Spring, Hank & Ojibwe

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Spring

“One of four siblings,

the youngest of course.

Or am I the oldest?

Not really sure.

I bring new life

and herald the warmth,

but hay fever, too,

is in my source.

Autumn has color

but tinged with decay.

Some call her Fall.

I think she's OK.

Not like my bother,

cold in his breath.

Winter his name,

in darkness brings death.

Summer's the one

that gets all the glory,

but brush fires and sunburn

are in her story.

So, season of choice,

who will win?

The one with potential,

of course; it's Spring.”

© Martin Taylor

Published: March 2016

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Dee & Me Easter Sunday

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On April 23, 1954, Hank Aaron hits his first home run. This was the first of 755 home runs hit in a 22 year career of baseball.

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Peanuts At Fenway

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“It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. It took one afternoon on the golf course.”

Hank Aaron

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The Ojibwe language use the word, “bagamad”, to say “a storm is arriving.

This is a good choice for last Friday and today. 

However, I would rather use, “aabawaate,” which  would translate, “it’s mild and sunny weather.”

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Andy Kim - “Baby I Love You.” - 1969

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Notre Dame, Will & Calvin

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The destruction of Notre Dame.

Please pray for the people of Paris and France.

 Moria, over at Modern Catholic Mom has written an excellent blog, 

"Notre Dame Burning. Holy Week & Being the Remanent."

Read it ........

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On April 18, 1775, two men road out to warn the colonists, in Massachusetts, about the march of the British from Boston to Concord and Lexington.

They were, Paul Revere and William Dawes.

Their ride was successful but the result of the the British meeting the colonial militia sparked the “American Revolution.”

The Midnight Ride

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Allergies, trees, grasses and anything else related to Spring. I’ve got them.

Today is ranked high, for Oak, Maple and Alder.

In fact, pollen counts for this week have been high. The good news is that it will drop from “high” to “moderate.”  

So, I checked out the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology website.

“ Moderate levels are concentrations that fall between the 50th and 75th percentile.

High levels fall between the 75th and 99th percentile.”

Well, my eyes itch and flow with tears.

My nose runs and is itchy.

These things occurring wether the concentrations are at the “50th percentile” or the “99th percentile.”

Yes, I’m finished now and feel somewhat better. Thank you for listening/reading to my unsolicited observation/experience with pollen.

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“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”

Will Rogers

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Calvin & Spring,

I’m beginning to agree with him ……

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In case you missed my Briartun post on Rangers in the French and Indian War

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Harry Chapin - "Winter Song"

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No Takes at Kelly's, It's Good Friday.

Rangers & The French & Indian War

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The French and Indian War, 1754 through 1763, recognized “ranger units,” as a means of combating the French irregulars and their Indian allies.

One of the most prominent was Roger’s Rangers. (MGM made a great movie, “Northwest Passage,” starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan and Ruth Hussey.) 

However, Roger’s Rangers were not the only frontiersmen who fought in the woods. There were others; Captain Benjamin Wrights Rangers, Captain John Lovewell’s Rangers, Israel Putnam’s Connecticut Rangers, Stockbridge Mahican and Connecticut Mohegan Indians, Joseph Gorham’s Rangers, George Scott’s Rangers, Captain Hezekiah Dunn’s Rangers, Captain Thomas Cresap Rangers and James Smith Rangers. All of them contributing to the protection of the British colonies.

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The following information is from the writings of Chris McNab from "The History Reader," website.

“They were essentially backwoodsmen—hunters, trappers, militiamen, and Indian fighters—used to operating independently rather than in regimented ranks of soldiery, living off the land and relying on their knowledge of terrain and gun to keep them alive.”

“One imperative in bush fighting was camouflage; for Rogers’ men, green attire was a constant throughout the war. Other Anglo-American irregulars, like Gage’s 80^th Light Infantry and Putnam’s Connecticut Rangers, wore brown. Some, like Bradstreet’s armed bateau men and Dunn’s New Jersey Rangers, wore gray. A few Ranger companies in Nova Scotia wore dark blue or black.”

“In the field, the Rangers often resembled Indians, exhibiting a “cut-throat, savage appearance,” as one writer at Louisbourg recorded in 1758.”

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I wanted to include a ranger unit for my Briartun miniatures and decided that Jamis Trumbil would be the “Captain” of such a unit. 

The photo below is the newly completed 

“Trumbil’s Rangers.” They are gathered at one of the Ranger cabins located along the Mohawk River. 

Figures are Black Powder Frontiersmen A, W67-FIW-43, French Indian War 1754-1763. The Mohawk warrior, is from Old Glory Indians FIW25-1.

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Porch, Masters & Skeeter

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New furniture for the front porch. It’s comfortable and really looks good.

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We had our spring clean-up and mulching completed this week. Dee made sure that her spring flowers were planted prior to the project.

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Some days the writing goes slow ......

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My April Lady

"When down the stair at morning 

The sunbeams round her float, 

Sweet rivulets of laughter

Are bubbling in her throat;

The gladness of her greeting

Is gold without alloy;

And in the morning sunlight

I think her name is Joy. 

When in the evening twilight

The quiet book-room lies, 

We read the sad old ballads,

While 

from her hidden eyes 

The tears are falling, falling,

That give her heart relief; 

And in the evening twilight,

I think her name is Grief. 

My little April lady,

Of sunshine and of showers, 

She weaves the old spring magic,

And breaks my heart in flowers! 

But when her moods are ended,

She nestles like a dove;

Then, by the pain and rapture,

I know her name is Love."

Henry Van Dyke

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The Masters Tournament is being played at Augusta National Golf Course, April 11 through April 14, 2019. I’m pulling for Phil Mickelson.

He has won three Masters Tournaments, 2004, 2006 and 2010.

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Skeeter Davis - "The End Of The World (1963) HQ"

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

The Project, Steve & Context

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We’ve completed our utility room and downstairs bathroom this week. The task turned out to be a “wee bit” bigger than I thought. However with the help of our son, Stephen and neighbor, Mitch, we prevailed. 

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Went to the Kindred Spirit Brewing pub last week with our friends. Enjoyed laughing, singing and savoring the different brews. My favorite is the “Pub Stout.”

Music was provided by Pat O”Brien who played requests as well as some of his favorites. 

One of my favorites was "Sylvia's Mother."

This is a 1972 rendition by Dr. Hook

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Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red

“Still around the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun.”

"The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Steve Givens is retiring in June. He is younger than I was when I retired but I'm sure he will enjoy his new adventures. Please take time to check his website.

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“Context shows us the true value of things. And the thing is, we're constantly discovering new context. It’s the way God opens our eyes to reality. He shows us new context. Day after day, week after week, year after year, he shows us new context. And love? Love rearranges our priorities. Context rearranges our priorities very purposefully, not in a whimsical way, but context shows us the true value of things so that we can arrange our priorities in a way that maximizes how we love. That's a beautiful thing. Context’s a beautiful thing.”

Matthew Kelly

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This week Dee and I attended a two evening retreat at our church. The presentation was presented by Sarah Hart. "Singer, songwriter and keynote speaker."

 She was inspiring, loving and humorous as we were led through Gospel readings, reflection and song. Her stories about family and her experiences helped us understand how Jesus is always with us. How His love for us is unending and how we should be thankful for Him and the sacrifice He made.

Sara's website.

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Mark Dinning - “Teen Angel” - A beautiful ballad from 1960.

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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Captured - The Briartun Archives - April 1755 - Fini

In May of 2018 I posted the beginning of a short story entitled "Captured - The Briartun Archives - April 1755." This is the conclusion of that story which will hopefully lead to some more related tales.

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Jonas struggled with the forest trail, trying to maintain his balance and keep up with everyone. Susanna was concerned that the Frenchmen would leave him behind. She asked to have her hands untied so that she might carry him. Cédric thought about it for a moment and then told Jean to untie the boy. One less thing to be concerned about.

Less then an hour later she asked Cédric where she and Jonas were being taken. His reply was ambiguous, telling her, that there was a rendezvous point up along the lake. She continued to ask him questions, worrying that they might be taken to Fort Niagara.

His mind was on his pursuers and did not want to be questioned about anything from her. The objective was to get them to Fort Niagara quickly. He stopped abruptly, turned around and in a voice that was not pleasant, told her that there was to be no more talking. She was to keep quiet and continue moving. 

The next few miles were quiet but the fast pace was wearing on Susanna. She didn’t know how much further she could go. Exhaustion, frustration and tears were beginning to take it’s toll on her. She was not use to moving at this pace through forest trails and needed some rest. It didn’t take long before she tripped and went down. 

Cédric turned, and looking at the two captives, realized that something had to be done. They were too tired to continue and their pursuers would soon be upon them. He decided to stop for a short break. He asked Jean to scout back and find out how close the Militia were. He was then to follow up as quickly as possible. 

Khiatons had easily picked up the trail of the raiders and told Jamis that they were only a few hours behind them. There was a good chance they could catch up to them before reaching any French camps. Miles and the rest of the Militia were pleased at the news. They picked up their pace knowing that they would soon intercept the French raiders.

It was in the early hours of the evening when Jean caught up with Cédric. The pursuers were gaining and would arrive within the hour. They were outnumbered and not close enough to any French or Huron support. Cédric was not interested in being captured and decided to tie the captives to a small birch tree. The task was handled by Jean who also gagged them so they could not make any noise. 

Cédric told Susanna to sit quietly and not to struggle. He and Jean slipped back into the trees as though they were setting a trap. Susanna had no idea that her captors were leaving. She tried to free her bound hands so that she could remove the gag and warn whomever was coming.

The rescuers were moving at a quick pace when Khiatons signaled for everyone to stop. He knew they were close but could not detect any movement ahead. He and Jamis slowly moved ahead watching and listening for any movement. They reached a point where they could see Susanna and her son, but were far enough back so that they couldn’t be seen. Both men listened and watched. The raiders appeared to be gone, but years of forest warfare had taught them that things were not always as they seemed. So Khiatons signaled he was going to the right and Jamis confirmed that he would move out to the left. They slowly and quietly circled the captives and found the trail of the raiders. Khiatons continued through the woods to confirm the direction the Frenchmen were heading. Jamis slowly moved behind Susanna and Jonas. One by one he untied them and pulled them back away from the trail, making sure they were in the safety of the wood.

Khiatons came back about thirty minutes later. He told Jamis that the two Frenchmen were quickly heading northwest. He confirmed that they had abandon the captives. 

Miles Clement and the Militia were pleased to find that Susanna and Jonas had been found unharmed, but tired from their ordeal. It was unfortunate that the raiders got away. Jamis suggested that Miles escort Susanna and her son back to the village of Minetto. He and Khiatons would follow the trail of the raiders for a little while longer. 

They followed the trail for the next few miles. Khiatons could tell that the Frenchmen were moving fast. There were no signs of them doubling back. All was clear, so they turned around and caught up with Miles and the rescued family.

Susanna and Jonas returned to Minetto and were pleased to find Henry recovering from his wound. 

Jamis and Khiatons stayed for a few days, said their goodbyes and headed east toward Albany. They would put together a ranger team to add to the defense of the small farms along the Mohawk River.

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