Mothers' arms

When I was taking the sheets off the clothes line this afternoon I thought of the many times my mother tucked me into a bed with clean fresh sheets. I wonder how many hundreds of times she ran the diapers through the wringer washer and hung them on the line.

Often when I'm in the kitchen stirring up something sweet, like tonight when I made a cake from scratch for my Mom's birthday, I think of how it all started with "helping" Mom in the kitchen. Even when I was quite small, we'd pull up a chair to the counter for me to stand on so I could reach the counter. The best part of helping was licking the mixer beaters and the bowl.

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When I go past my little display of Girl Scout ephemera in the hall way I think of her involvement as a troop leader for me and my classmates and as a Cub Scout den mother for my brother. She was a part of all the merit badges we earned. I thought of how she wrote a letter to me at scout camp even though I was gone just a week.

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And all the snuggles and hugs, the comforting words, of immeasurable worth. Thanks Mom, for all you poured into my life. I know you loved being a mother and it has made such a difference in my life.

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Happy Birthday to you!

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"Mothers' arms are made of tenderness and sweet sleep blesses the child who lies therein."

Tropical blooms

From the tropical gardens of Cleveland Botanical Garden taken this month:

Cana Tropicana on the left and Flowering Banana

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There was no label with this plant. Does anyone know what it is?

A sentimental "moment"

Scrolling through the couple hundred photos from my nephew's wedding stored on my computer, I stopped on one, that of my niece and three nephews all together again for the first time in quite a few years.

Though I had looked at it many times, this time I had one of those moments of mixed emotions. My heart swelled with pride, for all that they have become, for their fine character and achievements. I felt joy in remembering their growing up years. In my mind's eye I could see a slide show of many of the images I've made of them over the years and with each image I could remember the circumstances. Those memories are what make is seem like it was just yesterday.... Wasn't it just yesterday that Nate was reading his Sesame Street book, and here we are at his wedding, and how the years have flown by! Mixed in with all the other emotions is a deep sense of gratitude for who they are and the time I've had to spend with them.

Here is a moment captured some twenty years ago:

Standing: Melissa and Nathan, children of my older brother Bob and his wife June, and seated, Brian and Craig, children of my younger brother Dan and his wife Lyn.

Branching out

I'm happy to announce an addition to our family tree by way of marriage. My nephew Nathan Webb Phillips tied the knot with Karen Jasinski on July 18th at Saint Catherine’s Church in Norwood, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

Nathan grew up in Maine and graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. and currently works at John Hancock Financial in downtown Boston. Karen graduated from Providence College and currently works as an administrator at Suffolk University in Boston.

I arrived in the Boston area a couple of days prior to the big event and was delighted to have the opportunity to get acquainted with Karen and her family. Her parents Tim and Mary hosted a cookout at their home in Norwood on Thursday evening for the bridal party and their families.

It's evident to me that Karen and Nate are a great match for each other and I wish them all the best!

Daughters of the American Revolution

Listening to all the fireworks going off in my neighborhood until after midnight last night, I wondered how many gave even a passing thought to the great sacrifices that accomplished our nation's independence. I tried to imagine what it was like to actually be in midst of the Revolutionary War (or any war for that matter) and hear live canons and firearms.

It was on this day in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress, announcing that the thirteen American colonies were then independent from the British Empire. Yet the American Revolutionary War continued on until 1783.

I watched part of a 2 hour program on PBS last night about the Revolutionary War entitled "Rebels and Redcoats", as told by a British historian. As I watched the re-enactments dramatized on screen I thought of my fifth great-grandfather Darius Webb who fought in the Revolutionary War.

It took a considerable amount of research by my cousin and researcher Jonathan Webb Deiss to verify in fact that Darius was a veteran of that war. Service of his brothers Ebenezer, Jr., Christopher and Jonathan had been clearly established, but no Compiled Service Record could be found on file at the National Archives for Darius. Eventually though Jonathan found Darius' service records associated with three Massachusetts regiments that were raised up in Hampshire County, Massachusetts for very short terms of service.

With tremendous gratitude to Jonathan Webb Deiss, all the official documentation is available that verifies that I am indeed a "daughter" of the American Revolution. However, I have not officially applied to the National Society which has as its objectives, historic preservation, patriotism and education. These are all things that I value greatly yet for now it seems enough to know that I am a descendent of Revolutionary patriot without having to process all the official paperwork.

America
Lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!

Good Soldiers

Looking through the viewfinder of my camera at the soldiers lined up for my hometown Memorial Day services, I imagined that this day of remembrance took them back through the vivid memories of life and survival in a war zone. Though many decades have passed, they can still feel the recoil of the gun, still hear the sound of enemy planes, still see their comrade fall.

Indeed, by the end of the day, Dad said it had been a difficult day of remembering.

In honor of my parents' service in WWII, I bring to you this story written by my father some years ago to include in a book of memories for my mother:

Do you remember when we were still in high school? War was about all there was in the news. Hitler had defeated Poland and then Norway, Denmark, and France and was looking across the channel at England. Japan had all the coastal ports of China and the only way we could get to China was from Burma and over the hump.

The United States had over one hundred war ships in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese made their surprise attack. Somebody must have really been asleep.

It wasn't long until the whole country was producing war material and the draft was taking all the men. I have heard that at one time there was not a man in New London of military age. All production of every factory went to the war effort Gasoline, sugar and many other things were rationed. The speed limit was thirty five miles per hour.

Most of the women then were homemakers and stayed at home with the kids, but with the war going many of them took jobs in factories and did the work of the men. None of us wanted to go into the military but when we were called we went because our country was in a position where we had no choice but to fight for our existence as a nation.

For me military service wasn't all that bad, there was good days and some really bad days but generally we just marked a lot of time. The thing that bothered me the most was the terrible loneliness. From the time I left home until I returned over three years later, I had not seen a person that I had seen before.

I was proud when you went in the service and I carried your picture in a frame that I made from a shipping crate with my pocket knife. We have that picture here on the wall today. We served our country and did what we were told, nothing heroic and nothing to be ashamed of either. We were good soldiers.

Thanks Dad for telling this story. I'm sure glad you came home! Happy Fathers' Day!

More stories to be told....

Orchids (and a magnolia)

The Orchidaceae (or Orchid family) is the largest family of the flowering plants and contains as many as 22,000 species. A great many, perhaps hundreds were on display in the orchid show at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens this past spring. Most were planted in the natural environments provided by the Costa Rican and Madagascar glass houses.

Every Friday a colleague participating on the archivists discussion forum delights us all with his flower photo of the day. Sonny Carter gave me permission to post a link to his web site. Here is what he captured this week-- a magnolia blooming near where he parked his car:
http://www.sonc.com/friday_june_5_2009.htm