no. Thou can’t think how much I want to see little M. I suppose she can trot anywhere now and say a great many pretty things. Do give her a hundred kisses for her Aunt M.   Little Frederick is a very interesting child and he seems very well indeed now. I have not time to fill my sheet now so thou must take the will for she and the family join me in love to you Cousin Wms family.

Thy affectionate sister, Maria

 

 

 

Transcribed by Suzan Roberts Norton©2003



 
Jan. 1, Thursday
 Very warm & pleasant. No snow. Flora and I went up to MR C. Roberts (her father in law) and spent the day: I received a letter from John (husband away on guard duty during Civil War ) Mr. Trickey & wife & Mrs. J called. I knit and wrote to J.

Jan. 2, Friday
 Very  pleasant. I went to the village PM. To Aunt  S. Call to Adeline H. Went to the Lyceum in the evening.  Stayed all night to Mrs. Gould’s.  Went up to the cemetery.  Mrs. JM Merchant arrived to Mrs.J.

Jan. 3, Saturday
 Very pleasant. I spent the day to Mrs. Gould’s: Quilted for Sarah. I got home at seven o’clock. Sarah and Annie came most home with me.

Jan.  4, Sunday
 Very damp and foggy. I did not go to church. I wrote to John. Mother and I spent the evening to Frank’s. Rained a little in the night.

Jan. 5, Monday
 Very pleasant. Charlie Dyer and Mary W. spent the day with me. Mary and I called to Frank’s. Mrs. Johnson taken sick. I wrote to J. Melly Hatch taken sick. I knit for Flora. (her dau.)

Jan. 6, Tuesday
 Fair AM Cloudy PM Flora and I spent the day and evening to Mrs. Gould’s. Mother came PM. She went to the circle to Mrs. G. Warren’s in the evening. Snowed a little in the night. I wrote to J. Very muddy. I knit for Flora.

Jan 7, Wednesday
 Cloudy AM Fair PM Some windy and quite cool. I called to Uncle W. The haypressers came tonight. I wrote to J. I received a letter from J.( her husband)  Col. Merrill died. I knit

Jan. 8, Thursday
 Very pleasant: quite cold: I called to Mrs. Bickford’s: to Mrs. J. Cloudman’s: to Mrs. N. Murch’s in the afternoon. I rode home with Mrs. C. Roberts (mother in law) Ann called (sister in law, I’m sure….. her friend is referred to as Annie) I received a l. from J. (letter from John). I fin. my sock.

 

Jan. 9, Friday
 Very pleasant. The haypressers went away PM . I went to the Lyceum in the evening. Called to Mrs. Gould’s: I received a paper from J. Mr. Merchant arrived. Mr. Fenderson died tonight.

Jan. 10, Saturday
 Cloudy. I made pound cake: and finished Flora’s balmoral stockings: Mary B. and Nellie R. called PM. Mr. C. Roberts called. Mr. Merchant and wife and M.R. spent the evening. Father went to school meeting: snowed in the eve: rainy night

Jan. 11, Sunday
 Cloudy AM. Warm & pleasant PM. Very muddy. I went to church. To the M.E. PM. (refers to Methodist, I believe) Col. M. buried today. Father went to the funeral. I wrote to J. Mother and father spent the evening to Uncle William’s. Nallie H. taken sick

Jan. 12, Monday
 Pleasant AM. Some cloudy before night. I called to Mr. Hatch’s PM. Mr. Merchant left: I wrote to J. I received a letter from J. and a ring, and Flora one. I commenced drinking water. I took up my stockings, mother cut my corsets. Flora got her new shoes. Mr. D. Trickey taken sick (Daniel Trickey was in the lumber business with her  husband’s grandfather ,Wm. Roberts)

Jan. 13, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I made apple dumplings and wrote to J. AM. I called to Mr. C.R. PM. Mother and Flora called to Mr. Trickey. Us to Mr. R. PM. Mary & Ann called. Mr. Fenderson  buried  today. I knit: Mother mended my dress. Snowed a little in the night.

Jan. 14, Wednesday
 Snowed AM. Rained PM. Charlie ( her brother in law) brought me two skeins of yarn for J. I wrote to J. I received a letter from J. Mrs. C. Roberts spent the evening. I knit the M.E. Society, had a donation this evening. Mrs. Pratt died tonight.

Jan. 15, Thursday
 Cloudy AM Rained PM Mother and I and Flora spent the day till four o’clock to Aunt Quinby’s. I wrote to J. I knit. Mr. Fales taken sick. Mother took up one of my seamed stockings. Mother finished the last one of my plain stockings. I had my first sleigh ride.

Jan. 16, Friday
 Rained hard all day. Father sold his steer. Mother took up my mittens. I took up one of John’s stockings. I knit on my seamed stockings. Mrs. Pratt buried today. Mother made apple jelly. Cleared off in the night: windy

Jan. 17, Saturday
 Pleasant: Quite cold: some windy; I made jelly tarts and cake AM  Ann called  AM. Went to the village PM to Aunt S.: I spent the eve. Called to Mrs. W. Mary E. Trickey called. I knit on John’s stocking: I heard of N. Haskell’s death. I fell on the ice.

Jan. 18, Sunday
 Pleasant- Cold. I went to church all day. Went to Aunt Sands to dinner. Mother went PM. I wrote to J. Sarah Gould and Annie sat with me to church. Father spent the eve to Uncle J. Proctor’s.
 
Jan. 19, Monday
 Very pleasant. I made cornstarch pudding for dinner. I knit on my seamed stockings. I wrote to J. Uncle William and Mrs. Johnson and Miss Lucy Libbey called PM. Mother made butter in the eve.

Jan. 20, Tuesday
 Fair AM. Cloudy PM.  I called to Frank’s AM and PM. Mother made me a pair of breastplates: Ann called PM. I received a letter from J. Mr. Fales died PM. Mother and I went to the L. (Lyceum?) in the evening.

Jan. 21, Wednesday
 Cloudy.  I was not well. Flora and I called to Uncle William’s PM. I knit. I wrote to J. Mother knit on my mittens.

Jan. 22, Thursday
 Cloudy AM Foggy PM. Rained in the evening. I made a pudding for dinner. I knit on my stocking. I received a letter from J. I wrote to J. Ann called PM.

Jan. 23, Friday
 Some cloudy AM Warm and pleasant PM. Very muddy. I made cornstarch pudding for dinner. I went to the village PM. Called to Mrs. Gould’s and to Mrs. W..  Took tea to A.S.  Went to the Lyceum in  the eve.  Stayed all night to A.S.

Jan. 24, Saturday
 Very pleasant. I came home in the morning from A. Sands. I made jelly tarts AM. Mary Boody called PM.  Mother and I spent the eve to Mrs. Johnson’s. Mr. C.R. gave Flora a roll of lozengers. Father went to Portland. Snowed a very little in the night.

Jan. 25, Sunday
 
CloudyAM Cleared of before night. Mr. Fales buried today. Father and Mother went to the funeral. I did not go to church. I wrote to J. Mary B. and Mr. C. R called. I was not well. Pauline Woodman was married.

Jan. 26, Monday
 Cloudy AM  Pleasant PM. Cloudy evening.  Snowed a few inches in the night. I helped make sponge cake. I knit on John’s stocking. Lewis Edwards opened his store.  Snowed enough for sleighing.

Jan. 27, Tuesday
 Snowed all day.  I made a pudding for dinner. I wrote to J. I received a letter from J. and his miniature. I knit on J. stocking. Mother finished my mittens. The circle appointed to our home but did not meet being stormy.

Jan. 28, Wednesday
 Cloudy.  I wrote to J. I received a letter from J. I finished one of J. stockings and I took up the other. Mother finished one of my seamed stockings. I went to the village PM- called to Aunt S.

Jan. 29, Thursday
 Snowed AM Pleasant the first of PM. Stormy in the last part.  Quite pleasant eve. I knit on J. stocking. Aunt S. and Etta (sister in law) and Louisa Babb ( may be a relative as her mom was a Babb) spent the afternoon to our house. The circle met to our house this eve-  about  50 present.  A.S. & E. & L.B. staid all night.

Jan. 30, Friday
 Pleasant. I knit on J. stocking. Aunt S ,Etta & L. Babb spent the day to our house. Uncle W. & Mrs. M. Parker called PM. Louisa made me a headdress. L & I called to Mrs. Cox’es to A. Sands to Mrs. G. Mariner’s and then went to the Lyceum in the eve. I rode home with Father.

Jan. 31, Saturday
 Very pleasant.  I covered some button. I knit on J. stocking. I received a letter from J. Ann called AM .Father & Mother, Flora and I was invited up to Mr. Trickey’s and went and spent PM and evening. Mr. W.F. family was there. Beautiful sleighing.

Feb. 1, Sunday
 Very pleasant.  Stormed in the evening.  I went to church all day.  Stopped  to A. Sands for dinner. Called to Mrs. Gould’s,   Mrs. G. Mariner sat with me AM. I sat with A. Gould PM. Went to Sabbath School. I wrote to J.

Feb. 2, Monday
 Pleasant.  Quite windy. I had a very bad headache all day. I knit on J. stocking a little in the evening. I received a letter from J. Father was 48 yrs. Today. Mr. Johnson and wife spent  the evening . Father bought  a yolk of oxen. I wrote to J.

Feb. 3, Tuesday
 Cloudy all day.  I worked hard all day doing housework. I wrote to J. Ann called PM. Father went to Portland with hay.  Cleared off in the evening .  I knit on J. stock. in the evening. Flora vomited in the night.

Feb. 4, Wednesday
 Pleasant, very cold indeed.  Some windy.  I knit for J. I wrote to J.  I.M. Merchant called PM. A.A.Trickey called in  the evening. Mr. Merchant  arrived. Father went to P. (Portland) Coldest day this winter.

Feb. 5, Thursday
 Pleasant a few hours in the morning. Cloudy the rest of the day. Snowed a little in the evening.
I received a letter from J. I finished J. stockings. I put things in my bags in order AM. A pedlar called and left 3 boxes of pills-very cold
.
Feb. 6, Friday
 Snowed a  little while in the morning.  Rained very hard the rest of the day.  Quite windy.  Quite moderate. I wrote to J. I received a letter from J.I knit. Flora was not well. Flora got her new shoes. Mrs. Bradbury died.

Feb. 7, Saturday
 Very pleasant very slippery: Flora and I called to Uncle W. AM. I made pound cake AM. I called to Frank’s and to Uncle W. PM.  I knit. I wrote to J. Aunt Sarah been buried 3 years  today.

Feb. 8, Sunday
 Very pleasant.  I went to church all day and to Sabbath School.  Stopped to Aunt S. for dinner.  Sat with A.S. PM.  Stopped to Mrs. Gould’s to tea and all night.  Went to concert  in the evening. Mrs. Chenery died 5 o’clock AM.

Feb. 9, Monday
 Cloudy.  Snowed a little in the evening.  I came home from Mrs. G. AM. I wrote to J. Mother and Father went to Mrs. Bradbury’s funeral PM. Mr. Brown and Sarah Gould and Annie spent the evening at our house.

Feb. 10, Tuesday
 Foggy a little while in the morning. Very pleasant the rest of AM. Windy PM. I wrote to J. I received a letter from J. with one piece of carpeting in it. Ann called  PM. I went to circle: to Dr. Jenness: stopped all night to Aunt S.

Feb. 11, Wednesday
 Very pleasant.  I came home from A. S. in the morning. Called to Mrs. Valentine’s. I wrote to Carrie W..( V ?) Took up a cotton stocking.  I spent the PM and eve to Frank’s. : they had a little company. Mrs. Chenery buried PM.

Feb. 12, Thursday
 Cloudy AM . Snowed after three o’clock PM. I spent the day with Addie Proctor. I wrote to J. and received a letter from him. I knit . Mr. Merchant and wife left. I had a bad cold. Father went to P. with hay on wheels.

Feb. 13, Friday
 Pleasant but cold and windy.  Calm towards night. Marietta spent the day with me. Frank called. I knit. I wrote to J. My cold felt bad.  Addie Proctor been sick two weeks today.

Feb. 14, Saturday
 Very pleasant. The agent of the Portland Transcript called AM.  Ann called AM. I wrote to J. and received a letter from him. I knit . Father was sick. He sold his oxen. Valentine’s day.

Feb. 15, Sunday
 Stormed a very little in the morning. Foggy the rest of AM . Cleared off in the afternoon.  Aunt Dorcas sent Flora a mug. Charlie and Frank called  PM. I did not go to church. Wrote to J. and Aunt Lizzie.

Feb. 16, Monday
 Pleasant but windy.  I went to the village PM. Called to Mrs. Gould’s to see Clara and M. Toll to the ship, to A. Sands. I got a slipper pattern .Received a letter from Carrie Valentine. I wrote to J. Sleighing very poor. Travel mostly by wagons.

Feb. 17, Tuesday
 Pleasant I wrote to J. Made some penwipes, and cut- out, my card basket: I knit in the evening. Aunt Mary spent the evening in our  house.

Feb. 18, Wednesday
 Very pleasant.  I wrote to J and received a letter from him. I made some cake AM. Mrs. G. Mariner spent the day with me. Frank and wife spent the evening. Ann called. Flora got her ring. I knit.

Feb. 19, Thursday
 Rained moderately till about three o’clock PM. Rained hard in the evening. I worked on my basket and knit some and wrote to J.

Feb. 20, Friday
 Foggy a little while in the morning.  Cleared off AM. Windy PM and evening.  I worked on my basket and wrote to J. No sleighing. Maria Bradbury came to Uncle W. to live.

Feb. 21, Saturday
 Pleasant but very windy. I went to Portland. Took dinner to Mrs. Babb’s. Called to Aunt Baker’s. Went downtown w/ L. Babb. I received  a letter from J. and a stiletto. I knit. Mrs. A. Babb called. Cold

Feb. 22, Sunday
 Pleasant in the morning: Cloudy most of the day. I went to church, all day, took dinner to Mrs. Gould’s. I wrote to J. Quite cold. I had a bad headache PM.

Feb. 23, Monday
 Pleasant  windy  AM Calm PM. I wrote to Carrie Valentine. I knit.

Feb. 24, Tuesday
 Pleasant AM  Cloudy  PM  pleasant evening.  I chochted. Mr. C. Roberts and Frank called.  Mother went to the village AM. Mother and I went to the circle to Mrs. G. Warren’s in the evening. Called to Mrs. G.M. Rec’d a letter from J. and a knife.

Feb. 25, Wednesday
Pleasant. I worked on my slippers. I wrote to J. and received a letter from Aunt Lizzie.  I had the headache PM. Charlie Roberts taken sick.

Fri. 26, Thursday
 Cloudy till about two o’clock PM. Commenced snowing at that time: Rained in the evening. I worked on my slippers and knit. Received a letter from J. Mrs. McCann son was born.

Fri. 27, Friday
 Rained AM. Pleasant PM. Very muddy. I went to the examination to the lower district. PM. Took tea to Mrs. G. Went to the Lyceum in the eve. Adjourned till  first Friday in Sep. I worked on my slippers.

Fri. 28, Saturday
 Pleasant. I worked on my slippers. Lucy Libbey and Mary E. Trickey spent the afternoon and evening and Albert- the eve to our house.

Mar. 1, Sunday
 Cloudy in the morning- commenced snowing about half past ten, snowed the rest of the day. I wrote to J. One year ago today I left home to live away. I did not go to church.

Mar. 2, Monday
 Very pleasant sleighing today.  Town meeting today. The Democrats carried the day. Mr. Jones Pennel and wife called. I finished the embroidery on my slippers and knit. I wrote to J. and received a letter from J.

Mar. 3, Tuesday
 Cloudy in the morning. Commenced snowing middle of the forenoon and snowed the rest of the day. I went to the village AM. Called to A. Sands. Worked on my card basket and wrote to J. PM.

Mar. 4, Wednesday
 Very pleasant. Windy in the evening.  Quite cold.  Sary May and Annie Gould came up to our house this morning. I worked on tatting and knit.

Mar. 5, Thursday
 Very pleasant. Cold morning. I called with the girls to Mr. C.R. and Mr. Hatch’s in the afternoon. Called in the evening with Annie to her mother’s and to Mr. Fowler. I knit and tatted.  I wrote to J.

Mar. 6, Friday
 Snowed some through the day.  Cleared off just before night.  Ann & E. & J. Hatch & Mr. Brown took tea and S. H. and Mary & Albert spent the eve to our house. The Gould girls went  home tonight. I wrote and received a  l. from J. with money in it. I chrochet.

Mar. 7, Saturday
 Cloudy AM. Snowed PM. Flora and I called to Uncle William’s PM. Uncle Samuel and Melly Hatch called. I finished my brown cotton stockings. I wrote to J. I had a bad headache in the evening. Very nice sleighing.

Mar. 8, Sunday
 Cloudy in the morning. Commenced snowing about half past ten and snowed till towards night. Some windy. Frank called PM. I wrote to J. I didn’t go to church.

Mar. 9, Monday
 Snowed AM. Cleared off about noon. Very pleasant PM. Some windy. I went to Portland PM. Stopped to Louisa Babb’s. I wrote to J. & knit. Mrs. Woodbury died.

Mar. 10, Tuesday
 Very pleasant . Cloudy evening. I went to the Post O. and called to Uncle Baker’s AM. Went from L.B. to Uncle Daniels PM. Wrote to J. and received a letter from him. I chrochet and  knit. Dance to S. (Saccarappa?) tonight. Frances been married 2 yrs. today.

Mar. 11, Wednesday
 Snowed AM. Cleared off about noon. Very pleasant PM. I took care of Allie (or Abbie) Babb PM.Went in the eve to take a walk. Heard the band play. I knit. Mrs. Woodbury buried. Genevieve R.  been married 1 yr. today. Mr. Sawyer and wife came.

Mar. 12, Thursday
 Very pleasant . I wrote to J. and knit. I called to  Uncle Baker’s and L. Babb’s PM. Met with Dr. Chickering. Mr. Sawyer and wife left AM. Abba J. called.

Mar. 13, Friday
 Very pleasant but cold. I went from Uncle D. to Uncle Baker’s AM. Called to L.B. I received a letter from J.  and wrote to him. I knit  Harriett Hatch got home.

Mar. 14, Saturday
 Pleasant AM. Snow squall PM. Cold Flora went to P. for the 1st time. I had her pictures taken. We called to U. D.( Uncle Daniels) to L. B. Took dinner to Uncle Baker’s. I received a letter from J. with his picture and a book and a set of ivory and bracelet. I went to the P.O. AM.

Mar. 15, Sunday
 Very pleasant. Cold. I went to church all day to the 1st Universalist. Mr. Bolles pastor.  A Company of the 7th  Me. Regiment were there. Cold.

Mar. 16, Monday
 Pleasant AM. Looked like a storm PM. I went downtown PM. With cousin  Nettie. Went to U.B. (Uncle Baker’s ) to L. B. ( Louisa Babb’s) PM. Received a letter from J.

Mar. 17, Tuesday
 Very pleasant AM. Cloudy and a snow squall PM. I went downtown AM .Called to U.B. to U.D. AM. Came from L.B. home PM. The colt ran away. Called to Mrs. Walker’s. I got Flora’s pictures today. Ann spent the eve with me.

Mar. 18, Wednesday
 Very pleasant. Cold and windy. Flora and I and Ann went with Charlie up to Mr. Elder’s PM. I wrote to J. and rec’d a letter from him. Ann and Charlie called. I tatted.

Mar. 19, Thursday
 Very pleasant. Cold. I made tatting

Mar. 20, Friday
 Very pleasant but cold. I made tatting. Flora and I and Ann came home with Charlie tonight. Mother went to Standish.

Mar. 21, Saturday
 Pleasant quite moderate. I made tatting. Flora, Mother and I spent the afternoon and eve to Mrs. Johnson’s. I received a letter from J.  Mrs. A. Babb called.

Mar. 22, Sunday
 Snowed in the morning. Cleared off about 9 o’clock AM. Very pleasant the rest of the day. I was not well. I didn’t go to church.. Wrote to J.

Mar. 23, Monday
 Very pleasant. I went to the village PM. Called to Mrs. Gould’s. Took tea to Aunt Sands.  Called to Sarah Haskell’s store. I called to Frank’s. Wrote to J.

Mar. 24, Tuesday
 Very pleasant AM. Cloudy PM. I went to Aunt Lizzie’s AM. Got home at 5 o’clock PM. I went to the Masonic (Levee?) in the evening, stopped to Aunt S. all night. I rec’d a letter from J. and wrote to him. Ann called. I tatted . John moved from W. (Washington) to Chantilly.

Mar. 25, Wednesday
 Showers AM.  Rained hard PM. I came from Aunt S. in the morning I finished some bags. Chrochet two mats and wrote to J. Frank called. Commenced travelling on wheels.

Mar. 26, Thursday
 Rained AM. Cleared off about two o’clock PM.Very warm and pleasant.I made some holders and tatted. I wrote to J. Charlie and Nattie H. called.  A. Partridge’s son born.

Mar. 27, Friday
 Pleasant. Mother, Flora and I spent the day to Uncle Proctor’s. Called to  Mr.L. Warren’s . I tatted. We rode in a wagon. Grandfather’s been dead 1 yr. today. Very bad travelling.

Mar. 28, Saturday
 Cloudy till about half past five then it commenced snowing. Flora and I called to Uncle William’s PM. Uncle W. called AM. Mary R. and Nellie R. called. I tatted. Received a letter from J. with money in it. Mr. C.R. and Charlie called. School meeting this eve.

Mar. 29, Sunday
 Cloudy AM. Snow squalls PM. Cleared off in the evening. I did not go to church. I wrote to J. I had a bad headache PM.

Mar. 30, Monday
 Very pleasant,. I made some pasteboard, some paper bags and tatted, and wrote to J. Received a letter from him. Mary B. and Nellie R. called. I had the headache.

Mar. 31, Tuesday
 Cloudy till four o’clock PM. Then it commenced snowing. I made some bags and worked on a box. And tatted and wrote to J. Mrs. C. Roberts called AM. Cleared off about ten o’clock.

Apr. 1, Wednesday
 Pleasant- little sleighing today. I covered some boxes and tatted and wrote to J. I had the headache. Received a letter from J.

Apr. 2, Thursday
 Snow squalls through the day till about five o’clock. I called to Frank’s AM. I worked on a needle book and tatted and wrote to J. Received a l. from him. Mr. C. R. and Aunt Mary called. Flora had a present ( if a boy?) or ( of a bag?)

Apr. 3, Friday
 Very pleasant. I worked on a needle book and on my cone basket. I went to the village AM. Called to Mrs. Gould’s. Maria B..called . Mr. Coleman slipped all night. Wrote to J. Very bad travelling.

Apr. 4, Saturday
 Pleasant AM. Cloudy PM. Mother made me a needle book. I worked on my basket

Apr. 5, Sunday
 Rained. The trees were icy. I did not go to church. Wrote to J. and read Beechcroft. Charlie and Nattie H. called. Frank spent the evening.

Apr. 6, Monday
 Snowed a little in the morning.  Cloudy till about noon.  Pleasant PM. I helped color my cruel  (crewel?) and worked on my basket .Mr. Johnson called. I received a letter from J.

Apr. 7, Tuesday
 Snowed all day. I worked on my basket and wrote to J. Had a bad headache.  Received a letter from J.

Apr. 8, Wednesday
 Snowed AM. Snow squalls PM. I worked on my basket and wrote to J. Received a letter from him. Sylvanus Hatch called. I was very tired. Sleighing today.

Apr. 9, Thursday
 Cloudy AM. Pleasant PM. Windy. I made a frame and worked on a knitting box. Wrote to J. Flora was not very well. I was very tired.

Apr. 10, Friday
 Cloudy AM. Quite pleasant PM. Rained in the evening. I spent the day to Mrs. Gould’s. Quilted for Annie. Made a pattern for tatting colar (collar?) for ( five?) leaved tatting for a B’day five. Wrote to J.

Apr. 11, Saturday
 Pleasant. I called  to Mr. Hatch’s PM and to Franks. I knit on a lampmat. School meeting this eve to get a vote for new house. Did not get the vote.

Apr. 12, Sunday
 Pleasant. I and Flora called  to Uncle Williams AM and PM. Ann called . I took a walk down to the Bridge. I did not go to church. Wrote to J. I had the headache.

Apr. 13, Monday
 Very pleasant. Mrs. C. Roberts called. I worked on a watchcase. Received a letter from J. and wrote to him. Flora had a bad cold. Went up to the bridge after cones.

Apr. 14, Tuesday
 Very pleasant. Flora and I went up to Mr. C. R. and spent the day. Ann and I went into the woods to get burr’s PM. I tatted.

Apr. 15, Wednesday
 Pleasant . I worked on a watchcase and a box and a frame, wrote to J. Called to Mrs. Johnson’s. Got some chestnuts at the bridge.

Apr. 16, Thursday
 Cloudy AM and some foggy with  a little rain. Rained steadily PM and eve. Frank called. I worked on my frame and wrote to J. Received a letter from him. Father bought a new colt.

Apr. 17, Friday
 Rained hard in the morning, windy rained moderately most of the day. Mary Boody called I worked on my frame

Apr. 18, Saturday
 Cloudy AM. Pleasant PM. Uncle William called and M.R. spent the evening  I worked on my frame.Father got his new colt.

Apr. 19, Sunday
 Pleasant . I went to church PM. Sat with Annie Gould. Called to Mrs. Gould’s. Went up to the cemetery with A. G. Ann called. Good travelling. I wrote to J. Mr. Barnard’s farewell sermon.

Apr. 20, Monday
Cloudy AM Pleasant PM. I worked on my frame: We did not wash. Mr. Ashby called. I wrote to J. and rec’d a letter from him.

Apr. 21, Tuesday
 Pleasant . I finished my frame. Wrote to J. Flora called to Uncle William’s. Adeline Patridge ( no “R” between a and t)

Apr. 22, Wednesday
 Pleasant . I worked on a comb case. Wrote to J. Called in the evening to Aunt S. and Mrs. Gould’s Rode with the colt for the 1st time.  Ann called.

Apr. 23, Thursday
 Pleasant. I worked on a comb case. Wrote to J. Rec’d a letter from him. A. Partridge ( with 1st  “R”) buried PM. I went to the funeral. Flora spent the afternoon to Frank’s.

Apr 24, Friday
 Pleasant AM Cloudy PM. Rained in the evening. I chrochet.  Wrote to J.  Mrs. S ( or L ) Babb and Mrs. Ricker called. Frank called in the evening.

Apr.25, Saturday
 Cold rainy day very windy. I chrocheted a mat, worked on a comb case and a rice frame. Had the headache. Mr. D. Trickey died a little after 12 o’clock at night.

Apr. 26, Sunday
 Cloudy very windy till towards night then it cleared off and was calm. I did not go to church. Wrote to J.  Read in Beechcroft.  Frank called.

Apr. 27, Monday
 Pleasant but windy. I made two rice frames and a mat. Mother made me a pincushion. I wrote to J. Flora hurt her finger very bad. I had a bad headache. Finished my comb case.

Apr. 28, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I worked on my tidy: a very little. Went to P. (Portland) PM. Called to Aunt Baker’s and L. B.. Went downtown,. had a very bad headache all night.

Apr. 29, Wednesday
 Pleasant . I worked on my tidy. Wrote to J.  Mrs. J. Chenery called. Frank and wife and Ann called. Ann and I went to Aunt S. to the circle. Mr. D Trickey buried PM.

Apr. 30, Thursday
 Fast Day- pleasant I went to church AM. Took dinner to A., Sands.  Spent afternoon to Mrs. Gould’s. Mr. Johnson and wife called., and Marietta got a pattern of color ( Collar?). Took a walk w/ Aunt Quinby.  Wrote to J.
 
 
May 1, Friday
 Pleasant. I made a colar and worked on a tidy. Flora and I called to Mrs. Valentine’s and Mrs. Johnson’s. The 10th  Me. Regi. arrived home. Maria Bradbury spent the evening. Flora’s carriage broke.Wrote to J.

May 2, Saturday
 Pleasant windy PM. I made a colar for Mr. Johnson and tatted. Wrote to J. Had a bad headache in the evening. Charlie brought me some hulled corn. D. Haskell’s little boy died.

May 3, Sunday
 Pleasant but chilly. I went to church PM. Sat with Ann. They reorganized the Sabbath School. I slipped. Mr. Lord superintendent wrote to J. heard he was sick. Ann called. Mr. Mure first sermon.

May 4, Monday
 Cloudy AM. Rained PM. I made tatting for Flora’s chemise. Mr. C. Roberts called. Flora took dinner to Uncle W. I called there. I received a letter from J. with money in it.

May 5, Tuesday
 Cloudy a few hours in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. Worked on Flora’s chemise and tatted and wrote to J. Mother went to P. Aunt Mary spent the evening. I called to Franks. Frank Haskell buried.

May 6, Wednesday
 Cloudy. I finished Flora’s chemise and tatted. Mother went to the village. PM. Mrs. C. Roberts called and Maria and Lizzie Bradbury. Josephine Hatch called. Rev. Bolles married.

May 7, Thursday
 Rained. I altered Flora’s dress and sack and tatted.. Wrote to J.   Frank and wife and children spent PM and evening with us.

May 8, Friday
 Pleasant. I worked on Flora’s apron. Wrote to J. Received a letter from him. Went to the village twiceAM once with Father and once w/ L. Libby. Called to Aunt S.

May 9, Saturday
 Pleasant but windy. I worked on Flora’s apron and tatted. Went to Portland PM. Called to Uncle Daniel’s and L.B. went downtown. Mrs. J. Trickey called. I received a letter from A. Lizzie. Got J’s coat.

May 10, Sunday
 Pleasant warm. I went to church PM. Mr. Ashby’s farewell sermon. I wrote to J. Called to Frank’s. He and his wife called. I sat with Ann to church. .H. Murch married.

May 11, Monday
 Cloudy a few hours in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day but windy PM. We commenced cleaning house. I wrote to J. Sat my plants on a stand outdoors. Mr. Ashby left for Washington.

May 12, Tuesday
 Cloudy AM. Rained some PM. I worked at housecleaning and wrote to J. Uncle William called, Louisa Babb and Lydia Shackford called AM. Rec’d a letter from J.

May 13, Wednesday
 Rained a little in the morning cloudy the rest of the day. I worked at housecleaning and wrote to J Mr. C. R. called. 

May 14, Thursday
 Cloudy and cold. I worked at housecleaning and tatted. To tea to Mrs. Johnson’s in company with Malvina R. Met with Miss Anderson. Received a letter from J.

May 15, Friday
 Rained AM. Cloudy and windy PM. I scoured tins. Mary B. called. I was very tired.

May 16, Saturday
 Pleasant, windy PM. I worked at housecleaning and in the garden a very little. Malvina and Marietta and L. Libbey and Aunt Mary and C. R. called. Rec’d two letters from J. Mrs. ( T ?) sent me some roots.

May 17, Sunday
 Cloudy AM rained some PM. I didn’ t go to church. Wrote to J. and Aunt Lizzie, Hattie Brown called.

May 18, Monday
Cloudy a little while in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. We finished cleaning house. I washed the windows outside and worked on Flora’s apron. Mrs. Temple called. I was very tired. Mr. J sold his farm. Mr. C. R. horse died
.
May 19, Tuesday
 Pleasant bur windy. I done baking AM. Very tired PM and laid down. Worked in the garden some. Melly Hatch gave me  a slip of a rose. I sent Josey  ( Josephine Hatch? )some plants. Aunt Mary and M. B. went to G. ( Gorham?) Wrote to J.

May 20, Wednesday
 Pleasant very warm. Mother and I worked in the garden AM. Annie Gould spent the day with me. Mrs. Johnson and Ann and H. Brown called. Rec’d a letter from J. and wrote to him.

May 21, Thursday
 Pleasant warm. I finished working in the garden. We moved our stove. Done a little sewing, very tired. I wrote to J. and rec’d a letter from him. Martha Hatch called.

May 22, Friday
 Pleasant very warm. I worked on my white apron. Wrote to J.  Mr. Johnson and wife took tea with us. Flora didn’t sleep much for all night.

May 23, Saturday
 Pleasant cooler. I finished my white apron and made me another. Altered Flora’s purple dress and my light calico. Rec’d a letter from J. Mrs. Dire called. I called to Franks. Flora was not well.

May 24, Sunday
 Cloudy till towards night then it cleared off. I did not go to church. Wrote to J. Took a walk. F. E. Elder called ( sister in law) Flora was not well. Mr. Rice died.

May 25, Monday
 Cloudy AM pleasant PM. I worked on Flora’s apron. Wrote to J .F.( Flora) not well. Marietta called. We had a stranger call in the evening.

May 26, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I finished Flora two aprons, commenced her cape bonnet. I called to Frank’s  Mr. C. R. and wife called. Mr. Allen worked for Father. Mrs. Dire called. F. not well .Mr. R. buried.

 May 27, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I worked on F. bonnet and drawers. Wrote to J. and rec’d two letters from him. Addie P. and D. Woodbury spent the day. Mr. Piercon and Mrs. G. Murch called to Mr. Johnson. Mr. Pennel broke his leg PM. F. not well. I  c. to F. I been married 3 years today.

May 28, Thursday
 Pleasant warm. I worked for Flora. Flora was much better. Mrs. C. Roberts called gave F. an apron. Mr. Johnson moved.

May 29, Friday
 Pleasant very warm not so warm as a week ago. Today I worked for Flora. Mrs. J. Trickey and Mary took tea.Mrs. J. helped draw my rug. Mrs. Valentine called.

May 30, Saturday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework. Worked in the garden some. Planted my seeds .S. Hatch worked for Father. I was very tired.

May 31, Sunday
 Pleasant . I did not go to church. Took a walk PM. with F. in the pasture.  Uncle H. & Etta? or Ella? And Mr. G. Robinson & wife took tea. I called to F. and Uncle W. Wrote to J.
 
June 1, Monday
 Pleasant. I worked on my dresses. Maria Bradbury and Lizzie called. I was very tired. Annie Gould’s school commenced.

June 2, Tuesday
 Pleasant with a few short showers in the forenoon. Windy PM.  I washed my green dress and mended. I went to the village PM after tea. Called to Aunt Sands.  Rec’d a letter from J. and wrote to him.

June 3, Wednesday
 Pleasant. Worked on my grey dress and mended. Marietta called & Maria Bradbury. Levee to Stroudwater this evening.

June 4, Thursday
 Pleasant. I went to Portland with Father and Mother, took dinner to Uncle D. called to Uncle B. Flora spent the day to Mr. C. R’s. I had a very bad headache and was very tired.

June 5, Friday
 Pleasant. Trimmed my hat and worked for Flora. Mr. C. R. & wife & Mr. Elder & wife & baby took tea & Dr. Stone and wife called. I received a letter from J. I had a bad headache.

June 6, Saturday
 Cloudy w/ a few showers. I finished my grey dress and Flora’s hat. Malvina called. I was very tired.

June 7, Sunday
 Rained. I did not go to church. Wrote to John.  Frank called.

June 8, Monday
 Rained. I commenced my circular and done mending.

June 9, Tuesday
 Showers all day.  I done the embroidery on my circular. Uncle William called. I called to Frank’s. I received a letter from John.

June 10, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I finished my circular. Went to the village AM.  Called to Mrs. Johnson’s new home and Aunt Sand’s. Received a letter form J. Father and Uncle W. went to ride.

June 11, Thursday
 Pleasant warm Mother and I cut and made Flora’s sack.

June 12, Friday
 Some cloudy. Rained a little towards night.  I altered my dress and undersleeves.  Received a letter from Carrie Valentine and Flora called to Uncle William’s. Uncle Sam. Called.

June 13, Saturday
 Some  cloudy but quite pleasant. I worked on Flora’s skurts and Mother made me a collar. Mr. N. Johnson called. Father went to Limington and bought a yoke of oxen. I was not well.

June 14, Sunday
 Pleasant .I did not go to church. Mother went PM.  Wrote to J. I had a very bad headache. Mother and I called to Uncle W.

June 15, Monday
 Shower in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day but very windy PM. Mother went to Portland PM. and got my bonnet. I done mending. I was not well.

June 16, Tuesday
Pleasant but windy. Flora & I spent the day to Mr. C. Roberts. Went down in the pasture. Aunt Quinby spent the afternoon to our house.

June 17, Wednesday
 I worked on Flora’s apron. Ellen Partridge took tea with me. Rec’d two letters from J.

June 18, Thursday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework. Finished Flora’s apron.  Isa ( Isabelle) Roberts spent the day with us. Malvina & Mrs. Jewett called.

June 19, Friday
 Some cloudy. Worked on F. blue dress. Called to Mr. Q’s. , to Mr. V’s ,to Mrs. Gould’s. Took tea to Aunt Sands. Rode home with Charlie. Rec’d a letter and paper from J.

June 20, Saturday.
Cloudy. Worked on Flora’s dress. F. and I called to Uncle Williams. I. M. Merchant daughter born

June 21, Sunday
Some cloudy but quite pleasant through the day.  Rained a little in the evening. Went to church PM.to the Methodist House. Called to Frank’s and Uncle W

June 22, Monday
 Some cloudy. Worked hard doing housework and work in the garden some. I was very tired.

June 23, Tuesday
 Some cloudy AM. Showery PM with some thunder. I picked currants AM. Embroidered the belt to Flora’s dress PM. Mrs. Jewett and M. Bradbury called. Rec’d a letter from J.

June 24, Wednesday
 Quite pleasant but a little showery through the day. I finished the embroidery on Flora’s dress. Went down in the pasture towards night.  Mrs. T. sent me some seeds.

June 25, Thursday
 Very pleasant . Father , Mother, Florence and I spent the day with Aunt Lizzie. Called to W. Westcott’s and Mr. W. W’s jr. and to Mr. Lombard’s. John Bradbury buried.

June 26, Friday
 Pleasant . I spent the day with Aunt Sands. Called to Mrs. G. to Aunt Quinby’s. Went to the examination PM. To the lecture in the evening. Knit on John’s stocking. Mrs. Babb called.

June 27, Saturday
 Pleasant. Florence and I called to Mr. Hatch’s to Frank’s, took tea to Mr. C. R’s. Rec’d a letter from J. and knit for him. Great excitement in P. (Portland.)  Ship burned by the rebels.

June 28, Sunday
 Pleasant but warm. I went to church all day. Stopped to Sabbath school.  Went up to the cemetery. Ann called.

June 29, Monday
 Pleasant very warm. I was sick all day. Did not sit up but a very little.

June 30, Tuesday
 Pleasant quite windy PM. I was not well. Done a little mending. Frank’s house and barn  and Uncle W. barn burned PM. Marietta and Frank and two children & M & L Bradbury and Malvina stopped all night. Bell married 1 yr. today.

July 1, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I had a bad headache.  Made an apron for Isa R.   Frank and family went away PM. Aunt Baker spent the day. Ann called.

July 2, Thursday
 Pleasant. Some cloudy PM. I went to the village AM. Called to Aunt S. and Ann & Mary called. I cleaned in the parlor some. Very tired. Frank took tea to our house. Commenced on Frank’s barn.

July 3, Friday
 Cloudy. Malvina called. I called to Mrs. Gould’s PM. Annie was at home. John got home about 1 o’clock at night.

July 4, Saturday
 Cloudy. Addie Stone called. I called to Uncle William’s. Had some men to dinner.

July 5, Sunday
 Rained AM. Cloudy PM. I went with John up to his Father’s and took tea.

July 6, Monday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework. Wrote to Carrie V. Malvina spent the day. William R. called. John and I went to ride towards evening. Frank’s barn raised PM.

July 7, Tuesday
 Pleasant. Very warm. I done some cleaning. John and Father went to Limington after a yoke of oxen. Mr. Quincy and wife and Frank took dinner. Aunt Mary and M.B. arrived and took tea. J.& I took
A walk to  S. ( Scarborough or  Saccarappa, usually referred to as the village )

July 8, Wednesday
 Pleasant showery PM. I done some cleaning. Laid down PM. Had a bad headache. John went to the village in the evening.

July 9, Thursday
 Rained hard in the morning. Some rainy through the day. John went to P. Mother was sick. Cleaned some.

July 10, Friday
 Cloudy & foggy. Mother not well. I done housework. Aunt Mary and M. Boody took dinner. John went to Camp L. ( Camp Lincoln in Portland is where he mustered out )

July 11, Saturday
 Pleasant. I done housework. Called to Mrs. Johnson’s & to Aunt Sands. Rode home with John. Aunt Mary & Malvina & M. Boody called. John was mustered out of U. States service at Camp L.

July 12, Sunday
 Cloudy w/ a few showers PM. I did not go to church. Called w/ John to his Father’s in the evening.

July 13, Monday
 Cloudy and foggy. Aunt Mary called Uncle. Mrs. J. Trickey and Mrs. Pike called. Mr. C. R. bought him a new horse. I made me a new apron. Wrote to Annie Gould.. Comenced drafting in P.

July 14, Tuesday
 Rained & foggy. I made me an apron and another one. John went to the village PM.

July 15, Wednesday
 Cloudy quite pleasant PM.  I done some mending. Wrote to Adna Chase.  Drafted in S.  I called John to his Father’s. We rode up to Scarborough with their new horse.

July 16, Thursday
 Cloudy & foggy. I cleaned my chamber and worked in the garden some. Florence went with John up to his Father’s.

July 17, Friday
 Rained AM. Cloudy and foggy PM. John worked on my frame PM. He and I went to ride to Scarborough with Father’s horse. Frank drove his cows away from our house. Some thunder.

July 18, Saturday
 Showery with some thunder. I worked hard doing housework and knit on John’s stocking. Was not well.

July 19, Sunday
 Showery. I did not go to church. Went with John up to his Father’s PM. Took tea and Florence and I and J. took a ride to Gorham and called to R. Elder’s in the evening. Father and Mother took a ride PM.

July 20, Monday
 Cloudy. I went with John to Portland AM. and with him rasberring PM. Took tea to his Father’s. Mr. Johnson and wife and Malvina & Mary Boody called. Aunt M. finished work to our house. G. Ashby died.

July 21, Tuesday
 Rained and very foggy. I worked on my tidy. John went to the village in the evening.

July 22, Wednesday
 Pleasant . worked on my tidy. Mother went to the village PM. Called to Mrs. Allen’s. Father commenced haying. Rec’d a letter from Annie Gould. Sarah Goold married PM.

July 23, Thursday
 Pleasant. Worked on my tidy. Aunt Mary and M. Boody called. John went to the village in the evening.

July 24, Friday
 Foggy in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. Florence and I spent the day to Aunt Sands. Called to Mrs. Valentine’s. John came after us in the evening ( 1st time Flora walked to the village) Worked on my tidy.

July 25, Saturday
 Cloudy. I knit on John’s stocking. Mary Trickey and Lizzie Bradbury called. I called to Uncle Williams. Received a letter from Adna C.

July 26, Sunday
 Rained very hard in the morning. Cleared off AM. John and I went to church PM. I went with him and called to his Father’s in the evening. L. B. called

July 27, Monday
 Pleasant AM. Some showery PM. I knit for J. I raked after with mother, one load of hay. Mr. Johnson and wife took tea.

July 28, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I mended and knit. Aunt Mary and Maria Bradbury called. John went to the village in the evening.

July 29, Wednesday
 Cloudy a while in the morning. Rained the rest of the day till towards night.  Mother and I and F. called to Uncle W’s. I mended and knit. John went to the village PM.

July 30, Thursday
 Cloudy AM. Shower PM with some thunder.  I worked on my corsets and knit. John went to the village PM and evening. Rec’d a letter from Carrie. Charlie Woodman died.

July 31, Friday
 Cloudy and foggy in the morning.  Quite pleasant PM. I knit. John went to the village in the evening. Mrs. Redman buried.

Aug. 1, Saturday
 Cloudy with a heavy thunder shower about noon.  Rained some PM.  I worked hard doing housework and knit. Mr. Mayhew called.

Aug. 2, Sunday
 Pleasant very warm. I did not go to church.  F. and I went with John to his father’s and took tea. Rode with him to G. to get some blueberries.  Mr. Jordan died.  Mother was sick.

Aug. 3, Monday
 Pleasant. I worked and worked hard doing housework. I was very tired. Mother not well.

Aug. 4, Tuesday
 Pleasant. Warm. I went to Mr. Jordan’s funeral and took tea to Aunt Sands. Called to Mrs. Goold’s and to Malvina’s. Corny Haze married.

Aug. 5, Wednesday
 Pleasant very warm. I worked on my tidy. Mr. Whittemore and wife stopped all night with us.

Aug. 6, Thursday
 Some cloudy AM.  Shower PM with some thunder and heavy wind.  Mrs. W. slipped, till after dinner. I called to Uncle W.  worked on my tidy. Very warm

Aug. 7, Friday
 Pleasant. I knit for john. Flora and I called to Mrs. Allen’s, to Mrs.Bickford’s, to Mrs. Partridge’s
To Malvina’s.

Aug. 8, Saturday
 Cloudy and rained a little. I was not well. finished John’s stocking and took up the other

Aug, 9, Sunday
 Foggy in the morning. Pleaant the rest of the day.  John and I called to Dr. Stone’s and went  into the cemetery. Went to the S.( Sabbath?) school. Concert in the eve.

Aug. 10, Monday 
 Pleasant. Father finished haying. I took a walk up to the middle field.

Aug. 11, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework, very tired . I done some mending.

Aug. 12, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I washed some windows and clean some. I knit.

Aug. 13, Thursday
 Pleasant. Picnic to the islands from Saccarappa. I knit. I rode to the village with John. Called to Aunt Sands.

Aug. 14, Friday
 Pleasant. I altered Flora’s night-dress and knit. Ann called.

Aug. 15, Saturday
 Pleasant. I knit. Mother went to Portland. Addie Stone called.

Aug. 16, Sunday
 Pleasant AM. Rained some PM. John and I went to church PM. Called to Aunt Sands.

Aug. 17, Monday
 Cloudy a while in the morning.  Pleasant the rest of the day.  I went to the village after tea. Called to Aunt Sands, to Annie Gould’s. Grandfather R. ( Benj. Roberts, father of Joseph D. Roberts- Martha’s father) been dead 6 yrs. today. Abba R. been married 4 yrs. today

Aug. 18, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I commenced J’s pants and made tatting. Eva and I took tea to Mr. C.R’s. Uncle Smith took dinner to our house.

Aug. 19, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I knit and made tatting. Flora and I took tea to Uncle Williams. Mother went to the village and made some calls. Mary called.

Aug. 20, Thursday
 Some cloudy-AM Commenced raining PM. Mr. S. Libbey and wife called. I was sick.

Aug. 21, Friday
 Damp and foggy and rained some. I worked on J’s pants and knit. Was not well.

Aug. 22, Saturday
 Damp and foggy AM. Rained a little PM. I knit. Mr. Nelson fixed our clock. Willie Slone ( or Stone) called.

Aug . 23, Sunday
 Some showery AM Cloudy PM. John  and I went to Gorham to meeting PM and took tea to S. Chase’s in Buxton. Uncle Sam took tea to our house. Flora took tea to Mr. C. R’s.  Sarah Harmon been dead 1 yr. today

Aug, 24, Monday
 Cloudy and foggy AM. Quite pleasant PM.  I worked  hard about house, very tired.

Aug. 25, Tuesday
 Quite pleasant AM. Shower about noon with much thunder and continued showery through the day. I worked hard doing housework and knit.

Aug. 26, Wednesday
 Rained very hard AM.  Dull and rainy PM. I worked on John’s pants.

Aug. 27, Thursday
 Pleasant. I finished J’s pants. Commenced a net. Mr. Trickey called. Otis Valentine died. Mr. Moore buried.

Aug. 28, Friday
 Pleasant. Sprinkled PM a little. Florence and I went up with John to his Father’s and spent the day. Father and Mother went to camp meeting. I made tatting. Ann and I went blackberrying PM. Malvina called. No one at home.

Aug. 29, Saturday
 Foggy in the morning and rained a little. Quite pleasant PM. Hattie Brown called. I went to the village PM. Called to Mrs. Gould’s and Aunt Sands. Mr. V. buried. Mary M. Marrett married.

Aug. 30, Sunday
 Pleasant. John and I went to church PM. We and Florence took a ride to the Plains after tea.  J’s grandmother sick. Uncle Samuel sick.

Aug. 31, Monday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework and knit. Aunt Mary called.

Sept.1, Tuesday
 Cloudy. I called to Uncle William’s PM. Went to the village to hear Ex. Gov. Washburn and John Gilman speak. John  and I took tea to Aunt Sands. I talked to Annie G.

Sept. 2, Wednesday
 Cloudy in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. Mrs. Akers and Abba and brother and Aunt S. and Etta spent the day and Mrs. Clemens PM. To our house . I tatted.

Sept.3, Thursday
 Foggy and dull. I called to Uncle Williams. I worked about house and done some cooking.

Sept. 4, Friday
 Pleasant. John and I went to the beach. We caught 23 fish. ( John 18, I   5 ) I had the headache. Grandmother and Mrs. Babb called.

 Sept 5, Saturday
 Pleasant. I was very tired. Uncle Baker and Aunt and cousin Nettie came out tonight. John got Flora a pair of boots.

Sept. 6, Sunday
 John and I and Flora & Nettie took a walk in the woods AM.  J & I & Nettie took  a ride PM. I called to Uncle W’s. Aunt Mary took tea. Mary and Hattie B. called.

Sept. 7, Monday 
 Pleasant. Aunt Baker went away AM and Nettie at night: Uncle in the morning. I washed some. John went  with Flora and I up to Mr. Chases and left us.

Sept. 8, Tuesday
 Foggy in the morning, pleasant in the rest of the day.  Addie C. and I took a walk after tea. Charlotte Waterhouse came to our house tonight. Mr. Turner and Mr. Gilman spoke to the village PM. I knit.

Sept. 9, Wednesday
 Pleasant. Addie Geneve and I took a long walk PM. Called to Mrs. Whitney’s I knit. Mrs. Gould spent AM to our house. Pauline H’s son born.

Sept. 10, Thursday
Pleasant. Addie and I took a walk after tea. I knit. H. Hatch called to our house. Miss. H. Lamb
called.

Sept. 11, Friday
 Pleasant. I commenced a net. Addie & I called to Mr. Osbourne’s and took tea with Miss Olive Warren. Geneva and I went in the woods AM.

Sept. 12, Saturday
 Pleasant AM. Dull PM. I worked on my net. John came after Flora and I tonite.

Sept 13, Sunday
 Cloudy AM. Rained some PM. Charlotte W. went away at night. I called W/ John up to his father’s. Aunt Mary called. I did not go to church.

Sept 14, Monday
 Some cloudy. I done some cooking and worked about the house. Miss H. Lamb took tea. Town meeting day. I had a bad headache.

Sept. 15, Tuesday
 Foggy in the morning pleasant the rest of the day. I worked hard doing housework. Aunt Proctor spent PM. with us. The convention commenced in Portland.

Sept. 16, Wednesday
 Pleasant very warm. Mother went to the convention AM. I knit. Called to Uncle Williams PM. Had a stranger call.  Eben Chenery died.

Sept. 17, Thursday
 Pleasant warm. I knit.

Sept. 18, Friday
 Foggy AM. Very windy PM. Rained some in the evening. Mother came home PM. I finished John’s stocking. Eben Chenery buried.

Sept. 19, Saturday
 Cloudy and rained some.  I done the cooking. Called to Uncle W. and knit.

Sept. 20, Sunday
 Cloudy AM. Rained some PM. Did not go to church. Mr. Chas. Roberts called. Charles Brackett married this evening.

Sept. 21, Monday
 Cloudy. Quite pleasant PM. Rained in the evening. I commenced a net. I called to Mrs. V’s, to Malvina’s, to Aunt Sands, and took tea to Mrs. Gould’s.

Sept. 22, Tuesday
 Pleasant windy and cold. Florence and I spent the day and mother PM to Mrs. Johnson’s. I worked on my net.

Sept. 23, Wednesday
 Pleasant. Cold. I worked on my net. Malvina and her children spent PM with us.  Frank’s house raised.

Sept. 24, Thursday
 Pleasant  Cold. I knit. Called to Mr. Trickey’s. took tea to Mr. C. R’s. Abba Johnson and Mrs.Allen called and Maria Bradbury.

Sept. 25, Friday
 Dull and rained some. I knit. Maria B. left Uncle W.

Sept. 26, Saturday
 Rainy. I knit.

Sept. 27, Sunday
 Quit pleasant but cold. John & I went to church PM. Mr. Modo preached. We called to Mr. Chase’s in the evening. Addie came down with us.

Sept. 28, Monday
 Addie and I went over to Mrs. Temple’s. Called for Ann PM. Went to the village in the evening.. lost my bosom pin. Gen. Tom Thumb and wife to Portland.

Sept. 29, Tuesday
 Pleasant. Addie and I spent the day to Aunt Quinby’s. I knit.

Sept, 30, Wednesday
 Pleasant . Geneveive R. called and took dinner. Addie left for home. Mary & Ann the afternoon to our house. John went to Gorham. I knit.

Oct. 1, Thursday
 Pleasant. I knit. Called PM to Mrs. Gould’s, to see the Towle girls, to Mrs. Murch’s, to Aunt Sands. Marietta called.

Oct. 2, Friday
 Some foggy. I knit. Called to Uncle W’s with Flora.

Oct. 3, Saturday
 Rained hard. I knit. John came home tonight.

 Oct. 4, Sunday
 Not very pleasant. Rained in the evening. Flora and I went with John up to his father’s and took tea. Did not go to church.

Oct. 5, Monday
 Foggy in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. John went to Gorham in the morning. The Thrushers came PM. Mrs. Trickey called. I worked hard doing housework and knit.

Oct. 6, Tuesday
 Pleasant . The Thrushers went away AM. Aunt Sand spent the day. Etta and Flora Pierce to tea to our house. Mrs. Wiley and Miss Pratt called .Mrs. Bab and Mrs. Pratt called. I made pickle lily and knit. J. came home.

Oct. 7, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I worked hard doing housework and knit. We had the stove moved.

Oct. 8, Thursday
 Rained hard. Commenced Flora’s dresses.

Oct. 9, Friday
 Pleasant. We all spent PM. and evening to Mrs. Trickey’s. I tatted and work on Flora’s dress AM.

Oct. 10, Saturday
 Pleasant. Mrs. Sarah Chase spent the day and Mary & Annie Gould and Clara & Hattie and Martha Towle spent PM. And evening with me. Aunt Mary called. I tatted.

Oct. 11, Sunday
 Not very pleasant. Flora & I went with John and took tea to his father’s. Did not go to church. Went out in the evening to go to the concert but there was none. Aunt Quinby and Aunt Mary called. Mary Schwartz married.

Oct. 12, Monday
 Some cloudy and showery. I worked hard about the house and knit.

Oct. 13, Tuesday
 Pleasant. I knit and worked on Flora’s dress. Mrs. Lizzie Jones called. Flora went up with John to his  father’s.

Oct. 14, Wednesday
 Pleasant AM. Some cloudy PM. I worked on a chemise . Fair commenced in Portland.

Oct. 15, Thursday
 Pleasant. I made Flora’s waists. Wrote to Carrie.

Oct. 16, Friday
 Cloudy. John & I went to Portland to the Fair.

Oct. 17, Saturday
 Rained AM. Dull PM. I knit. I had a sore eye.

Oct. 18, Sunday
 Dull. Wrote to Adna Chase.  Did not go to church.

Oct. 19, Monday
 Dull and foggy. I knit.

Oct. 20, Tuesday
 Pleasant. Flora and I took a ride with Mary to the carding mill AM. I made a pr. of shirtsleeves. Josephine & Emily Hatch spent the evening. Father commenced Ploughing.

Oct. 21, Wednesday
 Cloudy in the morning. Pleasant the rest of the day. I worked on a chemise. Mary called. John 26 yrs. old today.

Oct. 22, Thursday
 Pleasant. I made Flora an apron.

Oct. 23, Friday
 Pleasant. Worked on Father’s shirts.

Oct. 24, Saturday
 Dull. I finished the shirts. I was 21 yrs. old today.

Oct. 25, Sunday
 Pleasant but cold. Uncle Quinby and Charlie Dyer and Aunt Mary called. John and I went to the concert in the evening. Did not go to church.

Oct. 26, Monday
 Pleasant but windy. Mother went to Portland. I knit.

Oct. 27, Tuesday
 Pleasant . Mrs. Trickey called AM. Uncle Levi and Aunt Lizzie came PM. I worked on a chemise.

Oct. 28, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I spent the day w/ Aunt Lizzie to Aunt Proctor’s. I knit.

Oct. 29, Thursday
 Pleasant. Aunt Lizzie spent the day to Portland to Mr. Pennel and wife and Lizzi Jones and children took tea. Lizzie came back to tea. I knit.

Oct. 30, Friday
 Cloudy. I called W/ Aunt Lizzie to the tavern, to Mrs. Trott’s, took dinner to grandmother’s. Aunt Lizzie went home PM. I knit.

Oct. 31, Saturday
 Cloudy & foggy. Rained a little in the evening.I finished John’s stocking. Worked hard about the house.

Nov. 1, Sunday
 Pleasant. I did not go to church. Went with John up to his father’s and took tea. Willie Stone died 8 o’clock.PM windy

Nov. 2, Monday
 Pleasant. I cut Flora’s shirts.

Nov. 3, Tuesday
 Cloudy AM. Pleasant PM. John and I went to Willie S. funeral. PM. Worked a little on Flora’s shirts. Marion Elder 1 yr. old today.

Nov. 4, Wednesday
 Pleasant. Worked on Flora’s shirts. Frank’s 4th daug,. born. I colored. Flora spent the day to her grandfather’s.

Nov. 5, Thursday
 Some showery but pleasant towards night. Finished Flora’s shirts and waists and dresses.

Nov. 6, Friday
 Quite pleasant. I made Flora’s cloak and finished my stocking.

Nov. 7, Saturday
 Pleasant. I mended and worked on my chemise. Colored my stockings.

Nov. 8, Sunday
 Rained a little. Pleasant.towards night. I did not go to church. Aunt Mary called.

Nov. 9, Monday
 Unpleasant little snow on the ground in the morning. I put the lining in my cloak. I worked on my skirt. Mr N..Johnson called.

Nov 10, Tuesday
 Snowed in the morning. Pleasant PM. Worked on my skirts.

Nov. 11, Wednesday
 Unpleasant. I finished my skirts. Mother went to the village PM. John bought me a new dress & Flora a dress and apron.

Nov. 12, Thursday
 Pleasant. Worked on father’s pants.

Nov. 13, Friday
 Cloudy. I work about house. Mrs. Walker and Etta Sands called. Mended in the evening.

Nov. 14, Saturday
 Cloudy AM damp and foggy PM. Worked about house and knit in evening. Father got his new cider.

Nov. 15, Sunday
 Rained. I did not go to church. Mr. C. Roberts took tea.

Nov. 16, Monday
 Dull. Rained very hard in the night. We commenced cleaning house. Uncle William called.

Nov. 17, Tuesday
 Rained very hard all day. The bridge near Mrs. Riggs carried away. I cleaned house.

Nov. 18, Wednesday
 Cloudy AM. Pleasant PM. with the exception of a shower. Cleaned. William R. called and Mrs. Dire. Mr. Greenleaf Elder hung himself AM of Bangor.

Nov. 19, Thursday
 Very pleasant. I cleaned . Very tired. Rec’d a letter  from Aunt Lizzie.

Nov. 20, Friday
 Pleasant. I cleaned. John & I went to the Panorama in the evening.

Nov. 21, Saturday
 Cloudy AM. Rained PM. We nearly finished cleaning Lucy Libbey called to the door.

Nov. 22, Sunday
 Very pleasant. I didn’t go to church. Mr. Aaron Quinby and wife spent evening.

Nov. 23, Monday
 Pleasant. I worked hard about house. John & I went to the village in the evening. Called to Aunt Sands.

Nov. 24, Tuesday
 Dull. AM. Rained PM.I mended a comforter AM. Picked turkeys PM. I was very tired.

Nov. 25, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I worked hard about house and knit.

Nov. 26, Thursday
 Thanksgiving Day. Florence and I spent the day with John up to his father’s. I knit. I made puddings AM. Mary Pennell married.

Nov. 27, Friday
 Pleasant. I worked on my Delaine Dress. Went with John to the village. Had my foot measured. Called to Aunt Sands.

Nov. 28, Saturday
 Some cloudy AM. Rained PM. I made me an apron and mended.

Nov. 29, Sunday
 Pleasant. I did not go to church. Uncle Sam called. Aunt Maria taken sick.

Nov. 30, Monday
 Pleasant cold. I work on my Delaine dress and slipped (?) my brown dress apart.

Dec. 1, Tuesday
 Pleasant bold. I went out to Aunt Sands AM. I knit. Called to Mrs. Walker’s.

Dec. 2, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I worked on Flora’s apron. Called to Mrs. Gould’s in the evening.

Dec. 3, Thursday
 Pleasant. I worked on Flora’s apron and knit. Mr. Trickey and wife spent the evening to our house.

Dec. 4, Friday
 Pleasant. worked on Flora’s apron.

Dec. 5, Saturday
 Pleasant. I knit. I came home from Uncle Henry’s tonight. The Haypressers came today. Mother made my brown dress this week. Temple Snow married.

Dec. 6, Sunday
 Pleasant. I did not go to church. Cold.

Dec. 7, Monday
 Very pleasant cold. Trimmed my hat and knit. The Haypressers went away PM.

Dec. 8, Tuesday
 Very pleasant. I knit a binding on my blue skirt.

Dec. 9, Wednesday
 Dull AM. Snowed a very little PM. cleared off cold and windy towards night. John and I and Mother and  Father & I took dinner to Uncle Baker’s. Flora spent the day to her grandfather’s. I bought me a green Thibet (?) dress

Dec. 10, Thursday
 Very cold and windy. I made me a pair of breast plates and worked on Flora’s skirts.
Dec.11, Friday
 Pleasant. I went to Mrs. Meguire to see about my dress. took dinner to Aunt Sands, called to Mrs. Gould’s, to Aunt Mary’s. Ann called.

Dec. 12, Saturday
 Snowed . I was sick.

Dec. 13, Sunday
 Rainy. I was not well. Did not go to church.

Dec. 14, Monday
 Dull and Foggy AM. Rained some PM.  I was not well. I done some mending. Aunt Mary moved.

Dec. 15, Tuesday
 Pleasant but very windy. John went to Portland to get som Thibet to my dress. I spent PM to Aunt Sands. Called to Mrs. Meguire’s to see about my dress. Chrocheted a collar for Aunt S.

Dec. 16, Wednesday
 Pleasant. I worked on my dress AM. Frances Elder and baby and Mr. Moore called PM. I called to Uncle Williams.

Dec. 17, Thursday
 Dull AM. Snowed some PM. I done mending and worked on my dress. Frank’s family moved.

Dec. 18, Friday
 Dull and Rainy. I done mending.

Dec. 19, Saturday
 Pleasant. I went to Mrs. M’s to get my dress. took dinner to Aunt S. worked for Etta and worked on a collar for myself.

Dec. 20, Sunday
 Pleasant but cold. I did not go to church. Took tea and Flora to Mr. C. R’s.

Dec. 21, Monday
 Pleasant and cold. I worked on my dress. Florence three yrs. old today.

Dec. 22, Tuesday
 Pleasant and cold. Worked on my dress.

Dec. 23, Wednesday
 Pleasant but cold. I worked on my collar and took up John’s stocking. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson took tea and stopped all night.

Dec. 24, Thursday
 Dull and very windy. Mrs. J. spent the day and went home in the evening. I called with her to Aunt Mary’s, to Malvina’s,. to Uncle Williams. I knit and finished my collar.

Dec. 25, Friday
 Christmas Day. Pleasant. I done mending. Ann and Mary spent the evening. I knit in the evening.

Dec. 26, Saturday
 Pleasant and warmer. I made me a sontag out of my hood. Went out to slide with Flora. Mended some . John and I wen to ride. Called to Greely Robinson’s. H. Chenery died AM. 

Dec. 27, Sunday
Snowed a little in the morning.  Pleasant the rest of the day.

Dec. 28, Monday
 Dull AM. Commenced to snow about half past three PM. mother and father went to Portland. got my bonnet trimmed. I knit.

Dec. 29, Tuesday
 Dull and windy AM. quite pleasant PM I mended my calico dress. Hattie J. Chenery buried.

Dec. 30, Wednesday
 Dull in the morning pleasant the rest of the day. I called to Aunt Sands, to Annie Gould’s  AM worked on my dress and mended.

Dec. 31, Thursday 
 Pleasant . I finished my green Thibet dress and mended.
 
 
 

Expenses which were written at the back of Martha’s diary.

Jan. 1863 Rec’d 5.35 (2nd) 3.51 ( 1st)
 
Spent on post. Stamp .03/   Jan. 1
1 ½ yd. elastic .08/  Jan.2
one post. st. .03/ Jan. 6
one post. st. .03/ Jan 8
for post s. .09/ Jan. 11
Flora’s boots .42/ Jan. 17
Post stamps .09/ Jan. 20
Go to the levee .26/ Jan. 20
Post. s. .20/ Jan. 29
Cord and butter molds .10/ Jan. 30

Feb. 1863 Rec’d 5.00 ( 5th)

Flora,s boots .65/ Feb.6
2 pens .02/ Feb. 7
Fee to the circle .03/ Feb. 10
Postage on letter rec’d .06/ Feb. 11
“       “           “           “06/ Feb. 11
Pay for the Transcript 1.70/ Feb. 14
Postage s..10/ Feb. 16
Chrochet hook .10/ Feb. 21
Embroidery cord .33/ Feb.21
Trimming to apron .12/ Feb. 21
Postage s..04/ Feb.23
For thread and tissue paper .07/ Feb. 24
For postage s .09/ Feb. 25
One quire of paper .20/ Feb.27
One skein of silk .13/ Feb. 27

Mar. 1863 Rec’d 5.oo ( 5th)

For ink, tape and binding .14/Mar .2
Flora’s apron .30/ Mar.3
2 spools of thread .14/ Mar. 3
Flora’s pictures 1.50/ Mar.14
Postage s. & paper .40/ Mar. 6
For guard. pin mended .37/ Mar. 16
Thread, cord, scissors, s..17/ Mar. 16
Flora 2 pr. Of stockings .25/ Mar. 23
Elastic tape needles .10/ Mar.23
Envelopes and p.s. .13/ Mar. 30

April 1863

For coloring .40/ Apr. 3
For paper  .10/ Apr. 3
For bordering .10/ Apr. 3
Postage stamps .15/ Apr. 3
For varnish .12/ Apr. 8
For postage stamps  .21/ Apr. 10
For paper .12/ Apr. 10
For nuts .12/ Apr. 10
For p. stamps .25/ Apr. 20
For ½ yd. gingham  .13/ Apr. 28
Flora’s 2 aprons .60/ Apr. 28
3 spools thread .24/ Apr. 28
fee to the circle .03/ Apr. 29

May 1863

For braid .50/ May 5
For Flora’s sack 1.25/ May 9
For hat .65/ May 9
Spool of thread .10/ May 9
P. Stamps .06/ May 9
For pens .02/ May 11
For envelopes .10 / May 18
For p. stamps .10/ May 21
For paper .13/ May 23

June 1863

June 11 rec’d 11.25
2 pieces of braid .20/ June 2
Thread of silk .04/ June 2
Buttons .12/ June 2
Flora’s gloves .13/ June 2
Buttons and rings .06/ June 2
P. stamps .06/ June 2
Hat 1.50/ June 4
Circular 5.00/ June 4
Gloves .20/ June 4
Elastic .06/ June 6
For stamping .13/ June 9
For boots- mended .12/ June 10
Flora’s braid .20/ June 15
Flora’s apron .19/ June 15
Flora’s stocking .15/ June 15
Garter’s silk & pencils . .13/ June 19
Spool of thread ( and bonnet) 3.08/ June 20

July 1863

Flora’s garters .06/ July 1
Lead pencil .05/ July 1
Skein of silk .02/ July 1
Corset lacings .14/ July 3
Postage on letter .03/ July 14
 
 Who is who in the diary ( I found what I believe are answers to some of the questions in vital records)

I would like to mention that there is another Martha Roberts, who made a sampler, which is in Uncle Philip’s possession. This sampler states that she was born on May the 2, 1800. In Saccarappa Cemetery there is a Martha Roberts, Dau. Of Benj. & Rebecca Dyer Roberts, who died on Feb. 7, 1837 at the age of 37. This is the sister to Joshua D. Roberts who was father of our diarist Martha.

Eliza Roberts married John C. Baker filed marriage intentions on Sept. 4, 1831. ( She is also a sister to Joshua D. Roberts and is referred to as Aunt Baker)

Maria Babb & Henry F.  Sands were married Jan. 9, 1849 ( I believe this Maria to be a sister to Martha’s mother. This would have been Aunt Sands) Mary Roberts & Charles Quinby/ Quimby ( Maybe another sister to Joshua D. Roberts who was known as Aunt Quinby) were married on Jan. 16, 1817. Mary W. Babb & John Proctor   were married on Nov. 21, 1830 ( Aunt Proctor, who I believe was a sister to Martha’s mother. ) Lizzie  Babb & Levi Wescott  were married on Jan. 20, 1846 ( She was Eliz. Babb from Westbrook and he was from Standish, which could explain why Martha’s mom visited Standish on occasion if this was her sister, Martha called them Uncle Levi and Aunt Lizzie in her diary.)

These are only educated guesses from studying the vital records and they may or may not be valid.

                                         *******************************************

Martha’s diary ends here. All my life I had heard the story of how graverobbers opened her grave and threw her body in Beaver Pond at Saccarappa Cemetery shortly after she died. It had not been confirmed and I was always curious about the incident. Recently I called the funeral home in Westbrook, Maine to ask if they had an archives but was told not that far back. They told me to check newspapers. Only recently I have discovered the diaries of her brother-in- law, William Roberts who authored 31 diaries throughout his life. He provides many family details. These excerpts were taken from his entries in 1897. August 14…”.Martha, John’s wife died suddenly.”       Oct. 5…”I went to Market in the forenoon and in the afternoon I went out to the cemetery to see if John’s wife’s body had been removed from its grave and found that it had. After that I pulled the beets.”     Oct. 6…..” I took my wife down to the station to go to Portland. Then I went by request of the sheriff  to look at John’s wife’s body which was found this morning to see if I could positively identify it but I couldn’t it had changed so much though I had no doubt it was her’s.”

A pair of old family eyeglasses from the Roberts homestead



                    On the weekend I try to get up early and accomplish a great deal, because during the week, I usually don’t get anything done because of work. The weekend list is a long one, and if I stay on task ,it is one I can easily accomplish. Yesterday, I gave my face a thorough wash with an astringent which was on the first shelf of the medicine cabinet. My glasses were on the sink basin because I had just showered. I grabbed the astringent bottle and a cotton swab and proceeded to rub it across my forehead, around my eyes and nose. I felt a burning sensation and realized I had washed my face with nail polish remover. Not only did I clean my face but I removed any trace of freckles. So the lesson here is to wear your glasses when you reach for an item in the medicine cabinet. Enjoy your week!
 

                    Sometimes I wonder if the world has lost some human interaction since the invention of the Personal Computer and the marvels of the Internet?  However, the fact that I am a woman who appreciates there has been much lost, I am fascinated what I have been able to do with the computer. I am not technologically savvy in any way but have learned how to do many tasks on the computer which are important to me.

                        The very first time I actually believed there could be a use for e-mail, was when my son had cardiac arrest and respiratory failure at the age of fourteen, due to complications from dehydration. I left the hospital briefly to use my mother’s computer to compose one e-mail that could be forwarded to all of our relatives. I did not have the energy to compose several e-mails and I was in no shape to make phone calls. My mother showed me how to compose an e-mail. That was one week after 9/11. Imagine never feeling that e-mail would be something I would use? Now most people use some form of instant messaging where they can ‘talk’ on line. This has pretty much replaced e-mail for the younger folks. There will always be a place for e-mail in the business world.

                        This reminds me of my own job, dispatching technicians to repair phone lines. Throughout the day, I speak with the repair department and speak with technicians and many others. Some people call me from other States. Rather than being stuck in some phone queue, I often ask callers for their last names so I can find them on the company list. This way I can keep them up to date regarding status of a job using instant messaging by typing onto a small box on my computer screen. This also enables the job to get dispatched faster and to get important messages to the techs regarding their jobs. It also is a way for each group in my office working as a team to keep connected to each other. I might leave a message in the group chat, “If tech g25 calls, he needs to call his customer at last job.”  Whoever thought that all these types of communication would be so useful?

                        Now I just received a cell phone for Christmas, but it was over a week before I tried to activate it. My son had to help me and out of frustration, I finally asked him to record his own voice using my name. I have not figured out how to access the voice mail yet. I will get through it. Quite often I feel so out of touch, like I am from some distant planet. I am still not convinced that I am not.

                        My main purpose for writing this piece was an interesting story that happened as a result of the Wonders of the Web. Recently, a relative of mine was in touch with a childhood friend from our neighborhood of Redbank in South Portland via Facebook. I told my relative to let her former childhood friend know that her mother could be seen on some of my parent’s old home movies from Youtube all dating in the mid 1960’s. Imagine the friend’s surprise to see her mother ,who had been deceased for some time, on film on the website Youtube. I was quite touched by this and so was the young woman. Technology is amazing.