A quiet Christmas here. Family coming later in the day. No BIG over the top meal - just yummy appetizers in the Crock Pot and sandwiches when ever anyone wants to eat. Everyone else is bringing their pot luck addition to the meal.
Only one tree and no decorations - simple - simple is my motto. Slept late and finished a book this morning.
Just wanted to say
Merry★* 。 • ˚ ˚ •。★Christmas★
。* 。*FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!!
° 。 ° ˚* _Π_____*。*˚★ 。* 。*。 • ˚ ˚ •。★
˚ ˛ •˛•*/______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛★ 。* 。*★ 。* 。*
˚ ˛ •˛• ｜ 田田｜門｜ ˚And a Happy New Year
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Dark Day
Yesterday our sky was filled with a haze and the smell of smoke. For a long time, there was no explanation. Later in the day we heard that it was caused by a forest fire in the Boundary Waters between Canada and Minnesota. That is 400 miles away from here.
The first time I heard of such an occurrence was more than 30 years ago while reading the Revolutionary War pension file of Owen Briggs. In it, he wrote that he had left his home in Connecticut that day to fight for our Country’s independence. All those years later he knew that the exact day he left his Connecticut home was May 19, 1780. That day is known as the Dark Day in New England because from Maine to New Jersey the sky was as dark as night in the middle of the day.
It was many years later when I finally found a source that explained what the Dark Day was most likely caused by a prairie fire. Of course, the smell of smoke was not unusual as all cooking was done over an open flame and houses were heated by a constant fire in the fireplace.
Today you can search Dark Day on the Internet and find references to it immediately. Wikipedia lists a sources that concluded that the fire was located in Ontario, Canada. There was so much smoke in the air that by noon it was dark as night. The following day, the sun was red and the sky yellow.
Another source explains that when a fire does not kill a tree and the tree later grows that scar marks are left in the growth rings.1 This makes it possible to approximate the date of a past fire. Researchers examining the scar damage in Ontario, Canada and can now attribute the Dark Day to a large fire in the area that is today occupied by Algonquin Provincial Park.2
It is amazing that all this information is available at your fingertips in minutes. However, can you even begin to imagine what the colonists must have thought as an ordinary day suddenly took on an ominous feel as the sky turned dark as night?
1. "A Brief Introduction to Fire History Reconstruction". 2005-07-11. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/impd/impd_data_intro.html.
2. McMurry, Erin R.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Guyette, Richard P.; Dey, Daniel C. (2007-07-03). "Fire scars reveal source of New England’s 1780 Dark Day". International Journal of Wildland fire 16 (3): 266–270. doi:10.1071/WF05095. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WF05095.htm.
The first time I heard of such an occurrence was more than 30 years ago while reading the Revolutionary War pension file of Owen Briggs. In it, he wrote that he had left his home in Connecticut that day to fight for our Country’s independence. All those years later he knew that the exact day he left his Connecticut home was May 19, 1780. That day is known as the Dark Day in New England because from Maine to New Jersey the sky was as dark as night in the middle of the day.
It was many years later when I finally found a source that explained what the Dark Day was most likely caused by a prairie fire. Of course, the smell of smoke was not unusual as all cooking was done over an open flame and houses were heated by a constant fire in the fireplace.
Today you can search Dark Day on the Internet and find references to it immediately. Wikipedia lists a sources that concluded that the fire was located in Ontario, Canada. There was so much smoke in the air that by noon it was dark as night. The following day, the sun was red and the sky yellow.
Another source explains that when a fire does not kill a tree and the tree later grows that scar marks are left in the growth rings.1 This makes it possible to approximate the date of a past fire. Researchers examining the scar damage in Ontario, Canada and can now attribute the Dark Day to a large fire in the area that is today occupied by Algonquin Provincial Park.2
It is amazing that all this information is available at your fingertips in minutes. However, can you even begin to imagine what the colonists must have thought as an ordinary day suddenly took on an ominous feel as the sky turned dark as night?
1. "A Brief Introduction to Fire History Reconstruction". 2005-07-11. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/impd/impd_data_intro.html.
2. McMurry, Erin R.; Stambaugh, Michael C.; Guyette, Richard P.; Dey, Daniel C. (2007-07-03). "Fire scars reveal source of New England’s 1780 Dark Day". International Journal of Wildland fire 16 (3): 266–270. doi:10.1071/WF05095. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WF05095.htm.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Full-circle
A busy day at the museum. One of "my boys" was honored today when family came to visit. He is one of two of these boys that are extra special to me - maybe I felt closer to them because of the many things that connected us.
He and the other fallen hometown
heroes were honored with flags
during the Field of Honor in May.
After his death, his mother lamented that he was afraid he would not be remembered. Today, his wife came to visit - 42 years after his death. My boys will never be forgotten by those who knew or loved them.
He and the other fallen hometown
heroes were honored with flags
during the Field of Honor in May.
After his death, his mother lamented that he was afraid he would not be remembered. Today, his wife came to visit - 42 years after his death. My boys will never be forgotten by those who knew or loved them.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Southern for Sure
I feel it in my heart. I feel it in ways that take me by surprise.
Went to the movies this week to see The Help. I loved the book and the movie was wonderful too. What I really loved was seeing my grandfather's rocking chair in Aibileen's living room.
Went to the movies this week to see The Help. I loved the book and the movie was wonderful too. What I really loved was seeing my grandfather's rocking chair in Aibileen's living room.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
There is a place
There is a place I cross with great regularity.
A place where I step into another world - a world of discovery.
It speaks volumes - its character shaped by those who have crossed over it.
It is showing its age - worn down by 1,000s of footsteps planted firmly upon it.
Oh, the people who have passed over it - the history absorbed into its grain.
For more than 110 years it has been a gateway.
It has been a community landmark for all its life.
It has had several facelifts and purposes.
In its newest form it has welcomed our community since 1976.
If it could talk, what stories it could tell of others who have crossed over it.
A place where I step into another world - a world of discovery.
It speaks volumes - its character shaped by those who have crossed over it.
It is showing its age - worn down by 1,000s of footsteps planted firmly upon it.
Oh, the people who have passed over it - the history absorbed into its grain.
For more than 110 years it has been a gateway.
It has been a community landmark for all its life.
It has had several facelifts and purposes.
In its newest form it has welcomed our community since 1976.
If it could talk, what stories it could tell of others who have crossed over it.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Every Year
A beautiful summer night in the park. The music was great too. It is so nice to spend time with neighbors and friends just enjoying being. Being there - being alive - being part of this community. Did I mention being in the park - it is the jewel of our town with a river along one side and filled with stately oaks and hickories.
Later, as we turned into our driveway I caught a small glow flitting across the lawn. Then I remembered - it's almost the 4th of July and the magic lightning bugs have returned for their 21 day romp through the countryside and our memories. I watched them appear and disappear and wondered how many others were enjoying this seasonal sight just as I was.
Welcome back my friends. I have missed you. Thank you for the magic memories you bring and for helping me reconnect with childhood and loved ones no longer here.
I love the line from the Firefly Song: "I'd get a thousand hugs from 10,000 lightening bugs as they tried to teach me to dance." Listen to the song by clicking this link:
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Happy 300th Birthday Bodo
A short ceremony honoring the birth of Dr. Bodo Otto, Sr. will take place in the courtyard of Trinity Lutheran Church at 527 Washington St. Reading, PA. on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 11 p.m. A wreath will be laid at his grave and a few words will be spoken by some of his descendants.
This past Memorial Day an event took place in my home town where Dr. Otto was honored. To let other descendants know about it, I wrote the following for publication in the July 2011 quarterly newsletter of the Dr. Bodo Association.
As descendants of Dr. Bodo Otto, Sr. a part of each of us turns 300 years old on July 20. That is the day our ancestor was born in Hanover, Germany. His DNA is part of each of us all these years later and will be 300 years from now when our descendants mark his 600th birthday.
Three hundred years is a very long time – yet it is but a grain of sand in the hourglass of time.
To put his life in perspective, he was born 103 years after the settlement in Jamestown, Virginia was established and 91 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Coming to the Colonies in 1755, he found a world vastly different than the one we know today. Five years after his arrival, Philadelphia, with a population of 23,800 people, was the largest city in the country. My suburban Chicago community is larger than that today.
The Berks County Historical Society commemorated his birth with the publication of an article written by Nikki Elizabeth Jones. Nikki is the daughter of Bodo Association Recording Secretary Rita Otto Jones. It is a wonderful article. Nikki included a quote that relevant to us. That quote appeared on page 940 in The History of Berks County Pennsylvania published by Everts, Peck, and Richards in 1886. The author, Morton L Montgomery, wrote of Dr. Otto:
"Next to Washington, Gates, Mifflin, Wayne and other leading Generals, Dr. Bodo Otto, of Reading, Pa, occupies a prominence and rendered useful service equal to any other man who was engaged in the great cause of the Revolution, not on the field of battle, leading his fellowmen into danger and death, amongst the Hospitals, as a Senior Surgeon, carrying for, and administering to the sick, wounded and dying soldiers. And yet his name is not mentioned in history."
The flag proudly flew for five days in front of a mighty tree and alongside the main pathway where everyone could see the dedication.
One morning a fierce storm blew though the park. It snapped those 1,901 flag to attention and began bending the poles toward the ground. As I and several others stood together under the tent, wet to our knees from the blowing rain, I thought of Dr. Otto and all those who have served our country and suffered through the elements, including that cold winter at Valley Forge. His flag along with the rest withstood the storm and falling branches unscathed. Somewhat reminiscent of the country our ancestor fought to establish.
During a sunset ceremony one evening, the pastor of one of our local churches spoke about keeping memories alive. He told the story of how he felt when someone once said to him, "your daughter must have been very close to your father because she speaks of him with such reverence." The pastor went on to say that keeping memories alive is the job of each one of us and that he was glad to know that he did his job well – especially since his father had died 13 years before his daughter was born.
Last year, Mike and I brought our six-year-old grandson to the Bodo Otto Reunion. He had a wonderful time with his young cousins and it made a lasting impression on him. When he and his sister visited the Field of Honor they honored Dr. Bodo Otto and their great-grandfather, who also had a dedicated flag flying, by placing a small flag at the base of the flagpoles. When I asked him after the event which flag he wanted he unhesitatingly said, "I want Bodo Otto's flag."
I tell you these stories because they illustrate the power we each have to keep hiSTORY alive. Thank you Nikki for unleashing your power – with your story you will reach thousands.
You've seen what my family did to celebrate the birth of Dr. Bodo Otto, Sr. Now, what are YOU going to do to celebrate his 300th birthday?
As his 6th great granddaughter I am proud to say, Happy Birthday Grossvater Bodo!
As descendants of Dr. Bodo Otto, Sr. a part of each of us turns 300 years old on July 20. That is the day our ancestor was born in Hanover, Germany. His DNA is part of each of us all these years later and will be 300 years from now when our descendants mark his 600th birthday.
Portrait of Dr. Bodo Otto hanging in Trinity Church, Reading, Pennsylvania
Three hundred years is a very long time – yet it is but a grain of sand in the hourglass of time.
To put his life in perspective, he was born 103 years after the settlement in Jamestown, Virginia was established and 91 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Coming to the Colonies in 1755, he found a world vastly different than the one we know today. Five years after his arrival, Philadelphia, with a population of 23,800 people, was the largest city in the country. My suburban Chicago community is larger than that today.
The Berks County Historical Society commemorated his birth with the publication of an article written by Nikki Elizabeth Jones. Nikki is the daughter of Bodo Association Recording Secretary Rita Otto Jones. It is a wonderful article. Nikki included a quote that relevant to us. That quote appeared on page 940 in The History of Berks County Pennsylvania published by Everts, Peck, and Richards in 1886. The author, Morton L Montgomery, wrote of Dr. Otto:
"Next to Washington, Gates, Mifflin, Wayne and other leading Generals, Dr. Bodo Otto, of Reading, Pa, occupies a prominence and rendered useful service equal to any other man who was engaged in the great cause of the Revolution, not on the field of battle, leading his fellowmen into danger and death, amongst the Hospitals, as a Senior Surgeon, carrying for, and administering to the sick, wounded and dying soldiers. And yet his name is not mentioned in history."
Dr. Bodo Otto's compass on display in a Pentagon Museum exhibit. Photo used with permission.
Old Barracks Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey
Ruins of Yellow Springs Hospital
in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
As his descendants it is up to us to continually remind history" about hiSTORY so that his contribution to the founding of this country is not forgotten. To that end, I sponsored a flag in our community's Memorial Day Field of Honor.
The flag proudly flew for five days in front of a mighty tree and alongside the main pathway where everyone could see the dedication.
One morning a fierce storm blew though the park. It snapped those 1,901 flag to attention and began bending the poles toward the ground. As I and several others stood together under the tent, wet to our knees from the blowing rain, I thought of Dr. Otto and all those who have served our country and suffered through the elements, including that cold winter at Valley Forge. His flag along with the rest withstood the storm and falling branches unscathed. Somewhat reminiscent of the country our ancestor fought to establish.
As chairman of the event, I was asked on several occasions if I knew anything about the Revolutionary War era dedication to Dr. Bodo Otto. Of course, I was happy to explain hiSTORY to all who asked.
During a sunset ceremony one evening, the pastor of one of our local churches spoke about keeping memories alive. He told the story of how he felt when someone once said to him, "your daughter must have been very close to your father because she speaks of him with such reverence." The pastor went on to say that keeping memories alive is the job of each one of us and that he was glad to know that he did his job well – especially since his father had died 13 years before his daughter was born.
Last year, Mike and I brought our six-year-old grandson to the Bodo Otto Reunion. He had a wonderful time with his young cousins and it made a lasting impression on him. When he and his sister visited the Field of Honor they honored Dr. Bodo Otto and their great-grandfather, who also had a dedicated flag flying, by placing a small flag at the base of the flagpoles. When I asked him after the event which flag he wanted he unhesitatingly said, "I want Bodo Otto's flag."
I tell you these stories because they illustrate the power we each have to keep hiSTORY alive. Thank you Nikki for unleashing your power – with your story you will reach thousands.You've seen what my family did to celebrate the birth of Dr. Bodo Otto, Sr. Now, what are YOU going to do to celebrate his 300th birthday?
As his 6th great granddaughter I am proud to say, Happy Birthday Grossvater Bodo!
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